Katie and Chris are having a spring wedding and will be exchanging vows on April 30th.

Rachel and David will tie the knot on July 30th.

For the first installment of Truly Beautiful in 2011, meet Lindsey and Drew.  They’ll be Mr. and Mrs. on June 5th. 

I would have to wonder if they would be able to handle my unruly clan, if they would be sweet to my parents and patient with my nieces and nephews.  And of course, I would have to wonder how their camera was set, why they chose a particular pose, or if they had a wide enough lens and big enough lights to handle a formal family portrait with 35 people.  I would have to sit on my hands and wonder if they were worthy of documenting one of the most important days in my brother and sister’s lives.

And that, my friends, would be excruciating. 

I will not be in a pew watching my father walk my baby sister down the aisle.   I’ll be crouched in the aisle, watching through my lens.   I will not be standing in a line with a dollar, waiting my turn to dance with my youngest brother.  I’ll be hovering off to his left, watching through my lens.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Although you’ll have to be patient to see their weddings, you can see their engagement sessions right now.  My brother Bill and his fiance Emily came to Minneapolis for their engagement shoot.  My sister Sara and her fiance Steven had their e-session at my parents’ farm in rural North Dakota.    

And I don’t know why I was surprised when I met them for their engagement session.  Andrew was the man who planned not one, not two, but three elaborate engagement scenarios.  It should have made complete sense that when we met at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina (the site of the third and final plan) for their engagement session that we were greeted by the most kick-butt limo I have ever seen.  Fins and flames, folks, fins and flames.  I forgot to breath for a few seconds when the cracked-out stretch limo with vintage fins, chrome a-go-go, and a front end full of red and orange flames pulled up.  Andrew had told me they were going to hire a limo, but he didn’t me it would be this limo!

But things worth having are worth waiting for – we put off shots with the limo until the end of the shoot.  Before we could get to the car, we had to get through the park, which was much harder than it might seem.  Each time we thought we’d found all the great spots, more spots would present themselves, and then more after that.

It’s easy to see why it’s their favorite park.  It’s gorgeous, well-planned, and perfectly maintained.  Most importantly, the park is meaningful to them.  They’ve spent many a weekend afternoon strolling around the ponds, and now when they visit the park, they’ll always think about the night they got engaged there.   They’ll probably walk to the exact spot, smooch a bunch, and think about how much they love the person standing in front of them and how grateful they are for that love. 

Love makes us all grateful, doesn’t it?  Now get away from the computer and go smooch the one you’re grateful for.  Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

As if you couldn’t tell, I’m not a big fan of winter. I don’t like snow.  I don’t like being cold.  I don’t like winter tires, window scrappers, gloves, hats, salted roads, puffy winter coats, four-wheel drive and anything else that has to do with trying to keep the elements from killing me.

But I love fall.  And I will miss it dearly.  The gorgeous colors, 60 degree days, yummy sunset light, and the smell of fallen leaves all have a special place in my heart, and as such, they deserve a tribute.   And what better tribute is there than images of folks in love (really – what else did you expect from me)?  Here are a few of my favorite fall engagement session images.

Sara & Joe's Engagement Session in Loring Park, Minneapolis MN

Caitlin and Jesse's Engagement Session in St. Anthony/Main Minneapolis, MN

When I shot their engagement session at the Peace Gardens at Lake Harriet, I knew that they were my kind of couple.  They’re fun, genuine, don’t take themselves too seriously, and are perfectly at ease with being schmoopy in front of the camera.  They’re the kind of couple that I can put in good light, take a step back, and give them a two-word direction: snuggle up.   And they are champion snuggle-up-ers.  

Although I would have been more than happy to photograph Erin and Brian in the basement of the local VFW, when I met them at the Calhoun Beach Club for their final consultation, my jaw literally dropped.  It’s a beautiful facility with a very unique style.  Elegant and contemporary with an abundance of natural light, I became positively giddy thinking of all the possibilities.  As fellow photographer Michael Overbeek recently quoted from Top Gun – it’s a “target rich environment.”

