andrea & renata :: photographers

The new blog & website

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:28:00 +0000

I know that the official launch day is set for September 1, but I can't wait any longer! Consider this your sneak preview of the brand new Andrea Jae Photography website and blog!

Click here to visit the new stuff.

I will no longer be posting on this blog, but it will remain live. From now on, I'll be posting here: www.andreajaephotography.com/blog. Update your bookmarks and links!

Thank you all so much for your encouragement in this journey. I am excited to be moving forward!

Big news

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:36:00 +0000

I realize I have been MIA this week, but I promise I have a good reason! The past month or so I have been working very hard on my new logo, website and blog. I'm dying to share all the fun details, but I'm not ready just yet. Both the site and the blog will officially launch on September 1. Friends, family and clients may get a sneak preview in a couple of days :)

Since I can't share those just yet, I figure I can at least announce one thing: my new logo and business name. Ready? Here it is:

That's right, friends. Andrea & Renata :: Photographers is now Andrea Jae Photography. I know what you're all thinking. Where's Renata?! Have no fear. Renata is still around! She is still coming to every wedding, every shoot and every meeting. We're even ADDING a team member. Emily is coming on board to design our albums and books, as well as second shoot.

I'd like to thank Drew for designing this awesome logo. He is the bomb.

Are you excited? I AM!

I won't be posting on this blog again until launch day. See you soon!

Dana & Chris :: Wedding

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Do you want to see my dress? asked Dana. We were at her house for a meeting about wedding photography. Renata and I squealed YES! in excitement. Dana went on to show us her dress and the magazine spread with her bridesmaid dresses. A lot of oohing and aahing ensued. We knew immediately we wanted to shoot her wedding.

Dana and Chris met at work; they are both middle school teachers. They fell in love quickly and were engaged over spring break. They planned a wedding for the next summer, two months away.

Dana and Chris' wedding was simple, elegant and warm. They made it clear that their priority was their friends and family and it was evident. Among their family members and friends, Dana and Chris both invited students and they spent the reception catching up with all their guests.

You gotta love church nurseries.

This bridal party was so fun!

Dana busted out her inner supermodel, which we love! (FYI, her pictures are featured on the NEW website, which will launch on September 1!)

Chris and the guys.

The ringbearer was adorable. He was so serious about his job.

The infamous cross shot.

Dana and Chris allotted extra time for pictures and picked a gorgeous park as the location!

The reception was held on a boat at sunset. Doesn't get much better than this.

Dana and Chris, thanks for letting us in on your day! Hope you are loving your new home in VA. Good luck with your continued schooling!

Kaley & Nick :: Wedding

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Please know, this is going to be a huge post. I cannot tell you enough how much I love, love, love, love, love Kaley & Nick. Kaley was my roommate in college and her and I were known for "keeping it real". I really attribute any down-to-earth-ness I might possess to Kaley. I was honored when she asked me to capture her wedding.

That said, this was one of my favorite weddings! Not only was the wedding beautiful, the bridal party fun and the day fantastic, but Kaley and Nick have been dating for quite a while and I felt that everyone was just extra happy for them. So extra happiness just floated around and infected everyone. Maria came to shoot this wedding with me and Renata and the three of us had a blast.

We started the day at Kaley's house, where we had a lot of fun with her and her bridesmaids. I loved Kaley's dress (SO her) and pink shoes!

Kaley was gorgeous - and so fun!

The flowers were done by English Rose Floral Design and they were absolutely beautiful!

Renata captured this image of the beautiful bridesmaids.

Nick and the guys.

Kaley and her matron of honor, Tara, have such a sweet friendship. Here they are goofing off and holding hands right before Kaley walked down the aisle.

Maria captured this detail during the ceremony.

Married!

Before the reception started, Kaley and Nick had allotted time for fun pictures of their bridal party and then them alone. We love that!

The reception was just lovely.

Breakin' it down.

Kaley and Nick, thanks for letting us be a part of your day. I'm not sure you realize how special it was to us. We are overflowing-ly happy for you (oh yes, we made up a word)!

Home!

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:41:00 +0000

I am finally home and eager to get back to work! I have 3 weddings to finish and 4 to post. I promise I will post a wedding tomorrow.

