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For a photographer getting published on the cover a magazine is a great honor. It was recently brought to my attention by a friend on Facebook that I was published again! This is very encouraging. This photoshoot was for the beautiful and talented Linda Kaminski, co-owner of L'Bri Pure and Natural. Here is a screen print from the shoot. To see a few more shots click here.
Todd and Jennifer have a wonderful family of five. We had a blast running around, playing football, jumping in shallow wells and looking for unique and fun places to shoot family portraits. Here is the link to their family portraits. One of the fun discoveries I had was a private joke the Watters had. If you say the phrase Fat Chickens everyone gets the best smiles on their faces. Long story short, the oldest child, Matt one time saw a fat chicken on a road trip and ever since everyone gets a chuckle at the phrase. I love real smiles!
Shooting in Janesville's Rotary Garden is always a pleasure for me. Even in the fall/winter it has lots of great architecture and unique foliage.
Every year for as long as I can remember I have had the privilege to shoot the Fell Family. And every year they come back for more. I love the whole family! Here is the link to their images. It has been a fun few weeks refining my new fusion videos. Here is another excellent example where we combine HD video with our favorite images from the photoshoot.
I had the privilege of shooting the cast of Seven Christmases last night. It was fun to use some new equipment and backdrop! These actors are very talented and the musical performances will not disappoint!
Let me invite you to join Mt Zion Christian Church in celebrating the hometown theatrical production of Seven Christmases ~ a nostalgic Christmas story set in the 1900's and told through singing, acting, and dancing....
Performances are Wednesday Dec 2nd through Saturday Dec 5th
All performances begin at 7:00 pm
Admission is free, childcare is available
These days couples are looking to save money wherever they can. Sometimes it is tempting to shave off engagement photos from the photo package. However, there are good reasons to reconsider this. Most of the brides I work with love photography and are hiring me because they like my work. But sometimes grooms are less than enthusiastic about pictures on wedding day. In these cases I especially like to encourage doing an engagement session to provide an opportunity for the groom to experience the fun we can have in creating a dynamic photoshoot.
In this short video Sarah describes how important her engagement shoot was to her and Jeremy.
To view the Bruursema's family photos click here.
My wife and I first met Kevin and Gillian back in college. Kevin and I quickly became best of friends and have stayed that way ever since. At least once a year I get a chance to capture a family photo for the Bruursema family (pronounced Brrr-SMA). However, I have never had the chance to spend 90 minutes with all the right lighting and scenery and so my photos always felt more like snapshots than portraits. So this is my first professional family portrait of the Bruursema clan.
We met up in Chicago and started by capturing a skyline shot from the roof top of a 35 story building. Then we made our way to a park, stopping by an alley and a cool doorway. All in all this became one for the books. Thanks Bruursemas for giving me the honor of capturing your family portrait! This is a good example of a family fusion package.
Here are some of my favorite images from that shoot:
Here are some surefire ways to throw your wedding photographer for a loop. Follow these easy 8 steps and you will completely fluster the creative genius of even the best wedding photographers on the planet.
1. Try to get all your wedding photos done in 28 minutes or less. 2. About four minutes into the family photo session (in front of all 100 if your extended family) say something like, “Can we pick up the pace?” Make sure you have a little attitude thrown in there too. 3. At some point during the wedding party photos when the photographer is about to set up for one of her favorite poses wag one finger at her and say “no no no no, we are doing that!” 4. After months of emphasizing how important photography is to you say something like, “I am really getting sick of pictures, can we just be done.” 5. If you really want to sabotage your treasured wedding album try this….let the groomsman start drinking around 11am and make sure they are getting pretty drunk by the time you need to shoot wedding party photos. This ensures that the photos will take three times as long. 6. Ask to look at the preview on the photographer’s camera every five or six shots and say something like, “don’t you think I look fat in that one.” Or “can’t you do something with the lighting in here!” 7. This is a good one. Ask the photographer to arrive 2 hours early and then show up 30 minutes late with no phone call. That will really get him nervous before the shoot. 8. When your friend from college with a cheap point and shoot keeps jumping out during formals to get a shot be sure to encourage her and keep looking away just as the photographer snaps the photo.
Obviously I am poking fun at real life situations. I love this stuff and I thrive on the chaos….to a point. My goal is to help you have the very best day you can on your wedding day. But whether you hire me or not think about the photographer and help them by cooperating and working with them. You want them to be successful so be kind and thoughtful to them and everything will go much more smoothly as a result.
Recently I took a couple, Amber & Rick, to Downtown Chicago for an engagement session. Because of the diversity the city has to offer we were able to shoot in lots of wonderful locations: Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park, the Chicago Theater, the subway, the Art Institute of Chicago to name a few. I distinctly remember the groom saying, “I don’t normally like having my picture taken. But I have to say this was a lot more fun than I thought!”
Bride’s let me ask you this question: What is it worth to you to get the groom enthusiastic about the photography for your wedding day? Priceless isn’t it? Many grooms can be indifferent or even adverse to the idea of posing for photography. The engagement session provides the opportunity for the photographer to develop a great bond with both of you. This relationship will inevitably spill over into your wedding day and make that final storybook product even more desirable. How much more valuable would it be to travel to a destination.
Here are some photos taken with Amber & Rick in Chicago. Notice how much more exciting the photos become when you take in the architecture and scenery with the photos. We are also trying to incorporate how a couple met into the engagement session somehow. In this case the couple met at an event called “Blueprint”. So we incorporated an actual blueprint into the texture of several of the photos. Get creative with your photographer and let them know as much as possible about you and your relationship. You will both enjoy the photo session all the more as a result.
Here are some suggestions for locations to shoot your destination engagement session:
A great deal of stress comes to brides when the forecast says rain. This is especially true for outdoor weddings. It is understandable but I have been amazed at the number of times the forecast calls for rain and even when it pours in the morning then turns beautiful later in the day. I have found that rain in the morning leads to the most beautiful skies later in the day. Just take a look at these real weddings where it poured earlier in the in the day.
However, if it actually does rain on your day consider these alternatives for getting cool photos with your wedding party. Find a cool hotel. I especially like to find hotels with atriums with skylights. That way you can get natural light even during the rain. Here is a fun example. The minister was a close friend and he is pretending to pray for rain.
Other solutions for a rainy day include gazebos, museums, matching umbrellas (these are fun even if it doesn’t rain!), buy a Wedding Knot … comes in all sizes!, embrace the rain and do an impromptu trash the dress session with all your bridal party…even consider mud wrestling. But seriously look around and get into a problem solving mode and you will find that rain isn’t the end of the world.
Recently I have begun to cry at some of my weddings. Ok so I am not weeping or anything but I get choked up and emotionally into all that is happening.
Here is an example of an emotionally charged moment for me. Rick sang a song he wrote and composed to his bride. Nice Rick…very NICE!
Ok this one really got to me. Bethany & Brian, the passion and love they showed in this photo blew me away.
Corley & Brian made me cry in tears of laughter when the minister dropped the ring through the cracks in the outdoor decking. Well…at first I was as shocked as everyone else. Corely yelled out, “oh no” and everyone held their breath until they began to laugh and a groomsman’s ring became immediately available and actually fit! Then it became a fun happening.
Jamie & Jason made me proud to be an American. Jason thanks for your service to our country. They are now serving in Alaska!
