I left my heart ... ok, so maybe not.

So I skipped over Houston and Cincinnati in the blog this last week....not because of a lack of pictures...but because they were all taken by Brandon R. so it will be a few days before I get some images back from both those locations. We got to spend two days in San Francisco last week, and enjoyed some time shooting at night downtown and the following day in Chinatown. There are few cities with more to take pictures of than San Fran. Enjoy!

The stairs at the hotel California...where you get a welcome shot of tequila at check-in...



Some of downtown San Fran at night...






Brandon R. went out for coffee without me...and subsequently got locked out...



Chinatown...








The long walk home. Note to self...don't get lost in San Francisco on foot.

New York, New York

I've had the privilege this week to travel up and down and across the country with the oh-so-talented photographer Brandon Robbins. Our trip, which revolves around a "top-secret" project for Birmingham-Southern College, took us to New York City during the past two days and will continue on to Houston, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

The trip has been a great opportunity for me to learn alongside Brandon R. as he works his magic with portrait shoots in each city. From lighting to composition to editing, Brandon is a master on every level. This trip has also been a great way for me to test out our new Nikon D3 camera. The pictures we're seeing are truly amazing... and I've shared some with you here. Enjoy!



Here's Brandon R. working his pensive pose at the Hard Rock the night before our shoot...







...shooting in Times Square...







We had a chance to visit one of Brandon R.'s father's friends while in NYC. Hal is among the most seasoned actors that you'll find on Broadway. He's been in more shows than he can count, including A Chorus Line. We started the night off at his apartment in the city and enjoyed some cheese and wine before heading to the most delicious Italian joint ever!









We finished our New York stop off late last night with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building....






...see you in Houston!!!

THE D3

After months of anxious waiting, Stacey and I are excited to announce that we were able to purchase a Nikon D3 - the most advanced digital camera IN THE WORLD - yesteray afternoon!

If you're one of our current couples, or a bride considering using us for your big day,.....get excited. This camera will, without a doubt, take our photography to an entirely new level!

While going into the details of the D3 would confuse a rocket scientist, I wanted to show off a couple of my favorite features.

It's excellent in low light conditions (Churches, darker reception halls, nightime shooting.) - Picture this (pun intended) ... back when using film was the only way to shoot, your standard high-speed roll was 400. Now imagine putting a roll of film into your camera that shoots at 25,600 speed!!! That's the D3 for you.

It's also the first pro digital to boast TWO memory card slots - While Stacey and I have never lost a bride's picture, the danger is always there. No matter how reliable digital imaging becomes, there's always a small chance of card failure during a shoot. The D3 combats this by allowing you to shoot pictures to one memory card, while sending a copy of each frame you take to a backup memory card.

OK, I'll quit being such a photo nerd! We're excited about the D3 because it will make all your pictures, clearer, brighter and more colorful. This is the largest investment to date that Stacey and I have made into Gresham Photography - and we couldn't be happier. We're positive - once you see a picture of yourself come out of this camera - you'll be smiling too!!!

Home Sweet Home

Here are a few pictures I took at Garden of the Gods (about 15 min from my mother and father-in-law's house) this Christmas. Colorado is so beautiful in the winter with the bare trees, open fields, and towering mountains. To get these shots, I had to really bundle up. I ended up wearing 4 layers of clothing, 2 coats, and 2 pair of gloves but it was well worth it to find these amazing scenes.

Mary and John's Slideshow

We're a little behind with the Wyatt's slideshow, but here it is for all to enjoy. It was a night to remember that's for sure!!!

Back from the show....with shoutouts

Whew!

Stacey and I took part in another Southern Bridal show, and it was a big one! They estimated the attendance at around 800 brides, and you would have thought there were 1600 on the floor!!!

We always have a great time at the shows, getting to meet new people and even seeing some of our current clients! We've also found the shows to be a great time for us meet other photographers, designers and vendors from around the area, which helps us when you need a good reference. We had alot of requests yesterday for references to florists, videographers, and even other photographers when our dates were already booked.

While we are running a business here - which means we're in competition with other photographers - Stacey and I have always loved being able to refer people to some of our favorite photogs when we're already booked on their date. We're not giving away business, but triyng to help everyone we meet find the right photographer for them - and help some of our fellow shooters out at the same time.

I thought it would be fun to share some of our references that we tend to use here on the blog:

Photographers

Laine Williams Photography
I knew Laine while at Samford. She's got great personality and it really shows in her pictures!

A Bryan Photo: Bryan Johnson
Bryan is hands down the top wedding photographer in the Southeast in our minds, and definitely one of the top shooter in the nation. His style is unmatched and beautiful. We've been big admirers of his work for some time, and while he definitely doesn't need our help getting business, we think everyone needs to at least see weddings the way he does.

Ann Wade Parrish Photography
Ann Wade is another fellow Samford grad. There's probably no one with as a better eye for shooting a wedding on Samford's campus than Ann Wade.

Marsha Perry Photography
Stacey has been a big admirer of Marsha, and while we don't know her personally, her beautiful work speaks for itself.

Videographers

Alston Wedding Videography
They're a husband-wife team like us, and speaking from experience in working with them, they're the best quality at a great price. Book them!

Florists

Norton's Florists
They do some pretty amazing work. We've worked a couple of weddings with them and they're creativity is stellar.

Flower Stems: Vince Gray
Vince's decorative touch is something to behold.

Wedding Planners

Bubbles and Bells: Randi Funderburg
We're working a wedding with Rani right now and she has been great in coordinating us with the bride and groom.

It's bridal show time again

Stacey and I have started to make a tradition of going to the Southern Bridal Show every six months and begging people to let us photograph there weddings. Unlike some of the other vendors at the show, Stacey and spend alot of time trying to talk face to face with the people we meet at there. Instead of throwing 30 albums at them and showing where to sign, we usually take 3-4 coffee table albums, a bowl full of Hershey's Kisses and business cards, and make our set-up as simple (and approachable) as we can.

We do pick three of our favorite shots from recent weddings/shoots and get them enlarged to poster sizes and put on easles. Our next outing to the BJCC comes this Sunday and I wanted to give everyone a quick peek at the shots we've enlarged to 24x36 inches. They've got some fun and gorgeous couples in them and we feel like they represent some of our best shots from the last year or so.

Eden and Ricky

Here's some of the initial shots from our first wedding in 2008!! Gorgeous bride, handsome groom and a 20-something piece band! What a great time we had with Eden and Ricky! You guys were beautiful!







the girls carried lanterns instead of flowers, such a great idea!


the groom gave the bride a flower from their first date
















there was a beautiful sunset right before the girls walked down the aisle
















goodnight mr. and mrs.