Finally, the debut of my new website and blog which I have been working on for far too long. I will miss you, dear fuchsia/white/grey theme!!

Rachel and Nathan are getting married tomorrow.

And before I rest up for an adrenaline-filled six to seven hours of shooting, which will have followed 1 1/2 hours of prepping, I thought I’d share some photos from their Austin engagement session last month. {These are typically done way in advance but Rachel studied in Israel all summer.}

Of course, we are looking forward to shooting their wedding tomorrow. And to make things more interesting we are experimenting with something new. Something SO big it involves bringing a third shooter on board. Can’t wait to see what three photographers and five cameras will produce!

Super excited.

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As my husband and I watched the local news coverage of the devastation caused by the wildfires in Central Texas last month, we were struck by both the magnitude of the destruction and the equally generous outpouring of support from the local community. We couldn’t believe how many acres were damaged, how many homes lost, how many lives affected just a short distance from our home. We imagined what those families had gone through, having to evacuate their homes on a moment’s notice, only able to take a few essentials. We couldn’t help but wonder what we would we do if we had to evacuate our home, with the knowledge that everything we leave behind could go up in smoke? My first thought after my family was safe was to grab my hard drive and salvage the precious memories preserved in the photos I have collected throughout the years. I couldn’t help but think of all the photographs and albums destroyed, the generations of memories lost. And then it hit me—I have the unique opportunity as a photographer to help rebuild these families’ memories.

So I am pleased to share with you that I will be offering a free lifestyle photo session and photo package to those affected by the Central Texas Wildfires. In an effort to help as many families as possible, I invite you to support this undertaking by making a monetary contribution. All proceeds will go toward the cost of canvas and prints and in turn, I will match the amount of funds raised with the equivalent value of my services. Use the PayPal link below to make a quick and secure donation.

For consideration, please nominate a family, couple, or individual (self included) by relaying their story in 200 words or less. Deadline for submission is Tuesday, November 1st.

Despite the widespread damage the wildfires have caused, the numbers of deaths attributed to it are relatively low. So if the silver lining for the Wildfire victims is that their loved ones are safe, then that is what’s most important. It is my hope that bringing them together for a photo session will remind us all of that and capture the loving bond between them. My goal is to be able to present them with the completed photos by in time for the holiday season. Hope you can help spread the word and join me in giving the gift of photography. Together, we can create new memories for the Wildfire families, a beautifully framed treasure they can display in their future homes!

 

Some of you might remember the lovely Ashley & Neil’s Austin engagement session several months ago. And if you don’t you should check out their save the date video slide show. Ashley was so gracious to refer this latest adorable family of four to me.

The Fuentes recently moved to McAllen and decided they wanted to do a summertime family session here in their old stomping ground before their family grew any bigger or older. We chose to shoot at the lake, the park and South Congress. These also happen to be some of my Austin favorites; I immediately knew this would be my kind of family.

The ladies were poised in their absolutely beautiful handmade dresses. I loved how the colors and patterns popped in each of the photos and the vibrant warmth of the sunset mixed in perfectly. And just when I thought the girls might have had enough after two hours in this triple digit weather while breaking in new shoes….they invited me over for a post-session play date/dinner. Are there words to describe how sweet? No. Photos? Maybe.

Mario and Monica, thank you for putting your trust in me and allowing me to have so much fun on this fine, hot summer day!

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Greetings from Florida. No, I haven’t been here for three weeks; I left after the 4th of July reunion, I spent a week in California and now I am back again. While being a beach bum I find it hard to write anything worth reading…but here are a few fragmental thoughts I thought worth sharing.

• Florida humidity makes it nigh impossible for several important things to work, namely camera lens, sunglasses, nail polish. It is also taking a number on my skin.
• Chatted with my husband who is working in Austin this week while we are in the steam bath that is Florida and after walking two blocks downtown after work to grab a bite, the heat index was so high “it made his skin dry”. I don’t know what that means but the grass is greener {and sand is whiter} on my side.
• I got to meet an amazing bunch from Texas/Arizona/Oklahoma for photographs earlier this week and I cannot wait to share them with you!
• I watched my first ever episode of Jersey Shore last night and maybe five minutes was not long enough to count {or judge} but I bet I could get acrylic nails, a bad tan job and get paid $30k/episode.
• Tulsi, now 14 months, has a 30+ word vocab and I am proud to say we have added a few Vietnamese words and commands this week. Go Tulsi!
• I know I have neglected this blog as of late but unfortunately most of the jobs I have been commissioned to do these past few months are not shareable. I do have a many exciting weddings this fall and I promise you’ll be in for a treat.

Happy Friday. Have a great weekend.

“The video is so wonderful!! My family and friends loved the video and thought you did a wonderful job. Patrick and I are so happy with the all the shots. Let us know when the rest of the pictures are available for us to view, we can’t wait!!! Thank you so much for everything, we appreciate all that you have done for us!”