Of all the places I’ve photographed, there are only a handful that really put attention and thought into the bride’s room.  The bride’s room in Calhoun Beach Club is one of the loveliest I have ever seen.  It has four separate stations for hair/make-up, gorgeous mirrors, two beautiful white couches with crisp clean lines, and ornamental hooks  high on the wall, perfectly placed for handing a wedding dress. 

But even better than being a gorgeous building with beautiful light and a lovely bride’s room, The Calhoun Beach Club has personal significance to Erin and Brian.   This is where their story began.  Right outside the gated pool area is where they spoke to each other for the first time.  So of course on their wedding day, to bring their story full circle and pay homage to the god of symmetry, we had to sneak away for a few minutes and go to the place where it all started. 

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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’d like to say the answer came to me in a flash, that I have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the engagement session locations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and that there exists no question my gigantic brain can’t answer  – but none of these would be true.  I am, however, smart enough to put stock in the saying that no one of us is smarter than all of us.  I asked my photographer friends for suggestions, and they led me to the Landmark Center in St. Paul.  Of course I’ve photographed weddings there, but I wasn’t aware of how open the facility is to other types of photography sessions.

The Landmark was extremely accommodating.  Professional photographers are welcome to use the premises as long as they check in at the front desk, be respectful of the facility, and not hinder others’ enjoyment of the building.  I was even invited to call ahead and find which days would have the least amount of scheduled activities.

Throughout the engagement session, Betsy and Jason could not have been sweeter or better sports. I dragged them all over that building and asked them to do all kinds of crazy things like lay on the floor, stand over me, and fake-movie-kiss.  When we were done with the inside shots, the weather actually cooperated enough for us to move the session outdoors to Rice Park.  Again, Betsy and Jason were game for anything I asked, and before I knew it, two hours had passed! 

Even though I’m not still harboring jealousy of their Hawaii wedding, I am hoping that they’ll show some of the outdoor images at the reception.  There’s nothing like looking at rosy cheeks and snow to make you appreciate grass skirts and drinks in coconuts.BetsyJason_Blog_001 BetsyJason_Blog_002 BetsyJason_Blog_003 BetsyJason_Blog_004 BetsyJason_Blog_005 BetsyJason_Blog_006 BetsyJason_Blog_007 BetsyJason_Blog_008 BetsyJason_Blog_009 BetsyJason_Blog_010 BetsyJason_Blog_011 BetsyJason_Blog_012 BetsyJason_Blog_013 BetsyJason_Blog_014

Love it or leave it.

The absolutely most important, top of the list, highest priority step for getting the most out of your wedding photography investment is to hire the photographer you love.  I cannot stress enough that saving a few hundred bucks is not worth getting stuck with images you’re not proud to display in your home and show to your family and friends.  Love it or leave it.  It’s that’s simple.

A zillion uses for engagement session photographs

If your photographer includes an engagement session, take advantage it!  An E-session is a must-have for a number of reasons: 1) It gives you a chance to get comfy with the process and the person.  Then when the big day arrives your photographer will know what you like, and you’ll be more at ease knowing you’re in good hands.  Less stress is best! 2) Engagement images are great for guest books, save-the-date items, place cards, centerpieces, programs, slide shows, signature mats – the list goes on and on. 3) Besides the zillions of wedding uses, it’s always nice to have portraits in your home of you and your honey in “regular” clothes. 

Keep your honey sweet by keeping your time line on track.

Work with your photographer to plan a realistic time line and stick to it.  Your photographer will know how much time to schedule for portraits, and you’d be well served to take his or her advice.  Few things can turn up the stress levels more than running behind schedule and trying to cram everything in to whatever time you have left. You’ll be stressed.  You friends and family will be stressed.  And your honey will cease to be as sweet.   Schedule in a little “just-in-case” time here and there to be on the safe side. 

