My name is Matt, and I was dragged here kicking and screaming by my wife, Erin Browne. If I don't introduce myself I don't get any dessert tonight, so here goes:

It all started several Christmases ago. I made the ill-fated choice to buy my then-fiance a Canon Digital Rebel for Christmas (life-changing event #1), mere months before she was about to graduate with an engineering degree. Within weeks of graduation and disappointing job search results the graphing calculators were in the trash, the engineering grid paper was shelved, and the fashionable wardrobe was expanded. She was now in high-gear towards being a wedding photographer.

But that was all right, because I still had my 8-5 job to support us in the early years of building her business from the ground up. I'd work during the week, and help her lug her equipment on the weekends when she had weddings to shoot.

Enter life-changing event #2. It was an early Spring wedding, her first full paid wedding. I was standing around bored with our "turtle shell" on my back, and inside was our backup camera. I said.. gulp.. "how about I take the backup and take a few pictures?"

Weeks later, her contracts all included "2 photographer coverage". Guess I should have considered what I was getting into!

Dozens of weddings later, in all seriousness, I have the best weekend job in the world, where I get to blend into the shadows and shoot unsuspecting people from afar. Photography, that is, not ninjitsu. But I would enjoy that kind of a career too.

I'm also part of the best team I've ever been on. We could not be any more opposite in the kind of photographic eyes and talents that we have, yet we both dedicate ourselves to refining our art of photojournalism.

I'm a SoCal native transplanted to Knoxville, so it's Angels baseball and All Vol for me, depending on the season. The cold wintery wait between the end of college football season and Opening Day for baseball is always painful, but at least I have LOST and American Idol to keep me company.

I hope to get to know you all, especially others from the East TN area if you're lurking around our neck of the woods. You, us, Starbucks. Savvy?

Welcome to OSP, Matt. Thanks for the intro!

I'm right there with you on that one. But...being that you live in east Tennessee....your are going to about have to buck up on your Tenn Vol interest at least on the side...I'm a UGA girl myself, but we do cheer for the Vols when they are playing anyone but UGA. My husband has family in Greeneville and Seymour..so we make it up there at least once a year. Welcome to the forum...I'm new myself, and not really "entitled" to make a formal welcome...but thought I'd throw out a welcome anyway.

Laurie

Hey Matt!

Welcome to OSP! I'm a newbie myself and just responded to a post from Erin in my intro thread. My sister in law lives in Knoxville and we come up there several times a year to visit. Maybe we can take you up on the Starbucks offer on our next trip....that or we always have to make a trip to Barley's for Greek Pizza when we're up that way!

Heather

Welcome Matt and let's see your work (post your website and/or blog)!

Welcome to OSP from another member of a husband/wife team!

I still have a bit to learn about these boards

I set my website url but didn't realize that doesn't automatically go into your sig. Let's give this a try now..

Although, I don't have my own gallery separate from Erin's. But for the most part if you see a picture in the wedding galleries that looks like it was taken with a telephoto, I probably took it. Guys' preps as a whole, too, since we (naturally) split up for that part of the day.

Wish I could be more specific than that, sorry!

Welcome Matt. Great story.