Thinking Thursdays - What Do I Know of Holy?

If you ever frequent 90.3 Spirit FM here in Lynchburg, chances are you have heard this song. But, have you really listened to it? The music is beautiful, the voices angelic but the words are so so powerful. It is easy to get caught up in the music and completely miss out on what the message is. Take a few minutes and listen to the song while reading the lyrics. If you can't view the video here are the lyrics.

                                             "What Do I Know Of Holy"
                                                       by Addison Road

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

[CHORUS]
So What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
So What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

[CHORUS]
So What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
So What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

[CHORUS 2]
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life it's name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

[CHORUS]
So What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

We can read books, listen to music and talk about who we think God is and what we think of Holy but what do we really know of Holy? "Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees" Have you ever been driven to your knees by the very thought of God? Have you ever had a glimpse of Him and became so overwhelmed that you could barely breathe? Maybe many of us are worshiping a god that doesn't or can't do that. Maybe we have made our own god, our own version of Jesus. I know I did that for so many years of my life. Sure there were some emotional times and thoughts that I was worshiping God but if there is no real power in His name, you are using the wrong name. 

Have you ever seen people around you, even in your same church that seem to know more of God then you do even though you both believe the same things? What do they have that you don't? What did they have that I didn't is the question I had. I still remember the exact moment it all became so real to me. I don't remember the exact day (as far as the calendar goes) but I do remember that day. That was the day that I got a glimpse of who God might be and boy was I driven to me knees. I had created my own god with the name of Jesus but man was it so far from who God really is. We are only missing out when we put our own thoughts on who God is, we cannot comprehend His name. 

It is a journey, before and after learning who God really is but it is worth so much when you start to learn about who He is and not who you think He is. 

What does this even have to do about photography or weddings? Why am I posting this on a photography blog? This is the most important thing there is, everything else is just stuff. But how would those things change when we start to really as ourselves what do we know of holy? How would we treat our wives, husbands, parents and kids? Would we really care about arguing about money or what to eat? How much easier would it be to forgive when we realize how much we have been forgiven. What would marriage look like when God is at the center? Imagine how amazing of a marriage you could have when that happens. It won't be perfect but can you even imagine what it would look like with God showing us how to love? 

Today marks my parents 54 year anniversary. It hasn't been perfect and I am certain there are many struggles that I never saw but they have stood by each others sides. My parents are the most amazing people I know. I don't believe there is anything my mom wouldn't sacrifice if it meant helping her family out. Her faith and her prayer and her love is not something that is normal, and without God, I don't think it would even be possible. 

I know for Katie and me to have a truly amazing marriage, God has to be in the middle of it. It is so amazing to me to watch her as she is continuing to explore this relationship with God. She wants it to be real and so do I. Don't we all want something real? I know that is what God wants us to have, otherwise the death and the resurrection would have been for nothing. 

Wednesdays Wedding Planning - Lynchburg Wedding Photographers

Whew, has another week passed so quickly? Katie has been so busy with her teaching job and helping me with the photography work, which we had something each day this weekend, we just haven't done much talk at all about the wedding. We also are having some vehicle issues that we are working on as well as thinking and planning for our future together. So while actual plans for the wedding day have not really been mentioned we do talk each day and work each day on the upcoming marriage.

Marriage counseling is in the works and we should be assigned to our mentor couple very soon, we are both very excited about this chapter in our lives. As I mentioned, we are having some car issues which relates to talking about our options and what we could do and what would be best to do. It is very important to us to keep communication open and not to just assume what the other is thinking. We have also agreed to be completely honest with our thoughts and feelings and to learn and to make sure we listen openly and intently so that we can come to a decision.

