An interesting night

Hey-Lo

Had a very interesting night tonight. We had an awesome time at Chris's Police Academy Graduation party at Cleveland Park in Greenvillle. We had a great turn out. At the end, yours truly even played some volleyball. Then at the end of it, we ended up with a large amount of food left over. I mean there had to be about 5 pounds of hot dogs. 10 pounds of cake, and a cooler full of sodas.

So Tammy came up with the idea of bringing them to the homeless. I called Marc Wheeler and he told me where to go. I also called SeaLo, a Christian Rap Artist who is involved with Healing P.O.T.S. Ministries (People On The Streets)...whom we have donated video and photo services in the past.

So SeaLo Tammy and I went to the parking lot of Hardees on Rutherford in downtown Greenville (which was closed) and handed out hotdogs, drinks (sodas) and cake to about 20 homeless guys. We hung around and talked for a while, prayed with them. SeaLo worked the buns, and I served the hotdogs and drinks. We had a little assembly line going there.

Well, as I was serving, I was about to hand one of the guys there his hotdog...he looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry, were you in line ahead of me." Nice. But the best part was at the end of the night, we were talking to John, who had not eaten in 4 days.

We had been there for about 30 minutes and then another homeless man walked up looking for a hotdog, but we were already out. John, the man who had not had anything to eat in 4 days gave one of his hotdogs to a complete stranger. Kinda makes you think about things a little differently.

I also ran into another man, who I did not get his name. To me he did not fit the stereo type of a homeless person. Well, the reason is that he was laid off of his job at a local bank 2 weeks ago. And just prior to that, he ran into some money issues and was evicted from his apartment and is now homeless trying to get his apartment back, but is having trouble finding work, and adding the fact that he is homeless is not helping him land another bank job too well.

That was a night I will not soon forget.

Wedding Festivals Again

It is time again for Wedding Festivals. Tomorrow at the Carolina First Center, from 4:00 until 9:00. It is a great time and the theme is METROPOLITAN.

Today, I got a sneak peak and it looks fantastic.

I hope to see you there.

Mike

Melissa's Bridal Portrait Shoot

Hey,
Sometimes when you are on a photo shoot you know that you have struck gold even before you even look at the picture. Well that was the feeling all day when shooting Melissa's bridal portraits.

We started on the roof of the Poinsette Hotel in downtown Greenville and then worked our way throughout the hotel. Her mom Loretta and her sisters Dani and Sara joined us for the shoot.
You are never too old to learn anything. This day, I learned that the walking distance from the Poinsette to Falls Park is much further than I thought. LOL

Then we took more pictures through out Falls Park and then worked our way back to the hotel where we took some fantastic shots as the sun was going down.

Well, then when I thought that the day could not get any better, we ran into Kevin Sorbo of Hercules fame in the lobby of the hotel. Kevin was an incredibly nice guy and took the time to talk to us let us take pictures with him.

I cannot get over how nice Kevin was to everyone. You hear so many horror stories about big stars being jerks, but Kevin was everything but.

Thank you Kevin for helping us make Melissa's bridal portrait shoot....Unforgettable. Sorry, I could not help it.

Tiffany's Bridal Portrait Shoot

On mothers' day, we shot the bridal portrait for Tiffany. Tiffany, her mom, Tammy and I all had a great time doing her portrait at the Hyatt in downtown Greenville.

We love shooting at the Hyatt. Not only is the location beautiful and diverse, the staff is second to none when it comes to accomidating us when we are there filming.

Once Tiffany is married, we will post some of our favorite pictures from the shoot.

Micki and Brian

We had a great time filming Micki and Brian on their wedding day. Their wedding was at Spiegel Farms, which is just North of Spartanburg sitting on over 50 acres of lush green grass, a nice pond, horses, and several beautiful buildings.

And this time, Mike was not bit by a horse. What more can you ask for?

Mary Beth and Brian Engagement

I had a great time with Mary Beth and Brian on their engagement session. We went to the Presbyterian Church on Main St. in Spartanburg for their location. This proved to be an amazing location for photos. Not only were the church grounds beautiful, the surrounding locations were nice too.

Within walking distance we were able to go from a church with stylish architecture, to a run down picnic table in the middle of nowhere. I am looking forward to your wedding next month.

Kaitlin and Paul

We had the honor of taking pictures for Kaitlin and Paul's wedding. I had been looking forward to this wedding for a while now.

You see, we got our first call from Effie, mother of the bride while we were on our way home from Las Vegas.

We had a great time with everyone and when you have great chemistry with your brides and their families, it really shines with their photos.

The New Website Is Up

Hey-Lo

I am pleased to announce that we have finally launched our new website.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

Mike

What is a Role Model

Hey-lo.

