People always want to know what to ask their photographer when they meet with him or her.  Some people come with questions, lists of them even.  Others show up with magazine clippings of what questions The Knot thinks brides should ask.  And still others just show up with their mothers – who have both lists and The Knot’s suggestions.  But every once in a while, as a photographer, you get a couple like Amy & George.  A couple who just wanted to be guided through an experience rather than checking off boxes and asking the right questions.  Every once in a while you find a couple who wants to get a flavor of their photographer rather than know about his/her equipment or editing techniques.

I’m terrible with names.  Always have been.  I’m sorry about it, really, I am.  I try really hard.  But inexplicably the moment our hands touch to shake, your name has probably already fled my mind because of how hard I’m trying to not lose it.  It’s actually uncanny.  Faces, on the other hand, I’m impeccable when it comes to faces.  And images, moments, bits of light and color.  I’m great with that sort of memory.  But names are not my forte.  I guess admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?  My name is Chris Zarconi, and I have trouble remembering names.  Welcome, Chris (uh, that’s your name, right?).

So since I’m so bad with names, I’ve learned a few things about myself.  First, I write shit down.  Writing shit down works.  If you can’t remember things, you should write them down.  But the more important thing I’ve learned about myself is that my memory is based on a picture or idea I create about people.  I develop a very clear and well-rounded idea of who people are and what matters to them from listening to them and imbibing their essence in a way that allows me to construct a visual version of them.  And this visual version of them is ultimately way better than their names (which, by the way, I’ve written down).

When I met Amy & George, I very quickly developed an image of who they were and what they liked.  I knew right away that we clicked.  Amy’s sense of style and her taste were clear to me almost instantly once she got talking.  I wasn’t that surprised to find she is a scotch drinker when I arrived at the wedding to find a flask in the bridal sweet filled with a delicious, peaty, and (to a novice) somewhat unapproachable whisky.  Seemed to gel with the image I’d created of her.

$50 Tip: Don’t underestimate your photographer’s knowledge of wedding-related things besides photography.  When he offers (and by he, I mean when I offer) to help with some decision or piece of advice, don’t assume that the offer is made to be polite.  Call.  Ask.  And be surprised.  If you’re hiring a professional (and if you’re not, you really should), he or she will know lots of things that could help you.  Ask.

Amy called me to ask if I knew any florists who might fit with her taste and design for the wedding she was planning at Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda, MD in October.  Having already painted an imaginary picture of her wedding, style, and interests in my mind, I told her I knew just the right florist.  Philippa Tarrant is a lovely and talented florist to whom I would recommend to anyone looking for flowers for anything.  She’s great.  She is the florist I recommended to Amy & George (and the one they used).  And she was absolutely the right woman for the job.

And while I’m on the Love-For-All kick, if you’re looking for somewhere to get married where the catering director cares about you personally and wants your wedding to be a success, you should check out Strathmore Hall.  Also, if you want a totally versatile space where you can be inside or outside, contemporary or traditional, huge wedding or small, intimate gathering, Strathmore’s two event spaces can achieve this goal.

And don’t take my word for it, check out the photos…

And once you move inside to spend the rest of the evening with your guests, the intimacy of the Mansion at Strathmore, the elegance of the food from Restaurant Associates, and the service of the staff is sure to make your wedding wonderful.  All you need to do is figure out how to do these awesome dances.  And maybe remember the name of the dude sitting across from you at the table…

Well turns out, that’s a good question.  I think the value of birthdays, at least to me, ought to be to take stock of where you are, where you have been, and where you will go.  And while I might have had a perfect and blissfully-ignorant birthday without such contemplation, it is, I think, fitting to reflect on these things.  Afterall, failing to do so from time to time will ensure that the answer is always no.  You can’t be where you’d hoped if you never stop to hope.

Am I where I thought I’d be by age 30?  Yes and no – of course the answer has to be yes and no.  Otherwise I’d be dead.  My life, like anyone’s, is a work in progress.  And when it stops being in progress, it’s over.  I love to say to people, “If you’re not living, you’re dying.”  And dying I am not.  Progress, though, is certainly the word of the day – actually, it’s the word of the year.  Something kicked in for me a year ago that got me moving on the things I’d spent years thinking and dreaming about.  I seriously doubt it was the proverbial “clock ticking” that got me in action around my dreams rather than in dreams about my action.  But whatever it was, thank God.  It’s about time.

