December 15th, 2009 — Wedding Photography
These guys know how to put together a wedding video! Check out the camera angles, the use of the steadicam, amazing editing, music and effects. Not only that, this looks like it was a really fun wedding! I understand they had 20 people in their wedding party and practiced for over a month.
This wedding video was done by Stillmotion from Toronto, Canada. Check out their other amazing work on their blog.
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the triple threat sde // parts one and two from stillmotion on Vimeo.
October 28th, 2009 — Wedding Photography
Well, I am back from St. Louis, and I had a wonderful time! It is truly an enchanting city. And let me just say love is certainly in the air in St. Louis. As a matter of fact this was one place I didn’t have to go looking for weddings; I was bumping into them all over town. But I am getting ahead of myself, let me just back up and start from the beginning.
We stayed at the lovely Crowne Plaza located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The hotel was beautiful, the service was impeccable, and the view (the Mississippi River and the Gateway Arch) from our room was amazing. This picture was sunrise from our room. The feature I loved most was the Atrium Lobby lounge if you are planning an event. I think this is a perfect place for guests to gather for any occasion. We met our friends here and ended up spending the afternoon, it has such a comfortable atmosphere.
Then we set out to explore the riverfront (tons of restaurants and nightlife) while walking through the park we came across a bride and groom having their wedding photos taken. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and so was the bride. These magnificent trees provided the back drop and the fallen autumn leaves were at her feet. It was the perfect location for fall wedding photos. But the next location I was about to discover was even more surprising.
Kiener Plaza, turns out to be overwhelmingly popular for wedding photos, so much so, that the wedding parties were literally lined up. I was surrounded by weddings! It was wonderful! I found a seat on a park bench and just soaked it all in. Each wedding party had its own style, of course, so I got the chance to see an array of bridal gowns, hair styles, and shoes, I could go on and on. I spoke with a photographer (in line) and she told me every Saturday from May through October there is a steady flow of weddings coming to the plaza for photos.
Now that you know where to get your wedding photos taken you need to find a place for your reception. There are several first class hotels right near the riverfront and Keiner Plaza including the Crowne Plaza, the Hyatt, the Hilton and others. You can also check out the list over at mywedding.com.
Stay tuned I have a bunch of blog post ideas in the works. Check back in or subscribe to our feed!
Rhonda
May 14th, 2008 — Wedding Photography
Unless you were recommended a good wedding photographer by a trusted friend, finding a good wedding photographer is probably one of the scariest decisions you can make planning your wedding. After all, when the wedding is over all you will have are your memories and hopefully some beautiful pictures to help you remember your ceremony and reception! Pretty important stuff!
So, what can you do to better your chances of getting a good photographer? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a certification process from a respected group? Maybe one that was recognized as the Knot’s Best of Weddings 2008, Best of City Search 2008, Photo District News Top Knots, and is a certified member of Here Comes the Guide?
Bella Pictures has certified photographers across the United States that pass a rigorous certification process and their work is 100% guaranteed!
You can check out their website to find out more about how they operate, but it looks pretty good!
This picture above is from the Bella Pictures website.
September 10th, 2007 — Wedding Photography
Okay ladies, Our Wedding Plus is going to be rated PG-13 today. Do you want to give your new husband a gift that he will never forget? Maybe even shock his socks off?!? Well here’s something different that some brides are doing. It’s a form of wedding photography called Boudoir photography. You can look at it as kind of a new slant on the old bridal portrait.
Boudoir pictures are taken wearing little or nothing at all but they are not taken in a way that would make them X-rated! They are typically done in a suggestive / sexy way. Just be careful you might not impress the mother of the groom if she gets her hands on them!
Why do this? Well maybe you want to document all the hard work you put into your body getting ready for the wedding or you just want to give your groom a unique wedding gift.
Some variants on bridal boudoir photos are couples boudoir photos or even having the bride with all her bridesmaids together! Not sure what you would do with those photos, but I don’t think I’d want to give them to my new husband!
These photos were taken by Danielle Biel, a very talented photographer and owner of Skye Blue Photography from Pasadena, Ca. Daniel also has a great blog, check it out to see more of her work.
June 6th, 2007 — Jasmine Star, Wedding Photography
There is nothing I love more than walking into a bridal suite and see a stunning wedding gown begging to be photographed. And let’s not forget the shoes! When I see a shimmering pair of Jimmy Choo’s or a strappy pair of Manolo Blahnik’s, my camera wants to jump out of my hands and start snapping away.
I often encourage my clients to allot a little time for me to photograph their wedding details—the flowers, the shoes, the boutonnière, the centerpieces. All the wedding accoutrements that make their special day different from someone else’s. Essentially, the details are the wedding Jello molds left for guests to long remember after the day has passed.
In the most recent edition of Bride and Bloom Magazine, I wrote an article on wedding fashion and how brides have to make it truly reflect their personalities. Here’s a snippet of the editorial: Just like a thumbprint is indicative of your identity, your sense of style is indicative of your personality. On your wedding day, a stylistic thumbprint will be left for all your guests to see, so you have to be sure every detail conveys the same thing and truly reflects your personality. Even if it means wearing goulashes or retro platforms as you walk down the aisle.
Here are a few helpful tips in planning a little detail time for your wedding photographer:
• Have everything you’d like photographed (e.g. dress, veil, rings, shoes, etc.) ready and organized for the photographer. This will make things so much smoother and time effective.
