Brandt Photography

I came across this great article and through I would share.

Should I Book a Professional Wedding Photographer
or Get a Friend to Do It for Free? A Cautionary Tale…

Tales like this aren’t very common, but I have heard stories like this before. There really is a difference in hiring someone experienced with weddings, especially when it comes to handling unexpected things.

It’s amazing how little things like understanding light, knowing how to photograph in dark situations, proper composition and technique can make a bug difference when it comes to photographing a wedding. Quite often, we see up to 30 different lighting conditions throughout the wedding day, with about 30 seconds to adjust to new situations. Knowing how to adjust to circumstances is just one of the things an experienced professional is able to do. It means a lot to us when couples their wedding day to our artistic eyes. Hopefully our artistic imagery stands out!

Take a look at the article and let us know what you think!

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We were recently asked about our numbering system for photographs. When you look at our galleries, images aren’t numbered sequentially. Most people expect to see images numbered something like 0001, 0002, 0003… Instead, they see a six-digit number, and sometimes letters. There is a good reason for the way we number things: Read More

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People who have known me for quite a while have heard me say this over and over again. It is something I truly believe, and something I have tried to keep in my life. Being the big romantic that I am doesn’t hurt, either.

So, what is my key to eternal happiness? It is very simple: twelve hugs a day!

That’s 12 real hugs. Each person fully involved in the hug is required for the hug to count (not the arms wrapped around, but butts in completely different zip code type hugs, or those one-arm side hugs given to people you don’t really know very well). I truly believe getting at least twelve hugs a day will bring happiness into your world.

The hugs can be from one person, or from different people (so hugging your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, kids…). It is completely up to you how you want to collect the hugs, and who from. The important thing is to try to get twelve a day!

So, what happens if you don’t get twelve hugs a day? Simple. You get to make up for the missing hugs over the weekend! So, no hugs during the week means you need to collect 84 hugs in just two days!

Back when Leigh and I were on TNN’s “Club Dance” television show, I used to tell people this theory of mine all the time. You could find me going around and hugging people throughout the tapings. I’m pretty much a hug-monster – albeit a friendly hug monster.

We were recently at the Cotton Eyed Joe (a local dance club) meeting with a group of friends. I told my philosophy to someone I had just met that night (she was friends with several people in our group) and off she went! She collected her 84 hugs before midnight (and I was told she started a whole new count after that)! She was smiling the entire night, so I believe there is some non-scientific evidence to back up my theory (at least that night there was).

I also believe it goes beyond just basic happiness. The occasion of our gathering that night was also a memorial for a friend of ours that had unexpectedly passed recently. His fiancee was present and even just the sight of some friends, as well as the thoughts and memories we all shared about him, brought forth many a tear. Lots of hugs were also shared that night. I believe that although those hugs did not bring happiness by themselves, they did bring a lot of comfort. That in itself is a very powerful thing. In such a case, the amount of sorrow can’t be taken away quickly, but just knowing there are others there to share in the loss, and to comfort each other can make a huge difference in the grieving process. In such cases, I truly think those 12 hugs a day are even more needed.

It is also okay to get more than twelve per day. I haven’t found a case of hug-overdose, although it could lead to hug addiction and withdrawal symptoms. Of course, one really good hug can help to alleviate those hug-hunger-pains.

Yes, I’m a big romantic at heart. Yes, I’m a very friendly person (not in a creepy sort of way). I cherish the friendships I’ve made, and love it when my clients hug me at the end of the wedding night. It’s especially nice when my kids come up and hug me, just because. You can’t beat those kind of hugs.

So, my recommendation is 12 hugs a day. If you can’t get them in each day, make sure to get your 84 hugs over the weekend!  

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Larry Greene was one of my very good friends. The photo to the left was one from Leigh’s and my wedding 14-1/2 years ago. On September 11, 2010, he died in an automobile accident.

This past Friday, a group of friends all met together at the Cotton Eyed Joe in memory of him. He was probably one of the nicest people I have ever known, and touched so many people with his friendship.

On Saturday, his fiancee held a celebration in his honor, capped off with a bonfire (something Larry held each summer). I brought my camera just to keep the memory of the night. They were shot at very high ISO (3200/6400), with none of the off-camera lighting we do at weddings – just using the firelight.

I’ve posted the bonfire images on Facebook, so please head on over and take a look. He was a very dear friend who I know will be missed by many. I met him when we were on TNN’s “Club Dance” television show. We were also on “Dance Line” (another show on TNN) as well. Leigh and I have lots of good memories with Larry, Dee, and our crazy group of dance friends. His friendship meant the world to me, and I shall always look back on the memories I have of him with a smile.

