May we have your email address, please?

Ok, ok maybe I didn't sell you on RSS? Maybe you don't need all that wiz-bang stuff that us crazy kids are into these days. Maybe you just need a kinder, gentler approach to keeping up with TSD news. Or maybe, just maybe, you just can't get enough and want to make extra sure you don't miss ANYTHING? You know, belt AND suspenders...

We aim to please!

You'll notice in the right hand side bar of this blog under that spiffy looking orange RSS button (hey orange is the new pink!) is an email subscription box. ..

"Oh the horror they're gonna start collecting email addresses and selling them to Acme Widgets and all those other big mean and nasty conglomerations and all I'll get is an email inbox full of S*P*A*M!!!"

Nope. No way. We hate that as much as you do. More, even.

"Sure I've heard this line before. No S*P*A*M from Acme Widgets but YOU GUYS are gonna S*P*A*M me I bet. Right??"

No! Absolutely not. Here's what you'll get:

By entering your email address in the box, you will receive a grand total of 1 (that's ONE) email per week, on Sunday which will include a collection of any blog posts we've written in the previous week. That's it. Well for now...

"AH-HA I knew it! I knew there was a catch!"

Ok you caught us. Shame, shame. Slap my wrist.

We would like to add to this an occasional extra email newsletter announcing anything we want to announce, such as specials, new products, cool wedding photography related news, whatever. We're not there yet though so don't panic. And we promise not to get carried away with the sales-pitch type stuff ;)

And hey, you can UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME! So...

May we have your email address, please?! ;)

Thanks!

Bruce

RSS = Really Simple Syndication

You may have seen this icon before when browsing web sites and wondered what it meant. Or perhaps you've wondered what all this talk about "RSS" is and how it all works. I wanted to discuss it here on the blog for a couple of important reasons.

First, as Val mentioned we had our "Company Meeting" this week and talked about lots of things related to the business and some new plans for 2008 that we'll be telling you about real soon.

Second, as readers of our blog you know that we can be a bit, um, sporadic with our posts ;) partially because we get so busy we don't have time to update. But we will be making a more concerted effort to post to the blog in the weeks and months ahead. Partly because it just makes good business sense to do so but also because there are so many of you that read it and comment to us that it really has motivated and inspired us to write more. So we don't want you to miss ANY of it!

Dane Sanders is an awesome photographer and teacher and I was reading a post on his blog (which coincidently I was reading through my Google Reader and oh by the way HE keeps HIS blog up to date!) and I wanted to share it with you. He describes the RSS process very clearly and also provides a number of links to other sources of info. He also (as I do) recommends Google Reader as his RSS weapon of choice.

If you find yourself visiting multiple web sites every day to check for new or updated content, then consider yourself a PRIME candidate for using RSS to your advantage. It can greatly simplify how you use the Internet, how you get info, and how much time it all takes. Check out this EXCELLENT Commoncraft video explaining how it all works in very simple (really simple!) terms:

 

 

So do yourself a favor and give RSS a try! I'm sure you'll love it and if you get stuck or have any questions, drop me an email (bruce AT thesweetestdays DOT com) or post a comment here on the blog and I'll be glad to help you out!

And once you get up and running with Google Reader, don't forget to plug in our blog address http://thesweetestdaysphotography.blogspot.com/ so you can keep up to date without having to check back every day to see if we wrote anything ;)

Enjoy!

-Bruce

A busy weekend!

I got to shoot a wedding yesterday that was just wonderful (photos on the blog real soon!) and will have another tomorrow for New Year's Eve! Of course there is some talk about a "snow event" tomorrow too?? What is that? 2"? 5"? 20"? Do they even know? Hey, that's why I bought an all wheel drive vehicle, it's New England!! LOL

Company Meeting

So Bruce and I had our sorta kinda company meeting this week at one of our satellite offices...Starbucks, of course! lol After about 4 (or was it 5) hours of discussing what we are doing, what we want to do, etc... and some lattes and cranberry muffins, and oh by the way, those sandwiches are pretty good too.... we got some great ideas that we are really excited about! Watch the blog for some upcoming posts real soon to get a peek!

Merry Christmas!

I know it's been a long time since we've posted a blog, but I'm sure you know how it is... trying to get all the work done and be able to enjoy a little time off with our families too. We are going to try to blog more in the upcoming year, maybe even every day!!! Okay, well, maybe not every single day, but ...what the heck, that's our goal and we will certainly try!! :-)

I wanted to post a special thanks to all the wonderful couples that allowed us to be a part of their special day this year, it's was simply the best! And to all those brides and grooms that have booked their wedding dates with us for next year.... we can't wait!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!



