Winner | 2012 South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year

I'll never forget it. We were sitting on the bus in Miami, just getting back from a fantastic vacation in the Caribbean. Although we had a great time on the trip we had something lurking in the back of our minds. The South Carolina Association of Wedding Photographer's annual competition was happening that same week, and we wouldn't be able to check the results until we got back.

Now that we had cell phone reception again, my wife Debra turned on her phone to see what had happened in the world over the past week. A few minutes later she started to cry. I asked her what happened. She just said, "Never mind you will see soon enough." Concerned that someone had died I bugged her more and she gave in... we had been awarded "2012 South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year" at the competition. And then we just kind of sat there for a moment of disbelief. Then she said it again "you did it babe! your South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year!" ... Had I not been sitting in a congested bus I probably would have tried to do a cartwheel.

So yea. Wow. I guess this is that awkward part where someone has to say a bunch of thankful things to a lot of people. But honestly, if your reading this, then THANK YOU. Really, this wouldn't be possible without the incredible gift God has given me, my awesome wife for all her help during the weddings, and of course some fantastic couples to work with.

Here's a look at our winning portfolio (complete with new fancy logos!):



























































In addition we also won some other awards in some of the individual categories:


1st Place - Getting Ready Category

1st Place - Details Category

2nd Place - Wedding Reception Category

Honorable Mention - Wedding Reception Category

Honorable Mention - Couples Portrait Category

Honorable Mention - Wedding Ceremony Category
So excited!! I also wanted to personally thank the three judges, Jeff Blake, and the South Carolina Association of Wedding Photographers for putting on the contest each year.

If you've got a lot of time to kill you can view the entire judging and awards ceremony on youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/jeffblakephoto
Also, to see the official results or to read more about the contest feel free to visit: http://www.scawpj.com/

New Logo... The Unveiling

So I've been working on a little secret project the past few months. No, nothing with the Chinese government, or even the US government. I've been working on something much, much more important. Revamping my brand. From top to bottom.

Why do that Josh? Obviously your current stuff looks good enough and works well. Why mess up what you already have? - Trust me I said these same things to myself many times over the past year or so. Most people are afraid of change. It's unknown right? Bad things could happen! But you know what, in most of the big changes and risks I've taken, things have worked out even better than I could have imagined.

So what will actually change? Well, a lot. New website. New fonts. New business cards. New signs. New other stuff.

But first off, (and the reason your probably reading this post) I've worked with my design company to come up with a totally new logo and I'm super excited to show it off. And nope I'm not going to make you wait until next week to see it. It's just a scroll away.


Scroll....


















Are you ready?
















Almost there...















Tada!


Pretty sexy right? It's really grown on me over the past few weeks. A little bit of classy meets modern but also timeless.

Also looks good all dressed up in an black evening gown:


Even looks pretty awesome as a watermark:


So yup, things are going to start looking a little bit different around here in the coming months. So please excuse any construction noises, inconsistent branding, and sawdust.

So what do you think about the new logo? Love it? Hate it? Miss the old one that I made myself 6 years ago? Drop me a comment in the box below!

Celebrity Reflection Cruise Photos | Work Hard. Play Hard.

Work hard. Play hard. Nope it's not just a Lil' Wayne song. I think it's one of the smartest pieces of advice I've heard (especially for a rap song!). So many people get caught up in this... kind working, but also trying to relax mood. People that are checking their work email on their iphone during a meal at a restaurant. Calling clients when you have friends over. Always worrying about what they have to do tomorrow. And I'll admit, I'm probably just as guilty as anyone else. So I'm trying to live life on purpose. Yes work is super important and it's great to advance yourself, but its also important to take some time off, turn off the cell phone, shut down the computer, and just relax.

Cruise's are pretty special for me. Why? Because just two years ago I proposed to my beautiful wife on a cruise ship. I also love the fact that I can't get cell phone reception in the middle of the ocean, even if I tried. Talk about relaxing on purpose. After having a blast on the Carnival Fantasy we were looking forward to trying something new, and maybe something a little nicer out for our next cruise. So we chose to go with Celebrity. We heard really great things, and being the luxury version of the popular Royal Caribbean cruise line, we were super excited. We decided to do a 7-Day cruise on the brand new Celebrity Reflection ship as a way to get some final relaxation in before wedding season really kicks into high gear next month. And what an incredible time we had. The Reflection stopped in Peurto Rico, St. Maartin, and St. Kitts. Here's a few shots from our journey this past week:








The main atrium of the celebrity reflection


Formal Night!








I had to...





The absolutely gorgeous Celebrity Reflection, reflecting in the absolutely gorgeous waters surrounding Peurto Rico





Red Stripe on the beach? Doesn't get much better than that!


I don't know who you were but this was the most epic handstand ever














Part of a 400+ year old tree in St. Kitts


One of the volcano's on the island


And the aftermath...








Yup, she's pretty gorgeous


Debra took this... not too bad right?





Debra got picked to be on the celebrity iron chef competition!





Everglades National Park











Thanks again to all the awesomely talented and hardworking staff onboard the Celebrity Reflection for making our trip so incredible. Definitely looking forward to our next trip!

So I guess with the "play hard" out of the way it's time to "work hard" and trust me... I've got some absolutely killer stuff coming later this week. So excited!