Shine Salon and Day Spa Open House

This last Tuesday was the open house for Shine in their new location. I was there to shoot the event, but also got to set up a table and put out some photos. I have to say that it was a lot of fun, and I think everyone that came had a good time. Below I have a few of the photos from the open house, the rest can be viewed here. Shine is located next to Ray's in Fortuna, and I would encourage you to stop by and check them out if you are in the area. Its were I get my hair cut. That should say it all.

Visit Shines MySpace page.

Regards, Dave

Humboldt Wedding Photography

Spring is showing its face everywhere. The wedding season is starting to gear up, and that brings up my topic today. Wedding photography. Have you thought about it? It is something that a lot of couples struggle with. What is their number 1 issue? Expense. If we cut the budget for the photographer, we will have more to spend somewhere else. Let me ask you, the money that you don’t spend on photography, what are you going to spend it on? Tuxes, food, the band? Perhaps something else? Lets face it, weddings are expensive. There are a lot of things to spend money on. I won’t get a list going, but we all know it is long. The question you have to ask yourself is this. 20 years from now, for all of the things you spend your wedding budget on, what will you have? What will your kids have to relive that day, (especially daughters)? Not the music. Not the Chicken Cacciatore or asparagus in garlic butter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying these are not important items, but sometimes I think the priority of what is going to be cherished in twenty or thirty, or better yet, sixty years gets a little lost in the fray. The reality is that you will have a wedding ring, a dress you hope your daughter will wear, your memories and photos. The last two go hand in hand. Photos are memories. Slices in time captured forever. Wedding photography isn’t about shooting 2,000 images and slapping them on a disk. Quality pictures aren’t simply taken, they are made. It is not something everyone can do. Your wedding pictures should make you emotional. They should make a tear well up in your eye. They should make you smile. They should make you laugh. They should warm you heart. And most important, they should make you remember.

Quality photographs do not need fancy frames or effects to make them quality. They should stand on their own.

I have been asked so many times, what is your style of shooting, is it photojournalistic? Yes and no. It was for a time difficult to describe, but I have at last decided how best to describe my style after seeing Jeff Ascough describe his style as voyeuristic photojournalism. I would describe myself that way as well. I don’t like to be in your face. I want people to be natural and comfortable. The moments I catch are just that, moments. Not staged or fake because the camera is in their face. They wouldn’t be memories if I shot that way. Does that mean that we would never do posed photos? No. I love to do posed shots with dramatic lighting. Almost in a fashion shoot style. It is fun, and gets some great pictures. But that does not tell the story of your wedding day, and that is what our job as photographers is all about.

So remember. Don’t discount photography at the wedding. It is an investment, not an expense. Its value will rise with each passing year. The memories will become more cherished. You will look back with confidence and certainty knowing you made the right decision.

May you have a great wedding, and a long and happy marriage.

Dave