Looking Forward To Spring

It is hard to believe that February is almost over. In the past January and February have always been slow for the photography business, but not this year. January is always a time to look forward to the Professional Photographers Association annual convention. We really enjoyed it this year. We learned a lot of things on the business side that we want to implement to be more efficient in our marketing and work flow. We have purchased some new software that we are hoping will save us time in our photo processing.

The first two months of the year has really been busy. We have already met with dozens of brides and are beginning to book into 2011. Brides are predictable. As soon as the proposal comes, they begin putting in long hours studying the bridal magazines and shopping for "THE DRESS". Once the dress is ordered, she now begins to make the less important decisions such as which venue to book for the wedding and the reception. It is hard to pin down the exact date until they find a venue that has their preferred date open. For some reason unknown to me, the right date has to be on a Saturday. With the PERFECT MAN, "THE PERFECT DRESS", and just the right venue in the bag it's now time to find the photographer.

For most brides it never occurs to them that about every other bride in the area is also getting married on a Saturday. Looking at bridal registrations at David's Bridal, we know that there are hundreds of weddings going on every Saturday in May, June, and July in the Tri-Cities. As a photographer it is sad to turn away numerous brides for the same Saturday in June. We think about how wealthy we could be if just a few of those brides would tie the knot on a week day.

We are excited for spring to arrive because we have lots of couples waiting for the beautiful foliage and flowers, so that we can get their engagement pictures taken. We have some more exotic locations in mind this year if some of our couples are willing. We will be posting an engagement shoot soon that we did last Saturday. We were pretty much forced by weather to stay inside, but we were still able to be creative.

Stay warm,

Terry

We had a rare and unique opportunity last Friday, to photograph the Miss Mountain Empire Pageant. It was truly a pleasure.

You might think that this was a little out of our specialty. It was, and given the opportunity again, perhaps we would do a few things differently. Then again, I say that about every shoot.

However, I want to tell you something about these so called "Beauty Pageants". It isn't anything like the stereotype we have all been sold. Sure thing girls are all physically beautiful, but not unusually so. I guess what I am trying to say is that their real beauty comes from their pose, self confidence, grace, and finished appearance. There is an air of southern belle gentility about them.

Yes, the participants model various attire including a swimsuit and evening gown, and they do it stunningly. However it takes more than beauty to win this pageant. Talent is a must in this business. Thirty-five percent of their total score. These ladies must stand in a room of judges all by themselves and answer a grueling interview. They are judged on their appearance, the content of their answers and personal presentation. It is enough to rattle your knees. These contestants take it all in stride.

Certainly Miss Mountain Empire has much to celebrate as she was crowned. You could see in her expressions that she was thrilled and honored to be chosen to represent our area, in the Miss Virginia pageant. More impressive was the sportsmanship of the other competitors. They had to be disappointed, but they didn't let it show. They were gracious and congratulated the winner as if they were truly happy for her.

Our congratulations to Misti Caviness, Miss Mountain Empire!

Jennifer & Robert's Wedding

Jennifer was our blizzard bride of the year. It was snowing like crazy when we left the house with several inches on the ground. However, we made it anyway with the help of our four wheel drive Isuzu. Luckily, the snowy weather didn't keep the guests away from the wedding ceremony either.

Jennifer was also the first bride we have ever photographed without meeting prior to the wedding day. That had us a little nervous not knowing what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. Not only was she beautiful, she was also very photogenic. In fact she and her family were all very gracious lovely people, a joy to work with. That always makes photography fun. What else can one ask for in this business?

One more pleasant surprise. When we returned home, our driveway was snow plowed and had already been cleared. We were able to park our car in the driveway instead of the street. Good neighbors are truly a blessing.