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Ali VamHurtin skating with the Hard Knox Roller Girls

I wasn’t there in an official capacity, just being a supportive father. My daughter skates for the Little City Roller Girls in Johnson City. This weekend, she came down to Knoxville to skate with the Hard Knox Roller Girls Brawlers.

This was my first experience with actually watching a flat-track roller derby. It was quite interesting and fun! All the girls have unique and creative names (my daughter is Ali VamHurtin and her number is 0uch – with a zero). I was amazed at how fast-paced the jams are, and by the way the bout is played out.

I know it is a perception thing, but my daughter just seemed to tower over the other girls. There’s a good image below of her being introduced – she looks giant even compared to the other teammates on skates!

Sadly, the Brawlers lost that evening. The Hard Knox All-Stars followed up with an impressive 191-22 win, which was even more fast paced and exciting to watch!

Here are a few more images I shot that evening:

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I am always amazed at what Leigh can do. She is so crafty. She has always been into artistic endeavors. Around our house, there are cut stained glassworks, ming trees, scrapbooks from every trip we have been on, and many other items she has created by hand. Her artistic eye is one of the things I absolutely love about her!

So, this Christmas, I was surprised by a wonderully cute teddy bear. Leigh actually knitted the teddy bear! It is the cutest thing – it even has a little red heart sewn on its chest under his sweater. She knitted quite a few gifts for people this year. I haven’t a clue when she had time to do this for me. It was truly made from her heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas gift.

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It’s that emotion that drives Leigh and me to capture what we do. When we meet with couples, that is what we are looking for in them. We love to see couples in love. I think it shows in our work, and is one of the reasons couples book us.

Secondly, I think a reason we don’t see many bridezillas is how we get to know couples. Quite often, we become friends with them, even before the wedding day. We meet with them before-hand, more than likely have photographed their engagement session, and become more than just someone who shows up on their wedding day just to photograph the “I Do’s”.

I remember a few years back, we arrived at the church to hear that the bride was stressing out. One of her bridesmaids got sick overnight (spending the morniing on the bathroom floor), her flowers and cake were both late, and she really felt like nothing was going right that day. When she saw Leigh and I, she smiled and said “I am so glad you are here!”. She calmed down quite a bit, and was able to relax and ejoy the rest of her day. I don’t think it was because of our photograhy, or becuase of us. I think that because she got to know us before the wedding day, we were familiar to her – friends. We were friends who knew how to work through the wedding day. We were someone she could count on to help make her day special, and that was a big relief to her.

On the wedding day, we are more than just photographers. We’ve been couselors, coordinators, seemstresses (I’ve had to sew a bride into her wedding dress), wintnesses, drivers, musicians, and many other roles (along with photographers). It is important to us that at the end of the wedding day, they are a happily married couple. I think that comes across from the moment people meet us, and even throughout the weedding day. I think those are the reasons why we don’t see any bridezillas.

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We booked Katie & Steven’s wedding last summer before the annual wedding photographer’s convention dates were announced. For the previous three years, the convention was held in March along side the WPPI convention in Las Vegas. This year, it was held along side PPA’s main event in Tampa, FL at the beginning of January! Both events surrounded Katie & Steven’s wedding day!

I was bound and determined to attend the convention and photograph their wedding day. Leigh would go to Tamps with me and stay for the duration. Christina was not heading to Tampa, so she was scheduled to second shoot with me, as well as having our assistant, Chris.

Friday evening, we listened to a wonderful motivational speaker. He is also a photographer, but didn’t talk much about photography. His presentation was more about how we approach our work, our customers, and our lives. It was extremely insightful and motivational. I went to bed that night ready to go!

Saturday morning, I got up at 4:00am, met the airport shuttle at 5:00am and headed to the airport. I was eligble for a first-class upgrade, so I was able to relax more on the flight back home. As it turned out, the person I sat beside was a photographer as well – working for music magazines photographing musicians across the country. It was really interesting to see his work and discuss photography for the flight to Charlotte.

I arrived in Koxville early in the morning, made my way home, and loaded up my camera equipment. We all arried at the church early. The entire day was wonderful. We took some amazing photographs and had a lot of fun with Katie and Steven. The entire day, I could still hear Friday evening’s speaker’s words going through my head. It was definitely great motivation to carry me through the day.

Sunday morning, I got up early again to make my way back to the airport. I was back at our hotel in Tampa around noon to finish up our seminars. It definitely was a whirlwind trip. I was only gone from Tampa for 32 hours. I will have to say, although I wouldn’t look forward to traveling so much to get to a wedding and back, I would love to listen to such a motivational speaker the night before each wedding!

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