It is Friday and I realised it has been a while since I did a shot that makes me happy. An image can be technically perfect and not say a thing and have all these imperfections and remind you of that specific moment in time. That is what makes me happy when I see an image.

I remember the day that I shot this image, when I walked (yes I walked) to the first mall just outside of Las Vegas. It was only one street I saw on the map but I had no idea how long this one street might be and I unestimated the distance. But I had my Addidas on and I kept on walking. People in cars were looking at me funny but I made it all the way to the mall. Because I did not want to admit to myself that it was a bad idea, that I should have taken the bus in the first place. So I kept on walking and felt really good when I made it to the mall. That is what this shot reminds me of, me just walking not giving in. So sometimes it is good that we have no idea because if we would have known from the start we would never begin and then so many things would never have been here in the first place.

In the end I took the Douce back to the hotel because walking one way was more than enough.

Happy Friday.

Ok so I am getting the hang of it this self portrait thing. This time my dear sister took some shots of me and I was ready to strike a pose if you will. Yes, get in front of the camera and get uncomfortable and then after a little while I got more comfortable. I am not a fan of being in front of a camera, true. When I can choose I rather be behind my camera. But sometimes is good to step outside of my comfort zone so I can relate what it feels like to be in front of a camera. That way I can coach my clients even better.

So strike a pose!

There are days lived on a cloud the ultimate high where everything is going right and then there are days that are spend in a total funk. I am sure we all know both. It is probably because of the short days, the lack of sunshine, lack of vitamin D but I am ready to leave this funk behind. To see the beauty in the things around me. I am always go, go, go, always en route to my destination, forgetting about the travel. So I am looking for piece of mind. So I go out and breath in the fresh cold air. Sometimes you can not just speed up things. There is a reason why everything moves at it's own pace.

It is never as bleak I remind myself. Why? Because there is too much beauty in all seasons.

If you come here regularly you must have seen it. The change. All that I have seen and learned these past few years about branding and web presence have come together in what you see here today. I present to you the launch of the new website. My small studio on the web. I hope you like it. It is fresh and white and with the falling snow the timing could not have been better.

I am happy with the new design, the new blog and I hope to see you here often.

This past weekend I was glued to my laptop as much as I could because CreativeLive had another great workshop on. It is really amazing how they share so much with photographers across the globe. The workshops they have are free and if you want to be able to watch it again and again you can purchase the course.

This time they had Zach and Jody Gray on. They were in the Netherlands last year and we attended their awesome workshop live. It was so great to see them again and with three days they had even more time available to share with the Internet.

So if you are a photographer or interested in photography and want to learn get some great inside from all sorts of photographers you really have to check out CreativeLive. The have some great workshops lined up.

When she told me she got one on for their wedding made me enthousiastic. Couples are choosing more and more stylised items for their wedding day and a dessert tables is one of them. Not only does it look amazing and tastes even better, it is also a sheer joy to capture. Last week when I posted the wedding of Judith and Wim I wanted to include more images of the dessert table but then their wedding post would have been way too long.

So here a separate post on all this sweetness. Judith and Wim had a dessert table from Sweet Appetite. Marieke is one talented lady patissier who made a dessert table and wedding cake that fit Judith and Wim beautifully. The lily of the valley flowers, Judiths favorites, that Marieke made on the wedding cake were literally the icing on the cake.

So feast your eyes because this is Sweet.

We drove half way across the country and luckily we were going in the right direction (it was a good day). With a traffic jam on the other side of the freeway we were still on time for the launch. Yesterday we attended the launch party of the Love it! A glossy with a lot of information a couple wants to know about getting married.

At an amazing location, Castle Wijenburg, the NTBO and We Love Trouwen launched this informative magazine. There was fireworks, champagne, cup cakes and wedding cake to celebrate. We got involved months ago and asked if we wanted to participate. After all this time it was really nice to see the result.

If you are getting married you can get your own copy when you request a Trouwbox.

When he walked into the cafe he did not know that, that evening would change the course of his life forever. He did not know that he would meet a girl, not just any girl but the most beautiful girl in the world, the love of his life. One glance was all it took, she saw him and she liked him straight away and if he would pass her test this could be interesting. Well he passed with flying colors not even knowing he was tested. One thing was clear, she had met her match and it helped that he was a good kisser too.

Fast forward 4,5 years. They went scuba diving and Judith felt a little restless, maybe she felt that something was about to happen. And something did happen when down there below in the blue water Wim surprised her by showing her his proposal, his question written on two plates saying "Will you, marry me?"
And she did on their 5 year anniversary. In the most beautiful dress which was the first one she tried on. Just like with Wim she knew, this is the one.

Wim and Judith, thank you. Thank you for your trust, for allowing us to be part of your day and letting us document it. You two are very special. Never forget this beautiful day and the love you feel for each other and life will be good. Have a great time in Tanzania.

Want to see more of this wedding CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW.

Wim got ready at VIP Fashion.

Sharp dressed man.

Fashionable Wellies to preserve her wedding shoes.

Judith looked absolutely stunning

Wedding dress: De Witte Markies

Shoes: Rainbow

Bridal Wellies: Weddington Boots

Hair and Make-up: Merel of Pure Glamour

Suit: VIP Fashion

Shoes: Custom made

Bouqet: Dennis' Pots and Plants

Wedding location: Landgoed Waterland

Dessert tafel: Marielle of Sweet Appetite

Painting: Ferdinand of Feest in Verve

Video: Rianne and Daan of RiDaLi

So the wedding is over, unimaginable when you are still in the planning process at the moment, when you are still dreaming of what the day will look like. You have put so much effort into planning your day making sure it is perfect. Then one morning you will wake up, the cake will be gone, the music has subsided and your feet hurt from all this dansing not to mention your head. 

So what will come next? One thing that will remain is the photography. Of course you want to see the result and you want to see it fast. You want to experience the day again, relive the memories and the moments. That is our ultimate goal to capture beautiful, memorable images and get them to the couple as soon as possible. We have a simple process to show the images to our clients. Here a small summary of what you can expect after the wedding day:

1. When we shoot a wedding on Friday or Saturday the following Monday you can expect a preview on the blog

2. The next Friday a complete blog post including a web slideshow will be available on the blog.

3. Two weeks after the wedding all images are edited and available on disc.

4. If the couple choose an album the images will be in an online galery as soon as the disc is available for couples to select their album images.

5. Depending on the album company the album will be delivered between 3-4 weeks after the album has been submitted to the album company.

It is a simple, straight forward process and makes sure couples get their images as soon as possible.

There was magic in the air, electricity with big bold letters, there is only one word that can describe what Wim and Judith feel and that is love. The way they look at each other, the twinkle in their eyes when they see each other is 100% pure L.O.V.E. 

So when Wim came to get Judith he could not wait to see her, the love of his life, the woman he is going to share forever with. When the front door opened, he did not wait for Judith to come down the stairs, no he raced up to see her. And when he saw her, his heart was racing as well, lost for words because Judith looked absolutely breath taking and so could only look at her. At that moment they must have fallen in love all over again as they seem to walk on air for the rest of the day, walking on sunshine.

What a beautiful day it was and of course we have to share at least one image but there is more coming soon.