So where am I?  Well, I wanted to start a photography studio and be famous.  LOL.  Yeah, so some of that might have been more dreaming than anything.  But I have to say, the fact that I’m making my way with photography was something I dreamed about, but never really thought I would or could do.  Sometimes being wrong is great.  And in the nearly 9 years of shooting weddings and events in the DC area and all around the country, I have come a long way.  I’m coming up on 200 weddings, I’ve shot weddings on both of our bordering oceans, in a handful of states around the country, transitioned from super-traditional to much more contemporary style of shooting, transitioned from film to digital, worked through (and welcomed) the legalization of gay marriage, learned about such a plethora of different cultures/religions and their wedding traditions and beliefs, connected with so many different and wonderful people, and seen places I would have had no other reason to see.  I’ve watched my style develop from scattered to a more refined and personal style.  I’ve learned how to sell myself and my work – well, I’m learning anyway.  So many wonderful accomplishments that have happened without too much stopping and smelling the roses.

And with all that being said, I’ve only begun to start this studio.  Am I where I thought I’d be at age 30 with a photography business?   No.  But I didn’t know when I was 20 that starting a business was actually difficult.  I thought if I just took nice pictures, I’d be rich.  I don’t wish I were that naive again.  Reality is more work, but more rewarding.  And hard work is living.

Besides photography, I’d say I’m further along than I’d hoped to be.  I own a house, who knew I’d own a house already?  I can drive motorcycles (and love to).  I enjoy and own a few single malt scotches, know a little about wine, and enjoy good beer.  I still remember when I asked my father at a very young age to try what he was drinking (scotch) and having him grin and pour me a teaspoon-sized taste in a shot glass.  I was sure I would never touch alcohol for the rest of my life after that little taste.  Nice move, old man!  I want to learn to fly helicopters.  Eventually I want to own one.  That I can’t check off my list yet.  But I don’t think at 20 I thought I’d have checked it off by 30 so I’ll take that one and keep working.  I’ve lived on a boat for 5 years – yeah, I didn’t see that one coming either 10 years ago.  Learned a lot from that.  They say the second happiest day in a man’s life is the day he buys his boat and the happiest day is the day he sells it.  I vehemently disagreed when I bought my boat, and slowly came to realize that no matter what you think, that statement is pure fact.  I’ll have another boat one day.  But not today.  But all in all, I think that I’ve done a few things since birth of which I can be proud.  Guess I’ll keep trying.

But I’m really glad that since my first days of photography in high school yearbook I’ve improved, learned, and grown.  It’s been a long road and it’s always funny to look back at photos I’ve taken over these years and see what an amateur I was and how much I’ve learned.  Without digging up the archives too much, I’ll do a little share and tell:

Ah, my first wedding ever.  2001.  The bride, my high school social studies teacher and theater director, contacted me during my freshman year of college and asked me to photograph her wedding.  Thanks, Peg, for trusting me with this.  You were certainly a great kick to get started.  Wish that my skills were a little more refined at that point…  The image was shot with medium format film in a Mamiya RZ67.  And for those of you who don’t know what that camera is, just imagine shooting weddings with one of those big, grey bricks that they make the basement of your house out of.  Yeah, it was basically one of those.  Beautiful camera, but what was I thinking???

A little travel photography in Prague during a spring break trip in college circa 2001.  I traveled with a friend from high school and we fancied ourselves a couple of real artists.  We hardly slept, just wandered the streets of Prague photographing.  Magnificent city!

In a black and white class in college, I took a page from the playbook of Mario Testino and thought perhaps I’d one day be a great fashion photographer.  Thanks, Amy, for not telling me the truth at that time…  Needless to say, I’ve shifted my photographic goals ever so slightly.  But it was fun learning.

I loved and continue to love photographing sports.  And I love moments in sports that aren’t the most typically seen.  It was fun using Zipcar to get to baseball games in VA when I was a college kid without a vehicle.

Shooting performances at GW was always fun for me.  Indian dance is so beautiful and I got to learn about new cultures and people.  What a great experience for me as a photographer and as a person seeing all the things I saw as an undergrad at The George Washington University.  The slogan when I was there for the university was “Something Happens Here” and I can’t say how true that was for me.

