A Bryan Blog

Caroline & Will

2008-04-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Caroline & Will's images just went live and I couldn't be happier with the outcome of what we captured.
Here are a few of my favorites but please check out their entire gallery HERE.

I'm heading to New York City in the morning for a couple meetings and shoots. I love any opportunity I get to be in the Big Apple. I could be happy just riding the subway and watching people. I may actually have some time to chill tomorrow (Tuesday) so if you live in the city want to hang out or shoot, just email me at bryan@abryanphoto.com. Sweet! Hang out!

These past few weeks I feel like have been a whirlwind. I have been to Florida, Mississippi twice, Georgia, South Carolina, Lousiana. This past weekend I went to Ashley's 10 year high school reunion in Baton Rouge which was actually quite enjoyable. It was so cool to meet these people that have known my wife for their whole lives and confirm all the amazing things I already know about her. One of her friends pulled me aside on Saturday just to say "I really like your wife." "Me too", I replied.

Happy Monday, hope you are well.

Megan & Luke

2008-04-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here are several shots from my trip to Orlando last week. I was privileged to spend time with my friend from college, Luke, his wife Megan, and their daughter Sadie.

A Bryan Photo Team: Portrait Studio

2008-04-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Of course we couldn't set up the Portrait Studio this weekend and not get some shots of ourselves.
Go Team A Bryan Photo!

Me with my new amazing point and shoot, the Yashica T4! Look for photos from this device to follow in a few weeks.

Caleb!

Jeff!

Jeremiah!

Catherine & Ben: The Portrait Studio

2008-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

What a weekend it was for me and my team! We shot Catherine and Ben's wedding in Meridian Mississippi and it truly was remarkable. Below is just a preview of some portrait studio shots we took. I cannot wait to show the images from the whole weekend in 3 weeks.
For now, enjoy these!

Catherine & Ben

2008-04-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few shots more from the day. The weather was perfect, the flowers by Jon Davis were impeccable and the couple was truly in love. More to come in 3 weeks!

Baby Vale

2008-04-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Thomas & Melissa, my friends, neighbors and old wedding clients had a new baby girl last month. I got the chance to photograph her briefly on Easter Sunday. I'm bummed that we couldn't get her to wake up for the shoot, but I guess that gives me a chance to photograph her again soon! I guess that is one advantage to having me as your neighbor, I will most likely document your kid's lives because I'm often in the yard documenting my kids.
Congrats Thomas and Melissa! She truly is beautiful.

Caroline & Will

2008-04-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Caroline and Will are getting married today and I'm so excited about shooting it. The shots above are from their engagement session from earlier in the year. Last night I photographed the rehearsal and it was great to hear all the encouraging words their friends and family spoke about the two of them. The wedding is going to be beautiful. Look for some shots from it next week!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hope you are having a great day mom!
I was at my parents last week and found these shots of her through the years. It's too bad that kids now a days only have their photos taken on their parents point and shoot digital that most likely don't get printed. Wouldn't you rather have your photos look like this?

This shot is so weird! What in the world is that horse doing in the back ground.

Mom and Dad, looking pretty fly.

Family photo, circa 1988. That's me on the bottom right. I really hope the clip-on tie comes back in.

Betsy & Luke

2008-04-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Betsy may have been the most excited bride I have ever photographed. She seriously didn't stop smiling all day!
Luke and Betsy were engaged and married within a month and a half and its really amazing how remarkable the wedding looked, despite such a short amount of time to plan. Good job you two! I'm all for people moving on with their lives as quick as possible. To quote Billy Crystal from When Harry Met Sally, "When you finally know who you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." I hope I didn't butcher that.

Click HERE to see their gallery!

T shirt winners!

2008-04-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sull, supporting A Bryan Photo at The Art Museum of Sao Paulo in Brazil!

We had a great response to our 2nd t-shirt contest! I really want to start doing more things of the sort. For me it is great being able to connect with so many of you that I don't know personally. Its so nice to know that many of you check up on us daily.
Without further ado:

1. Kate- Can't wait to see the shirt on your blog!
2. Carly Jackson- You may be our number one sales force. Thanks for always talking us up to your friends!
3. Marianna- Brazil!
4. Laura O Hare- Ireland!
5. Callie Weed- You better rock that bar exam.

*6. Ann
*7.Christa

*didn't win a new shirt but I'm going to send them an older A Bryan Photo shirt for being awesome

In our photo contest, the winners are:

1.David and Kallie Buckmaster - This photo is amazing. I can't believe you flew to Paris just to win the contest.

2. Sull (pictured at the top of this post)

Thanks to all who participated! I really wish I could have given a shirt to all of you.

Please email info@abryanphoto.com with your address and T shirt size (they tend to run small).

A Whole New Mind

2008-04-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

The reason A Bryan Photo is awesome?
The guys in this photo.

