Morning everyone! (the sound of crickets chirping in the distance....) Hmmmmm Yeah.... so this is my first blog post ever. I know, the excitement is almost unbearable! No, but really.... after talking with many of my colleagues in the photography world, it would seem that having a blog and using it on a regular basis is pretty much the norm these days. So here I am!
If you don't already know who I am and just stumbled onto my site, I am a Cleveland area wedding and portrait photographer. I have been into photography since a very young age, (I think every photographer says that....) But really, I have! My first camera was one of those ones that looked kind of like an ice-cream sandwich.... Mmmmmmmmmm Ice Cream! Anyway, it took those little 110 film cases and used the little flash cubes that you stuck on the top, sweet right! Needless to say, I had a very extensive portfolio of poorly composed finger shots early on.
Enter the high school years.... I took photography I and II while in high school and learned the basics of true black and white photography. (still a love of mine today) We used an old fully manual Pentax camera, don't even ask me what it was, I have no idea.... but Mr. Malone taught us everything about it. He also taught us how to go into a dark room, take the film out, roll it onto the little film roller thing and put it into the light tight tank for developing. Then into the dark room to make prints. Wow! Yeah, we did it all ourselves! Pretty cool stuff....
Fast forward to 1990, Germany - Purchased my first real camera on my own from the base PX. Oh yeah, I joined the army.... My first duty station was just outside of Frankfurt, Germany. Loved it over there, would love to go back someday.... So anyway, I bought a Minolta 3000i it was fully Automatic and had a 50mm 1.8 lens on it. I carried that thing everywhere.... This picture was actually taken in Portugal from a hotel room where myself and three of my good buddies stayed on a trip we took from Germany, through Spain, France and Portugal.... In four days.... I do love a good sunrise or sunset.... From there my next 180
sunsets where watched from the desert sands of Saudi Arabia & Iraq where I again took my camera. I got some incredible images while I was there and I'm glad I did, I look at them quite often and remember people and places from my life. That's what pictures are all about right?
So fast forward once again to about 3 years ago.... I had set down my camera for quite a while and followed other passions in my life, mainly music and playing drums in a couple bands. Most notable, InBred Jed! Woooooooooooooo! The Bred Heads know what I'm talking about.... Yeah, anyway.... After moving to Cleveland, Ohio and meeting my wife and her two boys, the camera once again found it's way back into my life. Only this time in the digital format. Wow, this was great a 3.1 mega pixel camera. I could take like 50 shots and download them to my computer and not have to go to the lab and pay for prints. Went from there to a Fuji 5.1 mp S5200, man this is so cool! Then onto an Olympus E500 8.1 mp with two lenses, now we're talking. The more pictures I took the more the love grew and grew and within a few months of getting that Olympus, I had to have even better.... An that is when my wife and I talked about me doing something with this passion. I decided to start a business. I bought my first Canon 40D 10.1 mp pro camera and it has been an incredible ride over the past year. Fifteen weddings later, I am in my second year of business and more in love with photography than ever before.
When I look through that lens and see this on the other side,
I know this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this far and thanks for taking the time to read this first post. I promise that future posts won't be quite so long.... but I wanted to give everyone a little background on who I am and what I'm all about. Hope you enjoyed my first post and thanks again for stopping by.
Nothing like a lady in waiting on her wedding day huh.... I loved this shot of Jen trying to see the church filling up with people.... 
It was beautiful service and the church, St. Mary's of Chardon, was one of the best I have worked with.... Ok, so now to the fun stuff.... We took this show on the road and went downtown!
Yeah we pulled out all the stops for this shoot, busted out the pole dance, carved some rails at city hall, jay walked, you name it! 
When it was all said and done, Jen and Todd were married and happy..... I think this last shot says it all.... I know, maybe a tad too much on the artsy side, but I just love it..... Hope you do as well! Have a great weekend everyone! Off to shoot at the Candlelight Winery tomorrow in Garrettsville, OH for their anniversary and annual Pug Rescue Day. If your in the area and have some time, stop by! 
Taylor's parents have a beautiful home and I had to show off the incredible 
From the vinyard we went down the street yet again to one of my favorit shooting spots, the lake..... It was a beautiful calm day and would have been a great day to be out on the water. Allen and I were both bummed that we weren't able to be out there.... but soon! 