If you don’t believe me, ask Larry King.  When GW opened their new, shiney School of Media and Public Affairs, Larry King stopped by as a surprise visit at the ceremony where GW was inheriting the complete archives of the Larry King Live shows to be stored in GW’s SMPA.  What a treat to photograph such an icon.

Speaking of icons, I think we all recognize this character.  While he and I probably didn’t sit down to too many political discussions together, I photographed President Bush a few times and this photo was from the 2004 Republican National Convention.  As the Photo Editor of The Hatchet, GW’s student newspaper, I got an internship with National Journal Magazine which took me to the DNC and the RNC in 2004.  A pretty lucky break for a young punk like me.  I actually heard the speech that put Obama on the map while on the travels with National Journal.  Talk about access, I thought I’d arrived…

This shot is still a favorite of mine after all these years.  Presidents Day in Old Town Alexandria, VA is home to a parade every year.  The parade is full of Americana and down-home goodness.  This photo really made me feel like I was a reporter, and a good one.  And I was so proud of myself for using a gel filter on my flash to keep some of those warm tones from washing out with the flash.  Learning all the way.

Thankfully my engagement shoots have improved from 2005.  I love the people I’ve had the privilege of photographing over these years.  Each wedding, engagement shoot, portrait, event, or assignment I learn something new.

2006 wedding.  Hoping to shoot the bride’s sister in February, they were so sweet and I was delighted to hear from her mom recently.

2007 wedding.  The groom described this pose as “too much metal for one hand”.  Guess that pretty much sums it up.

2008 wedding at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore.  Lovely!

2009.  Kentucky.  Forecast was 100% chance of rain all day.  Psh!  The entire 9 hour drive from DC to Kentucky was a monsoon.  And the wedding day was supposed to follow suit.  So happy it did not.

2010 wedding on the Eastern Shore of MD. I love this couple.  I love this location.  And I love my job.

So am I where I thought I’d be by this time?  No.  Mostly because I had no idea where I’d be.  I had no plan, I was just doing it.  And the only difference, now that I’m 30, is the plan.  30 is not really that much like 20.  As 30 was getting closer, I thought I might wish it were.  But the truth is, 30 is just fine.  It’s just a number.

So you might find yourself wondering what in the name of all that is holy are these photos.  I spent some time editing them wondering the same thing, I’ll admit.  While I’m happy to take credit, I have to pass credit on for the most part to these wonderful people who brought their spirits (pun most certainly intended) to these photos.  Truly these photos are a gift to the bride and groom and all who view the images from Becky & Jordan’s wedding.

So I bought a photobooth.  Duh.  And these images are from its debut at a wedding.  My photobooth made its inaugural appearance after an 11-hour drive with me to Maine for Becky & Jordan’s wedding (about which I promise to blog soon).  I called these two about a week before their wedding when it looked like the photobooth would arrive in time to give it the test run at their wedding and discussed the idea.  Not one of us knew what to expect.  So I got up to superamazinggorgeous Rockland, ME for their wedding and surveyed the site in preparation for setting up the booth for the first time and giving it a whirl.

The verdict?  OMG.  People loved this thing.  I got emails within days of the wedding asking when the photos would be online and how they could order them (before they even saw them).  The bride and groom raved about how much fun it was and the guests kept coming up to me at the wedding to ramble (in complete sobriety I’m sure) about the photos they’d just taken or to ask hilarious questions about what they could or could not do in the booth.  I just smiled and told them it was a photobooth, not a confessional.  Rock out, kids!

So if you’re looking for something fun to add to your wedding that you and your guests will love and from which you can get some more amusing/usable photos than putting disposable cameras on the tables, call me.  I’ve added this treasure to my a la carte packages and you too can have these sparkling little moments added to your wedding memories.  Cheers!

Their wedding was at Lauren’s uncle’s house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Now I’m from Ohio originally, I’m no stranger to farms or the country. But when it was time to go to college, I knew about myself that I craved something a little more fast-paced and dynamic. So when I moved to DC for college, I was thrilled to be a city boy for the first time in my life. After living in DC for several years, I did my first wedding on the Eastern Shore. It seemed so far away from DC and so different. And it is. Well, it’s different – it’s really not that far away. But now that I’m no stranger to the Eastern Shore or to Eastern Shore Weddings, I can say that I love love love the Eastern Shore.

