Sunday, January 31, 2010

Assistant Photographer: Wedding & Engagement Session with Tyler

Back in September I got the chance to shoot with Tyler Jones of Tyler Jones Photography for his wedding at the Inverness Hotel. Here's a few shots from that day:

Tyler asked me not to post this first photo but I just couldn't resist... sorry Tyler =)




This is a REAL photo- I did not photoshop the image into the lens:





We also headed up to Evergreen for a night engagement session with one of his couples. It was very COLD but I love some of the shots I took:




Saturday, January 30, 2010

Assistant Photographer: Weddings with Ross

Another great photographer and friend that I had the pleasure of photographing with this summer is Ross Bothwell of Elegant Images and Photographs. Here's just a few shots I took at one of the weddings I shot with him up at the Lionscrest Manor in Lyons, Colorado.



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Assistant Photographer: Weddings with Erin

We had a very busy year in 2009. Between some awesome weddings and portrait sessions and our Senior Rock Star Tour, we kept busy. One of my favorite things though is getting the opportunity to tag along with other photographers as a second shooter- whether it's for a wedding or a portrait session it's just fun to work with other great professionals and get to experiment a little with my photography catching a different perspective than I normally would as the main photographer- much like Michelle does for our own business.

This past year I had the chance to work with some amazing photographers and some great friends. On three separate occasions I tagged along with Erin Cady of Art & Soul Photography for various weddings. Below are some of my favorites or just different images that I want to share.

This first wedding was back in June up at The Aspen Mountain Lodge. Down the mountain was perfect weather but once we got up to the top the wind and snow started making for a very cold ceremony. The view was absolutely breathtaking though- making it all worth it.






This next wedding was in August. The ceremony was held at the Denver Botanic Gardens and then we traveled over to the Wellshire Inn for the reception.







This last one I shot with Erin back in October out in Calhan, Colorado. I absolutely love photographing this time of year near sunset with the warm glow.






The kids at this wedding were so flippin' cute!:


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bridalize Denver: Wedding Planning Made Simple

Written by Michelle

Planning a wedding can pretty much become a full time job for most brides-to-be. You have to meet with vendor after vendor after vendor after vendor..... you get the idea. And sometimes, things don't always work out too well- you just don't mesh with them, the pricing isn't right, the product wasn't quite what you were looking for, and you have to start your search again. It can be an exhausting process. Wouldn't it be nice if someone came up with the brilliant idea of having all those vendors and resources in one location???? Well, that day has arrived and the location is Bridalize!

A few months back we were approached by the wonderful ladies over at Bridalize Denver- an awesome little boutique that was just opening up at the Village Shops at the Landmark in the Tech Center. One of our past brides had passed on our name to the girls and were wondering if we would be interested in adding our name to a short list of wedding photographers for brides to consider using for their big day. After hearing more about the shop and the services they would be providing to brides (for FREE- seriously no gimmicks it's really FREE) we were excited to participate.

Here's how it works. You get engaged and of course tell each and every one of your friends the great news. They offer up advice and names of companies they loved working with and those they didn't for their own big day. Some of those companies may work great for you while others just don't match your style/budget etc so you need more help. Rather than spending hours searching the internet for companies that could or could not be worth your time, Bridalize Denver is a one stop shop for all your planning. Everything from photography, to invitations, to a wedding planner, and much more- you can find it all at Bridalize. The shop's owner, Jessica, got this amazing idea while planning her own wedding not too long ago. It's such an exciting time in your life and for many people the planning of their big day can literally suffocate the fun out of it. She spent so much time and energy planning her wedding and searching the city over for trusted vendors she decided she wanted to help other brides by taking away much of that stress and research. All the vendors in the shop came by way of referral- from past brides or through other wedding professionals. No back alley, take your money and run shops- these are trusted professionals you can count on to be there for each of your wedding needs.

When we heard what this store was about we were so excited to participate. When I started the planning process over 7 years ago for our own wedding I would have loved to have had a resource like this available. I had several trusted companies that I worked with from referrals of friends/family that worked out wonderfully but for everything else it was up to me. And, while I loved the whole planning process I wasn't impressed with some of the vendors I found through the internet and yellow pages (yes I did say yellow pages- hey it was 7 years ago!) Our limo broke down on the way to our reception- making us an hour late which threw the entire evening off. The replacement limo they brought to pick us up had been out with a partying crowd the evening before and they didn't even bother to clean it up before bringing it to us- chicken bones and all! Then there was my wedding dress and the girls bridesmaids dresses. The shop closed down literally 2 weeks before I was to get my dress (for which I had waited almost 4-5 months for it to come in). I found out the dress I thought was a designer gown, and had paid for, was actually a knock off being sold as the designer. I was one of the fortunate few who did end up getting our dresses but there were many brides who lost their money and their dresses. It's from these experiences that I cannot recommend enough this great shop. If you or someone you know is planning their wedding please check out Bridalize. The website is just a glimpse into what they have available at the shop- visit them at the Village Shops at the Landmark: 5370 greenwood Plaza Blvd Ste 109, Greenwood Village CO 80111.

