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May, 2009

Friday, May 29, 2009

Our Latest Baby… A New Camera35---40

Sorry, we are not pregnant but we did get something that’s about the same cost as having a baby! Welcome home our 5D Mark II! Ok, so we have had this for about a month but we’ve had so much other stuff going on to blog about that it’s better late than never!

It’s like Christmas in the spring…

So, why a new camera and what can it do? Pretty much everything except make us breakfast, that’s what!

This camera is pretty awesome and shoots really hi ISO images (geek talk for the camera’s sensitivity to light) all the way up to 25,000, it automatically cleans dust off of the images by using ultra sonic vibrations, it takes 1080p high definition video and it produces ultra smooth 14bit depth images at a whopping 21.1 megapixel size. The camera also has many other cool new features that the old cameras do not have and all for a relatively low price in comparison to other cameras on the market. But what it really does well is this:

Welcome home baby…

Jessica Marie hi jody :D

haven't seen you since dina's wedding! i'm loving the blog. fabulous photos!
Jeff IF you ever need to get away from the children for the weekend.... We are free to take care of them... We will take good care of your babies...
Heather I don't think the drool was good for our keyboard - gee thanks! Oh BTW, if Mark's "older brother" needs a new home, we'd be happy to adopt him. :)
2Duce2 Videography a friend of ours showed us what that camera can do... all i can say is WOW
MD Laidlaw First, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm horribly jealous.

Second, if you need someone to babysit, you have my number....just sayin'.
amdphoto I wish I had one. It's on my photog wish list! You guys are amazing! I love the photos from the Red House. It makes me want to have a party there! :) Have a great day.
david molnar photography ha nice. i think david is pregnant with this baby too...just waiting for the birthing moment to come upon us. can't wait to see all the new shots that will come from this new savvy toy.:) you guys are awesome! - tammy
 
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Nashville’s Newest & Hottest Venue – The Red House54---70

Last Tuesday we had the honor of being one of the selected photographers to cover an amazing event at The Red House.

If you have yet to mosey on over to The Red House located in downtown Franklin, you must visit! The Red House is an AMAZING & hip event space and Laura Hill, the owner has done a fantastic job renovating & decorating the home.

This event featured some of the best vendors in Nashville & we were glad we were able to be a part of it and capture it all!

The Vendors:

Thanks also goes out to Faccio Bridal for providing the wedding gown, and a special thanks to the beautiful bride-to-be Chelsea for modeling!

Images for your enjoyment:


The is such a great spot for an outdoor or indoor wedding and reception!


This is the Red Room as you can see! The bride looked super cool in this wedding dress by Faccio Bridal.


Great wedding flowers by Jimm Wright.

It is possible to have a ceremony on the front lawn of The Red House! Full picture view coming


Some awesome wedding cakes by Maples Cakes!

Whew! That’s a lot of photos! Sorry, it was hard to narrow them down and these aren’t even all of them! :)

Next time you have an event that you are looking for a venue to hold it at – think of The Red House.

AngelaMuir Love these photos i posted one on my blog today!
2duce2 videography this place looks awesome! I totally love the candle lanterns & the floral chandalier. We would so get re-married here ;-)
The Velvet Trunk Wow- love everything! Love the decorations, the local, everything!! =)
Sarah Elizabeth Love it! Looks like a great site.
 
Monday, May 25, 2009

A Motherly Visit – Dave Ramsey Headquarters43---40



Happy Memorial Day!!

This weekend Zach & I were blessed with the presence of my mom coming into town :) She flew in Thursday and leaves this morning. Yesterday (Sunday) we drove to Berea, KY for my little sister’s college graduation! What a whirlwind these last few days have been and super fun.

Here are a few photos from the first portion of mom’s visit!

In line at the DELICIOUS and famous Pancake Pantry

The food is so yummy I STILL have a thumbs up in this photo (doesn’t my mom look great?)

One of the highlights of her visit was taking her to Financial Peace Plaza, the headquarters of Dave Ramseys radio station, as well as businesses. We had our wonderful friend, Cliff, give us the in-depth special tour.

In the newly renovated lobby…

Free goodies for the 80+ visitors who come in every day…

Check out the menu a bit closer…

Mom with her Debt Snowball Cupcake!