And water always helps everything. Helps pictures, helps me be happy (and let’s be honest, shooting weddings is all about me being happy, right?), just helps everything. Want a tip for where to plan to take photos at your wedding? Near the water. Find some water and go there. Trust me, I know things.

The hosts for the wedding, Bruce and Jeanne Bernard, are some of the most delightful people I know. They opened their beautiful home to all the mayhem and majesty of the wedding (and rehearsal dinner) without a moment’s hesitation and left no detail to chance. My guess is that this was Jeanne’s hand more than Bruce’s, but we all know what assumptions do. Not only are the Bernard’s wonderful people, but also they’re full of surprise talents. Jeanne was the florist for Lauren and Andrew’s wedding. She made all the flowers in her basement floral shop. If you’re looking for a florist on the Eastern Shore, you should call Jeanne. I’ve seen expensive, professional, respected floral shops turn out work that simply didn’t compare to the flowers that Jeanne made for their wedding. Stunning!

I think that stunning is probably the word of the wedding though. The weather, the location, the hosts, the couple, the tent, and beer trailer, the driftwood table decorations, the flowers, the food… Well you probably get the picture. Congrats, Lauren & Andrew! And nice job.

What is not a wedding, however, is this post.  I warned you in the About Me section of my blog that my interests were more diverse than just weddings and that those topics would emerge eventually in my blog.  Among them, motorcycles!

So a client of mine called me and told me that he built a motorcycle.  Obviously this caught my attention because I like motorcycles and I have a sense of what it would take to actually build a motorcycle.  Also, I know this man is a manager at the Home Depot in NE DC so moonlighting as a motorcycle builder is pretty awesome.  He asked me, like usual, if I just shoot weddings or if I do other things as well.  I smiled to myself and told him I would shoot whatever he wanted to have shot.  So he told me about the motorcycle which sounded pretty spectacular and we set up a time to make some images.

So I was chatting with Mike while photographing his bike about the bike and the process.  Before it got cold last season, Mike decided to move the motorcycle, then a stock 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King, into his garage for a major face-lift.  He then described the process of hibernating in the garage for the winter working on the bike meticulously.  As the spring rolled around, it was time for Mike to get his bike rolled out of the garage and start riding again.  And the finished product was even more spectacular than he had hoped.

Mike is not one of those prissy motorcycle owners who has a motorcycle, works on it all the time, and never rides.  Mike prides himself on both having a beautiful bike that he rebuilt from the ground up and actually riding it.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a good show bike like the best of them.  Wouldn’t even mind having one or two myself.  But, like Mike, I’d ride them.  That’s what they’re meant for anyway, right?  There are few things more glamorous, manly, or honest than polished chrome and the open road.

So I had a marathon weekend of shooting this weekend.  I shot a rehearsal dinner Friday, an admissions piece for The George Washington University on Saturday morning, a wedding Saturday evening, and a wedding on Sunday.  And, in case that wasn’t enough images to bury myself in editing, I employed one of my assistants to cover a rehearsal dinner for me on Saturday too.  Phew.  No wonder I was looking for a 5-hour energy at the start of the reception on Sunday.  And no wonder I slept in on Monday.  And no wonder I still have studio lights, stands, and god knows what else still in my trunk today…

But what a spectacular weekend and pair of weddings I was able to be a part of!  Certainly each of these weddings will have its own blog post later (once the images are edited), but for now each of them warrants a story that doesn’t need images (and might help you to know me).  So if you’re looking for pretty images, scroll down farther (or go to my website).  These ones I stole from the googles.

So the wedding I shot on Saturday was a gay wedding.  James and Bill contacted me through a fellow photographer who was unavailable to cover their wedding and discussed with me their plans for a “garden party” outdoors at the beautiful Woodrow Wilson House in NW DC.  They described their tastes, hopes, designs, and dreams about their wedding and talked to me about what they liked about my photography and about photography in general.  I could tell right away I like them.  Little did I know how much I’d like them – but you will read more about that when I share photos from their wedding.  Suffice to say they were wonderful.