We went in the shop last week to take a look at everything now that they have the decor just about finished and all the vendors products to browse through. Here are some images we took of the shop while we were in there.

Here's one of the outside of the boutique:


And their sign:


What you see when you first step inside:


And another one:


I LOVE the furniture and they way they've decorated the place!:


Our area on the wall with our METAL prints:


Great area in the back for meetings:

Saturday, January 16, 2010

It's Okay if You Don't Want to Hire Me =)

Just tell me so.

I found this interesting post written by Lori Raines Calligraphy in Oregon and thought it was very fitting for those of us in the wedding industry as well as great advice for brides and grooms planning a wedding.

It goes like this:
You located me on the web or through a friend. You e-mail or call me, we take time to meet, if you’re a local bride, or talk over the phone or e-mail if you are in another state or cross country. You tell me what it is that you want my services for in your wedding or special event. I listen and tell you how I can help you out, lettering styles, colors, prices, timelines, etc. We agree that this looks good and can work, we have gotten along well in our initial meeting and you say you will get back with me with a firm decision in a couple of days, if not sooner.

A few days later I e-mail you to see how things are coming and if you have made a decision. Nothing.

A week now goes by and I send a second e-mail asking if you can let me know if you wish to reserve space on the calendar for my services. I hear nothing.

Now, by this time I should take a hint, but I think to myself, “What if finals have her really busy, or there’s a family issue and she’s just not been able to get time away to e-mail or call.” I also don’t want any lack of follow-up on MY part to be taken as “she doesn’t care” or laziness. Like many business owners, I am hyper-critical of myself in business situations, so I worry about everything.

Don’t worry, I KNOW what happened. You simply changed your mind about paying the budget and not needing my services, or you found another vendor that you “clicked with”. Not a worry! I totally understand that this happens. This is business. I have competition. There are budgets. I understand. But all I am asking is this: Tell me your final decision so I can adjust my schedule accordingly. Also, by telling me WHY you chose someone else, I can adjust my business and approach, the way I present things to potential clients. It’s a learning process for me, not a personal slam. You won’t hurt my feelings. Constructive criticism is necessary to grow and learn. You don’t have to phone to tell me, just drop me a line and say you will be going with someone else and why. Just say SOMETHING and don’t worry about detailing it out. It’s not necessary. Feedback is good and necessary for the growth of my business. I guarantee you, there are hundreds of thousands of other wedding professionals that will agree with me–it just takes an e-mail to let us know the how and why you decided to book with someone else. And it doesn’t leave us wondering.

That’s my request to all brides and grooms out there and I am certain that any wedding vendor you call on will agree that they would like to know why you chose someone else. How else can we improve if we never know what we are doing wrong?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Tim & Francy Photo Booth Slideshow

For Tim and Francy's 25th Anniversary party we set up a photo booth so people could have fun taking pictures all night. We put one of our cameras on a tripod, put up some lights, and using a remote trigger people could take as many pictures of themselves as they wanted all without a photographer. Pretty cool! Here's a slideshow of the photos people took throughout the evening:

Monday, January 4, 2010

25th Anniversary Celebration- Tim & Francy

A week before Christmas we had the opportunity to photograph a surprise party to celebrate Tim & Francy's 25th Wedding Anniversary. They held the party at the Green Gables Country Club and the room was absolutely gorgeous! The lighting, the flowers, everything was beautiful and perfect for a black tie affair. It was a surprise party for the guests of honor so part of the fun was in catching all of the family and guest's expressions as they anxiously awaited Tim and Francy's arrival. When they arrived and opened the doors they were greeted by all their family & friends and I loved their reaction to it all! How awesome that their family would put together something this special to celebrate their marriage!

Between the dancing, a slideshow of Tim & Francy's old photos, Tim and his singing buddies who call themselves "4 Higher" singing a few songs, and the photo booth we set up for guests to take fun photos of themselves, it was a great evening!

Here are some photos from the events that night. Check back for some more photo booth pictures in another post.

Some detail shots of the location, flowers, table settings etc:


Everyone awaiting the couple's arrival:




Love this one with Francy in the background and her reaction to it all:


The happy couple watching a slideshow of photos of their years together put together by their daughter-in-law Nichole:





Their son toasting Tim & Francy:


Tim and the guys singing for everyone- they were awesome!:




Love this one of the two of them dancing together:


And this one too:




The girls hitting the dance floor:


This one is hilarious of their son:



Everyone together for a big group shot:


A teaser of shots from the photo booth:


One of Carmen and Nichole acting goofy- thank you girls for putting this together and allowing us the opportunity to photograph it: