Trip Update

We spent two beautiful days in the Buffalo area, soaking ourselves on the Maid of the Mists Tour and completely enjoying the breathtaking architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and the horrid roads of the city of Buffalo.

Here are a few links to the photos from those days.

Niagra Falls
http://hopehaven.exposuremanager.com/g/niagra_falls_

Buffalo, New York
http://hopehaven.exposuremanager.com/g/buffalo_new_york


Following this we drove north to visit with family in the Sudbury, Ontario area. The photos from that portion can be found here.

Sudbury, Ontario
http://hopehaven.exposuremanager.com/g/sudbury_ontario

Today we drove East to Ottawa, Ontario
http://hopehaven.exposuremanager.com/g/ottawa_ontario

Tomorrow we will drive through Montreal to Quebec City. Those photos will be located at: http://hopehaven.exposuremanager.com/g/quebec_city_quebec


Enjoy and more to come!!!!!

Photo Tour Day 1

We are on a photo tour. But before I tell you all the great things that we will be up to, I want to give a big T H A N K Y O U to the family that is taking care of our home while we are gone.

The first leg of our photo tour takes us by plane to Atlanta and then onto Buffalo, NY. Tomorrow we anticipate seeing some of Frank Lloyd Wrights homes and touring the beautiful area of the Niagra River. Tomorrow evening we will see the 4th of July fireworks over the Niagra falls (8TH largest display in the world) and enjoy some buffalo wings. Did you know that buffalo wings originated in Buffalo? I didn’t either until I started researching this photo tour.

So what is a photo tour and how does it differ from a normal vacation? The goal of a photo tour is just that, to take photographs. I sell them on the internet through some stock sites or my own. I will be meeting with fellow photographers and wandering the beautiful area north of Toronto. So while we will be hitting the well known touristy places, we will also be taking time to chase down those out of the way locations that are hidden gems.

Some of you have asked how I can take a trip during the summer high demand wedding month. All I can say is planning and a dedication to make it happen. I am happy to report that all pending wedding items and portrait appointments were handled prior to my leaving.

I continue to be in awe of the people we were with at the wedding this last Saturday. I suffered from heat stroke at the wedding. This is a scary and unfortunate experience and one that I do not care to ever repeat. Losing consciousness at a weddng is never anything that I want to crow about but let me tell you about our team. There were 3 all together in the crew, including myself They never missed a beat The first episode came on during formals prior to the ceremony. I simply handed the camera off to my partner and he continued shooting. During the ceremony we still had three digital still camera angles as well as two video angles and even with my second episode taking place during the ceremony; they didn’t miss a shot. I am very proud and thankful for the crew I work with. So if you are reading this and thinking about who to book for your wedding; ask them what plans they have in place for emergencies such as this one. We had a plan in place and without much discussion we were able to implement the emergency plan and get me the relief that I so desperately needed. The icing on the cake was the way-cool wedding party, especially the bride and groom. For all the weddings that I have shot, these were the perfect people to take such a thing in stride. I wish them all the best and I am sure we will see much of each other in the future.

Another absolutely beautiful wedding

Set on the shores of Grapeview, Washington a beautiful wedding took place between Jed and Maggie. One of the most picturesque locations we have shot to date.

To Jed and Maggie, we definently wanted to acknowledge the beautiful event and say thank you for choosing us to photograph and videotape your wedding.

Today is Wedding Day

Congratulations to Jed and Maggie. Today you're getting married!!!

Having Fun

I am human, I have a tendendancy to forget that I fell in love with photography as a young teen. I forget that not all shots are for making other people's memories last forever. One of my goals this summer is to shoot more photography for me, things that make make smile. So here is a sample of the types of shots that make me fall in love with photography all over again.

The Stolen Wedding

A few Saturday's ago we were at the Seattle Center to shoot a few engagement sessions, due to the weather we only got one to show, but it was good anyway. So after the rain, I went into the butterfly house to warm up. I was shooting the butterflies...one of my favorite relaxing things to do. Dodging kids and flying things, I saw a couple getting married. I glanced around and didn't see anyone taking photos, but there was a guy shooting a home cam. Then....I thought, what the heck...and rapped off a few. Just in time for their vows and kiss and then wandered away.
I kept thinking about it...how I stole shots of them while they were getting married. I felt so bad. I don't need wedding shots, I have a few. :-) So, I went back and gave my email address to the video guy and told him I would send a disk of pics, no charge, and feeling much better went back my happiness in winged form. After a few moments the bride approached and asked if I wouldn't mind shooting a few of her and her groom. Of course...I said sure. After shooting a few and getting a great lead for a destination wedding. hmmmmm,....karma is nice.
Anyway, here are a few shots, the stolen ones first and then the ones with permission.

Courtyard Hall in Bothell - Beautiful Wedding

This wedding was unique in several ways. First I have never heard of a groom who wrote, produced and recorded a song for his bride and played it for her during the ceremony. That was fabulous. Second, I have never heard such a great band. Check out the new preferred vendors on my site, you will see a new band called "Big Luv". They are excellent guys!!!