I'm so blessed by the people that have chosen to work with my company. They are all constantly striving to make the experience better for every A Bryan Photo client. They also enrich my life with their perspective and insight. Every Monday morning we have a production meeting where we talk about our weekends and everything that we have to do in the upcoming week. We also take time to talk through anything we have learned or read recently. I'm always amazed with the ideas presented and decided that I want them to share with you (my fellow blog readers) some insights they have been learning.

Jeremiah was telling me about a cool book he read while at the beach last week and asked him to share it on the blog. Take it away, man:

When it comes to writing about books, the options are typically to write a review (what you thought about the book) or a summary (what the book was about). This will look a bit more like a short summary.

"A Whole New Mind" is a book by Daniel H. Pink based on how our way of thinking must change in order to keep up with a changing world. Pink has previously written books about the changing employment structure - more people working on a short-term, project basis, rather than 45 years at the same job. "A Whole New Mind" refers back to these changing employment roles and the way we must think about them.

His thesis is basically that

A) our economy and world are changing....

B) the way they are changing is from an analytical-based, Left-Brain type thinking...to a more creative, Right-Brain centered train of thought...

C) as "Abundance, Asia, and Automation" take simple tasks overseas (or automate them), developed economies (America/Europe/Japan) are left with a need for people who can see the big picture. Performing simple tasks well is no longer enough to guarantee a job for life...the ability to synthesize information and understand the results are the new skills to pursue.

Much of the book is spent discussing the 'six senses' central to this new way of thinking - design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. Pink does an admirable job of reviewing these various attributes and relating them to our changing world...this section has a lot worth thinking about.

If you have much interest in business or the consequences of living in a flat world (an inter-connected world), "A Whole New Mind" is definitely worth reading. In the meantime, take a break to draw a picture or write a poem and try developing that Right-brain...(we actually wrote "experimental poetry" before our production meeting yesterday...it was a disaster, but at least we tried).

T-shirt contest winners...

2008-04-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

...announced tomorrow.
We have some amazing entries and I cannot wait to choose them tonight.
Thanks so much for making this fun and for connecting with us.

The Fountains of Bellagio

2008-04-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah and I have decided that the Fountains of Bellagio are greatest man-made creation in the world. We watched them a total of 30 times while in Vegas a few weeks back. If you have never experienced it, you must at some point in your life. It almost redeems the entire city of Las Vegas.
There are around 12 different water shows, and our personal favorite is set to the song "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. The video below is of that show. Its so much better in person when you see everything in your peripheral vision and to feel the mist hit your face. Nonetheless, try to experience its greatest while watching a You Tube video on your computer.
Cheers.

Jenna & Jonathan

2008-04-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of how Jenna and Jonathan's wedding images look. I went through their gallery a number of times today and I honestly couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.
Jenna, you were stunning and such a pleasure to work with!
Check our their entire gallery of images HERE and PLEASE be sure you don't miss their 8mm film.

Labels

2008-04-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog in July I didn't tag my posts. This meant there was no way to search any related topic. I spent a good bit of time going through the posts and tagging them with some general labels. Below are all the links to those labels that I created. I will soon have a spot on this blog where these will stay permanently.

A Bryan Photo Concerts
A Bryan Photo Team
Africa
Bands
Business
Caleb
Contests
DD Dliwayo School
Family
Film
For Photographers
Friends
Hanson
Portraits
Published
Strategic Partners
Thoughts
TOMS
Videos
Weddings

A Bryan Photo Featured in PDN's Top Knots

2008-04-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Wow. I'm so honored to have been chosen for this years PDN's Top Knots. For those that don't know, PDN is one of the most well regarded photography magazines in the industry (actually the ONLY one I subscribe to). Every year they have a contest for the best wedding images from the following year. One of our images was chosen for this year!

We submitted a few images but this portrait of Greg O'Brien ( of Ginger and Greg) must have struck a chord with the judges. Yes Greg, you are just that beautiful.

Be sure to check out the whole gallery of winners. There is some great stuff in there.

Also congratulations our friend Jose Villa for grabbing this year's cover. A HUGE honor which is well deserved. If you are in a giving mood, leave a comment on his blog and tell him congrats.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

2008-04-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today is his birthday and I hope his special day includes alot of unicorns and flowers and rainbows and buttercups.

Please visit his blog today and leave a comment on his most recent entry. The more random and ridiculous the comment the better, and it doesn't matter if you don't know him. I'm going to be really mad if he doesn't have at least 50 birthday wishes.

Caleb, you make my life alot more fun than it should be. I'm very thankful that we are friends.

For those of you who don't know him, he is the other photographer for the A Bryan Photo team. Check out a recent wedding of his HERE.

Hanson Prints Are In and Out!

