2012 has been shaping out to be a very different year for the photography business. Most of my clientele this year is an hour and half east of me in the Philadelphia area so I have found myself spending a lot more time commuting to shoots. This is definitely not a complaint because it’s been a blast to get to shoot at some new locations and experience some new scenery and face new challenges. Katie and Justin are getting married this July and in the interim we got some engagement photos done at the art museum – a place that seems to be THE location for photography. Here are some of my favorites, hope you enjoy them!

I’m often completely dumbfounded by my wife’s talents. Not only is she an incredible wife, mother, and musician but she truly is the most craftiest person I know. You should seriously see the actual “Smith Factory” in our house where we both do our work. The insane things that she visualizes and then creates from nothing is astounding. Anyways, enough of me bragging about how awesome my wife is. I wanted to take a post to show off her work to all of you because it’s worth showing and making the shameless plug.

Lauren recently made all the jewelry for my brother’s wedding. With the direction and help of the bride, my sister-in-law, Lindsey, and her bridesmaids, Lauren customized every necklace and matching set of earrings for each bridesmaid. They came out absolutely incredible! So proud of her. Here are all the pieces she made.

If you’re interested in using her skills for any custom work for your wedding, feel free to contact her at lauren@thesmithfactory.com

I should also say, if you need any product photography done, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

There’s so much to say about this couple that I don’t even know where to start. PW and I met almost 10 years ago when he left his career to pursue his calling as a musician and ultimately a modern day abolitionist. We met at a Young Life camp where we spent a portion of the summer playing music for campers from all over the country. It was a transformational time in my life and I know it was for PW as well. There are few people I have remained friends with over long distances and long periods of time between visiting – PW is one of those loyal friends that sticks around. Evidence of this was the 14 groomsmen on their wedding day.

I was honored when he and his bride, Amanda, asked me and Lauren to be a part of their wedding day and to have finally gotten to meet Amanda on the day of their wedding. It gave me so much joy to see my dear friend marry the woman of his dreams and see his heart’s desires and prayers be fulfilled by God. What an incredible day to witness and what a privelage to be a part of it.

PW, I love you buddy, and I’m so proud of who you are and the man you’ve grown into over the years. You will be an incredible husband and father and I can’t wait for what the future holds for you and Amanda. Now come visit us soon!

Here are some of my favorite shots from your wedding day.

Trevor and Lauren’s wedding in some ways was the first of the “wedding season” for me. They could not have asked for a nicer day than April 14th of this year, and I could not have asked for a nicer couple. This was the first time I shot a wedding where the ceremony took place before noon and the reception was over before dinner time. It was a very unique day in that sense for me but I could really get used to that schedule. Trevor and Lauren are incredibly photogenic and I discovered this after shooting their engagement pictures back in March. I had no worries that their wedding day would be a blast and that they would make it incredibly easy to capture their love and excitement for one another and for being married. Thank you Trevor and Lauren for including me in your wedding day and thank you Elizabeth Licitra (www.elizabethlicitraphotography.com) for your always awesome assistance and second shooting. As well, thank you Liza Horwath for tagging along for the day, shadowing, and helping out!

Here are some of our favorites from the day…

When I was in high school, my life was changed through an organization called Young Life. It wasn’t necessarily the organization as much as it was the leaders and relationships I created with them that transformed me so much. One of my dear friends, Jason, who was my Young Life leader in High school, has a brother Matt who leads an incredibly successful Young Life ministry in York. So when they were raising money for Young Life in their region, it was a no-brainer to us to give back. So a portrait shoot was auctioned off and I couldn’t be happier with who ended up getting their senior photos with it. Everyone, meet Alex! Ladies, I believe he’s single.  😉  From the time we got to spend with him we could tell he was a class act, great kid – the kind you just don’t come across that often. Was a blast to get to try some new things and try out some new locations in the Lancaster area. I’m pretty sure some illegal trespassing occurred, in so doing, we also discovered some squatters! Here are some of our favorites from the shoot.

I don’t normally do newborn/baby photos – for one, I’m just not asked very often to do them, and two, I don’t feel that it’s particularly my strong suit. I love newborns and babies and infants, but it takes a special photographer to really capture the essence of a newborn in a photograph. Nevertheless, I’m still asked occasionally by friends to do photos of their newborns and of course I’m more than happy to do it and I just hope and pray they turn out somewhat decent.

World, meet David Franklin (Frankie), born to our dear friends Paul & Abbie who also have a son Anthony who posed for a photo at the end with our son Andy. We took some chili over to visit one evening after Frankie arrived home and spent a few quick minutes taking a couple photos. I think they turned out pretty good! What do you think?

 

So I’ve been seeing/hearing this a lot these days from photographers – both professional and beginner. “Everyone’s a photographer.” My favorite was, “If you are a human and you don’t own your own photography business yet, just wait, you will.” – Hilarious. Largely because it’s a generally accurate statement – especially in the wedding and portrait photography market. Since the rise of photojournalism as a wedding and portrait photography style coupled with the accessibility and affordability of professional grade or near-professional grade camera equipment, “Professional” photographers have become a dime-a-dozen, so to speak. I don’t believe that this is a bad thing for the industry as it provides a healthy amount of competition to the market, competition controls price, and competition creates a climate of excellence.

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One of the most rewarding things about being a wedding photographer is getting to spend the entire wedding day with the couple. You get to experience moments with them that only their closest friends and family get to experience and you get to capture it all for them to remember for a lifetime. What’s even better than all of this, is when you get to do this for friends. Andy was a senior when I was a freshman and high school and is one of my brother’s best friends. Ashlee is the best friend of my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Lauren and I were so honored to spend our last wedding of 2011 shooting for friends and people we care about – it makes all the hours we put into a wedding absolutely worth every second.

Enjoy some of our favorite moments from the day!