***DISCLAIMER***
The first thing I want to say is that I am under no allusion that people read my blog, let alone other photographers.  I in no way think that the way I do things is the correct way and I am not writing these posts to tell people how to shoot or how to run their businesses.  I am however going to be writing about my experiences; my failures, my successes, etc.  If these posts help anyone, great!  If not; no big deal.
***DISCLAIMER***

That being said…

In May of 2010 I went home to England for my sisters wedding.  I was thankfully not hired to photograph her wedding so I could just relax and enjoy.  But of course I took my camera gear as I wanted to shoot it a little as a gift for her and also for me to have photos of my family at her wedding.  Everything went wonderfully at the wedding and I got some great shots!

Now for the bad part.  At Heathrow Airport, on our way home to Washington, DC; we’ve gone through security so we’re in the part that you can’t get to unless you have a boarding pass.  We’re in the massive food court area and we go into a cafe to buy some sandwiches and coffees as we have got a little bit of time to kill.  I get to the counter with our stuff and the cashier tells me how much our items will cost.  I remove my hand from the handle of my case (which is right next to me), put my hand into my pocket, pay for my items, go to put my hand back on the handle of my case and…  *gulp* my case is gone.  My heart actually just skipped a beat as I remember the feeling of utter disparity I felt in those few seconds.  Not only was ALL of my equipment in that case, but so were the images I shot at my sisters wedding.  I spring into action, I yell (lets re-phrase this; I SCREAM at the cashier that my bag has been stolen, she looks at me like I’m an idiot and proceeds to do nothing.  I again SCREAM at her to call security.  I start running in and out of the shops next to the one I was in thinking that the thief would try to blend in with all the other travelers.  And of course my bag is black and doesn’t stand out but I know exactly what it looks like so I am winding in and out of aisles as fast as lighting, looking from bag to bag.  I’m sure more than a few people thought that I had lost my marbles.  But as I continued to look, and time passed I began to realize that the thief had outsmarted me and that they had disappeared into the behemoth that is Heathrow Airport with my cameras.  So, with my heart beating a million miles a minute, and accepting defeat; I go back to the cafe to meet the security guard, hoping that they will be able to look at the security tapes and find my bag.  I walk into the shop and there is my wife, with my case.  My knee’s actually got a little weak.  My wife proceeded to explain that the woman standing next to me in the cafe paying at a cashier next to mine had inadvertently grabbed my case and not hers.  She had come back to the cafe, her bag was still standing there where she had left it, and she returned mine to my wife who was waiting there for the security man.  It took a full 2 hours for my hands to stop shaking.  Now, let me tell you – My case is black and weighs a tone when it is loaded with my gear.  This woman’s case was grey, much smaller than mine and weighed considerably less.  I will save you from the utter black hole of expletives that I uttered in her direction at this point as it was a simple mistake on her part.  But a pretty stupid mistake to make if you ask me.  I should have realized that it was a mistake and the bag was certain to turn up because as I said at the beginning of this; we were through passport control so you could only be in the area if you were indeed flying.

The point of this story you ask…  INSURANCE!  At the time of this incident I did not have my equipment insured.  I had some coverage with my renters insurance if something happened to them at home and I had some coverage through my car insurance if they were stolen from my car, but I didn’t have my equipment insured properly.  You can rest assured that the first thing I did when I got home was to get that taken care of.  And to my surprise it actually wasn’t all that expensive.  Now I have all of my equipment insured against damage and theft, and I also have liability insurance.  This is a nice little bit of protection should great aunt Molly trip over your camera bag and want to sue you.  I get all that coverage for less than $800 a year.  And this covers me for working all over the United States.  If I want to travel and shoot outside of the states there is a little extra fee that you can add to your coverage for the time you’re away to make sure you’re covered.

Moral of the story.  If photography is your business; you need to insure your livelihood!  GET BUSINESS INSURANCE!