Shooting gay weddings is always interesting as a straight man.  You don’t realize necessarily what it’s like to deal with vendors for your wedding (for example) as a gay couple planning a wedding.  Since DC legalized gay marriage, there has certainly been an influx, at least in my business, of gay weddings and gay couple contacting me about photography.  And of course I’m happy for the business, I mean at some point it has to be a business.  But it’s been a joy celebrating with these couples because their celebration is about more than just each other, their love, and their lives.  Their celebration is about something much harder for us to understand, something we all take for granted, and something that these couples have to work hard to find.  Their celebration is about things I’ve never had to fight for and about things I don’t claim to fully understand.  But what I do understand is that James and Bill are in love.  They’re not in love a little bit, or for appearances, or for their families to understand.  They’re not in love so they can file taxes together or join their bank accounts.  They are in love because James makes Bill so happy he can barely stand up for a 20 minute ceremony.  They are in love because Bill makes James so happy he can’t even close the lips around his smile for a 20 minute ceremony.  They are in love because they are in love.  Does it matter that they’re gay?

I was speaking with Sherri, their officiant, at the reception.  She and her partner were there together and while she was waiting for her partner to arrive, she chatted with me at dinner.  She is the one who mentioned the fantastic advertisement posted above.  I thought it was clever and it made me smile so I thought I’d share.  Then I started poking around a bit and found these other funny little quips.  There are a lot of funny images and sayings online about gay marriage.  But they’re only funny now that it’s legal.  And it’s not legal everywhere (yet – go ahead, doubt it, it’s coming).  I was telling Sherri about what it’s like getting calls from same-sex couples about photography.  There is always a moment in the conversation, after I’ve told them I’m available for their date but before we get too much farther, when they stammer a bit about making sure that I’m comfortable shooting same-sex weddings.  And to all of you couples out there who have learned through bad experience in your lives that this awkward part of the conversation is necessary, I am so sorry.  Let me assure you that there are people out there dying to celebrate with you.  And if you call my studio, I’ll celebrate with you.

Besides, it’s straight people’s fault anyway, right?  LOL.  That’s a good one.  I’m not sure where this sign was displayed, but I’m glad someone got a photo of it.  Pretty priceless.  This isn’t a political post (I mean, more than it has to be I guess).  I’m not looking to incite anything or stir the pot.  Sherri made several comments that made me think and I just felt like a little flag-waving for basic human rights never hurts.  When we forget that we are all humans and that our basic rights are rights and basic, then they go away.  And what a terrible shame it would be to see the means for such joyous celebration go away for anyone.  More happy and healthy relationships like James and Bill’s relationship is the solution, not the problem.  Congratulations, guys!  Can’t wait to share your photos.

Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty about the boat I don’t miss.  I sold it almost a year ago and am happy it’s gone.  When I bought the boat, a friend told me something that was, at the time, inexplicable.  He said, “The second happiest day of a man’s life is the day he buys a boat and the happiest is the day he sells it”.  I was so happy from buying the boat that I couldn’t comprehend being happy about selling it.  You don’t know what you don’t know…

Meet Jodie.  Jodie is a Coast Guard girl, a wicked singer, a motorcyclist, a cigar smoker, and generally a cool chick – just as sweet as beautiful.  When she asked me to shoot her wedding, I knew I’d be signing up for something special.  And special it was.

Jodie married Tim.  Tim is also in the Coast Guard (hence the awesome sword – keep reading).  Tim is one of those guys that people just keep saying how nice he is or how kind he is or how sweet he is.  Just a genuine, good old-fashioned gentleman.

After a short church ceremony, Jodie & Tim made their way to The Cherry Blossom for their cocktail hour and reception.  No strangers to boats, The Cherry Blossom was the perfect venue for these two (and me).  We wandered for a little while around Alexandria by the docks and through the streets a bit before boarding The Cherry Blossom.  The weather was perfect, great night for a boat ride.

Once aboard The Cherry Blossom, the party started.  The details of their wedding were very sweet.  Not as sweet as Tim’s sword of course, but the other kind of sweet.  But I do like candy in cute little glass jars.  I mean everyone does, right?  What’s not to like?

