Christmas & Kids & Thank you

I've quickly come to realize that our children are not normal. I can easily say that about my family as well. It's interesting to me as a father and not the child now. I like that the girls are a little out there and like to do things that maybe are not "normal". I hope that this doesn't end.

Why am I talking about this? I've been thinking about it since I took the Christmas pictures of the girls. It's fun working with them because they are real. They have ideas about poses and I can try to show them stuff but in the end, they do what they want. Even if that means just sitting on the floor with a pouty face.

Yesterday Bella took her cheese of the pizza and wiped the sauce all over her little tray attached to her chair. She then started drawing in the sauce with her fingers. Her favorite thing was tracing her hand. It was cute. At first I was like "oh no" but then I thought to myself that I wish I had some pizza left for myself to do that. Of course I wouldn't fit in their chairs but maybe I could move it to the kitchen floor. Last night, I was working on some images and Ava comes out saying telling me that she made a house. I thought it was out of legos. I went back, the girls very excited to show me, and there they were. Four rolls of toilet paper stacked on top of each other. It didn't take long for me to notice that the fifth roll was nicely thrown all around their playroom. Yes, the girls toilet papered their playroom. Looking back on it now I should have taken a picture but I must've been off my game.

My rambling is almost done. All in all, our children aren't normal and yours arent either(if you have any). Its a good thing. In the end do you want your child just like everyone else or do you want someone different. Not "I'm going to visit them in the insane asylum today" but "I'm proud of them and wouldn't change anything about them".

Below is the picture we picked for our Christmas card and below that are some of the other pictures we took during the shoot. (please forgive me, the images in color aren't edited) If you cannot see them clearly enough you can click on them. Not your typical Christmas picture. But this is who our girls are.. and who we want them to be. Yes that means they are kids and have no filters or people telling them how to be normal. Look at the people in this world who are TRUELY something. Do they seem normal to you? You get one life here on earth. I don't want them to fall into the trap of normalcy.

Alrighty then, I apologize for those who had to muscle through all that. Does it make sense? Who knows.

Myself, Melissa and the girls want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We also want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. We're blessed to do what we love and blessed with AWESOME friends, family and clients!

Next year is a BIG year for us and you'll see some new things. Stay tuned!

Michael.





Jeff & Lorraine get married!

Hello friends. Melissa and I had the pleasure to photograph Jeff & Lorraine's wedding this past Saturday. Yes, the Saturday with the first snow of the winter. Lorraine asked for it so.. lol. It made for some tough times shooting outside but we all endured!

Even with the snowiness I must say, we had an incredible time. They are a lovely couple who have very loving family and friends. There was a uniqueness to this day. We're very thankful for this opportunity and hope you enjoy the sneak peak!

Michael.


Tis the Thanksgiving

As I get older I become increasingly aware of what life is about. I have also learned to appreciate. Whenever I'm upset about something or something drastic happens in my life I remember how lucky I am. Look at how luck you are.. really think about it. Do you have a roof over your head, get to eat everyday, have family and friends? It's easy to see how fortunate you are when you put it in perspective.

This Thanksgiving I did just that (even though we missed dinner!). I added a few recent images of Ava & Bella, the two most incredible gifts I have.



She IS wearing a diaper, lol.





They like to look out the window when people leave the house.

Steve & Courtney

Soo yeah, Steven & Courtney are awesome. We went down to Ocean City, NJ to take their engagement pictures. We were worried about the weather but they said they'd do whatever regardless. Luckily we had a beautiful day. We all clicked right away which made for a great day of shooting. Check out some pictures below and feel free to leave comments!

Thank you Steve & Courtney, we had a great time =0)

Michael.


I know this picture is just Steve but its one on my favorites.















They could be models for sure.














Christian & Andrea

I was first contacted by Christian to take pictures of him proposing to Andrea. It was a first for both of us but I was so excited to do it! (She said yes by the way)

Last week Melissa and I got to shoot their engagement session. The weather was perfect and the park we were at was FULL of people taking advantage. It was good that Christian & Andrea were not afraid of a little attention. We had a couple walk up to us with their two dogs and were trying to get Melissa and I over their house that night to look at some puppies they wanted to get rid of. Weird to say the least.

