There's always someone who is first in every group of friends. The first to graduate, the first to get engaged, the first to get married, the first to buy a house...

Our good friends, Heather and Dave Ahrens, get the prize of first to buy a house. They purchased this adorable condo a few weeks ago and last night they welcomed all of their family and friends to come by for a housewarming party.

You may recognize Heather from her amazing photography business, Ha! Photography. Heather has been one of my most supportive friends, a photography mentor, and an invaluable support as we started Studio222.

Congratulations Heather and Dave on being grown ups. :)

Welcome to the party!









Nate: "I bet you can't eat all these crackers in 1 minute..."




The forever hip-haired Alexis




Me, Alexis, and Heather the hostess









In retrospect, I don't know why I didn't just give her the good camera...

This morning my heart is very heavy.

We are members of an online community of photographers called OSP. This morning I read that one of our fellow OSP-ers has passed away. Her name was Julie. She was beautiful and funny and always willing to offer help and suggestions. She lived in Minnesota so we have never gotten the chance to meet her in person but remember her humor and wisdom from her posts in our forum. It may sound a little silly but we all get to know each other pretty well and its as if someone in our family has died.

Her death was extremely tragic, she died on a youth mission trip with her church, but she died a hero. You can read the article here.

One of her favorite things to say was, "Life is short, hold the apple." based on a funny story that had happened at lunch with a friend.

Here is the story as told by her friend, John Magnoski:

We would meet at a place called The Good Earth in Edina, MN while planning OSP MN 2.0 - it's a 'natural' restaurant.
Anyway, I ordered an Arnold Palmer (y'know, half lemondade half iced tea) and when I was drinking it I started getting an itchy through and my lip was feeling puffy. So I asked the waitress if they put apple in my 'arnie'... her reply was, "Yes. We put apple in all of our fresh drinks. " My response - "Oh, well can I have some bread and a coke? I'm terribly allergic to apples."
Waitress response was typical "I'm so sorry... sure we'll get you that bread."
All the while Julie and Christina are looking at me like this - 8-O
Julie then makes one of her funny remarks and says "Next time, hold the apple."
It then spun off into so many variations. She actually had a shirt made that said "Life is short, hold the apple".

Another of her favorite quotes was, "Friends don't let friends use spastic punctuation."

As you can see, she was sweet, funny, and full of charm. Her church, family, and friends are are going through a horrible time in the wake of this event so please remember them in your prayers.

Julie Steiskal



photo by John Magnoski

ORLANDO, FL.

Russ is a man of many talents. Not only did he marry one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, but he is also a musician, a graphic designer, and an entrepreneur.

Russ and Nate have been friends since college. They used to live across the street from each other. Back then, Russ would play open mic nights around town and at other venues. Russ also shot photos in the event photography business. Combined with his love of music, he honed his skills in editing and graphic design and Bandwidth was formed.

Bandwidth is a business run by Russ and his business partner, Matt, that provides up and coming musical artists with the graphic design and promotional tools they need to move up in the industry. "Bandwidth is about the music, the independent artists" he says. Bandwidth works with the bands to create an image for them that will get them noticed and remembered.

Last night Russ invited Nate and I to come hear him play at a local coffee shop. Here's my two favorite photos from last night:

I'm detail oriented, if you haven't noticed




Nate always sees the bigger picture

We're tied for 4th Best Photographer in Orlando on the WESH A-List, but 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th places are all just separated by 3%! That means we still need your votes to stay in the Top 5 and to keep moving up! Please, if you have not yet voted, it takes less than 2 minutes! We will forever be grateful for your support!

(click on the image to be taken to the voting page!)




So show us love and we'll show it right back!
Here's what we're gonna do...
If we win (aka #1) we will give away a S&B Portrait Session ($300 value!)
If we place in the top 5 we will give away an iPod shuffle!

All you have to do is:

1. Click on the image above or go to this link:
http://wesh.cityvoter.com/studio222-photography/biz/88891#CV-MyUserReview

2. Click "VOTE"

3. And then enter a little info (they ask you for your email)

4. Then either comment here on our blog or on our facebook page.
(Facebook Fan Page)

If we win, we will be randomly selecting a winner from those of you who leave us comments after voting.

We're branching out again. We've added Wedding Wire, an amazing resource for brides who are shopping around for their wedding vendors, to our network.

Wedding Wire houses the details for over 60,000 vendors. Brides can search by location and find the highest rated vendors in various categories. The site also offers articles with tips for planning, organization and planning tools, and free websites for soon-to-be newlyweds. It's really a wonderful resource!

If you are one of our past clients, please head over there and give us a review. If you review 5 vendors, Wedding Wire sends you a free gift! :)

(Plus reviews makes up pop up higher in the search engines! And you know we like attention!)

ORLANDO, FL.

Nate and I both have a very special place in our hearts for music. We love shooting live concerts. The energy is amazing. We also love getting to know the musicians, chatting about lyrics and equipment, and doing promo shoots with some really awesome individuals.

