Photo of the Week!

I don't always get the opportunity to do so, but it's sometimes fun to go back and look at some of the old shoots from as far back as a year or two ago. Not only is it fun to remember what was going on that week/month if I can remember it, but I'm sometimes amazed at some of the cool photos I never took the time to notice. Since I've been doing the photo of the week thing, I've been doing a lot of photo archive digging, and this weeks photo of the week is an example of just that! (I think it's a 57 Chevy, but I'm not the best at trying to determin the exact year and model of old cars, so maybe someone can help me out here). By the way, we had an awesome family portrait session using this truck (you can see it on the website), but love the way this looks on it's own as well.

I haven't mentioned it until now, but I've been selected to photograph the upcoming annual, New York International Auto Show in Manhattan next week, and I'm super psyched to have the opportunity to not only cover a major New York City event like this, but to shoot some of the Lamborghini, Ferrari, and other exotic cars - I don't know what the day will bring yet, but I'll be sure to post some samples for those interested!

This week is going to be a crazy week for me as I am not only going to begin the hardwood floor project in my living room (keep your fingers crossed), but have Tom and Jamie coming up for their engagement shoot, my father coming into town for a visit, the Auto Show, and then a few client meetings lined up....... As always, I'll do my best to keep up on my blog entries for the one or two people that actually read this stuff :)

P.S. If anyone wants to order this weeks photo of the week on print, feel free to email me and I'll be happy to get you a copy (click the thumbnail to see the quality of the image if you want)

Tennessee Jeweler Ad.....

Believe it or not, we sell quite a bit of our work through various professional photo stock agencies around the country (mainly istock). While most of these images are landscapes, macro work, and products for advertising, we do have a few of our favorite wedding images listed along with our other works (nothing that shows any faces or invades privacy of the individual!)

I received an email today from a large Jeweler in Tennessee (American Jeweler) that purchased one of our favorite images from the Allard wedding last October, and is using it in a new major ad campaign and billboard, which I thought was really an honor not only to myself but to the bride (Kristin)! This has quickly become one of my favorite wedding images, (in fact it's the one we also used for our phone book ad this year), and it's really exciting to see it put to good use in a creative way. Congrats, Kristin! By the way, you can see the ad up close by clicking on the image if you want.

As for the blog, I'm a bit behind on my updates this week, as I've had so much going on. We have been swamped with client meetings for the upcoming year, and I am attempting to install a new door and hardwood floors throughout our living room (I'm the kind of guy that usually pays people to do things like that, so this is a bit of a challenge for me not to screw it up :) I'll be sure to take a before and after photo so you can rate how I do!

Have a great weekend!

Amazing Bride Review - Wow!!!

I love checking out all the little (or big) wedding websites couples create as they are in the whole planning process. Some couples stress out about it, and others find a way to enjoy the whole ordeal (which is how it should be). I can usually tell when someone has posted a link to our website on a site somewhere, because as I track all the website hits, I can easily see where the visits are coming from.

Anyway, I had the honor of checking out Jamie & Tom's website today (who's wedding we are shooting in 2008), and was in shock of the amazing review we got already, and we haven't even shot the wedding yet! (Man do I have big expectations to live up to on this one - lol) I know this is going to be a really long post, but I was so flattered by this review, I wanted to share it on the blog - thank you so much, Jamie..... I can't even begin to thank you for this, and can't wait to see you guys next week for the engagement shoot! :)

P.S. I stole a shot of Jamie (after I fixed it :) on the website of her trying on her wedding gown.... she's going to look absolutely amazing on her wedding day, I can tell already!

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Here's a copy of the review from her site at:

http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=Jamilynn627

Photography
Matt Ramos Photography, http://www.mattramosphotography.com/, Schenectady, NY A++

I can't say enough good things about our photographer!

I first discovered Matt's website in July, within days of us getting engaged. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure where I found it. From the start, I loved his work. Photography was our top priority (can you tell? we only booked him before our hall and church) since it is the only thing that we will have to remember the event after the fact. You can plan the perfect fairytale wedding but it will only be a fading memory if you don't have the perfect pictures to document it. Scrapbooking is one of my main hobbies and was another reason the photography was so important to me. I fully plan to make several scrapbooks of the day and want beautiful pictures to use.