All in all we had so much fun and we're so please with the pictures. We can't wait to photograph their wedding next year!

Michael.







Family time.

I know it has been a while since we've posted pictures of our girls so here you go! We've settled into our new place and the girls are very excited about having their toddler beds(though they sleep in the same bed half the time) and their play room. Speaking of the beds, today after being put down for their nap today they ended up taking a nap together in a little red tent that they have in their room. With no pillows or blankets! They're too adorable.

It's amazing how quickly they are learning now. Bella took apart their night light and unscrewed the light bulb and brought it to me. The girls remember everything to. They can count to ten, say a fair amount of their abc's, and if I tell them that they can have chocolate milk after they take a nap the first thing they say when they wake up is, "Chakit Milk". I apologize for the run on but thats how I said it outloud to myself just now.

So below are some recent images. The first is Bella holding my hand as we walked to see the farm animals around the corner. I think its just so sweet that they will hold our hands so I had to take the picture. The second is Ava with Pappap on his tractor. He gives them rides around their house and they think its the best thing in the world. I asked Pappap to give me a ride to but that didn't work out. That would be a funny picture though, lol. The third picture is Ava and Melissa. Ava pets her first goat at the age of two. The last picture is Ava and Bella on Halloween. They were pirates and still think they are. I asked Bella what she wants to be when she grows up today and she said, "Pie-rit". I'd like to add that Ava said Daddy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these images of our little ones. Look forward to seeing some pictures from the engagement shoot we did today.

Have a great day!

Michael.





Fred & Devon Get Married :-)

Michael and I were excited to shoot Fred & Devon's wedding! We shot their engagment pictures earlier this year and bonded instantly with them. Devon was gorgeous and everything about the wedding was gorgeous.

I always love a wedding with emotion and Devon was showing that emotion before the ceremony started, which of course brought tears to my eyes. Wether I know the person or not, if someone is showing emotion, I will most likely be joining them.

We are so happy for Fred & Devon! The wedding was a blast and so much fun! I hope they enjoy their honeymoon and the sneak peek of their wedding day.

Paul & Lauren get married!

Melissa and I had the pleasure to shoot Paul & Lauren's wedding. I've known Lauren for like 5 years. It was great seeing her again as well as so many other friends. This wedding was a wedding full of wonderful people. And despite running late and the weather, no one let that get in the way of celebrating this great couple coming together as one.

Thank you Lauren and Paul. Enjoy your honeymoon!

Check out the sneak peek!

Michael.

Paul & Joan Get Married !!

Michael had the opportunity to meet with Joan beforehand, I did not. I only knew her from the emails we've been sending back and forth over the past few months. I could already tell that she was a great person and I would enjoy working with her. I was excited to finally meet her and when I did she was even nicer than I imagined, unique and looked beautiful.

Joan and Paul are a very unique couple. I am so happy we had the opportunity to shoot their wedding. They've been together for 10 years and watching them on their wedding day anyone could easily tell how much in love they are. The chemistry between them was amazing and was like a gravitational pull. On several occasions I found myself crying because the love was just bleeding through them and was so easy to see.

Enjoy the sneak peek :-)




<3Melissa

Lara & Chris get married!

Chris and Lara are such a nice and wonderful couple. Their wedding reception was held at the Mercer Museum and everything was absolutely beautiful from the location to the flower arrangements. Lara made looking simply gorgeous in her dress look easy. Our best wishes go out to Chris and Lara as they start there life together as husband and wife. Enjoy your sneak peek :-)

For more information on Mercer Museum and Mfly Events please visit:
www.mercermuseum.org
www.MflyEvents.com



Randy & Krysta Get Married!!

Krysta and I have been friends for a few years now, which made shooting this wedding even more exciting. I knew going into this wedding that if the rest of Krysta & Randy's friends and family are as fun and crazy as the two of them, this wedding should be a pretty good time. I was right and we are very happy with what we caught at the reception.

The wedding party was fun to work with and great jumpers (well mostly....the groomsman who did a nose dive into the ground...you are a great jumper, and who said white guys can't jump)?

