Daily Blog + Tiberius Images

Michael + Carrie @ Mackinac Island

2008-09-04T16:41:00.004-04:00

Michael and Carrie celebrated their special day on beautiful Mackinac Island. It was a Michigan destination wedding captured by Associate Photographer Theresa Milanowski. Carrie met Theresa at a wedding last year and specifically asked that Theresa photograph her wedding at the Little Stone Church on Mackinac. What a dream day with perfect weather on 8-8-08! From riding around on horse drawn carriages to a great meal at the Harbor View Inn, Michael and Carrie's day went perfectly. After seeing some of these images, I would highly recommend Mackinaw for a wedding!

Photograph Those You Love

2008-09-04T10:59:00.002-04:00

I am a big fan of Atlanta based music photographer Zack Arias. He recently wrote the post below and it just about brought me to tears. I just had to post it. Enjoy! -- Russ

Photo by Zack Arias

It is with heavy heart that I have to report that we lost my step father this morning. Craig had been suffering from ALS over the past year and a half. It is a nasty disease that leaves your mind but takes your body. I haven’t lost a lot of close people in my life. My grandfather was the closest person I have ever lost and I regret so much that I never made a portrait of him. I just have these grainy disc camera photos of him to remember him by. Nothing that really says who he was or what he was about.

When I was working at Kinko’s I nearly lost my job twice. Both times for the same reason; enlarging prints for someone’s funeral. I would meet a customer at the counter and with red puffy eyes they would slide a dog eared, scratched 4×6 print across the counter. This person in the photo had just passed away and they wanted a 16×20 made to place by the casket. It wasa always some horrible photo. Never a great portrait. There would be a laundry basket in the corner. The drapes on the windows were stained. Reflections in glasses. Scratches on the print. I would take the job, put everything on hold and start to work on the scan in PhotoShop. This is a soul’s last known image on earth. They deserve better than this. My manager didn’t think this way. Scan and print. That’s it. I revolted and continued working on images for funerals. She wasn’t cold hearted enough to actually fire me for the few hours I would spend on those images but she wasn’t at all happy with me either.

That planted a philosophy I have on every single photoshoot. “I’m shooting for this person’s funeral.” I better make images that people will want to see and remember this person by. Something that shows who they were and what they did and how they were living their life pursuing a dream. I’ve made as many visits as I could over the last year to my Mom and Craig. They live in Elkin, NC. I knew this year I had to get Craig to sit for me. I had to photograph him before I lost him. Craig was a retired homebuilder and was now preaching at a church near Elkin. He was born and raised in Dallas, TX but moved with my Mom to Elkin for a slower change of pace and to be near my Mom’s family there. He loved the community and the church he landed in had him start preaching because they were in need of a new preacher. That dying little church began to thrive.

Knowing that things would escalate quickly I had prints made and shipping arrangement taken care of well in advance. Also knowing how many people loved Craig in his community, I had dozens of 8×10 prints made of this for folks to keep.

Photo by Zack Arias

On my last trip up there a month or so ago I photographed Craig watching the kids play in the backyard. Goodbye Craig. My gosh we are going to miss you. You’re home now though. Finally in a place bigger than your home country of Texas. Are you photographing those you love? I’m not. Not like I should be. I have a big long list of people to get started on. You always think you have time. Sometimes you do. Most of the time you don’t. Had I not known that we would be losing Craig this year, I probably would have never gotten around to making the images above. Sad isn’t it? Me. A photographer who can’t turn a camera on to his own family. There’s your challenge for the week. Family portrait time this week.

Cheers,
Zack

Worlds Largest Wedding Cake

2008-09-01T09:58:00.002-04:00

I heard about this on the radio, but didn't believe it! Can you imagine a cake this big!

"Today, at the New England Bridal Showcase, Mohegan Sun unveiled what it hopes will be the world's largest wedding cake. Measuring 17-feet tall and weighing 15,032 pounds, the seven-tiered cake is almost three-times the weight of the current record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's largest wedding cake.

The Mohegan Sun wedding cake is vanilla flavored and decorated with bows and hearts. Ingredients include: 10,000 pounds of pound cake batter and 4,810 pounds of creamy frosting with a taste of vanilla and almond. Comparatively speaking, the cake weighs more than five Volkswagen Beetles and can feed up to 59,000 people.

Chef Lynn Mansel, Mohegan Sun's Executive Pastry Chef and resident "Michelangelo of batters and buttercream," began creating the cake on Sunday, February 1st in the Uncas Ballroom. Along with his team of 57 chefs and pastry artisans, Chef Mansel baked 700, 18x24 inch vanilla sheet cakes. Then, using frosting as cement, they created 200, five- and six-layered bricks, which were put together to form the tiers of the wedding cake. Steel discs were used as cake separators and two fork-lifts helped raise each tier as the wedding cake took shape.