In other exciting news, I'm in the process of building my BRAND NEW WEBSITE! I've been working on it for a couple of weeks now and I'm hoping to launch on September 1. Get excited.

Wedding post tomorrow!

Rocky Mountain High

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:57:00 +0000

*Please note: For the next week and a half, I will be posting snippets from my ongoing road trip. If you are visiting this blog for photography services, I will be checking my email frequently, so please feel free to email me. Also, you can view our portfolio easily by using the Categories tab in the menu. Thanks for stopping by!*

We're in the Rockies! I told Drew that I expected them to look like the Coors Light can...and they do! It's beautiful here, and apart from a little bit of altitude sickness and some last minute change of plans, we're having a great time. We stayed with Drew's uncle and aunt in Pueblo two nights ago, then spent last night in Eagle, which is a teeny town nestled right in the Rockies. We experienced a nice big hail storm in Pueblo and on the way to Eagle, it started snowing! There we were in our shorts and t-shirts, blasting the heat and marveling at the snow. And I'm not talking snow shower, I'm talking stick on the ground, icy, continuous snow. I couldn't believe it.

But on to some pictures. Our stay in Ouray was extremely relaxing. We stayed at a little place called the Ouray Chalet Inn (fyi, Ouray and Chalet rhyme). Ouray is known as the "Switzerland of America", so it was decked out Swiss-like.

Drew with the large clock in front of the Chalet.

One of the coolest things to see in Ouray is Box Canyon. It's literally a super powerful waterfall in a cave.

We also drove up to see Yankee Boy Basin, a beautiful view. The drive to get there is unpaved, mountain road. They suggest that you take a four-wheel drive vehicle up. We totally rocked our rental Hyundai Sonata up that thing.

On the way to Pueblo, we stopped in several places, including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison...

...a beautiful lake...

...and the Royal Gorge! It costs an arm and a leg to get on the actual bridge, so we just admired from a distance.

After our stay in Pueblo, things started going downhill a little. We stopped at Garden of the Gods, but it rained.

The plan was to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park today, but when we woke up, we found out the park was closed due to weather (snow!). So instead, we are hanging out in the gorgeous town of Vail, the rich man's ski heaven. We took a gondola ride up a mountain...

...and stopped for the breath taking view from the top.

At the top of the mountain, it started to snow again! Proof...

Oh yeah, we're both wearing flip-flops. Always good.

Right now we are chilling in the cute town. I'm typing from within the Starbucks you see in this picture. (P.S. I am dying with all of the awesome engagement photo spots in this town!)

We're having a fabulous time! We'll be spending the weekend with more of Drew's family, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to blog. Have a great weekend!

Update from the road

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:20:00 +0000

*Please note: For the next week and a half, I will be posting snippets from my ongoing road trip. If you are visiting this blog for photography services, I will be checking my email frequently, so please feel free to email me. Also, you can view our portfolio easily by using the Categories tab in the menu. Thanks for stopping by!*

We've spent the past 2 days in the awesome town of Ouray, CO. I can't believe people live here! It's a small town situated between mountains, literally. You can hike up one and see the entire town. I think the theme of this whole trip for me has been amazement. I'm seeing things I've never seen in my entire life - small towns included! Drew's been keeping up with documenting our trip with my pictures here, but I thought I'd post a few highlights.

In true wedding photographer style, I freaked out when I saw this wedding venue at our hotel in Scottsdale, AZ. Maybe it doesn't look like much here, but those circle structures have lights that I'm sure would look amaaazing at night. Anyone in Scottsdale want to hire me to shoot there? :)

This shot was an accident, but I think it's pretty cool.

We saw the sunset and sunrise at the Grand Canyon. Both beautiful, but sunrise was better. See for yourself.

Sunset...

...vs. sunrise.

We had a little cliff all to ourselves.

We also hiked the Bright Angel Trail into the canyon. Between the high altitude, steep ascent and my lack of exercise, this hike kicked my butt! I was proud of myself for finishing though.

This is a watchtower over the east rim of the Grand Canyon. So cool.

Monument Valley...

Forrest Gump anyone?

In four states at once...

And my first time in Colorado, Drew's favorite state!

More to come tomorrow!

Blue steel?

