Pavel Studios Photography

A Blast from the Past

2010-05-25T17:10:00.003-04:00

I was looking through my old images today and thought how amazing it is that I can see my children growing up again right in front of my eyes on the computer screen. I'll start with Ella since she is only three. For Austin I have 10 years of images to sort through so that might take me a while...

Ella Loves to Help Me Water in Our Garden...

2010-05-25T01:24:00.000-04:00

Our Visit to Fort Loudoun

2010-05-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

A while back I took the kids over to Fort Loudoun in Vonore, TN. It was pretty neat as the kids got to see how a British fort would have operated from 1756-1760. The history behind this whole East TN area is very interesting and us being newcomers to the area, we are still learning.

First we parked and had a bite to eat before walking to the fort.

The kids wanted to walk instead of drive the rest of the way, it was quite a long ways but Ella was a trooper. She loves to walk!

The main entrance to the fort.

These would be the barracks, mess halls, and powder storage for the men.

See any bad guys out there?

A deep and wide moat would have been dug around the entire fort but instead of water, they would grow sharp barbed bushes!

Ouch!

It's been too long!

2010-03-26T08:46:00.006-04:00

I've been lax on creating blog posts recently. Partly because this winter has been so cold that it makes me just want to curl up in a ball and not do much else:) But also because I have been working on a secret project that was just unveiled yesterday. My brainchild for a while now has been to create a website for brides that houses all of the information they need to choose the right vendors, all from the comfort of home. Lets say a bride has 250 guests and they want to know which venues can house that many guests. Usually they would have to call every wedding ceremony and reception site in town and ask the question. Well now they can just go to this website and all the info and a lot more is right there. BUT... The coolest part of the whole shebang is the videos. Not only does the site answer all the questions a bride could want to know, I also provide a video interview with all the vendors and a video tour as well.

So check it out, tell your friends, tell your favorite vendors to get listed, and "we'll see you in the movies":)

www.vendortours.com

-Matt

Our House in the Snow

2010-02-05T15:44:00.006-05:00

The other night after all the snowfall (we had about 4 inches) Hope and I were walking out in front of our house and saw this. After we came back inside I headed out again with my camera. I was late for dinner that night but I just had to get this image before the snow melted! We also had a blast skiing down the hill behind the left side of the house. (click here to see two videos of that: video 1 and video 2) It was great but I am still ready for spring!!

How To put Twitter feeds into Facebook Pages

2010-01-17T01:48:00.004-05:00

I finally figured out how to put your twitter feed into you facebook fan page. Just follow this link and click on the Twitter application: Involver.com

While you are on facebook, become a fan of My Facebook Page: Pavel Studios Photography Facebook Fan Page

Goodnight,

Matt

The P.S. 2009 Christmas Card

2010-01-13T16:32:00.003-05:00

Since everyone surely has received their Christmas card by now, I can reveal it to the rest of the world! We had a lot of fun on this one, believe it or not these take a lot of time and hard work to pull off. The SNL bumpers have always caught my eye so this year was a tribute to Saturday Night Live.

A Normal Afternoons Activities

2009-12-02T14:43:00.001-05:00

Courtney B

2009-11-18T17:17:00.002-05:00

It's been pretty boring on the blog for a while but lets face it, I'm a pretty boring guy;) I've been too busy raking this massive amount of leaves to get much else accomplished, but the end is in sight!!

Here are a couple from a portrait shoot from a while back:

Visiting the Corn Maze

2009-10-13T21:12:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we headed out to the corn maze in Crossville. An awesome time was had and I would recommend a visit. Click the link at the bottom to see more pics.

Chattanooga Bridal Show

2009-09-23T14:28:00.002-04:00

The Chattanooga Bridal show on Sunday was awesome. Despite the horrendous rain there were quite a few brides that showed up. If I can say so, I do believe we had the best booth of the entire show! (that's only my opinion of course:) But if you missed it, here are some pics for you to see it with your own eyes.

To all the brides that were there and haven't signed up yet, I will be offering 40% OFF until this Sunday, Sept. 27th. Only a $200 down payment check in the mail and you will have the photography part of your wedding planning completely taken care of!

Thanks a bunch for all the compliments on the booth and I hope to see you all again soon,

Matt

Rachele and Corey at the Falls

2009-09-13T23:15:00.002-04:00

Well this shoot just goes to show how new I am to Tennessee. Rachele and Corey invited me to Ozone Falls for their engagement shoot on Saturday. Only 45 minutes from the house and I didn't even know falls like this existed around here. A short hike to the bottom and I felt like we were in the Amazon. Watch your step though, every rock is constantly wet and covered in slippery moss. At the bottom of the falls was much cooler than the temp up top, but I had to be careful because there was a constant water spray covering all my equipment. Rachel and Corey were awesome sports though and we got some really cool images they can be proud of:

Hope you are all having a great Monday,

-Matt

A Sports Engagement

2009-09-11T11:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Laurel, Austin, and I had some fun at Campbell Station Park in Farragut. Somehow we missed all of the torrential downpours and managed to stay dry. Some of these shots would have been cool in the rain... But my photo equipment probably wouldn't enjoy it so much.

Laurel and Austin are very sporty and have both played soccer for 14 years. What better way to be photographed than doing something you love?

Enjoy,

-Matt

Free Tickets to Chattanooga Bridal Show

2009-09-07T14:06:00.004-04:00

If you are a bride-to-be and will be attending the Chattanooga Bridal Show put on by Premier Bride on Sept. 20th, 2009, just give me a shout and I'll send you a free ticket. I have about 5 remaining so just let me know.

Come Visit Me at the Chattanooga Bridal Show!

2009-09-03T13:57:00.004-04:00

Sunday September 20th I will be at the Chattanooga Bridal Show put on by Premier Bride

My show booth is almost complete check it out:

Well, this is just a scale model of course but if you want to see the real thing you'll just have to come to the show!

I'm excited about the booth so if you are a bride to be, stop by and let me know you've seen the blog. I'll throw in something special!

Angela and Duke in Maryville

2009-09-02T19:40:00.002-04:00

Monday Evening I met with Angela and Duke for some Egagement type pictures, yes if you look closely they are already married so maybe we should just call them portraits... But that just sounds so boring. Anyway, they were great people and I thought I would share some of the images from the session:

Take care,

Matt

Kitchen Remodel Phase 1 Complete!

2009-08-16T18:35:00.000-04:00

Summertime Fun!

2009-08-04T16:02:00.004-04:00

Some folks have been using Facebook and email as methods to tell me they would like to see some updated pics of the family, (I wont name names). So here it is. I havent been posting much lately because It's summer and we are busy having fun, doing projects, and staying busy. Sorry for that...Not!

A while back we went to Market Square in Downtown Knoxville. All the kids wanted to do was play in the fountain the entire time.

Like brother like sister.

Afterward while soaking wet we decided to take some pictures??

Here we are the next day at Ruby Falls near Chattanooga. This is a huge waterfall 1,000 feet underground.

And Fat Mans Squeeze in Rock City.

Me, Austin, My Mom, and Ella poking out the side.

She had to stop and smell the flowers.

Another day we went crawdad fishing near the river. Here Ella is showing off her catch.

One morning I caught this deer eating out of our flowerbed, (or weedbed)!

A firefly in flight. These little boogers are hard to photograph!

Every night we have thousands of them in the yard. So many that Ella can sometimes catch them. When you hold them upside down they tend to light up.

Ella likes the lambs ear. "Daddy feew it, it's soff".

Sunset

And I had to post one of my other "baby". This was last weekend in Kentucky.

And she is my baby too. We painted the gallery white and are now in the middle of a kitchen remodel.

Until next time,

-Matt

Lee and Brandie's Wedding Peek

2009-07-17T13:28:00.003-04:00

Lee and Brandie are such a fun couple! Their wedding was on Saturday and here are a few images I'd like to share. My assistant Ashley and I had an awesome time with them first at their church Fairview United Methodist in Maryville and then at Calhoun's on the River in Downtown Knoxville. Everyone seemed to have a great time especially when I pulled out my box of props!