And then the partying really began.  As the sun set beautifully over the Potomac River, The Cherry Blossom cruised up the Washington Channel and past the marina I once called home.  The DJ turned up the volume and slid into music to get people out of their seats and shakin’ the boat.  Even one of the servers on the boat joined the guests dancing down the river.  Tim and Jodie brought cigars to share with their guests and as the sky saturated with the deep, evening blue that I love to paint pictures with, they adjourned to the roof deck to enjoy a cigar and watch the lights of the city float by.

The priest who married Tim & Jodie was quite a dancer.  Don’t let that collar fool you, that guy knew how to move.  And there were certainly a few characters at that wedding.  A few of the guests actually also lived on boats at Gangplank Marina where I lived and I knew them well.  All in all, it was a lovely night, a beautiful wedding, and a great opportunity to reflect on by former habitation.  While I’ve sold the boat now and am happily a “dirt dweller” as we boaters say, I know that I’ve not lived my last year on a boat.  One day down the road, I’ll live aboard again.  I’ll just know what I’m getting into a little better this time.  And next time I’m definitely going to have a sword.

Well some of them are.  Actually, the truth is, a lot of them are.  Probably higher than the percentage of nice vs not-nice people in really any profession in truth.  But I was raised in photography to hate thy neighbor for they will steal your cattle and burn your lands.  I’m not sure why this was the business model with which I was raised when it comes to photography and weddings.  The more time I spend in the wedding business, the more I realize that other wedding professionals, with obvious exceptions, want to know you and help you.  And I know about myself (and have for some time) that I love to help people.  So why the attitude?

First: I’m a snob.  I’ve admitted this about virtually every aspect of my life.  I like to think of it as a more honest assessment of what some diluted people might call “having a good sense of style” or “knowing what I like”.  While I do think I have good taste and sense of style, the zeal with which I have such views might be more accurately characterized as snobbery.  So like any good twelve-step program, I’ll stand and introduce myself.  My name is Chris Zarconi and I’m a snob.

Second: More people should be snobs.  I’m ok being alone – sometimes I rather like it.  I’ll be critical of things alone, in groups, on stage.  I’m pretty ok with that.  I don’t take being critical of things into the realm of gossip, everyone has to draw the line somewhere right?  But the degree to which people are snobs is an effective measure, I think, of the degree to which they pay attention to detail.  Detail of what?  Detail of everything.  Because the details are what matter.

So I do this bridal show twice a year at the DC Convention Center, The Washington Bridal Showcase.  It’s a show, in every sense of the word, like every bridal show.  Sometimes I feel that I’m paying for a booth to get prime people-watching real estate.  And if that were my only goal, it’d be so worth it.  Classic!  The required raffles at every booth are designed to draw people into each and every booth in the show to encourage dialogue with vendors.  Well, at least that’s how it’s designed.  Mostly it just makes sure people walk around the whole show first and enter all the raffles.  Whoa.

So you’re a bride – why should you go to a bridal show?  Or should you?  Sure, if you want to.  Here is some advice: figure out what you want to learn from the show and go with that as your focus.  A lot of brides show up and get swallowed up by the chaos of the shows and come back with enough bridal show swag to sink a cruise ship.  Then when they get home, there is way too much information to process.  Don’t get sucked in.  Stay the course.

So let’s imagine, since this field I know, that you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding.  You go to the show and there are 10-15 photographers.  Where do you start?  Talk to them!  The booth at the bridal show is exactly what the name suggests – it’s a show.  I’m hoping that every photographer there can come up with 10 or 15 images that will capture your attention, make you stop walking, trigger an emotion, or otherwise make you want to stop and talk to them.  This is good.  Cross off the list right away anyone who does not meet this basic criteria.  (brief math aside – say as a studio you shoot 30 weddings a year.  your average number of images from each wedding is 1500 images.  that’s 45,000 images per year.  you had damn well better be able to produce 15 images out of 45,000 that are pretty special images.  if not, you should be registering for classes at the community college in either photography to get your act together or in some other industry to get out before you’re totally out of business.)  So since there are always a few that don’t meet that basic criteria, say we’re down to 8-12 photographers now.  Go talk to those photographers.  What are you trying to figure out when talking to them?  You’re trying to figure out A) who they are and B) do they make you feel comfortable.  Your wedding day is not a day when you’ll be feeling remarkably normal or like yourself.  Having someone around who makes you feel comfortable will make a huge difference on your wedding day.  So now you’ve spoken to them and you’re down to 5-8 photographers who meet those two basic criteria.  Now what?