How often does the busyness of planning a wedding get in the way of building a marriage? I wonder that because of photographing weddings I can see the amount of work that goes into so many small details; I also am realizing that more myself as we work on planning our own wedding. I wonder if the average person puts in as much time working out the small details of their personal lives, as well as their future lives with their fiancé, as they do with the details of their wedding? The wedding day is over in a day, all of the work you put into it is for one day. The napkins you embroider with your names are thrown in the trash, the flowers decay, the food is eaten and all of those special little decorations are quickly forgotten. I wonder how well you would remember your wedding day if it were not for the photos and maybe video? But this post has nothing to do with the photos, at least that is where it is taking me.

Are all those details important? I really don't think they are. Don't get me wrong, they are wonderful things and it is amazing to see each brides twist on their own wedding but in the end, they really are not important; they won't make your marriage any better or any worse. So, I am not saying to forget about planning the wedding or to forego some details that you would really like. But. Are you spending as much time and effort on getting to know one another as you are on studying pinterest? Have you talked as much about your goals in life and marriage as you have what colors to use? Have you struggled with the decisions about how to handle the conflicts that can arise in your marriage as you have about who to invite to your wedding?

Don't become a statistic and have your marriage end in divorce or just be bad. Work now and work each day on building this relationship with each other. You are what matters on your wedding day, make sure your time invested reflects this.

Also I am a glutton for comments so look down just a bit and leave some love :)

Tuesday Tips Tricks and Techniques - Get those photos off your computer!

My fiancé (Katie) and I recently started watching the tv show Revolution, gotta love netflix :) And with several actors/actresses in this from LOST, well what more do you need. The premise of the show is that there was a worldwide blackout fifteen years ago and the electricity doesn't work anymore. Nothing. No cars, tv's, radios, phones; nothing. What does this have to do with the topic? One of the characters carries a phone around, even though there is no power, because somewhere on the phone are the only photos she has of her kids. I love my phone, it is full of photos from life and I love looking at them often. I also have three external hard drives ful of photos as well as several discs used for backups.  Thousands and thousands of photos with many of those being of my family. But what if? What if the power went out and we lost all of those memories?

It is difficult to imagine the world with no power, and perhaps it is not anything that would or could ever happen. But. Computers do fail and hard drives fail. I remember many years ago I lost a memory card full of pictures of the kids. I never found it and now I can't even remember what pictures were even on that card. Computers and hard drives fail. Cd's and usb drives of images get lost and yet we still fill them with our important memories as if they will always be there.

It is time to get those prints made. Get a few large prints, maybe a canvas or two of the really special photos and display them on your wall. Make photo books. A couple of years ago I (Josh) took the kids on a trip to Disney World, I could probably write several blog posts on just that, and when we got home I created a huge photo book filled with hundreds of our memories. I was intentional with the photos because I knew I was going to make a book but even if you weren't I am sure you have memory cards or your phone filled with photos from your trip. They may not be perfect or the best quality but they are still your memories.

Make those books that you can sit down with and relive those memories with your kids. Print out 4x6 prints to stick to your fridge, frame prints to hang and sit on tables and make some large prints for your wall. Get those memories off of the computer and your phone and make them tangible. I recently talked with a bride who received a disc of her wedding images but between the whirlwind of marriage, the honeymoon, life and getting pregnant with her first child, she just hasn't printed anything.

If you have a photo session, seriously talk to your photographer about having them order prints for you. If you did get a disc, print them yourself. There are numerous high quality labs you can use if you have a print release. There are also several online publishers that you can easily create an affordable photo book.

Mpix  -  an excellent online photography printing company offering cards, books, prints, canvases and more.

Walgreens - not the best quality but great for cheap 4x6 prints to hang around and tape up.

Shutterfly - not as high quality as Mpix but a little cheaper. They also offer an assortment of products.

Blurb - A fairly cheap and decent quality photo book company.

MyPublisher - a higher quality online photo book company. They are constantly offering great coupons for your books.

There are so many options to fit everyones needs. So upload those memories and get them displayed. You will be happy you did.

Weddings and Broadway and Zombies, Oh My!

