One of the things I love about waking up early is watching the sun rise. A few weeks ago I was greeted every morning for about a week by what you see above. I just stood there shooting constantly for about 10 minutes each day because the sky would change every time I blinked my eye! It grew more beautiful by the second. In case anyone is wondering, these images are not altered in Photoshop except for a tiny bump in contrast. I did not play with the saturation or enhance the colors in any way.

Eyes. We got a little point and shoot recently and it has a macro option. I think it works nicely for a cheap little p & s! Plus it fits right in your pocket. These photos were taken by the very talented Ariel Serbin of Serbin Development Corp.

Emily and David were married on October 21, 2006 at the Hyatt, Penn's landing. I posted their photo a few days ago, but I wanted to officially congratulate them and post their slideshow. They are such a great couple and you can see in their eyes how much they adore each other. I felt extremely honored to be a part of their day.

slideshow

Jen and Brent were the first couple that I had the pleasure of photographing when I moved to this area. They were married on the beach in Cape May on October 1, 2005. Since then we have kept in touch and even though there will sometimes be a long lapse between emails or phone calls, we always find a way to reconnect. Today was one of those "reconnect" days and I'm so happy to announce that they are expecting their first child in May!! CONGRATS GUYS! It's hard to believe how fast time flies. Stay tuned in the coming months for Jen's maternity session and hopefully soon after the newborn session.

I want my files!!

For those of you who don't know what "high resolution files" are, allow me to take a paragraph to explain. When a photographer shoots digitally the images are saved on a memory card and eventually end up on the hard drive of their computer. These files (or digital negatives) range in size but are usually quite large. When printing from the files copies can be made in various sizes, but the larger the file the bigger you can blow them up. Some photographers only include low resolution files (small files) which can only be printed up to 4x6. Others include the high res. version and you can make prints up to 40x60 inches or bigger!

Something that has been coming up lately on the forums, both photographic and bridal is the question about high resolution files. Some photographers give them away and some don't, but these days it seems that every couple wants them! So why is it so hard for the photographer to just include the files? Most people think it's only about the money. If we give away the files then we won't get any reorders therefore we will lose profit. This is sometimes true, but I can honestly tell you that that's not the main reason photographers have a hard time handing them over. Most photographers have their own "style" or artistic vision. We want complete control over how our images look because our name and reputation is connected with each and every image we create. If the files are given away and printed at a low quality lab (or home printer) they might not look the way we intend. It's difficult for a photographer to think of a couple showing low quality prints to their friends who will then associate the print quality with that photographer. If we keep the files it allows us to have control over what each and every print looks like.

If getting the files is important to you, talk to your photographer. Sometimes you can buy them and sometimes they are included in a package. If they are not for sale or are not included, you will most likely be able to order prints for many years from the photographer.

Image of the Day-Emily and David!!

I love this image. Em and Dave were completely oblivious to me when they saw each other for the first time and that's the way I like it! They were (and are!) so into each other which makes my job so easy! Thanks guys. You rock! The ceremony and reception were at the Hyatt Penn's Landing located on the water in downtown Philadelphia. I almost cried about 3 times that day. Even though I photograph weddings almost every weekend I still get choked up. I wonder what I'll be like when my daughters get married! Oh boy.

The best man during cocktail hour going over his speech.

Wedding of Shawn Riordan and Lauren Taibi at the Wapiti Wildlife Retreat in North East, Maryland.