Austin Wedding Photography - EverafterImages

Found It

2012-04-09T11:00:00.003-07:00

After a long search - (over a year). I found the ORIGINAL NEGATIVE for the Only Man Standing Photo...
I hope this puts to rest who the original photographer was for those of you that had any doubt... Warmly, Raymond

See him before the wedding?

2012-03-26T02:32:00.003-07:00

A new wedding day tradition (for Austin, anyways) that I am starting to see is the "first look". This is where the bride and groom have a private moment (usually with just the photographer) for them to get that first look at each other before the wedding. I have found this a fairly common ocurrence with East Coast weddings that I have photographed. I have found that I really like

this event as there is great anticipation and wonderful, wonderful expressions and joy when they turn and first see each other. We take a few photos then I give them a few private moments to visit together. Another benefit is that once the look has happened then we can go right into the formal photos ahead of the wedding and then there is no or very little delay between the ceremony and the bride and groom's enjoying their cocktail hour or reception. What are your thoughts on the "first look" vs no look?

Portrait Photography: Because Every Day Is an Event

2012-02-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here at EverAfter Images we talk a lot about wedding and event photography, but we do a huge amount of portrait photography as well. And that makes perfect sense, because even wedding photography isn't about the wedding per se -- it's about the people. And those same people will also experience many other milestones in their lives, from births and anniversaries to graduations. Even an "ordinary" individual portrait captures a treasured memory.

That's why we encourage our wedding clients to stick with us for all their formal photography needs, year after year. We build genuine bonds with families when we help them plan their wedding photographs, and we want those bonds remain intact long after the rice has been thrown and the guests have waved goodbye. A married couple is hopefully embarking on a lifetime journey, and we can be there every step of the way to record that journey.

If you would like to arrange for baby's first portrait, a beautiful photo commemorating the prom, a book-jacket photo or any other set of individual or group shots, contact us and we'll discuss your needs. If you have an interesting setting in mind, we can come out to that location. If you'd prefer the controlled environment of our studio, that's great too. We can recommend wardrobe choices and color combinations that flatter the subject and evoke all the right responses (and none of the wrong ones). The results are visually creative portraits that capture not only a certain look but a tone and atmosphere to match.

Imagine knowing that the same brilliant quality of photography that shines through your wedding pictures will illuminate your 20th anniversary portraits or your children's formal graduation portraits. We're here for all of your life's photo ops -- just give us a call!

2012-02-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

I tend to be an online workshop person, but I think that will change. I had so much fun at the mj2day workshop in Phoenix this week. Even with my interesting travel route…why on earth Delta decided I needed Minneapolis as a layover between Phoenix and Austin, I don’t know. But it was worth it.

After lurking on MJs blog for years, yes, I admit I am a lurker, it was wonderful to see and hear her in person. And meet Dixie too! What a cutie!

So now my brain is full of ideas. My main one being the redesign of my logo and website….not to mention workflow! Wow, have I been doing things the hard way! I am so excited to get this done and it will be done…if not, I know at least a few of the mj2day ladies will be inquiring about it, for sure.

Oh and, definitely a huge thank you goes out to the adorable Sara & Ryan for being so patient and still appearing comfortable with so many cameras clicking away. A few of my favs from the ones I took of them.

2011 A Year in Review

2012-01-05T12:28:00.001-08:00

Goodbye to 2011...
Another busy and photo filled year with plenty of new friends.

We wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all of our wonderful couples of 2011.

Additionally, we thought that it would be fun to show you some of our favorite images from the past year - enjoy!

Posh Bridal Lounge

2011-12-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years to All!
We are looking forward to a fantastic 2012 with our new collaborative partners at the Posh Bridal Lounge. A concierge style wedding planning service for the discerning and busy brides of today. High Quality planners, florists, cakes, caterers, services of all kinds, and, of course, Everafter Images. Beautiful offices located in a central Austin location. Take a look and give us a call to "get your Posh On"!

