I remember planning my wedding, with my now wife Catherine (in the photo above). It was a lot of fun. We got to sit down and create together. I got to use one of my other favorite skills, design, to create details for the day. Catherine was able to use one of, in my opinion, her greatest skills of organization and finance. While planning the wedding though, the vendors we selected were chosen for the reason of their work, which is just fine. But on the wedding day it would have been so nice to have a closer connection to some of those vendors. Someone we could hang out with, chat with, have fun with on the day of my wedding, and even after that. One of the things I strive to do is be that person to my clients. I want to be more than just a vendor the day of the wedding, I want to be a part of your day and enjoy it with you. So one of the things I want to do here on the blog is to be a bit more personal. Let you see me for who I am, learn a little more about me, and possibly make a connection beyond purely photographer-client…
My Favorite Things
- My wife – no doubt, my wife is amazing. She keeps me grounded, and supports me in all of my dreams. This photography business being one of, and possibly the largest, of those dreams.
- Dessert – I love dessert, and wish I could eat it before the meal. Sometimes, when no one is looking, I skip the meal all together and just eat the dessert.
- Art – I am a fan of many mediums of artwork. I am an artist, and have a deep appreciation for other artists’ work. Besides photography, I personally love to paint and design.
- Learning – I love to learn. My work continues to grow, because I have an appetite for learning. Non-fiction books about business and my craft are my all time favorite. Some books I just finished:
- REWORK – by 37 signals
- Linchpin – by Seth Godin
- Ignore Everybody – by Hugh MacLeod
- A really good beer – Lakefront IPA is one of my favs
- A good glass of wine – My wife and her Italian family got me hooked on wine. Also movies like Sideways and Bottleshock didn’t hurt either
- iPhone – I don’t think I could use any other phone. The productivity I get out of my iPhone is amazing. I also love the camera. I just had a personal show with photos from the iPhone, which was a lot of fun. You can check out a bit more info on that over here…
- Amélie – My favorite movie of all time. If you have not seen it, you should check it out. The direction, cinematography, acting, story, color and styling all come together to create an amazing work of art. I left the movie feeling so good and so warm.
That is just a short list of some of the things that I love.
About the Photo
The photo above was taken a while ago at our first apartment. It was a great place and a great neighborhood, but we outgrew the place and moved a little west into a small home. Still nice and close to Milwaukee, in Wauwatosa. I love that my wife is so used to me taking photographs of her and us, that she doesn’t even notice most of the time. One of my favorite things to do with a camera is just capture moments. Not posed, unscripted, real moments. I used to wear contacts, like in the photo above, but started wearing glasses. I think glasses fit my personality better…
Just a taste
I didn’t want to make this too long of a post, but I did want to get your thoughts on being more personal in my posts. Do you care, or do you just want to see the pictures. I wish I could have gotten to know my wedding vendors a bit better, and I am hoping there are others like me out there. People who want to know Simon and I better. I am going to keep posting personal thoughts and stories here, in an attempt to be more transparent. I can honestly say that a lot of our clients do end up being friends. We miss our brides and grooms after their weddings, so Simon and I are planning a little get together for all of our past and future couples. Nothing concrete yet, but we will let you know…
Your Turn
I would love to hear what you think. Comment below or send me an email. I would also love to know more about you. Leave me a comment about yourself, something you enjoy, something random…
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