This weekend my lady and I went to MN to visit my family and celebrate my nephews 1st birthday. One year olds are normally pretty cute, but this guy is super cute. My niece and nephews are all good looking kids, which I am okay with. This lil guy making it to one is super amazing though. He was born at 24 weeks and was only 1.6lbs. I can’t even imagine that. I was 13lbs when I was born… a super chunk. He was in the hospital for quite a long time and once he was able to come home their hospital bill was over one million dollars. (Thank you US Air Force for paying that)
I took some photos a while back when I was in Vegas (that is where my brother is stationed) and thought now would be a good time to post them.
My wife amazes me. I have been married for just under a year and I am finding more and more reasons to be in love with my wife. She has so many strengths that I do not have. That may cause things to be uncomfortable at times, but, like a strength trainer, she helps me grow in those areas. She prods me along and encourages me when I need it. I know that I can always get an honest answer from her and that she doesn’t dance around things. She has never stole my heart, but I sure as heck have let her have it for as long as she wants.
This last year has been a growing year for us at Valo and I know that Jake and I could not have done it without our wives. It isn’t Valentines day, it isn’t her birthday, and it isn’t our anniversary. It is just a regular day and regular days are days that people need reminding how much they affect and effect you. I love you babe and am so glad you are in my life.
This year for my birthday my wife took me to New York for a birthday that I will never forget. We saw a show on Broadway, we ate pizza, and we took the subway. It was so much fun and while I am prone to not take photos on any type of vacation with my big camera, my iphone was snapping away. Here are a few photos from our trip to NY.
P.s. Anywhere I say DJ, you can substitute Band as well.
I have nothing against iPods. The thing is though, that they are not human. Give Apple about 10 years and I am sure we will have an iPod that will tap into our emotions and play exactly what we want to hear… buuuut, that hasn’t happened yet. DJ’s on the other hand… they can feed off the energy of a crowd. They can play requests. They can speak. They can put energy into a crowd that decided it would be a good idea to get off the dance floor…
How does having a good DJ relate to having good photos? Well… I am a big fan of dancing photos. Mater o’ fact, I love to get on the dance floor at a wedding and shake it right along with everyone else. I try to capture the energy that is flowing off of the dance floor. When people are having a good time, they, amazingly, look like they are having a good time. A DJ and some good dancing can’t fix a bad reception, but they sure can try.
Just any DJ wont do though. There are some DJ’s who don’t really care about their job. They don’t care about the music and don’t care about you. They are just there to press play and occasionally announce something. A good DJ though, is someone who will get out and dance the Cupid Shuffle with you and will not let the first 10 minuets of Thriller play.
How do you find a DJ that will rock the party? That is a good question. Your only option, pretty much, is to ask someone. Ask a friend you trust, ask a party planner, ask a photographer. What weddings were they at where the music rocked? What wedding were they at where the dance floor was packed? Bangin beats still might not get Grandma on the floor, but all your other friends will be poppin and lockin like it was Senior prom all over again.
(Yeah… that’s me dancing on a table at my wedding. That wedding was off the chain!)
Here are a few DJ’s that I love:
DJ Mercury – He is a club DJ, but knows how to rock the party. Our dance floor was packed all night long and we were rockin to the 80′s, Beasty Boys, and lots of other great jams.
DJ Q – from Music on the Move (Don’t get their photo booth… had a client who had a pretty bad experience with it. Plus, you should just get our Crazy Booth anyways.)
If you want to hire a band, check these guys out:
Bill Sargent – He brings the ruckus and is entertainment by himself on the drums, but he also has an AMAZING band with him.
(For those of you on Facebook, check out this video here)
Bands, DJ’s, Orchestras do not make photographers better. They do however help set the mood and create situations for great photos. Just another small thing you can do to not only have a great time partying at your wedding, but also create some great memories to keep. I could write a ton more on music, but I gotta stop somewhere…
There are things that you can do to make your wedding photos better. Yeah, hiring a great photographer helps, but they are not wedding planners. If you hire a wedding planner, they should know most of the things that I am going to write about, but not everyone hires one. (If you are going to hire one, check out City Bride) These are not rules, they are just suggestions. You can do whatever you want… it’s your wedding. I hope that this can be a great resource for you ladies and gents who are about to rock your vows. So to all of you self planners, hopefully this series will help you make your wedding photos more memorable, gorgeous, and exciting.
(Photo was taken around 6)
Noon is Dumb
Have you ever take a photo outside where your eyes are dark and your nose looks like it’s five times longer than it should be? Chances are that the photo taken of you was taken around noon. Noon is good for getting a tan and going to the beach. Noon is terrible for taking photos.
