Keeping clients happy....
As you know, I went to a seminar for wedding photographers about six weeks ago. The focus was on making sure that everything is set up to be client-oriented. Right away I made changes including extending the online viewing to 90 days. So now I want to update you on other changes:

I re-did my packages to include bigger Storybook Albums. Last year I offered 30 and 40 page albums. This year it is 38, 44 and 54 because everyone loves these albums so much that I want to be sure they get everything they want in the book. And I now offer a small Storybook for parents. Another new thing is A La Carte pricing for those people who want to build their own packages. And finally, all my packages now include the negatives. People will still want to order their large wall prints and family photos through me, but now have the choice of making their own prints of the fun candids or whatever they wish.

I shared the old and new rates with a few of my recent bookings and the reaction was wonderful. Each person picked the new packages over the old. So now I offer so much more! Email me with your wedding info and I will be happy to send you the new rates.

Fan Mail!
Rose has been a blog addict for about a year now! (You can join by using the Notify List on the right.) She also happens to be my newest bride and I told her on her wedding day that she is my number one fan! She always writes me the nicest emails. Here is the card I received from her last week, isn't it great?

Watch this space for a collage of Rose & Dee's day, and then the much-awaited Storybook! I will be working on their pictures and Storybook next!!!

Booked another wedding today!
A big welcome to Michelle & Randy. I met Michelle last week and am so excited about her big day. One of the things we talked about doing was after the reception going to the park where Randy proposed! I'll bet we will get some fabulous romantic pictures. Click here to see what is open on my dates booked page.

Happy Anniversary to Us!
Steve and I were married two years ago today. We wrote our own vows and he promised to make me feel loved every day and I promised to make him laugh every day. We've each kept our word. The first year is 'paper' so we gave each other plane tickets for a trip to Florida. This year was 'cotton' so we did tee shirts! My hunky husband also gave me some very decadent gourmet brie cheese and I gave him some workout books.

Here we are celebrating at Jeff Ruby's.

First Storybook Album for 2007!
Yes, I know they've only been married a few weeks-- but I really pride myself in providing quick turnaround. And I love designing the albums- I really put my heart into it and make each one special. These are not templates-- I design each album from scratch. Here's a look at some two-page spreads:

I love the getting-ready stuff. I began offering that last year and these are often among my clients favorite pictures. That's Melissa helping her son Alec get ready.

I felt it was fitting to include a guys page, something I don't always do. I also wanted to show the special bond Alec has with John.

I love how the background fits so well with the other images. John and Melissa included Alec in the ceremony and he had his own candle.

Ahhh. Romantic shots. In February! It was so great we got to do this. Thanks again to Melissa for braving the cold!!!

When I design each album I often have a theme in mind and this album's theme is family. Check out the rest of the design here and let me know what you think.

A happy business!
That's what I tell people. That this is such a happy business and it is such a joy to talk to people and hear about their wedding plans. I met with a bride yesterday and after she showed me a picture of her fabulous wedding gown, we then looked at my own wedding album for ideas on cake and room design. What fun! It seems I always talk to the nicest people. Even my potential clients seem so nice. Here's an email I received the other day:

Liz,
My fiancé and I have been researching photographers for our wedding and we just love your work! My fiancé was in a wedding this past July and you were the photographer for their wedding (Jay & Tiffany). I have seen their photos and their Storybook album and I don’t know if I can live my life without an album like that capturing our day!! Your photography is like very beautiful art, something I would be proud to display!

We have set a date of October 2008, and although it is over a year and a half away, we would like to reserve some of our most precious services before our opportunity is lost. We were wondering if we could meet with you and discuss some options and ideas. Below is our contact information, we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Isn't that the best? Maybe they will be my first (of many) 2008 clients! And click here to see the album they saw, Jay & Tiffany's.

Melissa & John's wedding pictures!
I just finished editing all of their fabulous photos and now I am working on their Storybook Album design. Click on the collage to enlarge!

Happy Anniversary to Brad & Whitney!
I can't believe it has been a year already. This image captures how I will always remember them-- as just so filled with joy. And they were like this all day! Their wedding album was only the second Storybook I designed, and Whitney really helped me by giving me such wonderful guidance in her design. Her album absolutely stands up to all the others I've designed since and I think you will agree. Click here to see their album design.

p.s. I hope the happy couple are celebrating their anniversary somewhere warm and tropical!

Getting married in Bermuda this May?
I have a fabulous deal for you!!! I've always wanted to do a destination wedding, say one a year. Think it would be fun. Since I will be in Bermuda for a couple days in May, I will be happy to photograph your wedding for free! Yes, that's right, FREE. Here are the rules: the wedding needs to take place on May 9th and be of portfolio quality. (No dark, gloomy, could-be-anywhere locations. YES to outdoor beach/palm tree shots!) You will need to pick up and drop me off at my cruise ship in Hamilton (we are there all day May 9th and May 10th.) You will receive all your negatives on a DVD and can order prints or albums at my regular rates. So that's it. Send me an email or give me a call.

