What a vacation!

11 days away from home is too long! I had a great time at WPPI in Vegas and got to meet and study with some of the top photographers from around the world. I learned so much I can't wait for my first wedding this year to put into practice all this new knowledge! Fortunately I get to work with an awesome couple next weekend, Thad and Karmen.

My trip wasn't all work and no play -- my wife, Holly, flew out to meet with me on Friday and we went to Zion Canyon to take care of some unfinished business. We were there last year and attempted to climb to the top of Angels Landing, however, we chickened out about 1/2 mile from the top. It is such a steep and narrow climb that the national park service put metal poles with chains in between for people to hold onto. At one point you walk a cross a path that is 3 feet wide and over 1000 feet down on either side. That's where we stopped last time. This year we made it to the top safely and back down in about 4 1/2 hours. The next day we went to Arches National Park in Utah. There are so many amazing hikes there you could spend a week and not do them all! As we were hiking we came across a magazine fashion shoot on the edge of a canyon. The wind was blowing pretty good which made for a dramatic image. The model was from Germany, the photographer was from New York and rest of the crew was from England. It was exciting for me to just happen across the scene with the camera in my hand.

We decided to be adventurous and signed up for "canyoneering." We hiked across a mile of petrified sand dunes and then rappelled down a 90' cliff into a grotto! It was terrifying at first -- especially when we had to 'lean back' into the rappel, but then it got easier. After another mile or so we did a jaw-dropping 120' rappel into an alluring green canyon below via an enormous natural stone bridge! It was such an amazing adventure and we are so glad we took the opportunity to give it a try!

Happy Valentines Day!!

It's Valentines Day again already. It seems like this year is flying by so fast! I want to dedicate this post to my beautiful wife Holly who has given me so much. She has given me 3 wonderful children and almost 20 years of marriage. This July we will celebrate our 20 year anniversary! Wow, it goes by so fast you need to savor every minute of every day with the ones you love. Our plan is to go to Mexico and lay on the beach and do some exploring in the Mayan ruins. It would be nice for us to go alone but my son will be a senior next year and it will probably be his last vacation with "mom and dad" so we are going to go as a family. It will be a blast I'm sure!!

Roses Run

Jessica and Aaron were my last wedding of the year and what a way to finish off a fantastic year! They were married in Saint Stevens Church surrounded by their closest family and friends. There was a banner in the sanctuary that was at Jessica's parents wedding that spoke about growing together in love which is what marriage is all about. They were a fun couple and had a lively reception at Roses Run Country Club with the always great D.J. Geoff Cox from Hats Off Entertainment. Good luck with your move to North Carolina and I hope to see you soon!

Greystone Hall

I've had the last 4 weekends off and took the time to spend with my family and friends. I couldn't wait to get back to doing what I love though and had the privilege to work with Melissa and Tony this weekend at Greystone Hall in downtown Akron. There were flowers everywhere and the hall was decorated beautifully. The band Special Blend provided the entertainment for the evening. They were fantastic and it seemed like there wasn't anything they couldn't play.

Pavilion Hall in Cuyahoga Falls

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I went to visit my parents in Indiana over the Holiday so I am a little later than usual with this post! Katie and Kurt were married the Saturday before Thanksgiving in the First United Methodist Church in Cuyahoga Falls. It was a cool rainy day so we didn't have many outdoor opportunities for photographs at all. We made the best of it though in the bridal lounge which is a huge room with beautiful stained glass windows. The reception was in the Pavilion Hall on Front Street. We were able to go outside there after dark under the overhang and create some more images in the rain without getting wet.

Hudson Country Club

Saturday was a little chilly but couldn't put a damper on Ron and Gabrielle's day. They were married in the Historic Tallmadge Church right in the middle of Tallmadge circle. We still had some color in the trees and the whole circle area is a beautiful area for photographs. They left the ceremony at dusk in a flaming glow of sparklers and had a beautiful reception at Hudson Country Club.

La Pizzaria Canton Ohio

Something goes wrong at just about every wedding. This week "someone" was repairing a bridesmaids earring and accidentally super-glued it to their finger! Everything else was perfect though! They were blessed with great weather and some beautiful Fall color. The ceremony was at St. John's in Canton and the reception was at La Pizzaria. The Bill Foley band provided the live entertainment for the evening. Thank you to all the family members who came up to us throughout the day and said so many wonderful things! We loved working with you too!! Enjoy the show.