This was an absolute thrill of a weekend as far as work goes. Friday night I got to cover the Ugly Bug Ball for Amazement Square. The tables and costumes were amazing and it was just so much fun meeting so many good people. I may be biased, but the Sweeney Todd table was spectacular, plus meeting the people from Fusion Salon was so much fun. I mean, how awesome does this Sweeney Todd look? (more after the jump)

 It wasn't all gore and creepy though. We had the well known Jennifer Prince of Bliss and the Mike McKendree of the 93.7 KHF Morning show representing Annie.

The lion King, Tarzan, Cats and more were all represented in all their glory.

Fast forward to Saturday and I was second shooting for LuAnn Hunt of LuAnn Hunt Photography  at Amanda and Matt's wedding. It was a little cool out but the Fall colors and the wedding day fun was warming. 

On to Sunday and it was hordes of zombies at the United Way Run For Your Life fundraiser. I worked with Tabitha and the united way as well as a couple of other photographers to help them create the marketing materials for the event. During the event Katie and I ran a photo booth for any of the zombies looking to get an awesome photo done. It was a beautiful evening and there was a great turn out. 

I absolutely love my job, I love the people I get to meet all of the time and I love where things are going. I strive to be sure I glorify God in all that I do, so even when shooting zombies I pray that my actions will show my love for Him always. So that was last weekend, now we are on to blogging, shooting a couple of family sessions, trick or treating and more. Mini sessions are scheduled for November 9th and the Bliss Venue tour is the 10th. So what did you do this weekend?

Thinking Thursdays - Love and Marriage

Oftentimes other people can say things so much better than we can. I will continue to write about mine and katie's upcoming marriage and what we are learning but after watching this video today, I think this is more important than anything I could say today.



What would the world look like if more of us would love like this? The world is broken and on this side of eternity it can never get like this for all of us, but what if we took the first step and love like this? To truly love like Christ? What would that look like to those looking on? No infidelity, no judgement, no guilt just unfaltering love. This is the type of love I want and it is the type of love I want to give.

It won't be perfect but this is what I will strive for. Guys, love your woman unconditionally and lift her up. Ladies, love your man and encourage him. When two people are striving to love like this, there is nothing they can't overcome. Divorce doesn't become an option but marriage and love become the priority.

Wedding Planning Wednesdays - Engagement Photos and the wedding photographer - Virginia Wedding Photographer

It's that time of week again, hard to believe another week has slipped by so quickly. We are just under 8 months left in planning our wedding and at times it feels like we have so much left to do but I think it is important to realize what all has been done so far.

We have our location for the ceremony and reception picked out and reserved. We, well Katie has, bought the wedding dress; she is doing an excellent job hiding that from me as well. We have also picked out two possible cake vendors which we will be meeting with soon. The colors have been chosen, although there is still the question of the hue. I (Josh) never put much thought into how many hues one color, purple, could have. The date has been chosen as well as where we plan on honeymooning. We took a quick getaway to Williamsburg over the weekend where we took our own engagement photos.

This brings up a good question, should you shoot your own engagement photos? Being as we are wedding photographers and I (Josh) learned a lot about about photography by doing self portraits, we figured we would save some money and do our own. There were definitely some pros and cons to going this route. For Pros, we didn't have to pay anyone. We got to do them in one of our favorite places, Williamsburg, Va. We setup the shots that we wanted and I think we got some beautiful shots together. For the cons, that is a little more difficult. When you have a photographer doing them you get to give your full attention to your fiancé, I think I did pretty well dividing my attention and I was still able to get some pretty candid shots since I just held the remote shutter and turned my attention to Katie. 

There were many missed focus shots because, well, there wasn't anyone behind the camera. The biggest thing for me (Josh) though was I took the shots, edited them and did the slideshow so I didn't get the full impact of seeing them for the first time; Katie did get that though so I was very happy with that. So would I do it that way again? Absolutely, but I caution you to not do it unless you have a familiarity of doing self portraits. I think I will still be surprising Katie in the next week but I can't divulge anymore on that since she will see this :) Love you Katie :)

Our wedding photos will not be done by us, it was actually a pretty big process deciding who would do our photos. A few local first choices were booked for our date, one had gotten out of doing weddings and some were out of our price range. In the end I am very happy and thrilled to have Emily Russell of Emily Russell Photography capture our day. Check out her facebook page by clicking on the link

over her name. 

