Richard Parker Photography featured in "the knot"

We have been so busy lately, that I have let the blog entries slip. So to those of you who follow the blog I apologize, but I am going to try and catch up in the next few weeks.

Many of you who have spent any time around the wedding industry know about "the knot." If you are a new bride or are looking for ideas for a wedding in the future, it is one of the more popular wedding magazines across the country and has plenty of articles and photos to wrap your brain around. Because it is one of the more regarded wedding publications in the country, we are really pleased to announce that one of our weddings was featured in the Spring/Summer issue of 2009. This is a huge honor and we couldn't be more excited. Congratulations to Margaret and Buddy who I know are as ecstatic about the article as we are. Above is the cover and the feature.

More shoots and entries to come.

Cool Surprise

I got a cool phone call last week from the Brownsville Herald (the local newspaper) saying I had won the reader's choice award for favorite portrait photographer. I didn't even realise there was such an award so I was naturally surprised and elated. For those of you who voted I would like to thank you very much. It made my week for sure.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Today was Hannah's Birthday. We had a small party with both sets of grandparents and mom and dad. I certainly hope she had as much fun as we did.

Hannah seems to have an infatuation with ducks so as you can tell ducks is what she got.

Hannah assessing the mess she had got herself into. Probably not the last time either.

After we got her cleaned up it was time to conquer the small mountain of presents. She was definitely up to the challenge.

Valley Wedding Pages Feature

The Valley Wedding pages is a local wedding guide that is well known to most of the vendors as a top notch publication. As well as being printed on fantastic paper, it is extremely easy to navigate for our local brides and has a lot of great information for a time when there are a lot of questions. In the past the Valley Wedding Pages has used their own resources to provide a cover image. Recently though, they decided to start featuring local photographers for the cover and I was super excited to get the call that they were interested in some of my work to be the first. It is a great honor and I really am proud to get one of our brides on the cover of such a great magazine. Above is the image they chose.

Still trying to get caught up!

Since Page, Hannah, and I got back from our latest trip to Oklahoma I have been desperately trying to get caught up with everything. The move to the new office has been quite an adventure as well, but when it is all done, I know it is going to be worth it. We have also added a new gallery to the website that features some of my maternity and baby photography. So check it out when you get a chance. Above is a picture of my girls in front of the new office. Have a safe and fun labor day weekend everyone!

10 Days Left

There are only 10 days left to save $2,000 off of your wedding package.  If you have a wedding in the coming year there is no better time to save money than right now.  We have never offered a discount of this amount before and we want everyone to capitalize on the savings if possible.  Feel free to call or email with any questions or to book your date.

We have a new studio!

We have a new studio!  Better than the old one if you can believe it.  Some of it is still under construction, but we are real proud of what we have so far.  Pictures and directions on the website are soon to follow.

Early Booking Incentives

Yesterday we attended the Mcallen Bridal Show which was another huge success. We met a lot of great people and had a really good time talking with everyone. Originally we had told everyone about a special Richard was going to run for the first 10 couples to book post show. We have decided to sweeten the deal up a little. Richard Parker Photography is now offering an unprecedented savings to encourage couples to book early for their wedding dates in 2008 and 2009. We will be offering a savings of $2,000 off of all our packages for the rest of August. In September the savings will still be an impressive $1,500 off all packages. In October the savings will drop to $1,000 off and finally November $500 off. These savings again are to encourage early booking for the coming year. Richard does not book over 24 weddings a year. As soon as those spots are taken then he will not be taking any more clients for 2009. Moral of the story.... book early for the best deal and an assured spot for the coming year.

-Page Parker-

Thank you

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Anahi Navarro and Chuck Turkington for helping me in my time of need. I had to leave town immediately upon hearing of Colton's passing and these two photographers stepped up and helped cover one of my weddings while I was gone. These two photographers are a credit to our profession and I will be forever grateful for their selflessness in helping out one of their own.

Colton

Last week my family encountered one of the worst tragedies possible. My nephew Colton passed away suddenly from a coronary condition. He was only 10.

Colton had a way about him that made him so unique and special. He was the king of catchy one-liners which our whole family uses nearly every day. He was extremely shy and easily embarrassed, but had a great wit and could make you laugh at any given moment. He loved sports, playing video games, and competition in general. Colton had an amazing smile and although it was nearly impossible to catch (especially on camera) it would truly light up the room. I loved Colton and we will all miss him dearly.

After hearing of Colton's passing for some reason this passage kept coming into my head. It is from Matthew Ch 18 verses 1-5 NIV

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child, whom he placed among them. And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place—becoming like this child—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Please pray for my family. As you know it is not hard for those who pass, but those who are left behind to mourn their loss.

Night/Water Engagement Shoot?

When I consulted with Erin and Dante about their engagement shoot they mentioned that they were drawn to my night shots but were up for anything. So after we picked the McAllen Convention Center as our local I started to try to think of how we could change it up a little. So what was the solution.... add water of course. I asked Erin and Dante to bring an extra change of clothes because we might be getting damp. Damp was an understatement in that by the end of the day there was an all out water fight and I was lucky to come out of it only half drenched. We had such a good time and the shots were all time. Here are just a few.

