“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”

Henry David Thoreau

Here are two responses we've just received. I've removed the names of the other photographers, so as not to have any hurt feelings.

Arthur,

From the initial stages of our wedding planning, Greg and I knew we had to invest time and effort into finding a good photographer- preferably someone who knew Baltimore well, who produced impeccable work, and who was professional (and enthusiastic) the day of and the days before our big day.  But a good photographer is hard to find, especially against other significant wedding costs.  Friends who were also planning a Baltimore wedding highly recommended turning to you for support and guidance.  Without question, it was one of the best decisions we made.

After meeting you and your staff and seeing samples of your work, Greg and I felt like we had hit the jackpot.  (Literally, we got in the car after that first meeting and I turned to Greg and said, "I'm sold!")  The caliber of your portfolio outshone that of other photographers in the area we viewed.  I also respect and admire the fact that you stick to doing weddings only, instead of extending yourself in other arenas.  This fact alone made me feel like you really cared about the bride and groom, and the whole wedding experience.  You are (hands down) the BEST there is.

I know this for many reasons, the most important being the fact that my wedding photographs turned out impeccable under your care- and this is important because it rained heavily on my wedding day.  There was no room to take outdoor photos at my parents house, but you were able to capture the moments I had inside so eloquently and in such a beautiful manner- that I can't imagine having anything but!  You also carefully pulled Greg and I outdoors when the weather turned in our favor, and were able to take exceptional outdoor photos at the Evergreen.

The reasons why you ARE the best:

1. Reasonably priced- worth every penny.  People kept saying booking a good photographer is key, and of course I agree with them.

2. Made all guests (family/friends/wedding party) feel at ease.

3. Despite rain, you were able to find the best areas at my parents house, the church, and the Evergreen (with sunlight and without).

4. Your "formal" photos were quick and efficient; and while they are important shots, you were able to get us out the door in half an hour.  Most weddings I've attended include the bride, groom, and wedding party missing their own time to shine because of hour(s) long (unnecessary) photographs.  Thank you for not letting this happen!!

I have name-dropped you to ALL of my friends (yes, ALL friends- even the single ones)- and now you're on their list!

WE LOVE YOU and are forever grateful.  Thank you for all you did and have done- we really appreciate it.

Love, Jen & Greg

Hi Arthur,

First of all, I just really liked your personality (energetic, professional, but also relaxed) and your approach to your work (you really seemed to love what you do, and I liked that), and I liked your work and the fact that your were sort of a known entity since Leigh Anne had worked with you already.  You were definitely on the higher end price-wise of photographers that I was looking at, but I decided that I liked you enough that I was willing to pay for it.  And I also figured that pictures were what I was going to have once the wedding day was over, so it was important to me that I could trust that I would have good ones.

Here were my experiences with other photographers I was considering:

$%^$% Pictures: convenient because they are a national company, so I was able to meet with a rep up in Boston and not have to cram in a meeting on a trip to Baltimore.  But, you explain to the rep what kind of photographer you're looking for and then you get matched with one, and although you get to see the photographer's work and can reject the person if you don't like their work, you don't get to meet the person until the day of your wedding ... I didn't want to take that chance (although they would have been cheaper – at most ~$3000)

#$%^s Photography: I really liked his work, although Joe @#$% seemed a little more subdued than you ... I liked how much energy you had; prices were slightly cheaper but about comparable I think

#$%^ Photography: I liked their work a lot, but like with @#$% I wouldn't get to meet the photographer until the day of my wedding, which I didn't like; they had some slightly more weird shots than the ones you showed me – e.g. with weird angles and with the people doing weird things, which I didn't love; they were as expensive as you or more so (depending on which photographer I would chose)

Someone else (can't remember who) who cost less (~2500), but I could really tell the difference in the quality of their work compared to yours – their shots seemed much more posed and lifeless, and not as crisp ... visiting them made me more confident that it was worth spending money on good photography

@#$% – she was more loosy-goosy about things (didn't seem to care if I liked her work or not, etc.), and liked to convert photos into paintings, which isn't really what I'm into ... she didn't seem to have the attitude I was looking for in a photographer; though she was less expensive

I hope that was helpful to you!  Hope you don't mind that I was brutally honest :)

I hear Miles is using you for her wedding -- very exciting.  All the best,

Becca

Anne dressed at her parent's house. Her dress, by Maggie Sotterro, was from Juliet's Bridals.

The bride and her nephew.

All family members are important, even the furry ones!

The ballroom at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel was magnificent that night. The floral arrangements by My Flower Box complimented and enhanced the decor. Edward Good, Event Manager at The Renaissance, made sure that everything went according to plan. Because of his ministrations, the reception went off perfectly.

So, it was back to the house and their yard. Although it didn't have a reedy marsh, it also didn't have the geese and served us well. We also moved inside for a few shots with the backdrop.