I knew Emily from when I lived in Michigan and through the power of social media reconnected. And being a

photographer we messaged often talking about the business and I even was privileged to assist her on a wedding.

So things are progressing well even though we still have much to do. One thing we have both found that is very important

is that we continue to take time to continue to grow closer together. The weekend getaway helped a lot, especially as work 

is devouring much of our time and everything else. We have also started going to a bible study to grow closer to God as we 

grow closer together. Premarital counseling is also in the works as we both realize that relationships and marriage takes a lot

of work and effort. We know there will be good times as well as bad times and we have both seen and continue to see very 

unhealthy relationships around us. We will be different and we hope to be an inspiration and help to others. 

Marriage is work, there is no easy way. Some people choose to jump from relationship to relationship and quickly run when things

get hard. We have been blessed to not have had any big trials but we know that they will come. Because of that knowledge we know

we must work hard at the foundation so that when the storms come we will make it through. Neither of us take the commitment of 

marriage lightly and we hope to be a light to those around us. Engagement to Katie is my promise to marry her and this is our foundation 

building time. It isn't that we don't want to build the house immediately but we know we want our house built on the rock. So come and walk 

with us. 

Tuesday Tips Tricks and Techniques - What camera bag is right for me?

You have your bright shiny new camera.; maybe it is a huge dslr like the Canon 1Ds Mark IV or maybe you have a nice small compact or you may just use your cell phones camera but now how do you carry it around? I will just focus on the dslr on this post since that is what I use and if you have a cell phone you likely already have some sort of case for that. So what do you buy for your camera?

Options, options, options.... So many options for carrying a camera that it can get overwhelming. Do you get a backpack? Maybe a hard pelican case is better for you, but don't forget about the sling packs and traditional camera bags. Let's start with what I use, all three of them.

As a working professional that takes studio strobes on location I needed a case to haul the lights around in that would protect them. This thing is a beast, it is big, it is heavy but it does its job. The case is watertight and pressurized for flying. I haven't had to use either of those perks but the weather sealed aspect is nice when you are dealing with fragile electronic equipment. I can even downsize my gear to where I can fit the light, battery, cameras, lenses, and more all in one space which is great when I have to haul everything on my own. I wish it was just a bit larger or had a way to accommodate a light stand.  If you have a lot of gear and want absolute protection this is the way to go but be forewarned it is heavy and while it has wheels, they are almost entirely useless if you take it off of pavement.

Pros:
Weather sealed
customizable to fit what you need
impact protection

Cons:
Heavy
Bulky
wheels are useless off of pavement

Easy to carry and it fits most of your gear, especially if you are a hobbyist. When you start hauling multiple cameras and several lenses along with batteries, cables, remote triggers and flashes you run out of room fast. There are several sizes of backpacks and this one was perfect for when I got it. When you are looking for a backpack case make sure you allow yourself a little room to grow. At the very least you want plenty of room for your camera, a long lens, a wide lens, one flash, batteries, filters and room to spare for an additional lens. This setup is great for nature hiking or going to the beach. I can fit a long lens for wildlife, a wide angle for landscapes, a flash (because you just never know) and some batteries. I can even strap my tripod on the outside and have room for water. I highly recommend a backpack style camera bag for those who like to do a lot of walking around with their hobby. Some issues to be aware of are that if you are a tourist the case is on your back and someone could unzip it and steal your gear. Also be aware that the zipper could fail and spill your valuable gear.

