2008 started off with two great weddings in January (see Tracey and Patrick and Rachel and Brandon below). But the traditional wedding season kicks off this month and gains momentum in May. To help keep my blog fresh, I will be pulling all of my 2007 wedding posts and moving some of last year’s favorite images to my main website in the next couple of days. So, enjoy the 2007 posts while they are up and please feel free to visit the blog as the new wedding season unfolds.

Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of romance, the first client (past or future event) to e-mail me through my main website contact form with the subject line “Cupid Shot Me” gets a FREE 11” x 14” print from your engagement session or wedding. Think someone beat you to the punch? That’s okay, send me an e-mail anyway. I will randomly select a second winner at the end of the day (2/14) from all who responded.

"Cupid Shot Me" Contest UPDATE: The Winners

That was fun. Thank you so much to everyone that responded. It was good to hear from you. Nicole and Mike were the first to respond, and Brittney and Richard won the random selection. E-mails have been sent. I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

My daughter, Eleanor, enjoying her Valentine's treats.

For the past two Sundays, I've had the pleasure of meeting several brides, grooms and parents at the January Today's Bride Shows in Akron and Cleveland. The Today’s Bride team (Jim, Jennifer, Rachel and several others) did an excellent job of coordinating both events. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booths to learn more about my services. It was also great talking with other local photographers and wedding vendors.

2007 was a great year. I photographed 30-plus weddings and worked with some wonderful couples and families. I truly feel blessed to be making a living with photography, my true passion. But I could not do it alone, and I’m extremely grateful for several people in my life:

Family – My wife, Kyra, is a tremendous support. She has always encouraged me to follow my love for photography, and she has never once complained about me being away from the family so much when I’m shooting weddings and engagement sessions. She is also patient when I am in my office for hours on end processing images and designing albums (often during prime family time).

Our kids (Ethan 5 and Eleanor 2) have grown a lot this year. They are so stinking smart and full energy. It will be neat to see how they interact with their new sibling, as Kyra is expecting our third child this spring. We can’t wait to meet this new addition to Team Forrest.

Friends – Even with our busy schedules, we make a sincere effort to spend time with friends. I’m so glad that we have been able to stay in touch with our old neighbors from University Heights. We grew close to several families when we lived in that area.

I owe a big “thank you” to several friends and family members who worked with Kyra to pull off an amazing birthday surprise party in Las Vegas this December. I was totally blown away!

Colleagues – I’m very grateful for Kevin Chuey, a close friend and my trusted associate shooter for the past three years. His loyalty and hard work are extremely valuable to me and our clients. It has been a special year for Kevin. He and his wife, Gretchen, are the proud new parents of triplets (born in September).

During the year, I really got to know Andrew Jordan, a talented photographer and good friend. Andy and I shot together on a couple of occasions, and I really like and respect his style. You can find us sharing stories just about every Tuesday night at Luchita’s in Hudson. Feel free to join us for $1 tacos and plenty of fun conversation.

I was able to connect with several other photographers in 2007. I had the pleasure of shooting with Sam Carrington and David Chandler, who filled in for Kevin when the triplets were born. I also continued to build relationships with several members of the Digital Wedding Forum (an online community of photographers) and met other area professionals like Rob Drago (great guy) of RAD Productions.

Clients – Each year I gain another great group of clients and friends. If you’ve worked with me, you know that I have a passion for documenting weddings. This year, I worked with 30-plus couples. I shot at a variety of venues (some new, others very familiar), but each wedding had a unique flair.

2008 is setting up to be another great year. I’m amazed at how quickly my calendar is filling up. I have a couple of new products launching in early spring that will benefit clients. Stay tuned for more details.

Warm Regards,

Tom

For me, searching for a new cell phone is kind of like the dating process (from what I remember). So, here is a review of my new girlfriend – I mean iPhone.

When I heard about the iPhone release, I was skeptical. How hot could it be? Well, at first glance, rumors turned into reality. It was sexy and sleek. Okay, good looking on the outside, but what about the inside? Did it have the brains to match? I had my doubts. After all, my LG 8300 and Verizon had been good to me.

Then I started seeing the iPhone out on the town. The phone and its significant others seemed to be in great relationships. Everyone was happy. Yeah, whatever! I gave these emotionally charged relationships two or three months before they ended in costly breakups over dropped calls and communication issues. But, I was wrong. The romances were lasting, even growing. My skepticism turned into curiosity – then lust.

At a holiday party, Scott Jones of Jerry Bruno Productions introduced me to his iPhone. His spirited demonstration on how relationships with iPhones really do work was compelling. It was time to make a change. I had a long talk with my LG VX8100 that night and called Verizon the next day to talk about our prenupt ... errrr, contract terms.

The day after Christmas, I snuck to the Apple Store (the singles bar for iPhone-less people). The place was crazy. There was no time for chit-chat or debate. It was a buy-now or get-out-of-the-way situation. I left with my new iPhone.

My first evening with the iPhone went very well. I connected it to my PC and with a few clicks through iTunes we were officially dating. My number was ported from Verizon to AT&T (the iPhone’s parents), and I was making calls within 20 minutes. It took a little longer for text messages to start going through, but I completely understood. After all, it was our first night together.

Our relationship is new but strong. The iPhone does a lot more than my previous phone and does it well. Apple’s iPhone video tour sums it up. (Warning: clicking on the link might tempt you to cheat on your cell phone).

Data and web browsing performance are dependent on signal strength. I’ve been happy overall with coverage despite the fact that the iPhone uses 2G wireless technology. There are reports that Apple will be releasing an upgraded 3G-capable iPhone in mid-2008. This would strengthen an excellent, feature-filled phone.

Time will tell if my iLust will evolve into iLove. So far, it’s looking good. Gotta go, I’m getting a call from Verizon about the breakup.