I’d like you to meet Jennifer and Patrick, winners of my annual “Just Shoot Me Contest”. After months of communication via e-mail and phone, the couple traveled to Austin for their engagement portraits and Save-the-Date video. It was so nice to finally meet them in person and I must admit I was not prepared for their beauty and all the ensuing fun.

A little back story on J&P, Patrick is really into sports, Jennifer has a competitive streak and they play together on a flag football team. How’s that for awesome? I thought I would some how incorporate sports and competition into the shoot by instigating a race between the two and let’s say Patrick lost in a pair of shoes he earned after winning a competition with his basketball buddies……..?

We scheduled a  late afternoon portrait session at Town Lake and let me pause for a brief second to apologize to the lovely couple for all my unexpected discoveries and to also thank them for their patience in the dreadful heat. It took us an hour to complete a mile, with stops, but I can at least say the walk back was a lot quicker (for which I am sure they were ever grateful).

Beautiful couples like Jennifer and Patrick make me enjoy engagement portraits so much more. And just before we hopped into our cars and part ways I was presented with a nice gift for my little munchkin. So sweet.

Congratulations, Jennifer and Patrick. I hope married life is full of all the joy and laughter we shared that day. On to the video..

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I met Tara and Noah for a portrait session on South Congress yesterday and I could not resist posting just one image immediately. Today and I have not been so good to each other so I thought playing around with one photo might abstract my unsettled nerves. I love Tara’s combination of red lips, blonde hair and jet black liner. Not a look I could ever pull off but it suits her quite well! Now let me go back to sleep and try today all over again when I wake up.

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Last Saturday we embarked on a week-long Caribbean cruise, leaving behind all worries, phones, laptops, emails, dishes, cooking, cleaning, and media (save television, and I don’t care to admit how many hours we spent in front of the tube over the course of the last seven days) to revel in the luxuries of ship life. We took pleasure in family time, chatted up strangers, made new friends, came close to yelling BINGO! twice, and our favorite- enjoyed a family nap every day! It’s amazing how being chore-free and withdrawing ourselves from the cell phone and laptop immediately transported us a world away, so much that we have made it a point to do the latter more often for  a weekend stay-cation at home without the distractions of the noisy world. While basking in pure, golden sunshine, indulging our appetites and marveling at the sapphire ocean waters I felt so blessed and thankful- blessed to be alive and seeing all the beauty of the seas and thankful to be sailing with a man that makes me laugh and a baby that makes my heart smile.

In a less than excellent twist, hubby and I were awfully sea sick for the first day and a half and put on a synchronized regurgitation show during dinner. God bless that family sitting next to us who happened to make other plans for dinner for the rest of the trip. Well, surely, a couple that pukes together stays together

Now off to enjoy Sunday with my family.

Turks & Caicos
“Photograph colors as if they were the emotion they represent.”

Turks was by far my favorite stop of the trip and unfortunately this is the best family photo we captured on the island. At the risk of having on record I use these words- HOT MESS! We’ll always have the memories.

“Thanks so much. For what we gave you to work with, they look fantastic! Great job…You can’t even tell it was 90 mile an hour winds that day. ”

April and Will have been married for a few years and since they are on the cusp of starting a family they wanted to document a day in their present lives. Husband, lovely wife, cat and dog, Coda, who I mistakenly called Cotto for the first half hour. (We are a family of boxing fans. Thank you for refraining from throwing rocks at me.) April and I thought it would be fun to start with a few shots in their South Austin condo, stroll around the property and visit neighborhood eateries they most frequent. I was forewarned about Will’s apprehension in front of the camera, but what do you think? All I see here are smiles and expressions full of contentment and ease After we wrapped and parted ways, I discovered a few locations for photo opps that I had missed earlier. I hope to return in the coming months or coming year for maternity, newborn or family portraits!!

David shot alongside me that afternoon, capturing video of the portrait session. A day in the life of a photographer if you will for my video bio. I’m not sure when we will have that ready to share with you all but I am hoping it will be soon. Real soon!

“The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking.”

Here’s a list of my latest exercise plan for Spring, for February or who knows- for 2011? I cut bits and pieces of a list I found on the web and came up with this list that works well with my vision and things I want to shoot. I invite you to join me, using your fancy camera, point & shoot or iPhone. Put these ideas on the calendar. I would love to see how you interpret the list and how you exercise your creativity.

Photograph your definition of “Sunday Afternoon”
Photograph something that reflects you
Photograph two subjects that don’t go together
Randomly pick a window in your house and make photographs from and
through that window everyday for a week
Photograph shadows
Photograph strangers
Photograph something that reminds you of a vivid dream you once had
Photograph colors as if they were the emotion they represent
Photograph something or someone while lying on your back
Photograph the concept of waiting
Photograph a sunrise or sunset
Photograph mother’s cooking
Photograph something extreme
Photograph the juxtaposition of young and old
Photograph silence
Photograph your meal
Photograph your favorite form of art
Photograph a self portrait

It’s time for my annual giveaway. Hooray!!