Take their materials and go look at their websites.  Anyone should be able to produce 15 images of value and a conversation of 5-10 minutes in length without making you feel awkward.  Not everyone has enough images to fill up a website and make you feel like those 15 images were not a fluke.  My guess is that you’ll be down to 2-3 photographers from this process (at the most).  Some of you might be ready to sign a contract at that point and some of you will schedule meetings to chat more personally and more indepth with those final photographers.  Either way is fine, but that’s my tip.  Don’t get sucked in, stay focused, and do your homework.

Here are some iphone photos of the bridal show so that you can pretend you were there.  Not, obviously, my standard level of images.  But lucky for you, I’ll be shooting your wedding with a camera, not an iphone.

And me!  Well if you didn’t go to the bridal show, now you can say you at least visited briefly.  If you did go, I’d love to hear your comments about the show.

I was hired to shoot some family portraits at a couple’s 50th anniversary party recently.  A nice gig where everyone is happy and the couple who was celebrating 50 years was just as cute as could be.  Actually, they were downright adorable.  They were each joking about what saints they were for putting up with the other for all these long years but it was pretty obvious that they were in a marriage that was improving each day – even after 50 years.  My hat off to you two!  May your next 50 make the last seem dull.

Now this blog post is not about saying yes to proposals for marriage or even about saying yes to photographing family portraits.  Although those people are so stinkin’ cute…

So after we spent some time in the park photographing family portraits, the couples’ children (who hired me for the shoot) invited me to join them at their home for a drink or some food.

$50 tip: Always say yes.  This tip is for you photographers out there who think that you’re shooting strict documentary photography and have to keep yourself at arms-length from the content of your shoot.  You don’t have to stage things in your work and interfere with documenting life, but get involved.  Go ahead, have a drink with your clients/subjects/whatever.  You never know what opportunities you will afford yourself in doing so.

So, as the post suggests, I said yes to their invitation and went back to their home for a drink.  While I was there, I took some photos of their unique cat and continued snapping a few photos of the family while hanging out.  Then, I decided that I needed a different lens for an image I was trying to make.  When I went out to my car, this is the scene I passed (and then photographed).

Obviously these photos are not what I was hired to shoot.  And clearly I’d not have taken these photos if I’d declined the offer for a drink after I “finished working”.  Luck plays a funny role in photography sometimes.  But you can’t get lucky if you don’t keep your mind open.  And say yes to whatever.

Like my first wedding-based trip to California, my trip this time was great!  The wedding, which I’ll talk more about in a post or two once I’ve made some progress editing the epic quantities of images I shot, was wonderful.  I also had some time to spend in San Francisco with my brother and his fiancee.  And while we did much recreating, we also spent some time doing engagement portraits.  This was good motivation to share an engagement shoot that’s already done (while I spend all my time editing the one I shot of them).  It struck me, while in San Francisco, how clueless I was about where we should go to take photos.  We basically traveled around the city armed with camera equipment at all times in case we stumbled upon a location suitable for photos.  In the end, the approach worked great and the shots were awesome.  But it did make me miss the home field advantage of DC where I know well every shoot-worthy inch of the city and surrounding areas.  A five-minute conversation with a couple about who they are or what they want is enough here to make a recommendation.  Here are some shots.

Becky and Jordan will be getting married in Maine in October, but they wanted shots in the city where their relationship began.  They love the city and wanted some shots that captured the beauty of the city and the twinkle of their burgeoning romance.  We spent a morning together doing some shooting and some talking and had a great time.  And, like I said, knowing the city made guiding this couple very easy.

I used to think engagement shoots were just a quick collection of portraits to be made and moved on from.  My focus was very checklisty and terse.  As my interest in and ability for making meaningful engagement portraits has changed, so has my shooting style.  Now I spend a little more time with the couple before and during the shoot.  And the images speak for themselves – it’s been a great change for me.

DC has so many places that are perfect for engagement shoots (or any kind of shoots).  In fact, I daresay, there is a beautiful setting within about 15 miles of DC for virtually any mood or feeling that a couple could want to create.  Don’t believe me?  Try me.  I’ve lived here for 11 years this month (wow, it is this month…) and I know a random place or two.

And if you can actually stump me, then we both learn something.