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!

Painted Portraits

A new trend in wedding photography and one for which I am gratefully talented is morphing the photograph into a painted portrait, using either oil or watercolor. I am thrilled to be offering this as post wedding option for the bride/groom or even their friends and family. Any of the photographs that I took at a wedding can be changed into a painting.

I am currently charging $95 including the delivery of product on a 8x10 gallery wrap canvas. When you see the finished product; you will realize that you have just received an heirloom quality piece that will be in your family for years to come.

A letter from a client

I thought I would share a letter that I received this past summer from a bride. As we enter the wedding planning season for 2008 weddings; I am struck at how few times brides and grooms will ask for my references. The end product is sometimes all they are interested in....which I guess is fine...but I am a nice person too. I just lack the ability to brag about that part....until now. :-) So, read on, just keep in mind that I would never say these things about myself.
:-)
Thanks for reading. ~Denise Lee

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Dear Denise,

We just received all of our photos from our wedding and they are absolutely fantastic! The wedding day went by so fast in a blur that we just didn’t’ have time to notice all of the details that came as a result of all our planning and hard work. You and your team captured every element and provided us with a beautiful photo journal of the entire day’s festivities. We are now very excited to print up the photos and fill the walls of our new home together with the memories.

When we set out to find a photographer, it was important to us to find someone with whom we felt comfortable and relaxed and we really wanted our day to be a fun and relaxed celebration with our family and friends . You and your team fit in perfectly with our guests. We even had several of our guests comment on how great the photographers were! While I love all of the formal shots we got, the candid and posed shots of our guests and their smiling faces tell us just really how much fun our wedding was!

Thank you for enhancing, capturing and preserving such a beautiful memory. Please feel free to pass along our name and phone number should you ever need a verbal reference.

Sincerely,

Theresa Stockton-Fouquette425-513-****

An Open Letter to Future Brides

So few brides have a good grasp on what it will take to produce excellent photographs. So I am writing this little guide.

Some have asked me how to have terrific wedding photography. Information and patience is the key. If the photographer has provided you with a questionaire or similar, fill it out and get it back to the photographer as soon as possible. This information allows the photographer to anticipate the days activities. Likewise if you have provided your photographer with a "shot list" please also assign someone from you family that knows who everyone is to gather the necessary people for each shot.

If anything changes with the plans, notify the photographer in person or over the phone, voice to voice. Do not leave messages or send emails when it is an important change. You need to know that the photographer in question has received the information directly.

If you are having your hair/makeup done professionally, the day of the wedding, allow an extra half hour or so above and beyond what they actually tell you. You are paying them for the style, but you are paying us by the hour. I can't remember how many times I am left standing around in a church, ready and waiting, because the hair person took too long. But what happens is that the clock starts on the agreed upon time, whether or not the bride is ready to be photographed. This will almost always push the photography into overtime.

One of the biggest dilemmas that our couple face is when to take the formal photographs. Ideally, all formals would be completed prior to the wedding, allowing the couple to proceed directly to the reception. One way to reduce the amount of time the waiting guests need to endure is to do both sides of the wedding party separately prior to the ceremony and then the combined group following the service. Typically, I start with the groom and his groomsman, followed by groom and parents and groom and family. This allows the bride a few moments more to get ready. Then after the groom has hidden himself away, we will shoot the bride and bridal party with bride and parents and bride and family. Then following the ceremony all we need to do is entire wedding party, bride and groom, and family shots.

If you have chosen a classical style of portraiture for your wedding formals, this will take a bit more time to set up and should allow extra time accordingly.

"What about the type of photography you see in the magazines?" A typical magazine or glamour style shoot is at a location that is usually different from the wedding venue. These are usually shot prior to the wedding. If you do want to have a location photograph made, please discuss this in detail with your photographer. Most photographers will jump at the chance to do such shots as they are great for portfolios as well.

