I’ve spent the bulk of today going through 2011′s images, picking some out for a year-end slideshow, re-living the sessions and weddings and all the travel we did. It wasn’t the busiest year for weddings… 2012 is already shaping up to be a great deal busier than 2011. But what 2011 lacked in busy-ness, it more than made up for in just about every other way.

In 2011, we put 24,000 miles on the car, traveling to weddings in Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina, DC, and South Carolina. We stayed in seven different hotels, ate at countless fast food joints, and became really fast friends with the Gas Buddy app for iPhone. We cooked at home whenever we could, and we each gained at least ten pounds. Ellie started the second grade, turned eight years old, discovered Justin Bieber, and got her hair cut to above her shoulders. I chopped almost all my hair off. Mike grew a beard, hated it, and shaved it off. We all found out that we love scarves and thick, comfy socks. Mike and I ate some AMAZING food in some incredible restaurants, from Aubriana’s right here in Wilmington, to Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle, to Maggiano’s in Durham.

2011 wasn’t just fun and travel and calories. We lost Dino, watched some good friends move far away, and went the entire year without seeing my mom or my siblings. In “this isn’t bad, but it’s kind of weird” news, Ellie gained a stepmother and stepbrother in 2011, along with a hamster named Gibble. Mike started a new job, and I reunited with an old boss who has asked me to do some contract administrative work for him in my spare time next year.

In 2011, Mike and I got engaged. (Squeeeeeee!!!!!)

One of the most significant developments from 2011 was Mike picking up a camera at a session early in the year. He’d spent years pursuing photography as a hobby, but it honestly didn’t occur to me that he might want (or be able) to do it professionally. That is, until I downloaded his images. Holy crap, the man can shoot! And, better still, he LOVES it. I’ve spent the last decade rejecting second shooter after second shooter, for reasons ranging from “your work never rises above awful” to “I can’t babysit you while I’m working” to “you smell really, really, really bad”. A good second shooter is hard to come by; an excellent one (who smells good, doesn’t need babysitting, and actually knows what he’s doing with a camera) is damn near impossible. And I somehow stumbled upon the man that not only wants to marry me (squeeeeeee!!!!), but also happens to be an excellent second shooter.

So, in 2011 I quite naturally began the transition from Charo: Solo Shooter to Charo + Mike: Shooting Team. How lucky am I, to be able to work side by side with the man I love (and am marrying! Squeeeeee!!!!!)… pretty damn lucky. (Along with this change we’ll be launching our new website soon… but… one thing at a time for now!)

And, finally… the real point of all this rambling. The pictures. The pictures of the people who made everything possible for Mike and I this year. Our clients friends, who got married, had babies, celebrated anniversaries and family reunions and birthdays, and asked us to capture their joy. In the slideshow below are 165 images of incredible couples, families, friends, who trusted their memories to us. I don’t know how best to express my gratitude and my pride, other than to commemorate their beautiful faces just one last time this year.

Happy New Year. I love you all…

Mike,

You came into my life right when I needed you most (and right when I was most adamant that I wanted to go it alone). You showed me how to laugh without worrying that laughing makes my double chin more like a triple chin, or maybe even a quadruple. You taught me to allow myself to be adored, to be wanted, and to believe that I deserve it. You showed me that every part of me is lovable, even the parts I’ve always abhorred. You’ve been there for times that were amazing, and times that were best left forgotten. Times I was beautiful, and times I was decidedly not. We’ve been poor and rich together, sick and healthy, thin and fat, and always, always happy. From our ramen-and-jammies nights to our high-heeled-dinner out nights, it’s been nothing but joy… and a neverending gratitude for what we’ve both found in each other.

You’re my yin, my counterbalance, my solid ground. I’d be a fool to not say YES.

In case it isn’t clear… we’re getting married!!! After witnessing hundreds of couples commit the rest of their lives to one another, it’s our turn! I could not be happier. I could not be more excited.

Thank you, Mike. For loving me. For being the incredible person you are. And for making an honest woman out of me.

We tried for a self-engagement photo, but I’m terrible at pre-focusing with the self timer, so we got one so-so in focus shot, and two halfway decent but really blurry shots… and then we just took pictures of each other for good measure (and maybe for the bio page). Here we are… your future Mister and Missus B.

