Shanai and Jamaal featured on QCITYBRIDE.COM

I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Shanai and Jamaal earlier this year.  The wedding ceremony took place in Charlotte, NC at  Clanton Presbyterian Church and the reception was held at the Extravaganza Depot.  Please check out their story of love at http://qcitybride.com/announcements/jamaal-shanai-young-2010-07-24 .   You can see more photos from their day by clicking on the link for Tim Hines Photography below their photo in the article.

Back That Thing Up!!!

Now that I have your attention you can stop thinking about dancing to the song "Back That Thing Up" because that is not what this post is about.  That was the song to make everyone run to the dance floor  back in the day and it still gets the crowds hype at some of the weddings I shoot.  This post is about backing your computers up.  I felt the need to share this topic because my home was recently robbed.  The low down dirty scum of the earth thieves *&^$*#$!! stole several computers and external hard drives along with a lot of other things.  Those devices contained photos for many of my clients and also personal photos and files.  Fortunately I backup my computers and external hard drives every day.  Backing up computers is a simple task to do but many people fail to do it.  Home users fail to do it,  business owners fail to do it and so do Network Administrators.   If I had not been backing up my computers then the precious moments that I have captured over several years would have been lost.  As a photographer I recognize how valuable photos can be.  Photos represent a moment in time that cannot be replaced.   Photos were not the only important data that was stolen from me by those @#%^*! but it has been my main concern at this time. I'm sure that I'll be back up and running like I was before thanks to the backup system that I have in place.

I'm sure that you have some things that are important to you stored on your computer.  If you do then you need to back that information up. Taking a backup is so simple that a Caveman can do it.  Your backup can be scheduled so you don't have to do a thing after you initially configure it. You can backup files locally to an external drive or to another computer on your home network.  You can also backup your data online by using an online backup service such as Mozy or Carbonite .  I strongly suggest that you backup locally and to an online backup service.  I recommend this because thieves can steal your external hard drives or computer that you backup to. Those %^#%! thieves stole my drives so those wouldn't have done me any good in that scenario.  Those devices could also be damaged in a fire or flood and that would also leave you without your data. That is why you should also backup to an offsite location.

If you are cool then I am sure that you are running a Microsoft operating system like Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7.  You can learn how to backup files by clicking on the links below.  Click the link that matches your operating system.

Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows Xp

Back up and restore: frequently asked questions

If you are not so cool and just have to use a MAC then you can use Time Machine for backups.  I must admit that Time Machine is pretty cool backup application.  You can learn how to use that at http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/#timemachinebasics
 
One thing that I use in my backup Strategy is a system running Windows Home Server.  My Windows Home Server has saved my butt several times because it backs up every computer and drive in my home on a regular basis.  I also use it to store and share files with my wife or friends on the internet.  Windows Home Server is a very cool product which has several uses.  Be sure to view the demos online at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/demo.mspx .

I hope that you find this information useful because it is very important if you care about recovering the information that is stored on your computer.

Halloween Rockstar | Charlotte Portrait Photographer

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it's an excuse to satisfy my candy addiction.  I looooove candy.  It's an addiction that I can't shake.  I also enjoy Halloween because I like seeing the costumes that people wear.  Kids and adults get to become whoever they want to be.  I had the opportunity to photograph a young man who decided to be a rock star for Halloween.  He had the mohawk and attitude of a young rock star.  Here are a few photos that I captured before he revoked my press pass.

Lemont & Brittany | Charlotte Wedding Photographer

I had the opportunity to photograph Lemont and Brittany a few weeks ago in Uptown Charlotte.  They were celebrating one year of marriage and they decided to celebrate it in Charlotte, NC.   Lemont is also a photographer so I was excited that he chose me to photograph him and Brittany.  One of the great things about this photo shoot was that it was a night session.  I've been wanting to do another session at night because I enjoy getting to look for light sources and using my lights to create portraits.  Here are a few of the highlights from their photo session.

 

Latoya and Vernon | Charlotte Wedding Photographer

Congratulations to Latoya and Vernon.

Venue: Renaissance Hotel, South Park  Charlotte, North Carolina 

Wedding Coordinator: Simply Unique Design

Erica & Rafael Day After Session | Charlotte Wedding Photographer

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to shoot a "day after" session for Erica and Rafael. It wasn't really a day after session because they have been married for a year. They decided that they wanted to do the session because the Sandals resort photographers lost all of their wedding day images. I was excited to do the shoot because I had a great time shooting their engagement session last year. Erica decided that she wanted to do the shoot at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. The shoot was a challenge for us all because it was a very hot day but we survived. I have shared some of the photos from the session below. Feel Free to comment on them or click the Facebook buttons to share or like the blog post.

Bridal Shoot For Fun | Charlotte Wedding Photographer

I've always enjoyed taking pictures but lately I have been shooting for my clients and not for myself. Don't get me wrong, I love shooting for my clients but I also enjoy shooting for myself. I always make it a point to set aside time to shoot for myself. Shooting for myself gives me a chance to practice and try new things so that I continue to grow as a photographer. I was fortunate to have the beautiful and talented Holly Reid come to Charlotte to model for me and a great photographer by the name of Ebony Stubbs. We did the photo shoot in downtown Charlotte or Uptown Charlotte as some Charlotteans call it. We took pictures in front of museums, churches and in parking garages. I am looking forward to doing another shoot like this soon. Please take a few minutes to view the photos. Feel free to leave comments, share this post on Facebook or click the like button.

Donna's Bridal Session| Charlotte, NC Wedding Photographer

I photographed Donna earlier this year around the University Hilton . I wasn't able to post the photos earlier because I had to wait until after the wedding to show them. Donna looked like a Greek Goddess. I think it was because of the flowing dress and her hair. Check out the photos and see for yourself. Be sure to check out the blog post which showed a few photos from her wedding. Donna and Bills Wedding