Teresa and JR get "married"

Teresa getting ready for the ceremony (description at the end).

The dress.


JR shaves before getting dressed.


The guys at the bar.

The couple shares a quiet moment (this was taken after the ceremony).


The beautiful bride!

The girls.


They hadn't seen each other all day until the ceremony.

Teresa and JR reaffirm their commitment to each other.

JR dances down the aisle as the Blackeyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" plays after the ceremony.


JR toasts his "new" bride during the reception.


One of the couple's sons gets funky on the dance floor.


Teresa and JR have been married for six years this past January. As a surprise, Teresa planned a full-blown wedding ceremony and reception at a nearby hotel with family and friends coming in from near and far to celebrate. Even though he was getting suspicious as the date approached, JR was pleasantly surprised. The couple got married by a Justice of the Peace at the Tarrant County Courthouse, and having a big party and photos afterward was something he had wanted.

What a fun, beautiful and loving couple. Their children were a big part of the fun (that's one of their sons breakdancing during the reception). I enjoyed being there to record the evening for them. I love weddings, but there's something more meaningful about a couple who's already been married for awhile. It's easy to be head over heels with a new love; it's special to have that same feeling years later.

Rainy-day Wedding

I had the opportunity to help photograph a wedding last month in Mansfield. The ceremony was originally scheduled to be outdoors, with the couple and bridal party beneath a gazebo. The guests, however, were to be seated in the open. The weather had another idea, with sporadic heavy showers forcing the entire wedding indoors to the reception hall. Still a beautiful ceremony, but dark! The tables were decorated with beautiful fall flowers.


The couple's cake was elegant, with the initial of their last name beautifully added on the front.


The groom's cake was stunning, topped by chocolate cowboy boots on top, edged with little chocolate Texas shapes and with realistic chocolate rope.


The venue featured a photo booth, and people had a great time dressing up with the available props and taking photos of themselves. The booth produced a strip of little pictures that served as souvenirs for the wedding (complete with the wedding couple's names and the date).


I got a great shot of the kiss during the ceremony, but usually my favorite is the moment right afterward.


Most of the weddings I've photographed with other photographers, I've ended up being the one with the widest lens. At 17 mm, the people begin to become a little distorted at the edges similar to a photo taken with a fisheye lens. But here's everyone there!


Here the couple shares some quiet time alone in the reception hall before making their grand exit.


By the time the couple went to leave, the rain had momentarily slowed to a drizzle. Guests lit sparklers, which mixed with the orange lights under the porch made for some interesting colors. Here the happy couple gets ready to step into the Rolls Royce that was rented for the occasion. What a beautiful car! And what a sweet couple. I had time only to talk briefly to the groom.

Getting married or know anyone who is? So far I have two bookings for 2010. I would love to be considered to document and share your special day!

Wedding Albums with a special twist

If you're engaged to be married or know someone who is getting married, read some exciting news below!

The ultimate way to enjoy and preserve quality professional images of your wedding day is the photo album. The "traditional" album ... maybe one like your parents have with individual photos stuck into a binder ... has given way to press-printed publications that resemble coffee table books in quality and size. Designing the new albums is much easier than ever. Skilled designers can take beautiful photographs and create something truly special that can last for generations.

But it got me thinking. A picture is worth a thousand words, but what about supplementing the images, from engagement portraits to the end of the wedding day, with actual words? How about tastefully captioning the photos, but also incorporating a brief narrative about how a couple met? What about telling a complete story, not only to reinforce a couple's memories of how their love began but also for their children and grandchildren? The thought got me excited! I know my wife and I would have benefited by getting our details in writing along with our photos. Such a product goes beyond the basic wedding to tell Your Story.

Even further, it allows me to contribute my photography, graphic design, writing/editing/reporting skills into one glorious tribute to my clients. I'm currently working on a prototype album. I am offering this new, exciting product at no extra charge to three couples who hire me as their wedding photographer within the next six months (the wedding can be in 2010). The experience will help me further develop the product, and the couples will receive a professionally produced storybook of their wedding days. My plan is to also produce a smaller companion album that takes images from the larger one and offers them in a more portable format for sharing with friends, family and co-workers.

So if you are getting married, but have not yet hired a professional photographer, or you know someone who's looking for one, please send the couple a link to this blog post. My main Web site is www.toddovermanphoto.com, where you can view examples of my work.

I can't wait to put this idea into action! It is initially being offered only as part of wedding coverage, although the possibilities of storybooks for high school senior, family and first-year portraits excite me, too.

Choosing a wedding photographer

My wife and I were blessed during our wedding to have an experienced, professional photographer cover the event, provide excellent customer service and deliver wonderful images. After the music played, the vows were exchanged, the cake was eaten, the tuxes returned and the dress packed away, what do we have left? Other than everlasting love (cue sappy music), we have the photographs of our special day. Having a few displayed around the house remind us of how our crazy journey began. Maybe sadly, they also remind us how young we used to look! The point is, out of all the expenses of that day, the photographs are the most tangible reminder of what happened.