One of the dads (I won't say who) was standing there for this shot asking "why?", my reply was "why not?". That seems to be my signature, to get a spectacular image of the dress. And I believe this one turned out well!

Mom helps fasten Brandie's shoes before the walk down the Aisle.

The window light was beautiful for this image!

The guys got an important walkie talkie call just before the ceremony began. It went something like this: "Why the h*## are you still outside we have 5 minutes before you are suppose to be on the alter?" Everything was under control!

Brandie and Dad.

Brandie and Lee at Calhoun's with the paddlewheel boat in the background.

The sunset was awesome!

My interpretation of the cake.

Fix that hair girl!

Mom and dad getting down!

Lee and Brandie actually met at a techno dance club!

As you can tell, the dancing was tiring!

The props were a hit as soon as we pulled them out!

I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek!

Later,

Matt

Save 10% in July

2009-07-08T19:19:00.003-04:00

Book your wedding or session in July and save 10% off your entire purchase!

Brandie and Lee Engagement

2009-07-06T12:23:00.005-04:00

So I've been slacking on the blog duties recently. Here is a shoot from last week of Brandie and Lee. I think we picked the hottest day of the entire summer for this shoot, but we made the most of it anyway. They will be wed this weekend so you should see more pics of this awesome couple in the near future.

Also, Pavel Studios was featured on the Panache Productions Blog this week so make sure to visit and leave an awesome comment about me! While you are there check out Kristyn's work. She does an awe-inspiring job to get every detail of your wedding absolutely perfect!

Fun in the SUN... (I mean Heat!)

2009-06-22T00:00:00.002-04:00

I haven't even been gone from Texas a year yet and I totally forgot how hot it was already! The Fams and I went back for little over a week and fried like KFC. But we had a blast and took some pics of Mandy, Jeremy, Jace, and Cade while we were at it. The stockyards have such great backdrops for photo ops but man was it sweltering.

Afterward we made a visit to good ole Pappy:)

I wonder what Jace thought of this strange man in a box?

Stimulus Package Winner

2009-06-21T12:59:00.002-04:00

Wow, give away something for free and everyone gets modest all of the sudden. That's ok, I've chosen a winner anyhow. The only problem is I don't really know who you are. So will anonymous from AMH please stand up? Iv'e got a $20 gift card for you!

Hope's Camera Pics:

2009-06-05T10:10:00.002-04:00

Sorry, todays post is kindof short. I've just been so busy lately it seems I don't have much free time.

Ella is to the point where she like to dress me up and have imaginary tea parties and what not. Proof that little girls are naturally girly. Here hope caught the action:

Click the link to see some more old photos from hopes camera (it doesn't get downloaded very often)

If any of you ever wonder why we don't post more images of Austin, well this is why. He does this for every photo:

Economic Stimulus Package!

2009-05-26T22:13:00.008-04:00

It seems that everyone reads the blog but most are shy and forget to leave comments (besides you Janette, you're the best). So I will propose for the NEXT blog that I post... Leave your comments and I will select 1 random blog stalker to receive this here economic stimulus package pictured above (a $20 Walmart gift certificate). Isn't that Awesome?? Who knows, maybe the next one will be Macy's but then again, what could you buy at Macy's for $20??

So get your practice on and keep checking back for that next new post (I don't even know when it will be so don't ask:)

Later,

-Matt

Ohh, and one more thing: Every time I post a new blog I send out an email about it, If you aren't on that email list then get with the program!... J/K All you have to do is email me at:
bloglist@pavelstudios.com

That's it:)

Kaitlyn Turns One

2009-05-22T21:07:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday Amanda and her mom Robyn were kind enough to invite me to photograph Kaitlyn's first birthday. It was slightly different than a wedding but I worked it the same way and we ended up with some great images!

Amanda had made this little tutu for her and she was just a little princess.

The cake was the fanciest birthday cake I had ever seen.

I think she enjoyed the pink icing the most.

backpack, backpack

I think I invaded her personal space!

Cute shoes!

Today we have a Guest Blogger:

2009-05-11T12:21:00.006-04:00

I've been speaking with the editor of HelpAlongYourWay.com and he has been kind enough to help me out as a guest blogger. The topic: Photography's Visual Impact on Music. Enjoy!

"This poses an interesting venture for me, since I mainly focus on the audible aspect of life - so here it is.

Photography is perhaps, my estimation, one of the most powerful communication mediums in today's world. You see photography on billboards, personal webpages, magazines, search engines, announcements, and a host of other things as well. One field in which photography has had a huge impact is in the music world.

Musically speaking photography is a completely different world and medium, however when converging with the music world - you have an even stronger medium for which to communicate, for which to deliver your message. With this convergence you have the merging of two senses, not only the visual response but the audible intake of sounds and textures via layers of instrumentation that make a lasting impression. As a result you have a snapshot in time of where you where when you heard and saw a certain photo.

I was first intrigued by this in the 1970s when my older brother had the KISS "ALIVE" (one) double live LP. The album cover had a live shot of KISS playing live, with smoke machines, colored lights, makeup, and poses as if playing. When I listened to the LPs I would just sit and stare at the live photos of the album covers and wonder what a live KISS show would entail. Some thiry one years later I still wonder - yet to see KISS live but I still remember how powerful that live image was, it made a positive impression of this convergence. I was in awe of the color of the lights, the smoke rising around each musician, the captivating makeup(?).

Sometime later the Scorpions metal band from Germany were making big waves in the music world with their release of favorite hits recorded live, World Wide Live. Again, I leaned on my older brother for borrowing the cassette (what is that?!?) and soaked in the musical experience as I perused the various live photos of the cassette case booklet. Tons of live photos, but the most memorable one was the cover, all the original members posing for an lean in moment - as if to say thank you. An unreachable fan, now seemed tangible, reachable and personable.

Let's switch gears for a minute, back across the Atlantic to the Pacific side of things. Mid/late 1980s Metallica released a collection of cover songs called "Garage Days Re-Revisted". In my opinion, possibly some of the best recordings ever by Metallica, featured on the cover scrunched up photo of the guys in the band "pre-show". Instead of professional font printing for the namesake of the band and release; they were handwritten. The photo of the band just lit up the world with T-shirts, other bands using same photo technique, an unpolished photo of sorts with their own handwriting on the covers of their releases. On the backside of the said Metallica release live practice photo shots were taken. It was fun for me to see them in an unpolished fashing, just being themselves.

More recently, digital photography has taken root in cover artwork like NILE's "Ithyphallic". All over the cover and the lyrics are photos of Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphs, and a statue being pulled by egyptian captives/slaves. On the NILE website, you'll see photographs of ancient mummies, tombs and just some mindblowing artwork. It brings to mind the dusty antiquities newer generations forget, history. The photography and impact of NILE on the listening world has been tremendous.
Nile Catacombs

Now this leads me to other websites with photography from other bands, or should I say, photography taken for other bands. One of the most perplexing photographs, yet intriguing in today's world is the cover for Germany's Saphena and their release "das Leben wird zu Glas". The photo shows what seems to be a modern day man perplexed by decisions, struggles, and the dire needs of society for the Savior.

Also from Germany, more photography in music captivates the audience. Rammstein have always used photography to their advantage. One of the best photos of the band, in my estimation, is the CD cover for "LIVE AUS BERLIN". The band members appear to be surrounding the listening session of the first transistor radio. It's quite unusual in that if you know the band or know of them, you know they are very progressive, forward thinking and ahead of their time. You could think of it this way, an oxymoron.

