I am going to combine my blogs...

I realized that I have been posting the same things on both of my blogs. I wanted to have separate things on each blog, but my thoughts are my thoughts and I want everyone to read them. So I am going to stop posting on this one, and from now on you can just go to http://schaeferphotography.blogspot.com
All of my thoughts and my life will now be there, thanks to everyone who faithfully reads my blog; I hope that you enjoy it. Talk to you soon.

When I am the happiest.

I always love Easter weekend because it is a time of celebration as a Catholic, it is symbolic of rebirth and this year I have gone through so many changes it was extra special for me. I also get to spend time with family members and go to the White Fence Farm. There is nothing better than fried chicken and corn fritters at 11:00 in the morning, (and no, I am not joking, I really like it.)

On Friday night Jess and I drove to Eagle to spend time with Jessica's family, and to help our nephews dye Easter eggs and go for an Easter egg hunt. Then on Saturday night we drove home to spend time with my family. It was a busy weekend and we hardly had time for ourselves, but we loved it. It just reaffirmed for me something that has always been so important in my life, family. I am the happiest when I am with my family; parents, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and especially Jessica. I absolutely love my family and they give me so much love and encouragement and inspiration.

It helps me to remember one of the reasons I wanted to go into business for myself. I love photography, and I love the happiness and emotion at weddings, I love creating lasting memories for people. But this business has also given me the opportunity to spend more time with my wife Jessica, which is truly amazing. It has also afforded me the opportunity to spend more time with the rest of my family, and that is a gift I am very thankful for.

Here is a slideshow of some of the Easter festivities. I am pretty sure that I have the two cutest nephews in the world. If you can't see the whole thing you can view it at www.schaeferphotography.net/taylormaddox or try my other blog.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

My dad and I are members of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and have been attending their Denver banquet for the last 5 years. It is a fun filled evening of raffles, auctions, food and raising money. This was the tenth anniversary of the Denver banquet, and was also the year that they eclipsed 1 million dollars raised. I had the opportunity this year to photograph the event and it was a lot of fun. 650 people, 43 live auction items, and all kinds of excitement.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a great organization that has a very simple but powerful mission statement..."The mission of the Elk Foundation is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat." It is an incredibly active organization that attains its goals by...
* Conserving, restoring and enhancing natural habitats;
* Promoting the sound management of wild, free-ranging elk, which may be hunted or otherwise enjoyed;
* Fostering cooperation among federal, state, tribal and private organizations and individuals in wildlife management and habitat conservation; and
* Educating members and the public about habitat conservation, the value of hunting, hunting ethics and wildlife management.

Here are some pictures of the excitement of the night.


Pulling out the name of a lucky winner.

The shot glass raffle was for a lifetime membership.

Awards from previous years.

A lifetime membership is worth $1500. To win all you had to do was buy a $20 ticket, not a bad deal.



The president and CEO of the entire Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

One of the items in the live auction.

THE Auctioneer.

These bid spotters had a ton of energy and really helped to sell some of the items.

One of the bid spotters doing his thing.

Why everyone was there.

www.andrewandjessica.com

I have registered a new website address, it is www.andrewandjessica.com it goes to the same website, and www.schaeferphotography.net still works as well. We have been trying to come up with a new website address that is easier to remember and spell. I think the ".net" ending throws some people off, and Schaefer has so many different spellings. I hope that andrewandjessica.com is going to be simpler to use. I also like having both of our names in there as well, it seems a bit more personal. Well let me know what you think.

The Happiest Place(s) on Earth

Jess and I had a wonderful trip together this past week, Las Vegas and Disneyland, it doesn't get any better than that. Vegas was for the Wedding and Portrait Photographer International Convention, so it really was a "business" trip. We were so busy with seminars, speakers and the tradeshow that we hardly had any time to gamble. We did a get few roulette sessions in and played a few slots. We didn't win anything big though. The conference was absolutely amazing, we learned so much. There are definitely some great photographers out there, and some great businesspeople. We are very confident, though, in our own abilities and our own ideas. I think we are definitely on the right track.

We then took two days and went to Disneyland, THE happiest place on Earth. It is by far Jessica's favorite place to vacation, we only got to spend one day at the park. One 13 hour fun filled day. We had an awesome time, we went on rides, ate a lot of food, watched some fireworks.

I did realize that I have never had a truly relaxing vacation. Every "vacation" or trip that I have been on has involved a ton of stuff. From driving across the country, twice, to the Olympics, to Hawaii and even camping trips. I realized that I vacation hard. I guess I just want to jam as much into a week as is possible, with the thought that the trip I am on is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. I promised Jess that our next vacation will be very relaxing.