Army, Italy - Angel Springs

2011-12-19T07:40:00.001-08:00

We really got a kick out of this couple from a December 2011 Angel Springs wedding. Of course we had to add this pun - how could we not? Our groom traveled from his Army post in Italy to marry his high school sweetheart - after a short honeymoon/holiday he heads back to Italy with his new bride. Our couple and their guests rocked the halls of Angel Springs Event Center in Georgetown Texas. Their exit car was the groom's grandfather's vintage Ford Model A. Tyler's Dad did have a mint Chevy Corvette near just in case the Model A didn’t start. Beautiful falls colors, along with a break from the recent rain offered this happy couple the perfect weather for an outside ceremony. With Texas weather in the 60's - our couple was able to enjoy the night air without the need of winter wear.

Fun was the theme with a photo booth by “Lone Star Photo Booth” - S’mores kits on the receptions tables, a mock gangster bridal party photo session (gals) and writing the brides new last name in the air with sparklers - FUN !!

Shotgun Wedding

2011-12-04T05:15:00.001-08:00

Up Lighting

2011-11-14T04:34:00.000-08:00

We have been thinking of investing in “Up Lighting” to bring with us at select wedding events. There is just something magical about entering a large room with columns of light beaming. LED Uplighing is a relatively new trend to turn just about any room into a special gathering place for all night dancing or elegant affairs. Photographing rooms with up - lighting requires a tripod, cable release and a high ISO capable camera with superior optical lens, we used the Canon “L” glass 16mm / 35mm zoom lens for this shot. Each image was a 1/10 of a second exposure at a high aperture for best depth of field

This photo is 11 images stitched together for an incredible 280+ degree field of view. The wedding venue “Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa” also provided a projected city scape and other lighting effects for our bride and groom. The second photo with our bride and groom is just one small section of the room, using about ⅓ of the background on the right. (see the right side of the panoramic to see when we placed the happy couple). We positioned our couple in the light that was projecting their initials on the dance floor. We used a small zoom 28 mm / 70 mm “L” lens to help compress the background. This was also at a “long exposure aperture” with the camera mounted to a tripod and cable release.

Tradition, Texans & Boots

2011-10-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

When Matt popped the question to wed his longtime girlfriend joining their two families, his Alma Mater at West Point was the perfect place for them to hold their long awaited joining. They have been together more than 6 years and have raised their respective sons as a family. A tradition with graduates of West Point, the Cadet Chapel and Thayer Hotel add an amazing intensity to this so special event. It's fall and in NY/CT the air is crisp and cool with hints of woodsmoke. The leaves on the trees are just starting to change. Rehearsal day and I checked into the historic Thayer Hotel on the bank of the Hudson River. Built in 1928 it has seen numerous presidents, dignitaries and proud parents...wedding guests too. Cadet Chapel on the West Point campus is an amazing site for a ceremony. The Chapel was built in 1910 from granite quarried right at West Point. Their wedding morning dawned bright and crisp with a promise of unseasonably warm temps (Forecast was for 83 degrees). The Texans in the group especially enjoyed the cool morning. With an 11 am ceremony time photos started bright and early while Jill got her hair done at the on site salon. Then it was up to the Eisenhower Suite for her to do her makeup and dress. Off we rushed for a stately, yet, intimate family ceremony. The walk up the aisle is 210 feet long and Jill was escorted up the aisle by her son, Grayson. We had brief minutes only to do a quick wedding party portrait on the front steps and then a quick couple of shots of Jill and Matt at the altar before our allotted Chapel time was up. With the frequency of weddings held at this location schedules are rigorously adhered to. Off went Jill, Matt and I to get a few photos of them at significant points around the campus. Trophy Point overlooking the Hudson, the green Plain in front of the Cadet Barracks and The Lusk Reservoir, too. Back at the Thayer we did family portraits before heading in to a wonderfully relaxed reception of family, dancing and lots and lots of fantastic food. Jill danced in her wedding gift from Matt of beautiful new boots. After the reception the party continued with drinks and dancing under the stars at the Thayer’s rooftop bar. It’s rumored that there was a bit of dancing on the bar…Go Grayson! What a wonderful trip and memorable wedding.