The first thing I noticed about Matt's work was its originality. He shoots from such a unique and creative perspective. I have never seen anything like it. They are very emotional photographs. This is very significant, with wedding pictures especially. The day is all about love, celebration, and happiness. I want to see that in my pictures... not some forced smile in some terribly stuffy posed photographs. Every posed photo I have seen that Matt has taken, looks natural. Even better, it looks different. His pictures look different depending on the couple, and my fiance and I knew right away that he had a gift for capturing the personalities of his subjects. We live in an area where it seems everyone is striving to be the same. I've never seen a photograph taken by a photographer here that didn't look "Staten Island" to me. We wanted something more and we got it.

Matt's website is great and is one of the things that made me know right away that he was the photographer for us. You can see samples of his photography in his galleries. You also have access to view the events he's shot online, just as the bride and groom will and their families. Many photographers just show you a sampling of their best shots. Matt puts it all out there for all to see. Every picture from the events he has shot recently. It says something to me about a person's character who is so up front with everything. You can look through the photos of his events and see that the gallery pictures aren't just rare lucky shots. They are happening in every event and it makes it very easy to picture what your pictures will look like (pun not intended). You can also view beautiful slideshows of these pictures or the latest albums he has put together. We even found our first dance song from one of these slideshows (We're Man and Wife by Michelle Featherstone). Matt also keeps an update blog on his website, talking about his latest shoots. This is what really sold us. Through keeping up with his blog, we realized how much Matt reminded us of ourselves. He seems like a regular-tech-geek, offering ipods with our pictures pre-loaded and digital picture frames! What better than a photographer you can relate to?

Another testament to Matt's honesty, is that his FAQ answers EVERY question you will ever find in any book that tells you what to ask your wedding photographer. We had no questions during our first conference call because he had answered everything. I knew exactly what equipment he uses, what the plan is if he is sick, who will be shooting our wedding (ALWAYS Matt), etc. I trust the integrity of any business owner who lays out all of the information I need without me having to dig for it.

Matt shoots in digital format, using a Canon camera. The camera he has is freaking awesome (sorry, no better words). 17 megapixels, but I was even more happy about the fact that he uses a Canon. I've never seen a better processor than theirs and actually wanted to find a photographer that used Canon products. Matt uploads all of the pictures online for us and our guests to view, and order in color, sepia, or black and white.

Matt offers world class customer service. My emails are answered literally within minutes. He is so helpful and accommodating. His wife and him work together, and both are the nicest people you could ever meet. The two of them seem great together, and couldn't help but laugh at how cute they were on our conference call; him calling her "honey." The both of them made wedding planning so easy for us, even being a few hours away. Matt contacted me within a few minutes of me filling out his contact form on his website. They were willing to travel to Staten Island from Albany. They were nice enough to let us know when someone else inquired about our date. They bent over backwards to mail us the contract, set up online deposits, and walk us through all of the legalities with our hall. I really can't even describe to you how pleased we are with their service.

Also, his prices are very reasonable.We are getting much more than our money's worth! I highly recommend Matt Ramos Photography to anyone. His pictures are unbelievable. Customer service is unbeatable. Book him as soon as you can!

Everyone Loves a Sale!

A mass email went out to folks that were registered under some of the past weddings and events, however for those that may have missed it - we are offering a limited time sale on all large prints for one week only! All prints sized 11x14, 16x20, and even 20x30 (which we just added an option for), have been discounted to 50% off their normal pricing!

We love doing these sales when we can, and as always, hope as many folks as possible will take advantage of it. Maybe a good time to get that large wedding print to have framed? Just our way of saying thanks - good luck!

I'm a complete idiot for firing off the email without including the events link, however, you can access the events page by clicking the link below (that's what I get for trying to think straight at 1am):
http://mattramosphotography.instaproofs.com/

P.S. Standard shipping charges have also been lowered to go along with the sale :)

Another Finished Product Post.....

I've been working on the website quite a bit this past week in order to update some of the information and keep things fresh. Since I'm updating things, I've decided to make a point to photograph some of the recent types of albums we've received so that people can get a better idea from the website of some of the album options we offer. As I said a few posts back, I enjoy sharing some of the album layout presentations, but I also think it's important to show folks what the finished product looks like too!