Emily on the Essex Steam Train for Christmas this year.

~ Val

I Told You We Were Busy!

Wedding Invitation?

I was on another photographer's blog doing some, um, research (yeah, that's it!) and I found this wedding invitation. Isn't it hilarious!

I know the blog's been a bit quiet recently but we'll get going on it again real soon. For the most part, our shooting season is over but there is still a LOT of work to be done to finish up the weddings we're working on. The blog is meant to be a bit of a break from the hard work and something we both really enjoy, but customer commitments and deliveries come first. That's what we're focused on right now. It's CRUNCH time!

There is TONS of news to share though, as soon as we have time! Lots of new, cool stuff to tell you about going on at TSD (wait until you see our new album products Val and I discovered, you're gonna LOVE them!). The business continues to grow thanks to all of you and all we can say is THANK YOU!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Don't blink though 'cause here comes Christmas!

Much more soon...

-Bruce

Are You Settling?

No... I don't mean like that! lol I'm sure you aren't, and besides, that's none of my business! But what is my business is wedding photography. I've met with a few couples in the past several months that have chosen exquisite locations for their weddings, picked an incredible menu, selected wonderful designer gowns and the finest in flowers and accessories only to have a minimal budget for the photography. According to a recent poll in CT, the average wedding photographer charges $5500 for a wedding... holy cow!! We aren't even close to that and yet some find us too expensive. So they shop around and settle for less than what they really want. I'm wondering if they realize that only the photographs will be ALL they have to remember from that incredible day? The bouquets are generally forgotten after the intros,the dresses are stepped on and torn, even the centerpieces are given away. Do you know how much food and cake isn't even eaten and thrown away in the kitchen? We go to a lot of weddings and see it at nearly every single one.

I had a wonderful bride last year that told me her sister cried when she saw the wedding pictures we delivered. Of course, that is our goal... to capture the emotion of the day and bring tears to your eyes. So I was quite pleased about what she said... then she went on to tell me it wasn't just that... it was that when the sister got married 5 years ago, they settled on a photographer and have regretted it ever since. She wanted to get married again, just to have us do the photography. As flattered as we were, it still was heartbreaking.

Another photographer's website (of course we look!) had a great quote... "Good work is not cheap, and cheap work is not good." Something to think about.

A great big thank you to all the couples that have booked us for next year, we look forward to your wedding almost as much as you do! :-) We just love weddings and hope that the passion we have will always show in the work that we do.

Erin and Mike - by Bruce

Well fall is here and I have to admit, fall weddings are my favorite! I love the colors and there just seems to be that autumn "feel" that tends to come out in the pictures. I can't really explain it so instead I'll just post pictures and let them talk!

We talk a lot on the blog about having two photographers at your wedding and how important we feel it is and I love to show examples of why. Remember this shot from Val's post? (Sorry Val for the poor quality, but I had to STEAL it ;) That's me up in the balcony...



...getting this cool shot! I love catching someone else's flash!



Erin and Mike's ceremony was at St. Joseph's church in Occum, Connecticut.



Another BIG wedding party! This is right outside the church.



Ok, don't try this at home. The "hanging out the car window taking a picture" part. Not the "stopping on the side of the road for a smoke" part ;)



Sometimes having two photographers isn't just about being in two places at once. We knew the waterfall shot was something Erin wanted and while Val was getting the shot she posted, I took this one. We're standing in almost the same place but using completely different lenses for a different look. So Erin gets not just one shot she loves, but two!



So many interesting places to take pics at Wright's Mill! I love this barn as a backdrop.



One potato, two potato, three potato...oh wait, that's not right...



And the inside at Wright's is just as nice as the outside.





Lots of hard work and time went into the father/daughter dance. It was well worth it, they nailed it! 10.0!



My favorite shot. Ever.



Thanks Erin and Mike (and Cathy and Cliff!) for such a fun night! Not only did Val and I get to shoot together but we were both GUESTS at the wedding too! How cool is that?!

All the best-
Bruce

Erin and Mike... My niece's wedding!

My niece got married yesterday! It's been a few years since we had a wedding in the family and everyone was really looking forward to this so much. OMG, I had almost forgotten how much work is involved in creating the perfect wedding! But all the hard work and attention to detail paid off big time yesterday, and even if the weather wasn't the perfect New England fall day, everything else was fabulous. To be quite honest, we like the rainy and overcast days too! No shadows, no squinting, no blinking... and we have to get even more creative with our shots too!

I went to get some pictures of the girls getting ready at the hairdresser's... Antenna in Norwich did a great job, everyone looked awesome! Then I ran home to get everyone ready at my house, it was great being a guest as well as the photographer, then went back for the official "getting ready" pictures. I had fun, even got to help get Erin and some of her attendants dressed.