Some super cool stickers in the gift shop…

Peeping into the studio window where Dave broadcasts his radio show live every weekday from 1-4pm & records his FOX business show segment every morning.

Unfortunately, Dave was out of town for the Memorial Day weekend, but there’s always next time!

Creative plaques/artwork/whatever choice words you would like to use for people who are no longer living life bound to credit cards. There are some creative people out there!

Dave’s company has been awarded Nashville Business Journal‘s Best Places to Work for the last 3 years. Dave takes amazing care of his employees, and if we weren’t doing photography, we’d want to work for Dave. Dave is the real thing and a great person on & off the air.

We wrapped our trip up with a pic in front of the sign & of the building so my mom can make all of her other Dave Ramsey friends envious :)

Dave’s principles of living financially responsible has revolutionized the way that Zach & I live and has changed our lives for forever. We took Financial Peace University when we first got married and we will never live the same again.

If you have never heard of Dave or your money seems to never work for you, we challenge you to read The Total Money Makeover (currently having a $10 sale on all Books, CDs and DVDs on the site!) and visit Dave’s homepage for more information and some really cool financial tools as well.

Hope you have a FANTASTIC week, and if you ever want to hear more how our lives have been revolutionized by living fiscally responsibly, we’d love to sit down & share more over coffee!

MD Laidlaw What fun this must have been!

You know, I've lived in Nashville for over 4 years and I've NEVER been to the Pancake Pantry. After seeing Jody's thumbs up, I think I need to make a visit!
Zach Gray Evan-

That is super amazing! Congrats!!
Evan Baines We're hoping to be debt-free by the end of the summer. Here's to being better than we deserve!
2duce2 Videography looks like you guys had a lot fun! i love the artwork -how crazy ;-)
Cliff Neeley You guys are great and it was a pleasure to give you and your mom a tour!! She's the best!
Dennis Bullock Dave Ramsey is the man!
jeffandash yes, your mom does look great! and i love the act your wage sticker. hahahaa so true! -ash
 
Friday, May 22, 2009

Our Idea of Heaven… Music We Love39---40

We have sooooooo many people asking about & complimenting us on the music we have on our website, especially the first song, so we thought we would share with the masses!

Leigh Nash is the singer of the first song you hear – “My Idea of Heaven” from the album Blue on Blue.

Watch the music video below. Favorite part – the old couple near the end!

Leigh was the lead singer of the former band Sixpence None The Richer who had the hit song “Kiss Me” a few years ago. Blue on Blue is Leigh’s solo album.



So what’s your idea of heaven? :)

The Velvet Trunk The smell of honeysuckle that comes through the open car windows as you drive into the sunset with praise music blasting!=)

-Mel
Candice {The Beautiful Mess} That's how we named our business "The Beautiful Mess" . It was from one of the Sixpence None The Richer Albums.

Speaking of Sixpence...I remember when they came to my church when I was in high school {94-98}. Gah. I'm old. :)
 
Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Published Twice: Her Nashville!31---40

This month we have the privileged of being published in Nashville’s coolest women’s magazine, not once, but twice!

If you have yet to pick up a Her Nashville, you totally should! It’s a great read, with good articles that are fun and entertaining.

The magazine features the weddings of Jeff & Heidi


and Sabrina & Patrick!

And the issue…

Congrats you guys! :)

jeff Wow you guys do amazing work!! You so deserve to be in print.

And what a gorgeous couple if I do say so myself... ;)

Congrats on once again being recognized for your talent - and great clients !!
 
Monday, May 18, 2009

IN-CAMERA Nashville Photography Workshops – Going Worldwide59---70

(**Note** If you found this post from a browser search, feel free to visit the photographer’s area on our website to view the most current information on our Nashville photography and lighting workshops).

This post is scheduled to go up Monday morning, and depending on when you’re reading this (on Monday) we are either 1) hosting the 2nd IN-CAMERA: Shooting & Post Workshop, or 2) if it’s in the evening, we are with the sold-out IN-CAMERA: Light workshop attendees for Part II of their two-day spanning workshop.

It has been a blast holding these workshops here in our home-town of Nashville,. TN and we are looking forward to moving on with planning the out of state & country workshops that we have been contacted about!



