Our cover photographer and good friend {Jose Villa} emailed us to let us know that the stunning new book {Wedding Photography Unveiled} by Jacqueline Tobin is being released today! Aaaand… his gorgeous image on the cover! We are beyond thrilled for Jose and for the other twenty wedding photographers whose images fill these inspiring pages. {Wedding Photography Unveiled} reveals the techniques, philosophies, strategies, and practices of twenty top wedding photographers from across the country. The focus is on the freshest styles – especially the blend of photojournalism with the more relaxed lifestyles and high fashion looks. These are the styles that today’s bride will be asking for, inspired by the images she sees in bridal, celebrity, and fashion magazines. {Wedding Photography Unveiled} explores the role of the photographer, then breaks down the day visually into Getting Ready, The Ceremony, Portraits, and The Reception. With priceless straight-from-the-front-lines advice on equipment, setting rates, getting published in bridal magazines, branding, websites, albums, and more, this book is both a stunning celebration of distinctive artists’ work, and a practical source of information that can help any professional photographer get more work in the lucrative wedding field.
From Jose: “Jacqueline Tobin, editor of PDN magazine hand selected her top 20 photographers to put together this beautiful book filled with amazing photographs by photographers like, Liz Banfield, Meg Smith, Parker J. Pfister, Elizabeth Messina, Philippe Cheng, Christian Oth [editor’s note: most of these photographers are also featured in our print edition!] and many more.. Im so humbled and fortunate to have been selected as one of the 20.. plus not to mention extremely honored to have my images grace the front and back covers.. wow.. insane, I know…”
And the very exciting news for you: Jose has offered to give a signed book to one of our readers! How wonderful, Jose!
How to enter: very easy… Jose’s images just make us smile. Leave a comment here tell us what makes you smile the most in life.
Prize: {Wedding Photography Unveiled} mailed to your home and signed by {Jose Villa}. How fab is that?!
You can also get a copy on Amazon. What a great gift this would make! For more on the release of the book and Jose check out Jose’s {Blog}.
Babies and Puppies, hands down.. makes my heart sing!
I always smile when I see a bride about to walk down the aisle. She’s just absolute beaming and in that moment you know she’s experiencing pure happiness.
What makes me smile the most in life? Making others laugh and smile. And mail.
What makes me smile the most these days is hearing my two-year-old son say "Mama!" in his adorable toddler voice and watching the way his chubby cheeks turn into a smile when he sees me as I pick him up from his day care in the afternoons. =)
The two things that make me smile the most are 1) my fiance and 2) the first warm day that makes it seem that spring has finally arrived!
My boyfriend makes me smile.
Nothing makes me smile more than when I come home from a trip (any trip… to the store or an out of state wedding) and my little girl Kaydence gets this HUGE smile across her face and yell’s "MOMMY!" as she runs over to me to hug me. She reminds me everyday how blessed I am!
it’s really rather simple….just enjoying time with close friends and family….eating, telling stories, smiling, laughing, playing card games, etc….whatever….just spending time with those I love!
Honestly, the antics of my crazy orange stripey cat, Milo, make me smile every day. Today he tried to jump on top of a bookshelf with much gusto and bravado and only half made it, his little hind legs cycling in midair, trying to get up. Ha!I’m getting married this fall in Boston and I’d love to win this book!
My husband’s silly laugh always makes me smile! The book looks great!
What a gorgeous book! The things that make me smile most in life are sunny spring days, funny voicemails from my girlfriends and walking around the beautiful campus of my alma-mater (UNC Chapel-Hill).
Seeing my family and friends happy makes me smile. When they’re bursting out laughing it’s the sweetest sound in the world! (even if they have the nastiest laugh =P)
when my son says "guess what? – i love you" he’s 4.
Ok, so I’ll be honest…there are two things that make me smile most in life! Of course, Brendon- the love of my life…the man that I can not imagine my life without, from his eratic singing escapades, to the stubble that grows on his face, every day, by five…words can not express the joy that he brings to my life. He makes me smile and laugh, until my cheeks hurt!…AND THEN….there’s Key Lime Pie Icecream, from Brewster’s… ;)
As I am terrible at answering my phone, I often receive voicemails from friends and family. My honey and soon-to-be-husband takes these opportunities to leave very long and detailed messages for me. As we are a casual and laidback couple, it’s usually about his day, what he’s been learning from co-workers and roommates, and telling me he missed me throughout the day and how he loves me. I smile and laugh so much as I listen to his voicemails. (His nicknames for me are always silly and food related–pad thai, pudding pie, etc).