So how important are wedding photographs? That really depends on the couple. I think in many cases, maybe because cameras are so ubiquitous (the one in my cell phone has the same resolution as my first digital point-and-shoot!) that choosing a photographer might be an afterthought for some. That means it's not given the budget it deserves, and couples end up scrimping on one of the only enduring parts of the ceremony (besides the marriage).

If you are engaged, soon to be engaged or are unhappy with the results your wedding photographer provided, the following list is for you. While re-enacting an entire wedding to replace botched pictures isn't practical, a post-ceremony couples session might be in order. Kind of like an engagement portrait session for married people!

Choosing a Wedding Photographer
I've broken the process down into four categories, with a suggested question or two to ask potential photographers in each grouping.

1. Pick someone who can provide results
Look at photographers' portfolios and pay attention to see if the main subjects are in focus, evenly and well lit. Look at the images one at a time and decide if they are pleasing to you. Providing results is a mix of experience and knowledge, but also the equipment used. The often dark lighting during ceremonies, flash photography being prohibited during many of them and the need to be ready at all times requires a knowledgeable person with pro-quality equipment. Sure, it's ultimately about the photographer when it comes to taking pictures. But a good photographer will have the best system that suits them for getting the job done well and consistently.
Questions: How long have you been a professional photographer? How do you handle taking pictures in a dark venue?

2. Service
Customer service is so important to me. I believe in a photography business, one of the most important aspects of customer service is a contract signed by both parties that spells out clearly the expectations, requirements and what will be photographed and delivered as a final product. A contract is protection for both the clients and the photographer that there will be consequences when promises are broken. It's a little trickier to judge whether a photographer will follow through on the contracted promises. One way to gauge his or her reliability is to ask for a referral from previous clients.
Questions: Do you require a signed contract? How important is customer service in your business?

3. Personality
You don't have to become friends with your photographer, but it helps if that person is friendly and outgoing. Someone who can take charge (but not be controlling or bossy) is essential to getting the job done, especially when it comes to getting the group shots of friends, family and the bridal party. It's essential to agree on all elements of the contract, but there could be differences that aren't necessarily a deal-breaker. Bottom line, does the photographer seem willing to work with you, agreeing to meet your needs or in accommodating a special request?
Question: What is your favorite part about photographing weddings?

4. Budget
The money you have to spend on your wedding photography is an important concern. I don't think there's a magic number that is the "right" amount to spend. I could make up something, like spend at least four times the cost of the bridal gown on photos, but that's just grabbing air. Consider what you'd like for the final product. Artful wall prints? An elegant wedding album? A CDs or DVDs of all the images? Consider what you'd like photographs of (getting ready, the ceremony, formal group shots, candid photos of the day, the reception, etc. etc. etc.). Consider what will remain after the day is over. Besides love for your new spouse meant to last a lifetime, you might have an old white dress in a box, the cake topper in the freezer for a year, and ... the photographs. The images could be inspirational and important to you, but also future generations. Imagine being able to show your children what your wedding day was like. The archival printing processes are so advanced, that your children's children could be treated to a look into how weddings were so many years before they are viewing them. That means that the photographs could very well gain value over time. Not to mention the way they will serve as a record of all the other people at your wedding. Crazy, huh?
Question: How much will it cost me to have __________ photographed, taking about ___ hours, and then have the images masterfully delivered as a ___________.

It's important that you develop your own set of questions to ask potential photographers, too. But think of a few questions for yourself: How will I feel if I don't have any pictures of my wedding at all? How will I feel if the pictures I have taken look horrible, all blurry and dark with no thought to composition, and the photographer missed so many of the shots I told her to get! Should I spend more on the photographer and maybe less on the DJ or finger foods? All things you have to answer for yourself.

I would love to be considered as your wedding photographer, and would be happy to answer all your questions! Give me a shout at todd@toddovermanphoto.com or 817-675-1143.

My business philosophy

My mission statement posted on my main Web site states that I will provide:

Professionalism
Honesty
Obsessive attention to detail
Tremendous customer service
Overall client satisfaction
Stellar images

Get it? It spells out P-H-O-T-O-S. Yeah, I know. Please don't roll your eyes like that!

To flesh out my mission, I figured I would share my business philosophy on customer service.

The ultimate customer service is:
1. Knowing your craft/business well.
2. Delivering a stellar final product/service every time.
3. Knowing how to treat people.

If someone can't perform the first and second items, they are failing on the third. If they fail on the third, then the first two don't matter as much. Doing right by customers has to include all three simultaneously. For my photography business, that means I know what I'm doing with my camera and my techniques and I understand beforehand what my clients' expectations are. It means always delivering on my word, no excuses, no matter the time, place, weather, lighting or drama. It means treating everyone with honesty, respect and professionalism, all the time.

But even more than that, I want my business to be fun for me and my clients. Currently I do my work on location, which lends a more natural, spontaneous look to the images.

Children's portrait sessions resemble a play date more than a typical "picture-taking session." This is done by the child being allowed to be a kid, in their own environment or one that feels comfortable and fosters fun. They can bring along toys, or I can supply a few fun props to use in the images.

