Jeremy & Molly

I am so excited about the new blog! Its still a work in process, but its coming along.

Anyways, I accidentally posted the "rough" draft of the following music slideshow on here last month. So I decided I would put the finished version on here too.

Jeremy and Molly make a wonderful couple. They truly are forever friends. I could tell that in just the way they make each other laugh. They are planning a July wedding. Enjoy!

New Info

Soon, very soon...this blog will no longer exist. As I am getting ready to launch a new website, I'm thinking of creating my own blog so this one won't be needed. I'm still trying to figure out a few things, like how to import past blog posts to another site.

If you'd like to keep up with our family, my personal blog is: Mama Rich's Journal.

If you have a personal website or blog, let me know by leaving a link in your comment.

I look forward to keeping up with you! Have a wonderfully smiley day! :)

The ART of photography

Those who truly enjoy and participate in photography know that it is not a quick, overnight miracle and then you're instantly great at it.

It takes years of learning, education, and experience...and then continued years of learning and experience. Of course there is talent and equipment involved too.

So, the big question in the photography world is: what defines the difference between a picture and a piece of art? or whats the difference between picture-taking and photography?

Its funny when you discuss a client's images with them, and they single out an image that you just passed by.

Thats because in this digital age and media saturated environment, images are becoming more about who or what people value...and less about quality.

This kind of makes me think of the "Wal-mart" and "Target" example. Sure, lots of people will buy groceries or home supplies from Wal-mart because of the low price. But those same people who save money by shopping at Wal-mart, will choose to spend a little more on buying apparel and accessories at Target because of the difference in quality.

There certainly are defined differences in quality.

Don't be fooled. Its not just about the quality of photographic images. This includes: presentation, timeliness, products, and customer service.

With this in mind, lets keep shooting to raise the awareness of the ART of photography; to uphold a standard; to educate and prepare the future generations; and to serve our communities with our time and talent. This quite frankly, could be the difference that people are looking for.

Happy 1st Anniversary!

To our friends, Forest & Amanda!!! We hope that your first anniversary is special and is followed by many more years of celebration unto the Lord for your marriage union.

Link to a Giveaway

Here is a link to Kristin Rachelle Photography. She is a newborn photographer in San Diego, CA. She is giving away two (1 boy and 1 girl) newborn hats like the ones posted on her blog.

To check out the giveaway and view her blog, CLICK HERE.

You'll have to scroll down the page and click on the most recent post titled "a contest...booooyah" to see the page with the giveaway.

A good way to begin March...

March seems to have brought with it warmer weather. Last week on Thursday and Friday, the temperatures were above 40. That is jacket weather in my book. It is also the cure for cabin fever!!! We hit the playground both days and enjoyed the warm sunshine as well as the few spots of snow still left. It was refreshing! If you can't tell, Anna and Micaiah love to swing!

As for photography stuff, we are diligently working on the new flash website. We have had to go back and tweek and change some things so it is taking a little longer than expected. I am so proud of Brian for taking on this project. It has been such a fun experience to learn new things and work together as a team to get it done. But it also showed us how different our styles of design are.

I'm really excited to have been chosen as a volunteer photographer for the city of Prairie Village. I'll be coordinating with another photographer to provide coverage of events, activities, and local facilities throughout the year. It will be a great experience! I am continuing to look forward to all the great things this year will hold.

As for March madness, my favorite thing about March is....Shamrock shakes! :)

The beauty of simplicity. Three in One. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Glory!

How bright a light that all three give off when they are together!!!

Video: 4 year old Mama!

In celebration of Anna's fourth birthday, we videotaped her doing one of her favorite things: playing with her baby alive doll. She is so sweet and so silly. She is a very comical girl, even when she isn't trying to be funny. It is truly a priviledge to be her mama and watch her grow. I thank the Lord for her and for the grace that she brings to my life. She had such a great time celebrating her birthday by making her birthday cake, spending time with our friends the Hardin's, and playing at Power Play. Anna is a beautiful young girl that is so precious. Happy 4th Birthday my baby girl! Enjoy!

The Dream Works Christmas Party

A new year full of new things!

2010...A new year full of new things! This year has already been filled with many new ideas, decisions, and of course fun! Its funny how ideas spur on making decisions and how decisions can change the course of a journey. We are thoroughly enjoying this part of our journey--photography. In fact, we are so excited for all that this new year entails for us. As we've grown, we've changed, and as we've changed, we've decided to make changes. For us, a big decision has been to change the name of our business. We have also been at work building a new brand, designing a new flash website, perfecting our niche, and learning lots all along the way. Within the coming months, we will no longer be using this blog. Maybe I'll keep it going and just post our family and personal photos/events. I know I need to get better at posting more frequently. I'm hoping that as things transition, I'll have more time to do things like this.

Thank you LORD for leading us, changing us, and giving us wisdom. You make all things new!

Review: Zenfolio (Professional Photographer Magazine Web Exclusives)

Recently, I've been doing research to find a new gallery hosting site. I've enjoyed using Smugmug but there are a few options that I'm specifically interested in gaining, like adding music from my Mac to a slideshow presentation and the format and presentation of slideshows. So I was pleasantly pleased to come across this article about Zenfolio. I've heard of it before, but with some of the updates that they are releasing, I'm even more interested. You can read the article by clicking the link below:

Review: Zenfolio (Professional Photographer Magazine Web Exclusives)

I hope to make a decision by next month about which gallery hosting site to go with. If you have any suggestions or info, please feel free to share.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Rich Family Christmas card

Here is our family photo Christmas card. Our warmest wishes to you and your family during this holiday season.