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Hallowedding – Glens Falls, NY

December 5, 2017 | Leave a Comment

I didn’t know the term Hallowedding existed but now I can’t stop using it. This Halloween wedding was perfect! The bride and groom, the bride especially, love Halloween! Although this holiday fell on a Tuesday this year they decided to just go for it and I’m so glad they did! For a couple that thoroughly enjoys the Halloween season, an anniversary on Halloween couldn’t be more right! In brainstorming the feel that Jon & Alicia wanted, we talked anywhere from cute and fall to blood and guts. They decided they wanted scary but dark woods scary. Thinking of The Nightmare Before Christmas movie and characters, the decided to skip the actual characters but to shoot for the same feel as the movie, that moody, dark feel.

Jon & Alicia live in Glens Falls and their life and friends are in Glens Falls, NY. Although the capital region has incredible wedding venue’s they knew we needed something unique and right in Glens Falls if possible. Easier said then done as there aren’t many venues in the town itself. What was found had just the right feel, size, fun, and location! The wedding took place on Halloween at the Charles R. Wood Theater in downtown Glens Falls, NY.

Alicia and her bridesmaids sisters got ready right at the Wood Theater in the Green room. Short of a red carpet, they each had their own personal backstage vanity to prep and prepare for the big day. Hair and makeup for the girls was done by MUA Tina Felton and could not have been more gorgeous.

This stunning dress came from BHLDN and was made by designer Needle and Thread.

In order to capture the gorgeous light on this fall day, Jon & Alicia started their day with a first look at Bay Street Cemetery. Yes, you read that right, a cemetery! There were so many gorgeous spots that didn’t look like a graveyard and then we were also able to create some images to fit with our Hallowedding theme. I have known Jon and Alicia for several years. While Jon is a kind, happy guy, he’s not a smiley one. What a treat to see his genuine smile and excitement at seeing his bride for the first time!

This incredible chalk drawing was done by a talented member of the Wood staff who volunteered to draw it on the theater’s over-sized chalkboard wall. Amazing, isn’t it!?!!

The couple sealed the deal right up on stage! With the help of incredible designer Kim Sheffield and the Wood’s very own Lighting and Theater expert, Eric Potter, a haunted wood scene was created. As there was nothing traditional about this wedding, the couple opted out of the traditional walk down the isle. Instead they entered towards each other from the wings of the stage to dramatic music played by Mr. DJ , Brian Pincheon. All this was accompanied by a 5 foot skeleton at the piano. 😉

After a short and simple ceremony exchanging their vows the party began! The delicious Halloween themed party food was catered by Samatha’s Cafe and Catering. With their expertise guests were treated to delights ranging from cheese brains and monster eggs to Thai noodles without anyone being any the wiser to the large number of tasty vegan options!

There games were designed to represent an abandoned carnival. Along with the many games guests had, a photo booth, and dancing to keep the party going! Alicia and Jon were so much fun and so easy to work with. Alicia chose some really cool things like the Pick Your Poison sign for the bar as well as the coffin ring box. Alicia also knew she had to have a candy bar! I think the candy bar, one of the bride’s biggest request as it was Halloween, stole the show! It was a huge success!! From the little details to the big ideas it was so amazing to watch the dreams and vision of this bride and groom come together.

This wedding was extra special. I took on a roll above and beyond what I normally do. I have a better appreciation for now for wedding planners! Although, it’s not what I do or plan to do in the future what a treat it was to see the wedding world from a different perspective. Such a fun creative experience. We are so grateful for the other vendors and all their support and advice during this! Thank you as always to the amazing Erin Brisbin of Erin Marie Photography for all her help as our second shooter and valuable team member. We couldn’t do what we do without you!!

Enjoy more images by watching their custom slideshow designed especially for their Wedding Premiere Night!

Yaddo Gardens Family Session

July 20, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Saratoga Springs is so gorgeous this time and year and Yaddo gardens if one of our favorite spots! The kids got together and surprised Grandma for Christmas with a custom family portrait session. What a great Christmas present! Debbie does not seem old enough to be a Grandma but what an amazing one she is! The kids love her and John and we had so much fun playing together at Yaddo Gardens in Saratoga Springs, NY. We had to stop the party several times to feed, burp, and put the baby to sleep. Everyone was so relaxed and patient. The non-baby grandkids were such troopers! Dan played “photography equipment reflector turned frisbee” (one of my favorite games) with them while they waited. We had the most perfect soft clouds and sunshine without it being too hot or muggy! Enjoy this sneak peek to hold you over until we roll out the red carpet for your premiere night! Can’t wait for you to see the rest!

