Category: Personal

Despite what you may think by the images below – This is not a post about how much I love canvas prints. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore having images blown up on canvas… but that’s a different post for another day. You see, today’s post is about something a little bit bigger than just a canvas print. It’s about an issue that a few photographers have talked about recently. An issue that I feel like I also need to talk about.

Today’s blog post questions why we, as photographers, are so quick to allow our images to live on the computer. It’s about the importance of bringing our memories to life in a tangible way. I’m one of the guilty ones, who stores all of my personal photographs in a folder on my desktop, who posts them to Facebook, sends them in emails, but never gets around to printing them.

It’s impossible to deny the fact that we live in a digital world. From the moment I wake up until I fall asleep, I’m attached to some sort of visually electronic device – regardless of whether we think about it or not, we are absolutely glued to our smart phones and computers. And between sharing images on social media sites, online viewing galleries, Instagram, you name it – our images spend the majority of their time behind the computer screen.

So we must ask ourselves… Why do we no longer print our cherished photographs?

I’ve always thought of professional photography as a piece of art, not simply a snapshot, not merely an image. A photograph that captures a moment, that preserves a feeling or emotion, should never be diminished to existing solely on a computer screen. A piece of art, as significant as a photograph, deserves to be printed… it deserves to be passed around the coffee-table or hung on a wall for all to see. It deserves to exist in the three dimensional world, separate from virtual reality. Photographs deserve a physical place in our lives.

I remember reading a post by Mary Kate McKenna about how “The Cobblers kids have no shoes” and I’ve always thought it was funny how, “The photographer has no photographs of herself and her family.” – Maybe it’s because we’re often the ones behind the camera, capturing special moments for others… Maybe it’s because even when we do manage to have photographs taken of ourselves and our loved ones we don’t take the time to print them in personal albums or minimally in 4×6′s to frame around the house.

I have to laugh at the fact that I probably have printed more photographs of my clients as gifts, than I have of my own friends and family. And the very few photographs that clutter my desk and walls are from childhood – in the days of film, when an image needed to be printed to be appreciated.

I would like to believe, at least in some fundamental way, that the importance of printing photographs did not die with the emergence of the digital era. That somehow printing a photograph on canvas gives it more significance. That being able to hold an photograph in my hands means more than clicking through an online gallery…

I’m not trying to belittle the incredible gift that technology and computers offer the modern day photographer… I’m not trying to say that sharing images online is bad or that I’m not in love with having my iPhone image gallery with me 24/7. My goal is simply to encourage photographers, both professional and amateur, to remember that images were never meant to live behind a screen. Photographs should be printed. They should be held and shared on a personal level. Talked about between friends. Enjoyed in a family room.

To print a photograph is to give life to a memory.
Just a sentiment from a child of the digital era… from a photographer trying to change her own ways.

I’m engaged to the most amazing guy in the entire world! He is truly my other half in every way… Huey is my best friend and is still surprising me after almost six years together! Our proposal on Thanksgiving was absolutely perfect, and before I knew it – a month had flown past and it was the Christmas holiday!

We promised ourselves not to start planning until we returned home for the holidays, so once we did – it was an exciting whirlwind of wedding ideas and inspiration! It all started with choosing the date!

Step One – Choosing Our Wedding Date

Choosing a wedding date wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. We thought selecting a date would be as easy as 123 - but it’s funny how things never go as we expect!

My own wedding photography schedule made it impossible to get married until at least October 2012, but the Hayes’ property would be undergoing renovations this summer – making the autumn a tough time to put together a wedding. Winter is a tough time to get married outdoors for obvious reasons, and then my sister’s lacrosse schedule made it impossible to select a date through the majority of the spring in 2013. “You can always wait until the fall of 2013,” my mom kept telling me… But neither Huey nor I wanted to wait that long to get married if we didn’t have to. I’ve been ready to marry this boy for a very long time, and after struggling over finding even a single date that fit into both of our family’s busy schedules… I found myself almost in tears. Emotionally drained. Exhausted.

I asked my mom for the very first Saturday in the late-spring once my sister’s lacrosse season was over… And she said, Memorial Day Weekend.

My first gut reaction was to say, NO! There was no way a wedding photographer was going to get married on one of the busiest wedding days of the entire season… but when I looked at my calendar, I got tears in my eyes, as soon as I realized the date.

May 25th 2013. It was my grandmother’s birthday.

A simple coincidence? Maybe. A sign that she is still watching over me? I believe so. My grandmother, who passed away less than a year ago, spent hours talking to me about her wedding over the years. The tiara she got from her father, the 400 person guest-list, and the fact that she married my grandfather right after his graduation from the Naval Academy.

And although she never lived to see her oldest granddaughter get engaged, I feel so much comfort knowing that I will be celebrating her birthday as my wedding anniversary for the rest of my life. I know in my heart, that she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. And when I walk down the aisle to marry my best friend, she will be there in so many ways… a few of which I’m keeping a secret until my wedding day.

I learned a few important lessons from choosing a date for my wedding day. The first, don’t sweat the small stuff – things will work out the way they are supposed to. The second, have faith.

Step Two: Asking My Leading Ladies

You may have spotted my Will you be my maid of honor? post on Bayside Bride a few days ago! And just incase you missed it – I’m happy to fill you in on how I asked my two leading ladies to take part in the biggest day of my life!

I’m the type of person who cries at weddings. Even when I’ve only met the couple once or twice – It’s an inevitable part of who I am. I care, therefore I cry. And I know that there is a pretty good chance Caroline and Krista might shed a tear or two at the wedding, which is why a personalized handkerchief seemed like a fantastic way to pop the question!

It was simple, sweet, and right to the point! I am so incredibly excited to have my sister Caroline and my Bayside Bride bestie as my maid and matron of honor. Both of these girls have changed my life, shaped me into the person that I am today. I feel so blessed to know that I will have them by my side when I get married. It’s truly the best gift a bride could ask for!

Then, Cupcake Tasting – How sweet it is!

I must admit, trying all the different cupcakes at Kupcakes & Company in Elkridge has been one of my favorite parts of the wedding planning process. I know that Huey would agree with me on this one. Who doesn’t love hand-made confections with flavors like Snickerdoodle and Key Lime?!

Lets just say… After an hour of tasting cupcakes, I think even my sweet tooth was tired! I want to thank Michelle, the owner of Kupcakes & Co, for making tasting so much fun and for letting me run around with my camera! It was an amazing afternoon that I will never forget!

And that’s a wrap for my first few weeks of wedding planning! Being a bride has been an incredibly eye-opening experience for me thus far… I have worked dozens and dozens of weddings – but never planned one. It can be incredibly overwhelming and I would love any advice that you may have.

Tips on being a bride? Getting Married? Planning a wedding? Feel free to share!