An Engaging Story Contest

Hello everyone! I wanted to remind those of you who already know, and inform anyone who does not, about "An Engaging Story" contest. Any engaged couple with intent to become legally married in the state of Pennsylvania qualifies. The prize is a 2hr Engagement Session, DVD of all images w/ print release, and a framed 8x10 print. All you have to do is submit a couple photo and your story of how you met, fell in love, and became engaged to photographycentral@gmail.com. Your photo and story will be posted on Photography Central's Facebook page. Entries must be received by August 31st. Voting will take place between September 1-30th and the winner will be announced on October 1st. Go to www.photography-central.com under the "Contests" page for more information. Best wishes to everyone! View our very first entry: Kelsi & "Chucko"

Flowers

Okay...so by now you should know I love my flowers. I love planting my own seeds and starting from scratch. I enjoy planting new and different flowers and experimenting with different floral arrangements in my flower bed. This year I planted a flower box full of Morning Glory flowers. They are so beautiful right now. I'm finding new blooms each day.

I also had a surprise this year. Marigolds that I planted from last year sprung up. I have about three plants that the bees must have helped along. :-) Here are some shots I took. I love having a variety of cool and warm colors in my gardens.

Babies!

I finished editing these today. Anne Geddes is one of my favorite photographers and this was inspired by her work. I love the innocence of newborns. These precious moments as they first become a part of our lives passes by so quickly, at times it can seem as though we're only dreaming. I think these images capture that dreamlike vision.

Wedding Collage

I simply love being creative with photographs and designing collages. It's one of my favorite parts of my job. This is a collage I finished for the newly-wed Kowalski couple.

Cline-Kowalski Wedding

Here are a few teaser shots from the Cline-Kowalski Wedding on 07-10-10. It was truly a gorgeous day for a wedding. Congrats Annie & Casey! May you have many blessed days ahead in your marriage. :-)

Check Fluid Levels

Check Fluid Levels

My alarm rang loudly, waking me from my sleep. Normally, it would take a few minutes for my body to accept the fact that morning had arrived and it was time to climb out of bed. This particular morning was different; I had motivation pushing me from the bed and jump-starting my day. My motivation? I was a wedding photographer. I would be capturing treasured moments for the couple to look back on of one of the most important days of their life. My assignment: go behind the scenes and photograph everything and anything that makes their special day memorable and unique to them. I smiled as I thought of the excited bride preparing to meet her future husband at the end of the aisle, the groom’s face lighting up at the sight of his beautiful wife-to-be, and the joy and celebration they will share with their family and friends in the hours to come. I love my job. J

My confidence level was high and my stress level was low. The night before, I attended the rehearsal to ensure everything ran smoothly on my end during the wedding the next day. To prepare for any wedding I usually run down through my Photography Prep Checklist to ensure I have all my bases covered.

1. Print directions to and from all locations

2. Check equipment

3. Format Memory cards

4. Charge batteries

5. Pack camera bag

6. Print Photo Checklist

7. Fill up the gas tank in the car

8. And so on…

I had my directions to and from each location printed, checked my equipment, formatted my memory cards, charged my batteries, packaged my camera bag, filled the gas tank in my car, and printed my photo checklist. Everything was set to go. All I needed to do was get myself ready, stop at the store to pick up some microwavable dinners (Daddy was watching the kids), and pick out Joshua’s birthday gift for this week.

I decided to go ahead head to the church early to allow for any traffic congestion, a wrong turn, etc. I did not need to be at the church until 2:00pm, but planned to be there early (around 1:15pm) to take my light readings and capture some additional shots of the bride preparing for her big day.

(Now I should add briefly here, I hope no one is offended by the next few portions of this post, but I won’t apologize if you are. Blogs are about the “real person” and this is the real me. God is as much a part of my personal life as my business life and I won’t leave Him out of this blog. There is no “Separation of God & Business” here…haha That being said, let’s continue…)

As I traveled down the road I started praying for the bride and groom as well as their future marriage. I have made this a tradition of mine before any wedding I photograph. I pray for God’s guidance and wisdom in doing my job to the best of my ability and then pray that God will bless and guide the marriage of the bride and groom. Toward the middle of this particular prayer I said, “Lord let this day run smoothly with no complications. Let nothing come in the way of this couple getting married.” No longer than about ten seconds after these words were spoken, I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal to accelerate from a stop sign. The car barely moved. I pressed the gas pedal again and the car moved slowly at first and then picked up to a normal speed. “That’s not good” I thought to myself. I immediately double checked my gas gauge. (Woman car logic) I recognized this as a possible attack from Satan in my ability to truly trust God in difficult circumstances. What was my response to that? Pray! I started praying hard. As I came to a stop sign just down the road the engine made a horrifying noise consisting of a lot of clunking, shaking, and weird noises I can’t even begin to describe…and then it died. “Oh crap!”

