Thank you from our family to all of you and all that serve our country and keep us free!

Images from the 2012 Lincoln Day Dinner    

Click here to see all the images!

Is the white wedding dress over?

Wedding gowns were not always just white. Queen Victoria started it all by marrying in white. Though brides continued to wed in gowns of different colors, white was now set as the color of choice for weddings and has continued since. Maybe it is time for a change? Vera can pretty much do whatever she wants as her gowns are to die for!  I think it’s fun to mix things up a little every so often.

Vera Wang helps you plan your wedding with her new iPad, iPhone and iPod touch app! This unique resource — recently named Apple’s iPad App of the Week! — includes Vera’s personal style advice, planning expertise, thousands of images and much more. A must-have for all brides AND IT IS FREE untill next week so get it now!

Till next time,

Sarah

Photographer and Event Planner

Carolyn Goodman the wife of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, was sworn in to succeed her term-limited husband, Oscar Goodman. The ceremony was filled with jokes,  and the promise of a continued Goodman dynasty.

“I love this city and have a passion for it. I am so excited about the rich redevelopment that is going on.” she said when she first announced her run for mayor. Carolyn will continue in his footsteps and add her own good sense.  She has done more for Las Vegas then most people do in their lifetime. Carolyn Goodman retired as president of the Meadows School, the nonprofit private campus she founded in 1984.

Also sworn in were Municipal Judge Susan Roger, Municipal Judge Heidi Almase, and Ward 3 Councilman Bob Coffin.

Many years ago, the “storybook album” was a series of different size photos spread across pages in a bound album. Now with modern computer technology, images are blended together on a single page spread to produce a more dramatic effect. There are few limitations as to the number of images as was the case in the older formats. A series of color, black & white with other effects can all be put on a single page. The only limit is the creativity of the artist photographer himself.

More than just pictures

It takes a special talent to take the images needed to tell the story. A series of snapshots just won’t do. The photographer must become a photojournalist combining art and technical ability to make images that can be combined into a work of art. All the right combination of images must be created in the first place at the wedding to be able to have the material to create a story line as well as a beautiful design.

It is not something that can be explained in a technical way. It is just something that comes to me personally as an artist. My many years and experiences also contribute to the process. As with many art forms, it is something that has just been a part of my being so involved in my work. Through my eyes, every wedding is different, a special moment in time to be recorded and preserved for many generations of the family to remember and enjoy. Anyone can shoot many images and get a few to look good. It takes the expert eye of the professional photographer to be able to record the special emotions of that moment. As I shoot, in the back places of my mind a plan is being prepared. Once the images are all completed and processed, all the right material is there to produce that beautiful recreation of that special day.

Your wedding day isn’t something you just experience; it is something you will want to remember!

A professional has the ability to create mood, drama, and emotion, which become beautiful expressions in our albums. The world of photography has changed in the last ten years. With digital photography, you can do almost anything. In the past we would make a set of 5×5 paper proofs to the client. This increases cost dramatically, and you paid for many photos you didn’t want. Now we can shoot as much as we want, no limits!

Do you have any old photos from the days when color first came out? (Check out “About Our Company” and see one) The color photos of the 1960’s faded away into yellow and red colors! A whole generation “disappeared” as the process was new and not proven. Digital prints made with ink or dye sub printers may do the same! Take a print made with an ink jet printer and cover only half of it. Leave it in the sun for just a few days. Regular photo paper will fade as well, but not this fast! This technology has yet to be proven. Will your wedding photos shot with digital end up the same as the photos of the 60’s?

Digital prints have a different “look” than the quality of film. Today’s movies made in Hollywood are all shot on 35mm film. Have you ever watched a movie clip shot on film, then a video (digital) shot taken behind the film cameras? There is a very real difference in the tones. The video has a “sharp” surreal look. The film is soft and looks true to what your eye sees. Shooting film as the original media, then scanning the film keeps much of the same qualities. Digital is much cheaper (no film costs and developing fees) as the digital media can be reused. Digital cameras make it easy for anyone to be a “professional” without the training a true Master of Photography goes through to earn the degree. Beware of photographers that have never been trained in the art of shooting with a film camera. Many cling to Photo Shop as they are not able to correctly make an image “in camera” as it has been done (remember Ansel Adams) for over 100 years! A fair digital photographer must be a excellent film photographer to compare!