Once Erin was dressed, she looked in the mirror and uttered these classic words... "I look like freaking royalty!" I just laughed, it's just so 'her' to say that! But she did look like a fairytale princess! Check out the images below! My granddaughter Katelyn was at the wedding, she's 2 years old, and when they left she told her mommy that she wanted to go back to the church to see Cinderella!! :-)

The reception was great, the dinner was soooo good! My brother and his wife made extra special arrangements to have the meal be fantastic, and it was! Yum! I could go so more lobster today! (Hey Cliff....hint, hint!!) With the wonderful dancing and fun...and with updates on the Red Sox scores (Go Sox!) the night was perfect... oh, did I mention the sky cleared to a full moon too??

Some images from the day, Macy... the flower girl decided she should do her own hair!




Dad checks the weather... agh! Green on the radar!



Did I tell you that Erin can even make a sweatshirt look good???



Something Blue...



We have a gold pin that every bride in our family has worn for generations, I even have the wedding picture of the original bride who received it as a gift from her groom back in the 1800's! I'll scan it and post it here in a future blog.



Here comes the bride!



It stopped raining just long enough to get the photograph that Erin wanted, the water fall at Wright's Mill in Canterbury.



I love umbrella shots too! :-)



There wasn't a dry eye in the house with the Father Daughter dance... I Loved Her First... My brother and Erin had worked so hard on the dance lessons together and it was simply beautiful.

And for Erin, Mike, Cliff, Cathy, Corrissa, Jeff and all the Red Sox Fans at the wedding, Go Sox!



Congratulations to Erin and Mike... you did it!!

Love, Aunt Valeen

Laura & AJ

If you've been following the blog, you'll remember Laura and AJ, we did an engagement shoot with them out at Misquamicut beach and I was so happy with the shots that we did, I knew that the wedding would be just awesome! It was!

They are just the the best couple... I first met them at Angela and Brian's wedding last year, AJ was the best man. Laura came up to me and with a smile said "I'm marrying the best man." I just thought that was so romantic and sweet and I was so happy for her... then when she said she wanted us to take the photographs, I couldn't wait for the big day!

The wedding was great, I got to see Angela and Brian again, along with some of Brian's family, such nice people! It's a treat for us when we get to meet our couples again, especially at a wedding, makes us feel a little like family. :-)

So here's a few shots from the day!

My daughter Krista shot second camera with me, yes...we do get into our work!



Sometimes we luck out and get to shoot from behind the altar for one of a kind shots like this!



They had some friends from England that brought confetti to throw, and yes, it was bio-degradable!



Check out the effect the mist and the sun had on this shot, one of my favorites.



A stolen moment...



And of course, awesome shoes too!



Autumn in New England, it doesn't get any better.



Oh, and they had a streetcar bus that everyone got to ride in, so cool. :-)



Sunset at Watch Hill



Our thanks to Laura, AJ and their family and friends for letting us be part of the day, it was wonderful.

~Val

The Secret Wedding

Kristel and Oscar got married a couple weeks ago! The secret is out!! If you read the blog a few posts back, I mentioned something about a secret wedding, well... it was wonderful! Just a very small intimate gathering of family and a few friends at Harkness park on a simply perfect September day. The bride was absolutely breathtaking... I think Oscar would agree completely. :-)

Kristel peeking out from behind the building as Oscar arrived.



A stunning bride...





Kristel and Oscar on the beach at Harkness...





A first! The groom cooked the entire reception dinner! I'm not kidding!! It was yummy!



Thank you so much for letting me be part of your day! See you soon!

~Val

A day off !!

I took the day off yesterday!! That's a first in a very long time! We headed down to Misquamicut Beach in RI and it was gorgeous, perfect, awesome!! Are there more words I can use?? The girls just love the ocean and you can't help but relax and laugh watching them... okay, it started out with just dipping toes in the water and then it ended up with them getting totally soaked and loving every minute of it! :-)




Check out what we love to call "tasty light!"



Can you get much cuter??

I'm still waiting for one of my brides to jump in and do just this! How fun would that be, wedding dress and all?? Think of the crazy shots we could get, it's something you'd never forget! Come on... pretty please?

And of course...sunset on the beach... love it!!

Perfection!

Red Sox 2007 AL East Division Champs!!

We interrupt this photography blog for some important sports news:

WOO-HOO!!!!


(photo courtesy Boston Globe)

OK, back to regular programming ;) Wait, one more thing:

GO SOX!!!!!!!

Ok, I feel better now. *PHEW*

-Bruce