Another car was across from me at their stop sign. They waved me on. I smiled and waved back to them insisting that they go one ahead. After a couple more times of motioning the other driver on (still smiling of course), they were finally convinced that I wasn’t going anywhere and took off. I parked my car and tried starting the engine. Nothing. “This is not good. This is not good.” I tried to keep my thoughts of panic at bay while making a mental plan of what to do next. I remembered from going to the rehearsal the previous night that there was a gas station at the bottom of the hill. I put the car in neutral and coasted to the next stop sign. To turn onto the street the gas station was on I had to practically make a u-turn downhill with no power steering or brakes. Fun.

When I made it down to the gas station I pulled in trying to park as close to a parking space as I could. I immediately stepped out of my car and tried to think of who to call. Should I call my husband and ask for advice? Would he be able to help me over the phone? My mind was racing. I started calculating the distance from my current position to the church and wondering if I could make it there by walking. Before I could reach any conclusions I glanced over at my car and realized there was smoke rising from up under the hood and being wisped away by the gentle breeze. “Oh geeze, you’ve got to be kidding me.” I picked up my phone to call my husband. As the phone was dialing, a stranger who had been pumping gas walked over to me. I will refer to him as Angel #1. He offered to help and asked me to pop my hood. I ended the call to my husband and follow this stranger’s instructions, eager to hear his analysis of my situation. Angel #1 said my car was overheating. He asked me to check my gauge. I turned the key and sure enough my temperature gauge was clear up to the “H”. “Opps” I thought to myself, “I didn’t think to check the temperature gauge.” (Yes, I’m sure all of you men reading this are laughing by now, and it’s okay. I encouraged laughter, I can now look back on this and laugh at myself.) My lack of knowledge of vehicles was showing through. Angel #1 asked if I had any water. I happened to have a jug of water in my trunk and hurriedly went to grab it. He asked me to stand back as he removed the radiator cap, explaining that I could be burned if steam and pressure were released too quickly. He filled my reservoir with water and pour some in the radiator as well. He told me to run my heat to ventilate the hot air from the engine and let it cool down before I started driving it again. He told me to go inside and asked the gas station owner if I could fill my jug back up with water and to keep checking the reservoir level throughout the day. I was so grateful to have Angel #1’s help and thanked him for sparing his time to help me.

I walked into the gas station with my jug. I asked the man at the counter, an older gentlemen, if there was a place I could fill my jug up with water. Without answering my question he looked at me with a cold, stern look and simply stated, “You’re going to have to move your car out of the way, you’re blocking my pumps.” I tried to explain that my car broke down and I was waiting a couple minutes for my engine to cool off, but before I was midway through my sentence, he shrugged his shoulders, indicating he didn’t care about my predicament and wanted my car moved. I was tempted to be mad, but chose to respect his point of view. I wasn’t entirely in the parking space, and he had a business to run. I told him I would try to move it.

Another man, Angel #2, who was at the counter while I was inside the convenience store, came outside with me. He offered to help me back the car into the parking space. Once the car was parked he also asked me to pop my hood. I briefly explained what had happened and what the Angel #1 told me. Angel #2 suggested buying coolant instead of just using water. He walked inside to see if the convenience store had any coolant. After a few seconds he motioned me inside. They had coolant. Finally a break. I put the coolant on the counter and tried to hand my debit card to the man. He looked at me with that same stern, expressionless face and said, “We don’t accept credit cards.” At this point my brain starting moving to shut down mode. Angel #2, starting explaining how to make it to a local auto parts store down the road. His voice seemed to fade out of my hearing range as I noticed a sign inside the convenience store that said ATM! After Angel #2 finished talking, I motioned to the ATM sign. He smiled and I excitedly ran over to withdrawl a $20 and pay for my coolant.

For the second time I place the coolant on the counter and handed the man my money. I mentioned to him I had not noticed he had an ATM the first time. He half smiled and shook his head as he handed me my change. A smile you ask? Yes, a smile. It was small, but it was still a smile. This cross gas station owner was probably so entertained by watching my dilemma he couldn’t help but smile at this point.

Angel #2 walked out to my car with me and poured the coolant in my reservoir for me. Once again I was extremely thankful for his help and thanked him again for his time and help. He wished me the best and went on his way.