If you have yet to reach out to us about bringing our workshops to your area, please email us at INCAMERA@GrayPhotograph.com. We travel worldwide and would really love to bring one to Hawaii! Hint, hint! ; )


Below are some topics we share/teach on and can lead a workshop covering a few different combined items:

  1. Website Marketing: Are images really enough? – Standing out amid the rest by branding yourself on your site
  2. The Most Valuable Advertising – Utilizing Clients & Vendors to be your biggest advertisers
  3. Creating Balance – Having your business work for you and not you for your business
  4. Pricing – What to charge and how to charge it
  5. Client Meetings – How to utilize your client meetings to your advantage and book a higher percentage
  6. Advanced off camera lighting including multiple strobes
  7. Lighting ratios – Controlling different light sources to give your images the look you want
  8. Advanced composition & Leading Lines – Giving your images more visual power
  9. Exposure – How to properly use the histogram, LCD, the in-camera meter as well as a hand-held meter
  10. Accurate Color – In-camera custom white balancing techniques
  11. Post Production Workflow – How to edit 1,200 images in 2.5 hours

Have a great start to your week and stay tuned for a full workshop blog post as well as some weddings, and a special announcement :)

Renee These are such great workshops! I wish you all were doing something in florida. I have a friend who lives in Nashville who i'm sure would love to go to this...
Anonymous Hey guys, have you planned a workshop for Knoxville? I gave a shout out about you to one of my girl friends who's trying to break into photography here. Let me know! - hilary b.
 
Friday, May 15, 2009

Friday Fun – A Squirrelly Post…37---40

Holy cow – it’s Friday! Where in the world has this week gone? Unbelievable!

In honor of Friday, I (Jody) thought I would share something that’s a little different than usual. I take full responsibility of this post, but it cracked me up so hard I just have to share it. There are so many other things we have to post on, but this most definitely deserves a Friday Shoutout.

Background:
I, Jody, went to Berea College in KY, which my younger sister is now attending and getting ready to graduate from! Berea is known for it’s over population of squirrels and I was shopping around for a gift for my sister when Zach & I walked into Pangea (one of the coolest knick-knack stores in Nashville), and low-and-behold, my eyes landed on this:

Oh, yes, what you’re seeing is real… and yes, I bought it for her :)

And for those who can’t make out what the writing says on the back… here is a closer view for some extra laughs…

And yes, folks, the website on the back does exist – Small Animal Decency.com.


And to get a little more specific, you can watch a Squirrel underpants promo video and read testimonials here
Squirrel Underpants.com!



1. I want to know who came up with this idea….

2. Who actually buys it??? (Um, besides me :)

Am I just weird or does it make anyone else laugh as well?

Happy Friday!!! :)

chefsmarket This is hilarious! I wish I had read this on Friday, I could have used a laugh!
Shannon
jeff I am laughing out loud reading this...hilarious!!! And the tag line for their brand is absolutely priceless...

See - I soo need to be making a living doing something like this - selling squirrel underpants.

Can you imagine that conversation at a dinner party?

Party Guest: So What do you do ?
Me: I market and sell squirrel underpants!
Party Guest: Uhh..... Nice to meet you - I think I am going to go get another drink...
Laurie AWESOME! I'm so getting these for my Uncle in Montana!
amdphoto Thanks for laugh! That is so funny.
Amanda you crack me up!
Maguilicutty that is absolutely hysterical!!! hahaha I was cracking up when I saw that! Too funny! It seems like something that would have been put together by The Onion!
 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A Nashville Wedding! Clover & Emerson – The Hermitage Hotel & West End United Methodist91---70

Brace yourselves – this is a big blog! :)

What do you get when you combine an artist with a med student? A beautiful couple and a beautiful wedding!

We had the honor or shooting Clover & Emerson’s wedding this weekend and it was fantastic! The rain held off and everyone and everything went so smoothly :) What a great group of people and a wonderful celebration!

Enjoy the images!

The beautiful wedding flowers you will see throughout this whole blog were done by Bonnie of Belles Fleurs Custom Floral Designs. Gorgeous! The bride also had a slammin cool wedding dress!

All hair and make up was done by Harlow Salon of Nashville, TN.

Have to let some of the fun faces come out every now and then! :)


In the cool church in the background is West End United Methodist Church of Nashville, TN.


Love the short stylish bridesmaids dresses!


Great bridesmaids shoes too (photo by Jody the hottie)!


Love the lily boutonnieres!