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you about a role model of mine. His name is Michael Sweet. 20 some odd years ago, I started listening to a band name Stryper, and have not stopped yet. Back in those days, I was an expiring rocker and Stryper was the one band that I wanted to be in. I learned to play guitar as a direct result of Stryper's music. And the best part is that they are a Christian Metal band. As a kid I had Stryper posters all over my room. I even performed as them in a Lip Synch show in high school.

Fast forward several years and as the music scene changed from heavy metal to grunge to alternative to who knows what now...I continued to listen to Stryper on an almost daily basis. If you are a guitar player, whether you are into Christian music or not, I promise you would love what Michael Sweet and Oz Fox have done on every recording.

During the 90's Stryper was no longer a band and the members went their own ways and eventually there was a Michael Sweet solo album so the music continued to roll. Around this time VH1 was airing shows like "Where Are They Now?" which mainly showcased metal band members and what they do now. It was amazing how many talked about rehab, jail, drugs, etc... and how unhappy they really were, although during the 80's they lived like kings...so we thought anyway.

Then finally Stryper was showcased on the show. It was amazing how everyone was for the most part happy with their lives. Michael showed the cranberry bogs he worked at, and the family summer camp. No drug stories...no rehab. You could tell that he was honestly happy.

During this time I had the distinct honor of getting to hang out with him for a good part of the day. I got to ask him about the good old days, other rock stars, etc... Also on this day I got to know the person who I for a lack of a better word, idolized, as a kid. I also got to meet Kyle, his wife.

A little about Kyle. She moved from the Boston area to Los Angeles to pursue a career in movie make up. She had worked on blockbusters like Terminator. She was on her way to the top. Along the way, she met Michael, fell in love and had 2 children. She could have very easilly continued with her career in make up and still be an excellant mother, but insisted on being the best mom she could be, and stayed home with the children instead.

One common thread amongst people who are high profile ministers is that there is always a dark cloud of doubt looming over their heads. Many people do not trust tv preachers because of the scandals that many have fallen into, and or started on their own.

On this day, I had the chance to attend church with Michael and his family. I had the chance to see him in a crowd of people, probably none of them remembered Stryper, bought a CD, and most defiantly never stood in line for hours to see them in concert like I did.

I got to see that Michael is the person I thought him to be. I got to see that he had been 100% genuine all this time. Michael is the real deal. I kind of felt like I got to see how a magic trick was done. I can still hear in my head him singing "How Great Thou Art" with just him and an acoustic guitar. I will never forget this day as long as I live. In fact, the picture above was taken on this day. Note: The guitar that I am holding is one of the same guitars that Michael played live. I have seen that guitar a bazillion times in concert.

Well time moved on and like all the other bands that were reuniting again, Stryper made it's way back to the stage again. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I found out they were coming within 4 hours of where I lived.

Move time forward again, Stryper released a new studio album called "Reborn" which was fantastic. But right after that Michael also released another solo album called "Him". This was not a rock album by any shape or form. This was an album of hymns. Michael released this record to promote God...not Michael Sweet. The Stryper train at this point is starting to take off and get momentum. Festivals in Europe want to book Stryper. There is a forum where fans post on daily. For me, life cannot get any better than this. In a day where rock is decent, my favorite band Stryper is back for good.

Now, this is the reason why I decided to write this. Over the last year or so, Michael's wife, Kyle, was diagnosed with cancer. She had to endure chemo therapy which has left her sick. Right before her chemo, Stryper was scheduled to go into the studio to record another album to get ready for another tour.

Michael did what any decent human being should do. He postponed the Stryper album to be with Kyle during what was going to be a very hard time for them, and their kids. Michael would sing songs to her while she was home. Or she would hear him in their studio downstairs. Michael recorded an album for her called "Touched" These are the songs that he was singing to make her feel better.

The fact that he put off his "Rock Stardom" to be with his wife is just another reason why he has been, and always will be my role model.

Sadly, on March 5th of this year, Kyle lost her fight with cancer and passed away with Michael by her side.

The reason I am sharing this with you, my wedding customers, is the road ahead of you will be full of unknown twists and turns. When I will be working with you, I will be seeing you on your happiest day ever. No matter how rich or poor, no matter how good of a career you have, you will have trials in your life that you will need to overcome.

Every week, as I am filming your wedding and when I hear the words "...through sickness and in health...through good times, and bad...through plenty and in want..." I will always think of Michael and the example he is.
Peace,
Mike

New Website Coming Soon

Hey-Lo,

In the next few weeks we are going to launch our new website. The address will be the same, but the website will be all new.

Mike