I'd like to thank the Miceli's for volunteering their new wedding album for me to photograph (actually, I sorta volunteered them without asking), but you can see how amazing it came out. We are now offering 4-5 different types of albums, and they chose to go with one of the plush, new leather albums, which I think looks amazing! Anyway, these photos are for the website, but thought I'd make a quick post to share as well :)

Believe it or not, we have quite a few "destination weddings" that were booked over the phone, and we have not yet had the opportunity to actually meet with the bride and groom yet.... I will continue to post some different samples on the blog as we get things in to give folks a better idea of what album type they may want to consider.

Now If I Can Just Find That Water Valve.......

Looking back, I can honestly say that many of the images I love most, were a product of me making sure to take my camera with me wherever I went. My wife and friends used to find it annoying that anytime we'd go somewhere, I'd have to take my camera with us. Whenever we'd go somewhere without it, I'd get smart-ass comments like, "are you going to be okay without your camera?" My wife has quickly learned over the years to sell me on all the "photo opportunities" available when trying to talk me into our next costly vacation. As I have upgraded equipment several times over the years, I'm not as carefree to take my $8,000 camera just out and about anymore, but I still love having it for when you come upon the unexpected.

This week's photo of the week, is one that sorta makes me laugh and was one of those unique times, that I just happened to have my camera with me while driving around. To tell you where I even was when I got this shot, would be impossible, but I just remember seeing a huge pile of smoke in the sky from about 8-10 miles away, and thought I would try to find it. I assumed it was maybe a house or building (not that I was hoping for someone's misfortune), however this is what I came upon when I got there. I know now, it was some sort of a controlled burn, however the photo makes me think of some rookie fireman on his first day, trying to figure out how to turn the water on.

Anyway, there's the photo of the week, and the lesson of the week (I'm now giving those too - haha) is to remember to always take your camera with you :) Today looks like an amazing day outside. We are meeting with clients later to discuss their upcoming wedding, and will probably take the dogs out to the park or something. Enjoy your weekend, and come back soon! :)

Vigna Album Completed!

I'm pleased to announce that the Frank & Amy Vigna album is now complete! Several years ago (when I worked in the corporate world), Frank was actually my boss. He was an exceptional leader, and someone who truly inspired me to be successful. The funny thing is, Frank had no idea I was even into photography back then, ..... and neither one of us would have guessed in a million years, that I would end up shooting his wedding 7 years later. Frank is such a great friend of mine, and it's really exciting for me to see him land such amazing woman. These two are truly meant for each other, and I'm so thankful that I was able to be a part of one of the most memorable days of their lives.

As I've said in the past, working for friends is probably more pressure than working for a perfect stranger..... I work equally as hard for all my clients, however there's always that extra pressure in wanting their 100% satisfaction (sorta like trying to make your parents proud of you when you're a kid :)

Ok.... enough of the sentimental stuff...... here's the link to check it out below. Go ahead - you know you want to!

www.mattramosphotography.com/vigna

Getting More For Your Money!

Those that have met with us or have given us the opportunity to shoot their wedding, will tell you we go out of our way to give our clients the most we possibly can for their money. This year we are continuing to push the limit to raise the bar even more. We've just added several new album options to our packages, bigger and better reception slideshows, and even added talented associate photographers to assist in several of this year's upcoming weddings (at no extra charge!)

As if all this wasn't already a great deal, we are now offering free engagement sessions for all 2008 weddings, as well as any 2007 weddings, exceeding $3000. Engagement photos are fun and relaxed, and are great for not only sharing a couples wedding announcement, but to have present at a wedding reception for signing, etc. This is something brand new that we are now offering, and yet, just one more way to show our appreciation to all of our wonderful new clients! I hope to see tons of new couples take advantage of this...... I have a feeling, it's going to be a very busy year! :)

P.S. Also, If anyone's interested, I've added roughly 20-25 new images to the website to keep things fresh and up to date! On that note - it's 2am, and I'm officially off to bed now!

Guess what time it is?

