The Morris Family (changed for privacy purposes) is your average singing dancing familial parade. Kind of like a living breathing episode of Glee, but without all the high school drama. Or, dare I say, there might be a little Von Trapp blood flowing in there somewhere. And silly as it might sound, it was awesome; fun; refreshing. The Morris family is close, with their own brand of humor, friendly jesting jabs, and classic family stories helping to tie them together—and yeah, the occasional, impromptu family sing-along.

We were honored to have been invited to help immortalize the Morris’s Family Dynamic; it was a lot of fun, and a good reminder that family is a unique and special thing to always be thankful for.

It was an unseasonably warm day in Rockville at the Glenview Mansion when I met Amr and his family for their portrait session. Exchanging our coats and shivers for sweaters and sunlight, we explored the grounds slowly, allowing the littlest member of our party to primarily lead the way. About half way through the session, our pint-sized tour guide grew concerned about the camera. Not the photographer—he had no objections there—only when the camera was actually used did he put up protest. But, by turning up the silly-factor a bit (yes, all three of us adults, and yes, it was quite a sight), we were able to coax the smiles out, giving way to beautiful family portraits.

Think for a moment about what it is you want to remember about your wedding day. Is it the way the hors d’oeuvres look on the tray as the service staff brings them to your guests? Is it the way the table dressings look as your guests see them for the first time? Is it the way the boutonnières hang on lapels of the men in your wedding? The way the dressing room looked while the girls were getting ready? My guess is that, yes, if you thought about it, you’d like to remember these things. That’s why we always make efforts to capture these little nuggets of wedding memories. But I’d also guess this isn’t exactly what you would have in mind when you hire a wedding photographer.

I suspect the things you really want to remember are are a lot more personal. The the way your guests will laugh and smile, reminiscing over old friendships and experiences as they enjoy those hors d’oeuvres. Your mom sitting and smiling, watching you take your first dance as a newly married couple, while she rests her cup of hot coffee on the table dressing she worked so hard to design. The men, jesting and smoking fine cigars, poignantly designated as the inner circle by those gracefully placed boutonnières. The way you laughed, and cried and waited patiently with your wedding party in the dressing room. These are the personal, special parts of a wedding whose value doesn’t fade. These moments are fleeting. When they’re gone, they’re gone. This is where a second photographer can make all the difference.

Unlike the details of your wedding, which for the most part, are unchanging throughout your wedding, the personal interactions happen only once. A second photographer makes it possible to capture them, even when one photographer is already occupied.

Capture images of your fiancé as you take your first steps down the isle. Capture images of your mother smiling during your first dance. Images of your father as you take your wedding vows. Images of clinking glasses following your best friend’s heartfelt toast—A second photographer makes this a very real possibility, without forfeiting images of the main event.

And now, here’s the really good news:

Two Photographers are now included in every wedding package!

We don’t have low end packages. We have different packages to meet different needs. But the quality should always be top notch. For this reason, we’ve decided that there’s no reason any wedding we shoot should only feature only one photographer.

There’s no fine print. No hidden fees. No bait and switch. Every wedding package, by default, will now include dual photographers to capture every special moment we can.

Take a moment and check out our new wedding packages for 2012. We still have availability this year, so don’t lose your date; give us a call!

This post is a first of its kind for us. But we know that many of you out there are shutter-bugs yourselves, or perhaps there’s one close to you. Or maybe you’re just really generous and want to get your family photographer something special for Christmas. Whatever the case, here are five reasonably priced ideas for the photography enthusiast in your life.

Opteka Excursion Series C700 Camera Bag – $45

This bag is rugged, durable canvas, with pockets everywhere. The hardware is extremely high quality, made of brass. The zippers are also heavy duty. The bag comes with a weatherproof cover, and extremely well padded shoulder attachment.

The bag comfortably holds an SLR camera body, 2 or 3 additional lenses, a flash unit and lots of miscellaneous goodies. At $45 this bag performs just as well as much more expensive options and the classic look isn’t hurting anything either.

Canon or Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Prime Lens - $106 and $124 (respectively)

That last little number you see at the end of a lens’ name (in this case, 50mm f/1.8) is the Aperture of the lens. It is in part responsible for allowing light into the camera. The smaller that number, the more light it will let in. Practically speaking, a lens such as this one allows a photographer to shoot in lower light conditions, without needing to use a flash. With this lens, shooting around a dinner table, in a dim restaurant, the children’s bedroom or at the tail end of dusk, is within reach.

These lenses are highly rated for their price and quality. These aren’t the nicest lenses you can buy. In fact, they’re quite cheap. But the image quality is excellent and that’s what counts.

These are prime lenses, which means they do not zoom.

Lenspen – $10

The Lenspen is a lens cleaning tool. It’s compact, quick and works in the studio and in the field. The results are top notch.

One end of the pen is a retractable brush for removing debris like dust, while the other end is the carbon pen which is used to quickly polish off smudges on the glass. The carbon on the tip is quickly replenished inside the cap.

This is a tool that every photographer should have in his or her bag.

Coco Ring Flash Adapter – $50

This one is a little quirky. They will need to already own a good flash unit from Canon or Nikon.

This adapter fits over the end of the flash unit and extends the light down around the lens, creating a high end fashion photography look to the light. This is a cheap knock off of a much more expensive unit. But, at a quarter the price, it performs nearly identically to the official product.

This might be the perfect gift for the budding fashion photographer.

Think Tank Memory Card Wallet – $19

Photographers are always juggling memory cards. Professionals often have dozens, if not hundreds of them. Keeping track of them can be challenging and finding a memory card holder that keeps lots of cards in one place, while still being compact enough to throw in the camera bag, can be challenging.

Think Tank’s offering is durable, but lightweight, and comfortably holds 10 Compact Flash Cards—or probably a lot more SDHC cards.

iTunes Gift Cards – $15, $25, $50, $100

The iPod Touch, the iPhone and the iPad have proven themselves to be indispensible tools for photographers. Apps for photographers are overflowing from the Apple App Store. You can find apps for calculating the suns position, calculating exposure settings, learning new photography styles, even learn and design studio lighting set ups on the fly.

If the photographer in your life is an Apple user, the iTunes gift card might be the most versatile gift you could give them (without just cheating and giving them cash).

Ashley & Andrew had nothing short of a gorgeous wedding at the Stone Manor Country Club in Middleton, MD. The venue was a bit out there, but worth it! It’s one of those places, away from the lights and city traffic, where pointing your camera in just about any direction reveals something beautiful and new.

But there’s a little secret here. A lot of this wedding was DIY. See, Ashley & Andrew crafty as they may be, were also backed by a team of professional and semi-professional family members, who more than knew how to gussy up an event. The final product, though part professionally orchestrated, and part DIY, came together to be a relaxed, polished experience.