Congratulations Jacquelyn & Peter!!!

We celebrated the last wedding of 2006, the New Year, and the beautiful wedding of Jacquelyn & Peter last night! The wedding was awesome, and had everything from a horse carriage to great food and dancing, to fireworks.... overall an amazing wedding! I've known Jacquelyn for nearly 8 years now, so it was an honor to be able to photograph her wedding for her (and Peter).

We have hundreds and hundreds of photos from the event that we are really excited to share, and are hoping to have them up online for viewing/ordering shortly. Please feel free to pre-register your email at the link below to receive notification once images are live:

http://mattramosphotography.instaproofs.com/enterEvent.php?id=13386

Again, congratulations to Jacquelyn and Peter - best wishes in your new marriage, and Happy New Year!!!

Nearly Sold Out for 2007!

Believe it or not, we are almost fully booked for 2007 weddings already.... pretty insane considering it's not even 2007 yet! Remaining open date slots are becoming scarce, and will most likely fill over the next couple of months. Please feel free to contact us directly to check available dates before it's too late!

P.S. I'll be happy to write some checks out if anyone has a referral/friend getting married! (read below for details!)

Merry Xmas & Happy Holidays!

Now that it's Christmas Eve, hopefully everyone's in the full spirit of the holiday(s)! Short and sweet - Not a lot to report on this week, but just wanted to take the time to wish all our good friends, family and clients a "Happy Holidays" this year! As I've said before, it's been an amazing year, and I really look forward to all the new shoots, weddings, and client relationships that 2007 will bring!

P.S. We've got our first "Winter" wedding coming up next weekend, so make sure you check back for some samples of Jacquelyn & Peter!

New 2007 Referral Incentive!

I've learned in life & business, that word of mouth advertising is by far the best thing you can have. Despite the thousands of dollars we spend in advertising each year, it's always exciting to hear a new client say they heard about us from a previous customer or wedding we shot.

As we count down to 2007, I'm really excited to now give something back, by offering an incentive for those that refer us to a friend or family member. Starting January 1st, 2007, we will gladly send a check for $100.00 to anyone that refers a new wedding we shoot. I would hope the quality of our work, amazing products, advanced technology, and customer service we provide would be enough to refer us anyway, but this is just one more incentive or way to give thanks, while helping to continue to grow our business.

I look forward to writing my first few checks - easy money..... who wants it!? By the way, I suppose someone could also trade in their check for a free photoshoot too? :)

Click the link below to learn more about the program!
www.mattramosphotography.com/referral.html

"You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!"

(notice the cake falling off his face suspended in mid-air)

As 2006 nears it's end and a new generation of fantastic weddings awaits, I'm really enjoying taking a last look at some of the fun weddings from this past year. Sometimes, I think I enjoy looking at people's wedding photos more than they do (hopefully that's not really the case :)

Please congratulate April and Joe for being the winners of this year's best "cake in the face" shots! I'd have to say this was one of the best cake cutting experiences I have ever witnessed, let alone for 2006. This definitely gives the phrase, "you can have your cake and eat it too" a whole new meaning!!!

This is also a quick reminder that couples still have 10 days left to save on their 2007 wedding, before our new pricing structure goes into effect. There's never been a better time to lock in your date, cross something off your "to do" list, and save money all at the same time. If you don't, you could get cake in your face come January :)

Weiss Wedding Album Complete!

People always ask us what we do during the off-season part of the year, when we are not shooting as many weddings. The answer? ........ building albums - tons of them!! (I suppose I spend much of my time meeting with next year clients and filling print orders too, but that's beside the point :)

Anyway, here's this today's album post for Eric & Barbara .... depsite only spending a few hours with them, I think their album will still showcase the beauty of their special day - enjoy!

Oh, and here's the link if you wanna check it out:
www.mattramosphotography.com/weiss

Check Out the New "Gadget" Store!

Today, we added a new store to the website, where people can not only get cool gadgets and accessories for their photo needs (IE: Digital Picture Frames, etc), but also some other really cool stuff that are great deals! Be sure to check out the "Matt's Favorite Gadgets" to see all my must have items that I live and die by!

