Trystan Photography: An Intimate Portrait.

You can view Tristyn and David’s sample gallery.

Why do I like Tristyn? (Other than her name…)

I like Tristyn because she was one of our only clients through the course of last year to notice, and mention, that between the time they intitally met with me, to the day I shot their engagement photos, that I had lost a lot of weight (30 lbs in 4 or 5 months).

Why do I like her even more after her wedding?

Because when I told her I’d gained all the weight back she claimed she didn’t believe me! God Bless you, Tristyn! That was, The Perfect Answer.

But seriously, I really enjoyed photographing Tristyn and David because of the true affection and love that shined out between them. They were authentically excited, almost giddy to get married. And it shows: the natural affection, the warmth, and most importantly, the level of comfort and confidence it takes to be naturally close and affectionate with your fiancé in front of the camera. They gave us all of this, and more.

It was a crisp clear evening at the Stonebrook Manor, in Denver. And the sunset was to die for. It’s so interesting to work right at the time of waning light, when every decision counts and time is evermore fleeting because the sun moves away so quickly at that time. And once it got dark ouside, we still went out to freeze a little and capture one last look at dusk.

Their ceremony was perfect, and their toast were great. But the dances! Why am I such a sucker for the dances?!?

Tristyn and David’s dance was emotional. She shined with happiness, David held her so closely. When she danced with her Dad he was sweet-happy-sad (but mostly sweet), and David’s mom, oohhhhhhh… it was so heartbreaking. The way she clung to her son and cried so softly I think I’m the only one who saw her tears through my long lens. Those are the kind of moments, and the privileges, that make our job such an honor. Thank you, both of you and your entire families. That was a magical night, and I hope we can keep track of you two!

We have a pretty unique system for our Graphistudio albums here at Trystan Photography, in that we (the photographers) allow our clients as much control as humanly possible over the layout of their wedding albums.

They choose all of the photographs in the album. (Not all photographers do that…)

I do the design. I send them the layout to approve. (Not all photographers do that, either…)

Our clients can make as many edits to the layout at they would like! (Almost nobody does that…)

This process may equal many more hours of work on my end, but it guarantees that the client is getting the exact album they wanted and dreamed of. I definitely think it’s worth it.

However, lately our clients have been having a heck of a time narrowing down the photographs to a “reasonable” amount for our 40 page albums (80-100 pics max.) In this event, I offer to delete some photos for them (nobody has ever taken me up on this), or I just go for it and we see how many pages we’ll need to upgrade when i finish the layout…

Jil and David were the first couple to get their chosen pics back to me from the 2008 season (and they were one of our last ‘08 weddings… hmmmm, anybody reading this from May or June of ‘08?). Jil and David’s album is the biggest wedding album (66pages, 130 photographs) I’ve ever designed! But it’s soooooo cool.

I’ll try and post photos of the finished album when it gets back from Italy, but in the meantime you can check out the final approved layout…

I loved Allison and Joe’s wedding! What a fun loving, affectionate couple, with great friends and family. They were the kind of couple that you could see the love they felt in the way they looked at each other that day, and capturing that is an honor (plus it makes for great photographs).

Additionally, we got to go play! The limo made a pit-stop at a playground and we just went nuts for a couple of minutes (it was pretty quick because it was getting really cold out). It is such a blessing as a photographer to get a couple willing to celebrate and have fun for their photographs. Allison and Joe had such an earnest sense of celebration and play that it wasn’t work at all to photograph their wedding.

Thank you so much you two! Best of luck, and I can’t wait to get your album pics from you! (I’ll show the album when I’m finished, too… stay tuned.)

I guess I dropped the ball on our “official” opening announcement since we’ve already shot portrait sittings there this last weekend. So, better late than never…

Trystan Photography is pleased to announce the “official post-grand opening” of our new Denver portrait studio!

Wow. That was really good. (By the way, I set off a confetti popper in the office here as I wrote that, just so you know we aren’t sparing any expense for this announcement.)

I guess one of the reasons the fact that we’re now “officially” open is a little less than momentous for me is we’ve already been getting a terrific response from the Denver clientèle and as I mentioned above, we already booked and shot portrait sessions there this weekend, so it seems Denver didn’t even really need an annoucement. They couldn’t wait for me to get my act together, they called anyway!

One of the most surprising results of having a Denver address is how many clients have called because of the new Denver studio but want portraits down in Colorado Springs, like at the Garden of the Gods, etc. I caught myself thinking, “We’ve always been in the Springs, folks…”, but apparently there was something more appealing to them about the fact we’re now in Denver, too. Interesting…

We’re so excited about Denver. Colorado Springs is where we call home, but I think part of my heart still longs for LA, and Denver fulfills enough of that “big-city jones” I get sometimes. Denver is already performing beyond my expectations, and I just love the fact that Char and I now have somewhere else to go when things get a little stale around here (we work together in the same office, all…day…long, remember?). Char’s already shaken off her winter blahs by doing an amazing job designing the interior layout of the studio and picking colors, paint, funiture, etc. I’m out of my winter duldrums just by seeing how thrilled she is by the new studio.

So, is it scary to expand in the middle of a recession? Sure.

But we had to.

Why?

I think this quote pretty well sums it up:

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Amy and Daniel are getting married this summer and it will surely be a fabulous affair. I love engagement sessions because it’s the perfect time to really get to know your couple before you photograph them on thier big day. Amy and Daniel were really funny with each other. Daniel seems to be such a kid at heart and Amy is so patient with him. Well, for as long as she can stand it!

I love it when my couples goof around with each other. These guys seem like they have such a great time together and it truely reflects in the photographs. I’m so excited to photograph them on their wedding day!

I took Brooke and Randy’s Engagement pictures several weeks ago. It started out to be a nice day, but the weather took a turn for the worst the second we got to The Garden of the Gods.

I had to put Brooke’s crazy wind blowing hair series at the end of the slideshow. Randy was trying so hard to help keep her hair under control, but it was pretty pointless.  We called it a wrap, which was fine because I tend to want to shoot forever when I have a really fun couple. Then I get home and have over 500+ images to process.

Their wedding is definitely going to be one for the books. They’re just a blast to hang out with and apparently the families are just as wild and crazy fun. I Can’t wait!

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?”

Trystan Photography is pleased to announce that we’ve set aside time for a lucky couple to contact us for free destination wedding photography.

If your wedding falls between November 2008-March 2009 and is going to be somewhere tropical/warm, we’ll shoot your wedding for free (8 hours of coverage) plus give an 8×12 Graphistudio Album, (that’s a $4100 value) if you pay for our airline tickets, lodging, food and travel. (Call or write for details)

Basically, Charlotte and I have decided to trade awesome destination wedding photography and an album for a tropical / foreign mini-vacation in the middle of the lovely Colorado winter!

If you’d like to see if your November-March destination wedding could be free, call us and tell us where, when, and how at 719.359.5520 or 303.872.4678, or e-mail us your details.

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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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.