Pros:
easy to carry
holds a nice assortment of gear
comfortable

Cons:
easier for someone to steal your gear while wearing it
The zipper could break spilling your gear
slow access when you want to change lenses

The shoulder bag, comes in an assortment of colors, designs and sizes. This was the very first bag I got for my camera so it fits very little anymore but I use it all of the time at weddings. I carry my camera on a sling strap and keep my spare flash and lenses to change right in the bag alongside batteries and memory cards. This bag will soon be replaced by a thinktank shoulder bag.

Pros:
Comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate and shooting style and budget
comfortable, but not as comfortable as the backpack
easy access

Cons:
if you get a size that is right for your gear and body I can't think of any except that it is not impact resistant.

Things to consider:

Make sure you get a bag that is comfortable to wear for an extended period of time. Has easy access to everything in the bag. Get a bag that gives you room to grow; if you have a camera and 2-3 lenses get a bag that can fit 4-5 lenses and maybe even a second camera. You want a bag that will last you a few years without running out of room, I am about two years past due to upgrade my bag. Don't get a camera name brand bag, you know like two of mine that say canon. When you get a bag to go with your brand, i.e. canon or nikon, you are advertising that you are carrying around expensive camera gear. For me, I will be putting my money into a http://www.thinktankphoto.com bag.

You could probably write an entire book on camera bag systems, but my thoughts and suggestions are to get a bag that will fit more than you currently have, is easy to access, is comfortable and doesn't blatantly advertise that you are carrying camera gear around.

What is your carrying preference?

Josh & Katie Engaged - Virginia Wedding Photographer

Yes we are Engaged :) I know the ring made it official but for me (Josh) I find having the engagement photos done helps to cement the fact in my mind. Perhaps this is because I don't have a ring to wear, so having official photos done is kind of like my ring. So who took them? We did of course :) I heard it said that you can't do your own engagement photos but being that photography is our life and business it only made sense to shoot them ourselves. Plus Katie won't let me do our wedding photos so I had to do something.

Normally I would like to write up a little something on the engaged couple but we put ourselves out there all over the blog and our website that it would seem to just be repeating ourselves. If you haven't read it already though, I did write a post about  Why Am I Getting Married which you should totally check out.  The weather was very uncooperative for the Family session we had booked for Saturday so when that ended up being rescheduled we decided to head to one of our favorite places, Williamsburg, and do our own engagement photos. The weather ended up being cool but very beautiful for our session and we both had so much fun being in a place we love, with each other doing what we love. So here is what we captured, we are both so happy to share this time of our lives with you.

Thinking Thursdays - Lynchburg Virginia Wedding Photographer

Yay it's Thursday :) Ok well that may be good or bad, if it felt like Thursday yesterday for you and you still have one more day of work it isn't that great but it is the day before Friday so that has to stand for something, right? What is Thinking Thursdays? Honestly I wanted to use Thursdays I'm in Love but I realized that Friday already took that. So Thinking Thursdays is really just a place to get to know us better. Get a glimpse into our life and what we value and love and hate. If you want tips on photography you should check out Tuesday Tips Tricks and Techniques occurring, you guessed it, Tuesdays. If you are more interested in our wedding planning adventures you should check out Wedding Planning Wednesdays. For what would be categorized under Potpourri on Jeopardy you should be, well, right here. Welcome :)

Thursdays are a day for me (Josh) to reflect on what has happened during the week and to prepare for the weekend. If it is a wedding weekend, I am busy preparing all the gear for the long day ahead. It is also a great day to reflect on what last weeks message at Blue Ridge Community Church, known as BRCC from hear on out, was on. It really is amazing how quickly we can forget things that happened only just a few days ago. Even a really powerful service can be quickly forgotten if we do not intentionally think back on it. 

What can you expect on Thinking Thursdays? I really have no idea :) Ok, that is not entirely true but what I mean is that this will be a place to talk about what is going on in our lives. This could be with us, our kids, the dog, the cat, soccer, the business, church, God, money etc... Really just whatever it is I feel would be best for sharing. 

