Do you like to have fun? We do, especially with our photos. We wanted something a little different than the average blog out there, so along with our super talented Blog designer we came up with a Favorites section - or "Wiebner Faves" as we like to call it. What is it you ask? more »
Well, under each photo, you will see an "I Like This" box. If you really like that image, if it tickles your fancy, or makes you laugh, or just plain old makes you smile - go ahead - check it. We know you want to. Each time that box is clicked on a photo, it adds to the running tally for that image. The top 14 favorite images on the entire blog will be shown as thumbnails in this section. Just so you can see the most popular images of all time on the blog. A little something out of the ordinary - it never hurts to be different!
Also, blog posts can be favorites. Now that we have comments available, you will see a little bar meter at the bottom left of each post. Once the meter hits a certain number of comments, its automatically promoted to a "Wiebner Fave Post". :) Something else just for fun!
Are you ready to advance your business? Education in our industry is important to us. The more photographers that are aware in the industry the better it is for everyone. Won't you join us in making our goals a reality? We participate in various workshops, seminars and speaking engagements. Listed below are various engagements - some are our own workshops, others we will be hosting or speaking at. If you wish to participate, please drop us a line or click the link to find out more info!
I find it incredibly difficult to write about us when put on "The Spot". "I need a 500 word bio about you and Joel, now!" Who can do that? How do you make your own personality shine in a few words, let alone that of two people? Well, I am going to give it my best shot. If you really want to know about US - who we really are - read the blog below. We really try to keep it updated as often as possible, and hope that our fun, casual personalities shine through in the words you read and the images we capture for our clients. The blog below is our way of communicating our lives - both personal and professional - with clients, friends, family and colleagues. We believe strongly in using words and images together to communicate our passion.
I am going to keep this short and sweet - Joel and I were meant to be together - to live, love and be happy making photographs. We were both photographers before we met over 9 years ago - we met behind a camera, and continue to feed off of that energy. We are a rock solid husband and wife team and we wouldn't want it any other way - we work together 24/7 and never tire of each other. We have had our business since November 2000, and have thrived on photographing weddings as our main photography genre since 2002. We love what we do. We like to think we look at the world in our own way - not photojournalistically, not traditionally, not artistically. Just as a Wiebner. If you like what we see, then you will like us too. Oh and don't forget to comment in the blog on our two little darlings - Haydn and Zane - they are pretty darn cute little Wiebners. Enjoy! - Rita
So I have been trying desperately to get caught up in this latter portion of this awful week, and finally had some time to get some sessions and weddings edited. I have 2 portrait sessions coming up here and then probably a wedding I will blog over the weekend since we don't have a wedding this weekend. So first up is Amy and Kyle's family session from a few weeks ago. (Sorry it took so long guys!)
Lincoln has turned into quite the ham and actor for the camera, its so interesting as a photographer to capture all the little nuances of different ages. And Farrah, she's running around too, in her cute little sandals. And every time she went sprinting down a sidewalk, her feet looked like they were going faster than the rest of her, and I thought for sure she was going to end up on her face. But she caught herself every time. I remember I really was crazy when my boys were this age, because I constantly worried they were going to topple over!
So Amy and Kyle brought the little tykes down to F&M (which is convenient, cause we could WALK to our session, we live a block away) - and we roamed about the campus and then walked in an alley nearby. Kids at these ages you practically just have to chase down and get what expressions you can. There isn't much sitting still and smiling. :)
It's been a trying week around here. First I want to apologize to our current clients who are waiting on their photos. Please know that we are working towards getting them to you as quickly as we can. It's just been a tough week.
Many of you probably already have seen this on Facebook, but for any that haven't, Tuesday morning, fellow photographer Daniel Mast, aged only twenty-freaking-eight, passed away. He was involved in a tragic work accident that took his life instantly. He leaves behind a beautiful young wife, Rebecca, 2 boys ages 2 and 4, and a 3rd child on the way that will be here in a few short weeks.
So what can I say about Daniel? He was a photographer. He was a father and husband. He was a man of faith. And he loved to ride his motorcycle, hang out with friends and be there for you when you needed him. He was that kind of guy. I don't recall when I first met Daniel, but I am sure it was at a photographer function here in Lancaster. See if you didn't know, our kind sticks together. Like glue. Sure, we may have our petty squabbles and disagreements. But when it comes down to it, we are just a great big family. We look out for each other, we take care of each other, we laugh and cry with each other, and in times like these, with our hearts heavy and sorrowful, we cry out together. Ask any photographer who has been doing this a few years. They will tell you what I mean.
