A few days ago we realized something was different about our boy, Trystan. A strange, guttural gurgling would growl from his mouth and he would get this really devilish look on his face…
Is he Damian, Chucky, or the Taz the Tasmanian Devil? You decide, and please comment.
Charlotte and I were putting on the final touch-ups at our Denver studio yesterday (the grand opening announcement will be coming very soon…) and I really didn’t think we needed to ensure proper ventilation while we painted what seemed like very minor finishing touches, and… holy cow!
By the time we were done I noticed Char and I could barely finish sentences. It was like the scene from “Fear and Loathing” when they do the ether-binge in Vegas. And it wasn’t pleasant at all. I would not recommend it to anyone.
So, please heed my warning people: follow the ventilation warnings on your paint cans! As a result of my reckless handy-man arrogance, I think I’m slightly dumber this morning (and I didn’t have much to work with in the first place), so if I seem slower if any of you call me, it’s because basically Charlotte and I were unintentionally huffing paint yesterday.
And in the words of the wise Mr. Mackey, “Huffing paint is bad, m’kay?”
In this age of web 2.0, Facebook, Digg and MySpace, there is an increasing demand for top quality, professionally shot, digital files. We initially designed our “Digital Age” package with the “MySpace-using high school senior” set in mind, but since it’s inception we’ve found it’s a broadly appealing package to executives (for promotional materials), and tech-savvy 20 and 30-somethings, too!
The “Digital Age” package is really simple: 5 of your favorite full-resolution digital files from your session are retouched for blemishes and come with a release of the unlimited personal-use copyright to you to post the pics online, send to friends, or print at your favorite lab to your heart’s content! The “Digital Age”package is $400.
For additional portrait packages and print products, please visit our portrait pricing page.
The majority of our wedding clients have never been married before (although the current divorce rates are making the concept of a “return” wedding client not so far fetched), and I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings, which makes me kind of an “expert by-proxy”.
I’ve seen it all, and it occurred to me today that there really are 10 major wedding mistakes that should be easily avoidable and seem pretty obvious in hindsight… but if this is your first wedding, then, what hindsight?
That’s where this little gem comes into play. Trust in this sage advice and I just might save you some stress on your big day.
Do a “Dress Rehearsal”: I mean it. Rehearse putting on your dress. Nothing throws off a carefully planned wedding like a complicated corset taking a virtual army of mothers and bridesmaids half hour to cinch, hook, or thread when you thought it would take 5 minutes.
And with that in mind…
Practice Bustling the Dress: Bustling is usually pretty straight forward, but sometimes those little ties and/or hooks can be pretty good at hide-n-seek. Whoever you select for your crack team of “bustlers” needs to have a detailed knowledge of where to find your “bustling hardware” because the last thing you want to deal with before you finally get to relax and party is a long, drawn out bustling of the dress (and your DJ constantly poking in and saying, “So, any idea how much longer before we do the introductions?”).
No Fake Tanner / Over Tanning: Let’s do the math here: Most likely your dress is made of the most delicate light cream and white materials, pure and clean (just like you). Fake tanner is orange/brown. You will probably sweat on your wedding day. Sweat makes fake tanner run… on to your wedding dress. Under the armpits and top of the bodice are common victims, but believe it or not the front of the dress gets a little copper rub-off most often from your forearms! Let’s review: Don’t use fake tanner, ever.
Now for over-tanning: Authentically tan skin does look stunning in many warm sunny environments in that gorgeous white dress. However, certain details often escape the attention of our average well browned bride. Firstly, don’t ever tan anywhere in the weeks before your wedding day where you can’t go in the buff because you will not be liking the white and ever-so-obvious tan lines from you bikini top (i.e. only use tanning beds). Secondly, don’t over do it. You will not like the leathery look of overly tanned skin in your bridal portraits, or (God forbid) you get sun burned! (Do I really need to explain why being burnt is bad for photographs?)
Eat something: Many of our clients have the completely natural tendency to avoid eating much or any food the morning of their wedding due to nerves, or over drinking the night before…
This may sound and feel like a good idea at the time, but please bear in mind that by the time we really get going that day, you might be a little low on the blood sugar and:
a) pass out during your ceremony.
b) become a little cranky
c) become really, really cranky. (And this is supposed to be a party, remember?)
So save your your fiance, your wedding party, and your poor wedding photographers the grief and nibble a little throughout the day.
The Immaculate Dress: Do not assume that your dress cannot get a little dirty. Especially the underside of the train and hem. It touches the ground, so it will get dirty, and the best part is, no one can see it! I get such a kick out of brides who want the shot in the grass or field or off a trail in trees or something and then look down and see bits of stuff stuck to the tulle and freak out! It’s OK, as long as there is not a stain, you’ll be fine. That’s why you have bridesmaids, to pick tiny pieces of stuff out of your tulle and veil before the ceremony. Hello! And in the worst case scenario where you do get visible stains or dirt on the visible parts of the dress, you’d be amazed how little if any is noticeable on the photographs, and if they are just have them removed!