Lastly, I want to discuss an extreme metal band from Sweden, Crimson Moonlight. They've been described as obscure and unheard of, yet when you listen to them you know they have etched their own niched in the metal music world. Not only do the sounds of the band resonate with the listener, but also the photography. Photography has been an equally important part of their success as their sound, especially with their released EP, "In Depths of Dreams Unconscious". The lyrics page pictures take you to an old Scandinavian world of gothic church surroundings, and stern viking look of the band members.

The future of photography will continue to improve in terms of seeing the types of quality photos taken of bands or musicians. The color depth and magnitude tend to improve and become richer and more authentic. Not only do I see these photos being used for press kits, websites, shirts, but also continued use of cover art for CD releases and future audio download images. Not only will the richness increase but the depth and perception of the images. I think as time progresses photography will take on another dimension, so instead of a two dimensional image, you will have a three dimensional effect. Music related photos will appear to be tangible, attainable yet only an image. Not only will this three dimensional effect come into the still shot photos but also videography. Videography plays in important part of music personalities success. Music videos, documentaries, and live concert footage will surpass current hi-def capabilities and may lead progress into the development of dome shaped home theaters, similar to IMAX type theaters, especially similar to the Omni Theater in Fort Worth, Texas
FW Museum Artistic and Media Technologists will continue to push the envelope to create a live in-person experience without the real music group or artist there. This also has the potential to lead to use of holographic images for CD cover art and photography. Music tends to push photography to the latest known limits of reality and defy the imagination. Lastly, I see or hear rather more song subject matter that involves the discussion of photography, imagery and the blurring of reality's defined limits and virtual images appearing real. Who knows someday we may all be listening to holographic music (?)! Hope you have enjoyed this small taste of photography's influence on music. Thanks for reading.

Editor of HelpAlongYourWay.com"

Mama, there's a Gator in the house Again!

2009-05-03T21:49:00.006-04:00

Amanda and James are always such awesome sports when it comes time to make great images. For her trash the dress session they were willing to go all the way. So we had some fun in the swamp! It was rainy, wet, and cold... But Amanda took the leap anyway. And we got some great shots out of it. Click the Read more button at the bottom to see more crazy stuff:

............................

Finally... Couches for the Studio!

2009-04-24T14:34:00.002-04:00

So we have been working on the studio on and off since we moved here in August and it is slowly taking shape. The latest edition are these two awesome couches and a coffee table. Now when clients come they wont have to sit on the floor:) J/K... you can still sit on the floor if you want!

Some Pics from the New Boat!

2009-04-19T15:14:00.001-04:00

The New Website is Up and Running

2009-04-16T20:38:00.003-04:00

Stop by and check it out. Tell me what you think: Pavel Studios Photography

Easter Morning

2009-04-12T11:55:00.006-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

This morning we had an egg hunt at the house, I felt like I was at a church egg hunt but with only two kids and 1 billion eggs. But it was a beautiful morning and here are some pics: (****don't forget, my posts now have a "read more" link at the bottom to expand the post****)

We have this beautiful tree/bush/vine in our yard and I haven't a clue what it is?? If you can tell me I'll be your best friend!

Here we are making the eggs, this year Ella was old enough to get in on the action and... lets just say she was dyed pink by the end of it!

PIF

2009-04-07T17:59:00.003-04:00

Geez I know, Ive been on hiatus for a while. Seems after I returned from Texas I just forgot about blogging. But now I'm back:)

I thought I would share with you the result of the Pay it Forward session. Shannon Kelley contacted me to do the PIF session and we met up last weekend in downtown Knoxville. I could show you the regular stuff but I thought this one had some character:

I'm also working on a new website and I hope it will blow your socks off...hopefully

Thanks for blogstalking,

-Matt

Amanda's Album

2009-03-15T14:41:00.003-04:00

Instead of a boring photograph of the album I thought I would try something new, let me know what you think:

-Matt

April and Jasons Preggy Session

2009-03-03T21:18:00.004-05:00

Ok so if you liked the teaser photo here are the rest of them. April and Jason invited me up to their home in Cincinnati, Ohio to take family and maternity pics. The four of them were great hosts and had an awesome home with plenty of fun backdrops for us to play around with. April and Jason actually came up with the premise but I think I'll start offering sessions like these, I'll call it a "Weekend Session". More than just an hour or two these sessions would be an all day affair, take place in the comfort of your own home, and be run more like a commercial shoot rather than a fast paced portrait shoot. Starting at $600 - send me an email if interested.

With such a beautiful home, I couldn't help but show off the handiwork that Jason has achieved. I don't have any pics of the basement to show but it is a sweeeeet club-like party spot!

Vanessa was such a sweetheart, she warmed up to me very well and I even learned a few things from her like how to change diapers on her baby doll.

The ceiling upstairs was hand painted by Jason and I felt like I was back in the Venetian in Vegas. Now all you need is a canal!

I can't remember what was said here but it was VERY funny!

Very beautiful indeed! Thanks guys for having me.

-Matt

I Have Been Kentucky Fried

2009-03-02T17:25:00.002-05:00

While going through Kentucky the other day I saw a sign on the side of the highway, "Colonel Sander Cafe" it was the site of the Very first restaurant by the colonel himself. I thought, what the heck lets check it out!

The funny thing about this photo is actually behind the scenes. Just to camera right a sweet old grandma and granpa came walking around the corner only to see the sight in front of you. They both stopped in their tracks. She with an amazed look of bewilderment and slight smirk, he with a look of discontent. The camera was on self timer so the three of us stood there for a couple second before the shutter fired. Then I took the chicken wing out of my mouth and the only thing I could think to say was "It's for my blog". What a dummy I am, they were probably thinking what in the world is a blog as they paid no attention and walked right past.

Belly Shots, Literally

2009-03-01T20:35:00.002-05:00

Cinci is cold! Just one to tease your eyes. Details and more pics to follow. Right now it's movie time.

Vote For Me!

2009-02-26T23:53:00.003-05:00

This is the link to fox 43's hot list:

Go Here and Vote For Pavel Studios!

Vote for me, or dont, no do...whatever!

It is my turn to Pay It Forward!

2009-02-26T18:22:00.004-05:00

A big thanks goes out to Bethany over at SophieMac Photography for Paying it Forward to our family.

So now it is my turn to do the same. If you are a professional photographer and in need of some pics. Get a hold of me ASAP!

If you are not familiar with the Roadside Families project, read about it here:Roadside Families.

Thanks again to Bethany! We had a great time.

-Matt

Where is Ell Bell?

2009-02-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

Austin Too!

2009-02-24T15:31:00.002-05:00

Ok, the other day Austin wanted a picture of himself on his dirt bike for a school project and I then realized I didn't have one except from my camera phone! I know, I know, what kind of photographer am I?? For some reason I had been video taping him but never took an actually photo. So yesterday while he was riding on our property I called him over for a photo so (a) I could have a picture for the next time he needs one, and (b) so that I could show off my hot skills...J/K

Ell Bell

2009-02-23T13:43:00.007-05:00

Ell Bell has been sick the last week and a half but she is finally getting over it. Of course this only happened after I took her to the doctor the other day and they did absolutely nothing. Isn't that how it always works out??

She is at the point where she is like her brother and doesnt like getting her picture made, and now she can even say so. Austin used to say "no pikturs" and now somehow Ella is doing the same except she says "No Cama". So today I just put her on top of this stool so that she couldn't run away!

Now, I know what you are going to say, "her hair is a mess!" Well, yes and no. Her hair may be a birds nest but that's my Ella. If it was any other way no one would recognize her.

Have a great Monday,

-Matt

We Have a Winner!!

2009-02-20T18:07:00.002-05:00

Today was the deadline for the submissions and we now have a winner. We had a lot of great ideas submitted via the comments and by email but one of them was just over the top. Before I say who it was I want to thank everyone for their contributions and creativity. And if you didn't win I'd still love to do a shoot with you. In fact lets do this: If you submitted an idea and would like to shoot it I'll take half off!