I'll be adding a ton more items as I think of them with various categories, so make sure you check back for more cool stuff! Now that I have you all in the buying mood, click the link below to check out the goods! :)

www.mattramosphotography.com/store.htm

Miceli Wedding Album!

We had a blast this summer with good friends, Bryan and Christie, and decided to use their wedding for one of our show albums. We haven't yet put together the "real" album for this couple, but since I really liked the way this one came out, I thought I'd share anyway. I'm sure the final album will look that much better with Bryan & Christie's personal touch preferences!

Here's a link to check it out if you want.... make sure you turn up those speakers first!!!
www.mattramosphotography.com/miceli

New Testimonials Page Added!

One of the best things in the world, is reading all the wonderful emails and comments we get on the blog from time to time from our customers. As our business continues to head in the right direction as far as growth, we owe 100% appreciation to all the wonderful people that take the time to give us their feedback.

If efforts to share some of the awesome comments we've received, I've created a new "testimonials" page on the website for old and new customers to check out. I had a lot of fun going through all these, and didn't realize how many I was able to find to post! Thanks again to all the amazing clients and friends we've had the opportunity to work with!

By the way, you can check out the new page by clicking the link below:
http://www.mattramosphotography.com/testimonials.html

New (W I D E S C R E E N) DVD Options!

Having a videographer on your wedding day is always a nice perk (and when you do, we recommend www.foreverplatinum.com), however for those that decide not to have a videographer, a DVD slideshow with music is clearly the way to go!

With updated technology & software from Photodex Producer, we are now able to offer our customers amazing DVD options to go along with those new widescreen, High Def tv's we are all buying these days. With your photo and music selections, it's sure to be a show everyone will want to watch - they also make for fantastic gift ideas! (wink)

To check out of sample of our slideshows, check out a sample from some recent weddings at:

www.mattramosphotography.com/slideshows.html.

(make sure you turn up your speakers, and give it time to load - it'll be worth it, I promise!)

Portraits with the Pastor!

I can tell you that doing a portrait session with a Pastor will certainly keep you on your toes...... thoughts go through your mind, like "what if I accidentally say this or that," and "should I flip to the next song on the IPOD which is currently playing Metallica?" Despite the battle within, I managed to make it all work!

Today was a blast as I spent about 2 hours with Kate, who is a Pastor, and wanted to do something really nice for her husband by getting some portraits done of herself for the holidays. We sorta just fooled around with all different ideas, and think we got a lot of really great stuff..... her husband is a lucky man to have such a cool wife!

Thanks for a fun shoot today, Kate and for keeping me close to the Lord during my shoots! :)

Selling Your Home Just Got Easier!

Met with Jason Ordon today from Re/Max to discuss some new ideas and a campaign he is now initiating for his clients selling their homes. It's amazing when looking through real estate sites how many poor quality and poor angled photos you see from owners hoping to sell for top dollars! When we bought our new house, I was amazed at some of the high end homes for sale with photos that looked like they were taken with a disposable camera :)

Anyway, Jason is going the extra mile in a new promotion, by offering his clients free professional photgraphy of their home, (covered by yours truly :) which will not only attract more potential buyers, but help sellers to sell faster and for higher profits. As they say, "a photo's worth a thousand words!" Considering what we are charging Jason to do these interior/exterior full home shoots, this is a fantastic offer, that no other realtor is offering!

So..... here's the plug of course - If you are looking to sell your home and want it done by someone who's not only professional & aggressive, but offers something no other realty company is doing.... check him out on his website at www.jasonordon.com

P.S. Man, what a great headshot! :)

In the Spirit!

Had fun tonight capturing some fun Xmas photos with good friends, Kristi, Arianna & Alivia (Calvin couldn't make it)! Believe it or not, we didn't do too many holiday photos this year, so it was fun to just play around a bit in the new studio. Anyway, lots of good stuff from our session, but here's a couple I thought I'd post!

Ahl Wedding Album Completed!

After hours and hours of work, I am proud to announce that the Chelsea & Lucas Ahl album has been completed! Chelsea and Lucas are such an amazing couple, and we really enjoyed being a part of their wedding this year - we are really excited to see them get their album shortly!