What I remember the most about Daniel is laughter. Pure, jovial, belly laughing deep down, throw down laughter. The man loved to laugh. He laughed at you, he laughed with you, he made YOU laugh at him and with him. Every way, every combination. And that was just Daniel. He had that way about him. Honestly, I wish Joel and I knew him better than we did. We always hung out at our photographer functions here in Lancaster, exchange emails, ran into each other around town - and Joel had even gone to the movies with him and his best friend Jordan several times (hello Watchmen in iMax?) But one thing we never got to do, was what we do with all of our closest friends, and that is to get to know not just him, but his entire family as well. We know Becca, his wife. She had been in with Daniel several times when we had our studio down on Queen Street. She was pretty and nice and I often thought, "We should hang out with them more." And life comes and goes, and time passes, and things get forgotten. And here we are. With regrets. My regrets are only that we could have known and enjoyed Daniel's life with him more.
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While digging around trying to find some photos of Daniel, I found some old emails we had exchanged and while not too deep, they show you just how he was. Humorous and helpful. The 2 big Hs in my book:
May 8, 2009 (This would have been when we were moving INTO our studio on Queen St.)
Rita,
I don't have a huge amount (2-3 small ones) of boxes but if you need any help at all moving I would be more than happy to "volunteer" some time in exchange for food.
Daniel Mast - Photographer
March 21, 2011 (And then another from him when we decided we were being pulled in too many different directions and closed our studio and moved our office back home.)
Rita (and Joel),
I'm happy to hear of the change for you guys! I know it has been very freeing to be doing the same myself. I hope that it is equally freeing for you as well. If you need ANY assistance at all moving things or anything else please let me know - I'll do my best to make it happen. I'll definitely miss seeing your beautiful space there on Queen :(. Wish you and the fam the best!
Your Movie Going Compadre, Daniel Mast __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So where do we go from here? Well for now, we take action. We grieve, we cry, we laugh, and we do what we can. I have felt pretty helpless the last few days, knowing that Becca has lost her other half, and that she will soon have 3 small children to take care of by herself. I'm going to put it bluntly, I would be devastated if this happened to me. I wouldn't know what to do. Like Becca, I am very lucky to have found my true soulmate, someone that completes me and who I understand so completely. So I sat down on Wednesday night, and I started doing the only thing I could do. I wrote. I wrote a semi-lengthy post on our Facebook page, and I promoted the heck out of it. I wanted everyone to read about it and know about Daniel and his family and how we can all help them get through this time. I drew on my knowledge and connections of all the photographers that I know from all across the country. I started Facebook messaging and emailing like a fool. By mid-day Thursday I had a plan forming, and by now. Well, by now, it is its own beast. See I knew that most of us probably wanted to do something. Daniel's closest photographer friends - Kim and John Sanderson, and Jordan Bush - were all busy with the important immediate stuff. No. 1 - Grieving. Hello. and No 2. - Helping Becca get everything ready for Daniel's Memorial Service next week. So SOMEONE had to take the reins. I kind of took it upon myself. Joel and I are close with Kim and John, and I knew they wouldn't mind. So off I went. And here I am.
We are planning two different phases of fundraisers to support Daniel's Memorial fund for Becca and the kids. Phase 1 is the National level, where we will be auctioning off all kinds of things from big-name, nationally recognized photographers. Mentoring sessions, workshop seats, products - we are going to have it all. And let me tell you, the overwhelming support has left us all floored. THIS is what it means to belong to a profession such as ours. Yes, we give up our weekends - A LOT. Yes, we miss some of our kids sporting events and recitals and so forth. But then it comes to this, and you see how everyone steps up to the plate and gives you whatever they are capable of. It is heart warming and would turn the coldest of hearts into a puddle of mush. I have gotten so many lovely responses from photographers I have cried every time I have read one. My list of contributors right now is as long as my arm, and it is growing by the minute. We are hoping to have the online auctions of all of these items starting next week. So stay tuned, cause you aren't going to want to miss this.