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Drew randomly captured this shot at our hotel in Scottsdale. I kind of think it looks like a movie poster. Maybe some kind of underrated ninja movie? :)

I'll be posting more images from our trip tomorrow. We're chilling in Ouray, CO tonight and I'm hooked on the Olympics. Drew's been posting detail about the past few days, including my images. Check it out here. More to come later!

One year at the Grand Canyon

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Drew and I have had a fantastic day celebrating our anniversary. We'll be writing more about it on our family blog tomorrow. My highlight has definitely been the Grand Canyon. This is my very first visit. I freaked a little. It was just that awesome. Here I am, enjoying our perfect view.

I'm loving life and certainly having the time of my life. Drew's knocked out in the bed next to me; he is exhausted from our travels. I'm off to watch the Olympics. :) Have a great week!

Road trip 2008!

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:25:00 +0000

I will have limited email access, but will do my best to get back to inquiries ASAP! I do have a couple of weddings to post as well, so they may be scattered in between road trip posts. We will be archiving our journey on our family blog, and I am going to be posting a picture a day from our travels on this blog.

Two great things about day 1: a sweeeet hotel deal from hotwire.com and eating at a Jack in the Box for the first time! (Sidenote: The Jack in the Box character is CREEPY!)

The only picture I've taken so far is Drew and I in our room.

It should be noted that my handsome husband planned this entire trip single handedly.

Again, feel free to follow along in more detail on our family blog. More to come tomorrow!

Friendly faces

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:11:00 +0000

At two of our "crazy wedding week" weddings, I saw two college friends, who both happened to be working the wedding! It was such a nice surprise. It's so great working with Renata so that there's always a friendly face, and it's even greater when friendly faces appear out of the blue!

I saw Sheena at Don and Mary's wedding. She was assisting her dad with videotaping the wedding.

Then, at Dana and Chris' wedding, I saw Carlie, who was catering!

Seriously, it was so great to see them both. And I'm very serious about how great it is to see a friendly face. The next time you are at a wedding where I am, please come say hello! Who knows, you might end up with a super flattering picture on the blog. :)

Self-help to the max

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, as I was going through Kaley and Nick's wedding pictures (which are SO good and will be blogged soon!), I came across this gem of an image from their wedding that I had forgotten about.

I think it's really funny that this book is in the same category as a book about teenage girls. We females can be a little feisty sometimes, huh? :)

If someone has read this book, please tell me what it is about. Thank you!

Mary & Don :: Wedding

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Is it raining?, Mary asked us as we walked into the bridal suite. We didn't want to disappoint her, but it was drizzling. T-minus 30 minutes to the ceremony and a decision needed to be made about whether the ceremony would be outside as planned or moved inside. The string quartet made the decision: there was no chance the ceremony could be outside with even a small possibility of rain wetting their instruments.

It didn't matter. Nothing, not even a little rain and last minute change of plans, could have made this wedding anything but perfect. Held at the lovely Savage Mill Manor House, Don and Mary's celebration was just that - perfect. Attended by their family and closest friends, with lovely details and happiness overflowing, the wedding was fabulous.

Mary was just gorgeous.

Don was handsome and happy.

Everything was beautiful! Renata went crazy shooting details.

In the foyer, alongside a few of their engagement pictures, Don and Mary had set up their parents' wedding pictures. It was such a nice touch.

The ceremony was simple, personal and moving.

After the ceremony was over, the rain stopped long enough for us to get a few shots at the outdoor site.

This wedding was FULL of joy, joy, joy. There is not a picture where Don and Mary aren't smiling. The reception was so fun and involved everyone.

On a side note, this wedding had some of the cutest children I've ever seen! Mary and Don wanted pictures of their family, and these kids made it very easy. The first one is a baby who LOVED the camera. The second is the sweetest little baby. The third is the flower girl seeing herself in her dress for the first time. She was so pleased with herself!

Don and Mary, we were so blessed to be at your wedding. Thank you so much for your giving hearts and the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the love you share. We loved being guests at your celebration. We hope you enjoy your pictures!