• Try to allot ten minutes before the grand entrance so the photographer can capture table shots—images of your centerpieces and favors—and seating arrangement details before guests place personal items on their seats during the reception.
• Be sure and talk with your photographer about special touches and sentimental considerations. For instance, are you wearing your great-grandmother’s broach? Are you releasing love-birds? Are the groom’s cufflinks an heirloom?
These are just a few suggestions to make your wedding photography more comprehensive and unique. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email!
–Jasmine Star
Website: Jasmine Star Photography
Blog: Jasmiine Star Blog
May 10th, 2007 — Jasmine Star, Wedding Photography
There she stood. Center stage. The overhead spotlights pointed down on the soft curls that draped her shoulders. She had been smiling for so long her cheeks looked exhausted and the creases along her eyes became pronounced. Her new husband rubbed her neck as she waited for the next round of family members to take their places on each side of her and the groom. Once everyone is arranged, the camera crackles a few times and documents the moment…for only the bride to look and count at least six more groups of people who are waiting for formal portraits.
This is not merely a story. It’s a scene that is played again and again at weddings across the nation. So often the bride and groom lose precious time together and/or enjoying the simple moments of their day to the notion that formal portraits with many people is a necessity. As a wedding photographer, I encourage my clients to keep family formal portraits to a bare minimum…and by this I mean keeping group shots exactly that: group shots. 
Often times there’s a silent pressure to capture every possible portrait combination (i.e. Groom with aunt and uncle, Groom with aunt, Groom with uncle, Groom with maternal cousins, Groom with paternal cousins, etc.), but in reality those pictures are harbored away because people don’t want to remember a single person in a single moment, they want to remember everyone captured as a sliver of their wedding day…more like a delicious side dish to a wonderful meal instead of focaccia bread that’s served at the beginning as a stale filler.
I encourage brides to set aside a large portion of time to spend alone with their groom and photographer. During your first few moments as husband and wife, make sure the photographer can capture the joy and elation of the day without pressure from family members rushing to get to the cocktail hour. Afterall, most couples want a wedding album with a mix of candid and traditional photographs of them on their wedding day…and not pages of formal pictures and poses. A wedding album is the first heirloom a couple will create for future generations, so I want to stress the importance of giving enough time to relax with the photographer and capture timeless moments as husband and wife.
Be sure to take a step back and decide in advance exactly what formal portraits you want captured…and then set aside time to enjoy your wedding day with your new spouse and photographer. You’ll be able to look back at see the delicious fruits of your decisions for years to come!
–Jasmine Star
Website: Jasmine Star Photography
Blog: Jasmiine Star Blog
April 30th, 2007 — Jasmine Star, Wedding Photography
I’m so blessed. And not in the clichéd kind of blessed. I mean the real, down-home, 110% blessed. I’m a wedding photographer and I couldn’t picture a better profession in the world. Not only am I privileged to document the most important day of a bride and groom’s life, I’m able to meet the most amazing families, experience the amorous vows of two people pledging their lives to each other, and eat wedding cake at the end of the night! Like I said, I’m blessed.
I want to thank Rhonda for inviting me to be a blog contributor and it’s my goal to offer sound wedding photography advice every week. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment box…creating dialogue between industry professionals and clientele is imperative to developing stronger cords of communication. So don’t hesitate to speak your mind, vent, or just drop a lil’ warm-n-fuzzy 
THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Often times, I’m asked by my clients the importance of an engagement session and whether it’s necessary. I could expound in great detail about the vitality of an engagement session, but for brevity’s sake, I’ll keep my encouragement to three main points:
1. Workin’ Out the Kinks…
At almost every engagement shoot, my clients will initially appear awkward and uncomfortable in front of the camera…and this is totally understandable! It’s not the norm to coquettishly interact in front of a lens, much less kiss in front of a photographer. During the engagement session, I’m able to stand back and watch the dynamic of my clients’ relationship, as well as photojournalistically capture their personalities. By the end of the shoot, my clients are laughing, enjoying the simple moments, and just being themselves. My goal is to show up to a wedding and have the bride and groom feel like I’m just a friend with a professional camera.
2. Do You Trust Me?
An engagement session proffers the opportunity for my clients to trust me. Really, really trust me. I’ve asked clients to run along the Pacific shore fully clothed, kiss in front of brightly-colored dumpsters, and lay on the ground in public spaces…I’ve pretty much asked my clients to relinquish their preconceived notions of photography and let me take the reigns. After the engagement session is commenced, and the pictures are produced, my clients are able to see from my mind’s eye. They know when they’re wedding day arrives, if I ask them to do something out-of-the-ordinary, I have their best interests in mind…and the pictures will prove trust was the cornerstone of our relationship.
3. For Posterity’s Sake
An engagement session is the most fun way to document my clients’ personalities. It’s not often when people have professional pictures taken, so I try to maintain a level of normalcy with each shoot. I always have my clients choose the photography location and encourage them to go somewhere that truly reflects their love for one another. This is the best way to capture emotion because they’re comfortable in their surroundings, allowing them to be real. After all, pictures are but a brief moment frozen in time…capturing who my clients are for the posterity of their family and future generations.
-Jasmine Star
Website: Jasmine Star Photography
Blog: Jasmine Star Photography Blog
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