Click the link below to check out their amazing album - this is going to look FANTASTIC in a Graphi-Studio 9½ X 13 Album!

http://www.mattramosphotography.com/ahl

Portraits with IPP of NYS

Had the opportunity to spend part of the morning with the friendly staff of IPPNY (Independent Power Producers of New York), who is updating their website and directory with some new photos this year. IPPNY works with & assists premier providers of electricity in New York State - You can learn more about them and what they do by visiting their website at: http://www.ippny.org. Be sure to check em' out!

Thanks for a fun shoot guys, and Happy Holidays!

This Year's Phone Book Ad....

One of the great things about being a professional photographer, is that when it comes time to advertise each year in the phone book(s), I'm able to create my own custom ads! After much thought and going through several of this year's favorite images, I finally decided on one - a special thanks to Kristin for having the famous sillouhette shot that hundreds of brides will get to see when the new book comes out. Be sure to check it out when you get that big book delivered to your front door in a couple months :)

Mason Album Completed!

Another album, completed and ready to go into a plush leather binded book to cherish forever! We had a blast at this wedding, and I'm really excited for Suzie & Shawn to be able to get their album..... believe it or not, we may be on track to get it to them just before the holidays!

Anyway, check it out at by clicking the link below - make sure you have your speakers up!

http://www.mattramosphotography.com/mason

(Feel free to leave a comment below!)

Man, They Grow Up Fast!

I love hearing from our customers from time to time, and how they are doing as time passes - especially with kids, since they grow up so fast. We did a shoot for little Madeline here when she was first born (see photo above), and only 2 days old. Unfortunately, with our the move to our new home/studio, were weren't able to do their Christmas photos this year :( I received this awesome email from good friends (and Madeline's parents), Angela & Bill and wanted to share:

Matt-
So good to hear from you. I do keep up with you guys on the blog. It looks like the business is doing really well and the new house is awesome. We did go with someone else for our Holiday pictures but of course they didn't even compare with your work.� They will do, but we look forward to our next project with you.

I hope Tonya is doing well and please tell her we said hello. Here is Maddy trying on her Christmas Eve outfit. She is 8 months old already and getting so big. We are having so much fun with her! Take Care and we will ABSOLUTELY contact you for our next project. We are thinking about 1 year old pictures of Maddy in March!!
Angela

As you can see from the photos above, Madeline is growing up fast and looks to be a really happy young lady.... someday she'll find out she's famous on our website! Thanks for sharing, Angela, and look forward to Maddy's next shoot!

A Life Changing Event!

For better or worse, there are moments in a person's life that can change things forever. I've learned that in life, no great success comes without risk or sacrifice (along with hard work and commitment). Therefore.... today I made a leap of faith that I believe will forever change things in my life and business for the better!

Photography has been my passion for so many years now, and for many to do what you love is more or less a dream that you could only imagine. As our business has sky-rocketed over these past 2 years, I made the decision today to take a "leap of faith," and resign from my career after nearly 8 years to further pursue my dream and put 150% focus and attention into our growing business. While this is one of the scariest things I have EVER done, words cannot describe how excited I am to be able to work with that many more clients and be able to provide even better services & products as we continue to grow.

I'd like to thank all those friends & clients that have given support and helped us to get to this point - I truly look forward to this next year of business and customer relationships!

Holiday Portrait Gift Certificates Available!

Don't let the black & white fool you - we have tons of Christmas/Holiday cheer around here! As you make your rounds and do your shopping this year, don't forget that we offer portrait gift certificates. Nothing says "I love you" or is more unique than a personalized, "non JCPenney" portrait session! ..... oh wait, that's a diamond, isn't it?

On a serious note, it's a cool idea for your friends and family - if interested, call us today to personalize any amount you like ($20, $50, $100)!

30 Days Left to Save in 2007!!!

As the holiday season is now here, it's also a great time to take advantage of some fantastic savings on our open wedding dates for 2007! In addition to some price adjustments for 2007, we are also offering an additional $200 off for any wedding that is booked before the end of the year for 2007. Have an upcoming wedding, but haven't taken the time yet to look for your photographer? We are almost fully booked for 2007, but hope there will be a few select clients that will take advantage of this great offer!

Carlisle Album Complete!

One of the cool things about our wedding packages, is the fact that we allow our brides (& grooms) to see an album showcase of their very own wedding album before the final copy is sent off to the album binding company. This way, there is no possible way that clients will get an album that they don't absolutely love!