If you’re a photographer in need of insurance just shoot me an email and I will gladly give you the name of the people I use as I have no complaints and only good things to say about their coverage and service.

Lets end on a happier note; my favourite shot from my sisters wedding.

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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I love shooting at the Morrison House!  It’s just such a cute venue with quirky little touches that truly make it an amazing place.

I have to send out thanks to Emily at Eden Events for sending me the referral of Ariela & Kevin.  A truly beautiful couple whose relaxed style is right up my street.  Another thing that’s right up my street; 40 people weddings!  They are just so easy to shoot.

The day started with me meeting Ariela for the first time and spending some time with her and her sister getting ready.  It’s rare that I don’t get to meet a couple (or at least the bride) before the wedding but both Ariela and Kevin work out of state so this wedding was one of those occasions.  When I walked into Ariela’s room I was so happy to see how relaxed and excited she was (yes; both at the same time).  Another nice thing is when a room is filled with laughter like this room was.  It makes my job of shooting ‘moments’ that much easier.

After some time with Ariela I headed on down to meet Kevin and shoot the details that made this wedding so pretty.  I loved all the pops of red in lots of aspects of the wedding.  And another thing I loved; Ariela’s not-white wedding dress!

Well that’s enough of my terrible narrating.  Here are some pretty pictures…

Super cute moment when Kevin’s daughter realizes he’s behind the door!

A little dinner time mad-lib’s for the guests to play and give to the bride and groom…

Wine as party favours – YES!!!  And yes, that word has a U in it!

A little connect 4 for the kids.

Love the emotion in this shot.

You’ve just got to love some cigar shots to end the night!

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Ariela & Kevin’s awesome vendors;

Ceremony & Reception – Morrison House

Wedding Planner/Coordinator – Eden Events

Florist – C. Beach Flowers & Decor

Bakery – Wanda’s Cakes

Catering – Morrison House

Officiant – Chaplain Edward Yurus

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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If you have ever wanted to have a little memento from your wedding or engagement session then this little fella is it.

These are mini-accordion albums (sometimes called brag books).  They are small 3 inch by 3 inch square books that magnetically seal and fold out to show a small selection of images from your wedding or engagement session.  They make perfect little gifts for family and friends and fit in your bag so they can travel with you everywhere (and show off your pictures to everyone!).

Here are a couple of new examples I had printed with images from Vicky & Shyan’s and Sara & Bill’s Weddings’.  And just an FYI – I put apostrophes in all kinds of places whether they are needed or not.  Please don’t judge my bad grammar

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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This morning I was fortunate enough to have Kim feature my work on the Washingtonian Bride & Groom Bridal Party Blog.  Washingtonian Bride & Groom is an awesome bi-annual wedding magazine for the DC area and I hope one day to adorn the pages of that amazing publication.  Today was a great step towards that goal as I had Sara & Bill’s October wedding featured on their blog.

Go take a look at the feature here; http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/weddings/bridalparty/22367.html.

Here are a couple of screen shots for posterity;

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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One thing that I get asked about a lot is Save the Date cards.  So I finally had a couple of examples printed up.  If you’re interested in any press printed cards; Save the Dates, Thank Yous, Birth Announcements or even Holiday cards just let me know!  There are lots of designs to choose from; so we’ll find something for everyone!

Here are a couple of examples…

Save the Dates.  Use images from your engagement portrait session!

Lay-flat card.

You can print anything you would like on the back.  In the example above I have included my website address but it could be anything you want.

Front.

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Thank You Cards.  Use images from your wedding!

Folded card.

Front.

Inside.  This includes space for signing and saying thank you!

Back of card.  Again, it can say anything you want on the back.

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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For the first wedding of 2012 we have the beautiful Ariela & Kevin!

Such a fun wedding!  More pics coming soon.

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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A lot of couples (if not all) have some sort of sign-in book.  Be it an actual book, a matted print or even a “thumb print tree”, there is always something for guests to leave their mark in or on.  If you have an engagement photo shoot with me why not turn those images into your sign in book?

