High up on the photographer's wishlist is:

Photographers::

You're at a wedding, clicking away. The reception turns from polite to joyous, to high-octane, to frenetic. You're clicking away, getting those amazing shots. Sometimes, though, you wish you could freeze the action to get it all. There are so many 'perfect moments' that even with your assistants, it's a challenge to capture all of it. You know at some point there's a 'Grace Ormonde' shot right behind you...

My last wedding, the ceremony lasted 12 minutes. But it seemed like five. Like the wedding coordinator had her finger on the fast-forward button.

It's something like this that I wish I could do at weddings (this is so cool)::

Jerry Seinfeld's productivity secret (not that there's anything wrong with that)

As I begin my career in photography (I get to be my own boss? um, yes, I think I'll have that), I'm realizing very very quickly that productivity is no longer prompted by the expectations of a manager or team, but instead, by me. I dictate my schedule and my pace. My goals dictate my potential for revenue and success. My ambition accelerates all of these. I earn what I work for. And it is all 'homegrown'.

So I'm huge on anything that helps improve, fortify, and most of all, simplify productivity.

In other words: the goal is to work smarter, not necessarily harder.

Grazing in cyberspace one day, I came across lifehacker.com: "Tech Tricks, Tips, and Downloads For Getting Things Done". Sweet! One of the articles tells how Jerry Seinfeld himself goes about being productive. And his secret is so painfully simple. I love simplicity in such a pure, low-tech form. What's his secret? To quote the article:

[Jerry] revealed a unique calendar system he uses to pressure himself to write [jokes and new material]. Here's how it works.

He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.

He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."

Brilliant. In such a complex age and in an industry where it's so easy to get caught up in the numbers and software and color profiles and folders and inboxes run amok, I'm always amazed how simple methods remain so trustworthy and reliable. Calendars don't run on electricity! And you don't need to upgrade a big red marker for $299. I love it.

Oxford Hotel wedding pictures | Matt & Leslie in Denver 2/29/08

Getting married this year at the Oxford Hotel? Email Chris to see if I'm available to photograph your wedding! This is one of most amazing venues for weddings.

The Oxford Hotel is the most beautiful hotel you'll find anywhere in Denver. How lucky was I to shoot a wedding there this weekend?? On Leap Day, no less. It was so great. Better yet, Leslie & Matt decided to go vintage. Everything about their wedding was 1940s-era, from the table decorations to the dress code. Vintage typewriters, art-deco jewelry, wartime letters... it all matched the Hotel's décor perfectly.



Totally vintage!! Courtesy of the Hotel's spa::


Totally gorgeous bride::


Amazingly handsome groom::


I was so spoiled as a photographer! It was like walking onto a old Hollywood movie set::






Matt wins with scissors. He read his vows first::


Married!


Perfect view of Union Station (this block in Denver might as well be known as Photographer's Row)::




Leap Day::






The cake was unbelievable. Empire State Building...


...and King Kong! (courtesy of Kelley Kakes)


Passers-by from the present were so jealous of the party::


Swing swing swing...


Newlyweds swinging to Benny Goodman. Doesn't get any better than this::




Leslie & Matt, thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. Photographers love color, and we love style even more. Truly a night to remember. I'll have Benny Goodman in my head for weeks.