Have you ever had a day that goes so well you can barely contain yourself, that you have to pick up the phone, post on your Facebook, grab your honey, or dig out the diary and just tell someone? Well, folks, I had one of those days, and I’m picking up the phone. Ring, Ring. It’s me, Gina.
I met with Alissa and Mike Thursday afternoon for a final consultation for their July 17th wedding. I love final consultations because it gives me a chance to get all wrapped up in the excitement of their upcoming wedding. We talked about all their details, from getting ready, to what to “borrow”, to first dances. They’re such a great couple, and gorgeous to boot, that I cannot wait to photograph them again. We shot their engagement session at St. Anthony Main in the fall, and the image I’ve posted below is a perfect introduction to them as a couple: smiling, laughing, playful, and all-around adorable.
I am not exaggerating when I say this, even though I am a big fan of hyperbole, but if I didn’t know any better, I would think a photographer planned their wedding. They opted to do a first look and see each other beforehand (insert giant “YAY” here). They’ve allowed for plenty of time before the ceremony for photography, and additional time after the ceremony! They even have a balanced number of groomsmen, bridesmaids, and ushers (4,4,2), which makes the symmetry-loving part of me jump for joy. And it gets even better – their reception is at the Northland Inn, the same place my husband and I had our reception six and a half years ago.
Really – how did I get this lucky?
And there’s more!
That same evening I met Chriss and Brian for the first time. From our e-mails, I could tell that Brian is a fellow photographer, and he knows his stuff. I can say with certainty that he is the first groom to tell me that he likes the way I “work with light and shadow” and my “judicious use of shallow depth-of-field.” I couldn’t have been more pleased if he told me I was the spitting image of Angelina Jolie.
After chatting about her favorite images, Chriss and I got sidetracked onto a conversation about giant purses after she made reference to my “about me” page and the fact that I keep a tape measure in my purse. Talking shop about photography and discussing the merits of gigantor purses in the same meeting? These are my kind of people!
But we didn’t just talk about camera gear and handbags. We talked about the great light in the Landmark Center, the gorgeous rooms at the St. Paul Hotel, the dueling pianos that will be playing at their reception, table cakes, Brian’s grandmother’s ring, and their “grand entrance” into the reception while Chriss’s friend, a professional jazz vocalist, sings “At Last.” Doesn’t this wedding sound fantastic? Don’t you wish you could go?
Be prepared to be jealous – I get to go to this wedding and photograph all of it. Seriously – how did I get this lucky?
And just when you think there couldn’t possibly be more, there’s more. That same day my precious was delivered to my door : a brand new, completely awesome, fully adjustable Dedo LedZilla video light. I had to take a break from writing this blog to play with it. Believe me when I tell you that this light is a-maz-z-zing! I am in love.
So that was my day, folks, awesome from beginning to end. Thanks for picking up the phone and listening; I’ll call you again later.
 
I had the pleasure of photographing these adorable sisters in their home. A home portrait session is a great way to eliminate some of the pressures involved with typical portraits. You don’t have to pack the car with snacks, extra outfits, toys, diapers, bottles, blankies, and the ever-critical spare nuk. There’s no hectic drive to get there at the perfect time – not early enough for the kids to get restless and not so late that you miss the window of happy time between naps and snacks.
Some children are more comfortable in their own home. A dark studio can be scary for some wee ones, but their own bedroom is always a safe and snuggly refuge. They can be themselves. Jump on their beds. Show me their favorite toys. Show me their expert swinging and hula-hooping techniques. In short, kids get to be kids. And I kind of get to be one too.
Did I not just blog that there would be good things to come? It must be true that if you put a little gratitude out into the universe, it comes back to you. I posted my gratitude-fest in the grossly early hours of Tuesday morning, and later that day, wouldn’t you know it, my friend and fellow photographer, David Grupa, called to tell me that my album entry, “It Starts With a Kiss,” was accepted into the Loan Collection of the PPA International Photographic Competition. Yep – I n t e r n a t i o n a l. That’s Big-Time-Charlie, folks!
And now for a little more gratitude – Alicia Oppelt Musselman. BEST ASSISTANT EVER! Hands down; no contest. She rocks, and she may be a little bit psychic because she has a freaky way of completing tasks I haven’t even asked her to do yet. And if there are any photographers out there with notions of whisking her away, think twice. I am not above biting. She makes it possible for me to focus on creating images instead of where I left my light meter.
