The Most Important Part to a Great Wedding Reception

A wedding day is a combination of a beautiful elegant ceremony and a fun, hip party. Most couples focus their wedding planning energies on one or the other. For many the ceremony is the most important, while for others they can't wait for the party to start!

"What makes a great wedding reception?" is a question I'm asked quite often. With over 60 weddings under my belt in the past few years, I've seen many great and many not so great wedding receptions. The one thing that ultimately determines whether people have a great time dancing and enjoy their time at the wedding reception is one thing. Can you guess what it is?

No it's not a good dj, though that's important....

No it's not a big enough dance floor...

No it's not enough alcohol in your guests....

The one thing that can make or break a wedding reception is whether BOTH THE BRIDE AND GROOM ARE ON THE DANCE FLOOR! No guys, I know you're not that excited about this answer, but it's the truth. I've seen just the Bride or just the Groom dancing and the dance floor will stay steady with 10 - 20 guests, but when both the Bride and Groom are out there movin' and shakin' everyone seems to get involved.

So you know what that means...no you don't have to be a good dancer (but Arthur Murray can't hurt), you simply need to be comfortable enough on the dance floor with your new spouse. Just remember, everyone else is too nervous about how they look while dancing to be concerned with you.

CNN Anchor in Grand Rapids...how cool is my job!

Last week CNN Anchor and author Gerri Willis came to Grand Rapids to speak to the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce during their 2008 Small Business Celebration Event. I had the opportunity to photograph Gerri before the event and she was a pleasure to work with. How great is my job - I am able to meet and photograph some of the most interesting people in GR!

Gerri was a great sport and very used to the camera being on her (obviously). But she was cracking jokes left and right and had the whole room laughing. My experience with people in media has not been very good recently, but Gerri definitely broke the mold and was a great person to be around on a Tuesday afternoon!

Pick of the Day

Here is a great portrait I took of a local politician, Roy Schmidt. Roy is a former Grand Rapids City Commissioner of 16 years and is now running to follow State Representative Michael Sak in the Michigan House of Representatives. Roy's a great guy and by that I mean, when he wants a photograph with someone, people smile a little bigger, stand a little taller or raise their head just a little more. I think this picture captures Roy perfectly. And remember, my camera knows no political bias. Unlike the news, it just shows it the way it is.

Photos from "Pictures in the Park"

Last Thursday I held the first annual spring "Pictures in the Park" event. We had over 70 people and 20 families and couples show up over the course of the evening! It was a great success and you can view all the photos from the evening by clicking through to the online gallery here. Just click the link, create an account with Pictage and enjoy the photographs! Here are just a few images from the day!

Here are some images of me working with a few different families during the Pictures in the Park event. They were taken by my good friend Adrienne Telman.

Are You an Ansel Adams Fan?

Here is an amazing presentation of Ansel Adam's work in Yosemite National Park. Each image is narrated by a former assistant, Andrea G. Stillman. Click Here to learn more about Adams' work.

Out with the old and in with the new

I randomly was on the northeast side of Grand Rapids yesterday and came across a site I never thought I would see!

The demolition of the Meijer store on Plainfield Ave was underway. I stopped and grabbed a couple of images of the flagship store on the northeast side of Grand Rapids. A brand new store was built directly behind the older store and opened earlier in April. Read more about the opening here.

I was standing next to an older lady who was crying at the demolition. She said, "I used to work in the hair salon on the second floor. Wow, right over there you can see the vanity's we used." Then she turned and walked away from the demolition site and toward the "bigger and better" Meijer store just a few feet away. It's amazing that we so easily destroy things that took so much effort to build. An icon that once stood is no longer there.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Last night I had the opportunity to meet and hear from David Hume Kennerly, a world renowned photographer who was President Gerald Ford's personal photographer during his years at the White House.

In case you're wondering who this guy is, he has photographed a who's who of world leaders. As a contributing photographer for Newsweek Magazine and Time Magazine, he's photographed President Richard Nixon, President Gerald Ford, Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev in the USSR, Franco in Spain, Fidel Castro and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Not a bad guy to learn from, eh? He has won a Pulitzer Prize and a World Press Photo Award. Check out his full credentials here.