You learn something new every day...

Well, it kind of goes without saying that I learned a very valuable lesson on this day... be cognizant of geese and their preferred habitat. If not, it can make for a messy situation! As much as water and marshes can make great backgrounds, this time of year they own that space. :)

And this is all about my own work.

Right, well the strap line of this blog is behind the times in so many ways - photo/art/tech/music/mac/iphone/webcrud.. for some reason. I'm not even sure if that's displayed anywhere. Anyway, notice that I hardly ever post anything about photography? That's because I've been kind of out of that loop recently. Not anymore.

I photographed a baptism for the McCann family in September 2008. This was at Our Lady and the Apostles Roman Catholic Church in Stockport, UK.

[view the whole set]

The brief was to get some nice group shots of the family and baby after the ceremony, and some reportage / candid shots during the ceremony itself. The results to be provided digitally for printing by the client on the high street.

The client is a friend of mine and she gave me just a couple of days notice that she needed a photographer. I currently work almost exclusively in black and white, so we agreed that everything would be provided that way, with group shots also in colour. Not a problem with digital. Although it did present some post-processing challenges.

I've created a few DVD slideshows for the client to pass around family. Low resolution files are also provided so she can get decent prints done herself as requested. If she wants anything printed professionally or to a large size, I will get that done for her.

The shoot itself was quite a challenge for me. Even though the church itself was an amazing place photographically, the available light was awful and I was shooting entirely handheld and without any lighting at all. Thankfully, the light coming through the windows was quite flat. However, the D200 was up to the challenge and my 17-55mm f2.8 Nikkor was invaluable. All the same, I had to shoot everything between ISO 400 and ISO 800 which was not too much of a problem. I don't mind a little bit of noise but I worry the client might.

I also had the shakes! I didn't need that but it couldn't be helped and was mainly down to some medication I was on at the time as well as some nerves. It did mean I had to trash more files than usual. Ones I really liked.

The whole set that I am providing her can be seen on chronicles of phojus.

But despite the challenge, I think I'm happy with the results and I hope they are too in a week or so when I show the results. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Lastly, I'd just like to thank you Lisa if you're reading this. You were a great help in getting this done. I honestly couldn't have done the group shots without your assistance.

I am offering a gorgeous custom made storyboard collage to those who book their session during the month of October.  These 12x12 collages are a gorgeous way to gather up your fav. shots and place them in a frame or in your family's scrapbook!  And they are so fun to make!  I can include any text in the centre or creative papers/embelishments.

Here is a sample:

So take advantage of this beautiful gift  from me to you  quickly!  October is sure to fly by!

Have a good one,

Angie

Well, another pictures from taman sari...

Masih di komplek yg sama cuma beda bagiaan,,,,ini puing2 sisa bangunan dulu gitu deeh...mmm lupa bekas paan, abis pas si tour guide'a ngemeng, lagi excited sendiri poto2 en dipoto...hehehe jadi lewat deh pengetahuan sejarah...huhu,,.hehe tapi g nyesel kok dateng ke ni tempat..,serasa ada dimanaa gituu....biar dikata cuma batu2 besar tapi pengalaman ruangnya oke beneer....hehe kebawa bahasa kuliah gw n...

monggo ini sedikit potonya..moga aja suka...

hoho iya, sedikit cerita,,,disana ngegap orang pacaran,,,kalo diliat-liat bajunya sih seperti guru dan murid...ck..ck..ck...anak jaman sekarang...hoho suudzon aja niih...yah sapa pun mereka...yg jelas kehadiran gw sempat mengganggu mereka, terlihat jelas dari matanya yg menatap tajam..hihi jangan2 mereka sadar pas gw diem2 moto....ahahay isenk ajaa......nih lo potona...g keliatan mukanya kook....

]]> http://miloo.wordpress.com/?p=48 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:15:11 +0000 'nie http://miloo.ro.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/taman-sari-part1/

Taman sari...

Hmm...awalnya waktu jalan ke jogja sempet rada gimanaaa gitu pas diajakin maen ke tempat ini, bilangnya bagian dari keraton tempat mandinya para sultan pas jaman dulu..huhu abis kebayang tempat mandi kayak apaa...hihihi emang g buleh suudzon dulu y...padahal gw'a aja yg minim akan info...tapi pas sampai..hmmm...g nyesel deeh...tempat yg menarik menambah khasanah budaya kita sebagai orang Indonesia....

Kompleknya luaas bangeet... ada beberapa bagian...nah yg di poto ini itu kolam mandinya...hihi dulu konon, sultan mandi disitu dengan selir-selirnya,,,masya Alloh,,,,kolam segede gitu selirnya berapa banyak?! Trus, katanya,,,kalo lagi pengen b2an aja ma salah satu selirnya...tinggal tunjuuk mo yg mana, nanti dibawa deeh ke kolam bagian laen yg g kalah gede'a...area private'a gituu...ada di bagian blakang lg...sayang g dipake...