My family makes me smile. And cozy rainy days. :)
Today I’m smiling thinking about my memories from a geology field trip to Ireland last year. The people are so open and friendly (they LOVE Americans!), the countryside is spectacular, and there’s nothing better than a tall Guinness at the end of a long day in the field!
the fact that my husband truly supports my pursuit of my dream…makes me smile when I think of how blessed I am to have him! :-)
Listening to my daughters (age 3 & 4) sing makes me smile, anything from children’s songs to hymns to my alma mater ("hark the sound").
Jeff makes me smile :)Also, random dogs you happen to "meet" on the street!
Definitely hearing my son giggle! His laughter can make me smile anytime.
Fiance makes me smile every single day… whether it’s a goofy look or the way his eyes light up when he sees me!
My precious son makes me smile. When he opens the dvd player all by himself and then shrieks with the sheer delight as Tinkerbell flies across the screen of the television. When his eyes get huge as he sees the playground and takes off for it in his little toddler run, giggling his sweet little baby laugh as he goes. When he helps me unload the dishwasher, giving me each piece of silverware with his big boy helper face. When he stops what he’s doing, looks at me and squeals, pointing to the sky because he sees an airplane. The first time he called to me, "Mommy?" because he wanted me to follow him. These things make me smile because I realize no matter what happens with my career, the economy or what kind of hair day I’m having – I am blessed.
Seeing Jose Villa’s amazing garden-wedding photos makes me smile!
Just being with my friends and family makes me smile!
Other than my amazing fiance??? Hmmm. I would have to say my two adorable puppy dogs Lola and Rocco… Ahhh. They make everything ok!
The sound of uncontrollable, from-the-soul and uninhibited laughter is so entirely contagious that I am powerless against my lips curling upward often resulting laughter shared. And really, who doesn’t enjoy that?
What makes me smile most? My husband. He is by far the coolest person on earth. I love catching him do things (like fill a bowl to the rim with ice cream & chocolate syrup!) that give me a preious glimpse of what he was like as a little boy. It’s those boyish moments that I catch that make me smile (:
Puppies and kittens always make me smile.
The fact that I’m getting married in a month makes me smile!!!! :)
What makes me smile – the crazy sense of humor fiance Matt has! He can make the worse situation into something wild & crazy. He lights up my life and I am blessed to have him there –
Things that make me smile:I love when it’s a good 70 degrees and the sun is shining. Makes me want to get a big blanket to spread on the grass outside and take a nap. I also love that my fiance ALWAYS makes me smile :)
Bright sunshine makes me smile – just walking outside, facing the sun, closing my eyes…. and smiling. Instantly lifts my spirits! (My cute little pupper makes me smile too!)
coffee ice cream =)
Painted toenails and warm weather make me smile!
My biggest smile is reserved for my husband, when he walks through the door every day at 4 pm. I work from home and it’s very lonely in the house without him. Most days I am taken back to our wedding day, to seeing him at the end of the aisle as I walked to meet him. I still get the same butterflies when he walks through the door.
When our 6 week old puppy Olive Juice tries to eat too fast, her back legs lift off the ground and sometimes she even tumbles forward!
Dinner time where no one is rushing to get somewhere or do something! Maybe it’s the Italian in me but sitting down to eat a yummy meal with people I love makes me smile. My sister has said, “you look like you just won a million dollars just because everyone is eating together.”
Listening to my husband sing songs while he cooks us breakfast on Saturday morning. I lean over the stair railing and see him happily flipping pancakes while our dog naps on his feet. Bliss.
My students make me smile! I am a college journalism student and teach journalism at an area inner city high school. I voluntarily teach because of the lack of teachers willing to do so in their school system. I’m not too much older than they (lol), but it honestly warms my heart to see them learning and loving the material, rather than skipping school and being on the streets or out selling drugs like many of their peers. They make me smile so much, in fact, that I’m currently studying to take the Praxis II exam and obtaining a teaching license to become a "real" teacher when I graduate next year, along with earning my journalism degree.
