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Qiqi and Adrian honored me by bringing me over to the west coast to capture their day at Bentley Reserve. We began the day at the beautifulLe Meridian Hotel , and we were able to make a few portraits on the day after the event. We had a ton of rain on the wedding day, but that didn't stop us from having a great day. Oh, and lets not forget Noodles, the fantastic little dog that wined and dined with everyone.... well, not wined. Special shout out to the Floral Design Studio for the decor, and a huge thank you to their planner, Jessica at Dreams on a Dime. Here's a few from their day!

Nothing like the beach in February. No, really, it's pretty damn cool- not the usual packed boardwalk, or the massive crowds of tourists. Jessica and Keith were troopers braving the cold for a few images outside- As always, I'm only as good as my clients. Their ceremony was held at St. Michaels in Atlantic City, and the reception was at the gorgeous One Atlantic at the Pier at Caesars. Here's a few from their day!

With spring here, and weddings rolling around again, I felt it was time to kick start this season's Image of the week blog posts. I'm not a good blogger. In fact, I'm plain awful. When it comes to social media, I'm inadequate, to say the least. However, what better motivation could there be than a chance to blog my brand spankin new wife! I was married this past Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 to Susan Stripling. It's not every groom that get the chance to photograph his wife and make it a part of the experience of marriage. Now, I wasn't the wedding photographer at my own event. We had some others with great talent to shoot the event- that just happened to be dear friends, and would have been attending regardless. Mary Beth Tyson and Daniel Kudish took care of the heavy lifting, and I know they kicked ass. We couldn't be more appreciative of the work they did- especially since they had to battle all of the guests with cameras all night long.  
 
We chose to shoot the portraits the day after the event. Mary Beth shot us, but we also chose to photograph one another as well. I shot a few frames, and I was able to capture Susan's beautiful movement. A photographer with mad skills today, she was a dancer throughout college, and I was stoked to capture how graceful her movement is. It was quite a surreal experience shooting  
 
The entire experience was eye opening for me with regard to building awareness of what my own clients go through. During the cocktail hour, I just wanted to spend time with my dear friends and family. I've always advised clients to make the most of their cocktail hour, and this confirms my feelings. Family photos- for me, speed was a factor. I just wanted a few of Susan, myself, and our children. We were able to grab some other groupings throughout the night, and they seemed to unfold rather organically. I loved that. I was a photojournalist a good part of my life, so it was important to me that the photographer didn't need us to stop and pose all night long.  
 
We had people shooting for us that understood our needs and desires. I was grateful for this, and I'm more aware than ever how sensitive i need to be towards my clients needs and desires. The day does not revolve around the photography- nor should it. The anticipation and reaction of the photographer is paramount, and we all need to make the most of what our clients give us. I know we're going to be full of great moments to cherish, but my own wedding really gave me insight into what's important, and what I'll be concentrating on this year more than ever for my own clients.  
 
For the geeks- 
Nikon D4, Nikkor 70-200 VRII ISO 2000, 1/400th @ F4