photoEdge: A History (Part 3)

Now that you know a little about both Dave and myself, it's time to talk about how our stories collide. Growing up in California Dave's family and my family both attended the same church. I started babysitting for his 5 children (there were only 4 at the time) when I was 13. I continued to babysit for their family until I graduated high school, which just so happened to be the same summer they moved to Waxhaw.

Over the next 3 years while I was going to school and Dave was working with Wycliffe, slowly photoEdge came to the surface. Dave had always wanted to do photography as more than just a hobby and decided now was the time. He jokingly asked if I wanted to come join him in starting the business when I graduated. I immediately said no. No offense to Waxhaw, but it's nothing compared to Santa Barbara!!

During the next 6 months I started thinking more and more about what I was going to do when I graduated. At this point I knew I wanted to do portraiture, but I didn't know where to go and was nervous about starting a business on my own. Waxhaw was starting to sound more and more appealing. Dave in the meantime was going ahead with his dream and getting the ball rolling on photoEdge. Slowly but surely, God changed my heart and in May of 2006 I took a trip out to Waxhaw just to see what it was all about. I knew that when I visited I would know right away whether it was a yes or no. Within 48 hours I was set. I would move to Waxhaw in January of 2007 to become a co-owner of photoEdge!!

While Dave continued to get the business going I graduated from Brooks and took the next 2 months at home for the holidays and working to save money for the move. On January 18, 2007 I arrived in Charlotte, NC. We spent those first few weeks getting everything all set with lawyers and what not for our partnership. And I got settled into living in the South.

And that's where photoEdge began.

photoEdge: A History (Part 2)

Now that you know a bit about Christy, it's time for me (Dave) to add my part. Like Christy, my family comes from California too. People sometimes ask how we came to know each other. My family and Christy's family both attended the same church in California, in a small town called Santa Margarita. Santa Margarita is a small town of about 1000 people. It is surrounded by two ranches, one 15,000 acres and the other 16,000 acres. It's a fun little place near San Luis Obispo, where my wife and I both went to college. Christy was one of our favorite babysitters and our kids love her.
In high school, I took photography classes and was a member of the photography club. One of the exciting things I did in high school was to take a canoe trip down the Colorado River. My favorite photo from this trip was of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, AZ.

I loved photography, but I was also interested in computers. When I graduated, I decided to take the computer route but kept up with photography as a hobby. Several years later, when photography went digital, everything came together for me. Through a series of circumstances, we moved to North Carolina and now run the photography business. In photography, there are lots of areas of specialty. It's kind of like doctors. If you have problems with your heart, you go to a heart specialist, not the podiatrist. For me, photography is boring if there are not people in the photo. I love the interaction with people and creating fun and beauty with people.

I often tell Christy that she has a life because she is always doing stuff with friends or going out to do fun stuff. She tells me that I do too, it's just different. My life is my family. With five kids, there is always either excitement or drama. I would love to take more photos of them but I have worn out my welcome with most of them. We had a day at the lake last summer to do photos and I have a few wonderful shots of our family.

Robyn, the youngest, is the only one who still likes to be photographed.

Another Bridal Show

Wedding season is getting in gear. Yesterday was our second bridal show of the year and the attendance has been overwhelming. It's fun to talk with brides and share what we do. We also had the public debut of our photoBooth. The response was fantastic - everyone loves it! Here are a few of the shots.

What are you waiting for? Get the photoBooth for your next event!

Bentley Speck

We got another new toy yesterday :o) First it was the Fisheye lens, but now we have a Lensbaby. Oh so much fun!! Today I went over to a friends to play with her new puppy and my new toys! Check it out:
Lensbaby

Fisheye

George Hurrell

In the 1930's anyone who was anyone in Hollywood was photographed by the great George Hurrell. To this day he is still considered the "Grand Seigneur of the Hollywood Portrait". His unique style of lighting and over retouched skin tones created the signature "Hollywood Glamour" style. Here's a taste of our recent George Hurrell inspired photo shoot.

What's a wordle?

I found this today.



Click on it to access it and create your own. It's fun.

Life in really wide angle

This year, we started thinking about what new kinds of things we can offer. One of the things we thought about is a fisheye lens. A fisheye lens can see 180 degrees from corner to corner and make very unique photos. Let's see now - new lens - trip to Charlotte - a chance to try it out! Here are a few shots from today.

Weddings just aren't going to be the same now!

Goofy Spontaneous Fun!

photoBooth Charlotte is here!