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This is the worst time of year to be a photographer…
Is business slow? No, business is great.
Are the kids getting cabin fever? Nope kids are great.
This is the worst time of year because it seems like every other photographer on the planet is at one special, magical wonderland: Las Vegas. It’s WPPI Vegas time, and I (the avid blog reader I am) cannot help but to feel a deep seeded jealousy of all of my fellow shooters who, ( it may be due to the fact they are actually slow right now, or that they are not trying to do all this business stuff and raise two kids at the same time ( that’s right, I wear my daddyhood like a merit badge)), manage to be having the time of their lives in Las Vegas.
Regardless why my colleagues are there and I am here, the sad fact is that Char and I have never been to this Mecca of photography events. And we’re the kind of people who would use any excuse to go to Vegas (destination wedding, anyone?).
I am making a promise to myself today: next year this time, Charlotte and I will be at WPPI Vegas 2009! You mark my words, we will be there. The kids will be old enough that we can be apart for a while (that’s mostly for our sakes, I think), and we are purposefull making attempts to scale back our bookings for both weddings and portraits so that we actually have some time off next winter. (Yeah, right.)
So to all of you carefree photogs soaking up all that wonderful oxygen-rich casino air and who might end up reading this: somebody bet “The Hammer” at roulette, and somebody think of us when you’re seeing that great new wedding product as it’s being unveiled to the public for the first time.
And look for me there next year: no, not at some seminar, but at the Paris buffet. Mmmmmmmmm…. all-you-can-eat king crab legs. Ahhhhhhhh.
I just recently spent an hour or so taking a few pictures of our own kids. I never expect much from these photo shoots. Ages 2 and 1 are probably the most difficult ages to photograph, especially when they’re your own children. They did a pretty good job and we got to have some fun playing in our jungle of a backyard too (note: If there are any landscapers out there that have any photography needs, we should talk!). They both look so grown up in these pictures. Ella’s really turning into a little ham and Trystan has the best hair to style! There are quite a few in the slide-show, I just couldn’t help myself.
You’ve just had a baby.
Oh, sorry… I meant:
You’ve just had a baby! Yay!
(Sorry about that, that must have been “Freudian-typing”. I was just thinking about how tired I was when Ella and Trystan were first born and it looks like the memory of the extreme fatigue leaked through into my first sentence there. I’m usually much more upbeat than that.)
So, now that you have that unbelievably precious bundle of spit-up snuggled so tight in your arms, are you even remotely aware of just how fast this stage of life is going to be over? No, for real, that baby is going to be a terror, (sorry, I meant toddler) before you know it and all you’ll have left of this heavenly time, before they could walk around and put foreign objects in their mouths (that you didn’t even know you owned), is… your memories of it.
The photos Char and I took of our own kids are so precious to us because a child’s infancy really does go by so much faster than you ever could imagine…
So let us help you preserve the memory of your sweet little one in their first year of life with our outstanding newborn / baby portrait package: “The First Year”.
Here’s what comes with it:
4 indooor portrait sessions (3, 6, 9, and 12 months)
1 20×24 One Year Collage of photos from the entire year!
And the whole package is only $200! (Pricing updated 8/18/08)
Please call 303-872-4678 (Denver) or (719)359-5520 (Springs) and reserve your package today, and make sure to check out our other portrait products and packages.
Sometimes you get a day that’s perfect.
Sometimes the weather is warm but not hot (you do not want to see me sweat).
Sometimes the Colorado skies are extraordinarily beautiful.
Sometimes you can feel just how much your clients are really in love.
These were just a few of the things that made Nadja and Joe’s Mystic Meadows wedding really special for us.
This last New Year’s Eve was really one for the books.
Suzanne and Patrick are a very exciting, energetic and eclectic couple who’s wedding had a clear penchant for… non-conformity, shall we say?
It was an outdoor ceremony. In December. At night. And candle-lit. Oh, and did I mention it was possibly -7 below zero?
In all honesty, the ceremony really was beautiful, and the amazing thing to us was how many friends and family from Denver (at least 100 or more) braved the weather (I-70 was shut-down that day) to arrive at this tiny little night-time wedding at the Salida Golf Course. I don’t have many friends like that: it’s sad but, it’s true, and it speaks volumes as to the kind of people Suzanne and Pat are.
The cermony was short and sweet, but I was shocked at how hard it is to move around and get shots when it’s that cold out. We were all standing in snow, and when it’s that cold the snow squeals and squeaks almost like Styrofoam. The couple would be in the middle of the vows and I would try and move and… not good. So Char and I apologize to any wedding guests who couldn’t hear anything because of my awkward-self making all that unavoidable noise. Maybe it really wasn’t
