Start-to-finish, an incredible wedding. I have this odd love for wedding clients that book me off MySpace. They know what they want. They have done their research. And we hit it off, right from the word go.

I first met Jenna in the lobby of the Holiday Inn, downtown LaCrosse…. five days ago, preparing to shoot family portraits on her wedding day. We chatted over the phone about three times and exchanged a handful of emails along the way. In a matter of minutes of meeting them, we felt like old friends. This is the feeling I seek with every wedding I shoot. Jenna and Rick made it all too easy for Rob and I to become part of their family.

Jenna and Rick had a truly non-traditonal wedding. The entire vibe was family and friend-driven. Their day was simple, surrounded by those close to them. We had an amazing time during the five… very short hours we spent shooting the wedding. It was hard to leave, but the ominous 3+ hour drive back (and forth in the same day) to Appleton was haunting us.

A quick portrait in the lobby of the Holiday Inn after the family formals.

The Starlite Lounge. Wow. Straight out of the 50′s.

The Pearl. Shot in an authentic homemade ice cream parlor.

Some headshots.

And those shoes….. Props to Jenna for rocking these retro shoes and killer dress!

Out on the street.

VIEW THE SLIDESHOW HERE!

~dave

Looooooong weekend. I’m still dragging and I don’t think my legs have ever been this sore. Between shooting in LaCrosse, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Sheboygan, I’ve managed to safely land on both my feet back at home. Rob and I shot an awesome wedding on Saturday! Congrats go out to Jenna and Rick! I rounded it out with two engagement shoots yesterday, both out of town. As it seems, my time can get consumed way too quickly. Especially with everybody trying to get engagement shoots booked with the advent of the warmer spring weather on it’s way.

As I have always told myself from the beginning, my family comes first in my life. Period. Unfortunately, that has not been entirely true over the past few weeks. Between travel, working on a new website/blog, planning our launch party, shooting on-location and just trying to keep my business-minded head above water, I’ve managed to loose sight of those people close to my heart. As a result, I look forward to re-aligning my priorities and finding some better balance in my day-to-day schedule. I will no longer book photos shoots on Sundays. This is the only day I truly get to call a “family day”.

If you re looking to schedule weekend shoots, I will begin to work these into weekdays and/or Saturday’s when I do not have weddings scheduled. There is plenty of time to get your photo shoots scheduled, so plan ahead! As I tell all my clients, last minute requests are nearly impossible for me to fulfill this time of year!

Hope your weekend was pleasant! I’ll get more photos posted soon! No lie.
~dave

To Write Love On Her Arms is a non-profit organization promoting suicide awareness and prevention. Their message is about love and it’s ability to change a life. It’s a topic that I’m very close to. I’ve been following TWLOHA for some time now and have become rather passionate about their message. Please take the time to visit their website.

~dave

Well, the new website is finally progressing. We’re at the flash development stage right now. After a few weeks of listening to Chad get on my case about site content, I finally got off my arse and started the edit-down for the final portfolio galleries. For those photographer stalkers on this here blog, lemme give you some advice when developing a new website… Keep it simple and limit your galleries to about 10 or 15 images max. Don’t over do it with too many images on your site. Most clients will sift through a specific and small amount of images before deciding whether or not they like your work. If a client doesn’t do their research or can’t get a feel for how you shoot, then you can show more of your work at a face-to-face consultation. Trust me though, the cut-down process for me is a HUGE undertaking! Keep in mind I’m cutting down well over 10,000 images from the last two years, to about 100 or so. Staying focused on your current style of work is important, especially when selecting your portfolio.

I’m excited to see this thing finally get off the ground. Hopefully in the next two weeks. And with it comes a brand new blog (I HATE THIS UGLY THING…), new pricing, new MySpace (which my good friend Andy totally rocked!), new wedding worksheet, and a new beard. Yes, a new beard! That is the highlight of it all, soon to be showcased at my Launch Party on April 18th.

Which brings me to my next point..

Anyone who reads this is welcome to show up!!! Details are below, for those out in the dark. The party will be a very casual get-together for all my clients, friends, family, business associates, etc.. Just alot of hanging out, good food, good music and plenty of thank you’s to everyone that has made my dream possible. So, for those who have rapidly failing memories, here are the details:

Friday, April 18th, 2008

The Grand Meridian, at 2621 N Oneida Street, Appleton, WI
6pm til 10 or 11-ish?

The Joe Tones will be playing at the party! I’m so excited for these guys! Thanks go out to BRAD KNAPP for dropping the word to me on these dudes. AWESOME, Awesome blues band!!!

Well, after putting in a ton of hours over the past three weeks… I’m off to bed.

~dave