I haven't shown one of these in awhile, so figured I'd post a sample of a recently completed album showcase for the Carlisle wedding. Click below to check it out!

P.S. Don't forget to turn up those speakers!

www.mattramosphotography.com/carlisle

Renewed Health

Believe it or not, we do quite a bit of commercial & product work in addition to all the weddings and portraits we shoot! The great thing about shooting a bottle of pills is that you don't have to tell it to "say cheese," ask it to smile, not to blink, or fix it's hair too much.

On a serious note, we did a quick product shoot tonight for Ryan at www.renewedhealth.com, who's company offers a wide variety of products such as water distillers, juicers, and various other health supplements. Be sure you health nuts check em' out! :)

Maegen and Matt's Engagement!

Had fun today with friends, Maegen & Matt, who's wedding we are shooting next August! Maegen & Matt are both really awesome to hang out with as they remind you so much about being young and in love again... I mean that in the best way possible, they really are an awesome couple and meant to be for sure!

We've been promising to do their engagement shoot now for quite some time, however with the move, and remodeling of the new studio, things got pushed back a bit. It was great to finally have the opportunity to work with them, and we are really excited to be a part of their upcoming wedding next year! You'll just have to come back to the blog in about 9 months to see the wedding photos from this couple!

Pre-Loaded Digital Picture Frames!

We will be soon be adding some really cool options to our wedding packages (and other) as ala cart items that can be added to our packages. One of those items we are excited to announce is a wide variety of custom, framed & matted digital picture frames, pre-loaded with up to 100 of your favorite images from your wedding or event!

Our entry level frame will be a framed and matted, high definition, 10.4" LCD display, with remote control and everything you need to get you started - no computer will be necessary at all, and you can even add your own images later on if you decide to! The larger frames (17" & 19") can be mounted directly to your wall in any place of your home or office!

We look forward to filling as many of these orders as possible, as we know it will make a fantastic holiday gift or way to show off a recent wedding or event - call for details!

Looking For an Awesome Videographer?

Had lunch today with Louis Torres, who is one of the top videographers around, and definitely a guy that you want to film your wedding! What's great about Louis, is not only his top notch work, but his sense of business and personality are also awesome. We are in the process of setting up some incredible discounted packages together, which will offer brides (and grooms) the ability to get top of the line photography & videography for their wedding at a fantastic priced package. For now, you can check out more of Louis' work on his website at www.foreverplatinum.com.

If you decide to contact him regarding your wedding, make sure you tell him I sent ya!

New Studio Completed!!! (Before/After)

It's been 3 weeks now since we began the transformation of an old, useless room into an amazing, professional looking studio that I cannot wait to start using! Even TLC could not have done a better job at transforming such change! One of the cool additions to the room is a 19" framed and matted, wireless, digital picture frame that transitions through several hundred photos every few seconds - gotta love those gadgets!

Anyway, we are really excited to get back to work with the completion of the new studio and will no longer have push off waiting clients - a huge thanks to Frank and Derek for lending a hand to someone who couldn't have done it without them!!!

15% Off All Prints This Weekend!!!

For those that didn't get the email, we are offering a limited time offer - 15% discount on all prints ordered from any of this years past or present events from November 17th - 19thth. We will be offering these discounts on a few occasions throughout the year, and felt this would be a great opportunity for us to give thanks to all the greatly appreciated clients this season has brought. Pease note the Blender wedding will get a separate discount day session once up and running!

Oh and by the way, here is a direct link to the event page:
http://mattramosphotography.instaproofs.com/

Congratulations Randi & Michael!

We celebrated one of our last few weddings of the season with good friends Randi & Michael last night! Both, Randi and Michael are terrific people (I've known Randi for years), and we are so happy to have been a part of this event! We truly wish the new couple all the very best in their new marriage and life together.

As always, we'd like to thank the bride & groom as well as all their wonderful family and friends for a great night and a lot of fun (this was one roudy bunch!) - what a blast. We are excited to share all the photos fron tonight's event, and invite people to pre-register their email below to receive a notication once images are live:

http://mattramosphotography.instaproofs.com/enterEvent.php?id=10660

Congrats again, Randi & Michael!