Long gone are the days of hours of formal portraits for a wedding. Bride alone, bride with maid of honor, bride with bridesmaids, bride with sister, bride with brother, bride with mom, bride with dad, bride with both parents, bride with immediate family, bride with cousins...well, you get the picture.

We noticed very early on in our photography that people didn't like a lot of group formals. Even if we made it fun and changed the poses, we were met with grumpy bridesmaids or fathers of the bride. We even got heckled once by a maid of honor "are we DONE yet?". So we decided to change courses, and I think that is one of the keys to our success as photographers.

There are photographers that still bring in lights and do a grand production with every combination of family. There are the complete opposites that do strickly photojournalistic with no posing whatsoever. We (like most photographers now a days) are comfortablly in the middle. Posing some, but having a lot of our images capture candid moments. We feel that the most cherished images of family are the ones where they are interacing, laughing, and being themselves, not standing still and smiling into the camera.

The most important thing we do with our group shots is make them fun. We don't stage the smiles, we don't overly pose. We work with the group dynamic. If they are goofy and fun and creative, we'll do some of the more fun shots. If they are more reserved and just want to get them done (believe me, that is becoming more and more common) we make them short and sweet. We firmly believe that if we push the wedding party into doing an hour of pictures when they don't want to, that it will show up in the pictures and carry over into the reception. We don't want a grumpy wedding party and we are experienced enough to know when to stop shooting and not to push anyone. This experience should be a happy one for all involved.

For our family portraits, we generally do three poses for each side of the family. A large group shot that can be as large as you want (usually best outside), then we break it down to immediate family. Then the bride and her parents. If more are requested, we will gladly do them, but we have found that families are grateful to have 15 minutes of pictures and that is it. Our brides and grooms are definately happy with this scenario as standing in one place smiling for an hour isn't ideal to them.

Over our 8 years of experience, we have really honed in on what images are important and we focus on those. We receive so many compliments on how painless our formals are, especially from mothers of the bride or groom who reflect on how this isn't anything like their wedding pictures.

That is exactly what we want to hear =)

Weird title for a blog, right? Well, we think alcohol has gotten a bad wrap and want to defend it a little bit. With weddings, you are nervous as all get out, in tight fitting clothes, usually hot, and you just want to have a good time with your friends. Enter in...the mimosa.

I feel that a little festivity before taking pictures and walking down the aisle can be a wonderful thing. Please don't get me wrong, I don't want you slurring your vows, too much drink is very very bad. But a sip or two of champagne to get rid of the jitters? Absolutely!

This can really help when you have a nervous groom or apprehensive groomsmen that don't really get the point of pictures. We have found that a beer is all that is needed to get those smiles out and have a good time.

So I would encourage you to take a hard look at the type of people your friends are, and if they won't go overboard, treat them to a little morning splash of bubbly for the big day. It sets the tone, makes you feel pampered, and gets your friends giggling and excited.

The disclaimers are obvious. In moderation, people!

I think we're at a time in society where the big box retailer is starting to lose momentum (Home Depot and Starbucks come to mind). People are slowly realizing that hype isn't everything, and that individually owned businesses are worth coming back to. Cheaper isn't always better. There is a certain crowd that realizes that and that seeks out businesses that fit their ideals of quality.

This is one of the reasons a lot of smaller businesses are using the phrase "boutique" to describe themselves...us included. It basically means we are a smaller, service driven business. Instead of having a million clients, we focus on the ones who appreciate our services and we cater to them. We hold on to, and place value on, those clients. Just like a clothing store that has one customer at a time, we take the time to really tailor our services to your style and needs.

Businesses outside the wedding circle describe any business catering to weddings as the "wedding mafia". It is a billion dollar industry and everyone is trying to cash in. So it didn't take long for that "big box store" mentality to make it's way into the wedding industry. Up pops the nation wide photography companies and the DJ/videography/photography/florist/baker/caterer/favor companies. They promise the deals and the "one stop shop".

There are good and bad to these companies. You CAN get great deals. If you use more than one of their services, there is a discount and everything is done in one spot. However, all these companies do is outsource to local individual businesses. Basically, a photographer gets a blast email seeing who is available for your wedding date. If they don't already have a wedding, they want to work, so they accept the huge pay cut. Something is better than nothing, right? Then all of the markup goes into the company's pocket. And this really hurts the individual business owner, they just shoot themselves in the foot for a quick buck.

I have found from the many people I've talked to (and extensive personal experience as I used to free lance as a photographer for these chains) is that the service is what you lose. I won't go into the bad of these companies as that is not what I'm about. What I'm trying to illustrate with this blog is that individual businesses are the way to go.

I have pride in my photography studio. I am the owner and have heavy investments in my business. I know the value of referrals and will make sure that you are satisfied as a customer. Because I value my clients so much, I treat them with over the top service. I am the contact person from start to finish and will make things right if something goes wrong. There is no passing the buck, I take that seriously, as does every other small business owner (or at least, they should). This integrity and work ethic is what you gain by working with a mom and pop business. I think this is definately the kind of company you want to work with on your wedding day.

I'm proud to be a mom and pop operation =)

We have our engagement sessions last an hour for a reason. We want to get to know you as a couple and want you to get to know us. We want to be able to take our time and get some amazing shots. And it gives us the opportunity for multiple locations and outfit changes. The engagement session is a great way to have professional images of you and your fiance where you aren't in wedding garb. It is a time to show your personalities and your love for each other.

So, have fun with your engagement session! Here are a few fun suggestions:

Fun fun fun! Go to Chuck E Cheese or the State Fair and show your love for pizza and carnival rides.

Huzzah! How about the Renaissance festival? MN has the third (or is it second) largest in the country, and is a great backdrop for some revelry. Whether you dress up or not, it is a great place to go.

Jazz it up! Like to dance? How about going to the Dakotah or Wabasha Caves? Get all dolled up and dance the night away.

Other ideas could be going to a antique car show for some pictures in old cars, or dress in 30's inspired outfits and go to the St Paul Hotel. Dive deep and find a location that describes you and your fiance. We love new and fun ideas, so bring them on!

Even if you never wear makeup (which is DEFINATELY me), it is so important to have makeup on for your wedding day. There is a huge difference between having makeup professionally applied to just throwing on some concealer and think that is good enough. If you have a pro that knows what they are doing, your natural looks will be enhanced, and your skin and eyes will look so much better in pictures.

Being someone that hates to wear makeup, I was very surprised today when I had a mini makeover done. I went to the Prescriptives counter at Macy's to get dolled up for a picture later in the day. Clatriece did my makeup and did a fantastic job. She was fun to talk to and knew what colors worked with my skin tone. Most importantly, the makeup is fantastic! Very, very light, I can't even feel it, and it really smoothed out my skin.

I asked Clatriece if she did wedding parties, and she gave an enthusiastic yes. She actually goes to your home or hotel room, and charges per person (a very reasonable fee). With that, you get her expert advice, a huge selection of makeup, and if you mention that you were referred by me, she'll throw in a little extra for the bride =) You can contact Clatriece at 612 805-1804. This is not a solicited review, I honestly had a great time and was very impressed!