In Praise of Second Photographers (Part 1: Dani)
Almost all my packages include two photographers. This is such a bonus for my clients because we truly can be in two places at once. For example, while I'm photographing the moms lighting the unity candle, the second photographer might be getting the last minute behind the scenes with the bride. Or if I'm photographing the brides and the girls, the other can be with the guys. And brides and grooms can just relax and enjoy the reception knowing that there's at least one of us to catch the action both on and off the dance floor!

Dani has been assisting me for 3 years now and does a fabulous job. She has a gift for remembering who's-who in a family and so always notices photo ops. She'll photograph the bride dancing with her brother, or like the last shot: the groom's sister with her daughter.

Erin & Tony's Engagement Session
We went to Cherokee Park first, and then to Ashland Park to get shots of the river and Louisville skyline. It was a fun day-- Erin & Tony have great fashion style! All of my engagement shoots include a clothing change so you can have a formal and a casual look if you want, or just do different colors. We also included Erin's son Kyle throughout the shoot- he has a great smile, doesn't he?

Fan Mail!
Rose is a newlywed who just picked up her Storybook Album. Here's what she had to say:

LIZ..

WOW WOW WOW ... I AM SOOOO SPEECHLESS... YOU KNOW TO BE "BEHIND THE SCENES" AND SEE THE BOOK ON THE COMPUTER AND THEN FOR IT TO BECOME REAL AND ACTUALLY GET TO TURN THE PAGES OF MY OWN STORYBOOK ALBUM IS JUST SO AMAZING... IT JUST SEEMS SO REAL AND LIKE I AM IN THAT DAY ALL OVER AGAIN.
I HAVE HAD FRIENDS SAY THAT THEY WOULD GET MARRIED ALL OVER AGAIN JUST SO THEY CAN HAVE YOU DO THEIR WEDDING PICTURES... :) I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE TO ME... YOU HAVE REALLY BECOME SUCH A FRIEND...
I CANT STOP TELLING EVERYONE ABOUT YOU... I WILL BE YOUR WALKING WORD OF MOUTH FOREVER NOW.... :)

THANKS,
ROSE

And that's really what's is all about for me-- wowing my clients-- yay!!! (It sure feels good to be part of such a happy, joyful business. And it helps that I have the BEST clients!)

Jessica & Ryan's Storybook Album is here!!!
And they've only been married two and a half months-- how amazing is that??? These albums are so much fun to design. My secret is that I am also a graphic designer (much prefer designing these than when I had to work on banners!) and I completely custom-design each and every album.
















What a great cover shot! I love the warm glow of the late sun on them....


The girls & guys pages show what a fun wedding party this was!

Their whole album is gorgeous. See it all here.

Heather & Dathan's downtown engagement session
What fun-- I think they laughed through the whole thing- and you can sure tell they are happy together, can't you? I love that my engagement clients have some casual portraits that capture their chemistry together...whether it is downtown or in the park. Just about everyone has scheduled a session, but if you haven't let me know. Mostly we do downtown Louisville or Cherokee Park or the River. And I will travel to a location of your choice!





Engagement packages include online viewing and ordering, 4x6 proofs in a proof book, an 11x14 custom-framed and matted (glass can be left off for guests to sign the mat) and 100 personalized wallets.

Stay tuned... I will be posting another engagement session soon!

Happy First Anniversary to Matt & Shannon!
Their day was like a fairy tale! We started pictures at Shannon's parents' house and then at the gorgeous wedding site of Hobb's Chapel in Anchorage. Their Storybook Album has a trolley-theme to it as that was how the guests and wedding party arrived (and departed) from the chapel.








Check out the story of their amazing wedding day here.

Happy Anniversary to Megan & David!
They were so cute together and both sets of parents so proud. Here is where David spontaneously picked her up on the way to take a family portrait- how sweet!

This Storybook album is the only one where I've done a mosaic! Check it out here.

The latest Storybook Album!

Jen & her mom came over the other day to pick out a photo and leather color for Jen & Eddie's album. The cover will be glove brown and this is the pic that will be on the front.

Each album is made from scratch and is as unique as the day itself. When I design an album I aim to capture the bride and groom's style. For example, I had a formal photo of Jen & Eddie with their toasting glasses, but I designed the album using the other, more carefree image of them. Of course, I can and do make any changes to the album that my clients want so that they are absolutely thrilled with it.... But I always try to nail it the first go 'round. And I did-- Jen loves the design and didn't make a single change to it! How awesome is that?

My theme for this album is 'carefree' and 'fun'. See for yourself here.

Rob & Mindy are married!
They booked me over a year ago and I so enjoyed getting to know them. The week before the wedding, Mindy had an accident at her bachelorette party (a story in itself!) and got pretty banged up- and even broke her ring finger. Luckily, Mindy is a positive person who won't let anything get her down. That upbeat attitude spread to her festive wedding party who were loads of fun on the big day. During the before photos in the church, Mindy's knee gave out and she fell down. After she was helped up, she was in good spirits and eager to continue pictures. Amazing!

And if that's not enough story for them to tell their future children, during the ceremony a groomsman locked his knees and fell. After the wedding, a bridesmaid blew out a candle and got wax all over her face. And later at the reception poor Mindy fell again! As I told her, she is unstoppable. She was determined to have a fabulous day and she sure did!



















We found this gorgeous lighting and nicknamed it the sweet spot!

Lighting the candle. (If you look closely, you will see a groomsman sitting on the floor.)






Seconds after the ceremony....











Romance!

