If you haven’t gone over to my website in awhile, please check it out!  I worked furiously over the last two days getting the changes made that I wanted, so i hope you like it!  Let me know what you think!

http://www.chrisaustinphotography.com

I’ve gotten to know Lindsay, Chris and the rest of their extended family over the last couple years thanks to Erinn, and I couldn’t be more proud to call them my friends. Erinn and I have shot with Chris and Lindsay four times now, the first being at their wedding in 2006, when their photographer decided to cut out after his hours were up, leaving them with only me to capture the first dances and bouquet/garter toss. We then did some after-wedding “engagement” photos, and then a trash-the-dress session in Laguna Beach. This weekend, with their whole family around, they had us come out to do some family pictures at the end of the long, hot holiday weekend. Unfortunately Erinn couldn’t make it with me, so I was left to fend for myself. Thanks to everyone for being so great and cooperative, and for all the fantastic smiles!

This last one was taken by Ryder himself… gotta love the fisheye lens!

As I snack on my leftover Hamburger Helper from last night’s extravagant feast, thoughts of tomorrow’s festivities are running through my head.  Everyone will be out, enjoying the sun, the beach, the bbq, the booze, and the fireworks I’m sure.  There will be parades with patriotic floats in the morning, and parades of drunken revelers in the evening.  Undoubtedly, hundreds of people will be killed by drunk drivers, arrested for intoxication, or lewd public conduct.  Yay, America!

Sure, there will also be the anti-war, anti-Bush protests and marches, screams of those who hate America, yet conveniently forget that this same country is giving them their right to do exactly that.  We live in a very hypocritical, “me” society today, where if soemthing bothers you or doesn’t directly benefit you in some way, you cast it aside or cry out against it.  We don’t love enough, we don’t laugh enough, and we don’t respect enough.

We think we are all experts on every topic, from war to family values to the future of the planet.  If we read it, or see it, or hear it, we believe it.  We don’t question enough, we take too many things at face value, but we’re also too unwilling to change and accept new ideas.

We yell and scream at the TV, because they are yelling and screaming at us.  We watch our schools and our kids spiral out of control, yet we punish parents or teachers that try to do something about it.  We demand something be done about gas prices, yet we vote down every opportunity to replace our need for oil with other power sources.  We claim fur is murder as we flick our lit cigarette out the window at 80mph into a field of dry brush.

Being a wedding photographer, I get to experience more love than many people do.  Not only for the fact that I get to share these experiences with my wife, who I love and respect more than anything in this world, but I also get to share in the joy that these young couples get to feel for the first time.  I get to relive my wedding day over and over, in a way.  And it is a beautiful thing.

Many of you that read this are fellow photographers yourself, out there with people that are very much in love, and you get to celebrate with them, and feel some of that love yourself.  Why not take that feeling and transfer it out into the world.  To your friends, your family, your community, and your country.

Look at the evil that we are fighting in this world.  And look at the fact that we are having to do it pretty much on our own.  Just as you would stand in between harm and your own child, we as Americans have to do the same with countries and peoples that cannot stand up for themselves.  You may have differences with our country and how we do things, but you cannot deny that the ultimate goal is truly noble.

We should all be proud today, and every day, to wake up where we do, and get to experience the daily routine we have.  I know I am extraordinarily thankful to have my wife be the first person I see every morning, live in a gorgeous part of a gorgeous state, and make money doing what I love.

So at each wedding, or engagement session, or family portrait, absorb that love, feel it in your heart, and enjoy it.  There’s plenty to go around, and I think we can all use a little more of it these days.

And in the immortal words of Borat, Go U.S. and A!

As wedding photographers, we all hate that time when a great couple contacts us for their wedding, yet we’re not available to shoot their wedding.  It’s so hard to turn someone down, mostly because you want them to end up with a fantastic photographer who will be as professional as you would have.  It is nice to know you can count on a few photographers to step in for you.  That’s why I’m offering this deal to other wedding photographers in the Southern California area:

Refer a couple to me for wedding photography through the end of 2008 (their wedding can be any date in the future), and upon booking, I’ll contact you and print for you a 16×24 fine art canvas print with your choice of images!  Canvas prints can be a great selling point to brides and grooms, so I’ll make one for you, you choose the image and edit the way you want, and I’ll take care of the rest!

Chris Austin Photography
your life.  your photographer.

So summer is upon us, and with that comes the busiest part of my year!  But there’s still a full six months of 2008 left, which means plenty of weekends available for your wedding!  If you are having a 2008 ceremony and still looking for a photographer, take a look at this deal:

Book with Chris Austin Photography for your 2008 wedding, and receive $200 off your chosen package PLUS a free 16×24 fine art canvas print (valued at over $300).  This is an incredible deal, and will be good through the end of 2008, so don’t delay!

Contact Chris Austin Photography today for more information.  We look forward to making your memories last a lifetime!

Chris Austin Photography
your life.  your photographer.