Red Mustang Wedding

2011-10-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to capture an image like this for years! Last nights wedding at Texas Old Town with just the right combination of a fun (good looking) couple, a cool car, an isolated road, and good natural light... What bonus it was right after a much needed rain to saturate the fall colors background colors.

We have a Toyota Highlander 4-Dr. To accomplish the above photo, I moved to the rear seat behind the driver (to capture the brides expression(s) and to shoot out the window). Our able 2nd shooter Sylvia was driving the car as I snapped away photos. I dropped the shutter speed down to 1/25th of a second to “motion blur” the background. We drove alongside, and slightly ahead of the mustang couple. At this low shutter speed, I knew we would sacrifice many, many photos to get “the one” that was clear enough to preserve detail in the car, bride, groom - but blur the background. Because our couple was so willing, and the road was so very isolated I moved to the back of the Highland, lifted the tail gate door up and drove with the back side open... For the second series of photos - I moved the shutter up to 1/200th of a second.

We never went over 15 mph! That’s the beauty of this type of image - it looks like we are going so much faster. With the overcast light and cloud cover we had nice tones that would be brought out with photoshop. A polarized filter was added to the lens to cut the glare of the mustangs windshield.

Congratulations Darrel and Sarah on your special day - you helped make it even more special for me too.

Fall Morning Shadows

2011-10-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's fall and in CT the air is crisp and cool with hints of woodsmoke. The leaves on the trees are just starting to change. Today I had time on my own before the excitement of Matt & Jill's wedding starts. In looking for things to do I happened upon the Tarryville Mansion and Park. The trails drew me and as i walked along i caught this view of the long morning shadows. I just had to take a photo. the rich colors of the leaves, the long, long shadows, beautiful. Then it was time for my jacket....brrr, 50 degrees is downright chilly. After a brisk walk around the pond I headed into town for a latte.

Adam & Michelle: CA Meets TX (by Way of Japan)

2011-10-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

As longtime friends and photographers of the groom's family, we were honored to do the wedding photography for this smiling couple. We had photographed Adam’s eldest brother’s wedding in New York State about 5 years ago and his twin brothers wedding in Pflugerville/Leander Texas just a couple of years ago. A funny note is that at Adam’s twin’s wedding (Michelle was a guest), Adam commented to us as he was leaving that without a doubt we would cover his wedding….but that he didn’t know when it might happen, maybe in 10 years!. We found out while doing their engagement photos that Michelle had overhead this comment and was devastated - 10 years!. He didn’t realize she had overheard.

It was Michelle's love of Japanese culture that actually brought her together with Adam. She was a member of the Japanese Conversation Club at the University of Texas alongside Adam's identical twin brother Mark, who introduced the two. Adam worked in the Mathematics Department, so Michelle began visiting his office. They talked. Love bloomed.

So how does our story shift from Austin to Palo Alto? Adam moved to California to work for Google and then drove back to Texas to "steal Michelle away" (as he likes to put it). They moved in together and Michelle earned her master's degree from Stanford University. Three days before the graduation ceremony, Adam sneaked in a marriage proposal at her favorite Japanese restaurant, popping the question while kneeling by her as they posed for a photo. Smooth!

Have camera, will travel, so we found ourselves bound for Palo Alto. The ceremony itself was a Catholic ceremony performed by a member of the Stanford Catholic community and held in the historic Stanford Memorial Church. We loved the fact that these two self-described "nerds" chose to have their wedding reception at the Computer History Museum, and in fact, we took the wedding party through the museum for photos prior to the reception. Remember Pong? Well, we got great photos of the groom playing Pong against his Brothers and his best friend. The reception was a cultural montage starting with mariachis serenading Adam & Michelle as they entered the ballroom. Next came fun for adults and kids with a colorful piñata filled with toys and treats. (but first, how many nerds does it take to hang a piñata in a ballroom? At least 6, it seems to get that rope over the rafters…..thanks, Ray for assisting…..once a boy scout…) After the kids were settled in it was time for the amazing 10 course Chinese feast (the caterers had set up an entire Chinese kitchen on a nearby balcony!) Wow, it was good! After heartfelt toasts and loads of dancing the wedding party passed out glowsticks to all guests for the final couple of songs and to usher the couple on their way for the night. The next morning at the hotel was rounds of farewells and hugs before the out of town guests headed to Muir Woods and San Francisco for a day of sightseeing with Adam and Michelle.