Overall we had a great time, but it is always nice to get home. Especially after driving 17 hours, it was really nice to get home. Here are some of our favorite pictures and of course a slideshow. Enjoy!













Here is the slideshow, and remember we are a bit silly at times.

We're Back!

We are back home from Vegas and Disneyland. Sorry I wasn't able to update more frequently but our internet connection was pretty bad. I will have some pictures and a slideshow up later today, so check back.

We had our "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" moment.

We made it here safe and sound, about 11 hours in the car, beautiful weather, and great scenery. Vegas is busy, there are new buildings going up everywhere. We have won a little money ($5) and lost a little money ($3.) We were up $50 at the Roulette table, but...then we got greedy. We watched one seminar tonight, and got a taste of what the Trade show will be like. Monday and Tuesday are going to be the big days, so we are excited. Our "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" moment? We were in bed by 11 p.m. our first night here. We aren't proud of it, but we were tired. I will try and get some pictures up in another day or two. Talk to you soon.

I'm sorry that you had to wait so long...

But the new website is finally up, and we are absolutely blown away by it. Words don't really do it justice, you will just have to go and check it out yourselves. Please look through it, let me know if you see any typos, or things that just don't make sense. There is a flash version for people with faster internet, that is definitely the one you want to look at. There is also an HTML version for people who have dial-up internet, it isn't as nice, but it is still cool. Thanks to Mike and Sarah for passing my business card along, we are meeting with that couple tonight. Hopefully it goes well. If anybody needs more business cards just let me know, we just designed a new one and it is pretty awesome. Well I am off to pack and get ready for our drive to Vegas, I will update the blog a few times while we are gone, so keep checking it. Talk to you later. Here is the link to the website... www.schaeferphotography.net

Eat. Spit. Be Happy

Yes it is that time of year again...sunflower seed time. I had my first handful (and subsequently my first bag) of sunflower seeds today. There is something about warm weather and being outside that combine to form the perfect time to eat sunflower seeds. And for all of those who wonder, DAVID brand seeds are the best. Sure there are people who will say that SPITZ are better (Fitzy?) with all of their fancy flavors, and "plumper" seeds. But nothing beats DAVID seeds.


And on another positive note I have been feverishly working on my new website to get it up before we leave this weekend. It is really going to be incredible, so stay tuned.

City Park on a Saturday Afternoon.

This weekend was another amazing one here in Colorado, 70+ degree temperature both days. In fact Jess got a little sunburned while eating lunch outside on Sunday. Guess it's time to get the sunscreen out. We went to City Park on Saturday afternoon to take some pictures of each other. This has been a great way for us to practice posing, and trying out some cool angles and things like that. Jess is getting better and better with a camera every time she uses one. City Park is undergoing some major renovations, hopefully everything will be completed soon.

We purchased our new website and we will begin editing it and uploading content this week. Thanks to Bludomain for creating the template and setting it up for us. They are an amazing company and I am really excited to see my finished website. Check back here this week, because I hope to have it up and running by weeks end. Because at the end of the week we are off to Las Vegas for the WPPI convention. We are going to learn so much about the wedding photography industry, and we will have the opportunity to see all of the amazing new products available.

We also are using some new software to create slideshows, our first practice one should start at the bottom of this post. It is only about 60 seconds long, and it is definitely goofy. But hey, we're a bit goofy as well. If it doesn't start you can watch it here...www.schaeferphotography.net/citypark1


And as always pictures...


This is a high saturation photo, it really makes the colors pop. Let me know what you think about it.

I have finally made my decision

Well after a long and drawn out process of researching I have finally made my decision...Florida and Ohio St. in the finals. I mean I have finally decided on a new website. Actually both of those statements are true, I did decide on a new website. I just sent in the information tonight, so hopefully I will be hearing from them soon.

And yes I have Florida and Ohio St. in the finals, with Florida going back to back. So we will see.

I know I have white legs...but you don't have to rub it in.

This week has brought us a few days of 70+ degree weather, after all of the cold and snow we have had I don't mind a little global warming. I had promised Jess that on the first 70 degree day I would buy her a new pair of flip-flops. Well last week we saw a bank thermometer that said 73, but I didn't think that was a legitimate reading (the actual temperature that day was around 63.) So she didn't get them that day, anyway I felt bad about that so we went over the weekend and she got a new pair. Then yesterday was the first official 70 degree day in town, and somehow she made me realize that she should probably get a second pair. Since the actual deal was "the first 70 degree day." She has a way of reasoning with me, and I just can't say no. Oh well, she's happy and that is important. She works very hard, 50 hours a week at school, a few more hours at home, all day classes in Greeley every other Saturday for her masters, and helping with photography related things. She deserves everything she gets and more, she has been such an inspiration to me.