David Grupa and Erin Dunn - thank you both for telling me to quit being such a wimp and just enter the album already.
I haven’t posted in awhile, and I hope you’ll forgive me. Especially when I tell you that I have a very good reason. No, my dog did not eat my computer, although if that old goat was still around, I wouldn’t put it past him (may his slobbery doggie soul rest in peace).
Some of you already know that my man and I recently moved, which involved a large explosion of boxes, a few broken pieces of furniture, numberous vanishing critical items, and four plastic tubs labeled ”sentimental crap.”
We moved on a Friday morning. I shot an engagement session that Friday night. I made an insignificant dent in the box explosion Saturday. I spend Sunday morning in the emergency room, Sunday afternoon in surgery, and Sunday night somewhere in la-la land. I was released Monday afternoon, minus one very disgruntled appendix. I spent the next two days looking at boxes I was not allowed to move. On Thursday, my assistant Alicia drove us to Rochester. On Friday we started shooting at 10 am, and we packed our bags to go at 10 pm.
I’ll tell you the same thing I told my mom: Don’t worry. I heal like a champ.
But now that all the boxes are unpacked and the incisions are healed, it’s time for a little gratitude party.
I’m grateful for my man. I woke up to him petting my head. Pure heaven.
I’m grateful for all the incredibly talented and caring nurses and doctors at St. John’s.
I’m grateful for my awesome father-in-law, who helped me pick up Craigslist shelves I needed to contain the box explosion.
I’m grateful for all my family and friends who called, e-mailed, texted, Facebooked and visited me.
I’m grateful for my wonderful, fabulous assistant Alicia. I would have been eating Vicodin like Skittles if she wasn’t at that wedding.
I’m grateful it didn’t happen during a wedding and that I had a few days to heal before I did have a wedding.
I’m grateful to have the MNPPA. If my appendix hadn’t been so considerate in it’s timing, the MNPPA would have helped me find someone to cover my weddings.
And even though I already mentioned him once, I’m grateful for my man.
Now that I’m right as rain again and all nestled into my new digs, keep an eye out for upcoming posts. There’s good things to come, my friends.
I finally had some time today to unpack my awards, lovingly Windex them and give them a good home next to last year’s awards. And I can’t lie; I had a really good time doing it. It was pretty awesome.
But then something happened that was even better.
My part of the story begins on Wednesday night. I had missed a call from Meghan, and she left a voicemail asking me if I had June 4th, 2011 available, and if not, what days did I have open. As a photographer, I’m usually the third down on the list to be booked, after ceremony and reception venues. But Meghan had called to ask me what dates I had available! Pretty great, right? Wait. It gets better.
I called Meghan back yesterday, and we set up a time to meet today. She and Andrew came to my home office, I tempted them with some delicious banana nut muffins I had just made, and we sat down to chat.
I started by asking them all kinds of questions, like how long have you been together, where did you meet, and how did you get engaged. Remember, I’m a complete push over for love. I want to hear every mushy detail and get swept up in their story.
And they had some great stories.
Andrew had not one, not two, but three engagement stories. He planned an elaborate gondola ride where his friends would hold “will you marry me” signs on a bridge. The weather ruined that plan, and then there was the small matter of getting a ring.
He planned a trip to Mexico, involving gorgeous beaches, music lofting out over the water, and pirate ships on the horizon. A behind-schedule jeweler, FedEx and Mexican customs ruined that plan.
When he finally did get the ring, he had it hidden in various drawers for over a month. Meghan nearly found it on multiple occasions. Finally, the stress of keeping it hidden was too much. He came up with a new plan. On Tuesday he had flowers sent to their favorite park, he got down on one knee, and he asked.
She said yes.
Then she asked him if it was too late to call me.
While Andrew had been crafting all these wonderfully romantic plans, Meghan had spent months and months looking at my work. She had seen my Facebook fan page on one of her friend’s pages. She followed it to my website. She followed my website to my blog. And she called me the day after she said yes – before the ceremony site, before the reception venue. She called me first. And that, boys and girls, feels a million times better than Windexing a shelf of awards.
« Older posts
|
no comments