Phase 2 will be on a local level, and will be all of Daniel's local photographer friends and colleagues participating in a day long portrait event. Details are still being worked out for this, but we are hoping to have the event sometime later this summer.
So if you have read this far in my diatribe, then I applaud you. Read on just a little further, I swear I am almost done. And listen up, because this is where you, the reader, can help out. Firstly, keep your eyes and ears open and watchful on our blog here and on Facebook for the photographer auctions we will be starting next week. Some of the workshop seats are for June workshops, so don't miss out! Secondly, Kim and John have set up the Daniel Mast Memorial website, which has information about him, his memorial services, and how to donate cash directly to his wife and kids. Please visit that site here:
Now as it is 1AM on Friday, May 24th, and I think I have officially written the longest blog post EVER, I bid you adieu. I have to get up early to help Kim scan family photos from Daniel's parents. Thank you for listening, and please if you can, donate in some way. Many thanks on behalf of all of us hardworkers and Daniel's family. xoxo - Rita
(Photo below of Daniel and his family by Sanderson Images, used with their permission.)
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Lori & Sagar's Wedding Zombies! Friday, May 17, 2013
Ok, a day late and a dollar short. Or something like that. May is always a busy month between weddings and the end of school, and school stuff this week took a lot of our time! Joel didn't get this finished for yesterday, but he did get it done for today. Yippee!
So in my previous post, I mentioned how much Sagar likes zombies. When we initially Skyped with him and Lori, he had really wanted to try and get guests/wedding party to dresss up as zombies on the wedding day. Logistically, it just didn't work out, but we managed to set up a last shot that we (hope) looks great! I think it does. So at the end of the night, we had a bunch of rowdy guests come out around the fire pit and act like zombies (minus the makeup) and we took some shots with Lori and Sagar and their zombie props. Joel Photoshopped the photo and below is the result. We hope Lori and Sagar like it!
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Wedding No. 316: Lori & Sagar at Ironstone Ranch Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Those were Sagar's words to the vidoegrapher about us, during our time with him and Lori on April 20th at IronStone Ranch in Elizabethtown, PA. Let's just say this: Sagar and Joel "might" just share a slight zombie obsession. Just a teensy weensy little bit. :) We had several Skype meetings with Lori and Sagar from when we first met all the way up until just before the wedding. They weren't really local to Lancaster, and it was a good way to get to know each other. They are a cool and fun couple, who had a ton of great stuff planned for their wedding day. Even though Lori was pretty actively involved in the wedding process, Sagar really took the reins and came up with a bunch of ideas himself as well. Together they made the day memorable!
The property at Ironstone is really spectacular, and there is definietely not a lack for great places and spots to shoot. The horse-drawn wagons and carriages are a huge bonus too! What a way to make a ceremony entrance! And then they drove us around on the property on them as well. Totally made for some great shots. (Especially when they raced each other!) Our portrait time with Lori, Sagar and the wedding party was defintely a blast. Oh let's see, Joel fell down a creek bank (he was totally fine) and Sagar and Lori did a little fishing, planted a tree, played in a field...I could keep going but you get the picture. One of the best things about the reception was the surprise groom's zombie cake that Lori had made for Sagar. It was pretty awesome! And there was some great dancing - a party we actually didn't want to leave because everyone was having so much fun.
So that's it. A great day and Lori and Sagar were too fun and oh wait. Yeah. I bet Lori and Sagar are wondering, where is that LAST photo of the day? The one that was a little different? A little out of the ordinary? THAT ONE, will actually have to wait until tomorrow. See, we did a super special last shot with Lori and Sagar. And Joel needed a little extra time to make it look its best. So I am actually going to blog that one all by itself tomorrow. It is a shot you won't want to miss!
This is our 2nd session with little Reese. She is a cutie pie! Her dad works at the Bulls Head Public House in Lititz, so we had access to use the General Sutter and the Rock Lititz Penthouse! It was pretty dang sweet. The rooms in the penthouse are full of rock memorabilia and are super modern and trendy. There were some great places to put Reese at! She was a bit reserved this session, but we pulled a few smiles out of her. And a few cries too! But boy is she cute when she cries! Mom and dad kept her happy as long as they could, but it was almost naptime by the time we were finishing up and she wanted nothing more to do with us. Next time, she will probably be sitting up! Can't wait to see what she does next!
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