Happy Halloween

Whew, to say it has been a crazy year would be an understatement. Last year rolled right into this year with no break, and this year has been non-stop. This post is a thank you and an explanation at the same time. It is not meant to make excuses, but rather to provide explanations. I am a few blog posts behind and just wanted to reach out to everyone. I know everyone is waiting anxiously, and patiently, and I thank you. Please trust that I am doing the best I can, and continue to work long hours, day after day. My couples tell me the wait is no longer than the average time most wedding photographers take to deliver images, but I really hate to have anyone waiting for anything.

One of the things slowing me down is the slideshows I do for everyone. They are very labor intensive, and sometimes take three days to edit, and produce. They are also very popular, a huge hit, and very much appreciated. I certainly don’t want to stop doing them for people. However, this is definitely a service I will need to charge for in the future, because the extra work involved is staggering. Currently, I intend to do them for everyone, so please keep in mind how much you enjoyed yours, and why I feel it is fair for everyone to experience their own. Thank you again, I understand and would want everything yesterday too. Your patience has been, and continues to be appreciated.

Another thing slowing things down are the engagement sessions I do for everyone. This is another free add on part of my business that I do because I feel it is essential to make a special connection. Most photographers charge for this service and spend a very limited time with their couples. I’m sure that anyone who has done one with me will attest that money and time definitely are not a factor here for me. I do it because I love what I do and I want to be sure that you, your families, and friends are going to love it to. They can be difficult to orchestrate because my couples and I don’t always live in the same area. We do them when our paths cross, and they usually have full schedules taking care of other wedding day details.

The last thing is that my commercial and publication work has not slowed down at all. In fact it is busier than ever. The upcoming issue of the Cornell Law School Magazine will feature an image I recently shot of Sandra Day O’Connor on the cover. I do not advertise for this type of work, and only do it by word of mouth for a few select people that love my work, and working together. I included a jpeg of the cover in the post because it is a great example of what the new high-end Canon cameras can do. This image was shot with the EOS-1D Mark III at an iso of 3200 (this quality was technically impossible before the advent of this camera) with no additional flash at all. The room was very intimate and quiet, so any flash would have been far too obtrusive. It is an amazing testament for Canon that the image meets the standards necessary to be on the cover of a Law School Magazine.

Thank you if you have made it this far. I have never been accused of not having much to say. Please let me shout out to all of my loyal blog followers and ask for your comments. Many have asked that I do another Halloween post like last year. That is what this post originally started out as. My last wedding of the year is coming up on the 11th, then I have to go in for surgery on the 13th, and will be recovering for a week or so. Look forward to a flood of blog posts after that. I can’t wait to share some new work with you that I am really excited about. I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween, and I wish you the best for the holidays.

Now, for the images… Both of my kids have developed into such a characters. One gaze directly into their eyes is sure to melt your heart. I am so blessed to have my son Gabriel, daughter Bella, and my wife Heather in my life. I went to school with them the other day and took a few photos. Of course, Gabriel was the red Power Ranger, and Bella was Hannah Montana. Heather donned her Hannah wig for the shot of them together. I also included a couple images from Gabriel’s 4th birthday party and a few others because it has been so long since I posted anything personal. Can you guess which ones I took with my cameras, and which ones my wife took with her point and shoot? As always, click on an image to see it larger, and click here for the slide show.

Thanks again everyone. Have fun, live, love, and enjoy every moment of every day.

Comments

[Becky Bean]

Hiya Frank,
Long time no blog -- for me that is... Life's chores get the best of me, but I'm glad I caught up with you tonight. Your slideshow is so fun - your kids are growing up. I love the shots of Gabe with his crinkled up nose and the one of Bella with the sparkler. Gabe w/ his fingers in his ears during the fireworks is amazing too.

Somebody told me the other day that "love is giving, and giving, and giving, and giving..." That came to mind when I was watching this slideshow and thinking about you behind the camera giving and giving. It's what you do, isn't it?

Best of luck with recooperating! Be good to yourself!

Love,
Becky

[Jillian Kay]

your kids are just adorable!! how lucky are you?! well, except for the surgery. do take care of yourself, and get better quickly!

on a different note, I love how you took stock of your business and your year here.

beautiful images, as always. :)

[garrett]

Your kids are beautiful. How blessed you and Heather are. I love the image of Bella with the sparkler. And of course, Gabe...what a player! LOL!!!

I hope you're doing well and continuing to recover.

[Kristen Willis]

Hi Frank! Love the pictures. You have some adorable kids! Just wanted to say good luck with your surgery and we will be thinking about you. Try to get some much needed rest! Also, your slide shows are so amazing and we would have been happy to wait 6 months for ours if we had to. We still watch ours all the time and each time I feel like I am right back there on my wedding day. Our slideshow is priceless to both of us! Keep up the awesome work and take it easy after your surgery!

[Luke Walker]

man o man does bella look like heather with her hair back or what?!

[MOM]

Love you & miss you all. What a great job with the slide show. Thanks for sharing your love and talents with everyone AS EVER MOM

[jason groupp]

Dude - hang in there! Know that you are not alone! I know the effort that goes into the slideshows and you do an awesome job, it will be worth the wait! :)

Just remember that you are reaching the top of the hill and it is all downhill soon. :)

Thinking of you, get some rest before that surgery!

Oh yea, those are some cute kids you got! ;)

[erich]

Frank! Beautiful family and images! You know I am here if you need anything. All the best!

[Hye Jin Chang]

Frank -
The family Halloween photos are so fun..thanks for sharing! Please take your time to recover from your surgery. We completely understand the time it takes to finish our engagement photos. No worries! We feel so lucky to have you as our photographer and we know we will have amazing photos! It is worth any time of wait. :)

[Marti Bledsoe Post]

Frank,
These images are, as always, wonderful! It's great to see your family shots and see how your kids are growing up (they are obviously having a great time, too!)

You have to balance your workload with images and posts like this one, and no one would dispute that your slideshows and images are well worth the waiting. You gotta re-charge those batteries from time to time!

Best of luck in your surgery and take it easy after, ok?

[Christine]

Sending you lots of love & positive thoughts. Good luck with your surgery - I'm going in for surgery myself on the 14th, so I'll be thinking of you while on the recovery bed! :-)

That photo of Sandra Day O'Connor is amazing - what a great shot, and the low light ability? AMAZING.