One thing I try to do for my clients to arrange a place for the groom to see the bride for the first time. This will give them both a beautiful memory and properly choreographed will give me a great photo opportunity.
If you choose to have your photographs done after the ceremony please have checked with your ceremony venue to be certain they don't mind staying open later. It will take at least 90 minutes for a small wedding party, for example a wedding party of 2 groomsmen and 2 bridesmaids.
For photographs you will need full cooperation of your wedding party. Make sure that everyone knows when the photographs will be taken and that are ready.

Adding videography, one bride just mentioned to me that the only thing we did wrong with her wedding was not insisting that they get videography as well. Our videography packages add on for only an extra $500 when compared to the going rate for entire videography crew is an average of $1500; it is quite a savings. The reason for the savings is that my videography crew can double as my assistance during the formals. This saves me a great deal of money and trouble, thus I pass the savings on the bride and groom.

Finding diamonds in the rough - after all the ceremony site photographs and the reception photographs are planned, you will want to have a look around and use a little imagination. Area gardens or parks, sometimes even just an outdoor evergreen will provide some special background or sentimental meaning to your photos.

And my last bit of advice, if you have provided a timetable of events for the reception to the DJ, fire off a copy to your photographer. The photographer and DJ need to work together to make your reception a flawless piece of art.

So now, relax and enjoy your special day.

Family Portrait Time

So I was asked once...what is the best way to create a nice family portrait?
So, the first part of the answer is to...get a good photographer.
Our goal is to create portraits as individual as the subjects we photograph. Our tools include various styles, techniques and settings that make each portrait a unique work of art.

Memorable portraits take careful planning, and the clothing that you choose is very important to your portrait's sucess. These guidelines will help you to make important decisions about the clothing and style of your artwork.

In a family group, proper clothing coordination is critical. When decorating a home, a major concern is to coordinate the colors and tones of the walls, carpets, drapes and furniture. Similar coordination is necessary when selecting clothing for a group portrait. Choose clothing in the same tonal ranges so that no single member of the family stands out because the clothing is too light or bright as compared to the rest of the group. Proper clothing selection makes the difference between a portrait that appears to be a group of seemingly unrelated individuals and one in which every member of the family "belongs" to the group.

Clothing for small groups or couples should choose simple outfits within the same tonal ranges. When subjects appear in a mixture of light and dark tones together, there is visual confusion - as the light color comes forward, and the dark recedes. When this happens, one person becomes dominate and appears heavier than in reality.

Turtle necks or V-necks are flattering provided that neither is exaggerated in style. Avoid very wide or particulary deep V-neck garments or bulky cowlnect sweaters that completely hide the neck.

For closeup portraits, long sleeves are essential for teens and adults, as bare arms call attention to themselves and will overpower the face. The goal of any classical fine portrait is to direct the viewer's eye to the face(s) in the portrait. All other elements should be secondary. For individuals, simple long-sleeved garments in medium to dark tones of brown, gray, burgandy, green or blue are pleasing choices when photographed against a medium or dark background. When looking to achieve a more contemporary look and feel for your portrait, dress in lighter pastels, blues, green and pinks, when photographed against a white background will achieve a light airy high-key art portrait.

Because darker clothing is slimming, it often is a good choice for close-up, full-length or three-quarter portraits in which a medium to dark background is used. Bold stripes, plaids, and prints are visually confusing and do not photograph well. Brights colors such as pink and orange will overwhelm the face and ruin a portrait. Light colors that approximate flext tones will overpower the face and make the subject look unusually pale.
Women being photographs in full length should wear long skirts, pants or dark stockings in order to keep the eye from being directed toward the legs and away from the face. If feet are to show in the portrait, make sure that shoes and socks are in keeping with the visual intent of the portrait.
Don't forget that casual clothing copliments portraits made in outdoor environments.

Men should be clean shaven or facial hair should be carefully groomed, with their hair cut about one week prior to the portrait session. Women should be photographed whenever they are happiest with their hair in relation to the time it is styled.