Congratulations Randy & Krysta! Enjoy your sneak peek :-)

<3 Melissa




Dan & Suez's Engagement Session

Last week we shot Dan & Suez's engagement session at Valley Forge. This shoot was especially fun b/c Dan & Suez are such a cool couple. They are extremely down to earth and so cute together, which made our job easy. We look forward to doing their after wedding shoot, which I know will be all the more fun. Here are just a few pictures from their engagement session.
-Melissa

A lovely couple <3



Suez looking pretty!


Michael likes taking pictures of me taking pictures. He tells me all the time I'm a cute photographer :-)



This picture is one of my favorites!



A picture of Milo :-)

Stephen & Danielle

I know that this slideshow is being posted a bit late. For those who don't know, after Stephen & Danielle's wedding last night I brought Melissa to the hospital. In June she had appendicitis and there were complications to say the least. The problems weren't resolved and Melissa is looking at possibly another week in the hospital. The good news is that she is OK. We definitely appreciate everyone's support and prayers.

As for Stephen & Danielle. There are so many things I could say I don't know where to start. They are simply unique. Everything that had to do with their wedding was done locally.(including us - I went to HS with them) The food, location, music and even their drinks. They had wine from a vineyard right next to the reception location which was GOOD.

I could go on and on forever but I must attend to my wife =0)

Enjoy the slideshow!

Michael.

Eliot & Aneesha Get Married!!!!!

Everything about today was perfect. Loved ones from all across the world came to celebrate this amazing day with Eliot & Aneesha. Their outfits were beautiful, and their cake was by far the most delicious cake I've ever tasted! The location was a perfect location for their intimate wedding and lastly, they are perfect for eachother <3

It has been such a pleasure to shoot their wedding!

The song we chose for their slideshow was the song of their first dance. Enjoy the sneak peek of Eliot & Aneesha's wedding :-)

<3 Melissa

Jeffrey & Novelia - Wedding

Good Morning! Usually we're able to post a slideshow from a wedding the day after. This weekend was a long and crazy weekend so we're now able to post Jeff & Novelia's slideshow. This was our first Indonesian wedding and it was incredible. Being at a wedding where there was maybe 20% english spoken would seemingly be difficult for us but that wasn't the case at all. Love is a universal language. Everyone made Melissa and I feel completely welcome and we're so happy to have met such a great group of people.

We hope you enjoy this preview, this is one of my favorite so far.

Have a great week!


<3 Anthony & Jeannie Get Married <3

Anthony & Jeannie made our job easy. Not only were they extremely sweet they were also so in love and it really shows in the pictures we took of them. I am so pleased with how their pictures are turning out, they are so natural in front of the camera. And well......Jeannie, what can I say...you rocked the camera girl! You are gorgeous and so photogenic..we'll be sure to send your photo into next season's America's next top model...lol

Anthony & Jeannie.....congratulations, we are so happy for you both! It's been a pleasure working with you on your special day! Enjoy your sneak peak!

<3Melissa


Darnell & Belinda get married!

Yesterday we shot Darnell & Belinda's wedding. They were a great couple to work with. Together 7 years and still very much in love. The location was simply beautiful! We love shooting outside whenever we can to so it was great that they had their ceremony outside.

Please enjoy this sneak peak!

Michael.


Review this.

I'm not one to review things but I thought this would be a good time to start. We recently purchased a Sigma 70-200mm 2.8. I'm not going to go into super technical things here just to warn you.

The pros:

1 - Good build. You feel like your using a well made lens.
2 - Has a tripod mount on the lens which is helpful for tripod use.
3 - Quick, internal focusing and zooming. The lens stays the same length 100% of the time. The focus ring is on the end and is large making it easy to use. Manual focus with this lens is easier than most.
4 - Price. This lens is about 1k less than the Nikon/Canon equivalent.
5 - Sharp @ 2.8. This lens is much sharper than I thought it would be. Much better than my other two zooms, which was expected.
6 - Range. This lens has incredible range allowing you to get some great shots that otherwise wouldn't be possible.
7 - Because of the constant f2.8 and the range, this lens is an ideal lens for weddings and portraits.