Sister Photography Session – Charleston, SC

May 13, 2017 | Leave a Comment

This Sister Photography Session over spring break was so much fun! Not only did we get to go to the beach at sunset but we also got to walk around and shoot in downtown Charleston, SC at night. Claire and her sister are best friends. I was around them a lot during spring break. I had to ask their mom if they ever fought. The response was, “occasionally over clothes but not really.” Wow! They are so lucky to have each other! It was such a pleasure to capture this moment in their lives. Before long they will both be off at college and things will change. They will always be sisters and best friends but it will be different. Not bad or good but different. It is so important to capture the now so that we will never forget. Although in the moment it’s hard to imagine forgetting, time dulls those incredible moments unless they are captured in a photograph.

5 questions for your Wedding Photographer

March 7, 2017 | Leave a Comment

5 questions to ask your wedding photographer

Image of team member Erin doing whatever it takes to get the shot!

Last time we talked about the 3 essential questions every couple should ask their wedding photographer. You can check out that article here. If you don’t ask anything else you’re probably still doing pretty good. But there are still other important questions. Hopefully your photographer will tell you how it works (they are the expert) but there are a few things you should make sure that they cover. While brainstorming for this article I came across a post titled “38 things to ask your photographer”! Wow! 38!? If you have to ask your photographer 38 specific questions then please run and hide..that photographer is not doing their job! I’m going to start with 5 follow up questions – 5 logistical and important things to know before hiring your wedding photographer.

What is your shooting philosophy? I often have brides on their initial phone call tell me they like photo journalism. But when I ask them more that’s often not really what they want, they just heard that term somewhere. More then getting an industry buzz word ask them how they approach the day. I have worked with photographers who are ONLY in the background. They are there to observe and document only. I’ve worked with others who control the environment of every shot and start essentially “training” the bride from the first email. We often tell people that we are there to document the day, not to insert ourselves in it. That being said, the mother or aunt of the bride doesn’t want to look 10 pounds older and 10 pounds heavier; people don’t often know where they are supposed to be especially for family formals; and sometimes drunk groomsmen just need more direction! We will chat and laugh with you but we don’t want to be in the way. We will help everyone look their best in what time we have and we will make sure that when you look back at your family formals you are thinking how much you love your family, NOT how much you wanted to strangle Uncle Filmore. We are the experts. We will guide and direct where needed but we will not take over. Find the photographer whose shooting philosophy matches the feel of what you envision for your day.
What’s your backup plan? Often photographers are sole proprietors, meaning it’s just them. Do they have a plan in place for if they break their leg or get into a car accident?
Do you have multiples of your equipment? I don’t generally encourage asking about equipment. I don’t care what kind of equipment the DJ uses to play his music as long as it sounds good. You shouldn’t care (unless maybe if you’re a photographer yourself) what type of camera your photographer uses. But you might care if they are new to the game, only have one camera, and don’t use a second shooter. Cameras are technology and equipment. Pure and simple. They will fail. They will have quirks. You have the right to know if they are prepared for things to go wrong. You could ask the photographer how many weddings they’ve shot and how long they’ve been in business but I truly believe that information is that you’ll know how truly PREPARED your wedding photographer is.
How involved are you in the planning process? Every couple will have a different need here. We generally help with a lot of details so that the time schedule goes as smoothly as possible. Also, when all is said and done all that is left are the images of your day. We don’t want you to miss a single image. We don’t want you to look back and say, “I wish I had a photo of x and z.” Will your photographer help plan the timeline and photo list?
What should I expect after the wedding? We’ve all heard horror stories of it taking 6 months to get the wedding images back or the worst ones where the couple never hears from their photographer again! Chances are if the photographer has a clear answer for you of what to expect and how the process works after the wedding then they will be there and ready to take care of you when you get back from your honeymoon.

Anything you would like to add? What was the most important thing you wanted to know when you were interviewing wedding photographers?

Please let us know if you have any questions!

3 Essential questions to ask when choosing your wedding photographer

January 26, 2017 | 4 Comments

I love this time of year of year because I get to talk with newly engaged brides and find out how they fell in love, walk them through a detailed timeline, and just help them sort through the most important factors in choosing their wedding photographer. Do you know the 3 most important things when choosing a photographer for your wedding? Each couple is unique but there are 3 things that I tell every single couple.

These 3 things are the most essential questions to ask yourself when your wedding photographer; the person or persons who will capture the memories of this day and turn your love story into heirloom art. There are of course other logistical questions to ask which we’ll get into in a later blog post but these are the big ticket crucial items.