What's next for Adam and Michelle? Well, there's the honeymoon of course -- they've decided to visit Costa Rica as soon as the rainy season dies down. And after that? Michelle says it pretty well: "We want to have a life with lots of fun and laughter, possibly with two kids. We want to be active and healthy, and challenge each other to be better people every day." We are so happy for Adam and Michelle -- and we're also pretty happy with the photos we took! We look forward to their visits back to Central Texas, hopefully with little ones in tow. Check out their gallery and tell us what you think!

He Said YES!

2011-09-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a unique opportunity at lunch yesterday as I chowed down at the new Cedar Park Mighty Fine Hamburger restaurant. Across from me were two employees on their lunch break and I could not help but over hear in the discussion that Jessica was going to ask Josh to marry her later that night. Jessica was showing her co-worker the ring she bought to give to Josh. I asked if I might introduce myself - what fate that Jessica was sitting across from a wedding photographer. After a brief into - I found out that after 7:00 PM they would be at Zed’s of Austin for dinner and that Jessica had planned flowers to be brought to the table around dessert and she would then “pop the question”. I asked Jessica if it would be OK to document the event with photos. She was thrilled at the idea and welcomed me to her event.

I arrived about 10 minutes before Jessica and Josh. I had never been to Zed’s but could tell right away that this was a special place. Zed's is a modern, casual restaurant serving American fare with Austin-inspired preparations and ingredients. Set upon three acres that include spacious decks, a pond, a hike and bike trail and indigenous landscaping, Zed's has created an oasis in the city, just minutes from the hustle and bustle of I-35. The hot Austin summer days are just starting to cool off and a live band was just getting set up to entertain the crowd. There was a grass area for many to sit, enjoy music, food and drink - You can even bring your dog to Zed’s as long as they stay in the “grass area” slightly away from the restaurant patio. As the night advanced, I knew I would be pushing the limits of my Canon 7D’s light gathering with the lens a 70-200 mm f 2/8 IS mounted to a mono pod. Yes, Jessica and Josh sat at the darkest part of the patio - nice! As the moment drew near - I positioned myself closer to their table. With the band playing in the distance - I had wanted to “blend in” as a photographer interested in taking photos of the band - then would turn around at the appropriate moment and capture this special night.

And then it happed - yes, Josh said YES! Congratulations Jessica and Josh - EverafterImages was happy to be involved in your special night.

Uncle Bob

2011-09-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

Beware of “Uncle Bob Syndrome”

You have invested thousands of dollars on your wedding. From the food to the music to the location to the gown, this magic moment will be, must be, perfect. All that’s left to take care of is the photography. Hey, let’s get Uncle Bob to do it! He has a camera….

If the probable outcome of that decision makes you cringe, you understand the horror of what we call Uncle Bob Syndrome. Skimp on your wedding photography and you lose the opportunity to capture that gorgeous investment in a way that would do it justice. And yet people make this mistake all the time. We have several couples each year tell us, “We should have hired you instead.” Ouch.

Uncle Bob Syndrome invites mistakes. For instance, an inexperienced photographer may not recognize when his equipment is wrong for the job. Someone who has managed to shoot decent photos for a normal daytime wedding may find himself completely over their head shooting a dark cathedral with multicolored stained glass and dark-red carpeting bouncing odd colors up into faces. You need a lens that can scoop up huge amounts of light, and the know-how to use it correctly under such circumstances. Otherwise, Uncle Bob has struck again.