The cutest kid in the world

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Sorry I have been MIA lately! Drew and I attended a conference from Wednesday-Saturday this past week with our church. It was an awesome conference, but took up our entire week! I'm back now. :)

This week is proving to be a busy one as well. I'm helping out with a children's musical camp at our church Tuesday-Thursday and I'm singing in one of my dear friend, Tia's, wedding on Friday. THEN, Drew and I are leaving for our long-awaited summer/anniversary vacation! More on that later in the week.

Today, I'm watching Hayden, Renata's son. It's fun! I'm currently enjoying Little Einsteins and counting down the time to his next diaper change. He's seriously the cutest kid ever.

Well, off to find out how the Little Einsteins find Rocket's friend, Little Whale. Have a great Monday!

Ashley & Richard :: Engagement

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:06:00 +0000

To begin this post, I'd like to inform the reader of 3 things:

1. We absolutely fell in love with this couple. You will soon see why.

2. Renata ROCKED this shoot! The images that make you say "WOW!" will probably be hers.

3. This will be a long post because I have so many favorites. Usually, we give the couple around 50-60 images and post 15-20. For Ashley and Richard, we ended up giving them 84 images and I'll be posting 32. That's how good this shoot was.

Ashley and Richard met in high school and have such an obvious connection. This shoot was extra special because Richard is serving in the military and was home for a couple of weeks before going back to the Middle East. They hadn't seen each other in months and it was such a joy to capture them together.

Their facial expressions alone are enough to confirm their true love. While Renata and I were messing with camera settings, the two of them were oblivious to the world, just lost inside their own. Beautiful love, beautiful couple, beautiful images.

We had so much fun on this shoot! We shot at two different beaches, got attacked by flying bugs in a grove of trees and got to talk and walk along a sweet little path. Okay, I'll stop talking. I can't wait for you to see these images.

Literally the first shot of the day. Amazing.

Ashley is a stunner. I can't wait to see her in a wedding dress. :)

Bling!

What did I tell you about the facial expressions?

Models?

The bugs at the tree grove we shot at particularly liked me. But these shots were totally worth it.

Renata really took 70% of these shots, but I had to highlight these two. Renata completely tore this one up!

Beach #2.

And because Renata was absolutely on fire during this shoot, I've gotta post this one. Oh yeah, and she is 7 months pregnant in this shot. And she is the bomb. :)

Ashley and Richard, saying we had a great time with you two is an understatement. It was honestly so refreshing to be around you both and an honor to capture the love you so obviously share. We are praying for both of you and can't wait until your wedding!

23!

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:52:00 +0000

Today is my birthday! I'm so excited to soak the day up. Last year, both Drew and my birthdays went pretty unnoticed since we were just a couple of weeks away from our wedding. Weddings take the cake (no pun intended, honestly). So this year, our first married birthdays, we are just enjoying it!

Drew's alarm went off at 6am this morning and I was awoken to a sleepy "Happy Birthday" serenade. This afternoon, Drew's mom and sisters are taking me out to lunch and we're going to go see Mamma Mia!. I'm very much looking forward to it!

I googled "23rd birthday" and this is what came up. I think it's very appropriate.

23 is very unglamorous, but I'm grateful to see it. :) Other than that, it's sort of a normal day. I'm doing a little work this morning and tonight, Drew and I are going to a music conference that lasts until Saturday.

Enjoy your Wednesday! And please check back tomorrow - you are not going to want to miss the engagement shoot I am posting. :)

Twenty what?

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Okay, okay. So I'm already sucking at keeping my promise of blogging every weekday. Didn't you see it coming? :)

I have a good excuse though! This is my birthday week! WOO! Yes, that's right. On Wednesday, I turn...an older twenty-something. Namely, 23. While 23 is not a super spectacular reason to celebrate, I still am. :) I've already received some birthday cards and have almost worn out the "But, Drew, it's my birthday week!" excuse. Plus, for my birthday, Drew gave me some cash and told me to go shopping during my birthday week, which I obviously did the first day I could - Monday. It was a fantastic gift (thanks sweetheart!).

In other news, business is in the works! I've already got a new logo that I will be unveiling soon and am currently getting the WEBSITE together! The actual, awesome website! I'm hoping to reveal the new brand and business plans before the end of the summer.

This will be a slow blogging week, as Drew and I are going to a conference Wednesday-Saturday. I've got weddings and an engagement session left to post. Get excited!

