We had many challenges including a stretch of eight weddings in nine weeks during September and October. We saw an increased number of collegiate sport photography events as well as commercial photography events. We purchased some new equipment that made us wonder how we ever photographed without it. One lens paid for itself the first wedding we used it. And we rearranged our post photography workflow which has saved us hours of editing. And we both grew as photographers.
But one of the highlights for me was a portrait session with the Dombrowskys. You see in 2004, I was working for a sports wire service shooting the Atlanta Braves, Falcons, Thrashers, UGA and GT football. I spent my off time at the magazine racks scanning for one of my images that may have been published. Lisa had returned to college for her Advertising and Marketing degree at Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga. A young intern at the Atlanta Braves named Adrienne asked me to photograph her wedding. Me? A wedding? Why, I'm a sports photographer! So I bowed out gracefully and left her with some advice on what to look for in her wedding photographer.
At the same time Lisa was excelling with her black and white darkroom photography course at Wesleyan. I was so proud of her. I had never dreamed of what the future held for us.
I still remember the day like yesterday. I was picking up my press pass at the Georgia Dome for a Falcons game, when I saw Adrienne giving out the passes. "Can I talk to you?" she asked. "We took your advice and met with many photographers and now Richard doesn't want a photographer! Will you consider photographing our wedding? I know he will like you and you may be our last chance for having a photographer!" Suddenly for the first time ever in my life I actually entertained the thought of photographing a wedding. With Adrienne's smiling face staring me down, I nervously blurted out that I needed to check with Lisa and if she agreed to help me, then yes, we would do it! "What did I just do?" was all I could think of even as the scrambling Michael Vick filled my shutter plane that afternoon. Well, Lisa agreed and the rest is history.
So one of the year's highlights for me was our family portrait session with Adrienne, Richard, and Olivia. Yes, Olivia! They now have the cutest little girl ever! (Next to our little one, Riley, of course!) Adrienne is now Media Relations Manager for the Braves and Richard is the Associate Head Baseball Coach for Piedmont College. One the truest pleasures of our business is watching the families grow. Nothing compares to the meeting of the couple, photographing their engagement session, their wedding day, and then family portraits years later.
Here's a photo from our reunion session:
As we look forward to 2012, we are anticipating an even better year. We are expanding the number of senior portrait sessions that we do as well sporting events that we cover. The wedding bookings are continuing in record numbers. While we are not ones for resolutions, we do carry the conviction to be the best photographers that we can be!
Thanks to all of our clients who made 2011 so great and may we continue to serve you!
Randy and Lisa
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