The current record in the Guiness Book of World Records is 5,334-pounds, and was unveiled at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2003. The five-tiered cake, which measured 22-feet tall, celebrated the wedding of the animated characters Shrek and Fiona -- who were the main characters in the original Shrek movie -- and the opening of the new Shrek 4-D ride at Universal Studios."

Matt and Laura Talk

2008-08-19T09:39:00.002-04:00

This is the first in a new series of blog posts under the category “In their own words.” I got this idea from colleague Marc Climie. He's another wedding photographer with the "Climie" name based in Atlanta (to my knowledge we are not related). We have the client pick their favorite image of the wedding day and expand on why they love it so much, what makes it their favorite, etc. If you’re a client whose wedding we’ve finished and you’d like to participate, please email me for details. We would love to include you in this!

Matt and Laura picked this image. Here is what they said:

Our favorite picture was taken in front of the limo at the church when I am wearing Matt's hat and we are kissing each other. I really enjoy this picture because it shows that Matt and I love to goof around and that we love each other. It's Matt's favorite because he is always saying he thinks I look good in a hat and what better than a cubs hat?! Thank you Russ for finding this great photo opportunity. It is sure to be a fond memory in our family for years to come.
~Laura Abid

Thanks Matt and Laura for being a part of this!

Eric + Kesha @ Rockford Reformed

2008-08-16T08:53:00.002-04:00

Eric and Kesha were married on a Friday evening on August 1, 2008 in Rockford, MI. The day was filled with errands and tying up loose ends, but in the end Eric and Kesha did tie the knot! The details were taken care of by wonderfully caring parents and friends that surrounded them on their wedding day. The ceremony included all the nieces and nephews (so be sure to look for them) and the reception consisted of a dessert buffet. From their first dance to Kesha's Dad's heartfelt toast, their day went off just as they had planned! Since their wedding day, they have both moved to California where Eric is a professor and has been for some time.

Thanks for such an amazing day and for choosing me to be a part of it!

Team Hoyt Together

2008-08-12T16:54:00.003-04:00

A while back a I came across this video about Dick Hoyt and his son Rick. Take a moment and watch this 4 minute video it speaks for itself.

Together we can accomplish anything. What would you like to accomplish?

59 minutes, 48 seconds...

2008-08-08T17:02:00.002-04:00

What a way to spend a Friday afternoon - on the phone with the IRS! I guess the system our government set up doesn't like it when business owners are efficient and place 3 checks in one envelope! I mailed my 2007 income taxes, my 2007 self-employment taxes and my first 2008 estimated payment in the same envelope with three different envelopes inside of it (they were all going to the same place anyway!) and somehow that messed up our 2008 Stimulus Payment. So for those of you whose money from the 2008 stimulus package has come and gone, we haven't even gotten our check yet! So to clear that up it took a 59 minute, 48 second phone call. Talk about efficient! (yeah right).

Think about what I could've done with that hour:

Cooked and eaten a meal with my wife
Edited photographs - and gotten paid!
Spent time with my parents
Gone for a walk
Enjoyed the nice, warm Michigan summer

But no, I had to sit in my office dealing with the IRS...the joys of being a small business owner.

-Russ

PS - anyone else feel like we should scrap the entire system and start all over again...?? We don't have TV anymore, so I've been spared the political hype thus far, but it's all anyone ever talks about anymore - anyone else sick of it?

Jonathan + Rachel @ HBA of Grand Rapids

2008-08-06T16:56:00.002-04:00

Jonathan and Rachel were married on July 26, 2008 at Vos Chapel at Kyper College in Grand Rapids. All the details were amazing, from the flowers to the dresses to the reception details. Flowers were put together by Natalie at Stems Event Design - a division of Mulick Floral. Just look at the flowers - they are great! Rachel and Jonathan both work for McDonald's Corporate in the Chicago area and are big into photo and video production. We had a blast taking photos outside Kyper College before and visiting a little known location between the ceremony and reception (if you'd like to know where we went, you'll have to email me here!) The reception was a HBA of Grand Rapids and Joey Davenport of Complete Music supplied the entertainment. Make sure you ask for Joey @ Complete Music - what a guy! What a great day and night - thanks for such an amazing day and for picking me to capture your special day!

Entrepre * Crazy

2008-08-06T13:28:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week I was able to meet Sue LaBelle, owner of Big Apple Bagels in Grand Rapids. She and her husband own two locations in Grand Rapids - Lake Michigan Dr and Plainfield Ave. She made a great comment about people who just "naturally" start their own business. She mentioned that her husband and son are out in California looking at bringing back another franchise to the Grand Rapids area. She called their family "Entrepre-Crazy"! I love people like that.

