Xmas comes early for this lovely family.

I've been very blessed as a photographer and here is why...
Almost a year ago (ok not that far away but).. back in April, David and Crystal were married. Their cute little daughter Jayda was one of the flower girls and what a wonder high energy wedding this was. They were an amazing couple to photograph. A few months later their photos were done and although I felt very accomplished, I always hoped to shoot them again....  not just as a married couple... but as a family.

 As luck would have it, Crystal contacted me and showed interest in doing a fun creative Holiday Photo Shoot with her Hubby and Jayda. What a great time it was. They sure didn't disappoint, and I was sure proud to create something unique and appealing; perhaps something they've never seen before. Its times like this I am so excited to have started Photo Phrame Photography. I Thank You Ramos Family. Until next time! Peace.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Photo Phrame Photography. I embedded a Living Picture below just for fun. Feel free to click on the image, let it load and you can click all over to focus and refocus the image. My wife and son went to the Zoo and Aquarium yesterday and I brought back some Anemones for you! Enjoy guys. Have a Safe and Happy Turkey Day.

Maternity Shoot with Imagination

I wanted to do something different. I wanted to capture a maternity photo shoot that was inspirational, thoughtful, and imaginative. At the same time these images should be above all tasteful. and beautiful and pure. These are commonly the thoughts that travel around my brain when I am creating a photo shoot for a mother to be.

For Shelly and Marc, this Mommy and Daddy to be... I had thought of taking their colorful and uplifting personalities and translating that into real timeless almost artful images that tell a bit of a story. Too many times I've seen maternity images that capture a moment perfectly, yet seem to fall off a cliff, or fall short of true story telling. Sometimes you have to push your creativity further, outside your comfort zone.

This time I wanted to see if building atmosphere's and environments around the subject would engage a more emotional response. In this case, Shelly and Mark were super in front of the camera. Their dedication to each moment was 110% and it helped make every single one of these images work. At the end, I felt very confident that we would come away with a collection of images that would almost look like a storyboard pieced together to tell a Fairy Tale.

Fairy Tales played a big part in my childhood growing up and will play an equally large part in my young son's childhood as well. So it felt wonderful to give a little bit of those moments of myself to someone else who would enjoy them. I am talking about my son, but also Shelly and Marc. God Bless Shelly and Marc and you both will no doubt be amazing parents.

Vicky and PJ celebrate a new beginning...

Vicky and PJ, a splendid couple I wish I had more time to get to know. I first met Vicky at her mother's home with our first consult. At the time she had her adorable baby boy (Jacob) with her and was curious about what we could do to help create that special wedding day. I found out about Vicky and PJ thanks to a very nice neighbor of mine who referred me to the brides mom. Without Vicky's mom and dad allowing me to visit them and giving us (my father and I) a chance to prove ourselves, this whole wedding never would have happened for us photographers. SO I felt immediately appreciative and welcomed.

After the consult, I felt instantly positive about the visit. I loved the family. They were very straight forward and honest, a true family value not easily found from the very beginning. Robin and Mark, the parents of the bride just wanted the best for their daughter... and I sincerely appreciated that. At that point the challenge was set before my father and I and Vicky and Pj's wedding was months away. I met the groom, PJ, for the first time at the wedding, a first for me as I usually meet the groom in advanced as well, but yet again immediately felt comfortable capturing him and the guys as well as the girls getting ready and preparing for this day.

Vicky and PJ.... Enjoy this sneak preview and thank you for letting me be there for you guys. Your images will be nearly complete, hang tight.

Dominique and John's Wedding Day

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting Dominique and her Mom at the Albany Marriot off of Wolf Road. It was the first bridal expo I've done for that year and it was quite nice. These two gals came over and seemed to like the services we provided. I explained I keep my overhead as low as I possibly can and try to provide a sincere quality experience both before the wedding and after. A little while later Dominique and John booked with us and I was very proud to accommodate.
 Very few people understand that I am passionate about more than my images. I believe everyone should not only be able to afford a photographer, but have a photographer who will capture the event true to the love and life of the couple. It's so important to connect with the couple you are sharing their special moments with.

 SO next I met John for the first time during our engagement shoot. First off I thought, "holy smokes! She's taller than he is!" But well... So is my brother in law and his wife.... so then I guess its not too uncommon as I once thought.
As we were shooting the engagement outdoors it was blazing sunlight, 90 degrees or better, high humidity, downtown Albany with lots of reflective windows on the buildings, hot concrete... it was rough; but Dominique and John did outstanding. With all the sweat and heat and everything... they both smiled brightly the whole way through. After that I knew that this family would do well in life. They would endure through every obstacle as they did on that one "hotter than hell" Summer Day
. The day of the wedding came and it rained for most of it; but that didn't put a damper on this event. Everyone seemed pretty content and excited at the same time. The Baptist church was the perfect setting for the ceremony and the reception reflected that celebration of a new beginning. Both John and Dominique shared laughs, lots of kisses, and fantastical dancing especially with their great family and close friends.

 John and Dominique I thank you both for allowing me to be there for your engagement as well as your wedding. It feels like I earned a few new friendships along the way... and ya know.... it feels quite good. Your wedding images are almost done!! Hang in there guys!