Inspired Photo Blog

The holidays are quickly approaching and as Christmas deadlines pass, our thoughts turn to family and friends and the annual holiday parties. Not far from my home are my friends and competitors, Amy and John Prutch of AJ’s Photography. They are literally a stone’s throw away and my wife and I socialize with them frequently. Our kids go to school together and we all have similar interests. Amy and JP love to throw parties and this year was no exception as they started the holidays off with a bang with their annual holiday party. A veritable who’s who of arguably the best photographers in the area.

Portland and Vancouver are unique because we have so many extremely talented photographers in such a relatively small urban area. This makes for stiff competition and yet many of us call each other friends. A network that works and plays together. If anything happened to any one of us that prevented us from photographing a wedding, these colleagues and friends would step in and help out. That makes us unique.

A quick shout out to my friends who were throwing it down at AJ’s party:

Chris Purdum, who drove down from Olympia with his friend Sacha for the party the day after the huge wind storm that knocked out power all over the Northwest. Brian Shumaker and his better half, Michelle. Rob McNary, Nicole Wickens and her fiance Brad. Alexis Achten and her husband Mr. Alexis. Ted Mishima, a dear friend and amazingly talented photographer. John and Theresa Valls, the dynamic duo. Evrim Icoz, a must see website and new talent to the Portland scene. Peter Paul Rubens, James Loomis, and saving the cutest for last, Amber. I’m very fortunate to count these photographers as my friends. Merry Christmas guys!

Earlier this summer, I was talking to the mother of one of my brides and she asked if photography was my full-time profession. I answered yes and she then asked what I did during the week, that it must be nice to only work weekends and have free time during the week. I had to laugh because this only shows that most people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. I hope to post about that later. Suffice it to say that I am also a commercial photographer and spent most of November photographing corporate headshots. Over 150 people over 7 days along with the post production which in most cases takes more time than the actual shooting!

From the beginning of summer until Christmas, I work almost 7 days a week and many times over 10 hours a day. Once Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas rush orders begin and I’ve spent most of November and December working overtime to finish up my weddings so that my couples can share their photos with loved ones over the holidays. As of yesterday, I am officially caught up on my work. Here is the stack of proof albums and DVD’s that my girls and I walked into the Post Office with yesterday.

Before the end of the year, I plan to put together an online slideshow as a tribute to the couples who supported me this year. A montage of highlights showcasing the weddings of 2006. It’s been a very successful year and I have much to be thankful for, including the support of my wife and girls who always seem to understand why dad has to work so much. Things will be quiet on the blog as I turn my thoughts and attention to my family. I’m looking forward to an amazing year in 2007 and hope that you will continue to visit and share your thoughts on my blog. I have an engagement session scheduled for next week and one final wedding to wrap up the year. So don’t disappear! There will be more photos before the end of the year.

Thank you my loyal reader for your support and for coming back week after week and allow me to share my passion with you. I hope you find the love and warmth of family this holiday season and take the time to show someone how much you care for them. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a safe and joyous holiday season!