FAVORITES FROM 2010

It's been a good year... and fun to look back on. Lots of good times, great friends and tons of memories to hold on to. But soon it will be time to look forward. History has shown that over time my opportunities have grown bigger and my photography has grown better. I expect the coming year to be no different—and that's exciting! Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing (I've been working non-stop since Christmas) and setting goals for the new year. What should I try to accomplish this year?

SEATTLE SOUTH

Extreme weather has made this an interesting Christmas vacation. I was excited to leave DC, which still had snow on the ground when I left for some warmer California weather. And while it's been warmer (relative to DC) it has rained almost every day! One of the local radio DJs starting calling Los Angeles "Seattle South." And now, due to a "major" snowstorm in the East, my flight back home has been cancelled.
Despite the rain, the time with my family has been wonderful and I even got a day to break away for some alone time in San Luis Obispo. The rain let up for an afternoon and I spent some time at Montaña de Oro state park, sitting on one of my favorite beaches. The rock on the right side of the picture is where I spent a lot of time during my college years thinking and praying, standing in awe of the God that I believe created that place with it's pelicans and otters and the powerful waves and fiery sunsets. My friend Ron and I used to just call it "The Spot." There's nothing else quite like it—and it was good to be back.

ENGAGEMENT: STERLING & GARY

One of the coolest things about my relatively new photography business is seeing clients become friends and friends become clients. The latter might be slightly more exciting because I don't ask friends to become clients. I don't want anyone to feel compelled to hire me to in order to maintain a friendship or because they feel bad for me—I'd prefer to be hired based on skill and confidence in having an enjoyable wedding or portraiture experience. I know that I'd probably have more professional success if I was pushy about closing the deal and really solicited everyone I know, including friends and family, but that's just not me. Plus, it's really exciting when friends ask me to shoot their weddings.
Gary was one of the first friends I made after moving out to DC from Southern California. He's super smart, quick-witted and has abs of steel. Sterling is the perfect match for him intellectually, but is clearly a lot prettier than he is. Don't tell Gary I said that. (For some reason, I get really truthful when I'm talking to the internet) We took some engagement photos in preparation for their upcoming wedding in January. These photos were taken in what felt like the dead of winter, absolute frigid digit-numbing conditions, but Sterling and Gary light up every frame.
Also, I will answer the question on everyone's mind: Yes, all of my friends are extraordinarily good looking.

PHOTOBOOTH: CHRISTMAS PARTY

The good people over at The Grove throw an epic Christmas party every year. This year was no different and the theme was "silver & gold." So for the 2010 photo booth I built a background that included a ton of individually wrapped gifts (all in silver and gold) that looked like a wall of presents. And judging by the evidence above, the guests had a good time with it.

I have been working on making the photo booth better, stronger and more portable and now feel like it's ready to add to my current offerings for weddings and events in 2011. The remote triggering is wireless, giving guests control over when the photo is taken and there is a monitor showing them immediate feedback. Also, the background can be customized a million different ways to complement the event's theme or color palette. As guests leave the booth they can pick up a card with the web address of the site they can download their photos from. All the photos from the Grove can be seen here:

http://ndonner.smugmug.com/Photo-Booth/The-Grove-2010

If you are interested in having the Photo Booth at your wedding, party, or event contact me for prices and availability - info@nicholasdonner.com