For today I will share just a snippet of our past week. Church was especially powerful for us this past Sunday, actually this has been an ongoing theme. I think that has to do with Katie and I intentionally making an effort to have a more real and intimate relationship with God as we grow closer to each other. We both value marriage deeply and while I (Josh) went through a divorce five tears ago and this is the first for Katie, we are making a lifetime commitment to each other before God and are very serious about it. Back to church, the series we are currently in is on Discipleship and last weeks message was on prayer. Very powerful and a bit funny as there was a mishap with someones alarm on there phone that got the entire rooms attention. Sadly you really had to be there but it was very funny. 

After Church we all spent the day together, Josh, Katie, Nathaniel, and Leilana. Oh yeah, if you don't know us Nathaniel and Leilana are Josh's kids who are with me (Josh) Sunday-Friday, so you will likely hear a lot about them. We all went over to Katie's house where we carved pumpkins, lit some fireworks, played the guitar, played rock band, watch funny videos and just spent some good quality time together. 

Friday night we watched Katie's brother perform with the marching band. The show is really coming along and it was really nice being able to watch him even with the dreary weather. After band we went to Scaremare, it really is scary. Well seeing the length of the line is really scary, the rest not so much. But we had some good time talking and people watching which was fun. Nathaniel didn't go this year but hopefully next time. 

Who knows what will happen for next weeks Thinking Thursdays. What exciting things happened with you? 

Wedding Planning Wednesdays - Lynchburg Virginia Wedding Photographer

It's hump day (said with the inflection of the camel on the commercial) so that means it is Wedding Planning Wednesdays. As we plan our wedding for June we are finding out just how overwhelming this all can be. Hopefully our thoughts and experiences as we go through the planning process will be able to help you out as you plan your own wedding. And if you have any advice to offer we would love to hear it.

So where are we? Well I (Josh) proposed to Katie on September 19th, I took her to where we had our first kiss :) Ok so not as creative as some of the proposals you see on youtube but it was a special place and I surprised her which I wasn't sure was going to be possible so I am happy. Plus she said yes so :) Well, I told her after that if she said No I would have had to make her walk home... From an overlook on the parkway... We both like sarcasm so don't try that at home unless you like it.

After the engagement and the subsequent phone calls and announcements we started talking about planning the wedding. We bought a Bridal magazine which I (Josh)"borrowed" to check out all of the photos. Photography is a lifestyle you see, not just a job :) We also checked out the internet. The information super highway really needs a better map. There is just so many options and places to look for ideas and suggestions. Weddingwire has been useful for locating vendors but it is just one of many tools available. We really started getting overwhelmed with everything so we took a break and decided to really figure out what we needed, what we wanted and what budget we are working with. After finding out the budget we also found out how important prioritizing certain aspects of the wedding is. When you work with a limited budget you have to figure out what is the most important things and what things can be eliminated or downsized.

As Virginia wedding photographers we both highly value wedding photography and we are allotting around 1/3 of our total budget to hiring the photographers, see my bride to be doesn't think we should do our own... I'm not convinced, I have done a lot of self portraits over the years you see :)

Ok, ok I know what she means, but how do photographers find other photographers to trust with their wedding? Well we go with who we know, the only problem is we are having a June wedding in 8 months and many photographers are already booked. So ladies and gentlemen, seriously if you value photography and know it is going to be an important part of your day I suggest to start sending inquiries as soon as you know the date. We are still trying to find one we trust and like (you really should like your photographer as they will be with you all day) so we will keep you updated. 

There is also colors to choose, location for the ceremony, location for the reception, the cake, the dress, the invitations, the guest list the jdhgfkjgdgfljfg... It really does start to run together. See what I mean by getting overwhelmed? So what have we found to help? We are still working on that and that is what this weekly Wednesday blog post will be for. The most important thing though... Remember to continue to take time to spend with your fiancé and continue to get to know them. They are far more important than the dress or the flowers or even, gasp, the photos. Continually invest in God and each other above all else, after all we are talking about the union of two souls. What could be more important?