Uncle Bob Syndrome can raise its ugly head (no offense, Uncle Bob) even with a professional photographer -- if you haven’t engaged the right professional photographer. Wedding photography has its own special demands and pitfalls, including crowd control. Say you hire a highly regarded scenic photographer for your outdoor wedding. Well, your scenic photographer makes his living shooting non-moving objects, flowers, birds and trees. They don't know how to corral an entire wedding party and work around musicians, caterers, flowers, dogs, cats, you name it.

Don’t let Uncle Bob spoil your wedding memories. Leave the photography to the pros!

Panoramic Photography: The Big Picture

2011-08-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this photo. It’s got everything – the band playing, the bride and groom dancing, the family and friends looking on. It’s a complete, timeless moment – and ordinary photography would never have caught it. Well, not all of it, anyway, not all at once. An image like this calls for the magic of panoramic photography.

Panoramic photography combines multiple photos into one extra-wide composite image. For this shot we actually took multiple overlapping photos one right after another, using a single controller to trigger all the lights. We then used digital software (photoshop CS5) to stitch the images together into a realistic panorama. (Every once in a while you might get a tiny “edge” between images, but over the years we’ve learned how to make such artifacts almost invisible to all but the sharpest eye.)

Panoramic photography means you don’t have to settle for capturing one aspect of the moment at the expense of another. If this were a traditional shot, for instance, you’d have to focus on the couple dancing – a nice image to be sure, but only part of the story – and then get a shot of the band, and then get a shot of the wedding guests. And sure enough, you can break this shot into its component parts and still have three lovely images. But in real life it’s all happening at once, and in a panoramic shot you can see that.

Specialized technology and techniques such as panoramic photography give you one more great reason to go for the best, most capable professional wedding photographer for possibly can. Don’t trust this level of work to just any guy with a digital camera. If you want results like this, you know whom to call – us!

Quiero Mi Boda ONLINE

2011-08-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

The Full Episode of this Angel Springs wedding is now on-line
for you to enjoy!

Each Episode is about 10 to 14 min...

Episode 1, About Jessyca and Osaze
http://www.mtvtr3s.com/videos/jessyca-and-osaze-full-episode-part-1-680325/

Episode 2, Meeting the Family's
http://www.mtvtr3s.com/videos/jessyca-and-osaze-full-episode-part-2-680326/

Episode 3, Planning for the Wedding
http://www.mtvtr3s.com/videos/jessyca-and-osaze-full-episode-part-3-680329/

Episode 4, The Wedding Day
http://www.mtvtr3s.com/videos/jessyca-and-osaze-full-episode-part-4-680333/

Hot Times At Tx Old Town

2011-08-08T03:41:00.000-07:00

We were delighted to capture a truly festive Kyle wedding in a setting that brings past and present together for eternal moments like this – Texas Old Town! As you can see from these shots of the reception bash, it was a party. 380 guests turned to see Teri and Nathan Dawson get hitched in a scenic outdoor ceremony.
The bride, groom and respective families were just as warm and genuine as their surroundings. Teri and Nathan both attended Texas A&M and they continue to live in College Station. Teri, the daughter of a retired USAF Major, has a naturally bubbly, vivacious personality that shines right through a lens -- the camera loves her almost as much as her new hubby does. As you might assume from the images above, her infectious laugh and high spirits were much in evidence on this happy day.
But we soon saw that Teri has a serious side as well. Her meticulous planning and execution of the wedding made that very clear, as did her deeply-held religious convictions. We got this fantastic sunlight-splashed photo of the bride and groom praying in the decrepit old barn months before the ceremony)

Everything went beautifully. At the ceremony, house party girls handed out fans and programs to the guests nestled among the trees. We kept things rolling smoothly by electing to do all the formal photos while guests were enjoying cocktails. The band also made an extra effort toward the occasions' success -- this excellent group had only been together for about six months, so they got there at 2pm to make sure their eclectic mix of country and rock was note-perfect for the actual event. (It was, too!)

Check out all the photos at Teri and Nathan's wedding page!