The dazzling rings.

You just KNOW they're going to smash it, don't you?!!

A tender moment during the First Dance.

Theirs will be the next Storybook Album I design-- so stay tuned!

Rose & Dee's Storybook Album is here!
So they've barely been married three months and here is their album already!!!

Here's my thinking: while many photographers spend a lot of money on marketing and going to bridal shows to get business, I put my focus on making my client's experience the best that I can. That means they see their photos on the blog sooner, their proofs are online quicker, and they get their albums amazingly fast!!! (Then they tell everyone about me and I get to see my clients again-- at their friends' weddings!)













































Rose & Dee had a wonderful day. See it all here in their Storybook Album.

Booked another wedding!
I so enjoyed meeting Karen last week. She and Spencer are planning a summer wedding in Elizabethtown. Their story is so romantic-- they knew pretty soon that they were destined for each other. Awwww! I'm looking forward to meeting Spencer and in creating amazing images on their big day. Welcome Karen & Spencer to the Liz Images family!

This is such a people-based business that when we meet for the first time we often share personal stories-- and that's what I love! Sharing and building a rapport with my clients helps me learn what's important to them and what makes them unique. I think that's my secret to creating the Storybook Albums-- my clients often tell me that my designs bring tears to their eyes...!

Happy Anniversary to Jennifer & Christopher!

They had SUCH a great day-- can't believe it's been a year already. I love how all the pictures capture the setting at the Conrad-Caldwell House. And her flowers really were SO vibrant! See their complete wedding album here.

Graduation!
Nathan & Evan, my two awesome stepsons graduated this weekend, Nathan from 8th grade, and Evan from high school. What a whirlwind weekend it was. We celebrated today at the yummy Galt House for brunch, and then went to their party later in the afternoon.

I love this picture of Nathan- looks like something the newspaper would print, doesn't it?

And Evan with his dad.

So in 4 years we'll do it all over again when Nathan graduates high school and Evan graduates college!

Sonya & Brian's wedding album!
Sonya came over today to finalize her album design. We moved the image on the last page to the front cover and then put her favorite pic on the last page. We also added some lyrics from the song they danced to. I matched the text color to the bridesmaids dresses and put it across several pages. I must say, I am SO amazed and flattered with how well album designing is going. I've been doing this for over a year where I design each album from scratch and without the couple knowing what I will do.... And yet, there are so rarely any big changes. What an honor that my design work will live on for generations as the album gets passed down the family! So check out their Storybook Album design here (and Sonya's favorite last page pic). Can't wait to see the album when it arrives!!!

Booked Another Wedding Yesterday!
I will meet Katie & Dave for the first time next week. We've been talking via email for a couple weeks and yesterday someone called interested in their same date. (I hate when that happens-- I wish I could clone myself!!!) Anyway, I am on a first-come first-serve basis so I told both the caller and Katie what was going on and her mom dropped off a retainer last night to lock in the date for them. Whew! So a big welcome to Katie & Dave-- looking forward to meeting you next week.

There is only one of me so click here to see if your date is available.

Wedding Magazine!

I came home to exciting news: one of my weddings will be in Kentucky Bridal Magazine! Sonya & Brian will not only be the featured newlyweds, but will also be on the cover!!! How great is that? And, of course, when it comes out I will be sure to put some photos here!

See Sonya & Brian's wedding album here.

Ahhhh Bermuda!
What a great vacation it was. And, actually, it didn't start out very well: our little cruise ship went through a hurricane and had to struggle over 30 foot waves with 70 mile an hour winds! THAT was an adventure in itself.... But as soon as we got to Bermuda everything was great. It was just mom and me and we had a fabulous time.

The town of Hamilton in the distance.

When I think of Bermuda, I think of the colorful houses.

The 'Unfinished Church' in St. George.

In the stockades with mom!

Erin & James
I'm back from vacation-- I will post some pics from that later, but first wanted to wish Erin & James a happy anniversary. They've been married one year-- already! James is such a romantic- he proposed to her on campus in his uniform (inspired by Top Gun)! Anyway, he also surprised her by getting the tux and everything and even getting his photos taken and then walking out in his uniform for the ceremony!

The reception was on the Star. See their wedding album here!

I'm on vacation and will be back May 14th....

Another new Storybook Album Design!
Like always, I really put my heart into this design and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Jen & Eddie share a special bond and I wanted to capture that-- and there were such good vibes all day long from everyone- the family, the wedding party, and guests! When you look at the album, I think you can see it truly was a day filled with joy!

The 'getting ready' time was so sweet, emotional-- and fun!

I surprised the couple by adding words from their program to this 'ooh & ahh' page.

Love this page-- look how cute they are together.

One of my favorite pages.

Here's what Jennifer had to say when she saw it. (Just reading it brought tears to my eyes.... I LOVE my job!)

Liz, Alright I think I'm done crying now!! Just got done checking the storybook design out and just wanted to tell you that you are absolutely amazing. You are such a professional and we couldn't be more pleased-really! I think you are a wonderful person, you were so sweet to us from day one and I want you to know that anytime the word wedding comes up from now on, your name will be brought up. I will undoubtedly be recommending you to all my single friends when their big day arrives. Thank you again Liz from the bottom of my heart. ----Jen

See the rest of the album here.

Lindsey & Robbie's downtown Louisville engagement session
They took a break from their workday so we could do photos downtown. The weather was perfect and they looked so happy to be together. I photographed her sister's wedding in '05 and next month it will be Lindsey's turn to walk down the aisle!