The cons:

1 - I had to pay for it. Not that bad considering I saved so much over the alternative.
2 - Weight. You need to work out in order to use this lens. This lens is just over 3lbs. It feels like more being that its on the front of your camera. You need a big body to help compensate meaning a canon rebel(for example) would make it very difficult to use.
3 - Having just one. Melissa and I will surely be fighting over this thing, lol. Luckily we have a 85mm 1.8 which is a favorite of mine.
4 - Obviously this isn't the Nikon/Canon version. Those lenses will yield better results by comparison. Also, they offer image stabilization which is helpful with a long lens.
5 - While the focus is quick you will have trouble with subjects moving toward you. I'm referring to children with my experience. There tends to be some trouble with most lenses with this from my experience. It would be wise to us Continuous Focus function on your camera to combat this.

I also wanted to post a couple pictures for you to see. This are random shots taken at our home.


Michael.





Woops!

So you've already probably noticed that our blog doesn't look like it was supposed to. We apologize and we'll probably be getting a new design!

Michael.

Duane & Leigh get married!

Duane & Leigh! Awesome wedding. Awesome people. Great wedding party. Great DJ. Enjoy the preview!

If you haven't had the chance to vote for us please do! We are up for Best of Philly - Wedding Photographers! http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/m2-photography/biz/372102

Michael.

Michael & Amy get married!

So after our wedding on Saturday we had to hurry home to prepare for Michael & Amy's wedding. Amy is by far the calmest bride we've ever worked with! The wedding was full of suprises from a wicked storm where a funnel cloud formed less than a mile away to frequent power outages. There was even more than that but you have to check out the preview =0).

and of course - P.S. We are still up for Best of Philly Wedding Photographers so please vote for us! You can cast your vote at http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/m2-photography/biz/372102

Michael.

Matt & Kristin get married!

This weekend was busier than most for us. We shot 2 weddings and the first was with Matt & Kristin. They are a special couple with awesome family and friends! They sure know how to have fun to. Thank you to all of you who were there, Melissa and I will NOT forget how much fun we had!

P.S. If you haven't had a chance please vote for us for Best of Philly - Wedding Photographers!! We appreciate your support! http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/m2-photography/biz/372102



Matt & Jen

Hey all! Yesterday we shot Matt & Jen's wedding up in Carlisle, Pa at an awesome venue called Two Mile House. We took pictures of Matt & Jen last year for their engagement pictures and we knew immediately that they would be awesome to work with. I think the best way to describe their wedding is organized chaos.

We had a blast working with them and can't wait to get their pictures done. Matt & Jen, thank you, you are AWESOME!

Please enjoy a sneak peak of their day.

P.S. We are still up for Best of Philly Wedding Photographers so please vote for us! You can cast your vote at http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/m2-photography/biz/372102


Michael.

Jamie & Amy

On Friday the 24th Melissa & I had the pleasure of shooting Jamie & Amy's wedding. It was an absolute blast! Its rare to have people dancing like maniacs the entire night. Thank you Jamie & Amy and everyone who made it a great experience! Here is a sneak preview!

P.S. For those who haven't had the opportunity to vote for us for Best of Philly - Wedding Photographers please visit http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/m2-photography/biz/372102
and vote! We appreciate your support!!



Photography is Art is Philosophy is You.

I remember when I started shooting in high school. I was in love with National Geographic and thought of photographs as interesting things to look at. I quickly adapted to the notion and started creating pictures that looked interesting to me. Didn't take long before I discovered there was much more to a photograph than a photograph. I then became more interested and started creating.

While in college I spent a lot of my free time studying photographers and discovered that I wasn't alone in my thoughts towards photography. Photography IS art. Note: me going to college was simply to learn the medium, nothing more. Shows how naive I really was. The interesting thing is that the schooling had little to do with my learning yet it afforded me time to do learning on my own.

Though I dislike the term Artist, that's what I am. I like to think of artists as philosophers though. Art's purpose has always been to communicate. Tell stories, teach, explore, expose, and share ideas. An interesting thing about an artist is that they can't stop creating and aren't limited to one medium. It has nothing to do with a medium - it's the person themselves and whats available to them as they choose to create.