Skin Tone Considerations
Whether working with light or dark complexions, the object is always for the face to dominate the portrait. Accordingly, skin highlights must be the lightest, brightest, or most intense areas of the portrait. So when a medium to dark background is used, all subjects photograph best in medium to dark tones, whatever the skin tone. Having said that, please allow me to completely contradict myself. One fabulous new trend in portraiture is the use of high-key or very light almost white photographs, where the dark areas draw your eye. We do both here and enjoy a wide variety of applications from both.

I hope this helps clear up the mystery of how to make a cohesive family portrait. Please feel free to call with questions, we love to help out. We also make house calls, at no charge, to help you determine exactly the size and style of portrait to decorate your home.

Wedding Season 2007

Well wow, the wedding season for 2007 is almost complete. We have two more booked weddings for this year and will probably have another two that book with small notice. This will finish us out at over 30 for the year.

We have made many changes in our business through this year. The biggest being the addition of videography services. We have a very dedicated crew who is doing top notch work and getting better and better every shoot. I am still personally handling all post production on the photography as well as the videography.

So like David Letterman, here is our two top 10 lists from 2007:


Things that I pray I get to do again:
1) Listen to the private comments of brides and grooms after they walk down the isle together as man and wife. What gems!!! My favorite from a groom, "I am marrying perfection today."
2) Watch little girls in their dresses twirl around under the trees in the evening light, dreaming of their wedding day.
3) Catch just the right moment in mid-air and groom and best man jump and slap a high five.
4) Capture a bride's first tear as it first begins to threaten it's escape and then as it wells up and overflows down her cheek.
5) Watch, learn and embrace a new ethnic custom in a wedding. In 2006 we did a Hindu wedding and this year we did a traditional African wedding.
6) That moment when my husband (videographer) and myself (photographer) will lock eyes across a crowded congregation at the phrase "til death do you part". Some people renew their vows once or twice after being married, we do it almost every weekend.
7) Hear the squeal of enjoyment from the bride and the happy tears that follow when she see's her wedding photos for the first time.
8) Talk a little child into smiling for the camera when he/she would rather be playing.
9) Capture that perfect moment when the father hands his daughter off to her groom.
10) and yes, I saved the best for last. That beautiful moment when I have heard back from the bride and groom, how much THEY LOVED THEIR PHOTOS!!!!

Things to never do again:
1) believe a groom when he says he will mail the check right after the wedding.
2) do a wedding without a completed contract and questionnaire.
3) stay at a wedding even though being harrassed and tortured.
4) Use stick on disk labels on DVD's.
5) Shoot without an assistant....or 3. :-)
6) Accept payment via postal money order for a wedding in Hawaii and be expected to return the change. - Common Fraud.
7) Overpromise and Underdeliver.
8) Use directions to a wedding provided by a venue - GPS Rules.
9) Allow only 30 minutes to find parking in Seattle. - Now we allow at least an hour.
10) Let a guest at a wedding hold, inspect, shoot with my camera.

So yes, we learned a lot this year, and more that I don't think would be appropriate to put up here. But catch me at our holiday party with some wine in me and I will tell you all some great stories.

What's New???

Hmmm here is a new show on FOX called "The Wedding Bells" http://www.fox.com/weddingbells/
This might be fun. Though it has received bad/poor reviews. We shall see.

The New Wedding Photography

There have been incredible changes in wedding photography over the past few years, which is great news to anyone who is currently shopping for a wedding photographer. The trend is toward a new, more contemporary style of photography. It's more relaxed, more natural and more artistic than ever. Gone are the old, forced, unnatural looking poses of the past. The formal poses of today are free flowing and create a look and feel of fine art while relaxing the bride and groom to enjoy their day. Today's couples are more educated consumers and don't want the old, stuffy styles of photography that their parents had on their wedding day.

