Sheesh.  This has to be my least favorite time of year.  I’m getting ready to start my business planning for 2009, but before I can do that part (which I love), I need to get all of my receipts and invoices from 2008 entered into Quicken.  I used to enter stuff daily, but this year I decided to just let it all accumulate and then knock it all out in December.  Nice move, Shaun.

I have a meeting with Donna Davidson (http://www.wealthhappens.net) this Friday to look over the numbers from this year.  I’m a more than a little worried about how much I’m gonna owe.  After Friday, I might be posting a kidney and lung for sale to raise funds, so be looking out for it.

Until then, you probably won’t be hearing from me much.  Here’s a picture of the stack of receipts and invoices I’m getting ready to sort.  Let the fun begin! 

Ashlee called me up a month or so ago asking if I’d be able to photograph her family while they were visiting during Thanksgiving.  With my Punta Cana trip running through Tuesday, that pretty much left Wednesday as our only hope for shooting, as I’d be tied up with my own family stuff Thursday through Sunday.  The weather cooperated perfectly, so we all bundled up and took off out to Pisgah Pike in Versailles.  I was happy to see all twelve folks in their family all really excited about shooting, and beaming with affection for each other.  They are a really sweet family!

Thanks, Ashlee, for choosing me, and what a great call on the location.  Beautiful!  I’ll look forward to staying in touch with you all!

All of the proofs will be available HERE in a few days, but please go ahead and enjoy the highlights slideshow by clicking HERE or on the play button below.  Thanks for stopping by!  I’d better run.  I hear my family pulling in for Thanksgiving dinner!

I hated to leave the Secrets Excellence Punta Cana right as the weather was really perking up, but with the wedding over and Thanksgiving just 2 days away, the time was ripe for my departure.  Here’s my last shot of the resort:

Boarding my flight back to Charlotte.  Wow.  That’s a big smile. 

Once seated, it looked as though the plane was only going to be half-full.  In fact, no one had yet sat down in the two seats next to me.  Bert and Ernie looked out in hopes that no one else would be joining us on our row.  What great way to fly that would be!

Now satisfied that we had the whole row to ourselves, the guys buckled up.  I think you can tell from their smiles that they were pretty pleased with the arrangement. 

NOTE: If you’re a new reader of my blog, this whole Bert and Ernie thing might seem a bit strange to you.  :)  That’s okay.  Since my son was a baby, Bert and Ernie have travelled with us pretty much everywhere, and, of course, I’ve been obliged to photograph them, too, along the way.  I add them in while blogging, and it’s fun for Carson to be able to see them, especially when I’m travelling without him and Katie.  It’s kind of fun for me, too, as it lightens the mood a little bit.  No need for things to always be so serious here on my blog, which is a place for you readers to learn about, not only my photography, but my life as a whole.

I finished the first book in the Twilight series while flying home.  It was an excellent read.  I mainly peruse non-fiction (motivational, business, etc) types of books while home, so trips are a good time for me to catch up on my light reading.  This one didn’t let me down.  I’d recommend it to everyone (guys included).

Very nice view of the sunset.

Here I am, ecstatic that the wifi in Charlotte’s airport was fast enough for me to ftp the wedding slideshow to my server.  I was able to get Beth’s and Troy’s wedding blogged before heading back to Lexington.  Just in case you didn’t see it in the last post, it’s HERE.

Next up?  I’ll be posting the slideshow from the family portrait session I shot yesterday.  Stick around! 

So I tried to post this slideshow last night immediately after the wedding, but the  wifi was just too dang slow.  Hoping that Charlotte’s airport might be able to handle the large FTP transfer, I gave it a shot….It worked! It worked!  My flight back to Lexington leaves momentarily, so I’m not going to tary long on here blogging.  The wedding party got to see this slideshow last night.  They loved it!

Check back in tomorrow and in the coming days, as I’ll be posting Day 5 as well as the reception that’s going down back in Lexington Friday evening.  Should be a real hoot! 

To the wedding party and guests in Punta Cana—You were amazing.  Warm and welcoming, you made my time there perfect.  I think my fondness for you all comes through in these images.  It’s weird, I know, but it just makes good sense that, because I got to spend THAT much quality time with you all, the resulting images from the wedding day are THAT much more personable and real.  It’s like my senses were heightened a bit because I wanted these shots to be the best for you all.  Funny how that all works, eh?