TR3S Quiero Mi Boda

2011-07-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

THIS EPISODE WAS BROADCAST ON 8/8/2011

TR3S: MTV, MUSICA Y MAS CASTS MORE CROSS-CULTURAL COUPLES ON THE NEW SEASON OF “QUIERO MI BODA” PREMIERING EVERY MONDAY, STARTING JULY 11TH, AT 7PM (ET/PT)/6PM (CT)

Season Three welcomes clashing cultures, new rituals, religious conversions, unconventional music, exotic foods, rare clothing and more conflicting opinions from family & friends Miami, FL July 6, 2011– Mondays continue to rule on Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más with new episodes of “Quiero Mi Boda" starting July 11th at 7pm (ET/PT)/ 6pm (CT). In its third season, the original reality series accepts an invitation to the cross-cultural union of diverse couples, from Nigeria and Mexico to Canada and the Dominic Republic, as they tackle their cultural differences before their “I do’s”.

“Quiero Mi Boda” takes an inside look at cross-cultural weddings and the hustle and bustle surrounding them. A wedding is a special event in the life of a couple: a day where not only two people join in matrimony but also a day when two families unite. Now imagine these two families being from completely different cultural backgrounds:
different taste, traditions, religion, customs and sometimes even different languages. “Quiero Mi Boda” goes behind-the-scenes to unveil the stressful yet harmonious union of these unique couples.

Osaze and Jessyca were happily married at Angel Springs Event Center on May 28th, 2011 with local photographers Debra and Raymond Malkiewicz of EverafterImages.Com and 2nd Generation Video Productions Jerry and Penny Malcolm documenting the wedding.
- other Austin area vendors for this wedding include: Dagar's Catering, Bouquets of Austin, Complete Music, Michelle's Patisserie, Antique Limo, and the Bongo Party Bus

About Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más
Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más, owned and operated by Viacom International Media Networks, reaches 6.1 million Hispanic TV households (45% of US Hispanic Total TV HH) and 34 million total TV households. The network’s programming embraces the trilogy of cultures that represents Latino life – Latin American plus American equals US Latino – through original productions, key acquisitions, and content from Viacom Internationals’ portfolio of entertainment brands. Tr3s embraces the key lifestyle aspects of Latino identity -- milestones, making it and music -- as well as social responsibility through its initiative “Agentes de Cambio”, which tackles issues that
affect Latinos today. The network also taps into the growing number of Latinos that are digitally connected through www.tr3s.com.

The Kiss

2011-07-04T05:12:00.001-07:00

Images from the July wedding at Angel Springs Event Center in Georgetown Texas

Ring Security

2011-05-11T08:18:00.001-07:00

Just how fantastic is this little Ring Security team member! Debra caught this guy at last weekends wedding at Angel Springs Event Center in Georgetown.

30 Years Ago

2011-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

This photo is about 30 years old. It was taken about 1981 or 1982 in Kowloon Hong Kong. Today when I searched the web for the “Floating City - Kowloon” I was not surprised to find out that Kowloon - The Floating City was all but gone. What struck me about this image was the background, high rise buildings in the background, boats lashed together in the foreground. It was also a very gray day when I “took a tour” of the city on a floating taxi. I also captured this image and was drawn to the color of the clothing against the gray sky. I was told that many people in Kowloon never set foot on land, that many in the city live their entire lives on water. What an experience for a young 20 something American just starting to see the world.

I did find some other photos even earlier around 1954 - Posted by Phil Roeder that were photographed by his father.

