Providing Inspired Maryland Wedding & Portrait Photography for Modern Day Brides & Families

Grateful for…my Bluetooth headset

05.20.2013

With three sisters and a Mom who all live far away from me, plus all the other phone calls I make weekly, I’m on the phone quite a bit. I used to hate phone conversations, because I couldn’t be talking and doing something at the same time, plus my neck would get tired, and it wasn’t unusual for me to get a headache. I discovered a bluetooth headset about a year ago and this little gadget has really made my life so much better! The sounds quality is great, it doesn’t drop calls, and there are no wires to deal with. I can talk on the phone without having to hold the phone with my hand, or try to hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder, both of which get uncomfortable after a while. I don’t hold my neck in weird positions anymore, and so the tendency for getting headaches while I’m on the phone is now practically non-existent.

It’s also really handy because of the “no-talking-on-the-phone-without-hands-free” law that was passed last year in Maryland and has been in effect for a while already in DC. I drive a lot, and I almost as soon as I get on the road I call someone, because I find driving alone in the car pretty boring.

If you’re on the phone a lot, it’s definitely something that might be worth investing in. I know it seems small, but it can make a big difference!

I’m also loving these flowers Becky gave me a few weeks ago, that are hanging on the side of my house. It makes me happy every time I see them. :)

Maryland Photographer_1001

-Susie

PS. If there’s a gadget you’ve gotten that’s helped you out, I’d love to hear about it!

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Inspired Photography by Susie & Becky
Maryland Wedding Photographers

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Friday Snapshots, Edition #4

05.17.2013

Hi readers! And just like that, another week has flown by and the weekend is upon us. Hope you have plans to enjoy the *gorgeous* weather forecast for us. We have a break this weekend before shooting three weddings in exactly one week, so I’ll be trying to make sure things are in order in the house, yard, and garden. A few snapshot from my scattered and overly-sharing brain:

1. John and I are debating train for the half-marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival this fall. We’re motivated by several things, but a major goal is to raise money for the really amazing ministry of Helping Up Mission, which we deeply believe in. But because of my wedding schedule, we really wouldn’t be able to train on the weekends – we’d have to do a weekday, and almost certainly we’d have to train with the kids. I was trying to think up a motto for us – “The family who exercises together gets.. sweaty, sore, grumpy, and overly tired together?” If that’s all I can think of, maybe this isn’t such a good idea :-)

2. Our new bathroom is almost finished. Meanwhile, I stalled out on our living room painting while we repaired a wall. AND, John is moving his office downstairs this weekend, which means we have a playroom – at least until we adopt again, if God blesses that hope. SO I’ve got a lot of decorating in front of me, which is equal parts exciting and intimidating. I saw this link on wallpapering with wrapping paper… would you try it? Don’t think I have the confidence.

3. My mom was actually out of town for Mother’s Day, so she and my dad came over to celebrate on Wednesday evenings. She said she wanted me to make a meal inspired by the food we ate in Italy and then to hear all about our trip via the pictures I took. I thought this really summed up the essence of a mother – to be focused on me at a celebration for her! So I really wanted to make a special dinner, so I made flatbread antipasto pizza, seafood lasagna, arugula and tomato salad, and tiramisu cupcakes. And that’s the picture for today!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!!!!!!

–Becky

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Vendor Feature: Earl and Layne

05.16.2013

If you’re reading this, you already know that we recently completed a re-branding process, building from a new name all the way up to an entirely new look, website, and blog. Today, we want to introduce you to the talent and hard work behind this process. We’ve interviewed Rachael Earl of Earl & Layne, because we want *everyone* we know how amazing this company is. Susie and I have equal goals for our client – to provide great images AND a great experience. Well, Rachael gave us a lesson in how to deliver both perfect work and an incredible experience. We could not be any more thrilled with the outcome of our look, but the process of getting there was so pleasant. Rachael responded to every email in a very short timeframe with cheerful and clear correspondences, and from the very beginning, it just felt like she understood us and what we wanted to communicate to potential clients.

The reason we initially chose Earl & Layne is because their work showed incredible variety – they were clearly able to express anyone and everyone’s vision creatively and beautifully. As you read through this interview, I hope you also admire these screenshots which showcase the incredible diversity of their work.

Rachael, what attracted you to graphic design?

I have always loved art and designing since I was young, and actually have an art degree, but I also love helping people, so it was a natural fit for me.

Has there been any particular job or award that was extra special for you or that you’re especially proud of?

Every job is fun and unique, and I love that about designing websites in general, but we have had some MASSIVE projects with lots of pages, which are always a big accomplishment to finally launch.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love the variety of getting to work on totally different client projects every single day. It’s never dull or boring and it’s always like solving a puzzle for the client.

Fill in the blank: I just love working with a client that…

…lives their brand – they know who they are and they personify it in their work, and everything just flows together so nicely from there.

Where do you go for inspiration?

I am constantly ripping pages out of magazines, saving wrappers, bookmarking web pages and have stacks of random things all over my desk. I also love movies and advertisements for inspiration. I am a firm believer that inspiration can come from anywhere.

