I was so excited when Lisa contacted me to schedule a photo shoot with her bellydancing troupe. Some of you may recognize Lisa - I have her bridal portraits all over my brochures and website. She and Steve are one of my awesome 2007 couples. I had SO MUCH FUN during this shoot! I shoot on-location 90% of the time so it was a nice change of pace to work in the studio.
We went through so many background changes and costumes, I had a hard time narrowing them down for the blog! Each dancer has a distinctive look and personality, but all are oh so glamorous! Don’t these pictures just make you want to get dressed up and learn to shimmy!? You can get your own unique costumes at the Belly Dance Shop and enroll in classes with Yasmine to get started. I could probably fill up the blog with favorites, but here is a tiny sample for now:
A huge crowd got soaked today while waiting to hear Hillary Clinton speak in Concord. Some came prepared with umbrellas and raincoats, but others (like my sister and I) were not prepared at all. The crowd definitely thinned out as a result of the nasty weather. A few people welcomed us to join them under their umbrellas. We all huddled together for about an hour in the downpour. The sun came out and the rain stopped about 5 minutes before Clinton’s arrival. Clinton spoke about gas prices, renewable energy, SCHIP, and strengthening the local economy. The NC primary will be held on May 6th.
I am so thankful that Dana and Richard’s engagement session didn’t get rained out! They drove all the way from Raleigh. It didn’t start raining until after we finished their session. It has rained 7 out of 8 Saturdays recently! Many of my April sessions have been postponed. When I met with Dana last year, Richard was in Afghanistan. He has already served over 20 years in the military. Dana and I both spent a few years in the military so we all have that in common. These two are adorable together…here are a few favorites:
Katie and Jon planned a destination wedding in Jamaica. I covered their reception when they returned. Their wedding pictures were displayed at the reception- the Caribbean setting was absolutely gorgeous! What a romantic way to tie the knot! We were a little limited in what we could do because of the rain. The kids were having a BLAST! During the family formals, the little one below refused to crack a smile….once she had a cupcake in hand, she was all smiles! My favorite from the night has to be the one of Katie and Jon on the dancefloor:
Many of you don’t know that I’m a green freak….what better time to come out of the closet than on Earth Day? =) My family refers to me as the “eccentric” one. I have always cared about environmental, political, and social justice issues. I rarely forward an email, but if I do, it’s not going to be a chain letter that ensures good luck if you pass it on….it’s going to be about taking action by calling senators or writing letters in favor or in protest of an issue. I have a feeling my emails get deleted frequently…!
I never thought I would meet someone who understood me. ….until Chad *swoon*…. Any time we take long drives together, we end up talking about how we can make a more positive impact on the environment and the world in general. A few of the little things we do to make a difference:
1) Recycle absolutely everything possible. Chad gets on to me occasionally because I’ll throw something in the recycling bin that isn’t recyclable. Hey, it’s the thought that counts! ;)
2) Bring a travel mug to Starbucks instead of using the paper cups they provide. Starbucks goes through 1.5- 2 billion paper cups per year. Their cups are NOT recyclable because they have an inner plastic lining. Imagine what a positive impact we could have on the environment if everyone simply brought their own cups!
3) Use energy efficient light bulbs throughout the house. If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an energy efficient bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year,more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars (energystar.gov).
4) Instead of using plastic grocery bags, bring your own cloth bags. My sister sent me a link to the Baggu site today. Each Baggu will hold the contents of 2-3 plastic bags. They come in a ton of bright, fun colors and they’re affordable! I just ordered a 3 pack for $22. I got navy, sky, and lime. If a canvas tote or a baggu doesn’t appeal to you, you can still make a difference by dropping your plastic bags off in the recycling bins that are located near the doorways of most grocery stores.
5) Don’t buy bottled water. I admit this one is very hard for me! I always carry a bottle of water with me to weddings because I’m usually on my feet all day weighed down with camera equipment. It gets hot very quickly! I used to buy a case of bottled water every other trip to the grocery store. I now wash out the same bottle and reuse it or carry a sports bottle. The bottled water industry is a huge strain on the environment. Although we have access to clean tap water, we are still the #1 consumer of bottled water in the world.