So what was the crazy idea that takes first place you ask? Just so everyone knows I wasn't biased in any way I'm going to post her email here so you can see for yourself that this was indeed the craziest idea:

"Matt,
Well we could borrow my step-dads 4-wheeler, fishing poles and guns and go in the woods and pretend we are hunting. I don’t think I have seen any TTD sessions where the bride is hunting in her wedding dress. I always see the sessions where the bride is playing in the water, which I love but I would want to take it up another notch. If we did it in the woods by a lake we could do all of that. Then maybe do it before dark and make a camp fire and have some shots done around the fire, we could even roast marshmallows, LOL. I would defiantly trash my dress. I think it would make pretty pics like me and James sitting on a bank with our fishing poles. Running in the water to get a big fish Go in the woods and pretend we are trying to shoot something, we could even climb a tree. Then find some mud and have a mud fight get in the water and clean off, kissing, etc. And if you did pick me, I can promise you I would go all the way with it, what ever you wanted. If you wanted me to throw my dress in a fire I would. LOL.....

Amanda Marlow Johnson"

In my mind I can just see the dress roasting over the campfire:) So, Amanda - we need to get this done before March 20th so call me.

Be on the lookout for pics of the photo session soon,

Matt

Obey this Survey OK?

2009-02-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

Website Survey - we just need a minute!

I promise, this will only take a minute of your time! If you wouldn’t mind, please click on the link below and answer 9 quick, easy questions about different design aspects of wedding vendor’s websites.

Take The Survey Already!

We won’t record anything about you other than what state or country you are from - we don’t even ask for your email address so no spam or anything like that.

You will likely see this link on lots of other blogs and sites - this survey is being shared all over the blog-o-sphere so please take the survey only once.

If you have additional comments on the subject, please feel free to email me with those and I will share them with the other wedding vendors who are participating! We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

(If you are a wedding vendor and would like to participate, just copy this post to your blog and email me the link at emilie {@} emilieduncan {.} com - I will send you the results once we have closed the survey in March)

Dont forget about the Free Session for Craziest Idea

2009-02-11T20:38:00.003-05:00

The original post is down below! Get those submissions in because the 20th is almost here.

Fresh Album, Hot Off The Press

2009-02-11T20:32:00.003-05:00

The time has arrived

2009-02-08T19:46:00.004-05:00

Usually The Pavel Clan doesn't take to flying so quickly, but at only 20 months Ella has developed the Hero gene. Her ability has really taken off!

Free Session for Craziest Idea!

2009-01-30T11:31:00.001-05:00

So I thought I would throw this out there and see what happens. My first thought was to give away a free session to whomever could come up with the craziest idea for a trash the dress session but...NO. I've now decided it can be any type of session. Engagement, Bridal, Family, Senior, Whatever, so long as it is wild, wacky, far out, or just dangerous (only teasing, not the dangerous part!).

So leave your ideas here on the blog as comments or email them to me. On February 20th I'll pick one winner to receive a free session along with plenty of free prints.

There will be some stipulations of coarse. The shoot will need to take place before March 20th, preferably in the Knoxville area or close by (I'll travel so long as you pay the travel expenses). The winner will be whomever comes up with the most creative idea. But at the same time it needs to be achievable (for instance if you want to do an engagement shoot on the wing of a flying airplane you will need to provide the airplane, and of coarse the pilot:)

So lets hear what you can come up with!

Have a great snow day,

-Matt

The Circus Has Come to Town

2009-01-25T16:58:00.001-05:00

How to Make Photos Larger on Blogger... Step by Step Instructions.

2009-01-20T11:49:00.008-05:00

Recently I decided I wanted to have bigger photos on my blogger blog than what it would allow me by default. Up until this point I used the standard blogger upload which looks like this:

But even at the large setting the Images are still too small for my taste.

So there are many ways to accomplish this task but I thought I would share with you the way I found easiest. Feel free to post any comments on how you do it or ideas that would improve upon my method.

First of all, if you are going to put larger photos in your blog you need to make your blog wider to accommodate. In blogger, go into your "layout" tab and then the "Edit HTML" tab. You will need to change your "outer wrapper" width and "main wrapper" width to 1200px and 900px respectively. See the images for an easier explanation. (You can use different values if you wish, just make sure the outer is largest, and later that your image width is smaller than your main wrapper)

Make sure to hit "save changes" at the bottom of the page. Now the blog is wider and the changes will stay this way so you wont have to mess with the HTML after this.

------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the Images:

From now on instead of uploading your images into blogger, you will be uploading them to a third party instead... don't worry it's easy. In fact, I bet you didn't know it but that's what blogger does anyway! Now there are many sites out there like flickr, photobucket,smugmug,picasaweb, and more. But I am going to recommend picasaweb because that is where your blogger images are already residing:)

So sign up for one of these sites and upload your images there using a button similar to this:

Once you have a few images uploaded click on an image to make it large. In Picasaweb, you will find something that looks like this on the right side of the web page:

Make the selections I've shown you above and then highlight and copy the "imbed image" code. Then navigate back to Blogger and paste this code into your new post:

Hint: if you are using a site other than Picasaweb you might need to search around for the imbed code but I promise you it's there somewhere.

If you want to center the image on the page just add exactly what I have circled here to the front and the end of the code that you just pasted:

Publish the post and what do you know?....Large Photos....Yeah!

-------------------------------------------------------

Now for Professional photographers and more advanced users:
I found this in the picasaweb setting:

You are going to want to uncheck these boxes I have circled in red or you will be giving away your precious work.

Also, If you use Lightroom, check out Jeffrey Friedl's Blog. He has a plugin that will export from lightroom directly to picasaweb, zenfolio, smugmug, flickr, and facebook! Really cool stuff that saves a LOT of time...Plus it's free!

Today In The Snow

2009-01-19T16:18:00.004-05:00

Fort Southwest Point, TN

2009-01-16T23:36:00.013-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago Fort Southwest Point in Kingston had what they call a candle light fort night. I probably would have missed it but my Dad had mentioned to me that he would love to have a Civil War era photograph for his living room. Well this wasn't quite Civil War era but it was the best I could do. The Fort was operational from 1797 to 1811 and as it's name suggests was at the time the southwestern point of the United States. It served at first to protect travelers from the Cherokee but later mainly served to keep the whites from settling on Cherokee lands.

Anyhow, I had a lot of fun leaning about the Soldiers and how they lived. If you would like to learn more check out the Fort Southwest Point Website and click on history in the top right corner.

Ohh, and........What would this blog be without pics?:

Daniel and Mandy Terry

2009-01-07T13:34:00.005-05:00

Another Beautiful Wedding at the Whitestone Inn on Saturday! Daniel and Mandy were married at 5pm right across the river in Kingston, TN. The overcast weather and rainshowers made an awesome backdrop for her gorgeous wedding dress in the Whitestone's gazebo.

The guys were great sports and cooperated well for this shot which couldn't have turned out any better!

Mandy taking a moment before the ceremony.

Aww, so cute:)

Hmmm, can you guess where he went to college?

Sparklers are my favorite!
Have a great week!

-Matt

Almost a month since my last post!?!?

2008-12-17T01:28:00.008-05:00

Wow how time flies when Christmas rolls around!

I thought I would post some images from the last couple months:

Here is the stray that showed up a while back. Ella just thought he was the coolest thing. I tried to introduce him into our home only to find pee in our bed:( and that he didn't really like being inside anyway. Oh well, I don't like cats anyhow:)

For the gallery I decided we needed more to help with the modern look. We also needed more heat and air upstairs...so I came up with a brilliant plan. Hope just thought I had lost my marbles! So I enlisted the help of Ella Bella. Hope eventually joined in and we made this exposed ductworking out of odds and ends. I think it turned out ok, what do you think??

There is still a bit to go before completion but it's getting there.

Lastly, (this was a while back now) we went to the Boomsday celebration on the river. Probably the best fireworks display I have seen in a long time!