Do you love their style? Photography is many things. It’s technical. It’s emotional. It’s a business. But most importantly it is a form of creative expression. It is ART. Any photographer that is charging for their services should have a set style. They can customize to your particular loves but they are an artist and will (or at least should) have a distinct style. It should be consistent in the work you see. You should be able to know that what you see on their website will be consistent with what you will get. You have to LOVE it. It needs to speak to you on a level that makes your heart feel the way you feel when you look at your fiance and imagine why you have to spend the rest of your life with that person! When all is said and done the photographs are all that’s leftover after the celebration.
Do you like the photographer? I have referred brides to other photographers knowing that our personalities wouldn’t mesh well. Your photographer, no matter how unassuming they are, will be with you all day long. On The. Most. Important. Day. Of. Your. Life. If they get on your nerves do you really want them there while you’re getting ready to walk down the aisle?
Do they offer an experience that fits your needs? Photography studios are businesses. They have business plans and business models. Just as you wouldn’t go to Walmart for a high end sweater and incredible customer service you wouldn’t go to Nordstrom’s for a quick t-shirt for a weekend painting job!

How much service and help do you want from your photographer? What is their business model? We really focus on the service and creating an incredible experience. Other photographers will show up, take some photos and hand you a disc at the end. What are you looking for? What do you plan to do with your images? What do you want to get out of the images and photographs from your wedding?
These are the 3 most essential items to ask when choosing your wedding photographer! Leave a comment with your thoughts or drop us a line with any questions!

Best!

~Krystal & Dan

Roll with Life – Glens Falls, NY Family Session

November 16, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Sometimes you just gotta roll with life. I think there’s something about lemons there. …When you have your family session all planned out and then it snows 2 days before what do you do?! You just go with it! It wasn’t warm but we still had a ton of fun! It’s a good thing these kids belong to a photographer!! They know the drill.

Where we thought the snow might ruin the gorgeous location we had planned it actually only added to the beauty!

Love the outfits that the amazing Erin from Erin Marie Photography chose for her family!

glens falls lifestyle photographer

Daddy Daughter Session – Saratoga Springs, NY

October 27, 2016 | Leave a Comment

As a talented budding photographer D wanted to give a photoshoot to her Dad for Father’s Day. They chose to have their Daddy Daughter session in the fall to catch the colors. Boy did they choose the perfect day! We met at Saratoga Spa State park in Saratoga Springs, NY on a weekday afternoon. Did I mention they couldn’t have chosen a more perfect day? Perfect colors! Perfect Fall light! Perfect temp! We just walked and talked about life and photography. I love just watching a parent and child interact and laugh together. I have been photographing this beautiful person since she was just a little girl. Now look at her! She is kind, smart, and so much fun! What a joy it is to watch her grow! Perfect young teen make-up done by the amazing Crystal Gardner (D’s Mom!). Love how it gave her a gorgeous pop of color but was just the right amount for her age. Amazing as always Crystal!

Queensbury, NY – Senior Year

September 21, 2016 | 6 Comments

When my Dan was a teenager a little baby was named after him. A pretty cool honor. Fast forward and here we have Dan K who is now in his Senior year at Queensbury High School in Upstate New York. Dan and Dan have become amazing friends and it has been a delight to watch him through the years. When we started talking senior pictures Dan wasn’t sure what he wanted but then he came up with the amazing idea to utilize his bass instrument, his Rugby uniform, and his love of weight lifting. It was REALLY hard to narrow down for this Sneak Peek! Dan has so many different incredible smiles! There wasn’t even room here for one of his big infectious smiles in this blog post so you’ll have to keep an eye out for those to pop up on Instagram in the near future! Here’s to a great Senior Year!

Traveled to Alaska

August 15, 2016 | Leave a Comment

This is one of those sessions where I just don’t know where to start. I traveled to Alaska for many different reasons. One of these was to photograph a few families. This was the third time that I photographed this family and the first time that Dan was able to come with me. He had seen past session photos. He had heard me tell stories. This time he got to meet them! When the little boy cries because you are leaving (well because Dan was leaving) and when you are editing the images you laugh and awww your whole way through, that’s when you remember…really remember why you do what you do. This family has brought me so much joy and in return I have been able to give them the precious gift of memories that will never disappear or even fade. It was an absolute joy to introduce them to Dan and to see their new home and meet all their furry friends! I didn’t want to leave and I can’t thank them enough for welcoming us!

Seward, Alaska

August 12, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Laura was my middle school volleyball coach – her daughters in school around the same time as me. I learned so much from her about volleyball, working hard, and life in general. She was always there and supportive. What a treasure it was to meet her grandkids and photograph them. How gorgeous is this backdrop? Bear Lake in the Seward Alaska area is incredible! When I pictured photographing families in Seward this is exactly the background I was hoping for. Wow! I think I should do travel sessions in Alaska more often! Enjoy this sneak peak guys!

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