To Troy and Beth—I can’t wait to see you all again Friday at the reception.  You’re the bomb, and I’m so glad you trusted me with your big day!

Click HERE or on the play button below to see the slideshow!  Come back tomorrow! Leave me some comment love!

So it’s 3AM Monday morning, and I’m wanting to go ahead and get some fun shots from Day 3 up here for you all to check out.  After three evenings of hanging out with Troy’s and Beth’s family and friends, I’m a fan.  Good people.

Beth and Troy made it really clear to me that, until Monday (the wedding day), they wanted me to be on vacation, and they’ve been so nice to include me in all of their group activities.  It would have been really easy for them to let the photographer fend for himself.  The result?  I’ve had a blast, and Beth and Troy are going to get a ton of extra images from these last few days.  Win-win.

The girls at lunch.

We stopped to chat with the vendors.  This was a pretty cool amber necklace that Beth was curious about.

I’m pretty sure this is the part where the dude realized that he’d made a sale.

Fun crew, eh?  I LOVE the look on Beth’s face.  Classic.

Kim getting her photo fix for the day.

The girls before dinner.

The dudes.

This is the main hall where all of the evening shows go down.

Cool available light shot, right?  This was shot with the 85/1.8, 160th @f2, ISO6400.

I love this shot of Beth’s dad talking to them.  I grabbed this one at ISO3200, 1/30 @ f2 with the 85/1.8.  Pretty slow shutter speed for an 85, so I braced the camera on top of the back of a chair.

ISO3200, 1/15 @ f3.2, 17-35mm (shot at the 17 end)

The guys enjoying their last night of freedom before being locked up in the room for the wedding day. 

I’m constantly amazed by the low-light capabilities of the Nikon D3 when paired with good fast primes.  These next three shots were shot with just the light from ONE candle and a wee bit of bar lighting.  It was really quite dark out there, but at ISO 6400 and f2, I was able to hand-hold at 1/50 some pretty sweet shots.

Cheers!

Be sure to swing back by in the next couple days!  I’ll be posting the highlights from the actual wedding!  Thanks for stopping by, and please don’t forget to leave a comment! 

Thanks for stopping back in!  Yesterday was soooooo relaxing.  I slept in, ordered some room service, then went out to meet with the wedding coordinator to look at the spots where I’ll be shooting on the wedding day (Monday).  Let me start off my saying, very simply, that Secrets Excellence Punta Cana is the funk.

At weddings back in the states (did I just say that? what a dork…lol), it’s most common that I go stake out a wedding venue ahead of time looking for 1 or 2 really cool places where the majority of the formals photography can be shot.  Here at the resort?  I’m having a hard time narrowing down the spots where I want to shoot.  Everywhere I turn, it’s a photographer’s dream.  No. Joke.

No shots of Bert and Ernie from yesterday.  They partied way too hard the night before (remember, they ARE from the Street).  For my fellow camera junkies out there, I broke from my attempt at sticking only to the 20/1.8.  I threw on my trusty Shootsac (thanks, Jessica Claire for offering such a stylish and useful product!), and loaded in my 70-200/2.8 VR, 50/1.4, and 85/1.8, too.  My plan was to go out beachside to the wedding ceremony spot and get ideas for Monday.

Enough talky-talky.  On with the shots.

The view from my balcony.

It’s a bit windy right now.

Beth’s mom checking in.

I think this might be a really cool spot for a shot of Beth in her dress.

This guy was awesome.  I’m giving him these images to use for his own promotion.  Cool guy.

I love this silhouette.

My dinner at the asian restaurant.

Here I am in my giant chair.  Made me feel very insignificant. 

Troy and his dad.

The moms with their kiddos.

The best trick during the magic show was us staying awake. 

Gotta run!  Leave a comment if you have a sec!

Hey!  I’ll keep this update short, as I’m on my way to scope out awesome locations for Troy’s and Beth’s wedding shots Monday.  Right now?  I’m sitting poolside with the wedding party enjoying a cold beverage, warm sun, and good company.  I’ll be posting the next 4 more days, so be sure to come back!  There will be plenty to see!

