Angela & Darin: Married

We met Angela & Darin quite a few months ago and were immediately excited about their wedding! Dave got to photograph their engagement session at Freedom Park back in August of 2008.







And I got the opportunity to photograph Angela's bridal portraits in May of this year at our studio in Waxhaw.








Here's a sneak peak at their wedding photos.Congrats Angela & Darin!!

photoEdge: A History (Part 5)

2008 marked the 2nd year of business. We had the house, we had the business, we had the brochures, we had the weddings booked, etc. Now it was just time to grow the business.

At the start of 2008 we already had 16 weddings booked. We were starting to get more brides calling us rather than us calling them. People were even starting to knock on our door. In Spring we had a booth at the Waxhaw Spring Fest for the 2nd time and had many many people say “You guys are the ones who just fixed up that house aren't you?” Our name was starting to get around.

Everything was looking up in the world of photoEdge. We did have some setbacks however. It's amazing how good an idea can sound in your own mind and during the planning period and how poorly it can do in the real world. We tried, we failed, we tried something different. We're still learning how this whole business thing works, but 2008 was a great teacher! By the end of the year we had successfully photographed 26 weddings,

about 70 portraits of engagement couples, families and children,

our first maternity portrait,

multiple senior portraits,

a high school prom,

our first dog portrait,

and much much more like bridal portraits in the bath tub!


It's hard to even remember all of the stuff that happened in 2008! The business sort of felt like it took off. In December when we looked at our yearly numbers we discovered that we had actually more than doubled our revenue! We still have a LONG way to go before we reach the “comfort zone” but 2008 definitely helped us get a little closer to our goal.

Who knows what 2009 has in store, but it's a brand new year with brand new trials, joys, failures, successes and stories!

photoEdge: A History (Part 4)

The first year of photoEdge was definitely a full one! Not only was I getting used to living in the South, but also both Dave and myself were getting used to being business owners. Talk about a first year of firsts! First wedding, first portrait, first studio space, first time driving in Charlotte, first bridal show, first wedding consultation, first senior portrait, first time business owner, etc.
photoEdge started out in the office at the Edge's house in Waxhaw. During the first 3-4 months or so, most of our time was spent out on the road. We visited hotels, wedding venues, met with coordinators, went to marketing lunches, bridal shows, etc. Anything we could do to meet other wedding professionals and grow the business we did. When we weren't out on the road we were in the office with one computer trying to figure out what the website should look like. Or how to design an album. Or what our brochures should look like and if we should even have one.

March 31st of 2007 was our very first wedding as photoEdge. Corey and Elise had a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Bethelwoods Meeting Center. About a month later we had Billie and Jack's wedding at the Doubletree Southpark Hotel. Slowly but surely we started to book more and more weddings for the rest of the year.

Dave's little office was starting to feel smaller and smaller. Dave had looked into renting studio space before I had even agreed to move out here, but everything was super expensive. We both had this vision of renovating an old house and turning it into a studio. Our slogan is Your Photographer For Life and we designed our business around building relationships with our clients. With that in mind, the idea of a house seemed so much more intimate than a rented space. Then it happened, the big white house on Old Providence Rd went up for sale. It was perfect! Exactly what we'd pictured. During the end of May we took a tour of the house. It definitely had a lot of work to be done, but we could see the potential immediately and put in a bid. By July 5th we were moving in!


We spent the next the next 4 months renovating the house, continuing to build the business, shooting weddings and trying to build up more family portrait business. On November 1st the photoEdge studio officially opened it's doors. November and December were spent adjusting to having a studio space and preparing for 2008.

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.

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

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!

Joys of living in a small town

I've mentioned it before, but I absolutely love living in the small town of Waxhaw, NC. Especially on days when there is a parade! Growing up I never liked parades. Probably because I had to be in them and when you reach a certain age, that's just not cool anymore. Now, however, I look forward to every little parade in Waxhaw. The most recent being the Waxhaw Christmas Parade. There's nothing like the giant vacuum balloon being pulled behind a truck!!
To see pictures check out fellow photographer Rolf Loken.

After the parade, Dave and I got to hang out at the fire station with Santa and all the little kids for "Snacks with Santa".

Christmas is here!!

It's official. Christmas is here at photoEdge! There's Christmas music playing in the office, a Christmas tree in the living room, a wreath on the door and candy canes along the sidewalk. To kick off the Christmas season Santa came a little early for a special visit to our studio. Here's some highlights...