Just a quick look at what’s coming up from Miss Bean’s 8th Birthday Bash yesterday! Yes, she is eight years old already… it doesn’t make any sense to me, either.

Hang tight – I’ve got tons of pictures and stories to post today!

I woke up in a great mood this morning – and without being cajoled and bribed out of bed by Mike for our morning coffee and news ritual! It felt good – I’m refreshed, I’m happy, and I’m almost… ALMOST… feeling a Christmas vibe. Okay, don’t get me wrong – most everything about the season makes my blood boil. But then I think about little Miss Bean, who asked me a few weeks ago, “Mommy… do YOU believe in Santa Claus?” She still believes. Pretty sure this is her last Santa year. Remembering how magical Christmas was to me when I still believed in Santa… well, that helps me get over my insufferable disgust at the over-commercialization of it all, and just enjoy what it is to the Bean.

Miss Bean will turn 8 on Friday. EIGHT! How did that happen?!? She’s so tall, and wise, and goofy. For her, December is a HUGE month… her birthday is early enough in December to not screw up Christmas, AND Santa visits two houses for her on Christmas Eve. It’s a pretty big deal (and he’s WAY more organized than I could ever hope to be).

Ooooh, speaking of Santa – check out this wonderful blog entry that my friend Andrea Kelly shared on Facebook the other day! It’s such a great letter to a child who finally asks “Tell me the truth, ARE YOU SANTA?” I hope when that day comes – about a year from now, I’d guess – I am as eloquent and careful with my response. I also hope she asks me and not her dad, but that’s another post for another day

Before I head out into this bitter cold for shopping and errand-running, let me leave you with a song. This is one of the few Christmas songs I can tolerate (the others are U2′s cover of Baby Please Come Home, and oddly enough Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas). Of COURSE this is a Pearl Jam cover of a Stevie Wonder song – what else would make my “best songs ever” list? Bonus: the lyrics are beautiful.

Someday at Christmas men won’t be boys
Playing with bombs like kids play with toys
One warm December our hearts will see
A world where we are free

Someday at Christmas there’ll be no wars
When we have learned what Christmas is for
When we have found what life’s really worth
There’ll be peace on earth

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where we can love free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas we’ll see a land
With no hungry children, no empty hand
One happy morning people will share
A world where people care

Someday at Christmas there’ll be no tears
All of us are equal and live without fear
One shining moment, one cry away
For our world today

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas man will not fail
Hate will be gone and love will prevail
Someday a new world that we can all start
With hope in every heart

Someday at Christmas
Oh someday at Christmastime
Someday at Christmastime

I’m a few hours late in posting this, but no worries – Black Friday will last all week here!

First, I have a special on Portrait Sessions: book your session at the normal rate ($250 for a one-hour session on-ocation), and receive the full set of digital files FREE.  That’s a $500 value, and it’s only available this week!  To secure this deal, you’ll need to book your session ($125 booking fee to reserve your space) no later than 8pm on Friday December 2nd.   As long as I’ve received your reservation fee by the end of the week, your session will be upgraded to include the high resolution files at no extra charge!  Any bookings made after 8pm on Friday December 2nd will be treated as normal sessions, and files will be additional.

*50% reservation fee of $125 is required to lock in deal by 12/2/2011. Balance of session must be paid on or before
session date.  Sessions will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, and are not always available
on weekends due to wedding and travel schedule.  Sessions may be used for engagements,
headshots, family, kids, boudoir, etc and are limited to one hour at a single location.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now for Weddings: Between today and next Friday (December 2nd), my two most popular wedding packages are on sale! Here’s the skinny:

Package 1: $4,500 $3,350
engagement session: 2 hour Wilmington area engagement session
engagement session signature/guest book: included
engagement session files: included
rehearsal coverage: up to 2 hours (subject to scheduling availability/travel issues)
wedding day coverage: up to 9 hours continuous
product credit: $500 (can be used toward travel costs)
sharing + ordering: private online gallery for 9 months after the wedding
digital files: they’re yours – you can do with them as you wish (within reason)

Package 2: $3,200 $2,500
engagement session: 1 hour Wilmington area engagement session
engagement session signature book: included
engagement session files: available for purchase
wedding day coverage: up to 7 hours continuous
sharing + ordering: private online gallery for 9 months after the wedding
digital files: they’re yours – you can do with them as you wish (within reason)

If you want to take advantage of this deal, you need to act quick.  Call me, email me, use my contact form and tell me about your wedding!  If I’m still available for your date, we’ll talk details, I’ll send you a contract, and as long as you get the signed contract and retainer fee back to me by Friday December 2nd, you can lock in that awesome rate.