Any basic design tips that you can offer up to us humble lay-designers?

Oooh…probably stick to “classic” and you’ll always be set. The thing I see the most is probably the use of a bazillion different fonts, colors, graphics, etc. that end up making things too busy. If you keep it simple, it will always be in style.

What contact information would you like us to share?

www.earlandlayne.com

info@earlandlayne.com

So there you have it y’all – we firmly believe that if you’re trying to figure out a better way to present your business to the world, you MUST talk with Earl & Layne!!! :-)

Inspired Photography by Susie & Becky
Maryland Wedding Photographer

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Urban Pirate Rehearsal Dinner for Aubrey and Jake

05.15.2013

Aubrey and Jake planned (and more impressively, kept!) a secret surprise for their rehearsal dinner. All they told their guests was to dress casually.

After the rehearsal was over, Aubrey led the group on a little walk through Baltimore.

To the Urban Pirate Ship in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Now some people don’t like surprises, so I was curious to see how this would go over with their crowd. They LOVED it :-) The crew welcomed the crowd on and ordered them to don their pirate clothes. Everyone got a tattoo and then they made their way over to this guy, Pirate Stinky Crab (or something like that). As Jake said, Pirate Stinky Crab had the best job on the boat – he got to hand out pirate names. And he was GREAT at his job. He got everyone laughing within moments of their arrival on the ship.

Before we took off, we got a picture of the good-lookin’ bridal party. Nice looking groom there to the right, too :-) And… there’s the lovely bride and her sister… who was dressed in a very pirate-esque dress. Methinks she knew the surprise :-) The crew was really excellent at keeping the party rolling. Not that it would have been too hard with this fun crowd :-) The view was beautiful – so much great architecture around the Inner Harbor. I made sure to get a few pictures of the Legg Mason building, where Aubrey and Jake would be getting married the following day.

Onto the limbo. The pirates may have given mom a little break, but… This crowd was GOOD. Check out Aubrey’s brother’s limbo skills! All in all, it was a night of great fun… And just a little bit of romance :-)

Well done, Jake and Aubrey :-) And two thumbs up to the crowd at Urban Pirates also!! :-)

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May 15, 2013 - 1:20 pm

Ashleigh Meusel - These are SO GREAT! What a fun night!

May 15, 2013 - 2:11 pm

Rachel Barker Weaver - Love it, thank you Susie and Becky for a great idea for a kids/adult Halloween party! The photos are awesome, you guys did a great job :)

May 15, 2013 - 3:45 pm

Veronica 'Ronnie' Meusel - great Pictures! Really captured the fun you all had :-)

May 15, 2013 - 3:53 pm

Denée Ji Michelle - Awesome shots! Looks like it was a blast!

May 15, 2013 - 11:44 pm

Tracee Miller Cutair - Beautiful!

May 16, 2013 - 2:44 am

Becky - Lovely awesome pictures! However, how does Lennie happen to avoid all but one picture? Love the Lears/Greens!!

May 17, 2013 - 3:21 am

Urban Pirates - Aaaargh! These arrrrr great!

Confession time, and a few organizational tips

05.14.2013

It’s confession time on the blog today for me (Susie). I’m not by nature an organized person. It may look like it sometimes, but you can just ask my Mom how much grief I gave her growing up because I didn’t keep my room clean. In fact, this is how my bookshelf in my office has looked for far too long. It’s really quite sad.

With that said, running a business doesn’t work if you’re not at least somewhat organized. I’ve found a few tips that help me stay on top of things even when it’s not natural for me.

1) Blank notebooks. Yes, I still use a pen/paper organizational system. I’ve tried computerized systems, Google calendar, but I always keep coming back to a pen/paper system. I use a page for each day of the week, and plan out 1 – 2 weeks in advance, and keep track of my schedule and my to-do lists for every day this way. It helps me stay on top of things, and keeps me from double booking myself. I take my notebook with me pretty much everywhere I go, too.

2) I have created systems and I make myself follow them, even when I’m in a hurry, or really, really don’t want to. If I don’t, my file structure gets messed up, emails get out of hand, and I things start spiraling downhill really quickly.

3) To keep me on track at the start of my workdays, I have a list of the things I have to do first thing in the morning. Once I do that, I go over my to-do list for the day, plan out the rest of the day, and go on from there. If I don’t have a little time of planning in the morning, I get distracted so easily I get nothing done.

-Susie

PS. I’d love to hear tips about how you keep organized – in your business or at home. I’m always needing ways to become better at that.

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Baltimore, Maryland Wedding Photographer » Providing Inspired Maryland Wedding & Portrait Photography for Modern Day Brides & Families

Baltimore, Maryland Wedding Photographer

Grateful for…my Bluetooth headset

Friday Snapshots, Edition #4

Vendor Feature: Earl and Layne

Urban Pirate Rehearsal Dinner for Aubrey and Jake

Confession time, and a few organizational tips