Time for the photo of the week, of course! I was digging through the archives a bit, and found a cool shot I took on our way to Hawaii last year. As you know, out the window plane shots are a dime a dozen, however I thought this was was extra special as it's a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge from 35,000 feet. If you click the thumbnail, you can enlargen the photo to get a much better look at it, as I know it's hard to see.

What's pathetic about this photo, is the fact that I have been to a total of 16 countries (lived in 5) all over the world, yet have never been to the state of California, or seen the Golden Gate Bridge (other than out of a plane of course). Tonya and I will more than likely be taking our vacation this year as an Alaskan cruise, so I may just have to make a vist on our way.

P.S. Not much else to report on (other than we are getting absolutely hammered with snow again right now), however check back later for some samples of our shoot on Sunday :)

The End Result....

I'm always big on sharing our album designs for clients, as I think it's both exciting for the bride & groom, while allowing others to see sample album designs. While seeing the slideshow of what an album will look like beforehand is really cool, nothing quite compares to seeing the end result once the album is printed and binded into an actual book.

I received the Vaccaro wedding album today, (a 10X10, 40 page, Hardcover album), which looks absolutely amazing! I was so impressed with how good the 40 page album looked, I went ahead and purchased another one to keep and show to others. (Gulp... they aren't cheap). Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post a few shots of what the album looks like when all said and done (well this style anyway). By the way, for those that are not aware, we include this exact album in even our "standard" packages!

For those that missed the slideshow from what the album design looked like (inside), from my previous blog entry, you can check it out by clicking the link below:

www.mattramosphotography.com/vaccaro

P.S. You can also learn more about out albums and what we offer by checking out the album page on the website located at:

www.mattramosphotography.com/photobooks.html

Awesome Client Letters!!!

Not everyone realizes the amount of time and effort it takes to go through the entire process of shooting a wedding.....lugging around heavy equipment for 9 hours, putting together a reception slideshow under pressure in front of hundreds of people, sifting through 1500 images after the event, and the whole process of working, resizing, categorizing and uploading for an online viewing site, and then of course putting the album together, building an album slideshow, holding edit sessions, etc. (there's actually much more involved, but I'll spare you the rest of the details :)

A single wedding can sometimes take up to a week or two of work, so it's such an awesome feeling and treat to get so many of the client letters that we get. This week I received two emails/letters (one from Tim & Kristin, one from April & Joe) that made my day. Letters like this make it all worthwhile!!!

Matt and Tonya,

After just having the album for just a few hours my in-laws and parents are "in aww" once again by your work. The clarity is AMAZING!! I showed the album to one of my other friends who had got married this year. They were disappointed, but only in the fact that there album was a book with pics just put in it.They had to decided to get a photographer for $600. Guess how well that turned out??? After seeing our book there upset they didn't spend a little more when planning that. I guess we have Jess to thank for pointing us in your direction. You and Tonya make it so easy and stress free at time when stress is high. Me and Kristin can't thank you guys enough!! I have a feeling we'll be seeing you guys soon for some family photos when the time comes.

Tim and Kristin

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Matt & Tonya,

We just wanted to say thank you soo much!! The album is more than we expected, it's wonderful! Again, we can't thank you enough....Thank you very much for everything! If I know of anyone in need of photographers I will be recommending you both!

April & Joe

You can check out some of the other comments or testimonials by clicking the link below:

www.mattramosphotography.com/testimonials.html

Photo of the week!

Despite a stressful week, I'm still sticking to my guns by posting the photo of the week! This weeks shot is one that reminds me of exactly what I'd think to see if I landed on Mars (you gotta admit it does :) I've overlooked this photo a few times now, and finally decided to take a closer look at it as it definitely stands out a bit. Believe it or not, this is what you will find at one of the highest places in all of Hawaii. This place was so high up that the tempurature immediately dropped to 15-20 degrees on a hot summer day where it was 90 degrees below.... amazing! I took this from the top of Holyacala Crator on the island of Maui (which I plan to go back to soon).... many of the worlds most sophisticated telescopes are used here as they have the best views of space.

We are off to pick up the dog from the animal hospital..... hope everyone is enjoying their weekend :)

More Real Estate Stuff......