Huhuhu kalo dipikir gimana orang g pada berebut kekuasaan..hihi apa2 tinggal nunjuk..dunia serasa milik sendiri...ahaha...manusia, manusia...

Oya...msh dibagian ini...sempet moto juga bule (banyak bule looh disana...) lagi duduk bengoong...hihi g meaning juga sih...cuma suka aja...mo share gpp toooh....

Nih dy potonya...sayang kurang jelas y...dah gitu dkompress juga n poto...

Hooyya...selain itu ada beberapa detail dari bagian area ini yg sempet dipoto juga....hmm...yah cuma sekedar objek2 yg menurut gw menarik s...g tau menurut yg lain maah,,,

Yah...potret wajah-wajah malioboro....Keliling malioboro...hmm, in my humble opinion, lebih menarik memperhatikan orang-orang sekitarnya daripada shopping"...ahahay...bukan bermaksud bilang g suka barang"nya...tapi toh barang2 jajaran sana g beda jauh ma barang" craft di jakarta yg notabene banyak juga dari yogya...walaupun harga mang beda...Orang jogjanya sendiri bilang, kalo mo sekalian barang2 yg baguus dan lebih long lasting yah bukan disitu tempatnya, mungkin lebih tepatnya malioboro lebih cucok untuk nyari oleh-oleh murah meriah ...pinter-pinternya milih aja s...tooh pasti dapet aja barang lucu dari situ...So, sementara kaka sedang sibuk mencari oleh-oleh khas di malioboro, gw dengan asiknya menyapa dan memperhatikan orang-orang yang ada disitu,,,,ampe-ampe gw sempet ilang dicariin  kaka en temen" lainnya mana pada nlpon g gw angkat,,hihi maklum suka autis sendiri kalo dah jalan",walhasil pas ketemu pada mendumel,,hihi maap y kawan,,,

Balik ke topik...ibu" dan bapak" disana ramah-ramah en baik-baik lo...tukang becaknya, tukang delmannya, y ibu" penjualanya...hmm, walopun kita g memakai jasa mereka, mereka bisa dengan baik hatinya menjawab pertanyaan kita..hihi salut salut deeh.....nih beberapa foto2 orang-orang yang baik hati tersebut...

[gallery]

B: enggak...

A: Kemaren gw ke kawah putih looh...

B: Alaah ngibuul looh,,,,

A: Seriusan,,,nih kalo g pecaya... poto-poto gw disana...

Life is fun. You’ve got the picture to prove it. Begitu kata-kata di salah satu iklan pentax yg gw jadiin tagline nih blog...kalimat simple dan emang menurut gw kena bener pesennya...hihi sekedar contoh kasus dari pengalaman gw ke kawah putih...

Sekedar memperhatikan orang-orang disana yg asik berpoto ria..jauh-jauh datang kesana pasti mereka ingin mengabadikan momen mereka dalam frame2 poto donk.. yah sekedar untuk kenang2an,mamer ke orang-orang, emang dasarnya narsis,buat ditaro di friendster or photo profile mereka di facebook, or apapun itu...hihi tapi yg jelas itu bisa dijadiin bukti kalo2 ada yang nanya beneran pernah ke kawah putih pa gak..terlebih lagi pemandangan dan suasana disana yg keren abiss...tempat keren emang, buat poto2...

Nih dy beberapa poto candid para pengunjung kawah putih yang lagi berpoto ria...

ps: maap kalo-kalo dimulai sama isi percakapan yg g penting...^-^

Aren't these kidlets adorable???

"Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing"
Lao Tzu

[PS: For all you Hairy Potter fans, the next installment is going to hit the stands very soon! Please be patient. And, if any women find me cute/hot/sexy, please contact me. But please note that MirrorCracked is not a dating site!] :D

Model: Michaela Clark

Makeup Artist: Delight

This are the people that make C.C.Photo86 work. We would love to have you comment on the photos just to let us know you like what we are doing.

As the photographer for C.C.Photo86 by the end of the sitting I cannot even move because every shoot that I do a piece of me goes in the photograph. I love what I do so I give everything in the photo ~ Kris

For now - I don't want you all to feel like you've been forgotten about... (I wouldn't forget you!) so here's something related for your browsing pleasure: Candid Answers 2008.

Candid Answers is a US- based 'voter guide for the environment' which aims to showcase candidates' answers to five key environmental questions side by side in a clear format. I think the concept is great but for two things:

1) It is not run by a neutral body - but by the NRDC - an environmental campaigning organisation

2) There is nowhere near enough impartial information available through the site to help people understand the issues more deeply.

Other than that I love the concept and the simplicity... it would be greatly strengthened by addressing the two issues above.

Check it out for yourself!