With that being said I believe we are all philosophers in a way. Some simply haven't discovered it yet and/or some don't believe in themselves. For example - have you ever seen an image in your mind that relates to something you're going through/thinking/feeling? Maybe its not the best example but that's my problem(gift?). Basically everything internal and external is interpreted into images.

Why am I talking about this now, I don't really know, lol. I have had this one way conversation in my head for quite some time and thought I'd share. Also, I have a new image recently created that is a great example of my work. My preferred medium is obviously photography but I love painting as well and this ties the two together (for me).

There will be certain pieces you create that will be special to you forever and this is one of them.

Feel free to comment on this post. I'm always interested in hearing other peoples thoughts.

*please click on image to view larger*

Continue shooting.

Some of you have seen a few of these pictures already but I wanted to share some new images we've created recently. Why? I believe it's extremely important for a photographer to continually shoot and create. It doesn't matter what you shoot. Just shoot.

It keeps you on your game. You will come up with new idea's for other things and create art in the mean time. It challenges you to make interesting images (even when you don't think there is anything interesting around). All theses images below I have come across throughout my daily life.

It's important also to not always have your camera with you. Enjoy your life without documenting it. Allow use of your memory without photographs. For example, Melissa, Ava, Bella and I went to Sesame Place yesterday WITHOUT a camera. We had fun. I wasn't worried about getting certain shots or anything at all! I guess its safe to say that there is a good balance needed.

Michael.

*Click on the images to view them larger*




Before & After

A friend of ours, Whitney from SC recently posted on her facebook a before & after picture showing what the pictures looked like before processing(raw) and after processing. I for one am always interested in seeing that sort of thing. It gives you a great idea of what goes into processing pictures. Sometimes it's pretty amazing.

I recently was watching a video as well with three successful, well known photographers. Chase Jarvis, David Hobby (Strobist), and David Nightingale (Chromasia). They were talking about how important it is for people in all industries to SHARE. Unfortunately there are many photographers who turn their backs on other photographers and treat their knowledge as guarded treasures. I completely agree with sharing your knowledge and everything you have to offer.

I want to start showing Before & After pictures more and I want to be able to answer any questions anyone has. Whether it be about certain images of ours, process, thoughts, or even how I tricked Melissa into marrying me(lol).

Feel free to comment on here or you can email us at mmphotography@comcast.net or get in touch with me through Facebook - facebook.com/m2photography.

Here is our first Before & After. There are some obvious differences and not so obvious. This image took me about 15 minutes to do with something like 6 steps.

Michael.


*click to enlarge*

It's fun having kids.

There are so many little things that you discover about being a parent. It's usually good things too. This morning I was bringing the girls downstairs. They are at the point where they want to go down by themselves. I'm fine with that but it's scary seeing them try to walk down - a stair is almost half their size so it's quite a step. We are always asking them to sit on their but or go down backwards but they don't listen.

Duh! That's because they see us walking down so they want to walk down too! So there I was this morning going down step by step - on my butt - two flights. We were all making the sounds you make when you do that, the "uuhhhhhhh". And when you hit the next stair it makes the sound stop abruptly. "uuhhhhh - UH!" It's much harder hitting the next step at my current weight than when I was 25 lbs too.

I wanted to share this picture with you. When ever the girls see an opportunity to get into a small space they like to take advantage.

Gino & Megan

Guess who got to shoot a wedding of 4th of July? WE DID! We had a blast shooting Gino & Megan's wedding. This was yet another couple we hadn't met before shooting their wedding so we weren't sure what to expect but Oh Man! They are a great couple. They were up for anything and everyone was having a great time.

Here is a sneak peak!


Shea <3

This past Saturday we took pictures of my niece Shea. She looked so adorable in all her cute outfits. We had such a fun time with her. Enjoy :-)

<3 Melissa




Matt & Nikki

On June 20th myself and a great friend of mine Mike shot Matt & Nikki's wedding. Melissa was in the hospital at the time which is why she wasn't able to shoot with me. She already shot a wedding with a ruptured appendix so she had to sit this one out.

We had a great time shooting this wedding. Matt and Nikki are an awesome couple and were very easy to work with. They had a great (big) family too!

Here are some pictures. I LOVE the first one here... so good.

Michael.