On Wednesday night, he gave a presentation of the images in his new book "Extraordinary Circumstances". The book is a selection of photographs from the end of the Nixon Administration through President Ford's Funeral in 2007. He calls it the reflection of an administration 30 years after the event. It was a wonderful presentation where Kennerly was easy going and funny - showing us all why he's been such a successful photographer - he likes people and can connect with them quickly.

In case you're interested in viewing my photographs from the Ford Funeral in 2007 that were published in the Grand Rapids Press and Michigan History Magazine, take a look at our President Ford page on the website.

Reminder about Pictures in the Park

Just a reminder, from 4pm - 8pm on Thursday May 15, Tiberius Images will be on location at Collins Park in East Grand Rapids photographing friends and family for FREE!

WHEN: Thursday May 15, 2008 from 4pm until 8pm

WHERE: John Collins Park in East Grand Rapids. The park is on Reeds Lake and very easy to find with parking on the street. Having trouble finding it? Click Here

WHO: Everyone is welcome! IF YOU BRING YOUR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, CHURCH MEMBERS OR ANYONE THAT IS NOT A PREVIOUS CLIENT OF MINE, I WILL EMAIL YOUR IMAGES FREE OF CHARGE TO YOU. THE NEW CLIENT WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT! These images are yours to keep and print as frequently as you desire - no strings attached.

ADDED BONUS: Bring the entire family and make a "FAMILY NIGHT" out of it! I will provide gift certificates for FREE ICE CREAM at Jersey Junction in East Grand Rapids, located about 2 blocks from the park.

This is your chance for a new family photo, personal portrait, engagement photo, senior picture and anything else you can think of! No RSVP is necessary. It will be great night at Collins Park, so plan on joining me sometime between 4pm and 8pm on Thursday May 15, 2008. See you soon!

An "Amazing" Movie

I am not one to brag on movies that much, but over the weekend I watched an amazing movie titled "Amazing Grace". It is the story of William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament....You know what, if you don't know who he is, be sure to visit Wikipedia and read up on a great man in history. The story is very well written and interwoven into the movie is his relationship with John Newton, the writer of the song "Amazing Grace". Wilberforce was a man that recoginzed he had a specific purpose in life and would do everything in his power to reach that purpose. The movie ends with a great sequence of Scottish Bagpipers playing the song written by John Newton. If you're a music fan, you'll appreciate the 2 minute clip below.

FREE PICTURES IN THE PARK - MAY 15

From 4pm - 8pm on Thursday May 15, Tiberius Images will be on location at Collins Park in East Grand Rapids photographing friends and family for FREE!

WHEN: Thursday May 15, 2008 from 4pm until 8pm

WHERE: John Collins Park in East Grand Rapids. The park is on Reeds Lake and very easy to find with parking on the street. Having trouble finding it? Click Here

WHO: Everyone is welcome! IF YOU BRING YOUR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, CHURCH MEMBERS OR ANYONE THAT IS NOT A PREVIOUS CLIENT OF MINE, I WILL EMAIL YOUR IMAGES FREE OF CHARGE TO YOU. THE NEW CLIENT WILL ALSO RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT! These images are yours to keep and print as frequently as you desire - no strings attached.

ADDED BONUS: Bring the entire family and make a "FAMILY NIGHT" out of it! I will provide gift certificates for FREE ICE CREAM at Jersey Junction in East Grand Rapids, located about 2 blocks from the park.

This is your chance for a new family photo, personal portrait, engagement photo, senior picture and anything else you can think of! No RSVP is necessary. It will be great night at Collins Park, so plan on joining me sometime between 4pm and 8pm on Thursday May 15, 2008. See you soon!

A Business Resource that Everyone Needs

The Grand Rapids Public Library celebrated the grand opening of their Small Business Resource Center on Wednesday night. The event was held at the main branch of the GRPL in downtown Grand Rapids. People from all over Grand Rapids were at the function, celebrating the grand opening of this great resource for existing businesses or for those interested in starting a new business. Be sure to check out their website here and look through ALL the resources they have brought together in one place. If you've ever thought to yourself, "I wish all these questions could be answered in one place so I don't have to make 20 phone calls", the Small Business Resource Center is the place you've been waiting for! The library looks great, so if you haven't been there in a while, now you have an excuse.

An amazing room at the GRPL - I didn't even know they had such a great reception room!

The "how-to of business" is the reason for the Small Business Resource Center - to carry books like these.

I had no idea that Grand Rapids even had a library that looked so great!