One barrier with digital is still mega-pixels vs. lines per millimeter of resolution in film (lpmm). Think of it as you needing a camera that can record 35 mega-pixels to come close to film. The technologies are very close, but does not exist yet in an SLR type camera (as of this printing Nikon’s best is at about 24 mega-pixles).At this point 24 mega-pixels is too sharp for weddings, as digital does not have the “softening” effect film does! This brings up the next problem with digital; pixelation. Pixelation refers to being able to see the pixels, which is a giveaway that the image is digital. If you can see pixelation in the photograph, it detracts significantly from the image. If the photographer is forced to increase the sensitivity due to low light, the “noise” will be increased which often creates an obvious pixilated look in the final prints, generally in the blacks or shadow details. Because the sensors use specialized masks to accurately read color, you can also get moiré patterns. Using processing software in the camera and compression of image files can also degrade quality.

Archival Issues

There is also a problem of how long your prints will last. On a standard inkjet printer, you will be lucky if your print lasts a few months before it starts to fade. Compare this to film printed on a good photo paper, which has a rated life of 40 to 50 years or more. Another factor in printing digital is you must not only have the right inks, but the correct paper to match. Some papers will show noticeable fading in less than 2 years. While improving, printer inks do not yet offer the archival life offered by film. Comparing film and digital; both have reasonable archival expectations. The only difference is that film issues are very well documented (it’s been around over 100 years) where digital issues have only been around a very short time.

As you can now realize, we believe digital does have a place in the wedding industry. The costs for cameras (which are passed down to you) are high and cameras are quickly becoming “old technology” in months after purchase. We have a high demand for quality and want our work to last for many generations of your family. The day will come when the digital world, like color film, will become perfected and proven as film did.
We will continue to offer film for weddings, which are a once in a lifetime event. If you have the budget, and can afford the cost of film instead of digital, you may find it a wise and beautiful investment for the lover of true art.

When I first started to plan my wedding, Toni Hart at the Hartland Mansion recommended your company to photograph the wedding. We immediately turned down the services because we had a friend that offered to photograph the wedding. We took the business card that Toni offered anyway, but never expected to use it.

On the day of my wedding the photographer called my mom to confirm the time and place. Within minutes he called back only to inform my mom that his camera was broken. He offered to use a digital camera, but we refused. That was the worst news a bride could hear on the day of her wedding. I was heartbroken and I figured I would have to go without pictures for the wedding. My mother looked in her purse for a pen and found your business card. She wasn’t going to call at first because it was very last minute. It was Sunday and Labor Day weekend so we figured you weren’t available or had other plans, but my mother called anyway. To our surprise you did answer the phone and you were available to photograph my wedding at such short notice!! We met with you just prior to the wedding as you were there before we arrived. You were very courteous and helpful with our selection of the package we would be receiving.

The end result was we received excellent service and excellent pictures. I am very grateful that you were available that day. You really made my wedding day. I would have been very upset after the wedding if I didn’t have any pictures of my very special day. I want you to know that weddings can be very crazy. It is very hard to plan a wedding and make sure everything goes as planned, trying to relax and enjoy your day at the same time. I am sure there are brides who have had the experience I had where you trust a friend to do something and they don’t come through. My advice for brides to be would be to not hire a friend, always hire a professional. People don’t want to think that a friend won’t come through for you on such an important day, but things happen. I will recommend you to everyone I know that has an event that they want photographed. I can’t thank you enough for coming through for me when you did. You are a lifesaver.

Sincerely, 
Kristal Cobb 
A very happy bride