Matthew 19:4-6

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'  and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ?  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Why am I Getting Married?

Perhaps a more accurate title would be, why am I marrying Katie? My fiance and I were talking yesterday and we often like to just ask each other questions in which we promise to give a truthful response. This process has helped us get to know one another better all the time. One of the questions last night was; why do you want to marry me? Anyone who is married or is getting married has probably heard this question or at least thought of it. After all, it is a very good question to ask each other and ourselves. The divorce rate is ridiculously high and I for one am making this marriage a lifelong commitment. Does anyone really get married thinking they will just get a divorce if it doesn't work out? If they are and have never been through a divorce, they don't understand the pain of ripping a marriage apart.

Why am I writing a blog post on this? Good question self. Actually after Katie asked me why I wanted to marry her I had to think about it. Sure there is the go to answers such as I love you, you are my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you. But, we are talking about marriage. I am promising to love her when she is in a bad mood, when she is mad at me, when I am mad at her; this isn't something we can just walk away from so I think it deserves more thought and some real soul searching. Why do I want to marry Katie? See it isn't a need, we don't say I need to marry you or I need to spend time with you, this is a want.

1 Corinthians 7:8 (Living Bible)

So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—better to stay unmarried if you can, just as I am.

I don't need to get married and Katie doesn't need to marry me. But I really do want to marry Katie. But why? Katie is beautiful to me, and getting more beautiful with each passing moment. Is that a reason? What is beauty? Is Katie physically getting more beautiful with each passing day? Sure that is a possibility but I think it goes deeper. It is also a great place to start. Why is Katie getting more beautiful to me each day? It has nothing to do with her physical appearance; my eyes aren't suddenly getting better or worse. Each passing day gives me new insight into who Katie is, what she loves, how she loves and a deeper understanding of her soul. They say beauty is only skin deep but I think that is wrong. Beauty cuts down into the depths of each person and is only truly seen as you get to know them. 

So to Katie, this is why I want to marry you:

I feel as if my life is better with you in it. You support me in all that I do and have faith in me as a person even when my faith is trembling. 

You love my children as if they were your own flesh and blood. I see the love you have for them in your eyes and in your actions. I can see that spending time with them is a priority to you and that you would do whatever is best for them, even if it isn't the easy thing to do.

I love that you will call me out on stuff and that you dig deep into who I am. There is a lot to me that many never see because they only scratch the surface but you want to know me deeper each day.

I love hearing you laugh and seeing you smile. Seeing you happy brings me joy. 

I love that you love tickling and being tickled and just having fun. You are an amazing person.

Being with and around you makes me want to be a better father and to have a more real relationship with God. You help to bring out the best in me but you still love me when my best doesn't show. 

When I hear a beautiful song, see a beautiful sunset or read a beautiful quote, it is you that I see and hear. 

I love thinking of our future, however uncertain that may be. We may not have much money, we may be rich, we may be poor, we may be healthy, we may be sick, we may be fat, we may be thin, we may be grieving or happy or mad but it doesn't matter. Life is always changing around us and always will be. People we love will be born and will die. People will get sick and some will be cured. It doesn't matter, I want you by my side when life is great and when it is miserable. When we are on the mountain tops of life, when we are in the darkness of the valleys and with each step in-between I want you taking those steps with me. 

I will fail, I will hurt you but I will also love you and lift you up. My prayer is that the times I am lifting you up and encouraging you far outweighs the times I am not. As long as we grow in each other and grow in God I believe that will be the case but I will love you regardless.

I will not view love as an emotion we have no control over but rather it is something that can and will be worked on and for and towards. 

I want to marry you because I choose to be your partner, your best friend, your confidant, your lover, your prayer partner, your companion and I believe you choose the same thing. 

When I asked you out I asked if you would walk with me wherever this path may lead. I meant that wholeheartedly. I don't know where this journey will take us but I want it to be with you as long as we are alive. So yesterday today and tomorrow I will walk with you as long as we are living. These words do not do you justice but know my heart and my mind and know that I love you with all that I can love. 

