Guess what I did? Also, a perfect summer wedding...
Hey ya'll. SO I recently deactivated my Instagram. YIKES, right? I'm a small business. Having zero social media accounts active (aside from a Snapchat account that I rarely use) should freak me out...but it doesn't. In fact, it's allowing me SO much more time to work, create, and dive into the things that truly matter and it's only been a little over one single day.
I've been meaning to start a blog on my website, although never seemed to make the time... and I really love to write (I was an English minor in college)... SO why the heck not? If you are heading over here and reading this and realizing holy crap she isn't on Instagram anymore.... heyyyy how's it going? Feel free to reach out to me via my website. There is a chat feature on the front page and I'd love to hear from ya! I'll eventually get my IG page back, but in the meantime this is what is best for me.
Alrighty - let's get to the heart of my first post. Let's chat about a middle of August wedding I photographed and how OBSESSED I am with how the photos turned out? I give each and every wedding and photo session 100% of my effort, that much I promise. I have a good work ethic and I'm passionate about photography, but each shoot always turns out differently. Some people like their photo taken, some don't, some should be fashion designers, some aren't, sometimes the lighting is just right - sometimes it's raining which is FUN too seriously, and sometimes... everything goes just right... and the vibe is fabulous and man does it show in photos.
I'm gonna eat that baby's face off. :) And the bride gave him a HUGE smooch leaving her lipstick behind and I was like I am NOT deleting that. It tells the story. It shows the love. I am a lifestyle photographer, so I will erase distractions and make things look "pretty"... maybe even prettier than you remember, BUT I also feel very intrigued by storytelling and documentary photography and keep some things how they were.
IF you've ever been in a wedding where I've been the photographer you know I'm obsessed with the "vanity fair" wedding party pose. I love candids and natural, emotive posing as much as possible BUT give me the vibes of Vanity Fair. Strike a flippin' pose and show me some attitude. It's always one of my favorites! Some people are better than others at creating the pose but I have no problem going one by and one and assisting as necessary. :) Also - this wedding party was SOOOOO awesome. They were all where they needed to be immediately and all of them were up for having some fun and doing any pose I threw at them. I'm SO happy I did my homework for this location. I drove over the day before just to scout out locations for the wedding party to head to after the ceremony for some photos. I drove ALL over town and was not impressed with anything until I pulled up to this park by a lake and I was sold. I will absolutely head back there next year when I have another wedding in Waseca.
As you can see most of these photos are taken outside. Outside for a location will always be my favorite. The lighting is the best. Always. No matter the weather, 20 below zero, raining, cloudy, snow piles, etc. I will always encourage my couples to get outside for some photos. There are amazing venues out there with sufficient lighting but nothing usually beats outdoor, natural lighting and these were all taken mid-day... when the lighting is NOT the best. That is when I find cool backdrops and shade.
At the end of the day I also encourage my lovely clients to seek the sun... during the end of golden hour. The last 20 minutes of daylight. We normally factor 15-20 minutes into their day where the sun becomes their backdrop and the gorgeous horizontal lighting works its magic. For this particular day they were able to bring a vintage car for photos. Props like cars, dogs, etc... bring 'em. Bring them all. They make the best photos!
I think one of my favorite parts of a wedding day is finding the treasure photos. Grandma dancing like a queen, bride and groom stealing loving/steamy looks, and yes partying craziness. I eat it up. It's totally fine... I get it and I've definitely done it as a guest of course. Everyone is celebrating... and has officially let their hair down. Time for fun.
That's a wrap you lovely couple. A TON more photos heading your way... soon. I truly and always feel very honored to be chosen to document such a big event in people's lives. For a day I become honorary family, following and documenting the most important parts of a wedding day...
What a job. As I was leaving this wedding family members were thanking me... and that's always super special...
Luvs,
Jessi