We shot some of the groomsmen shots right across the street on Vanderbilt because most of them attended the college.

The groom and groomsmen all went to Vanderbilt together and wanted to shoot there.

Elaine, the super wonderful wedding planner with Clover right before the ceremony begins (more on Elaine below!)

For those photo geeks out there, this image was taken at 6400 ISO and looks AMAZING! Canon 5D mark 2, you are my hero.

Love the walk down the isle! So classy!


Bride and groom portraits are our favorite!

The reception was held at the elegant & beautiful Hermitage Hotel. Joann & her staff did an amazing job and the place looked great!


This shot was in the main Lobby of the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, TN and has the most elegant ceiling you have ever seen!


This gorgeous wedding cake was made by Dulce Desserts!


Ahhh… the bride and grooms first dance…


Of course, these guys hired the best band in town – Blue Tone Music


Fun time with the wedding rings!

If you would like to be notified once Clover & Emerson’s images are available for viewing, click HERE to sign the virtual guestbook and to receive a gift certificate toward the purchase of images.

Time to share a bit on Elaine!

Elaine Roberts of Events By Elaine played a great part in this wedding. For Clover & Emerson, her role was helping Clover find some of her vendors, and then do rehearsal & day of wedding coordination. As much as Elaine tried to avoid being in the shots we took – we nabbed a few of her!

ALL BRIDES LISTEN TO US CAREFULLY- as much as you may like to plan everything all on your own and think you don’t need a coordinator – YOU DO! No bride who we have ever worked with has EVER regretted the investment of a coordinator. They are lifesavers! If you don’t want to do the full-blown option of having a coordinator through the whole planning process, there are coordinators like Elaine, who offer week-of or day-of coordination. Better to have your planner managing all of the little things that come up the week and day of than your mom or other family who is supposed to be enjoying the day!

Getting off the soap box now.. :)

Clover & Emerson – you two are wonderful and we can’t wait until we see you again!!!!!!

Enjoy your honeymoon!!!!!!!

Betsy Jo I've been following you since you left a nice comment on my blog, and I usually don't leave a comment here, but these are amazing! Location, dress, people, you got it ALL! I honestly think the shot of the bridesmaids' shoes is the best one I have ever seen. And I am LOVING the bride and groom's names! Clover and Emerson, how cool is that?! Beautiful work!
maidentomarried These are SO super gorgeous! And the LOCATION!! How lovely. All around freakin' awesome.
Robert J. Trenske This is such a great wedding. I really love the bridal in front of the church and the ceremony shots. The reception location is also really awesome. Nice job guys!!
Lee UNBELIEVABLE....actually, it is believable considering the talented photgs behind the lenses.....GREAT WORK!!!!
Your Day Of Fairy Tales Thanks You Guys for putting the tidbit about wedding planners! :) Another AMAZING wedding by the Gray Team!
MD Laidlaw Three words: Ah. May. Zing!
Travis and Ashley Awesome pictures you guys! That was a great reception site for photos, it is so beautiful.
Evan Baines Good stuff Zach & Jody! Too many to comment on individually, but I'm really enjoying seeing you guys work more PJ into your sets!
Zach & Jody Thanks everyone! This wedding was such a blast and we are really having fun with the shots we got!!
Candice ok. so i LOVE this wedding. and seriously, how cool are their names? great work you two!
Rhonda Patton Stunning photos as usual! Great advice regarding wedding coordinators!!!
Rhonda Hendricks Rock on you guys!!!
Mark AND... I dig the b&g portrait in front of the church. classy!
Mark The ring shots RING my bell.... ya'll are so gifted
 

A Nashville Wedding Sneak Peek – Clover & Emerson51---70

We know some of you are anxiously awaiting a post so we thought we would give you a little something to hold you over until later this afternoon!

Here is a quick glance into the wedding of Clover & Emerson! More images later this afternoon!


The Velvet Trunk LOVE it!!!! =)

-Mel
 
Thursday, May 7, 2009

Nashville IN-CAMERA Photography Workshop Completed!51---70

(**Note** If you found this post from a browser search, feel free to visit the photographer’s area on our website to view the most current information on our Nashville photography and lighting workshops).

“Great day! Super informative!”

“AMAZING class!”

“I seriously learned more here than anywhere!”

“It was amazing at how well the photos turned out, and I didn’t have to do any editing to them!”