I Love You.

I also want to marry you because despite all of my grammatical errors you still love me :)

Tuesday Tips Tricks and Techniques - Lynchburg Virginia Wedding Photographer

Welcome to the first weekly installment of tips tricks and techniques by Josh & Katie MinsoPhoto. I (Josh) hope to provide you with some tools that will help you better capture all of those memories happening around you. As you are most likely aware, cameras are everywhere. You would be hard pressed to go anyplace and not see a cell phone camera, compact or even someone carrying a big old honking DSLR around taking pictures of everyone and everything.

If you are on facebook or twitter (or any number of other popular social sites) you are likely bombarded with many pictures everyday. Your friends dog, your brothers dinner, or your grandchildren. Photography is great and while many professionals may be worried about the influx of cameras everywhere, I am happy to have these tools at my disposal to capture life as it happens around me.

So where does this blog come in? Every Tuesday I (Josh) will be posting a tip trick or technique to help you better capture those memories happening around you everyday. This blog is for everyone as I will offer help to those just wanting a better cell phone picture to professionals looking to do more advanced lighting techniques.

Why am I helping you? Isn't this going to take business away from me? Personally I just absolutely love photography and I want you to all be able to capture life's moments easier and better. As wedding photographers we notice so many cell phones and ipads and other digital cameras at weddings that it can sometimes get in the way.

We hope you will be considerate and be aware of the paid photographer so that they can get the shot they need and the bride wants without your head in it, or even your cell phone. But I also can see the value in the moments you are capturing. We cannot be everywhere at once so we like that you are helping to capture the memories. Don't forget to not get too wrapped up in shooting that you forget to make your own memories while you are there though.

So please be aware of the professionals as you shoot but don't worry, we can work around it as well.

Ok, well now that we have the introductions out of the way lets get on to the tips tricks and techniques. Since we are on weddings lets continue with that theme. There is always the go to shots such as the first kiss, the cake cutting, the first dance and so on but if there is a professional or two at the wedding, they will be sure to get those shots. 

Instead look around to see what is happening around you, grab candid shots we may not catch since we are making sure we get the must have shots. Many brides choose to have a photographer team or a second shooter that is able to get those shots as well but many times it is just the one photographer. Look for the emotion, the laughter and the tears. These are the images that carry the most impact and ones that will have people flooding your picture post with comments. Emotion is huge, after all that is what makes weddings so special. 

My partner (and soon to be wife :)) Grabbed this shot while I was busy shooting the cake cutting. The girl with the huge smile on her face was a very close friend of the brides who hadn't seen each other in awhile. This shot meant a great deal to the bride and if I was shooting just by myself I wouldn't have been able to capture this, but someone with their own camera could have. So look around and capture the memories happening right next to you, that is your Tuesday Tip :) Come back next Tuesday for more. 

Announcing Amy and Daniel

I met Amy at Sheetz several years ago. Weird place to meet someone huh? But when you run into someone who genuinely cares about other people and takes an interest in them and their likes it doesn't matter the location. We talked for under a minute most days as I went through her line on my way to work and through it we became friends. I would often show her what I had been working on and she showed real interest in my photography.

Soon I would take my passion and turn it into a full time career and that meant I didn't get to see her on our morning visits but one day when I went to get lunch I ran into her and heard she was getting married and insisted on me photographing her wedding. And what a beautiful day it was. It was unseasonably warm for an October wedding but the smiles and laughter were full of life and it was truly beautiful.

Enjoy a brief look at Amy and Daniels story and share in their laughter and joy. And don't miss the links below about the amazing cake they had.

This cake not only looked amazing but it was so good. I could seriously have just kept eating it and I am not so certain the top of the cake would have ever made it home. The cake was done by Geri's Confections. I seriously recommend checking it out for any of your sweet tooth needs. Find her on facebook HERE or check out the website over HERE.