Family portrait sessions are more like a fun outing rather than a chore. It's about the relationships and interactions, being natural and letting loose. Capturing who the family members are and how they shape the family as a whole.

Engagement portrait sessions are like a date, a stroll in the park ... a fun, relaxing time!

Weddings are a different animal altogether. My confidence and organization during the day is more important than having fun, although I find the pressure invigorating and fun anyway. Attending a couple's special day is like a pep rally for romance. Go marriage! Yay!

I want to learn more about you! Please leave a comment here or fill out a contact form here. Let's have some fun!

Ten!

My wife and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary tomorrow (April 24). That's us in the little framed photo, one we've always had on display somewhere. We're not big on photos of ourselves, but it's great to have a little one to remind us of the day we started this journey. We were so young in so many ways back then!

Our first stop as a married couple was at a Wal-Mart to buy contact solution. My new bride forgot her makeup bag and had to deal with her contact lenses. We were also fortunate that day that it was overcast (great lighting for this photo) and that it didn't rain until dinnertime (made for a romantic evening). We were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma (back when the state required blood tests for a marriage license!), spent the night at a great bed-and-breakfast in Claremore, drove back south for a stop at our rental house and then spent a week on the beach in Galveston. It's all two newspaper journalists could afford!

Since then, we've been through a lot. But we've come through and our blessings are magnified and unmeasurable, two of which – our kids – have expanded the very definition of "blessing." Ten years might not be that long a time in the scheme of things, and for us, I hope it still represents the beginning. I'm enjoying the trek so far!

Note to any nearlyweds out there: if you're looking for a wedding photographer, it's an important decision. Find someone who has a proven track record and is someone you can stand to be around for one of the most important days of your lives. We're all as budget-conscious as ever these days, but shopping based on price is more likely to leave you disappointed. The gown will be packed away. The food and cake will be long gone and forgotten. But the photos will remain.

Like a pep rally for romance

This is my wife's diamond and my wedding band, shot on a window sill in our bedroom with a Canon 100 f/2.8 macro lens (a tool that helps render objects in life-size). We'll be married 10 years this April.

On Jan. 31, I had the chance to photograph the wedding of a wonderful couple. It was obvious they are very much in love, something I enjoy feeding off of while doing my job. Makes it easier when it's easy to believe a newly minted married couple will go the distance. In fact, that feeling is a major reason I enjoy working weddings.

It's like a pep rally for romance. In the case of this wedding, not everything went right with the ceremony. But the important things were perfect and that's what matters. And the reception? A genuine celebration, for sure. I'll upload a few photos here if I can pick from all of them! There was a lot to capture.

In a changing world, there are some things that never change. Our hearts are all looking for something to fill themselves with. Love will do.

Susana & Kristian

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Susana and Kristian on Sunday at Fair Park in Dallas. They recently got engaged during the State Fair of Texas, while riding the Texas Star Ferris wheel. This is one of the last shots we took at the park after capturing several images during the day for their engagement photo session. In their hands (after some creative Photoshopping) is a photo of them right after they got engaged. They are very sweet together!

Jack & Michelle

I had the pleasure of helping Mike photograph a wedding this past Saturday in Keller. Here are a few of my shots.


They are a very sweet couple.


Apparently, Michelle's garter was slipping off her leg during the ceremony. Here, her sister helps secure it afterward.


A sense of humor will take them very far.


The wedding day was a little chaotic, but both handled it with grace. I wish them a lifetime of happiness, and I've got little doubt they'll find it together.

100 reasons to get married in August

I had the pleasure of assisting a Houston-area photographer as she covered a wedding for a friend a few weeks ago in Denton. There were three professional photographers there, and it was a good thing. While the wedding wasn't huge, even a medium-sized event has several things happening at once. That's why when I photograph a wedding, I have at least one other photographer with me to capture what I cannot be present to capture.

Anyhow, the couple was very cute together. I took the above image after they had eaten the cake, and I have one a split minute before of the groom wiping cake off the bride's face. They didn't do the cut-and-smash, which I always think is a tacky thing to do. It's also rare. Among the recent weddings I've shot, it's more a matter of the couple making "You'd better not" faces at each other, grinning, then gingerly feeding cake to each other. That's love, people.

One of my pre-ceremony duties was hanging out with the guys. I had the chance to ask the groom whose idea it was to have an Aug. 2 wedding. He said it was a matter of timing, and they wanted to get married as soon as they could. He is a teacher and coach, she just completed graduate school. This weekend was the only one they could squeeze in the ceremony before he had to get back to work.



For anyone keeping score, or if you yourself were in north Texas that weekend, you know that the temperature was hovering between 107 and 109 degrees that afternoon. That's the bride with her new husband and the two groomsmen, sipping out of a water bottle (we made sure she had lots of water, but I didn't drink enough). It was extremely hot. Some say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." I say once it gets over 100, it doesn't really matter.

But the beauty of the ceremony, the awesome couple and their wonderful families more than made up for the discomfort.

For the record, I got married in April.