Have a great week! Go treat yourself to something in honor of my birthday. You deserve it!

Kayla & Kedrick :: Wedding

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0000

We were honored to have the opportunity to shoot Kayla and Kedrick's wedding. Kayla's family attends our church, so it was special to be shooting on "home turf" for the first time, amongst people we know and love.

Kayla and Kedrick met at Liberty University, where they both attend college. They were so much fun and we had a blast spending the day with them and their fantastic bridal party!

Both Kayla and Kedrick got ready at the church and laughed off their nerves all day.

To our delight, Kayla and Kedrick opted to do "First Glance" and see each other before the ceremony. We love it when couples decide to do this for several reasons: they get the first moment they see each other to themselves, we can do formals before the ceremony which allows the couple to go straight to the reception, and we have more time for relaxed portraits of the bride and groom.

Since we took Kayla and Kedrick's formal pictures before the ceremony, we were able to spend some good time at a beautiful driveway with their bridal party.

The beautiful bridesmaids, who were super fun.

The studly men.

Renata and I always tell couples that one of the best parts about your wedding day is that you get to kiss all day and no one can say anything about it. I guess not everyone appreciates it. :)

The ceremony was simple and sweet. (Sidenote: My dad is the pastor officiating the wedding!)

My token word for The Kiss: HOLLA!

Leaving in a swirl of bubbles.

Kayla and Kedrick, thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your day. We had such a great time with you and your bridal party (hey guys!). Hope the honeymoon was fabulous! Enjoy your pictures!

Anything for the shot

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:12:00 +0000

In order to test the light in certain situations, Renata and I usually take test pictures of each other, therefore we have a whole file of terrible pictures of each other. We usually get a good laugh out of looking at them; they are really horrendous. I won't share them all today (I will one day!), but I had to post one.

Today, we shot some headshots in a multi-light situation, so it was important that we get our camera and flash settings correct. Renata used me as a test. This is the result. When you stop laughing, please still be my friend.

I know, I know. It looks like a terrible yearbook photo of me in middle school. Don't hate. I keep it real. And this proves that I will do anything to get a good shot, even look like a chubby 7th grader. Thank you very much.

Becca & Matt :: Engagement

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Dishes are kind of our 'thing' now, Becca explained to me while describing how she and Matt met. They took a cooking class together and, unbeknownst to either one, caught each other's eye. While the rest of the class were eating their homemade goodies, Becca and Matt would stay behind and do their dishes as an excuse to be together. It wasn't until after the class was over that Becca realized she couldn't let Matt get away.

She had no way of getting in contact with him, but persisted until she ran across a lucky break - one of her friends was in Matt's class. They contacted each other and, well, the rest is history.

I had a blast with Becca and Matt, hanging out around Rehoboth Beach (even though it was packed out!) and Becca's parents' gorgeous community. I can't say enough good things about these two - they are super in love, disgustingly cute (in a good way!), and MATT COOKS!

We started the day at the beach, where Becca and Matt knew of a giant chess board! How cool is that?!

We spent the rest of the day in the gorgeous community where Becca's parents live. Fresh flowers everywhere and a "wedding garden" - mmm, it was yummy.

In the community's "wedding garden", which was beautiful.

Ahh, the token engagement shot...

Matt got his model on.

I LOVE these two images.

I know I already posted one in this series, but they're just so good!

Becca and Matt, you guys are such naturals and a PLEASURE to be around. I can't wait for your wedding! Thank you for your amazing shoot and your family of blog-stalkers :) Enjoy your pictures!

This week

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:39:00 +0000

I just returned from a fabulous weekend at the beach with friends. I have a load of things to catch up on!

This week, prepare for some exciting things:

1. Two wedding posts

2. An engagement post

3. Announcements regarding a NEW business name and updates

Hurray!

Sorry this post is so short, but the laundry is calling out. Hope you had a great weekend!

Lights, camera, ACTIONS!

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:59:00 +0000

A lot of things about photography can be intimidating. I remember when I had no idea what shooting manual was. I only knew that all the pros did it...and I didn't. The first time I tried, I felt frustrated and completely unsure of myself. Now, after lots of practice, I'm feeling much better about it.