Once I waited a few more minutes, the gauge was back down in the normal zone and I turned the key to start my engine. Nothing! “Seriously? Ugh!” My battery was now dead from having my flashers and fans running while trying to cool my engine. I went back into the convenience store and asked another gentlemen for his help, Angel #3. I don’t want to know what the gas station owner thought at this point as I now asked to have someone jump my battery. Haha Angel #3 gladly pulled his truck around and jump my car. I turned the key. I was thrilled to hear the engine start and roar to life! Whoo hoo! I was back in business. It was about 1:35pm. I was contracted to start at 2:00pm. I arrived at the church at 1:40pm. Thank goodness for leaving early. J

I was excited to finally start working. The wedding ceremony was flawless. The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, they said their vows, were officially married and everyone was happy. Great! Next was heading over to Twin Lakes Park to take pictures before the ceremony. I checked my reservoir before leaving and it was still filled to the max. I was good to go. The bride and groom followed me since they were unsure of the quickest way to the park from our current location. The whole time while driving I kept checking my temperature gauge. Everything seemed fine until about five minutes before arriving at the park. The temperature started to rise to the high level of normal. I made it to the park before my car reached the “pull over now before your engine blows” zone.

We walked around and I captured the pictures of the couple against the lake and in the garden. Once we were finished we headed back to our vehicles to start the short 10 minute trip over to the reception hall. I checked my fluids and added more coolant to the reservoir. “Okay, things are looking up now.” I thought to myself a little bit more relaxed. On the way the temperature gauge rose to the point of needing to pull over. I pulled to the side of the road. I assumed I would be able to drive my car again after taking a few minutes to let it cool down like before, so I told the bride and groom to continue on. I was hoping to only be a couple minutes behind them. I gave them the directions for how to reach the reception hall from where we were. I sat in my car completely and utterly frustrated. Yet, in my frustration, I prayed and still felt God telling me that He would get me to the reception safely. I called my husband and told him what happened and asked him what I should do. He told me to wait until the temperature dropped and instructed me to drive it easy and as far as I could. I followed his instructions and made it to Route 30. However, a few seconds down the highway and the car reached critical temperature again forcing me to pull over. At this point, I knew there was little my husband could do for me over the phone and so I called my dad. I explained my day and current situation and asked him to pray for me. I was on the brink of tears. Believe it or not my concern wasn’t for my car, but for all of the moments I would miss at the reception that could not be recaptured. I didn’t want to let the bride and groom down. My dad prayed for God’s guidance in finding a way to make it to the reception. Everyone I knew to call for a ride would be at least a 30-40 minute wait. I couldn’t risk missing that much of the reception. My dad encouraged me to try to drive the car once it cooled and go as far as I could again. I started my car as soon as it cooled. I drove down the highway, passing the reception on the opposing side (I needed to make a u-turn at the next light). Seeing the reception hall gave me a glimmer of hope. As I was sitting at the light preparing to make my turn the car began to stall out again. I pulled into a bank parking lot on the corner of the intersection instead. I called my husband once again and told him in a distraught tone “I can’t believe this is happening. I’m so close, and was almost there.” He simply said, “Why don’t you walk there?” I thought he was joking at first but after a few seconds realized what I needed to do. I grabbed my lens bag, camera bag, and camera. I took my keys and locked the car. I headed toward the highway.

Once I reached the highway, I started praying. There was a shoulder on the road but there was a hill on my right side preventing me from walking in the grass and cars about a foot and a half away from me on my left. *Deep breath* Here I go. I picked up paced and started jogging down the road, carrying all of my camera bags with the sun beating down on me in about 83 degree weather. Sweat started beading up on my nose, but that was the least of my concerns. WHOOSH! Another car passed a little too close for comfort. I prayed for God’s protection in keeping me from being made into a highway pancake. “I’m almost there” I kept telling myself for motivation. I kept wondering what the motorists on the road passing by were thinking seeing a dressed up woman running down the highway with camera bags strapped to her back, huffing and puffing and sweat pouring down her face. (Go ahead, laugh at me. Seriously, go ahead; I’m laughing about it myself) As I neared the parking lot, the reception hall sign came into view. I panted into the parking lot and tried to compose my breathing before entering the hall. The greeter showed me to the banquet room. The wedding party hadn’t been announced yet and were getting ready in the hallway! I made it! Thank you Lord!

The bride was excited to see me, but felt horrible that I had been stranded and asked me to take a few minutes to cool down. I assured her I was fine and was simply glad to have made it there. I hurried into position to capture the newly couple’s first entrance as husband and wife.

