Regardless of who is doing majority of the wedding planning, parents will always have a different set of questions than the bride and groom.  In case it’s helpful, here’s an FAQ of what your parents might want to know.

Do you take family portraits at the wedding? Of course.  While majority of my style involves capturing moments, I insist on taking 20 minutes or so for family portraits.  It’s important to document your family history, and formal photos are the way to do it.  I will take any family photos requested as long as there is ample time allotted to do so.

Will you take photos of the guests? A wedding isn’t just about the bride and groom, it’s also about the people surrounding and supporting them.  I do my best to document the guests at both the ceremony and the reception, so that the photos reflect the entirety of the event – not just the couple.  Most of this is done by taking candid style photos, so if you’d like photos of guests grouped together please ask.

How do I know you’ll show up at our wedding? This is my profession, and I take it seriously.  If I didn’t show up at weddings when I said I would, I couldn’t be in business.  I’m happy to provide references of past happy clients if you want evidence – just ask!

How long have you been in business? I have been shooting weddings professionally for over five years.  This is my full-time job. » Continue reading “Questions Your Parents Want Answered”

11-year-old Jessie knew exactly where she wanted photos taken in Wash Park, just what backgrounds she wanted to use, and even where we could park.  It was rather handy.  So I kinda let her run the show.  Of course I suggested a few spots of my own, or made adjustments to catch just the right light.  But it was fun letting her tour me around the park and tell her parents what to do :)  I think she even kept Mo in line – their adorable little dog who came along for the shoot.

This family hadn’t taken a professional family portrait since Jessie was 6 months old.  I’d say they’re way overdue!  I had a great time taking their portraits – I hope they don’t wait another 10.5 years for the next one :)

You can hardly tell from his face that he’s said something hilarious, but her reaction speaks volumes.  Tony is the straight man; Colleen is the giggler.  Every time they looked at one another during their shoot, Tony would say something that would make her laugh.  I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, it worked.  Very entertaining to watch, and excellent for photographs – good work Tony.

Colleen and Tony wanted a location that felt rustic and a little more outdoorsy, so we spent some time Friday evening shooting at the Evergreen Lake House.  I haven’t shot here in years (the first two weddings I ever photographed were there), but it’s still as gorgeous as I remember.  What a lovely way to spend an evening.  I look forward to seeing Colleen and Tony for their wedding next June :)  Happy Monday!

Like most of my boudoir clients, I hadn’t met J before her shoot.  That’s so completely normal for me that I’ve never thought anything of it.  So it caught me off guard a bit when after a few minutes of chatting she said she needed to text her friends to let them know she was safe.  Safe?  From what?  From the potential serial killer meeting her at the Hyatt, that’s what!

Her friends had warned her to be careful going to a hotel alone to meet someone she didn’t know and had contacted over the internet.  Well when you put it that way I guess it would seem scary!  But since all that was waiting for her in the hotel was the non-threatening 27 year old girl she was expecting and some Lady Gaga music, she determined she was safe.  Whew!

If you’ve planned to do a boudoir shoot and haven’t met me yet, I promise I am nothing like a serial killer.   At all.  I’m quite nice, actually.  But feel free to have friends standing by via text to save you just in case – I promise not to be offended :)  Here’s just one shot from her shoot, posted with permission.  Just two spots remain for the Boudoir Marathon in October – sign up soon if you’re interested!

I post images from nearly everything I shoot on this blog.  The reasons for that are varied, and largely uninteresting.  What’s more interesting is why you’ll love seeing images from your wedding or portrait session posted.  Here’s just a few:

You feel like a bit of a celebrity.  A recent blog-featured client told me that she felt that way when she saw some of her photos up on the blog.  It’s kinda fun thinking that your images are being viewed by an unknown number of readers :)

It’s a great way to show friends and family the best of the best. You may love going through your HUGE gallery of images, but not every one of your friends will have time for that.  Send them a link to the blog post so they can see the highlights without getting bogged down in numbers.

Random strangers comment on your adorableness. They may not know you, but it’s still fun to see the comments people will make about your photos.  Especially if they mention how happy and in love you look :) » Continue reading “Why it’s fun to be on the blog”