2009 was such a special season for me. I worked with some truly amazing people, some of which have become lifelong friends. I pushed myself creatively and refined my vision. I experienced things that I never expected. I never felt more grateful for being lucky enough to do what I do.

To all my wonderful clients – thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your day and your future family’s cherished heirlooms. Thank you for letting me into your lives and into your hearts. Thank you for your unwavering belief in my vision and your tenacious support of my goals. I do what I do because of you, because I believe in your love and the importance of your memories. You all give me the gift of being able to follow my dreams, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

With that said, I am proud to present the Best of 2009 slideshow. These are my favorite images from the year, not necessarily because of any artistic merit, but because they are special to me. It’s about 15 minutes long, so get comfortable!

You can view the slideshow by clicking here…

Erin + Waiel’s wedding was a perfect opportunity to try out some new ideas. Waiel is the Director of Events at Turbine Hall – a new and extremely unique venue located in Chester. It was the perfect venue for them to tie the knot, and the fact that Waiel knew all the right people made it an obvious choice.

Such a unique venue calls for a unique photographic approach. Always willing to push his own creative boundaries, Waiel thought it would be a good idea to propose having the Philly8 photograph the wedding with me as the lead photographer and the others as secondary photographers. After discussing it with the group we thought it was a perfect chance to work together and push ourselves both individually and as a group. Mark, Erik, Craig, and Julian happened to be available and we combined forces to document their special day.

In addition to our normal photographic coverage, we decided to try out some new ideas. One of the ideas was to do a stop-motion video of the day. Mark and I discussed the logistics and decided that he would set up and operate the camera and I would do the editing and post production. This was an experiment and a surprise for Erin + Waiel. I have to say I’m rather pleased with the results!

Thanks to Erin, Waiel, and my fellow Philly8 members for making this such a memorable day!

Click here for the slideshow, and look below for the stop-motion video of the day.

Erin + Waiel from David Zaveloff on Vimeo.

Check out the slideshow here…

- It started off raining heavily, but the rain cleared just enough to get some outdoor photos

- During Deana’s dance with her dad, a spontaneous and overwhelmingly touching moment happened when all of the fathers and daughters present (and there were a lot of them) joined Deana and her dad on the dance floor. The same thing happened when all of the mothers and sons joined Matt and his mom during their dance

- The incomparable Mark Kingsdorf from Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants had the day go as smoothly as possible

- The team from Aldie Mansion and Jeffrey Miller Catering were excellent as always and had the reception running like a finely tuned machine

Check out the slideshow here…

p.s. For those photo nerds out there – the square shot of Deana + Matt in the church was made with 85 separate exposures stitched together in an attempt to create the depth of field and overall feel of a medium format film camera

I’ve known Matt for many years, so it was particularly special for me to be there as their photographer. Their day was a reflection of them – laid back, down to earth, and real. Even the less than stellar weather wouldn’t get them down!

Click here for the slideshow…

There was something about their day – maybe it was the time or the season or the classic feel – that made me want to blog their wedding using all black + white images. Maybe it is just my overwhelming love of b+w imagery, but it just felt right.

I’m a huge believer in the cliched phrase “less is more.” This is particularly true when it comes to photography. One of the reasons why I believe in the power of the still image is because it compels the viewer to fill in the blanks with their own experiences and emotions. Photographs can mean different things to different people, and a monochrome image forces that personal interpretation to a completely different level.

Check out the slideshow here…

The Day started at the wonderful Hyatt Penn’s Landing, followed by group shots at Boathouse Row and Franklin Park. The actual ceremony was an extremely intimate affair held in the signing room of the Constitution Center. It was truly amazing to see the ceremony performed surrounded by statues of the founding fathers and a select group of friends and family. After the actual ceremony, Ronni + John proceeded downstairs to the stomp on the glass and have their first kiss in front of their guests.

As always, Synergetic Sounds did an amazing job lighting the ceremony area and reception, and kept the party going well into the night.

Slideshow is here…

Both Lisa and Dan got ready at the country club. The original plan was to have an outside ceremony, but the rain caused a change in plans. Fortunately, Jenna at the country club are pros and were able to relocate the ceremony with no problem. Afterwards, the rain cleared and we were able to grab a few shots outside in the dark.

Jason from Silver Sound DJ’s kept the dance floor packed, and everyone had a great time!

Check out the slideshow here…

Regina is from this area originally, but she and Jesse live in North Carolina. As you would imagine, that can make planning a wedding rather stressful, but you would never know it. They are an extremely warm and loving couple, and it was an honor to be part of their day.

Check out the slideshow here…

Those of you that follow this site regularly know that I rarely post personal stories. That isn’t because I’m an ultra-private person. It’s because my life is fairly mundane and pales in comparison to the awesomeness of my clients’ weddings.

One personal story that I’ve mentioned in the past was the story of my younger sister Jill (click here for that post). Jill was diagnosed at age 22 with stage IIIC colon cancer. For those that aren’t familiar with the disease, it’s exceedingly rare in someone that young, and even more rare for it to be that advanced. You can read her story in her own words here.

Jill was chosen by the Colon Club to be a model in their 2010 Colondar. The Colondar is a calendar of colon cancer survivors and was created by the Colon Club as a way to help educate and raise awareness for the disease.

She was one of the lucky ones, but there are many who aren’t as fortunate. To help do my part, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be giving away a free portrait session and $250 worth of prints to the winner of this contest. That’s a $500 value, all for free!

Here’s how it works…

- Buy a colondar from here by October 31, 2009

- Forward your purchase confirmation to colondar@davidzaveloff.com. You get entered once for every colondar you buy!

That’s it! All you need to do to be entered in the drawing is to buy a Colondar and send me an email!

Now for the fine print…

Any profits from this contest will be donated to The Colon Club. Submissions must be received by midnight (estern time) on October 31, 2009. The drawing will be done randomly by November 15, 2009. Winners must use their prize on a weekday before April 1, 2009. $250 credit can be used towards prints, albums, and canvas gallery wraps. The winner may apply $250 prize to their wedding photography. Prize may not be redeemed for cash value.

Image courtesy of Mark McCarty/The Colon Club