I’ve been staring at my screen for the last 20 minutes thinking of how to best describe my 2009 season. I’m looking for eloquent words and the only one that keeps popping into my head is “wow.”

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…

One of the most common questions I get asked is “do you ever get bored with weddings?” The answer is always the same – absolutely not. Besides the fact that each wedding is a unique reflection of the couple, I always to push myself creatively. In addition to consistently delivering high quality work, I often try new techniques, new ideas, and new ways of seeing.

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.

Alyssa + Sean recently tied the knot at the beautiful Hotel Bethlehem. I can’t think of a venue more perfect for them! It was the perfect blend of new luxury and old hollywood, and made you feel like you were stepping back in time. Everything – the venue, the dress, the hair and makeup – combined to give a wonderfully vintage yet modern feel to their day.

Check out the slideshow here…

Deana + Matt had a truly special day. Here are just a few of the highlights:

- 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