Santa Claus is coming to town....

That's right - Santa will be personally visiting our studio on Nov 21st and 22nd. If you're tired of waiting in lines at the mall, or if you're just tired of getting a single "snapshot" with Santa, sign up for a session here and you can get 15 minutes with Santa all to yourself! We will take the time to create precious pictures of your child with Santa that you will love.

Due to Santa's busy schedule, spots are limited so sign up today to secure yours. Sessions are $35 and we'll have special packages available for purchase following your session. This season we are also offering custom holiday cards. You will be able to schedule an appointment to review pictures at our studio or view them online. 

Remember - spots are limited and there's only a week left, so call today and book your session!!

Senior portraits gone bad?

How many of you had your kid's senior portr​aits done by a big corpo​rate photo​graph​er and are compl​etely​ unsat​isfie​d?​!​ You had to wait forev​er.​ Drove​ far away.​ Got stuck​ with simpl​e borin​g backg​round​s and poses​.​ Got the proof​s back and absolutely​ hate them!​!​

Don'​t worry​!​!​ Just becau​se you are required to get the "​senio​r drape​"​ pictu​re done by them to get in the yearb​ook,​ that doesn​'​t mean you have to buy any of the other​ pictu​res!​

At photo​Edge we are a full servi​ce photo​graph​y studi​o.​ You can choos​e exact​ly when and where​ you want your pictu​res taken​.​ We'​ll even come to you! Do you want to inclu​de your dog in the pictu​re?​ GREAT​!​!​ Let'​s do it! Want to try some fun "​celeb​rity"​ style​ portr​aits in our studi​o?​ GREAT​!​!​ Let'​s do it! Want to take pictu​res at your favor​ite park?​ GREAT​!​!​ Let'​s do it!

We'​ll even refun​d your $50 sessi​on fee from that OTHER​ studi​o!​!​ Call,​ email​ or messa​ge me today​ and we'​ll set up an appoi​ntmen​t :o

4th of July

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July week! Here's a look at what we did :o)

Fun stuff...

As a professional photographer/artist "they" say it's important to have a creative outlet. In photography school teachers always used to tell me to treat each assignment - whether I liked the assignment or not -  as a way to be creative. It's the "shoot one for the client and one for yourself" philosophy. This is supposed to keep your creative juices flowing and make every job exciting. Most of the time this is pretty easy to do. For example, we take all the "traditional" pictures the clients want and then say "Just for fun, lets try...." Most of the time the clients don't buy it, but we have fun doing it and the photographs make great samples to show off just how creative we can be :o)

Every now and then though, a "job" arises that allows for complete creativity. Many of you may not be aware of this fact, but I, Christy, am actually a member of the Waxhaw Volunteer Fire Department. Impressive right? Not really because I do not run into burning buildings or rescue people. My membership consists of being on the auxiliary team. Technically, our role is to support the fire fighters when they get really big calls, etc. My role so far has been to take pictures :o) I got involved with the department about a year ago when Dave's oldest son invited me to come photograph one of their training fires. From there I photographed another one a few months later and slowly I became the unofficial photographer (or at least that's what I claim!) for the department. Eventually this lead to me actually joining the department in order to be better informed. 

On June 7, I had one of those purely creative opportunities with the department. They were burning down another house - more like mansion - for training purposes. Because the house was so large they invited other departments in the area to come join them. Once again I got the chance to photograph the event. If you've never experienced a fire that large (which for your sake I hope you never get the chance unless it's one of these types of situations!) just imagine a bonfire multiplied by about 100 if not more! The heat that comes off of a burning building is amazing! I remember last year when they first started the fire and it began to pour out the windows. I was actually frightened even though I was surrounded by fire fighters who had not only started the fire but were monitoring it from every angle.

The most recent training fire was once again amazing. I was able to get creative and photograph the event the way I wanted. There was no one telling me what to shoot or how to shoot it. I didn't have to pose anyone. I just got to walk around and take pictures which is what I love. I also experienced probably the most exciting thing I've ever done before: being inside a burning building! Part way through the morning, the chief allowed me to be escorted inside the house to photograph the fire from the inside. Don't worry, I wasn't in any real danger. As smoke poured out of the room to my right I admit I was a little nervous, but it was more of an adrenaline rush nervous rather than an afraid nervous. It was incredible!!