Booked another wedding!
Welcome to Rebecca & Jeremy, who are planning a beautiful Fall wedding. And watch for pics of them from their engagement session.... Here's part of the nice email she wrote after we met:

Good morning Liz! First I want to say thank you for taking the time to meet with us last night. Jeremy and I were very impressed with your work. In fact I was telling my mom when I got home that I actually got teary eyed when I was talking with you. It was the first time that I have teared up about my wedding.

Awww.... I swear, I seem to get the nicest, best clients ever! When we meet for the first time, we truly do talk about Your Day, Your Way. Click here to see if your date is available.

Rose & Dee got married today!
My assistant Amy and I had SO much fun taking romantic photos of the two of them-- it was like working for a bridal magazine. The couple shots of them are a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

They saw each other before the ceremony, and here they are sharing a tender moment.





















They wrote their own vows to each other-- it was so sweet!

The wedding and reception were at The Olmsted and everything looked so nice.

A friend made the cake and the ladybugs were too cute!!!

The little flower girl and ringbearer were SO adorable!

















Rose & Dee enjoying their First Dance (and watching the little kids dance).













And that's Dee with his sister. And even though it was a Wednesday, DJ Marshall Yancey got the whole room up and dancing!!! Can't wait to design their Storybook Album. And watch this space, I will be working on John & Melissa's album soon!!!

Meet me at a Bridal Show Thursday!
I don't really do shows, but decided to do this as it is a special one. This is a nice laid-back show where you can talk to the vendors and really have a good time. (And taste food- - including cake!)

Bridal Show
at the
Conrad-Caldwell House
Thursday 5-8pm
Hosted by Complete Music

Hope to see you there!!!

Chris & Kari's Storybook Album is here!
Remember them? They had that really cool red-themed wedding in October and I love that there are so many kissy-shots of them. They are such a romantic couple. Anyway, life got in the way of them ordering their album til after Christmas. But here it is!

They chose a plain black cover with silver lettering. How classy is that? And they kept the gilding black and it looks SO sharp!

Love the red all throughout the album-- this is the first page.


See the rest of their album here.

I will never ignore you
I finally have my new computer set up and everything is working well. I did send emails out for three days that, apparently, all went into a black hole! So, if you ever send someone an email and they don't reply, they just may be having tech issues. Whew!

A favorite photo...

Thought I would take a break from all the boring computer talk to post a favorite wedding pic! This is Amy & Michael at Ashland Park, just across the river from the Louisville skyline.

More tech talk
Here's what happens to your wedding files, in case you were wondering:

As soon as I get home from a wedding, I copy the camera files onto the external hard drive of my computer. I then burn a copy onto a DVD, which is stored off-site. I make another copy of the files on my computer so I don't touch the originals when I edit. I also set the camera memory card aside until I have finished editing the photos. Whew, so that is 4 copies of your wedding files that day. I absolutely believe in being prepared and having backups of everything!!!

Computer Stress--- arghhhh!
I believe in using the right tools for the job, so I have one of the best computers Apple makes. I have a dual-everything Mac G5 with a 23" and 20" screen. This is an awesome computer and is a huge help when designing the Storybook Albums. Anyway, it died the other day and I then spent half a lifetime on tech support. Today they finally said they will send a repair person out. Sometime.... hopefully soon.

Meanwhile I went out and bought another computer. I hated to spend the money, but I can use the second one as a backup in case it happens again. After all, I have backup cameras, might as well have a backup computer. And, I can't be without a computer-- too many people are emailing me about their upcoming weddings!

So here is the new iMac I bought.
And the best news is that although they may end up replacing the hard drive on the main computer, I haven't lost a thing. I keep everything on four 300Gig external drives. I strongly advise everyone to do this!!! So in addition to off-site storage and on DVDs, here's where everyone's wedding photos and Storybook album designs are...safe and sound!

A Happy Email from a groom!
Jason just celebrated his four-month anniversary with bride, Jessica, and here's a nice note he sent (and yes, they have their album already!!!)

Our family loves it…
We love it…
The storybook album is AMAZING… you did such a wonderful job!!

Click here to see their amazing wedding album!

Happy Valentine's Day!
In honor of the day, here are a couple more photos of my newest-newlyweds, Melissa and John! I think the first shot is so cute with Alex covering his eyes-- I did some Photoshop art putting motion and grain in the whole image and de-saturating the color. The second image is straight from the camera-- love that red in her dress!!!


Check back later for a collage of their day, and after that I will post their Storybook Album design!

Marie & Bryan's new Storybook Album is here!
They got married last June, but then life got too hectic for them to order their album. Since the wedding, they sold their house in L.A. and moved back East. They bought a new home in Nashville and I think everything is going great for them.

Their album is like no other- I designed a very clean look for them, in keeping with their trendy L.A. style!






View the rest of their album here.