John and Robin

Another amazing wedding! I can't begin to explain what a blessing it is to have a job where I get to meet so many great people. On top of that... I get to be part of a once in a lifetime event that usually has so much love and emotion that you can feel it in the air.
John and Robin were no exception. They treated me as one of the family and I imagine that we will probably hang out in the future as friends. Here are a few pics from their special day.

Great shoes!

She looks ready to me!

Having the experience myself I can tell you that one is hard pressed to find a cooler moment then when your soon to be wife locks her eyes with yours as she is coming down the aisle.

The reception at Los Ebanos was beautiful and we found a nice shady spot to shoot some of the formals.

Yeah.... it was fun.

Page and Hannah

A baby's laugh is pretty contagious.  Check this little clip out and see if you agree.

Buddy and Margaret

This month has been so busy and so much fun. Buddy and Margaret's wedding had absolutely amazing weather, which was great since it was an outdoor wedding. Here are a few pics from the day. I included a few fun details and the food which tasted as good as it looked. They even had a grill top with food geared towards the kids.

Something old.

Something new.

Only Dads and Daughters know what that look is about.

Beautiful day for a beautiful ceremony at Los Ebanos.

Buddy and Margaret getting a giggle after the ceremony as she tries to collect her emotions unsucessfully. I love weddings!

This pizza was for "the kids," but I seem to recall a few seasoned individuals at the grill top.

Amazing cake. I'll try to post a link to the maker as soon as I find out.

I'm not allowed to come home without a piece of cake for Page, but this one almost didn't make it. You can see why.

Margaret whisked her grandma into this private room so that they could have a moment before she and Buddy left.

Changing it up.

Every now and then I get a chance to take a break from my wedding and maternity work to do something a little different. This time the chance came by the request of the advertising firm Breeden MCcumber. We spent a Sunday afternoon shooting stills for some print ads for Inter National Bank. They also shot some commercial footage with our models and it was really interesting to see how that process played out. Below is a glimpse of what it was like on set and then a couple of the ads in their final form. I think the photos make you want to open a checking account. Don't you? :)

A Day at the Zoo

When John and Robin mentioned doing their engagement shoot at the zoo I got really excited. For one, I love to photograph new locations. But I really love when couples come with ideas of how to make their pictures unique to them. Robin is also probably the most considerate bride I have ever met. When we have gotten together to discuss the wedding she is always considering how something is going to affect her guests and their time. Needless to say I am really looking forward to their wedding. Here are a few more pics from the other day.

Too long since last blog!

Wow it's been over a month since my last entry! Whoops! As you can imagine, adding a newborn to my already hectic schedule, has allowed some things to slip through the cracks. One of those things has been the blog. Everything has been great though! Having a child is an amazing thing. Even though a baby causes severe sleep deprivation and can take you to the edge of your sanity at times, somehow it always seems well worth it. We have also been a part of some terrific weddings and the couples I have come to know lately are a true blessing to my life. I'm going to end this entry with one of my favorite excerpts from the Bible and promise to try and keep up with the blog a little better.

"The most important {commandment}," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Good Tennis - Great Humanity

Page and I really love watching tennis. For those of you who don't know, tennis has been dominated by a man named Roger Federer. Not only is Roger a fantastic tennis player (without a doubt one of the top 3 of all time) he is also an amazing human being and never has a poor thing to say about anyone. This was evident when a reporter recently tried to get under Roger's skin at a post match interview mentioning a competitor's comments. Check out Roger's response.

Djokovic this week claimed Federer was not as dominant as he once was, particularly after being taken to 10-8 in the fifth set of his third-round match against Janko Tipsarevic.
"This is the way you're supposed to think out there. You are not coming here to lose in the first round," Federer said of Djokovic's comments.
"You're coming here to hopefully do well and then win tournament if you're one of the top 10 guys. That's reality. That's nothing new. That's not cocky. That's confidence. That's just a normal tennis player."

-austrailianopen.com

I have a lot of respect for someone with as much composure and class as Roger Federer illustrates on a daily basis. Tennis along with just about any career comes with its highs and lows, but it's how you carry yourself "on and off the court" that matters. For this reason, Page and I find it easy to cheer for Roger Federer and his quest to be the best in the game.

Michael and Ysa

Another great wedding last week! Michael and Ysa's wedding went off without a hitch and it was a true pleasure to be involved. The reception was held at the Cimarron in McAllen and the staff and decor were top notch. On top of it all Ysa's aunts made some homade cookies that were unbelievable (it is real hard to watch what you eat when you are a wedding photographer.) Her are a few pics from the day.

Brides dresses continue to impress. Ysa's was no exception

I like this shot pretty well. I grabbed it as Ysa was leaving the house for the church.

The Cimarron had ultra cool staff and decor.

I have never seen a dance floor as packed for the duration of a reception. From two to eighty two these people new how to cut a rug. This shot was kinda fun. The length of exposure lets you almost feel like your there experiencing the action.

iphone review

Despite my notorious reputation of mistreating my cell phones, Page finally gave in and got me an iphone over the holidays. This thing is everything people say it is and more. I can get email, Internet, google maps (and google world), take photos, keep track of my appointments on the calendar, listen to music, watch movies and podcasts, and oh yah.... make phone calls. I got my first mac a couple years ago and have been in love ever since. Eventually I imagine that all our computers at the office and home will be from apple. This phone is quickly becoming something I feel lost without. If you have been thinking of getting one of these, don't hesitate any longer..... They are cool.