See Rock City, City Here We Come!

2008-11-19T23:42:00.007-05:00

So It has been a while since I posted update pics for the Pavel family and I thought it was time to do so. A couple weeks ago we headed down to See Rock City. Rock city is a German type theme park that has been popular since the late 1800's located in Chattanooga, TN. Instead of rides most of the sights are natural rock formations or cliffs, and to my surprise Austin and Ella had a great time!

You first enter through the gift shop and then down narrow pathways with names like "Needles Eye" and "Fat Man's Squeeze"

Then across a swinging bridge that must have been 100 feet in the air.

At this lookout you can see 7 different states. TN, GA, AL, NC, SC, VA, and WV.

Fairyland caverns is lit with black lights and was finished in the late 50's.
Miniature brightly colored scenes from every fairytale imaginable can be found in there. It really was quite interesting!

All in all we had a great day trip! I missed getting the shot but there were girls there dresssed up in German folk attire (short skirts and what not), and every time one passed Austin was completely google eyed. I wish you could have seen it:)

-Matt

The James and Amanda Wedding

2008-11-09T15:21:00.008-05:00

Yesterday James and Amanda were married on a beautiful day in Louisville, TN. Although very windy, the ceremony and reception were spectacular. James and Amanda were very comfortable in front of the camera and let me get a lot of great images of them throughout the day and night.

Enjoy,

Matt

The Wedding Peek of Jason and Kelly

2008-11-03T13:25:00.005-05:00

Kelly and Jason were married Saturday at the beautiful Whitestone Inn in Kingston, TN. The Whitestone is a bed and breakfast resort with gorgeous views of the Tennessee River. The wedding was absolutely fantastic and I thought I would share some images here on the blog.

Enjoy-

Matt

Our Journey With Jessica

2008-10-30T13:09:00.007-04:00

Yesterday on October 29th, 2008, Jessica Kaylors journey ended. Or possibly just began. It was a sad yet joyous day for the Kaylor family(read her blog to find out why). Jessica leaves behind a husband Jake, daughter Katelyn, daughter Jaydn, daughter Bryn, and hundreds if not thousands of loving family and friends.

Jessica's Blog

A quote from Jessica's Blog on Oct. 23rd-

"I'll still post later tonight, but right now I wanted to post so that you could begin praying for sweet dreams for Jess. She of course is loved, supported, and cared for; but she is having horrible dreams in which no one cares about her and everyone has forgotten her. Jess sleeps a lot so would you please pray for sweet dreams for her?

Posted by Jacob at 1:43 PM"

We will ALWAYS remember you Jess, Sweet Dreams!

Please pray for Jake, Katelyn, Jadyn,and Bryn as they will need continued support to help them through.

Jessica's Blog

Engaged: Amanda and James

2008-10-10T12:46:00.005-04:00

What a great couple! I always love it when the couple realizes that the images are one of the most important aspects of the wedding day and Amanda has spoken to me twice about this now. It's true, like my website says: "Photography is an investment with much more than just monetary value."

Amanda and James will be wed on November 8th.
Congratulations to both!

-Matt

Chris and Jeanne Wedding Peek

2008-10-06T13:37:00.012-04:00

Usually I reserve this blog for my own personal photos, stories, and rants but today I thought I would try something new. Since I dont update my website very often most of you dont get to see what I'm working on from time to time. So I thought I would share a few images from the wedding of Jeanne and Chris which took place at a beautiful cabin in the Smokies on Saturday. Chris and Jeanne flew in from Brooklyn, NY and invited friends and family to a monstrous cabin near Gatlinburg for the celebration. The weather was perfect and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day.
Jeanne was absolutely amazing and very photogenic, here she is getting ready.

She was even willing to let me hang her dress off the balcony 3 stories above the ground. All of the guests that witnessed this looked very shocked and worried. But the dressed survived!
The ceremony was out on the deck and was beautiful, short, and sweet!

I love it when the bride and groom allot me plenty of time to capture beautiful images. I was given as much time as needed. You don't know how much stress that takes off of my shoulders! Thanks Jeanne.

The Cabin had plenty of amazing photo opportunities and even came with it's own movie theater. BYOP-Bring your own popcorn

The best man Greg was a hoot from Scotland and wore his kilt. By the way- it is true what they say;)

The reception wrapped up with a Rockband session played to some classic rock. Jeanne on guitar, and Chris on drums.... What a great day!

I wish you the best!

-Matt

Now Offering 50% OFF!

2008-09-19T16:13:00.003-04:00

Pavel Studios Photography has just moved over 1000 miles from Texas to Tennessee. It is hard to start fresh and that being the case, we are offering HALF off your entire wedding purchase until business picks up again! No gimmicks, no catches, just 50% Off our regular prices for a limited time. All I ask in return is for you to tell all your friends about us!

That's a great bargain even if you live on the other side of the country!

Please tell your friends, family, co-workers...EVERYONE YOU KNOW, EVERYONE COME IN CONTACT WITH! Because as soon as the 2009 weddings are booked up, the deal is off!

I hope to photograph you sometime soon,

-Matt

Visit the Website

How-to Build a Faux Brick, Metal, Cool Wall. For Cheap!

2008-09-12T13:16:00.003-04:00

Alright so the title says it all but.... During the process of trying to fix this wall we just said the heck with it, lets do something funky! But I like the way it turned out and it will go great with the modern industrial look that I have planned for the "Gallery Room" anyway.

So If you would like to see the progression of the wall and a short how-to, just visit the link below:

Clicky!

Otherwise, here is the before and after:

Enjoy,

-Matt

Catching Up

2008-09-02T22:47:00.005-04:00

So Ive been getting the new house organized and am really behind on my blogging duties. I found some old photos from before the move and though I would share them. These are from our day-trip to Dinosaur Valley State park in Glen Rose, TX. If you haven't been there It is a great place to go and relax in the water and just float around. There are quite a few dinosaur tracks that can be seen in the river and as you will see, some you can even sit in.

The new house has a few renovations already, I'll try and get around to posting those tomorrow.

Have a great one,

Matt

Printer Problem? Printer Solution!

2008-08-19T13:11:00.007-04:00

Has this ever happened to you? The other day I needed to print something VERY important. I pull it up on my computer, press print, and the print dialogue starts jumping up at me. "Alright, what now" I say. I click on it to investigate further and of course as always... I am out of yellow ink. Well who cares I'm just printing a few words in black only. "I do" says the printer as "I have 6 different color inks and I need all of them to be able to print... AT ALL!"

Why does this always happen to me at the most inopportune time? So as I run to the store I start to think. "How much was this printer to begin with??" "$100" you say, "$200"... No, it was FREE after a rebate. Now I ONLY have to pay $13.95 every week when one of the ink cartridges goes out... times six ink cartridges! Thats $83.70 plus tax for a supposedly free printer.

So I get to Wally-World and by now my gears are turning up in my little brain. I go to the electronic section and just for grins I price some of the newer printers. "What's this... $30, $50?? " Ok, I see one I like. A Canon iP2600 for only $29.88, a bargain right? Comes with printer, software, cables, instruction booklet, free photo paper, styrofoam, and a nice sturdy box that could come in handy later, and........... who would have guessed it?? ........INK!

"Wow, that is a bargain" I say to myself! So lets see how much the ink is for this thirty dollar printer. I go over to the ink isle, it is separate from the printers of course. Low and behold "Ink for Canon iP2600". would you like to take a guess??

$35.99

Lets see what this comes with... hmmm only INK. Am I missing something here?

So needless to say, instead of coming home with ink, I ended up with a brand new printer. I see a lot of new printers in my future!

"So what about printing photographs?" you ask. Well I used to do that at home but to tell you the truth, with ink being so pricey it just isn't worth it. There are so many great labs out there that can receive uploaded images over the web and ship them off to you in only a couple of days. Unless you need the print right away, I would suggest finding a lab that you trust. For documents and other junk, I'll use my handy $30 printer until it runs out of ink, then it's time for another!