Since the weather was so nice I decided to go for a run yesterday. Everything was fine, although I wouldn't recommend running near a middle school when the kids are getting out...because I got a few heckles. The first one "Run Forrest Run" is pretty predictable and not very original. The second one "Hey man your legs are really white," this is really just stating the obvious. Anyone who knows me knows that I have white legs, get over it. I will probably go running again today, but I will try and miss the middle school.

So here are the flip-flops.


I have always loved reflection pictures.


And random pictures of signs.


Jessica is really getting some great shots.


It is only a matter of time before she is a better photographer than me.


Changing your angle and perspective is a great way to get some cool looking pictures.

Our Second One

This has been a very good week for me and Jessica, I just got off of the phone with the couple that I met with over the weekend, and they want to book us. Bill and Kirstin, and their daughter Lauren, the wedding is September 22nd and it is the first one from the Boettcher mansion that I have booked. So I guess I can say that the Boettcher Mansion has been a good investment. I really wanted to shoot at least one there this year so that I can have that for my portfolio for next year. Thanks to everyone who has helped and supported us through this, we couldn't have done it without you. Please keep supporting and praying for us, talk to you soon.

Met with a great couple

I met with a great couple yesterday, Kirstin and Bill. There wedding is in September at the Boettcher Mansion I really enjoyed meeting them and learning more about their wedding. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will decide to book us...but it is hard to know. We have had a great week though, and a busy two weeks coming up. Then we are off to Vegas in two weeks (for a business trip) (that will probably involve some gambling) to learn as much as is humanly possible about the photography industry. Talk to you later.

Our First One

Jessica and I met with a couple on Wednesday night to talk about their wedding, and she called me today, and said they would like to hire us. So we have officially booked our first wedding, not including friends. I think having both me and Jessica meet with them was very powerful, they like the idea of a husband and wife team working so closely together. They also liked the flexibility that we offered in terms of packages and pricing. We are going to meet next week to sign the contract and receive my first retainer fee. We are both very excited...maybe a celebratory dinner tonight? Talk to you all soon.

A great compliment

I got this compliment from Mike's mom yesterday...

"Andrew,
I have been meaning to write to you since I saw the very first photos you sent right after the wedding. I really don’t know where to begin to tell you how incredibly amazing all the photos are, they just leave me speechless! You are extremely talented and I am just so impressed by your work. I have shared your website with every one I can think of and every one has had only praise for your work (although as the Mother I must say you had some attractive subjects to work with)! So I will happily do any PR for you that I can. And yes I did receive the photos I ordered, thank you so much for the 8x10 it is one of my very favorite. I can’t wait to receive the photo album. You can be sure I will be carrying it around the hospital (Littleton) with me and showing it off to as many people as I can! I hope our paths will cross again in the future and thank you so very much for preserving this most special day so beautifully."

I am so glad to hear these great praises from people, it means so much to me, and it is one of the reasons why I am doing this job.

Evergreen and the Hiwan Homestead Museum

Jessica and I are meeting with a client who will be having their wedding at the Evergreen Conference Center so we decided to take an afternoon drive up there this weekend. The weather was incredible and it felt great to get out of the house. I always start to get "cabin fever" this time of year. In fact I spent some time in REI today just looking at backpacks and all their other cool gear.

But anyway, Evergreen is a great little town only about 30 minutes west of Denver. The conference center is in a beautiful location and we are excited about the possibility of photographing a wedding there. We also made a stop at the Hiwan Homestead Museum a pretty cool place if you like history...and if you don't, well it is still a neat place. Definitely worth checking out if you have a free afternoon. There are also some great Open Space parks in and around Evergreen which have some great hiking, if you like that kind of thing.

Jessica makes a great model.


I guess I make a pretty good model.


I love pictures with both of us.


Jessica was unaware that it was a working bell. Until she rang it, then the loud sound let us know that it was in fact functional.


A very random, very cool picture.


Another random picture.


These are the actual tools that the architect used to build the home...a long time ago. It's amazing how advanced people were even 150 years ago.


These are the letters that were used in the printing press.


This is the actual printing press. Seriously, how much more difficult would your life be if that's how you had to type?


A wagon wheel.


How about traveling cross country in this?