Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida e-session with Alicia and David

As I've been working on editing the photos from David and Alicia's e-session I'm coming across all of the shots where they have great big grins on their faces. I can't help but start laughing myself or just get a really big smile on my face. We had so much fun during their e-session the good times were contagious. It's always great to see when a couple is so perfect for each other.







Normally I'm not an early morning person, not that I don't want to, but I just find that I get rolling on things late into the night. I'm up late, so it's hard to get up early. I have plans to get to bed earlier, but the point is that light is awesome twice a day. I always explain to my couples about this, even though we can shoot anytime during the day the best light is around sunrise and sunset.

David and Alicia are early risers, so it seemed that we were going to be doing an early morning shoot. We started off at 8am in Baldwin Park. The light was awesome!



Look how gorgeous the light is as it peaks in between the two buildings.















Loving these shoes!









If you are ever looking for a great place to do engagement photos and an e-session, definitely go to a park. Couples can easily find their inner child, which makes for fun photos!









1+1=2













If that wasn't enough, here's the rest of the photos


091909 Alicia and David e-session - Images by Chad Pilster

Feautred in an article about "Why Blog?"

It was great to be featured in an article on Why Blog? It was written by my former professor at San Jose State University for SportsShooter. There is always lot's of great information to read there on being a professional photographer, even though it's main focus is sports photography. The article was on blogging and it was really interesting to hear why a lot of people don't do it. It was also good to see why people are doing it!

Even though I do it because I like to be found by Google, you have to like it too! Regularly updating a blog is a lot of work, and if it wasn't a little bit of fun then you would definitely not be seeing these posts as regularly. I love to share what I'm doing with everyone, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Just to go into a little bit more detail I've included all of the answers I sent back to Jim.

Thanks for reading!
-Chad

Jim - Do you blog? (If so, what is your blog’s address so I can give it a look.)

If you blog, what topics do you write about?


Chad @ Pilster Photography - Yes. http://pilsterphotography.blogspot.com

I focus mainly on weddings and engagement sessions that Pilster Photography has shot. I also use it to highlight a lot of the products that we offer. I also give a glimpse into my personal life, although I leave more of that to Facebook and Twitter. When things are slow I try to use it to educate clients and potential clients about questions they might have.

When I have new clients, many times I will send them to the blog to answer questions.

I also run a triathlon blog at http://chadpiltri.blogspot.com. Lately my business has been sucking up my life, so I haven't had time to focus on that at all.



J - A little philosophy here: If you blog, WHY do you blog? What’s in it for you, where is the “juice?”


PP - Google placement is one of the best answers. The more you talk about the more likely you might get a person through an organic search on Google. They come to the blog, they see your pictures, they look at the rest of the blog, you have a new customer. I am spending a ton of money to drive people to my website, but blogging is free and it typically does the same thing. Every social media tool serves a different purpose. I use Twitter, Blogging, Facebook, face to face networking, and my website to capture an audience, hold them there and remind them that I exist until they are ready to hire me.

I also get some enjoyment out of having an audience and hearing their feedback about my images. Typically when I want some honest feedback I will turn to someplace like Aphotoaday.


J – Which blogs do YOU read? Why?

What topics are covered by the blogs you read?


PP - Business blogs. Especially wedding business blogs (Thinksplendid.com, Sean Low @ http://www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com/ ) I'm always looking for insights. A lot of times I will glance at blogs that people post on Twitter if it sounds like it might be something of interest. Why else, I'm trying to run a business and these really give me a lot great insights.

I do look at a lot of photographer blogs, but usually to get a feel for what they are doing. I am always trying to find a photographer who has a different way of looking at things to give me inspiration. A website tells you the best that a photographer can do, while a blog tells you what they can accomplish on regular basis. I also am always looking for wedding photographers to refer. I always feel that good deeds come back to you, so if I find a good photographer I try to send business their way when I cannot do it myself.

I used to look at more editorial business blogs like Aphotoeditor, PhotoBusiness, Burns Auto Parts, but started to find that they weren't as focused in the market that I'm trying to reach.

I really shift blogs with the seasons. It depends on what I am looking to learn at the moment. If business begins to roll along better, then I may start looking to educate myself in another area.

The one blog that always opens when I open my web browser is the Aphotoaday blog. It's mainly because Melissa and her blog contributors seem to have an excellent grasp on the highlights of the photojournalism world. The images on the front of Aphotoaday are also always inspirational!


J – Which blogs do you admire/respect the most? (These might be the same as in #4 --- if so, fine.) Would you mind giving me 2-3 addresses so I can look at them?


This season I tend to be watching....


1- http://www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com/
2 – http://www.thinksplendid.com
3 – http://www.aphotoaday.org/blog


Hope this helps.

-Chad

Shopping for your dream

Some of the girls that work at Solutions Bridal and I ran into each other at a networking event and we connected so well they gave me a huge invitation to come over and hang out with them. I was so excited to share my work with their customers and even snap photos of everyone as they tried on dresses.



When my wife and I were planning our wedding, I helped her find her dress. She wasn't going to tell me which one she was going to get, but it was nice to give her my input. There is a wedding dress for everyone out there. Some can look amazing in every dress they try on, which makes finding the right one that much harder.

My wife was gorgeous everytime she came out of that dressing room. She tried on so many dresses that I didn't even recognize the one she had one when she walked down the aisle, but I did recognize the most important thing, she looked gorgeous and she was the right one for me.

I love helping my wife shop for clothes, men have such little choice in their clothing it's boring. Watching wedding dresses get tried on is so much more than trying to find an outfit. It's trying to find an emotion from the dress that's tried on. Sometimes it's not always the right emotion or just a hint of the emotion that they want.















Solutions Bridal does so well with their wedding dresses. The girls that work there are so personable. I watched them sit down with every customer and get to know them. Their goal is to help find that dress that evokes an emotion, but they were very careful about pushing anyone in the wrong direction. They tend to give the facts, but they were amazing at letting the dresses and the brides connect on their own.













The girls there would do anything for you. I know the hardest part of their job must be modeling dresses. Just check out Tali here working it for bride looking for bridesmaid dresses.





And another she is modeling.





And then the wine turns to champagne, like water turns into gold.

When a bride finds the right dress, her eyes light up, her hands shake, her smile widens, tears of joy roll down everyone's faces and the cameras come out! I love being there and having a little chance to join in on this excitement! Sharing in joyous moments is one of the best parts about being a wedding photographer.

By this point everyone in the room is friends, from the family to employees to the other brides who are trying on dresses in the room. You can just feel the joy going through everyone.





















The shop is wide open with a large enough selection of dresses to fit everyone, but not so many that you are too overwhelmed. The gorgeous wood floors, humongous windows that line the walls, mirrors covering one entire wall and contemporary furniture are just some of the things that give it a great ambience. If I was going to buy a wedding dress, this is the place I would want to do it at.



















Thanks Heather, Tali, Alicia and the rest of the girls at Solutions Bridal! It was so awesome to hang out with you. I can't wait to come back!


090509 SOLUTIONS BRIDAL - Images by Chad Pilster