While there, I was able to suggest a couple great books that have helped me with my business over the past few years. The first one is "The Cashflow Quadrant" by Robert Kiyosaki and the second one was "The E-Myth" by Micheal Gerber. These two authors have really challenged my thinking over the past few years. Like Kiyosaki writing the tough question - "So you think your house is an 'ASSET'? -- What's the largest check you write on a monthly basis? Is it your mortgage? How then is your house an 'ASSET' when it takes money AWAY from you?" -- Ouch! Or when Gerber writes "If you had 5,000 stores that were just like yours, would you be happy?" - Ouch!

These two guys are must reads for any business owner - so be sure to pick them up today!

Cory + Sandi @ Leelanau

2008-08-01T12:06:00.003-04:00

Cory and Sandi were married in the Leelanau Peninsula on July 19, 2008. Tiberius Images Associate photographer Theresa Milanowski made her way up to the Traverse City area to capture an amazing day of photographs. The ceremony itself was held in Cedar, MI and was right next door to some amazing locations including the Lake Michigan waterfront. The reception was held at Timberlee Hills and they had a great time in between on the party bus.

Thanks for such an amazing day and for picking us to capture your special day!

Brad + Mindy @ the English Inn

2008-07-31T10:59:00.004-04:00

Brad and Mindy were married on July 19, 2008 in Okemos, MI. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with us for outdoor pictures, but it didn't matter - Brad and Mindy were stunning! Brad is the third in a group of three guy friends to get married. I first photographed his best man, Brandon in 2006, another friend Blake in 2007 and now Brad's married. They were a blast to be around. Flowers by Brew's Creations in Floral in Grand Rapids were fantastic and the reception was fantastic at the English Inn in Eaton Rapids. We stopped for a few images at the State Capitol where Brad works as well. The wedding party and families were terrific - I really felt like an old friend who just happened to be their with a camera!

Thanks for such a fun day! I had such a blast spending my Saturday with you!

Jarrod + Tracy Wedding

2008-07-15T12:48:00.002-04:00

Jarrod and Tracy were married on July 5! I first met them at Dan and Tristan's wedding on 7-7-07 and they were a blast then and did not disappoint this time either! We had a pretty uneventful start to the day with guys and girls photos. The ceremony was in the chapel of Raybrook Home off the East Beltline. It was a very cute and quite chapel - which was perfect for Jarrod and Tracy. We then headed downtown to the Pedestrian Bridge and took photos on the bridge, around the bridge and even saw a homeless guy at the river half naked, but still talking away on his cell phone! That's one you definately don't see everyday! The reception was at Brann's Catering south of downtown and they did a great job! It really was one big party and it felt like I knew half the guests. As I told them when we first met, I want you to feel like I'm an old friend that happened to show up with a camera!

Thanks for such a fun day! I had such a blast spending my Saturday with you!

Morehouse Family Photos

2008-07-13T12:09:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the Morehouse Family. I originally met the oldest son, Scott, while in a networking group and he purchased a family portrait gift certificate. His family was able to use it on a beautiful Sunday evening at Townsend Park (great place for photos!). Thanks for allowing me to create some new family memories!

Matt is Back! Do You Know Where Matt Is?

2008-07-10T08:57:00.003-04:00

In case you've never heard of this guy, Matt Harding, he's a former video game programmer from Washington state that a few years back saved up enough $$ to take a small trip around the world. He decided that dancing around the world sounded like a great idea and so he began video taping himself dancing at different locations around the globe. When he finally made it home, he put together a video (click here to see the original). If I am a recovering Golf-A-Holic, then my wife and I are both Travel-A-Holics as well. We found Matt back in 2006 when his original viral video hit the airways. After his first trip, Stride Gum decided it would be a great idea to sponsor his next trip and paid for his second worldwide adventure. He recently completed the video below by visiting 42 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES! So here's your assignment - if you were to take a trip around the world, what would it look like? Where would you go, how long would you stay? What's your itinerary? I recently read a book that stated, "nothing happens, but first a dream". What's your dream trip? Enjoy...

Stay Informed Without Wasting Time

2008-06-27T11:12:00.004-04:00

This post is for anyone that is sick of wasting time online! If you get your news, weather and sports scores from online sources, I found a tool that will change the way you surf the web! It's called an RSS Reader. You may have seen this icon around the web and never known what it's for. Well today's your lucky day. I've had a few friends and clients ask how they can keep up with the happenings around here and what I've been up to. Watch this 3 minute video and you'll find out everything you need to know! Personally, I've been using Google Reader for about 3 weeks and have subscribed to tons of RSS feeds to keep me informed and to continue learning about both photography and business! So, go create an account and then be sure to subscribe to my blog by clicking on the RSS Icon on the left side of the page!