Besides looking more natural, how is it different that traditional photography? Contemporary photographers know that today's couples want to enjoy their wedding day. Couples spend so much time and money planning and preparing for the event. It does not make sense to miss a few hours of the wedding, being ordered around by a photographer who makes them maintain stiff, rigid, uncomfortable poses. Many photographers now offer a "photojournalistic" style of photography, where the day is recorded just the way it happens.

The photographs tell the story of your day. No posing, no taking time away from the fun....just natural, artistic and beautiful photos that capture the events and moods of the day. What about the family and group shots? Many of these photographers will take these group shots before or after the ceremony, taking less time than photographers of the past so you can get on with your day and not miss out on the fun. Make sure you ask this question before you hire a photographer if family and group shots are important to you.

Black and white photography is also extremely popular, but is it a trend? Many modern couples are requesting to have their weddings photographed solely or partially in black and white. There is just something about it. It has a very classic, timeless and artistic feel. It has it's own mood. It lends itself well to the photojournalistic style. This trend is probably here to stay.

Black and white has been around a long time. It doesn't fade as fast as color photographs. Go to any photography gallery and you will see that most of what you see is in black and white. It is now, and always will be, a classic form of art. It is always nice to have a combination of both color and black and white.

Do all photographers photograph in this style? No, there are still plenty of the traditional photographers out there who have not changed their ways. When interviewing photographers, ask them if they specialize in a photojournalistic style of photography, or if they do a combination of both photojournalistic and traditional styles. Make sure you see samples of work from the specific photographer who is going to photograph your wedding, not just samples from a studio that may send out a different photographer. Consider not only the style of different photographers, but also the personality and choose the one that you feel the most comfortable with. Let's face it...the wedding you are spending so much time planning is only going to last a few short hours. The music will stop, the food will be eaten, and the flowers wilt, but you will always have those photos to remember your day. And that is why it is so important to find a good photographer who will give you beautiful, artistic pictures you will love!!

What is the Average Wedding Cost

FROM ONEWED.COM
These prices are based on an average wedding cost for 2004. Average wedding cost may vary in price to your location, wedding vendors, bridal accessories, and wedding favors. To get an idea of your average wedding cost in your area use the vendor search to price your local vendors, use the bridal forums to ask other brides, or contact a local wedding coordinator for help. Once you get an idea of average wedding cost in your area make a note of it next to the prices listed there for best results, try to include vendor travel cost, taxes, shipping and other fees that may occur. Make sure that once you get all your wedding cost written down review your budget and be sure to leave extra money to the side for emergencies! The best place to save on wedding cost is on flowers, catering, invitations, wedding favors and ceremony/reception site.

Invitations, Announcements and Thank You Notes $ 350.00 - $500
Flowers $ 800.00
Photography $ 900.00 - $ 2,500
Videography $ 700.00 - $ 1,500
Music (DJ, Band, Etc.) $ 900.00 - $ 1,500
Officiant & Ceremony Site $ 400.00
Transportation (Limo, Carriage, Etc.) $ 450.00
Gifts for Attendants $ 400.00
Wedding Rings $ 500.00
Engagement Ring $ 1,000.00- 3,000.00
Rehearsal Dinner $ 750.00
Bride's Gown $ 900.00
Wedding Veil & Headpiece $ 200.00
Bridesmaids' Apparel (for 5 bridesmaids) $ 1000.00
Mother of the Bride's Apparel $ 900.00
Groom's Rental Tuxedo $ 500.00
Groomsmen's Rental Tuxedos $ 200.00
Wedding Reception (Caterer, Cake, Site, Etc.) $ 500.00-$ 8,000.00
Honeymoon $ 5,000
GRAND TOTAL $ 20,000 - $ 25,000

MOVIE ONLINE

Ok, I've done it. I have exposed my ignorance regarding uploading movies to the web. So this is my first attempt. Please have a peek and let me know what you think.

http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?pid=954626&T=1153