“Thank you for helping me conquer manual mode!”

“Loved it!”

“Great experience”

“Fabulous!”

“The class was amazing”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The above are just a few comments that we have received since the IN-CAMERA: Shooting & Post workshop on Sunday! We had an amazing time this past Sunday afternoon, despite the rainy weather! We had 13 students for this sold out workshop and we all had a blast shooting together and talking shop ALL day. :)

It was great to meet so many different photographers from different places and to see everyone get so excited to get such great images right in the camera (which is what these workshops are all about!). We had students from Nashville and the surrounding areas, and students who came all the way from Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas. The award for longest distance traveled goes to Melissa with an 8 hour drive! :)

The day began with some class time at our studio in good ‘ol downtown Nashville, TN(photos complements of Kristine Neeley)

Next, we headed off for lunch and then the hands-on shooting & learning time began! We started off as a whole group doing some stuff with ‘el natural light and then split into two groups so people could get lots of time shooting with flash as well as natural light at the same time. Oooh ahhh!

Here are some behind the scenes shots of the hands on class time, some of the set-ups, and then some images from Jody and I and from the students that we took of our awesome models Lindsey and Dustin. Enjoy!!

Here we are talking through the basic flash set up that we used for some of the shots

I love this image! Everyone looks so intent on nailing the perfect shot!

As you can see, it was pretty rainy!



Here is Jody at another setup talking through the dynamics of available light and using it to one’s advantage with an amazing thing called a reflector!

Shooting away!

Here are two that I (Zach) took while demonstrating how to shoot the first flash set up.

And one with just the reflector used for adding light

Here is one that Jody took while demonstrating how to capture a correct exposure and white balance.

This shot belongs to the awesome MD Laidlaw

Here is one from the amazing Kristine Neeley

This one is from the super cool Da Norm

Here is a really cool one from Abiola

Here is a great shot from Wes Brown Wes Brown


After the shooting time, we all headed back to the studio for some snacks and then got into the post-production side. We went through our entire workflow and showed students the whole process from importing and organization, to editing and preparing the image for the final print.

It was an awesome day and we have received tons of amazing responses from all of our attending students (the workshop received 5 out of 5 on the exit surveys!) saying that the class was extremely helpful in giving them the tools to shoot photos the way they want in the camera without having to spend tons of time in Photoshop making them look they way they want. Mission accomplished.

You guys are all the best and we look forward to the next two workshops that are coming up the weekend of the 17th! There are a few spots left for this same class that we are hosting on Monday the 18th, so check out our website to sign up!

And lastly, here is the whole crew taken by one of our awesome assistants Cliff Neeley!!

Everyone who attended, feel free to leave us some comments and let us & others know about your experience!

Feuza Wow, this looks so amazing, hope to meet you guys when I am down there.
Evan Baines Really glad the workshop was such a success!
amdphoto I just wanted to say how I was so happy to meet you guys at the TWESA Meeting on Tues. night. You guys have been like Super Rock Stars in my mind and to have finally have gotten the opportunity to meet the people behind the Amazing work of art you put out was a previledge! Your pictures are breaktaking!
God Bless you guys,
Amanda Deskins
amd photography
Lisa I was a little hesitant about attending a workshop. I know what I know, and I know (some) of what I need to know, but does Gray Photography know what I need to know? The answer is YES! I came away feeling confident in areas that were just "so-so" before. Everyone involved made this a very rewarding experience. Not only are the Grays talented, but their personality is SO right for their job. Thanks!
MD Laidlaw AH! Greatest day ever! Hands down! I went home and jabbered to my husband about it for at least 2 hours. "and then we did this...and then I learned this....OH...we need to buy this..." etc.

Seriously though, it was an incredible time and I'm looking forward to signing up for the next round!

The Grays rock socks and many other things!
Jackie Beale WOW very awesome! thanks for sharing :)love the pictures
Kristine It goes without saying that a Gray Photography In-Camera Workshop is like the best, most practical photography book coming to life in the form of two lovable and genuinely talented people.

Time spent with the Grays, twelve other awesome photogs, two handy (and one incredibly handsome... I mean... I married the guy, come on) assistants, and two incredibly relaxed and photogenic models was a bright spot in a dreary weekend!

If you're looking for the right mix of technical and practical skills, you MUST attend a GP Workshop!
 

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