Why is noon bad? Isn’t there lots of light and a blue sky?? Well, without getting too technical for you, it boils down to this – Noon is a lot of light, but it’s bad light. Take your iphone or some other camera and on your lunch break, take a friend outside, not in the shad, and take their photo. The light is very strong and is coming straight down from above. That light creates shadows in the eyes, shadows under the nose, and shadows under the lip. Kinda makes a person look a little zombie like (sunken squinty eyes). Now, take that same person, same camera, and same location and shoot a photo around 5 or 6pm and see the difference. There might be shadow’s, but they are in a very different place. The light is less harsh and should not create those nasty shadows. I think eyes are one of the most important things in a photo and so if they look sunkin and dark, well, then the most important thing is gone.
A good photographer can work with what you give him. I am not trying to make excuses for bad photos or bad photographers. They can make noon look good, but generally, that is because they know how to take away light and position you in a place that isn’t hit by the gross sun. Under a tree, under an overhang, inside… somewhere that is not out in the open. The problem is that it really limits where you can shoot and so a lot of great locations are not able to be used. If you have a morning wedding, it might be a little tough to find great places to shoot your portraits at.
If you are having your ceremony outside at noon, well… I hope you have some shade for your sake as well as the photographers (It’s gonna be hot). In that situation, there are a few things us photographers can do, but in general, it’s gonna be a rough hour or two. Vow’s with shadowy eyes. Eww… Having your ceremony later in the afternoon or early evening is the best and will help make your photos that much better.
You might want to try and save some money by booking an outside wedding earlier in the day, but your photos will suffer because of that. Our job as photographers is to help you get the best photos possible. I would love for everyone to choose us to shoot their wedding, but that won’t happen, and I am a big fan of everyone having great photos for their wedding.
(Photo was taken around 6ish… look at that tasty light)
Aight. So I am going to start a blog series tomorrow about wedding photos and what you, the bride and groom, can do to make your wedding photos better. Other than having a great photographer, there are lots of ways you can make your wedding day more conducive to great photography. Great locations, fantastic details, and DJ lighting are some of the things I am going to be going over and how they all play a part in making your photos better.
Tomorrow watch out for an awesome post about the first of ten things you can do to make your wedding photos just that much better.
P.s. If you can’t see the photos, open this bad boy up in the original blog. Pretty sure we had super lots of fun at our wedding last weekend. Best. Job. Ever.
Some people complain about their photos because they don’t have a fancy camera. While fancy cameras play a part in how a photo can look and what you can do, they don’t change the fact that you can create art with anything. Some people frame art, others keep it on their computer, and still others create more art from photos. It is always interesting trolling Etsy to see what people are creating with photographs.
Lately I have been shooting with my iPhone and creating a series of photos of rooftops in my neighborhood. I was hanging out with Jake one night and he showed me a stack of photos he printed from his phone. They were fantastic! He has been taking a photo a day for quite a while and blogging it as well as putting it on Twitter. I thought to myself, “Self. You should print some as well. Heck, make some journals out of them.” And so journals I did create.
Nicole and I have a shop on Etsy (that is quite barren at the moment) and were contacted to be a part of an art show. I thought that was the perfect time to get my journals made and out into the public. The past month or so we have been working pretty hard at getting stuff ready to sell. Nicole making jewelry and I making journals. If you wanna check them out, Nicole has a table set up at the Boerner Botanical Gardens today from 10-4 where you can see them. After the show, we will be putting stuff up on our Etsy site and you can check them out there.
(That’s Beans, Nicole’s best friend in the photo. She is awesome sauce)
All that to say, get out and create art with whatever you have. If you don’t have an eye for photos, make something, if you are not good at making things, then grow something! Just get out and do!
Oh my. I got married. Which means I am Murried. That is pretty awesome and I don’t know if it has all set in still. All I know is that I get to hang out with a hot lady for the rest of my life and we get to do cool stuff like go to Ikea. Anyways… thanks so much for all the love on Twitter, Facebook, and in real life.
Speaking of love… My good friend Sam Dodge (One of the MANY photographers who attended our nuptials) put together a stop motion video of our wedding and reception.
He is pretty much the man. Check out his site and some more of his Stop Motion stuff.
Also, some people might have seen this, but Nicole and I went out and took some photos after we got back from Door County (Super cool modern B&B with the best owner ever). Her dress was kinda a mess from the wedding day from all of the running around and dancing, so we decided to take it out and make some more photos. We did a lil Trash the Dress shoot and got some really great stuff. Here is a lil’ sneak peek of what is to come (One of the perks to marrying a photographer).
P.s. If you didn’t see the post from yesterday, check it out. I am teaching a class on Digital Photography.
Now that I got that out of the way. Sometimes Cameras make you feel like this:
Well… you are in luck! I am teaching a beginner digital camera class on Tuesday May 11th. One at 1pm and one at 7pm. Here is the info for it:
The Class:
This is a beginner class about digital photography. We will talk about the process from taking your camera out of it’s box to getting a print in your hand or posting it on the web. What do all the knobs and buttons do? How do I get prints? How do I put my photos online? You don’t need to know a whole lot about cameras or photography, so bring your questions, cameras, and a smiling face.