Crowd Control

When you meet with your photographer for your final consultation, be sure to discuss your expectations for formal family and bridal party portraits.  I’m a big fan of utilizing a shot list for formals because it makes sure everybody’s on the same page, helps determine the amount of time needed, and addresses the additional time and considerations that might be needed to accommodate small children, divorces and physical or mental challenges.  If your photographer doesn’t work with an assistant, enlisting the help of a friend or family member that knows most of the people involved can help keep groups under control.  Additionally, it allows your photographer to concentrate on creating the images rather than tracking down the subjects.

It pays to be a blabbermouth.

Communication is vitally important to your time line and to your wedding day sanity.   Talk to your hair and make-up vendors about how much time they’ll need.  Talk to your florist about when your photography coverage begins.  Talk to your family and bridal party members about when they’ll need to be ready and where you’ll need them to be for portraits. Talk to your ceremony coordinator about when you can arrive and when you need to be out the door.  Talk to your DJ about when the first dances take place.  Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, repeat. 

Divide and conquer

This is your day but you’ll be sacrificing chunks of hair to the stress gods if you try to do it all yourself.  Delegation is your salvation.  Delegate tasks to the people in your family and bridal party that your can trust to follow through.  Better yet, involve a wedding planner.  Some companies offer smaller “day of” packages if you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative.

Practice makes perfect

Utilize trial runs for your hair, make-up and attire.  It’s better to find out in advance how long each task takes, how your veil works with your hair, and how well your make-up holds up throughout the day.  Try on your dress with all your accessories, including undergarments, shoes and jewelry.  Make sure you can sit, stand, walk, bend, lean forward, raise your hands over your head, and even dip and jump to make sure that everything moves when it should and stays put when it should.

Make-up Malcontents

If you’ve ever seen photographs were it looks like someone’s make-up was a few shades too light, the culprit was most likely SPF.  Although SPF is a definitely a “do” on every other day of your life, for your wedding, it’s best to avoid lotions and make-up with SPF.  It reflects light differently from skin without SPF, which can cause that oddly mismatched look.

Similarly, avoid other products that reflect light like body glitter, lip gloss and shimmery eye shadows.  These products can create “specular highlights,” which in non-photographer speak means “white dots” on your images. 

 Obviously, no one wants to look like a raccoon after a good boo-hoo, but you can do better than waterproof mascara.  I’m talking about fake eyelashes, ladies.  Get them.  Wear them. Love them.  You can even have your own eye-lashes dyed!  Will wonders never cease? 

For additional wedding make-up tips, check out these articles by Annalise Kaylor.  I was lucky enough to photograph her wedding, and I can attest to the fact that her make-up was the picture of perfection.   As both an author and an extremely talented make-up artist, this girl knows her stuff!

Tanning: Friend or Foe?

The answer, with a doubt, is foe!  Tanning is not your friend.  It is an evil, evil liar.  It’ll whisper sweet promises of a more gorgeous you, but when you’re not looking, it’ll punch you in the gut and run away with your youth. I’ve sat in front of my computer until my eyes are on the verge on bleeding retouching tan lines, wrinkles, yucky skin texture, and shades of orange that don’t occur naturally within the human race.  This tan-ban includes fake tans, too, folks.  They’re notorious for being splotchy and even worse than regular tans for producing weird-o orange tones.  Your best bet is to make friends with your natural skin tone and kick that nasty, evil tan to the curb.

Drink, drank, drunk in photos.

If your rehearsal dinner is the night before, keep the cocktails in check.  A hangover is not an accessory you want to be wearing on your wedding day.  It doesn’t look good, and it sure as shoot doesn’t feel good.  Additionally, try to refrain from pulling out all the party stops until the reception.  Whether you want to believe it or not, drunk shows.  And it does not photograph well.