I have a couple of books to show you here…

Lets start with a book that has been laid out to be a guest sign in book.  I have intentionally left space around some of the photographs so that the book can be used at a wedding and signed by the guests.

Front cover.

I love custom photo covers.  This way the whole image can wrap around from the front of the book to the back of the book.

Back cover.

You can see the continuation from the front cover come all the around to the back of the book.

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Now lets move onto a book that has been designed exactly the same as I would an album.  When I design albums; I design in what is called a spread (2 pages = 1 spread).  I intentionally design spreads with images going across the center (the split between the two pages).  With albums this does not pose a problem because the images print across the center.  With books there is a hinge or gutter running down the middle of the spread so you have to be careful with your layout.

Front cover.

Back cover.

If you have any questions about covers, embossing, albums in general or any other product please do not hesitate to get in touch!

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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I LOVE the albums that my couples order from RedTree albums.  They are incredible!  I posted images of some sample albums I ordered last year at this link; http://goslingphotographyblog.com/2011/08/24/new-album-samples-from-redtree-albums/.  There are many, many options for the covers of these albums and I wanted to share the recent swatches I got with you so you can get an idea of how your albums might look.

Here are samples blocks from RedTrees website;

Japanese Fabrics

Leathers

And here are the swatches;

Japanese Fabric – Espresso          |          Japanese Fabric – Midnight Black

Japanese Fabric – Steel Blue          |          Japanese Fabric – Silver Moon

Japanese Fabric – Aqua          |          Japanese Fabric – Pistachio

Japanese Fabric – Turquoise Mist          |          Japanese Fabric – Tuscan Red

Japanese Fabric – Champagne          |          Japanese Fabric – Powder Blue

Japanese Fabric – Burnt Sienna          |          Japanese Fabric – Almond

Japanese Fabric – Taupe          |          Japanese Fabric – Blue Smoke

Japanese Fabric – Crimson          |          Japanese Fabric – Sugar Plum

Japanese Fabric – Pure Linen          |          Japanese Fabric – Natural Linen

Leather – Coal          |          Leather – Black Bean

Leather – Hazelnut          |          Leather – Naval Blue

Leather – Rosa          |          Leather – Chartreuse

Leather – Gunmetal          |          Leather – Mostone

Leather – Wheat          |          Leather – Stone

Leather – Winter White          |          Leather – Coffee Bean

Leather – Pinecone          |          Leather – Maple

Leather – Crema          |          Leather – Bittersweet Nabuk

Leather – Mocha Nubuk          |          Leather – Cappuccino Nabuk

Leather – Stone Nabuk

If you have any questions about covers, embossing, albums in general or any other product please do not hesitate to get in touch!

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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My last engagement session of the year; Heather & Kyle got in just under the wire to be included in the 2011 review with their session on the 29th December!

First off I have to apologize to Heather for making her walk 3 miles in her very attractive yet uncomfortable boots.  And secondly an apology goes out to Kyle for having to wear a coat that Heather beat him into wearing (I actually think it looks very nice but from what I hear it was not Kyle’s first choice).  However; I’m not really that sorry because I think we got some great shots!

What a wonderful way to end the year.  And I can’t wait till September and their wedding in Fredericksburg, VA!

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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2011 was the best year yet for my little business and 2012 is gearing up to look even better!  It’s a dream come true to wake up every single day and work with the images I create for the amazing people I get to meet along the way.

I have been fortunate enough to spend time with some amazing couples this year.  I can’t thank you guys enough for trusting me with the importance of capturing some of your most unforgettable moments.

Thank you to my 2011 sweethearts!

And thanks to Justine Ungaro for having me along to a couple of shoots this year.  Always a pleasure to see you!

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Contact Stephen about your wedding – stephen@goslingphotography.com
View Stephen’s Wedding Portfolio – www.goslingphotography.com

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