Eligibility: Couples engaged to be married – or even better- let us be there to document the precious moment of your upcoming proposal. You can be a current client, former client, prospective client, a friend or a stranger. Must be 21 or older.

Submission: Tell me how you are a unique couple and why you deserve to be this year’s winners. Did you meet on a plane? What makes you tick? What are your favorite things to do? What passions do you share? Are you fun together or opposites that attract? Spare no details. Leave a comment on my blog or Facebook page or send a note to info@ziemphotography.com. Just be sure to include your names, photo and contact information. You must also become a fan of Ziem Photography on Facebook, where I will announce the winner later.

Location: Contest is open to candidates anywhere in the US and beyond. Winners outside of Austin will be considered though travel fees commensurate with distance will be assessed.

Deadline: The last day to enter is February 2, 2011.

Prize: The winner will receive a FREE lifestyle session with portrait and video + high-resolution images on DVD + Save The Date film with footage and still images from your session for your wedding website + online gallery for sharing, proofing and ordering (absolutely no purchase necessary).

Be sure to promote this to everyone you know! Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Santa gave to me eleven minutes til sunset.

A sneak peak at my latest bride and her father just before walking down the aisle. Many many more to follow.

Bride and groom sniping.
Newlyweds dancing.
Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me a bride and groom sniping.

I would like to make clear that no persons were harmed our attacked during this beach wedding. Jennell and Mike are both police officers and I thought it would be fun to pull out their Saturday-night special for a few shots (pun intended) on their wedding day.

Newlyweds dancing.
Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.

I received an initial inquiry from Jennell last summer. She was getting married in my hometown the same weekend I was to be in Florida for my ten-year high school reunion and she needed a wedding photographer to document her special day. Well, the stars aligned!

Imagine months and months of planning a special beach wedding to your dream groom only to arrive at your destination and find scattered showers and thunderstorms on the weather radar the entire weekend. I met the couple for coffee the day before their wedding and I was blown away by their composure. I prefaced them with the fickle tendencies of the weather in Panama City Beach, assuring them “the clouds will clear…” and they immediately entrusted me with the responsibility of revising wedding day itinerary as I see fit. Being that my prowess when at-arms with or reading the mind of mother nature is sub par, I went home and said a few hail marys then proceeded to track the weather for the next 24 hours.

I call the morning of and suggest pushing everything up an entire hour and the family quickly obliged. When I arrive at the condo the bride is already teary-eyed eyed as she is reading old letters and poems she wrote for her father which her mother saved especially for that day. It was a very sweet touch.

I snuck the bride and groom away for a few shots of their first look before walking down the aisle. It is always so nice to capture a couple’s emotion in its truest form without the awkwardness of guests staring. The couple exchanged their vows and champagne glasses were raised. As the final glass was emptied…down came the rain.

I guess I’m not so bad at predicting weather after all..but I’ll happily keep my day job!

On the ninth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me newlyweds dancing.

Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.

Olivia and Rene were married in November at the beautiful Mercury Hall, nestled in a secluded hilltop near downtown Austin. The wedding was a non-traditional one of many sorts.

The celebration commenced with cocktail hour (yes, drinks first. priorities!) and the bride came clad in a white blinged-out dress. Plethoric? Yes. Too much? No. After libations were had and laughs were shared, the bride slipped into her beautiful gown. I managed to sneak a few photos just before she walked down the aisle.

The ceremony was small and intimate. There was a warm vibe all around and I could tell each and every guest was special to the bride and groom. And when a few eyes in the room started to get a little dewy, Olivia came close to setting her dress on fire with one of the candles lining the aisle. She definitely garnered a few laughs. Just in time for the reception.

More often than not, a few special guests give a special toast and everyone follows by raising their glasses signifying their best wishes for the newly married couple. Olivia did away with a champagne glasses on her special night and decided a champagne bottle for each guest would be adequate.

It’s no surprise a night of fun, food, drinks and dancing ensued. And when it was time to see the couple off, everyone lined up with their Texas-sized sparklers and bid the couple adieu!

Easy to make, and sometimes, even easier to break, New Year’s resolutions are as much a part of the holiday as champagne toasts and Auld Lang Syne.

It’s that time of the year where I draw a line in the sand and set goals to achieve over the course of the next twelve months. For the first time ever I have an extremely difficult list in front of me and, to be honest with you, I could care less whether or not I have them all scratched off in a year from now.  Most importantly, the effort to reach them will force me to push myself every single day and take advantage of all the resources I have around me to the best of my ability.

Here are a few of the lighter goals I’d like to share:

1. Make new mistakes everyday.
2. Work smarter.
3. Give my blog a face lift.
4. Start a scrapbook for Tulsi (terrible, I know.)
5. Train for a triathlon and half marathon.
6. READ. READ. READ.
7. Make more time for myself and my girl friends.

I suspect you will have a list of goals or resolutions and I would love if you could share them with me. And if you have any good reads, send them my way!

Have a safe and happy new year celebration.