Jim Shields Photography BLOG is Moving

After more than a year with my current blog, I've decided to switch it up again and make some changes so I can show larger images and make it easier for people to leave comments. My NEW blog is located at www.jimshieldsphoto.net. For those of you with slideshows and pictures on the old site, you will still be able to access them in the future as nothing is being erased... I'm just not going to be using it any longer. There will be a link to this blog on my new site under "Blogroll" at the top of the page.

I hope you like the change. During the first few posts, I'll be determining how best to showcase my pictures with borders, logos etc., but hopefully I'll get that finished up quickly. A big "thank you" to everyone who keeps up with me this way. It's lots of fun, and I'm looking forward to blogging even more now. Take care and I will see you over at my new blog!

Norah Grace

Guess who stopped over for a visit at our house on Sunday? Our little granddaughter, Norah Grace. Isn't she just the cutest little girl you've ever seen! It was an off weekend for me so we had a chance to visit my Dad (who I haven't seen since the start of the wedding season), and I am starting to get caught up with my editing. My next wedding is this coming weekend and I should be in good shape by then.

I'm also hoping that by next week I will have my new blog up and running. I'm looking forward to some changes, and I hope you will see them soon.

Laurie & Jeff

Last Tuesday we met up with Laurie and Jeff to discuss the final details of their wedding on August 23, 2008. Afterwards, we drove over to Blossom Heath and got a few images of the two of them - just so I can see how they will react to my camera. They did great and I'm looking forward to their wedding which will be at St. Josaphat in downtown Detroit. Here are a few images from the trip to Blossom Heath.

The Wedding of Katie and Brad

On August 2, 2008, I shot the wedding of Katie and Brad at the Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church in Livonia, MI; the reception was at St. Mary's Cultural Center in Livonia. This is actually the very first time it has taken me over a week to get a slide-show posted. Sorry about that, Katie and Brad. It has been a very busy few weeks with back-to-back weddings. I guess that's a good problem to have these days, but I really don't like getting so far behind.

Katie and Brad were a lot of fun to work with - along with their families. One of the highlights of the evening was when Brad and his father jumped up on stage and played with the band, Trilogy. They are both very musically inclined and the show was great. This is the second time I have worked with Trilogy, and I think they are the best band in town for any wedding.

Congratulations, Brad and Katie. Best of luck to you both in your new life together. Here is the slide-show... enjoy!

The Wedding of Heather and Lonnie

On Friday, I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Heather and Lonnie at The Silver Garden in Southfield. Since I was never a member of a fraternity, I had no idea how close the bond was between frat brothers. However, this wedding helped me understand that a little more. The guys were like family and, boy! could they dance. Some of the songs I recognized, but had never seen the dances that went along with them until Friday night. This wedding definitely wins the "dancing award". Everyone was great to work with - which always makes my job so much easier. Congratulations, Heather and Lonnie. Best of luck to you both!

Ice Dreams Sculptures, LLC

On Saturday, I had the privilege of shooting a wedding at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI, (see previous post) and was blown away by the exquisite ice sculptures at this event. It didn't surprise me to find out they were done by Tajana Rauker from Plymouth, MI, where she has a large business with her husband, Paul.

You see... my fascination with ice sculptures comes from my son, Jim Jr., who won the National Collegiate Ice Carving title in 2002 with his teammate Dave Stadler. Both Jim and Dave were coached by Chef Jeff Wolf from Macomb Community College during their education in the culinary arts field.

I have been watching Tajana at all of these events win competition after competition. In a conversation with Tajana on Saturday night, she gave all of the credit for her ice carving skills to her instructor, Chef Dan Hugelier - who happens to be the father-in-law of my other son, John. Dan is a Master Chef who runs the culinary arts program at Schoolcraft College. I would say that Tajana has accomplished quite a bit in her short time as a professional. To see her web site, click HERE. Following is a short slide show of the ice at this wedding.

The Wedding of Paola & Neal, Day 2 of 2

Let me start this off by saying I believe this was the fairytale wedding most brides would love to have. The wedding was held at Divine Child Church, Dearborn, and then it was off to the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester for the reception.

Neal & Paola were the nicest couple, along with both of their families, to work with. I can only say good things about my whole experience with this wedding. From the families, to the other vendors I worked with - everything was a great experience all the way around.

The entertainment was provided by Sachin Gupta for both days. The video was provided by Mark from Video Magic Productions, decorations were by Bombay Video Productions, cake was provided by Daniel from "Flower to Flour", and the incredible ice sculptures were provided by Tajana and Paul Rauker from Ice Dreams Sculptures, LLC. The ice sculptures for this wedding were so incredible I will be posting a separate slide show soon of just the ice.