A few months ago we were introduced to a band from Tally called Go Radio. We saw them for the first time at a show here in Orlando. It was acutally this show with my friends, Select Start. I remember them so vividly because we honestly weren't expecting much (sorry guys) and they blew us away!

The guys in Go Radio have a great sound, and put on a great show. Their lyrics are passionate and real and the band really shares themselves with the crowd when the perform. Nate was an instant fan and took a bunch of photos of them which I later accidentally deleted (oops). Ever since then he has been itching to see them perform again and get some live shots.

We scoped out their myspace and loved all of their songs! And we found out they were coming back so we got in touch with them and set up a time to take some pictures. They needed some promo and live shots, and we wanted some pictures that I wouldn't accidentally delete again. ;)

These guys were so much fun! We walked around downtown to get some promo shots for them and then rocked out with them at their show. To make things even more fun, they all ended up staying over at our condo playing XBox and joking around until about 2am. They were such amazing guys and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them. We hope to see them (and shoot them) again in the future. Until then, all our best wishes to the guys of Go Radio!


Promo shots first:

Shaky scaffolding? Yes please!







Nate's favorite




Yes, I was sitting on Nate's shoulders for this one...








Becka's favorite




We love this place because everyone else tells us they get kicked out, but we never do.




We can't take him anywhere...





And now some shots from their show:


We wanted to make sure we got some good shots of Steven, the drummer, because drummers usually end up hidden in pictures




Becka's favorite




The crowd just loved Jason. Sorry ladies, he's off the market.




Becka does details like it's her job







Everyone needs to hear the song "Forever My Father". Jason wrote it after his dad passed away and it's amazing.







Matt, the bassist, also sings, jumps, spins, and karate kicks. He's a man of many talents.







With how much Tony moves around onstage, this shot is nearly miraculous.




The band also has a myspace page so head over there to hear their music and leave them some love. And if you live in North Florida, they are having a CD release show on the 24th in Tally.




CONTEST UPDATE: We are currently 6th! The contest runs for a few more weeks but we really want to make top 5 so please vote and tell your friends as well. If we win 1st we will be giving away an S&B Portrait session (a $300 value)!

UPDATE: We are currently in 7th place! It's so exciting. We went from 32nd to 7th in just 2 days! But we still need your support. If you have not yet voted, please head on over and submit your vote. We are dying to make Top 5 and would love everyone forever if we won 1st! Thanks to everyone who has been loving and supporting us!

-----------------------------------------


We are nominated for Best Photographer in Orlando on WESH2's A List!!!!!


Ok, so here's the scoop. We are soooo thrilled and excited to be in the running with some other amazing photographers and we really want to make a splash since we're a newer photography team.

So show us love and we'll show it right back!
Here's what we're gonna do...
If we win (aka #1) we will give away a S&B Portrait Session ($300 value!)
If we place in the top 5 we will give away an iPod shuffle!

Please help us out and join in the fun!




All you have to do is:

1. Go to this link:
http://wesh.cityvoter.com/studio222-photography/biz/88891#CV-MyUserReview

2. Click "VOTE"

3. And then enter a little info (they ask you for your email)

4. Then either comment here on our blog or on our facebook page.
(Facebook Fan Page)

We will be randomly selecting a winner from those of you who leave us comments after voting.

5. Let the fun begin! Help us get to #1!

We love all of you. You've shown us such amazing support in this big venture we've jumped into. It has been more work and more fun than we ever imagined and we are so honored to have you all standing beside us!

Thanks,
Becka & Nate

This is what it looks like, in case you were wondering. :)

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL.

For Father's Day we were commissioned by the lovely Leah Robinson to come out to St. Augustine and shoot Nate's dad surfing at sunrise. A sort of "Endless Summer" themed shoot since Nate's dad has been surfing all of his life and happens to be ridiculously talented. We got up before the sun and headed to the beach and here's what turned up...

Our "Endless Summer" shot









A Becka favorite. Check out that sun. Are you kidding me? GORGEOUS!




An instant Nathan favorite.








Look at that lovely Shoot Sac!




Reflected sky. Perfection.

Nate got to cross #16 "Surf with my dad again" off of his 30 before 30 list! :) This weekend we were in his hometown hanging out with family and doing a Father's Day photo shoot for his dad.

Nate on a wave at sunrise




A Becka favorite:




Father and Son

This past weekend we were in St. Augustine for a shoot and got to celebrate Nate's sister's birthday a little early. Today is her actual birthday so everyone leave her some love and birthday wishes.

We went to the beach and took out the boards. Here's Leah riding one in




I got a surfing lesson from Nate's dad. Don't be fooled by this shot, I actually stood up, before I fell back down.












A Nathan favorite:




Hello Justina!






Happy Birthday Leah! We hope you're having a wonderful day today!
Love,
Nate & Becka

Happy Father's Day Dad! I wish I could be with you in person celebrating but I'll see you soon.
I love you very much! I'm so proud of you! I hope you have a wonderful day today!

Love,
Your Favorite Daughter ;)


ps. We need more pictures together! This was all I could find.