Brad + Rebecca @ Frederik Meijer Gardens

2008-06-25T09:59:00.002-04:00

Brad and Rebecca were married on June 14, 2008 at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI. I met Brad and Rebecca almost a year ago and was excited about their waterfall wedding at the Gardens. Over the past year, Rebecca has been busy with medical school in Milwaukee and Brad busy working as a civil engineer. Rebecca was perhaps the most organized bride I've worked with. Just imagine, she arrived, went down to the bridal room where she, along with her bridesmaids, were ready in about 15 minutes! Rebecca planned a wonderful day with lots of time for fun photographs around the Gardens. The day was beautiful and Brad and Rebecca were so easy to photograph - the camera absolutely loves them! The ceremony was terrific, the staff at the Gardens helped out a ton and the reception went off without a hitch - including the line dancing instruction! Brad and Rebecca wanted to do something different for their reception, considering neither of them are big fans of dancing. They hired Lia Andrus of Lia's Line Dancing and she was fantastic.

Thanks for such a fun day! I had such a blast spending my Saturday with you!

Once in a lifetime round of golf...

2008-06-14T12:05:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't realize this, but I am a recovering golf-a-holic. With my dad being in the industry, I've had the chance to play some pretty amazing courses around the country. Last week the four Climie men below (l to r - Daniel, Patrick, Lance, Me) were able to play Crystal Downs Country Club near Frankfort, MI. This course is consistently in the top 10 courses in the world and last year was ranked #6 in the USA. It was designed by Alister Mackenzie, the same architect of Augusta National, where the Masters is played. This is a "links" version of Augusta with tons of hills, bunkers and fast greens! I can't imagine Augusta being much more difficult than this course, where the course superintendent told us "keep the ball below the hole". I realized why after my put on number 3 rolled past the hole and off the green! It was an amazing experience that I will not soon forget. If you'd like to see more, shoot me an email at russ@tiberiusimages.com.

The view from #18 - looking back at the pro shop on the left and the original clubhouse on the right!
The original clubhouse from 1929 - still in use! They only close the club down 4 times a year for events, otherwise it's a members only facility.

Jeff + Jennifer @ Frederik Meijer Gardens

2008-06-13T15:59:00.002-04:00

Jeff and Jennifer were married at Frederik Meijer Gardens on June 7, 2008! It was a wonderful ceremony held in the Grand Ballroom, which worked out great considering it was almost 90 degrees outside! The ceremony was filled with family traditions and Jeff and Jennifer were surrounded by tons of family and friends. Family photos went off without a hitch and then it was off to their favorite spot, the Last Chance Bar on Burton St. SE in the Alger Heights area. I am constantly telling couples to incorporate something that has special meaning on your wedding day, which Jeff and Jennifer did - at their local watering hole! Even better, on the way, the "Party Bus" from DADD's Magic Limo Service starting falling apart on the way! The tailpipe decided it didn't want to stay on the bus any longer. This is the 3rd time I've had a DADD's bus either break down of lose a few parts along the way. If you're looking for a great limo service, check out either Crystal Limo Service or Elite Limo Service. They have the best fleet and drivers in West Michigan! The reception was great at the Hilton Hotel on 28th St. and Complete Music did a fantastic job of filling the dance floor. Make sure you ask for Mickey Sawyer for your DJ!

Thanks for such a fun day! I had such a blast spending my Saturday with you!

Michael + Misti @ The Pinnacle Center

2008-06-05T12:51:00.002-04:00

Michael and Misti were married at New Community Church on the northeast side of Grand Rapids. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Every detail was planned out wonderfully by Misti and the ceremony went off without a hitch. We knocked out formal photos in a hurry because Michael and Misti wanted to have enough time in the downtown GR area for fun photos. We took images at the blue Pedestrian Bridge, the Gerald R Ford Museum and finally we headed to a place I'd never been before, the Waterworks Pub inside the Boardwalk building on N. Monroe. Michael and Misti were great subjects to photograph and were up for almost anything! When I have the chance to work with fun, outgoing individuals, it makes my job so easy! The reception was at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville which was the perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Thanks for such a fun day! I had such a blast spending my Saturday with you!

Portrait for Local First...

2008-06-05T12:35:00.002-04:00

Last week I had the privilege of photographing the director of Local First. Local First is a non-profit group in Grand Rapids that educates the public about how spending money at locally owned businesses helps grow the local economy. Take a look at their website and see the kind of work they do! Enjoy the pics!

If Elissa ends up writing a book, she'll definately have to use the photo above! :-)

The Most Important Part to a Great Wedding Reception

2008-05-30T14:13:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-05-29T14:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-22T00:55:00.003-04:00

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"

2008-05-21T11:30:00.003-04:00

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?

2008-05-17T09:22:00.003-04:00

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.