Home Improvements: Deck

2008-08-18T22:45:00.006-04:00

Just in case you need me, I'll be on channel 4!

Alright, Lets get started!

One down, Only 93 to go!

Hmmm, Lets play with daddy's camera!

Alright, a little to the left... No Your OTHER Left!

Gosh, Figure it out Guys!

Haha, You messed up!

Whatever you do, DONT Miss!

Owww, Stop throwing Rocks in my eye!

Who me??...Eat Rocks??...

I dunno what you are talking about!!

Daddy, How High can a Puma jump?

How about this High?

Who launched the laughing gas?

Bombs Away!! Twas me.

I'm Outta Here!

I miss the trampoline already!

Please don't take anymore pictures of ME!!!!

I'm a farmer Girl, In this farmer World!

Who needs classes?, I mow grasses!

Not So Long lost!

2008-08-14T00:55:00.005-04:00

A few of these images you may have seen but I made this little story website a while back and forgot to post it. It was of our first encounter with Tennessee!

Clicky!

Ironically enough the website was entitled "home"... purely coincidence? or Fate?

Have fun,

-Matt

Addendum to yesterdays post

2008-08-11T22:10:00.002-04:00

Just for Mandy:)

Taken today at suppertime.

Settling In!

2008-08-11T00:45:00.005-04:00

Wow, who would have thought that moving 1,000 miles across the country would have been this hard?? We are finally here and it is starting to sink in that this is our new home! Hope, I and the kiddos have been unpacking like crazy and still have only half of the boxes emptied. But the house is starting to look great and I just love the weather! 65 at night and around 85 during the day! When we left Texas it was 107 degrees! The scenery is great and we have been spending a lot of time outdoors. Here are a few pics from the last couple of days:

A big Thanks goes out to Garett for helping us load up in Arlington and to my dad for driving up here just to help us unload, we couldn't have done it without ya!!

Austin and Ella

2008-06-21T16:40:00.003-04:00

Preparing for the Move!

2008-06-15T14:21:00.002-04:00

So we aren't moving until August but Hope and I are very much looking forward to our new house. I was eyeing riding lawn mowers as we will need one as soon as we move in. I came across this on Craigslist and couldn't pass it up! They just don't make em like they used to.

It is a 1969 Massey Ferguson MF-14 Lawn Tractor. Completely restored and ready to mow it will be a functional antique, not just a show piece. Austin and Ella already cant get enough as we ride it around the back yard, Ella was a little skeptical at first but now she likes to turn the wheel as we go.

Happy Fathers Day

-Matt

A New Creative Website Just for You!

2008-05-30T17:11:00.006-04:00

Pavel Studio's Is proud to announce the launch of:

Photoshop for the Rest of Us.com

Please check it out and submit your own images to help me get this new site up and running!

Thanks again,

-Matt

Ella is One!

2008-05-28T17:13:00.003-04:00

May 16th was Ella's first birthday and Hope says I no longer have a baby but a toddler now. We dressed her in her new dress and took pictures to be able to remember her at this age. Hope and I made a big bird cake and took all day decorated it with frosting. I think by the end of it there was more frosting than there was cake but both Ella and Austin seemed to enjoy it.

Have a great day!

-Matt

Today's Thoughts

2008-05-27T23:54:00.002-04:00

You never seem to know what you have that is great until what you Had that Was great is now gone! Therefore live in the now and try not to snivel as what you have is better than having Had nothing.

Tomorrow, be on the lookout for Ella's one year old pictures, she just turned a year last week! Also, a new blog is in the works with a whole new creative idea brewing... stay tuned this week to find out what is in store. And... I need to mention I am working on a book titled "Ella Bella and Her Fantastic Wardrobe". The reason I need to mention this is because progress has slowed on the book and I'm hoping that by mentioning it, you all will push me to finish!

Anyways, I hope you all had a great memorial day weekend!

-Matt

We're Moving to Tennessee!

2008-05-10T23:21:00.006-04:00

Well it's been in the talks for a long time now but it is finally here. After many years of contemplating a move out of state, Hope and I have finally decided Kingston, TN is to be our new home. Of course the news comes with great regret but also plentiful elation. We will certainly miss seeing our family and friends as often as we do now, but we will certainly be coming back to visit again and again.

Kingston, TN is just on the outskirts of Knoxville in the easternmost area of the state. With plenty of mountains nearby, as well as state parks, national parks, rivers, lakes, and recreation areas, Knoxville is a dream come true! Our new home sits in a beautiful area on a couple of acres within walking distance to the Tennessee river and will serve as a starting point to build the business of my dreams. Lush gardens, walkways, and water features are on the brain for Pavel Studio's but all of that is to come and of course I will share our progress here on the blog.

We won't be moving just yet, but will head out probably in early August to get the kids settled and Austin off to his new school. His favorite part about the move is that he gets to ride the school bus!... well that and having stairs for the first time:) I will post a few pics below. Anyone who wants to come visit please feel free to come stay with us anytime, besides, we need a few familiar faces to make us feel even more at home!

We will miss all of you sooo much, but at the same time we are giving you a great reason to take a vacation to Knoxville!

Have a great week.

-Matt

A panoramic view of the front of our new place.

And a 360 degree panorama from the side.

Our front porch.

One section of the wraparound deck.

The interior.

And the back deck.

This of course is where I will spend a lot of my free time, the shop.

And a view from the woods.

Click here to view more photos of the house.

What is real beauty?

2008-05-07T00:11:00.004-04:00

You Tube

Oops!

2008-05-03T00:49:00.003-04:00

2008... So Far

2008-04-28T23:14:00.002-04:00

Hi all, Wow its almost May already and it feels like the year just began. Needless to say I have been procrastinating my blogging duties. Since it has been so long since our last blog, I have so many pictures to share with you. That being the case, I thought maybe I will try something different this time. Ive posted a few images below but to view the full story you will have to clink on the link below:

Click Me!

Have a great week!

-Matt

Easter Morning 2008

2008-03-23T10:46:00.006-04:00

A Dream Come True!

2008-02-28T14:48:00.003-05:00

Well, at least one of them!

Busy Busy Holiday Fun!

2007-12-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is always a busy time of year, not only with business but also the holiday get-togethers and all of the shopping that must be done. With the hustle and bustle I have neglected my blogging duties but alas, I'm back. I will keep the wording short as I'm sure you are busy too, but here are some images of the happenings of the last month. Hope you enjoy! - Matt

The day after Thanksgiving is the annual "Turkey Run" in Hot Springs. Always a blast!

This year Austin and I endured the cold while Ella and Mommy stayed warm at home. My dad Ron met us in Hot Springs and help with the camerawork.
The DFW chapter and a few others.
Every year I am army volunteered as the official photographer. j/k:) Here are all of the rigs that participated in the event.

After returning home we headed over to Lake Arlington Baptist Church for the annual "Winter-Fest". There were plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained all day.

Is it Ironic that a photographer has no images of himself? Thank you to Benjamin Slocum for inventing the self-timer in 1901. Without him, I would be lost in time forever!

Belated Halloween Costume Pics!

2007-11-11T01:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2007-10-31T16:41:00.001-04:00

As you might know, we have a great time carving pumpkins every year. The designs sometimes change but we always make it a point to put our faces on one of them. This year we have a new addition to the pumpkin carving family, Ella! Here are the latest!

Austin and Ella side by side.

And with all the lights out.

Austin's best pumpkin yet, an alien from Texas Tech.

And Mr. LongNose.

Have a safe yet scary night!

-Matt

Vote Ella Grace for Most Kissable!!

2007-10-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Who is Dallas Fort Worth's most kissable baby? With your help my little Ella will be! Please vote for Ella Grace as DFW's Most Kissable. Go to this link: Ella Grace For Most Kissable! and voice your opinion. Click the dot next to "Ella Grace", then click vote at the bottom of the page. Everyone is allowed to vote once per day per email address so help us out and get those ballots in every day until Oct. 26th!

