Answers will be graded!

Seriously though, leave your approach – or comment if you’ve got a jucy story about ‘attracting’ just the right guy; or falling for a crazy girl.

Carefully captured.

We ask ourselves as visual storytellers, ‘what is the story’?  here it is, in a single moment – captured perfectly as Mindy walks down the isle and John sticks out his  tongue  at her.

I revel in the moment, and capturing this gives me great pleasure – both to work for clients who understand individual expression, and to work so hard to really capture it for them.

There’s a lot of competition in the ‘wedding photography’ market these days, but as I’ve been observing weddings since 2003 – these nuances are easily noticed to my experienced eye.  The WPJA gave me a top 5 in the nation ranking in 2004, and aging has only made me more sensitive to these moments – aware and able to capture them.

It’s a theme we have rolling here, it’s an answer to ‘what is a photojournalist’, ‘what is a visual storyteller’?

In today’s installment it’s also an answer to ‘How do I get good photojournalistic pictures?’ and how we as intense artists like to burrow into your life to tell these stories….let me illustrate so you can help me find these stories and threads to make your pictures come alive with your own family’s stories. You see I wouldn’t have known to look out for this, had I not ridden to the ceremony with the bride and her father in the classic Rols Royce limo:

In Courtney’s father’s hands is a plastic sandwich baggie of candy:

They are laughing sharing memories of how he would bring candy in his jacket pocket to keep his children occupied during church services.    Courtney’s not to old to demand a few sweets!

So when it comes to the real church service, I know what to look out for….

Grandpa handing out the candy, and grandson eagerly filling his cheeks with it.

These pictures are not technically masterful, or emotionally poignant – but simply show the care and consideration of a grandpa, and a photographer.

Maybe I should remember to sneak some gummy bears into the service to remind me to keep my eye on the story!

So when you’re filling out your wedding information forms, or something pops to mind on your wedding day – share the details with me so I can best be informed of what your family relationships look like.

Who is Make Love Real? from Neil Cowley on Vimeo.

…the first section of four short films about our business.  We’re totally excited to share these with you over the next couple months as we book new weddings, meet new people and get used to our new home in Charlotte – anyone in the world can meet with us through our site.  A BIG thanks to Andrew Marzano the producer of our series.

I have to dedicate this first video to My wife, the love of my life – who’s inspired me to such great heights of experience, and such great depths of understanding.

With this post, I’m initiating a new category in the site called ‘Love Note’ where anyone can send in a love note that will be published as a public proclimation for the 5-10,000 people who visit this site every month.  We’re open to any kind of media, and will help you host and present it.  I hope to see us develop this into a little bit of a friendly competion – since my love note to My wife started with a big production budget – I’m winning!

But like the old horse says, “when you are real, you can’t be ugly” – so don’t be intimidated, start sending it in!!

Do you remember this stellar wedding from the Adirondaks?

Well, I remember my clients from 4 years ago – and still like them too!

So this is what a relationship looks like after 4 years of marriage!

I dropped Erik a quick note as I was headed out of town to see if he was around – and he was.  It was so fun to catch up with he and his wife’s adventures around the world.  I was able to crash Erik’s brother’s reception while I was at it!  I’ll have the Pictures up tomorrow….

I had to break the rules to get this shot of Charlie, the church rules that is. I think he’ll appreciate the memory more than the church lady appreciates me!

Just to be fair to Charlie, he’s not the weepy type – that was just his wedding after all! Apples were a part of their wedding theme and so I put a few in Charlie’s hands to help show their active and humorous side.  The various moments that make up a wedding, are colored each day by the client’s personalities and the personality of their relationship.  I always try to make colorful pictures.

So that’s a quick look at a relationship within a few photos, I always try to grasp the multiple facets of your wedding and relationship and more blog posts about what a relationship looks like can be found here.

how sensitive are we while we are shooting?

My wife was picking up on the eyes that Christine was giving her man during cocktails. If you care for someone, you know their moods during a party, you keep your eye on them, maybe you give them ‘eyes’ across the room to spice it up, maybe you keep tabs on whether they’re ready to go, maybe it’s the simple things that really show love, and maybe it’s these deeper more sensitive details that you’ll be able to cherish from your wedding photos when you hire a careful and sensitive artist like My wife. It’s not an earth shattering picture, but it’s one that shows what your real-ationship looks like.

Maybe we need to go to the extra effort of helping you illustrate your feelings for your spouse, by facilitating time for you to find that special spot of being held by the one you love. As we earn your trust, you can give yourself over while we are working with you – and the magic is made.

Sometimes the photographer has to be the ‘bad guy’ and ask you to have a moment to yourselves on your wedding day!

Tomorrow I’m off to shoot an engagement session, and am asking myself and my clients the same question “what does your relationship look like?”

You can answer in the comments if you like – or wait until we ask you when we shoot your engagement session.