Baltimore Wedding Photographer Kathy Freundel » Award winning Baltimore Wedding Photographer Kathy Freundel

Who says January has to be full of the “heart of winter” blahs? I’ve actually had a pretty great couple of days. I’ve spent the last four with my college roommates on Sanibel Island regrouping and rejuvenating on the beach, and I arrived home to shouts of “Mommy, we missed you!” That’s rejuvenation of the best kind. My Carl had a great time with the kids, house was neat as a pin (that’s a love note to me ) and dinner was planned. In fact, after I made the rounds hearing about the kids’ weekends, he sent me for a hot shower with a glass of Sirah. Now, that’s what I call a smooth re-entry.

I was kind of dreading jumping back into school today, but it’s been fun! We went to the library and read all about the everglades . . . the exotic birds and the alligators . . . about sea urchins and star fish . . . I had so much fun sharing all the exciting things that I did and saw. I am always astounded at the power of a couple of days in the sunshine.

Popped over to answer the onslaught of emails . . .and Woot! Look at the good news that came through.  It’s only because I have such wonderfully encouraging clients who bend over backwards for me. So, to my 2009 brides . . . each one of you . . . thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way that you feed my soul.

Baltimore, MD. 01.19.10 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Kathy Freundel Photography has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Excellence in Photo Journalism!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Kathy Freundel Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Kathy Freundel is among the very best wedding photojournalists within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings.

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While I’m on the subject of albums that I love, look at this really affordable option. The handbound, glove leather albums that I showed you yesterday are a family heirloom in every way. An investment of your life together. But these press printed books are little jewels in their own right. They are 10 x 10, custom hard cover books also printed on archival paper with archival inks. They are about 10% the cost of the leather album and once I send the book to press, it is shipped directly to you within 24 hours. That’s right. Conceivably,  you could have a photo shoot and get your books ordered and be done in a week! The coffee table books are fully customizable  and are uniquely designed to fit your needs. At twenty one pages they are the perfect way to display a whole host of your favorites. You’ve seen this one many times before because I make it all the time to give as engagement, lifestyle, and thank-you-to-my-colleagues gifts.

So, if you are a little bit concerned that the snow is coming today and you’ll miss that day of getting prepared for Christmas . . . call me. You could give the perfect gift this Christmas. Or, if you’ve already had a photo session with me, there is still plenty of time to get a book made for Christmas. So kick back, make some hot chocolate, gather the kids around to read a good book this afternoon . . . I’ll take care of the rest . . . and the book will come right to your door in a beautiful black gift box.

Here is a book that I made from Karen + Chad’s wedding at Ceresville Mansion. I am giving it as a thank you gift to Ceresville . . . the most pleasant people ever.

“You’re the first person who’s ever noticed that.”

“That’s just an imperfection unique to a  handmade album.”

“I’ve never had a client complain about THAT.”

Those were some exact responses that I heard as I searched high and low trying to find a high end wedding album that had the attention to detail that I love. I know the tiny things that bothered me would also bother my clients, and “good enough” is just not okay with me.

After  ordering several samples and even traveling to labs to talk details , I’ve finally found an album maker that I LOVE. Actually, I found TWO, and I’ll be showing you the other one soon!

Yummy. That’s the best way that I can describe what it feels like to hold these albums. They are covered in European glove leather . . . they remind me of the gloves my Gram used to wear when she would go out on the town to see a show on Broadway. They SMELL the same way, too! These books are heavy and beautiful and the gutter of the book is just as flat as a Kansas prairie. They are gorgeous.

You are looking at a 10 x 10 wedding album, with two parent 8 x 8 replicas, and a DVD slideshow/ CD of high resolution images.

Spine branding on the 10 x 10 album is my personal favorite. It’s modern but subtle. And look at the thick pages. Tight . . . uniform . . . total quality.

Here is a view of the 8 x 8 parent replica, with branding on the front cover. And the square folio to the left is a hardbound leather case which houses the DVD slideshow and all the wedding images on CD. (it’s a double folio)

Check out the gutter. Ultra thin. And the pages lay completely flat when open.

Unlimited panorama spreads really can really pop your favorite wedding images. THAT really makes a statement.

I love to design wedding albums. They are all different, and reflect my client’s personal taste. My clients choose their images, I design the book, we make any desired changes, and  go to press.

These albums are fully customizable. They come in several different colors with several unique cover options.

And the icing on the cake? They come to you packaged in a beautiful velvety sleeve, neatly tucked into sturdy black presentation boxes. It says class all the way.

Here’s what I have to say about the details. It matters. It really does. Because these books are going to be your first family heirloom as a married couple. You’ll pass them along to your children and your children’s children. It’s truly an investment in your future . . . that won’t fade, rust or wear out.

Christmas is comin’ early in the newlywed Connelly household

Right now I have boxes and boxes of press printed books arriving in the mail. I love designing these books, receiving these books in the mail, and giving these books to my clients. The ooh’s and ahh’s make me deliriously happy. Here’s a fun book that I did for Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, MD.  These books are press printed with archival inks on archival paper, and are my favorite way to share the love. Each one is uniquely designed . . . truly a keepsake.

Just wanted to share Skip and Laurie Allegood’s coffee table book. It’s a press printed, custom hard cover 10 x  10 of their favorite shots of our session. So, they get to display all their favorites right on their coffee table . . . all the time. They packed their book up to travel to Florida for Thanksgiving to share the book with their daughters. In fact, they decided to leave the book in sunny Florida and I have another waiting for them when they return. How’s that for sharing the love up and down the coast? I want to make these incredible coffee table books inclusive in all my lifestyle sessions. They are the perfect way to display all your images in such a creative way. And let’s face it . . . just how often would you get out a cd of images to look at on your computer?

If this is your first time hearing about the Guest Signature Book, you’ll be excited.  The  GSB is a custom designed, hard cover, archival quality coffee table book created with extra space on the spreads where guests can sign on the wedding day! “Get-to-Know-You” session photos tell the story of your romance. At the wedding reception guests pass around the Sharpie to leave you some love, and the oohs and ahhs are generous. Much, much better  than those little 4×6 white books that get lost in the bottom of a Rubbermaid box, never to be enjoyed, wouldn’t you say?

I LOVE doing these “get-to-know-you” sessions, because they give me an opportunity to begin a real friendship with my clients before the wedding day.

That makes wedding day shooting even more fun.

{The session is included in most of my wedding coverage packages . . .  I highly recommend it!}