I spent the day yesterday shooting a few houses around the Saratoga area with good friend, and realtor Jason Ordon. As the weather is getting ready to start getting warmer, more and more houses are starting to go up for sale.... I dont' think there's every been a better time for someone to buy a house than right now (I'd make a good realtor, wouldn't I?)

I've had a lot of fun teaming up with Jason & RE/MAX this year, and more and more of Jason's clients are starting to take advantage of the fact that he is offering them free photography of their homes to help them sell better and faster! As a second time home owner and someone that is fairly uneducated when it comes to the real estate market, I always find it interesting to see how different owners prep their homes to get them ready to sell....... it's sort of like watching some TLC show (Curb Appeal/House Flippers, etc), except seeing the real thing and watching the houses sell. I've learned a lot to say the least, and it almost makes me want to throw our house on the market...... a few more years maybe :)

P.S. I wanted to also thank all the people that sent us really nice emails about my previous post with Dexter. He's spending his 4th day today at the animal hospital as they continue to hook him up to an IV and do further tests to correct whatever is going on with him. It's so stressful not knowing whether to prepare for the worst, or just trust that he'll come through this, but we really appreciate the support from all our good friends..... and folks that read the blog - It means a lot, "Thank You!"

Dexter is Really Sick.....

It's been a rough couple of days for us as Dexter is really ill and been admited to the animal hospital for the last 3-4 days in a row for tests, x-rays, and iv's to try and hydrate him. He has a fever, won't eat, has no energy, and just wants to sleep all day, which is so unlike him and really sucks. A few posts back I mentioned he ate an entire onion, which we thought was the cause, but it's now been 12 days since then, so doctors are not sure that's the problem and he may have some sort of an internal infection.

I can imagine ther's nothing worse than having your kids be really sick when you fear for their health, and since our dogs are like our kids, it's been an extremely stressful couple of days for us. We're on our way to pick him up from the animal clinic after being admitted for the day, but will more than likely have to take him back for round 3 tomorrow. Here's a few of my favorite shots of our little guy from the past few years that tend to make us laugh - hopefully, he'll get better soon! (thoughts and prayers appreciated)

Two New Photographers Joining our Team!

After meeting with several different photographers of all different skill levels, we are excited to not only have made our decision, but to have 2 new photographers join our team as associate photographers! John Bulmer & Marc Jacobs are both very talented photographers, and after meeting them and seeing their work, I'm psyched to be able to have these guys shoot alongside for some of the upcoming weddings and events. I've had a few clients email me, worried over whether I would still be shooting their wedding..... I want to assure any future wedding clients reading this, that they need not worry - of course I'll be there! :)

While Marc & John will be training with us this year, we hope to soon be able to offer not only packages that meet budgets of both the low and high end spectrum, but have more open dates available for all those clients we've had to say no to this year due to being so overbooked. We are really excited to have them on team, and look forward to new creative angles I know they will bring. Welcome aboard fellas!

P.S. I borrowed a couple of my favorite images from their websites to show you the kind of quality work they do!

Warning: Big Horn Sheep May Appear Closer Than They Really Are.....

I purposely held off on this weeks "photo of the week" for a bit hoping to get some cool shots for you of the lunar eclipse tonight, however with the major cloud cover, it looks like I'll be coming up short there. This week was really an amazing week as we not only had the opportunity to meet with a few clients and book 4 more weddings for the upcoming year, but also am excited as we became members of the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International). Every year, they announce the top 10 photographers in the nation, and they always come out of these groups, so I'm excited to attend some of the upcoming seminars and sharpen my skills that much more! (By the way.... I'm determined to make that list one day!)

Again, I apologize for not being able to get a clear shot of the lunar eclipse for this weeks photo of the week, however when in doubt, I always go with some sort of Big Game animal running down the highway after you - it's always a crowd pleaser! Anyway, this shot was taken a few years back in the Black Hills of South Dakota while Tonya and I were visiting my old roots (I grew up there in addition to my overseas travels). We were somewhere behind Mt. Rushmore and sorta taking our time, when this guy came running out behind us in the middle of the highway. Of course, I couldn't help to get a quick shot from the mirror. I always get a good laugh when I look at this photo and thought I'd take a break from some of the scenic/wedding stuff for something a little bit different!