Welcome to the 2nd installment of Things I Think Rock.  It's only been been a little over 2 months since I posted the debut entry... usually when I start a series like this it ends up being another year before a 2nd post appears, if at all.  So, by my standards, I'm on fire with this series.  While the first post was about things, this one is dedicated to a few folks who I think do phenomenal work, some of whom I know and others I don't.  So without further adieu, let's get to it, shall we? Ryan Southwell Films

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon Ryan's work, but it took me about 2 seconds to add him to my Google Reader RSS feed.  It use to be that the first words you thought of when someone asked, "Hey, you wanna see my wedding video?" would be yuck, boooring, I'd rather stick a toothpick in my eye, or something worse.  Let's face it, with uncle Ernie's shaky hand capturing nauseating video or long periods of time where seemingly nothing is happening but the bride & groom standing at the alter with audio you can't hear, who could argue that wedding videography wasn't cheesy at best and a total beatdown to watch at worst?  Well, Ryan Southwell's wedding films are exactly that... short films.  Like, worthy of charging for admission films.  Like, get-your-popcorn-ready films.  This is not your father's wedding video.  And for that matter, he does more than wedding films.  His engagement and special project films are some of the coolest things I've seen.  I can't help but walk away with a smile everytime I watch a film he's posted.  The artistry, emotion and technical execution of his work clearly makes him unique and separates him from the pack, and I always look forward to seeing what's coming next from him.  True story; when I was driving home from Austin earlier this year I saw where he had posted a new video of a soldier returning home from war to see his new baby for the first time, and I pulled my car over and watched the video from the side of the highway on my phone... and yes, I teared up.  The only downside to Ryan is that he doesn't live in Texas.  Other than through a couple blog/Facebook comments and an email or two, we don't really know each other, but I know enough to be sure that one day, somehow, I'm going to find a way to hire him to create a short film for and of Kylie and me. You can check out his work at ryansouthwellfilms.com. Susan Stripling Photography

I've unfortunately never met Susan, and she likely has no idea who I am, but I've really admired her photography work from the first time I saw it.  Her images are just so clean and fresh and in many cases dramatic.  Her composition and post-processing add such impact.  Her work has a quality to it that's hard to describe, but easy to appreciate.  The words that come to mind when I think of her wedding imagery is authentic, sophisticated and, well, 'delicious'.  And from following her on Twitter, she seems very approachable, down to earth and funny to boot.  I'd love to hear her speak or attend one of her workshops someday.  You can check out her work at susanstripling.com. Infinet Design

I've written about Brock and Dave at Infinet Design before, but they're more than worthy of a spot in a "Things I Think Rock" episode.  They created my first custom blog for me back in May of 2008, and I was so happy with the results and the work relationship that it was an easy decision to hire them to bring my new blog + website to life back in August of this year.  They were so patient and helpful in working through my ideas, even when I changed courses part way into the design process.  I could go on and on about these guys, but you can read a bit more on what I wrote about them in the above image. If you're looking for top notch skills, creativity and customer service in creating a new website and/or blog, consider partnering with Brock and Dave.  It's a bit of an investment, but given the significance of your online presence as a marketing tool, it's an investment I promise you won't regret it. You can see more of their work and find more information at infinetdesign.com.