Oh, and HUGE bonus: for 2012 I’ve added a second photographer to all my packages at no additional charge (the no-charge thing will change for 2013!).  Which means that not only do you get a crazy discount on the package, but you get a free second shooter for less than nothing.  (Second shooter may not be available for all dates, and is not guaranteed until date is secured with signed contract and retainer)

THE FINE PRINT:

• Contract and retainer (50% of package price) must be received no later than 8pm Friday December 2nd
• Sale prices apply to new inquiries and bookings only, and are not applicable to any inquiry or booking occurring prior to Friday November 25, 2011.
• Booking availability is subject to my schedule, and taken on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Travel costs may be additional for weddings occurring beyond a two hour radius of Wilmington NC.

Today, I’m doing all of the nothing I can, but I’m also sneak-peeking Saturday’s wedding, which I shot under another studio (Elise Beall Photography out of Jacksonville, NC).  The wedding was in New Bern, a town I’ve never even visited before last weekend (but I’ve driven through it countless times, always getting lost on that 17/70 switch off, and spending an extra 45 minutes just trying to find my way back to 17 North or South).  I’ve really been missing out – New Bern is adorable, and it’s only two hours north of Wilmington… what a lovely place for a getaway!  I told Mike that we need to head up that way this fall, take a breather at a B&B, enjoy each other and the city, its unique little restaurants and hideaways, walk around downtown, maybe pick up some crazy antique statue or something.

So, on top of doing a bunch of nothing and sneak-peeking Saturday’s wedding… I’m daydreaming about our weekend getaway to New Bern.  I’m listening to my Mazzy Star station on Pandora.  I’m sipping coffee with an extra slosh of soymilk.  It’s a really good day.

This image from Saturday perfectly illustrates my Monday.  Serene.  Connected.  Happy.

]]> http://www.charoblog.com/weddings/featured-on-rock-n-roll-bride/feed/ 0 http://www.charoblog.com/news/featured-on-the-ispwp/ http://www.charoblog.com/news/featured-on-the-ispwp/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 13:29:12 +0000 charo http://www.charoblog.com/?p=430 Remember Lindsay and Joe’s wedding, that I posted just a few short days ago?  Yeah, that wedding was selected as a Featured Real Wedding on the ISPWP website!

What an incredible honor, really – the ISPWP is an organization of Professional Wedding Photographers that I am so proud to be part of, as the selection criteria is very stringent, and each member is reviewed by a panel of industry professionals.  I sit on one of the judging panels, and I can tell you that more applicants are denied membership than accepted – so that fact that I was invited in the first place makes me really proud.

This has been a wonderful week!!!

I’ll either do the Hendrix/Cobain/Pike’s Market thing this time, or I’ll do a full-on scenic roadtrip the day after the wedding – depends on whether an old school friend from Maui (who now lives in northern Washington) can make it down on Monday to hang out with me or not.  Either way, expect plenty of photos – wedding *and* sightseeing – sometime next week!

I’ll have access to email the entire time I’m gone, but I may not be very speedy with replies!  I’m officially back in town Tuesday afternoon.

March 20-22 : Milwaukee WI
April 4 : Richmond VA
April 28-May 3 : Wilmington NC
May 23-25 : Yakima WA
June 13 : Outer Banks
June 26-28 : Richmond VA
July 11 : Greenville VA
July 18 : Charlottesville VA
August 15 : Wilmington NC
September 26 : Hot Springs NC
October 10 : Edenton NC
October 11 : Richmond VA
October 17 : Wilmington NC
October 25 : Charleston SC