6) Try to cut down use of paper towels and paper plates. I sometimes find myself reaching for a paper towel after washing my hands at the kitchen sink. This is a hard habit to break! We keep hand towels on both sides of the kitchen sink so it’s just as convenient to use a towel. Eventually, I would like to stop using paper towels entirely.
7) Walk or bike more often. Instead of taking the car everywhere, take a walk or a bike ride. This is easier said than done for most. We live behind Birkdale Village so we are only a 10 minute walk away from restaurants and shops.
When it comes to the photography business, there are a few ways that I can make a difference.
–Use only recyclable packaging. It may not be the most flashy or fashionable thing to do, but I do wrap all of my albums in recycled/able paper.
–Do not offer paper proofs. All proofs are viewed online or in the studio.
–I just moved to rechargeable batteries for my flashes. I used to buy batteries by the truckload! Each wedding requires about 16 AA batteries.
–Offer only animal-friendly products. According to the EPA, cattle produce 80 million metric tons of methane annually. They also emit other greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Another little-known fact about me: I’m a vegetarian. In my opinion, being a vegetarian and an environmentalist go hand in hand, but I have been told t/ that is debatable. =)
Please feel free to add to my list in the comments section. I would love to hear how you are going green!
I checked the weather forecast constantly the week of Stephanie and Bob’s wedding. It had been raining all week and they were calling for severe thunderstorms that Saturday. I was prepared for the worst but the sun broke through just in time!
I always tell clients to be prepared for something to go wrong on the wedding day. It may be a tiny detail or it could be something major. I have covered weddings where the cake was dropped in the parking lot, the transportation service makes the entire bridal party late to the wedding, wedding rings are left at home…I could go on and on! I love it when my couples can roll with the punches and not allow anything to ruin their day.
Luckily, there was only a tiny mistake made during Stephanie and Bob’s day. During the ceremony the officiant said, “Repeat after me: I, Bob, take you Stephanie to be my lawfully wedded husband.” I don’t think anyone noticed until Bob repeated it verbatim. As he said husband, everyone burst into laughter. You can see one image below where everyone was trying to recompose themselves! LOL!
Here are a few favorites:
TLC is looking for engaged couples who are getting married before September. View photos and video here:
Pictures
Video
Contest info:
TLC is looking for lucky couples to team up with our TOP NOTCH CHOREOGRAPHERS
who will turn their first dance into an unforgettable production number!
If you want to surprise your guests with an awesome performance that will make your
wedding truly memorable, contact us ASAP to set up an interview.
Send an email to firstdancecasting@gmail.com
—————————————–
Chandra Wicke
Casting Associate
“Rock the Reception” TLC
Brand New Entertainment
O: 310.828.2479 (ask for Susan)
firstdancecasting@gmail.com
What a relief to have my taxes done! I was just reading up on NC tax policies. I came across a hearing between the state and a wedding photographer that I thought I would share with everybody. This will be of particular interest to local photographers and anyone involved in creative services.
Link to PDF file
The photographer in question was audited. He requested a hearing where he argued that his session fees and overtime hours should not be subject to taxation. The conclusion of the hearing was that photographers must collect tax for the state on absolutely everything, including labor. Session fees, photo retouching time, post-processing time, and all photo products must be taxed.
If you have any questions on state or federal taxes, these two websites are indispensable:
NC State
IRS
We had to reschedule Stacy and Jamey’s session at least 4 times because of rain. We finally chose the right date! We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. I normally wear comfie shoes during shoots, but Stacy is so tall - I had to pull out the high-heeled boots for this shoot. I was limping up the front steps by the time I got home. I couldn’t wait to get out of those boots! I always suggest bringing flip-flops and bottled water to shoots, because we will definitely be doing a lot of walking. Stacy has the most amazing legs- if I had half her legs, my wardrobe would consist of skirts and more skirts! =) Here are a few favorites:
I came across these pictures today when I was going through old files to place today’s print order. I think Emma and Roland are the only 2 people in Charlotte who can pull this look off!!
