Senior

Here are a two Senior sessions I did with a brother and sister duo, Adam and Beka. We went down to St. Anthony Main for both shoots. Beka was first and Adam was a few days later. Neither were too comfortable at first, but both seemed to get into it after a little coaxing.

Tim and Danielle

I first met Tim and Danielle when I shot Colleen and Johns wedding a couple of summers back. It was great reconnecting with them at their engagement shoot last summer. That's when I knew this was going to be a great wedding.

On their wedding day, we started at the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis. This is where they were getting ready and where the reception would be. They were so easy to work with and we flew through the formal shots. We then headed off to the church down in Inver Grove Heights. The ceremony was great but my favorite part was seeing the wedding party squatting down trying to see the engagement video that Tim and Danielle had projected up on the wall.

After the ceremony we (obviously) stopped off at Buffalo Wild Wings and the crew had a few drinks and appetizers. Once back at the Semple, the crowd cheered as the "Starting Line-up" was introduced to start the festivities. Which by the way were very fun.

Below is the video that was running during the reception. The final proofs will be uploaded to Pictage very soon, so be sure to sign up on Tim and Danielle's Guestbook to check them all out!



Thanks again, Tim and Danielle, for letting me be part of your day!

Josh and Cristina

WOW! Window's on Minnesota is a gorgeous place to have a wedding. If you haven't heard of it you should check it out. It's at the top of the IDS building in Minneapolis and it overlooks all of downtown. And Josh and Cristina couldn't have asked for a better day. You could see all of Minneapolis and well into the suburbs.

We started the day by heading down to St. Anthony Main to do some shots of just Josh and Cristina, and these photos came out great. Couldn't have asked for better. We then headed back to the Windows to do family photos overlooking downtown. The ceremony came next and due to the beautiful day, we had plenty of great light for the photos. The reception was held in a room across the hall but with the same great view. The crowd assembled was great, everyone came to have a good time and I could tell from the start Josh and Cristina's friends would not disappoint.

Thanks to Jonny for helping out with the slideshow, everyone LOVED it.

And thanks again to Josh and Cristina for letting APS be part of their day.

Cristina and Matthew

Here is a beautiful wedding shot of Cristina and Matthew in Eden Prairie. We were blessed with a beautiful day and we took full advantage. The ceremony was held at Liberty Baptist and was a very nice service. We headed down to a nearby park for some photos then skipped on down to the Garden Room for the reception and were greeted by a very cool jazz trio. We got the slideshow and running and got a great response from those who saw it. Thanks to Wade for helping me get it going.

Congratulations Matt and Cristina, thanks for letting APS be part of your day!

Engagements

Here's an engagement session I shot on May 18th. Jeremy and Katherine's wedding is coming up in a couple of weeks and it should be a really good time. Both Jeremy and Katherine were great to work with and I expect nothing less on their wedding day.

I'm looking forward to it.

Sarah

New Senior session at St. Anthony Main. This is just a quick edit and I didn't get a chance to look at them all (way too many great shots). I'll take more time with the final proofs.

Thanks Sarah, I had fun!

Commercial Shoot

A client of mine just did a big install into one of the biggest architecture firms in Minneapolis. They asked me to do some shots to show the install and to get some shots of the offices to use in their portfolio. This office was really cool and I got some great shots. Keep the assignments coming V.G.!!

Senior Portraits

Just a quick Senior session done last week.

Easter 2008

Just a few shots from Easter of my kids.

Recent Commercial Shoot

Here's a commercial shoot I did this week for a video conferencing company that just did a big install at all of the Rochester fire departments. Nothing too exciting, just letting people know that I'm available for this type of work as well.

Modeling Portfolio

Here is a shoot I did with a young model looking to expand her portfolio. There are many more shots, but here's just a few to wet your whistle.

Ring Light

I promised Stacey at our PUG meeting last night that I would upload a couple photos that I took with my do-it-yourself ring light. I think it gives great light and it was definitely worth the effort to build.

New APS website

So I've been working on a new website for APS. Here's where I'm at. There's a few typo's and the images may need to change, but does anyone have any input on the design?

Booking a photographer

I get questions all the time about what advice would I give to brides while planning for their wedding, or tips that make the day go smoother. So I've decided to add a new section to my blog called "Tips To Brides". I don't know how often I will post on the subject, but if there is a question that comes up frequently that I think should be addressed, I put it here. After a couple months, hopefully there will be enough tips that my blog becomes a resource for anyone interested. If you have a question, please feel free to send me an email and I'll do my best to answer from a wedding professionals point of view.

With that being said...

Tip #1
Booking a photographer
Find someone you trust. There are literally hundreds of photographers in your area capable of taking great photos at your wedding. The fact is, you want that certain someone who is right for you and your wedding.

Here are the five essentials your photographer must possess:

1) The price at what you value your weddings photographs -
The price will determine where your photographer falls on the spectrum of
photographers. In general, the higher the price, the more experience and confidence your photographer will possess. Bargain bottom prices should tell you that photographer is looking for experience, and low prices will ensure them to get work. Be aware that with the lack of experience in shooting also means lack of experience processing their work. So you may overlook that they won't get every shot perfect, but expect delays and difficulties after your wedding with inexperienced vendors.

2) The proper equipment to get the job done -
Proper equipment means having professional cameras and lenses to get the job done. Multiple camera bodies, more than one lens for each situation for different looks, back up equipment - on location - in the case of an equipment failure, proper lighting equipment for all scenarios, all of which are essential in getting the job done right.

3)The ability to use their equipment in the style you desire -
A doctor may have the best scalpels on the market, but without the proper training and experience, would you want them to operating on you? Pretty pictures in a photographers portfolio is not enough, they must possess the technical skill and artistic eye with the camera to duplicate the results from their portfolio for your wedding. Ask to see an entire wedding that a photographer has shot. Most photographers have their weddings hosted online. Ask for passwords to these galleries to view an entire wedding. This will give you the opportunity to see the photographers talent beyond their portfolio.

4) The poise to manage the day and the participants within the allotted time frame -
Your photographer, once the day starts, is the conductor of your wedding orchestra. Adapting to the flow of your day takes patience and skill. Your photographer MUST remain on task to not only keep on time, but capture all of the important moments that you desire without delay.

5) The ability to deliver what they promise - Enough said.

Hope this helps. Send in your questions!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Thought I'd give you all a little something for Valentine's day.



Or better yet!