2008-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were able to splurge and pay $750 for the limited edition Hanson print, you are going to be very excited about your investment. Not only did your proceeds go to help an amazing cause, you are going to have a one of a kind piece that is going to make so many fans jealous. We got them back, signed and framed and plan on shipping them out this week. They are so flippin' sweet and only ten of you have them. If any of you want to change an address for where it is sent, please email us at info@abryanphoto.com.
Thanks again!
Bj

Another T-Shirt Contest! (Happy Monday)

2008-03-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Girls Shirt

Guys Shirt

We got in our new shirts in a few weeks ago and I couldn't be more happy with the outcome. I told the guys at Matchstic I wanted to do a design around my go to camera, the Rolleiflex. The shirts are for A Bryan Photo clients and are currently not for sale. But I wanted to do another contest for the deserving people who read the blog.
So here's how the T shirt contest works:
Leave a comment on this post for why you deserve one.
We will pick the most interesting, funny, creative responses.
The best 5 entries will get a shirt!
Extra consideration given to those who use photos to tell us why you deserve one.
Seriously, don't be shy. Comment and get a cool shirt!

An extra 3 shirts will be given to those who are already supporting the A Bryan Photo cause by wearing our shirts.
To win you must submit an interesting photo of you wearing your A Bryan Photo shirt. Get creative people!
Extra consideration if you are wearing the shirt in a cool part of the world, maybe with Stonehenge or the Eiffel Tower behind you (even more impressive if they are BOTH in the background of the same photo).
Email your photos to info@abryanphoto.com
The deadline is next Monday.

Good Luck and Happy Monday!

Bj

Rod Rosenbladt

2008-03-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

I recently got the chance to photograph a hero of mine, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt. I met him for the first time a few years back when he spoke on father-son relationships at my church. The title of his 4 part session was "When a Good Father Dies, Its Always Too Soon". His talks were saturated with colorful stories of his own father, who often presented Rod with undeserved grace. Rod says he learned much about the character of his Eternal Father through watching his earthly one.
The sessions of stories and deep rooted theology have influenced me as a father more than any other individual experience. I listen to the sessions at least once a year. His insights into the mind of a child and the actions of fathers are priceless.
Since then, I have kept up with him through his weekly radio show The White Horse Inn (which I listen to on podcast and highly recommend).
I caught wind last month that Rod was back in Birmingham for a few days. I immediately began to seek him out so that I could bring him to my studio to photograph him. A few people help me connect with him and introduced myself (I never had officially met him 4 years ago) and convinced him to allow me to take his picture. He was gracious enough to give me 30 minutes and I'm so thankful to have gotten the chance to let him know how much he has meant to me. If you are interested in the "Father" series, just leave a comment on this post with your email address and I will send you the MP3's.
He recently released a talk titled "The Gospel For Those Broken By The Church" which I recommend to any who feel that they have been burned by church in the past.
Rod, if you ever read this, thank you for filling my life with Grace and Truth.

Back in Business!

2008-03-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Caleb & I doing the shake face at Becker's amazing Vegas party. He had a Foto Cabina booth at the party for a 2nd straight year (the creation of Dane Sanders). Its an all digital booth equipped with a screen that informs the subject that their photo is about to be taken. I'm normally not a fan of digital photobooths but this is really well done.

I plan on doing a total Vegas recap later this week. Sorry to any of you who tried to come to the site yesterday and it was down. Our hosting company was having issues but they seem to have been resolved.

Cheers!

Bj

Jane Hart & Bayard Wedding

2008-03-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Coming soon....very soon.

Peace. - Caleb

Jane Hart & Bayard Film

2008-03-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm working my way through Jane Hart and Bayard's film right now.....I'm very happy.

Peace. - Caleb

Cypress Albums

2008-03-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

I was honored to work at the Cypress booth all day. Cypress is the company that does all of our albums, and they are truly remarkable. I believe in their products so much. They continually make us look so good. Check out their work at www.cypressalbums.com

We leave tomorrow; we are so worn out!

Cheers.

So blessed.

2008-03-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

I cannot even begin to tell you how blessed I feel this evening as I lay in bed. Even though I'm so freakin' tired, my heart is so full. I have met so many genuine people who are so kind and sharing. Have you ever just felt overwhelmed by the undeserved kindness of others? That is exactly how I feel tonight. I'm going to try and paint a picture for you but don't know if will be able to while typing on the iPhone. I start with my friend Yvette Roman (who is pictured above with Jose Villa and me). Yvette is a fellow film shooter who is sponsored by Kodak. I mentioned to her how much I love to shoot Kodak and how I would love to work with them in getting the word out in the wedding photography community about their amazing film. Because Yvette is so kind, she took me immediately over to the Kodak booth and introduced me to Scott, who is her rep. I had an amazing chat with Scott and really feel like a huge door was opened. Holy cow, Yvette I can't thank you enough for this. Later we all went to a Richard Photo Lab party at the Venetian. This was probably my favorite time of the whole week. Somehow, I have fallen into a community of shooters that are so good at what they do while being some of the most thoughtful people I have ever met.
Well, its 2:30 in the morning and I can barely keep my eyes open but I wanted to say these things while they were still fresh on my mind. I want to end by saying that Bill and Brian of Richard Photo Lab are some of the most generous and caring people I have met. It's so amazing to meet and get to know them in person. They care about the success of A Bryan Photo as much as we do. This all for now as I'm going to sleep. I'm so tired. Good night.