Hello world! First of all, our blog readership is going up, up, up, but I see very little comments. Come on people, we love comments. They make us feel loved. :) So...leave us love when you stop by. We'll return the favor!
Ok...off of my soapbox...

Nate came up with this great idea to make a list of goals to accomplish before we turn 30. You can read his list in yesterday's post. My list is a little scattered but it's fun. I'd love to finish all of these things!

1. Shoot a portrait session for someone famous
2. Get a press pass to a Mute Math concert
3. Shoot a wedding in another country
4. Make a photo book of themed images
5. Send a postcard to Post Secret
6. Sing on stage again
7. Go back to Salerno
8. Go on an Alaskan cruise
9. Host a dinner party worthy of Martha Stewart Living
10. Have a cookout at one of the local springs
11. Run a 10K
12. Get tattooed
13. Establish a tradition
14. Enter a ballroom dancing competition
15. Play and win something in Vegas
16. Book a limo
17. Get a puppy
18. Attend a professional football game
19. Go hang gliding (preferably in the mountains)
20. Eat at Manuel's on 28th
21. Sell my car and buy a more fuel-efficient one
22. Own all 3 seasons of Roswell on DVD
23. Set up an acrylic aquarium with brightly colored fish
24. Find my old coin collection and find a better way to store it
25. Purchase a piece of art from a gallery
26. Own a pair of Monolo's or Louboutin's
27. Send birthday cards and holiday gifts on time
28. Start a local nonprofit
29. Diversify my investment portfolio
30. Have visible abs

Nate and I are headed out of town tonight. I can't tell you what for but it involves crossing one of Nate's goals off of his list. We'll have pictures when we get back! Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend!

Hey everyone, this is Nate. I'm not sure if we've officially met. It's been forever since I blogged, but I'm trying to get back into it. I am 25 years old now, starting my life over, and I want to make the most of it, so setting some goals should help a lot. Some of these goals are very attainable, some are very superficial, some are very lofty, and some are just because I want to be a better person.

30 things before I turn 30

1. get a bigger tattoo
2. play drums in front of 1000 people
3. go to Italy (Salerno)
4. get a motorcycle
5. get a picture on the cover of a magazine
6. do so well in my own business that whatever job I'm working is just for fun
7. bench press 200 lbs
8. go see Conan O'Brien live
9. run a 10k
10. get another snake (Western Hognose)
11. actually maintain a blog (or co-maintain) ;)
12. take each one of my nephews on a special trip
13. throw a party that warrants hiring a limo
14. spend 6 months overseas
15. dance with my mom
16. surf with my dad again
17. make a stranger's day
18. get organized
19. learn illustrator
20. save money to buy someone special a really big surprise
21. get the next video game console the day it comes out
22. go camping
23. go skydiving
24. drive a car over 150mph
25. throw a real dinner party
26. write and perform a song
27. learn about cheeses
28. make my own burrito that I like better than Moe's, Chipotle, or Taco Bell
29. eat at Texas de Brazil
30. shoot a Dave Matthews Band concert

I'll be crossing things off the list as I accomplish them. I'm excited to see where I am in 5 years.

HISTORIC SANFORD, FL.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting Adam Cambria. Adam is an extremely talented composer, producer, and saxophonist from Tallahassee, Florida who, along with his band, is about to release a debut album. Adam was referred to us by one of our favorite people, Nikki, who you may remember from such gorgeous photos as these. (Thanks Nikki!)

Adam played a little for us during our shoot and he is amazing! Everyone needs to check him out. His website is www.adamcambria.com. We chatted about jazz and music (and gas prices) while we strolled up and down the streets during probably the hottest day we've had all year. We may have been dehydrated, but the images turned out great!

Adam, it was fabulous to meet you! You were so much fun to spend the afternoon with and we look forward to seeing you perform and hearing your album!

Nate getting the shot...

What Nate sees...

What I see...

All up in Adam's grill...

What I see...

What Nate sees...

COCOA BEACH, FL.

I just realized that I promised to post more images from Susan & Brian's gorgeous wedding in Cape Canaveral. (Oops, I've been busy!) )We had so much fun shooting this wedding! "So much fun" doesn't even do it justice. This didn't even feel like work. We are so blessed to have this as our job! I were actually friends with the bride before the wedding and with a bunch of her guests so it was a blast to see them all again, and on such an important day.

Susan and Brian rented a two story beach house on Cape Canaveral beach and had a breezy ocean-front ceremony followed by a fun and relaxed reception at the beach house. They house had a huge yard which was transformed with blue tables, tiki torches, and a dance floor. Everything was gorgeous and we felt as if we had been transported to some exotic beach location. There was a friendly bartender dishing out drinks, a delicious BBQ dinner and tons of dancing until after the sun went down. We ended up making so many friends and laughing and smiling the entire day. Here are some more of our favorite images. We had so many great shots, I wish I had time to post them all. You can see the extended slideshow here. Thank you Susan and Brian and everyone else for allowing us to be there and document this wonderful day! You made us feel so comfortable and just like family.

All our love and best wishes to you Mr. & Mrs. Sussman!