The Teacher:
I have been shooting for a little over 4 years and am very excited to teach people what I know. I have fallen in love with photography of all kinds, but especially photography in the digital medium. I love taking photos of people and capturing expressions and the essence of a person in a still frame that can be looked at over and over again. I mainly focus on shooting weddings and portraiture, but have ventured into commercial and some landscape photography. I still have lots to learn, but what I do know, I share freely. I’m quirky and fun, so get ready to laugh.
The Props (What to bring):
Your Digital Camera
Your Digital Camera Manual (I don’t know everything, but I am sure I can find it)
An Open Mind
Something to take notes on (Laptop, Pad of Paper, Gum Wrappers)
Your Questions!
I only have 20 places in each of the classes, so if you want to be a part of the class, sign up quick!
You can call Linda Pierschalla at the Whitefhish Bay Public Library at 414-755-6551 or email her here: l.pierschalla (at) wfblibrary.org
Community is so important. There is something about friendship and other people who are for you that makes the world go round. I get to see this every time I shoot a wedding. There are so many people who are loving on the bride and groom and so many people who are ready to love them right then and there. I just hope that those people also love them other times when the day isnt just about them.
Nicole has been going to Comet Cafe for quite a while and once we started datiting, I started going there as well. The atmosphere is great, the food is good, and the people are amazing. They are the people who will love on you when it isn’t your wedding day, and when it is your wedding… well, then you are walking on air. I brought my camera along one night and just recorded some of the shananagins that happen there on any given Sunday.
p.s. My mug was featured on the [b]school blogagain. A photo from a photobooth at the [b]school party in Vegas. The [b]school is a community of photographers helping each other. It’s all about community. And crazy photos:
This was written by Nicole on our wedding blog. I figure that instead of re hasing this, I would take her story and add some touches to it:
ok…so i know you have all been waiting for this story…so here it goes.
well apparently simon had been planning this for months and nicole did not know… here are a few things you need to know about simon’s planning.
1. the first big gesture in the relationship was sent to nicole while she was in north carolina when they first started dating. (Sent flowers to Nicole when she was visiting North Carolina and tracked down her address using Facebook and the white pages. This was either gonna be a stalker move or super sweet. It turned out to be super sweet.)
2. simon had since had lots of contact with nicole’s friend robin who they were going to “visit” in north carolina. (I thought it would be awesome to get engaged where I first sent her flowers.)
3. simon had big talks with moms and dads and just about “the plan” with everybody else except nicole. (Nosy Nancy ended up trying to guess and find out if I had talked to parents yet… It was always super hard to keep a straight face when she asked.)
nicole had a feeling “it” was going to happen soon they had talked about it now and then and she was getting very excited. she had inquired with a few people who tried to steer her away from any such ideas. her mom did such a good job she even made her cry.
nicole had a similar experience with robin THAT very day.
due to frequent flyer miles and job schedules, etc. nicole was able to fly down to north carolina first at about 5pm. upon arrival robin was questioning nicole about simon and this relationship and her feelings etc. nicole expressed to robin that everything was great, how perfect simon was (yeah… I am. I even got her Starbucks twice this week and brought it to school for her.), and that she had a feeling it was going to happen in north carolina. nicole told robin that she couldn’t sleep the night before and that she just had “this feeling”. robin did such a good job convincing her that she was going to be disapointed and ruin a good weekend when it didn’t happen that she should just forget about it. this left nicole very distraught, and wondering if simon had told people that he DIDN’T want to marry her….
so the night goes on and nicole goes ALONE to pick up simon from the airport at about 11pm while robin suggests that she show him around outside when they get back…that it will be “romantic”…[little did she know, she had been sent out of the house so robin and her husband bob could set the stage.] everything is fine but nicole is still wondering about that feeling…especially when simon tells her he wants to empty his pockets before she shows him around (Man! I… I was sitting on a plane for a few hours with a ring box in my pocket. An nervous as all get out.) …nicole still upset from the conversation with robin asks simon “do you really want to marry me someday? everybody keeps telling me that you might not…” on the verge of tears at that, simon looks at her and responded with only “i love you”. (What was I suppose to say? “Sure, here’s your ring” “Sure I do, lets get this done with here”, plus, I thought it would be a little funny.)
well at this point nicole was tired and ready for the day to be over so she suggested that they go outside and blow out the tiki torches so they could go to sleep and that she would show simon around in the morning.
upon going outside and following the light to the tiki torches, nicole discovered simon and robins little set up. there…down by the lake was a blanket, candles, white roses [nicoles favorite] champagne and a guitar! nicole started to question what this was and simon just directed her to sit down and asked her if she would like a drink. while nicole was starting to open the bottle of champagne, simon began to play a song. this song was about spending the rest of his life with her and asking her to do the same. while this made nicole cry…simon finished only to get down on one knee and pull out a ring [which nicole did not even look at] and ask the BIG question…as you all know by now, nicole said yes and there were hugs and tears and lots of late night/early morning phone calls. after a bit of this, the champagne was finally opened and the two enjoyed some time under the stars together.
so there you have it…the story of how it all went down.