Selfless and unconditional love. The kind of love you don’t see very often but when you do, it warms your heart and reminds you why life is so precious. I love seeing a stranger do something kind when they believe no one is watching. The love you see between a parent and child. The kind of love that is felt when a family member is facing a terminal illness. A feeling so deep there are literally no words to explain.
My students make me smile. I teach children with Autism and they definitely make me smile with their little quirks every day. But the thing that makes me smile the most is when we are working for days on a particular concept and they finally get it! The happiness and pride that they show is priceless!
Waking up to my smiling babies every morning makes me smile!
What makes me smile is having wonderful friends & family, a roof over my head, and a secure job in this rough economy. I am truly blessed!
Seeing an old friend after a long time apart makes me smile! :)
It makes me smile when, after hours of shooting & editing, to present a client with their images and them be more floored by them than I am. I have actually cried & smiled with them many times as they watch their images. I love making others Smile!
My dog, Jackson makes me smile the most. He’s always so happy and content!
I am graduating in May with my teaching degree in early childhood education. My students always make me smile and laugh!! There is never a dull moment with them!
My fiance makes me smile most, because he is hilarious and goofy. Never a dull moment!
At the end of a long day, when I upload the photos from someone’s wedding, I smile to see how beautifully their love has been captured in my work. I hope I’m smiling just as much on my own wedding day!
thinking about my finace makes me smile!
What makes me happy is adopting a family during the holidays. Every year my friends and I have donated food and gifts to needed families. I enjoy giving gifts to needed children because I love seeing their expression and happiness. That always makes me smile and I’m always looking forward to following year so I could make another child dreams come true. :)
The cute messages my fiance leaves for me!
Nothing makes me smile like the look of a genuine smile. I’ve three smiles that light up my day, brighter than the morning. Their names are Karis, Korban, and Kasen. For a little over five years I’ve been experiencing the joy of a genuine smile, and it comes from the mouths of my three children.
Getting to spend forever with my husband, and also our guinea pig Murphy – he’s just too cute I can’t help but smile when I see him.
As cheesy as it sounds, everything ‘bride’ and ‘wedding’ related keep me smiling! I’m getting married in October and every time I see something that reminds me of the wedding, I just beam. It can be wedding dresses, flowers, heck, even tents…I just light up! I figure this is the one time in my life that I can walk around with cheesiest grin so I’m going smile every chance I get!
My fiancé makes me smile… his patience and grace for my shortcomings always warm my heart and bring a big smile to my face!
Little things make me smile. I love to see people laughing and smiling. That always gets me. I guess a big thing that makes me smile is baked goods and sweets. I am like a little kid that way. A great pastry will keep me smiling all day.
Those random times when my fiance and I say the same thing at the same time. We give each other a sideways look, then burst out laughing.
Spending time with friends and family in my cozy home absolutely makes me smile!
pretty things make me smile. seeing old people smile and smiling at them. my fiance. chocolate. taking a picture I like.
I work with Inner City kids in Richmond, VA and every Sunday we have youth group, our church is Commonwealth Chapel. Seeing them make right decisions, seeing them smile through their own hardships, and seeing them branch out make me smile the most. I love seeing God’s love working through them!
The wind in my hair. Tulips. Anything pink. My dogs. A camera. Birds chirping. My family. A bride and groom’s first dance. Chocolate chip ice cream. Someone elses’ smile (they are contagious, you know). Dancing. Life. In no particular order… all of these things make me smile the most at different times.
My fiance and I met sailing – what makes me smile the most is reliving our past each time we sail, with sun, wind, and each other :)
Watching my niece and nephew grow up. =)
Opening my eyes in the early morning and seeing the love of my life kissing my forehead. :0)
I smile when looking through my camera’s lens and know that within this brief moment I got it right.The subject, lighting, and focus is captured just how the eye perceives it.These aha moments change me forever. To be able to capture the beauty of the moment is a privilege.All this makes me smile!
Just thinking about going on an adventurous vacation makes me smile
Kids at the weddings always make me smile!