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Some of our favorite events to photograph are Rehearsal Dinners. Our clients often commission us to spend the evening before their wedding photographing family and friends joining together to celebrate. Some of the most memorable and meaningful experiences of the wedding weekend occur at the Rehearsal Dinner. Since it's such an intimate affair, including all of the people who are closest to the bride and groom, the photographs are filled with emotion. Plus, Rehearsal Dinners are great opportunities for us to meet all of the "key players" of the wedding weekend. On the wedding day, we arrive feeling like we already know many of the family and friends who are most likely to appear in the wedding album!

To view a complete slideshow from a LaCour Rehearsal Dinner, click here.

Erin and I just returned from spending a relaxing week at Rockhouse in Negril, Jamaica for our honeymoon. After spending a week in Charleston with our closest friends and family, which culminated in such a wonderful wedding celebration that was entirely too much fun, it was great to slow down and spend a week entirely with each other. Also, many thanks to everyone who left messages for us. We appreciate your love and support!

This month's Vanity Fair features a fantastic Q&A interview with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Coffee.

Here is an excerpt from my favorite section of the interview:

Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
A: "The ability to dream more than others think practical and expect more than others think possible."

After being inspired by this quote, I did a quick google search for Howard Schultz, and found another gem:

"I think that sometimes the difference between success and failure, winning and losing, is a very fine line between those people who will continue to move forward. I have a history of people closing doors and me saying, 'No, it's still open.' "

This is sage advice for entrepreneurs. It reassures me that persistence, when combined with an unflappable sense of focus and a childlike ability to dream, yields high returns.

My wife, Rachel, is reading Henri-Cartier Bresson's The Mind's Eye and she came across a great quote about photojournalism:

"Manufactured or staged photography does not concern me. There are those who take photographs arranged beforehand, and those who go out to discover the image and seize it. For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant..."

After making the switch from shooting for newspapers and magazines to shooting weddings, I've made an observation: The definition of "photojournalism" varies greatly between the two industries.

As a student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, I learned that photographing subjects using a reactive approach was fundamental to the art of storytelling. Manipulation of a subject by a photographer was no different than a reporter fabricating quotes. The credibility of our publication was always paramount. We were taught that photojournalists should strictly document reality, and should not stage or pose photos.

As a wedding photographer, my primary responsibility is no longer to preserve the integrity of journalism, but rather to create an experience for our clients that will enable them to re-live their wedding day through photographs.

I can't help but remember my roots in journalism as I shoot weddings. The "hands off" approach I adhered to in the journalism world suits my new career path.

I've noticed that the wedding photography industry often defines photojournalism by stylistic attributes: black-and-white, tilted frames, and photographs that exhibit motion.

For me, as a photojournalist who shoots weddings, it is not about the style of photography, but rather about the approach to shooting the story. My documentary photojournalism roots remind me to avoid manipulating situations. I prefer to allow the scene to unfold before my camera. I believe the result is powerful. Clients receive a portfolio of images that completely reflect reality, allowing them to re-experience what if felt like to be "in the moment" on their wedding day.

Overall images are important photos that "set the scene" in a wedding album. These images put the storytelling photographs in context.

Because overalls are about the space and less about the people in the image, little frozen people in these images often look funny. When in dark settings, you can shoot these images by using the tripod and setting your camera to the lowest ISO setting. Stop your aperture down until your shutter speed is greater than 15 seconds.

The result will be an image that de-emphasizes the people in the photograph and emphasizes the grandeur of the space.