Thankfully the rest of the evening went exceptionally well. I was able to enjoy a delicious meal, be completely entertained by the DJ and dancing guests, and most importantly had fun capturing some great images. God was faithful. In my mind when I felt God telling me He would get me to the reception safely, I didn’t quite picture jogging down Route 30 as being part of that plan. Yet, there I was safe and sound at the reception, never missing a shot, and for that I was grateful.

That night my husband went and picked up the car. He poured more coolant in the actual radiator instead of only the reservoir and checked the engine over. It never overheated once on his way home. He explained there was probably air in the system that needed to work it’s way out. So thankfully our car drove beautifully all day today with no further issues. Okay, so what was the lesson I learned in all of this? I can’t put the blame solely on my dear husband (who normally checks all the engine fluids and who admitted he hadn’t checked the coolant recently). Being a good Daddy and husband, he had been working quite hard recently and had a lot on his mind. This experience illustrated to me that I need to make this task my responsibility as well. So what is my solution to prevent this from happening again? I’m adding “Check Fluid Levels” to my photography prep checklist. J

Off to another wedding...

Well, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood and in about an hour I will be heading out to photograph the Cline-Kowalski wedding. I'm certain it's going to be a great day and wonderful wedding. I'm truly looking forward to working with this couple. They have been a pleasure to work with thus far. The bride was so radiant with excitement last night at the wedding rehearsal. I'll be sure to post a few "teasers" tonight.

Photoshop Fun

The original image I took on the 4 of July while at a family picnic. I then went home and played around in Photoshop to create these effects. Perhaps one of these days when I have from "free time" (haha) I will sit down and create some Photoshop tutorials for everyone. :-)

Mr. Fly

I captured this image while outside in my flower garden the other day. Normally I can't stand insects, but there was something intriguing about the color of this fly when matched against his eyes and the green foliage backdrop. I couldn't help but grab my camera and take this little guy's photo.

Happy Belated 4th of July

I hope everyone had a great (and safe) 4th of July weekend. The 4th of July is always a big weekend in our family. We all head on down to my uncle's farm for an all day picnic. It was a blast as a child growing up visiting there in the summers and playing with my cousins. Now it's great to see my own children share in that experience. This weekend was full of good food, water balloon battles, trampoline fun, plenty of rocks and dirt for the kids, and, of course, fireworks! Throw in some homemade ice cream and birthday cake for my brother's birthday, which is also the 4th and you have one great holiday! Here are some shot I captured this weekend...

Contest #2

I am excited about this contest. I know there are so many wonderful stories out there of how couples met, fell in love, and eventually became engaged. This is an opportunity for you to not only share that story, but to have the chance to win an amazing prize for your wedding day! The details are listed below. Please share this with anyone you know who is engaged and would be eligible for this contest.

Contest #2
Engagement Story

Prize:
$500 WEDDING PACKAGE!!!
Package will include:
Engagement Portrait session
DVD of all engagement session photos w/ print release
6 hours of photography coverage on your wedding day
DVD of all Wedding images with print release in a Custom DVD case
Custom ImageBox with 50-5x7 prints
AND Custom 30 page Hardcover Book.

Eligibility:
All engaged couples within 50 miles of Greensburg, PA are eligible.

Contest Rules:
Submit your engagement story along with your couple photo to photographycentral@gmail.com. Share how you met, fell in love, and how proposed (or were proposed to). Your picture and story will be posted on Photography Central's Facebook page. The couple with the most votes or "likes" on the Facebook page by September 30th 2010 will win the Wedding Package.

By submitting a photo you verify that the photograph was taken by you or you have permission from the photographer to use the photograph. No professional portraits may be used. (Voters will be voting on your engagement story; not your photo).

Only one submission per contestant couple.

Welcome!

Welcome.

Well after a sleepless night and a couple moments of seriously contemplating throwing my computer out the window (haha), my blog is finally up and running.

I would like to quickly thank the designers at Shabby Blogs (http://www.shabbyblogs.com/index.html) for their generosity in allowing me to use their graphics on my blog.... :-) Michelle Underwood designed the layout background of my blog and did a fabulous job. Thanks Michelle!

This post will be brief, as I'm sure if I stay awake any longer the only thing I will be posting is "asl;dkgjsdflginds,mnc,mna,smrewoirj;lskjdf,mvcxx,./as.kdfja;" until someone nudges me awake from the position of having my forehead smashed against the keys.

Now that my blog is here though, you can be sure I will be back to make future posts. Stay tuned...