The list of intimidating things seems to grow as I learn more. Lighting techniques, lenses, camera bodies and, as of recently, Photoshop CS3. I used Photoshop in high school, so I was hoping maybe a little of that would come back to me. But no. When I opened PS on Charlie (refer to this post if you have no idea who Charlie is), I just stared blankly. BLANKLY. Well, so much for that.

Thank goodness for actions. Actions are a playable set of directions in PS that give great effects with a single click. Without them, I might have just given up. Seriously.

I've been experimenting with three different sets of actions: Totally Rad Actions, TRA 2 - The Revenge, and Kubota Production Tools.

These two recent engagement images were both processed using a combination of these three action sets and I think they look pretty dang good. (And here is a little preview for Becca & Matt and Ashley & Richard!)

All this said, go buy yourself some actions (are you listening, Alicia Lee?!)! They cut down the post-processing time in Photoshop, plus give you great creative leverage. Take it from me, they are worth the money and come with easy to follow directions.

Hurray for actions!

Happy birthday, Drew!

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

The woman at the checkstand must have thought I had 3 young children at home. Apple juice, cranberry juice, Oreos, fruit snacks, Hamburger Helper...not exactly items you'd expect from 20-somethings. Whatever - we're proud of the fact that we are young at heart!

Today, my wonderful husband turns 25! I've had a lot of fun the past couple of weeks reminding him how old he is. Drew really is a kid at heart. It's one of my favorite qualities about him.

Even more fun, this is our first married birthday! Last year at this time, we were in the midst of the wedding planning storm and both of our birthdays were overlooked. This year, we're celebrating! I got up early and made Drew pancakes and eggs in bed and we're going to his parents' house to celebrate tonight.

If you know him, wish Drew a happy birthday! Heck, even if you don't, holla!

I love you, Drew! Happy birthday!

Kosko Productions

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:19:00 +0000

One of the things I am loving the most about wedding photography is meeting other wedding vendors. I love it when a florist, DJ or catering manager makes it a point to introduce themselves at an event. Selfishly, it makes me feel included in this crazy wedding industry, but it also provides the opportunity for me to recommend their services to my clients!

One of my great friends and roommates from college has begun her own wedding video business. Her name is Katie Kosko and I'm excited to plug her website on my blog. If you are looking for unobtrusive, fully-edited, excellent wedding videography brought to you by a fun, genuine girl, visit Katie's site: Kosko Productions.

I can say from experience that Katie will provide great wedding day videography and will become one of your friends. I promise. I love this girl!

Me and Katie from our college years:

When you check out her site, make sure to view the video samples she has posted. The samples are from a wedding video Katie made for a good friend of ours, Meghan. I did not photograph their wedding, but I was honored to be asked to be a part of their wedding day band and honored to be featured in one of Katie's videos! Yep, that's me singing "In Christ Alone" about 20 seconds into the ceremony video and some other songs throughout the video. (Sidenote: Drew is the one playing the piano throughout!) I just love being a part of weddings, no matter how. :)

So, from one bride to another, go check out Kosko Productions!

Digital heaven

andrea.ackermann@gmail.com (Andrea) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Drew came in the door, took his shoes off and propped his feet up after a long day of work. I greeted him promptly with a hug and a kiss.

How was your day?, I asked.

I think we should buy the iMac, was the answer.

We headed to the Apple store. It took no time at all to get our questions answered and before we knew it, we were walking out the door with a brand new 20-inch iMac! Without further ado, here it is:

Do not be fooled. This sucker is huge. Well, not huge, but it seems a lot smaller in the picture than it actually is! Beautiful! (Please disregard the mess that is our desk.) We decided that since we have two Macs now, we wouldn't want to get them confused, so we named them. This big guy is Charlie and little MacBook Pro is Sam. We love them.

Now that we have the new iMac, I have begun experimenting with CS3! I immediately bought the Kubota Production Tools and have been non-stop trying them out. One of my first attempts from a wedding I shot with the Blondes on Saturday:

Magic Sharp is already becoming my best friend.

In other news, Drew is home with me today because he got in a car accident this morning. :( He's fine and so were all the other drivers (it was a chain reaction), but our car is not looking so good. Drew posted pictures on our family blog if you want to mourn the damage with us.

Off to eat leftover Outback for lunch! Have a great Tuesday!