Ella Grace For Most Kissable!

Thanks for your help and I hope to see you soon,

Matt

A Fresh Look For Pavel Studio's!

2007-09-25T11:24:00.000-04:00

The Pavel Studio's website has just been remodeled! Bored at work? Nothing to do around the house? Come view the P.S. gallery or just waste some time popping bubbles on the main page, then let us know what you think of the new site!

Pavel Studio's

Have an Awesome week!

-Matt

Mmmm!

2007-09-08T23:11:00.001-04:00

Well she's at it again! This time she decided to make brownies. I'm not sure if Ella just likes to act like mom or if she really enjoys playing house. But I'm not complaining, I just had dessert!

Ok, I have to apologize for not explaining myself last week: These images of baby Ella are just for fun. No she can't really walk or sweep or cook brownies. In fact she just mastered holding her head up by herself just a couple weeks ago. But I thought it would be fun to imagine if she could do these things and I hope everyone will enjoy taking a break from the everyday hustle and bustle to have a laugh or two. Hopefully two!

Thanks again for taking the time out of your busy day to view my images and I hope to see you again next week.

-Matt

My Mensa Baby!

2007-09-06T00:12:00.000-04:00

It was Monday night and I put my 4 month old Princess to sleep at 12a.m. (her usual bedtime) an went to bed shortly thereafter. But during the night I kept tossing and turning. Suddenly I heard an odd noise coming from the other room. I thought it was nothing and tried to go back to sleep but soon the noise grew louder and louder. After a while I got up to check it out. As soon as I stepped into the hall I saw Ella cleaning house. I guess she couldn't sleep either!

One last Summer Vacation!

2007-08-13T13:00:00.001-04:00

Hi and thanks again for taking the time to view the Pavel Studio's Blog! Last week it was off to Galveston for one last summer vacation before school season starts again. My dad Ron and step-mom Nellie came down from Arkansas and we all had a wonderful time.

Ella has been so great taking trips in the car. She now enjoys little dangly things and loves to watch them hanging from her car seat.

Our first catch of the day! We chased this little guy around for a while and finally persuaded him into the bucket.

This photo was taken 4 years ago. It is amazing how time flies.

Several hours later and after letting the previous crab go, we decided to build a sandcastle. We are not sure if it was a different crab or the same one but this little guy had an affection for my shorts. I kept moving away from him as I wasn’t clear of his intentions but after a while he seemed friendly enough!

So we decided to make him the official king crab of the castle!

The next day we went down to the seawall for a stroll... Boy was it HOT!

Ron and Nellie bought little Ella a cute Galveston Island hat,

and a kite for Austin.

On the last day we went to Moody Gardens. First up was the Colonel Paddlewheel boat that took us for a ride around the bay.

Then we learned about archeology in an Imax 3D movie about dinosaurs.

The rainforest was a lot of fun. We saw alligators, eels, bats, monkeys, and a two-toed sloth.

Of course being a kid, all you must be able to think about is swimming! So we took Austin out to the pool for a dip.

And then back into the air conditioning and off to the aquarium for our last stop.

There we saw a ton of great things including seals, penguins, sharks, and more.

The day was at an end and we still hadn’t seen it all, just the more reason to come back again. What a great vacation.

Have an awesome week!

Matt

Busy Busy

2007-08-06T00:50:00.000-04:00

Alright, I know its been way too long but what can I say... Ive been busy! Again.

So I wont overload you with too much information here, ohh Ok maybe I will. Here are a few images from the last month starting 4th of July until after our trip to Oklahoma. I cant take credit for all of the images this time however as I borrowed a few images from the family afterwards. So I cant tell you who took them and I'm sorry for not giving due credit if it was you.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!!

Here we have Ella on an awesome colorful quilt made by my aunt Sandy. Thank you so much Sandy, as you can see she is quite comfortable on it!!

Ella's first Fouth of July Parade in Downtown Arlington. A special thanks goes out to Jake Kaylor for reserving us the best seats!

Later that night we decided to have our own fireworks show. As you can see, Austin was quite excited about this!

Here is Hope's cousin Mandy holding our little princess during Judy's Birthday Party.

Here we are on our trip to Oklahoma. From left: Janette, Jacque, and Sandy

Ella in her bathing suite at the lake!

And here Jaden drew an awesome picture of one of the cabins. We rented a total of 5 cabins to house all 32 of us. Yes, I said Thirty-Two!

Hope and her sister Jessica. Here is Jessica's Blog: http://jessicakaylor.blogspot.com/

And all those 32 people I mentioned, well it was my job to take the group photo!

We look like little ants at this size!! Maybe if you click on it, it will help??

Judy, Ella, Hope, Memaw, and Popo

Hopefully you know who this is by now

Ohh, and that is me!

The red shirts are starting to cause "burn in" on my screen, how about you?

Austin, Jaden, Gene, Kaylee, Mark, Ryan, (and Jake behind the camera) all went for a nature hike.

Me, Katelyn, Hope, Garett, and Mandy. Ohh by the way, Mandy has a blog too: http://mandykirwan.blogspot.com/

For some reason we all decided to go on a Canoe adventure by Ambush Adventures... Well, they must call it ambush for a reason. What you dont see in these photos is the 30 some odd times where all the canoes are upside down, filling with water, or going backwards over waterfalls. But all in all we had a great time!!

I am told this was just breakfast for one day!

What a great trip, after returning home all the kids went to the pool.

Thanks for staying to the bitter end!

Hope to see you sooner than later,

Matt

Baby Ella's Firsts

2007-07-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

Alright, I know its been more than a week or even a month but what can I say... We've got a new baby here at Pavel Studio's! Ella is really growing up fast. When she was first born I could hold all of her in the palm of my two hands, now she takes up all of the space I have in both my arms! But she is still just as beautiful as ever... If only I could invent a shrinking machine, then she could be my little baby forever.

But since I have been lacking on my blogging duties I thought to share a few images from the last month with you. Hope to hear from all of you soon.

Here Ella is sound asleep, the way she would stay for the first couple weeks... Wow, how things change abruptly!

This is our first four person family picnic. It was quite hot that day but enjoyable all the same.

Safe and sound in her carseat. We are very lucky that Ella seems to love traveling as much as we do. An eight hour car ride for her first vacation and not so much as a peep. Well... maybe only 45 minutes of peeping!

This was so cute that I just had to photograph it. After emptying the dryer I looked one last time and there it was, a tiny little sock barely large enough for my big toe still left in the back. What a great moment!

Ella's first portrait with all of her cousins and brother. What a great bunch of kids!

What do you think? Do we look alike? That is me on the left and Ella on the right.

Here is Grandpa holding the little princess! She already has the modeling poses down to a T!

"Sitting in the king coconut head chair, she reaches for her Coke... But wait, someone has drunken the last drop. Those darn rascally raccoons!"

"She is soo frustrated but too tired to deal with them now. Instead she falls back into her lapsidasical trance."

Our Princess Has Arrived!!

2007-05-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Ella Grace Pavel

Born May 16th at 5:57pm

6lbs. 12 oz.

19 1/4 inches

Happy, Healthy, and Beautiful

A Full House!

2007-03-26T00:20:00.000-04:00

Where to start... On Friday, Hope and I had a doctors appointment to have a 3D sonogram. Let me first say that the baby looks like me, Yea! It is amazing what technology can show us. The baby definately has my M-shaped lips along with the Pinocchio nose. The chubby cheeks however, are a mystery. We were able to get pictures and even video in 3D. We made sure to tell the nurse we didnt want to know the sex of the baby but Hope thinks she can tell just from the face... What do you think?