For you regular readers, you’re gonna see Bert and Ernie back in action.  I’m getting some strange looks when I pull them out of my travel bag, but it’s totally worth it–especially because I know that Carson will be looking on here, too.

For the camera buffs, you’ll be finding out some technical info on the shots I’m posting.  For example, I’m challenging myself to shoot all of my non-wedding shots with one of my favorite lenses, the Sigma 20mm/f1.8 .  Very few people know about it, but it’s a fantastic lens on both Nikon FX and DX format cameras.

For you future brides and grooms–If you’re planning on doing the destination wedding thing, please, please, please don’t use the in-house photographer at the resort.  Especially if you’re planning on doing a reception for everyone else back home.  Why not have the same photographer on your trip and reception?  Your album will look much more cohesive, and you’ll know the quality of photography to expect well in advance.  Call me for details if you’re interested! 

Here are Bert and Ernie in Charlotte, obviously excited about their first out-of-country flight.

Beth and Troy were on my flight. 

I’m not sure how I feel about admitting to reading this series, so let’s just blame it on Bert and Ernie.  For the record?  They’re really enjoying it.

The airport in Punta Cana.  Check out the roof! 

Donny and Robin navigating the bus ride. 

The hour long ride to the resort was a little scary.  Lots of dodging pot holes, livestock, and mopeds.  Bert and Ernie seemed to be pretty excited about it, though. 

Safely passing the locals. 

Beth and Troy enjoying the ride. 

My sweet accommodations. 

My appetizer at the Meditteranean restaurant.  Good stuff. 

Beth and Troy at the show. 

Greeted with drinks at the discotech.

I was strictly there for the photography!  No fun for me! 

Donny, Beth and Troy getting their groove on.

Saving Troy from himself.

Thanks for stopping by.  See you tomorrow!  -SR

These two have entrusted me with two very important jobs.  I get to be their wedding photographer next April, and I’m helping them buy their first home here in Lexington.  Did I mention that Bryan is my cousin?  He has a pretty important job, too.  Bryan recently started working at LEX as an air traffic controller, so he’ll be overseeing my arrival back from photographing a destination wedding in Punta Cana next week.  No pressure, right, Bryan?! 

To Kearstin and Bryan- It thrills me when I get to help people with both their photography and homebuying.  The fact that you are both such cool people is just icing on the cake.

To see the slideshow, click HERE or on the play button below.  The proofs will be available HERE very soon, so feel free to go ahead and sign up to see them once they’re released.  If you haven’t already added me on Facebook, please click HERE!  I love staying in touch!

Thanks, Bryan and Kearstin, for braving the cold!  I’ll have the slideshow from tonight’s session up here soon! 

I’m always so happy when cool people become repeat customers.  Not because of the extra job security (though it certainly is helpful…lol), but because I love surrounding myself with great people.  The Sajadi family is a fine example.  Last time I saw them, Will was still awaiting his big entrance into the world, and Sarah was 3, not 5 like she is now.  OMG.  Where has the time gone?  Now Will’s running around all over the place, having a blast with his big sister, only a couple months younger than my own sweet boy that’s getting way too big, way too quickly.

Have time for a quite anecdote?  I had a really neat feeling rush over me during this shoot.  One of those defining moments.  I was sitting on the cool, fall leaf-colored ground in Gratz Park, squarely in front of the Sajadis, who were casually arranged on a brick walk.  I was just plopped down there, like it was the most natural thing in the world-really.  Talking with this family, garnering smiles and attention from the kiddos, holding my camera not as a techie-gadget, but as an extension of myself, my vision.  I love that I get to use my camera to capture the way I already feel about people.  I’m a sucker for the human condition.  I’m a hopeful, optimistic-to-the-point-of-being-naive, sentimental kind of guy.  I cherish my time, my family, my friends, my experiences, and I pinch myself everyday to make sure that I’m not dreaming.  I was totally made for this job! 

Thank you for stopping by and reading through my musings.  Let’s see some images, okay?  Click HERE or on the play button below to see the slideshow.  The proofs will be HERE very soon, so feel free to go ahead and go to that site and preregister to see the images.  One more thing…Have you added me on Facebook yet?  Click HERE!  Thanks for stopping by!