My Favorite Shots

Engagement Sessions at Alki Point

Click on link above for slideshow.

We had fabulous weather for an excellent engagement shoot at Alki Beach. This wonderful couple lives only 30 feet (?) from Alki Beach. What a way to live.

Engagment Session at Seattle Center

We had a wonderful engagement session last Saturday at the Seattle Center in Seattle. Even though it snowed the previous night, and rained off and on all morning. We got some really wonderfully iconic Seattle photos for this beautiful couple. Can you believe it, these two have known each other all their life and they still want to be together. Ah Amore......

It’s Engagement Portrait Season!!!!

We are entering the awesome season of engagement portraits. We have booked most of our weddings for the 2008 and are beginning to take advantage of spring and the wonderful colors. We have our first engagement session on location in Seattle this coming weekend. We will be doing a few more in Seattle as well as Vancouver and East to Ellensburg. If you haven't had a chance, please check out a few of our past engagement sessions.

Engagement Gallery Link

So I will answer for everyone a few questions that we typically answer for our new couples.

First, I want to talk about why you should have an engagement portrait. For one thing, with our studio it is a free opportunity to experience the photographer one-on-one prior to the big day. We also provide a complimentary 8x10 framed portrait from your favorite choice.

There are several important uses for engagement photos:
(1) You need a good photo for the newspaper announcement of your wedding.
(2) You deserve to have a nice wall portrait of the two of you from "the days before you are married."
(3) You might want to include a print of your engagement picture in your wedding invitations.
(4) Engagement photos make great gifts.

Another creative use of your engagement portrait is to create a guest register for your wedding by placing a copy of your photo in a large matte and have quests write their comments as they enter instead of in a guest book. This creation provides an interesting guest register that can also hang in your home for many years and bring back memories each time you see it.

How should I dress?

The outfits should be simple in color and style and be complimentary to each other. They do not have to match, and they do not need to be formal. A very nice engagement portrait is a statement of who the individuals are that make the couple. Solid colors will work best with a variety of backgrounds. So for dress our recommendations are casual similar solid colors. The emphasis will be placed on you, your face, your expressions and your love for each other. On a separate note, tanning a lot prior to your wedding or your portrait is not recommended as a deep tan almost always looks muddy in print.

Will you help me pose so I look good?

Yes, we will help direct you to get specific poses - but here are a couple of simple things can make for a more dynamic and relaxed session. The oddest sounding one is to push your face towards the camera. It kind of feels like you're pretending to be a turtle, sticking its head out of its shell. This tightens up the skin under your chin, reducing double chins and making you look years younger. Don't worry that it will look odd on film, cameras only see in two dimensions and so your face being closer than your chest won't be noticeable in your finished portrait. Try this in front of the mirror and see the effect for yourself. In fact, practice in front of the mirror to get comfortable with "posing."

Hands are always a concern for people, but please don’t worry. Put your concentration into presenting your face. Simple things to do with your hands include just hanging them at your sides, fingers slightly curled rather than stiffly straight. Rotate your hands so your thumb is towards the camera instead of the backs of your hands. A slightly more relaxed look is to hook your thumbs into your pockets or into your belt. You can also put your hand in your pocket, but leave the thumb out and pointing down instead of across your waist. In my opinion, the worst thing to do with hands is hold them together in front of your crotch - to me it looks like you have to go to the bathroom. Perhaps it is comfortable because it is "defensive", but it's not that attractive. Try to have your hands on two different levels, such as one hanging loosely at your side and the other hooked in your belt. Or, one hand up on a shelf, partner's shoulder, or against a wall. Don't worry too much as your photographer should direct you for the best placement of your hands.

Put on a smile - with your eyes. That is the most important place to smile. A plastered on grin with sad or tight eyes only looks like a plastered on grin. Even if your mouth doesn't smile, putting a twinkle in your eyes brings a lot of personality to a portrait. How do you do that? Try it in the mirror a few times. Try to look blankly at yourself, and then add the twinkle. Then, do the same for the camera. Martha Stewart (one of my favorite people) once explained how to do a great "camera" smile She raised her eyebrows a touch and smiled with her lips apart bringing her cheeks up. This made her look slightly surprised and very happy and another one to practice in the mirror.

For the totally camera intimidated, the best thing you can do is get a friend or family member to take lots of pictures of you - with no film in the camera. Take lots and lots of shots that way. Hundreds of shots. Do so many that you get really bored of having the camera in your face. Do this a few times if you have to. That way, when you're actually getting your picture shot - the camera won't be a "monster waiting to capture your soul." I read years ago about a fashion photographer who did that with professional models. He wanted them to get past their initial reactions to the camera and just "be", so the first "two rolls" were not in the camera. If it works for models, it'll work for you. So, the cliff notes version; wear similar colored clothes in the style you're used to, push your face slightly towards the camera, relax your hands at whatever position they're at, smile with your eyes first, practice in front of the mirror, practice with an empty camera if needed, and have fun. We do!