Only Man Standing

2011-04-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I came across a 5x7 print that I had photographed back in 1983 or 1984. I remember uploading the image to our very first AOL website 15 or so years ago and didn’t think much of it at the time. Back then we were just “self publishing” photos to the web to share with family, other photographers. While I felt it was a good image - I didn’t think it would rise so much in popularity over time. September 11th changed all that. About a year after September 11th - I got an email slide show from a retired military officer friend of mine Terry Oneill. All of the photos in the slide show were respectful of the men and women that served our country, a tribute to honor, country and the first responders. I was so surprised to see a copy of my photo mixed in with the rest. I emailed Terry” hey - that’s my photo from years back, where did you get it?" The reply was to be expected... “Oh I don’t know, it was just fwd to me and I passed it along to my friends”. So now 10 years after September 11th - this photo is all over the web, there is even a facebook page about this photo. I’ve seen on the web, this photo used in positive tribute sites, and a few “anti military comments” also associated with this image. I have seen someone else take credit for the photo (but maybe they were just taking credit for the “respect” poster with the use of the photo). I had one webmaster ask me that how can I prove its my photo? She stated it was on her site for the past 5 years and others have come forward to claim the image, that the website she got it from gave her permission. Well, I scanned the print with out the text in the upper left corner, that seemed enough for her. Another person claims that the person in the wheelchair is their father and they are just out of frame, standing to the right of the photo. (might be, there is a shadow on the jacket - was someone else standing, I don’t remember). Most sites I found the photo on have updated with proper credit - thank you! About the photo: I was just out of the Navy in March 1983. I lived in Concord CA at the time and would travel into San Francisco to photograph “spot news” images, freelance for local magazines and try to get my name out into media row and the San Francisco magazine community. I was just out and about when I saw a the parade starting, I positioned myself to capture the man in the wheelchair with the Marine Color Guard coming around the corner. My thoughts would be that most people would stand for the passing of the flag, and the “veteran” in a wheelchair would remain sitting, this might be a nice image of those who served. I did not expect the opposite to happen - the man struggled to stand and most everyone else stayed on the curb. I knew I had something special but never got the photo published. I think the original photo was on Kodachrom 64 and converted to a copy neg for printing, that was my process back in the 70’s and 80’s for all slides. I made several 5x7’s and 11x14 and 16x20 and “boxed” the images along with other unpublished images from the 80’s. I’m sure I have the original slide or neg in a box someplace as I don’t throw away this kind of stuff. I can find the prints I made... but not the slide... yet. I still have dozens of slide boxes to go through. Its fun looking back, re - living memories - I found 2 great photos of my dad when he was very young that I don’t even remember taking... They are treasured items as my dad is now in the hospital and could move on any day/week now. I ran across some photos of my mother - she passed about 7 years ago ?? Nice day in SF with mom. Anyway - off with my wife of 23 years to take some bridal images of a beautiful young lady - I wonder what memories we will create today that will be shared in the near future, and then again 20 or so years from now...

Update 12/02/2011 - Today I received an email from Dave - (see below)

Hello Raymond,

Your photo of the man in the wheelchair really hit home with me. It inspired me to write this song:
The Memorial Day Parade.

I play the song and other American classics at local patriotic events and nursing homes in south Alabama.
It's all complimentary, I do it for love of country and never charge anything for these shows.

People are always asking for a copy of this song (many with tears in their eyes).
I have taken the liberty to create a half page flyer, with your photo and my lyrics, to give to those interested.
That's when the search began for the original photographer to give proper credit.
The Facebook page led me to you.

With your permission I would like to properly include your photo, with credits of course, on the attached flyer and on the web page that carries the audio version.
The credits do not stand out on this low-res pdf but they do on the hi-res version. I am a printer by trade and these will be photo quality laser printed.

Here is the audio sample page with the link to the photo: http://songramp.com/Strider
and a link to the lyrics are here.

Incidentally, if you ever do offer a large print (8x10 or so) of this image I would frame it and hang it on my wall.

Thanks for your consideration,
Dave Galka

Well Dave, YES - I love the song! I will email you privately and see what we can do to get you a high res copy... Thanks, Ray

God Light

2011-04-15T16:46:00.001-07:00

Bluebonnets

2011-04-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

It did not start off to be a tradition - but now each year we find a bluebonnet field and take a quick photo of Debra and post to the web. This year while we were in Magnolia Texas - another young ladie and her mom were also in the same field taking some photos. We asked if we could join the photoshoot and received an enthustinc YES - shoot away.... Below is a photo of Chrissy in the bluebonnets at 5 months-Montgomery Texas.