Julie & Tom | Riverside Church & Lombardi Club

This blog is sloooooooooowling migrating to my Featured Weddings page. So click the photo below to go see tons of fun from Julie & Tom's wedding!




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Jen & Dustin | Danada House & Meridian Banquets Wedding

Oh...hey there. Jen & Dustin have been waiting around for you to check out their showstopping wedding at Danada House & Meridian Banquets. What's taking you so long? Click here.





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Austin & Sasha | Anderson Gardens Wedding Portraits

Austin & Sasha's Anderson Gardens post-wedding photo session was full of personality and perfect. See it here in the featured galleries:
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The Daylight Hours - Smokehouse

The Daylight Hours is a simple but ambitious concept dreamed up by Pablo Korona of CNVR - 25 people explore Rockford, meet people and tell the stories the of strangers you meet photographically. Photos are then delivered to CNVR to print for a pop-up show. Oh, and this whole thing takes place in one day. As a wedding photographer, I'm used to lugging around a bag of equipment all day so this time I kept it light and just used my Ricoh GR - figuring I'd mostly be looking for candid photography anyway.

When I decided to participate this go around I knew exactly where I was going to go: Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. I'd been there a handful of times and had noticed how it felt like the customers seemed more like family than patrons. It's one of those rare places that by your second visit you're already greeted like an old friend.I ordered a rib boat and hung out for an hour or so with Jermarrion, Gail, Sonya, and Donna just talking and snapping photos while we chatted.

If you haven't been to the Smokehouse, get down there. But you'd better get there early or Sonya's gonna tell you "Sorry baby, we're outta everything!"

"I try to help everyone because someday I'm going to need help too."

“I can't wait to come in the morning and make the barbecue sauce, because I love to see the look on my customers faces when they taste my sauce.We love everyone. Not just as customers, but as friends. We don't ever get scared when bad things happen around the area because we have Jesus. When we touch that handle coming in that door every morning we pray. And he's been good to us.”

"I've got some great customers. We laugh together, we cry together. We share the good times and the bad. I wouldn't even think about shutting this place down even if I wanted to, because where would they go? "

"A couple years ago a guy came in strung out, down-on-his luck, broke and asked us for a meal. I said 'yeah I'll give you a meal.' Just yesterday he came back and thanked us with tears in his eyes - he gave me a big ol' hug. He's working now, he's got a job, he's doing well. It's great to be able to help people when they need it."

“My father always taught us the golden rule. Treat people like you want to be treated, no matter what. We all need each other. So on my good days and my bad days I still gotta put on that face no matter what! I really love people. Working here, I've met so many good people and that's what it's all about.”

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Street Photography w/ The Fonz

"Hey dad, can I go take some pictures?" , my 5 year old son asked.

Since it was close to 80 degrees out he didn't have to ask twice. I grabbed my Ricoh GR, showed him quickly how to shoot with it and off we went to adventure in downtown Rockford.

The following photos were shot entirely by The Fonz.

For the full gallery of photos from The Fonz's photo adventure click here: http://www.ryandavisphotography.com/Clients/Personal/Fonztography/April-2015/
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