For a completely different yet similar subject, On Friday we also rescued a puppy from the pound. Austin's 7th birthday is just around the corner and Hope and I figured now would be a great time for him to have a (canine) friend. Jack is a Austrailian Sheperd Mix and he is the sweetest and most adorable dog I have ever known. He is still a little camera shy but is very smart and already has a few tricks under his collar!

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope to see you soon,

Matt

A boys spring break!

2007-03-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

What a great spring break, I think the pictures can speak for themselves. I hope all of you are doing well!

An Exciting Email:

2007-01-31T23:29:00.000-05:00

Well yesterday when I checked my email this jumped out at me:

"On behalf of the staff of The Center for Fine Art Photography, we want to congratulate you on the selection of one of your images for The Art of Digital Imagery Exhibition. Hopefully, you had a chance to see the announcement on the Center's website either last night or earlier today, but if not, let us be the first to congratulate you. We are definitely excited about the variety and quality of the work that has been selected for this show. For your information, over 300 photographers submitted around 1300 images for this unique exhibit. Congratulations on being one of the 50 photographers chosen to participate. If you haven't visited the website, the selections are posted along with the title and a thumbnail of the selected image. See "The Art of Digital Imagery, Exhibitor's Announcement" on the left side of the home page at www.c4fap.org."

The exhibition will be on display at The Center for Fine Art Photography
from June 15th - July 14th, 2007.

Well that just made my day and I though I would share it.

Here is the link if you'd like to check it out: http://www.c4fap.org/

Ohh ya, and (Thanks Kenda for alerting me to this exhibition)

Hope to hear from all of you soon,

Matt

A New Year Brings New Change!

2007-01-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

Well another new year has begun and although it seems like it just started, the month is almost over!

The new year kicked off for me with a trip to San Antonio for the Annual PPA (Professional Photographers of America) convention. I learned a ton this year and it will all be put to good use as the convention inspired me more than ever to work hard to turn Pavel Studio's into a great success.

Although the weather wasn't so cooperative on the return home, I made it back just in time to see the most beautiful snow yet in the state of Texas. It was so great that we woke up bright and early to have a snowball fight and build a snowman.

The next day a tooth was trying to wiggle free from the mouth of a six year old. Austin was so excited he asked if we could have a party when it finally came out. With the help of a string it finally managed to come loose the next day. This was only after many failed attempts from me to aid in assistance with the handy old pliers!

So the year is off to a great start for us... I hope all is going well for you too, Happy New Year!

Senior Exhibition

2006-12-06T00:54:00.000-05:00

Well, Its that time and I am finally graduating after what seems like a thousand years. This Friday December 8th at 5pm will be the Senior Exhibition for all Bachelor of Fine Art majors. I've worked hard these past few months to come up with a piece I hope you will all enjoy. Yes, I am a photography major but I decided to do something a little different from the ordinary! So far the responses have been great. I hope you can stop by Friday night and check out all the fantastic artwork on display. The show will run until December 16th.

TurkeyRun 2006

2006-11-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

Alright so it's been over a week but its finally time for an update! This weekend Hope, Austin, and I had our fun in Hot Springs Arkansas with the TX4WD during the annual Turkey Run.

Before the outings everyone lined up thier rigs for a picture:

Of course I had to check my flex on the RTI ramp before heading out:

And here is Gill, a friend and excellent spotter taking me up some trails that I probably shouldnt have been on in the first place!

But we made it through all the rocks without any breakage, but that was just the first day...

And of course before heading out the whole DFW chapter had to get a group photo at the top of the mountain, what a great view!!

Pumpkins

2006-11-02T20:51:00.000-05:00

Well every year Hope, Austin, and I make it a point to carve a pumpkin right before Halloween. This year we waited a little late and the pickings werent quite as good considering the drought... but never the less we still made an effort. Austin is six this year and did a great job on his first pumkin ever. He sketched out the design on paper, we traced it on, and he carved away. What a great job wouldnt you agree?

As for me, I couldnt decide what I wanted to carve and was up for hours looking for ideas on the web. Finally it hit me and I decided I would try Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Judge for yourself but I think it looks more like the Crypt Keeper from the late night USA network back in the nineties!

Unfortunately Hope was working the day before Halloween otherwise the Gollum pumpkin would probably have looked much better. But here are some pumpkins we have carved in the past... our favorite of which is when we take on self portrait pumpkin projects.

See you again next week,

Matt

I'm going to be a Daddy!... Again!

2006-10-26T23:55:00.000-04:00

Well I guess it's time to let the cat out of the bag... my wife Hope and I are going to have a baby at the end of May. At nine weeks it is still too early to tell whether it will be a boy or girl but we are hoping for a girl to even out the playing field. We had our first doctors appointment on Wednesday and were able to see the little one for the first time. I swear that as soon as the screen in the doctor's office became clear I saw her wave at me! They printed out a picture for us and I just wanted to share it with you along with the great news!

Jerry Szor Contemporary Jewelry

2006-10-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

Alright, Well my blog is a bit overdue but here is one of the many things I have been doing in the last two weeks.

Some of you might know but for quite a while now I have been photographing jewelry for Jerry Szor Contemporary Jewelry.

http://www.jerryszor.com/

The images will be for the up and coming website which is scheduled to be finished sometime this winter. Jerry has been a great guy and furnished me with everything I need to get the job done.

Here is my office and computer...Yes I know its a PC but lets try to keep that on the down low. I couldnt ask for a better view.

And here is the box by MK Digital Direct in which the photos are made, it works great and has many lighting options for each different situation.

http://www.mkdigitaldirect.com/

And the boxes which the jewelry comes in before it is photographed:

And here is an example of some of the jewelry, each piece is a one of a kind made by highly renowned artists from all over the world.

Thanks for looking and I hope to see you again next week...for real this time!

Katrina Survivors Project

2006-09-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

It was Monday August 29th 2005, I was driving down the highway. The roads were starting to get worse and it was still raining on and off. The clouds were letting off as they drifted further north.

Cars were smushed.

Traffic was at a standstill.

I hadn't seen an open gas station for over 100 miles, and cars were running out of fuel alongside the roads.

Even the trains were stopped in their tracks.

But after a while I came as far as I could go. For some reason I wanted so badly to get over that bridge, for on the other side was the city of New Orleans.

It must have been the journalistic instict that led me to come on this crazy adventure, at the time I was so dissapointed. All I wanted was to get into that city and document what was happening. Everyone wanted in, they wanted to return to their homes, after all the hurricane had passed and all was well in the Big Easy. But the way was blocked and I turned around and headed for home. It wasnt until the next morning that the levees finally gave way. The city was underwater, and I came to realized how lucky I was to have NOT made it across that bridge.

Fast forward to November 29th 2005, it was three months later and my jounalistic nature was still kicking. I wanted to return and this time I had a way in. My mom had been deployed by FEMA into New Orleans and I would get a tour of the devastaion first hand. In no way can I describe what I saw, there are no words and even pictures and news stories can hardly begin to show what happened. So instead of focusing on the negative, I decided to try and find a more positive way of deciphering these events.

I toured the costal lands, the streets the neigborhoods, the upper ninth ward looking for signs of activity. Searching for those people which were surveying their homes, cleaning them out, or even beginging to rebuild. It was these people that I talked to and some were kind enough to let me create portraits of them and what was once their homes.

Brandy Feaster of New Orleans, LA

Kenny Melvin of Slidell, LA

Rachel and Rebecca Weidenbacher of Abbeville, LA

Lorraine McDaniel of Violet, LA

George Cramer of Slidell, LA

Cheryl Reichert and Friends of Kenner, LA

Korey Williams, Franice Thomas, and Nakita Shavers of New Orleans, LA

And Others

Some of you might ask, why bring this up now almost a year later. The fact is that in return for letting me take these photographs, I promised to send each person a print. This last year has been extremely busy for me and week after week I kept procrastinating printing and sending the pictures. Well, this week I have stopped delaying and I am printing and prepaing to send them off to their rightful owners.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again next week,

Matt