The dancer

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So fun! I wish they'd done photos like this when I was 7!

Unique family portraits!

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I had so much fun shooting portraits today that I didn't want to stop. Here's one family, minus Mom. Gracie, the baby, is eating a strawberry marshmallow as Dad looks on. Kate, at right, is casting a spell on Julia, who is dressed as a mermaid.

We're meeting people everywhere who are really excited to get in on this. It's going to be really big.

For our first sessions, on March 22, we're charging $99 which includes online proofing and a $50 gift card. You can't beat it. Every session lasts up to 30 minutes, which allows us to get way too many photos, and we encourage you to bring anything you like, as long as it's legal. We're shooting individuals, couples, families, kids, pets, artwork, headshots... you bring it, we'll shoot it.

I'll open up the booking calendar on Monday. We're going to limit ourselves to 10 sessions, and I can't guarantee the pricing will stay the same for future sessions.

Lots of portraits today!

Check back tomorrow for a sneak peek!

Suzy's smile

I love it when dogs do this. Meet Suzy, my sister's rat terrier. Photo by Brenna.

I love the internet

Joe and I are planning to build the smallest half bath in history, which will take the place of our front/coat closet. Thanks to the world wide web, I've found our sink!

You won't believe this.

Brilliant, isn't it?

One of my favorite people

Turns 29 (again) on February 7.

My sister, Brenna, pictured doing the YMCA, is a fantastic photographer, with an amazing ability to turn chaos into a perfectly posed family photograph. She's also the best friend a girl could have, a wonderful mother to my darling nieces, and she makes a mean quiche.

I'm very glad you were born, Bren.

Look at this face!

I was putting photos online and fell in love with this shot. Finn again, from Monday's shoot. I have four or five more portrait sessions on Friday, so keep checking back!

And we're tentatively planning on the Saturday of Easter weekend (3/22) for the launch of our Blank Slate Portrait Project. If you have a family, a kid, a pet, or a need for some really cool photos of yourself (headshots? internet dating? the possibilities are endless)... Pencil us in!

To see all of Finn's photos, click here, and type in your email address. The password is Finn's last name.

A change of staff

Unfortunately, Michelle (our office manager since March 2007) will be leaving us. She will definitely be missed. Before she worked with us, Michelle hired us to photograph her wedding - it was so cool that her photos were published in last spring's issue of The Knot Weddings Ohio.

In her absence, the partners will be staffing the phones and taking care of business.

A boy and his dog

Finn (the boy) and Monty (his dog) were kind enough to help us kick off our exciting new portrait project!

We at DMP have never marketed studio portraits, so you know this is going to be something special... Check out these cuties (click on any photo to enlarge) and keep an eye on this blog for more details. Really and truly, this is something Toledo hasn't seen before.

Meet Bean!

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This is Bean. He is a rescued puppy mill breeder (to learn more about puppy mills and how to put them out of business, click here) we transported part of the way today to his new foster home near Detroit. He's the first Boston terrier we've met and he is a real cutie.

Bean is up for adoption, by the way, if you want to squeeze those cute little cheeks yourself! Click here for his Petfinder listing.

UPDATE: here is Bean snoring.

And here is Bean trying not to fall asleep (before the snoring video).

Cheap things to do, 2 of 10

Dinner and a movie in Bowling Green. Because National Amusements owns every theater in and around Toledo, and because their popcorn is so gnasty, we have to go to Bowling Green to properly enjoy a flick. We get Mexican gumbo at Qdoba (about $13 for two bowls), then we go to the Cinemark at Woodland Mall. They charge $4 for admission, $2 on Tuesdays or on Thursdays, if they think you look like a student, and all the films are first-run.

If you're a night owl like we are, you can sometimes catch a Tuesday or Thursday night midnight showing of a new release - that's how we saw The Golden Compass a while back (movie was okay, book is really good).

Cinemark's popcorn is decent, and though the theaters are old and not very spiffy, the service can't be beat. And if you get there early enough, which we never do, you can stop by Steve & Barry's next door for some awesome bargains on clothes.

Total for dinner and a movie, on Tuesday, not including popcorn or Steve & Barry's clothing: $17

The ladies

I love this photo, from Nancy and Karl's wedding in Columbus. Click to enlarge.

Cheap things to do, 1 of 10

We are too busy most of the spring, summer, and fall to go out, and then in the winter, we have more time, but we try to stick to a budget. So I'm always coming up with cheap and fun things to do. I'm going to share ten of our ideas here.

1. My favorite cheap thing to do in the winter is to get into the gas-sipping Toyota (37-40 mpg, baby!) and drive to Ann Arbor. Next door to Zingerman's Deli is Zingerman's Next Door, where they sell their amazing Dancing Sandwiches and pastries for half off, after 5 p.m.

Joe and I love to go up there and get a couple of their oven-dried tomato and farm cheese sandwiches and whichever pastries they have left. Sometimes Joe gets the prosciutto and farm cheese... You can't go wrong at Zingerman's.

Total cost (not including gas money) = $9 for two sandwiches and two pastries.

Scrabble fans

I know there are a couple of Scrabble fans reading - aren't these the coolest cufflinks? You might be able to use them to cheat, too!

On sale at Red Envelope.

Martini luge

Have you seen one of these? They're the coolest (no pun intended). Erica and Jake had one at their wedding, and it was so much fun. It's made of ice - the bartender pours the drink at the top and catches it at the bottom.

Joe got these great photos (click to enlarge). The luge was made by Chad at Ice Creations, our favorite ice guy.

Buy accessories and do some good!

A very talented friend is making custom collars for dogs and cats, to benefit a neglected, abused, rescue dog named Valentine. My dogs have been wearing these collars for some time - they're prettier than anything you can buy in stores, and better still, they're well-made, comfy, and durable.

Prices range from $12-20, and 100% of the profits go to help cover Valentine's vet bills.

Click on the pictures of the swatches to enlarge. Click here to buy!

Bear with us, please

We've had a pretty rough couple of weeks - Joe came down with the flu, promptly gave it to me, and then three of our dogs got sick. Just as soon as everyone started feeling better, we had a break-in at the studio tonight and the damage/loss added up to about $2000. We've got to get everything boarded up and deal with detectives and insurance. If we're difficult to reach for a few days, that's why.

The good news is that everyone is safe, and we always have more than one copy of every wedding, at more than one location. Tonight, we were very grateful that we've always been so careful.

Thank you!

I just wanted to thank the wonderful clients who've already chosen DMP for their '08 weddings, and the wedding vendors who continue to recommend us. Our season is filling up nicely with some very cool brides and grooms planning unique weddings. (Don't worry, we're not booked solid, so if you're still deciding on a photographer, just call.)

We are looking forward to creating fantastic images for all of you.

Thanks also to Amanda and John, pictured above.