Very soon Bailey is taking off for a month to strut her stuff on the US's biggest stage - New York City. But before that happens she met up with me and my camera to strut around downtown Denver for an awesome Senior photo shoot! WORK IT!
Deep in the darkest jungle lurks... a Senior!
What's sunnier and happier? The sunflower, or Bailey's smile! :)
I think I might have accidentally captured Bailey adjusting her shirt - but I LOVE this one!!
Oh, heck, I love all of 'em!
This might be my favorite... (SO glad you joined us, Paige!!)
This one stands out - it's the only one like this from the entire session. Such a sweet look!
And here's a new technique. Bailey let me mess around for a few minutes at the end of the session as I attempted something completely fresh here... This is, approximately, 60 separate photos merged into one!
To see more of my favorites and Bailey totally rockin' the camera, start the show!
Engagement Session in Boulder - Kate and Drew Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - Weddings & Clients
Kate and Drew (and their coordinator - Julie!) are planning the most incredible wedding in Kate's parents' backyard. It's so unique, personal, intimate, and spectacular - this little backyard paradise of theirs - and so when it came time for their engagement session it was an easy decision to pick a location!
Sipping wine and martinis at this little table on a wonderful summer evening = priceless!
Kate always seems to be full of joy and ready to laugh. Drew always seems ready to make her laugh. :)
The reflection here is the bird bath. If you look closely you can see that I worked a little trickery into it by combining two separate photos... ;)
Kate's favorite spot in this little backyard paradise is the archway covered thick in leafy ivy. It's under here that the cake will sit on their wedding day - but today it's a perfect spot for the two of them to cuddle.
Congratulations on the engagement - and I simply can't wait for the wedding in July!
Makin' My Monday! (The Tablet Edition) Monday, June 29, 2009 - Photography
About two months ago I did a post here about a photo booth that I set up at a wedding. A couple of days later I posted instructions on how photographers could do their own. I've received a bunch of great feedback on the photobooth - emails and phone calls, etc. - and I would love to be able to share more tips for other photographers out there. I simply enjoy 'talking shop'!!
So, I've been brainstorming this idea for what (hopefully) will become a regular feature here - and I'm calling it 'Makin' My Monday'. In these posts I want to just briefly hit some aspect of my business that makes everything work how I want it to! It could be equipment, software, people - anything that is essential to Jared Wilson Photography. I'd love some feedback either in the comments or via a direct email about what you would like to know about - or any questions you might have, etc.
For this first edition, though, I wanted to mention this little device. Quite simply, if some thief entered my office (heaven forbid!) and made away with everything, this device here is one of the VERY FIRST things I would go purchase after covering what might be understood as generic 'essentials' (ie, a new computer). You might think this is some sort of extra, like a 'take it or leave it' kinda thing - but I'm telling you, I simply could not do what I do without it!! So, what is it? It's the Wacom Intuos Tablet!
There is just no way I could do what I do with a mouse! Even worse would be trying to do what I do while rubbing my fingers around on a notebook trackpad! This pen let's me be an artist. It's like having a pen or a pencil, or even a paintbrush. You want artistic images? Well, 85% of that happens at the shoot, but the final 15% is accomplished with the assistance of this pen tablet.
The concept is quite simple really - interact with your computer via pen instead of a mouse. You move the pen above the tablet with your hand, letting the pen just hover over the tablet, being careful not to 'touch' it until your cursor is over the spot you want to 'click on'. But with this pen you don't click - when the cursor is there you just touch the pen to the tablet and it does what 'clicking' would do. Sends your email, activates your photoshop action, etc. Tap twice on the tablet and you open folders, etc. Where it comes in really handy is when you are working on photos and trying to do subtle things to manipulate the image. The pen gives you that control. Imagine Van Gogh painting 'Irises' with a mouse or a trackball - he might've just cut off his other ear or some other appendage with the amount of frustration that would surely cause. For me, it's the same way. There's is no way a mouse could do the trick...
Right after I click 'buy' at the Apple store for a new Mac Pro, I'd be clicking 'buy' over at Wacom. If the computer got here a day earlier than the tablet I would probably have to wait to boot it up until I had my pen in hand. :) Now, I have the 'old' version three I believe (Large Edition) and it looks like version 4 is now out. Beautiful!
St Andrews Wedding - Erin and Ted Thursday, June 25, 2009 - Weddings & Clients
It was here, at St Andrews, where, during their high school years, Erin and Ted first met. By the time they had reached their Senior year - it was official - and they were 'together', forever. Fast forward a few years and we arrive at their wedding day where Erin and Ted were married at the place it all began. St Andrews School (where 'Dead Poets Society' was filmed) - in Middletown, Delaware.
...and Valentino shoes. (Stay tuned for a photo of these items again 'after the flood'!)
Erin and Ted had one of the most touching 'First Look's that I've ever witnessed.
Photographer Kevin Von Qualen came with me to shoot this wedding and captured this great image.
The campus of St Andrews is incredible!
And the old church where they had their ceremony was truly unique! Nearly 250 years old and lacking power, lights, and a/c - it was a classic ceremony in so many ways! (For Photographers: I shot most of the ceremony at ISO 5000 on a 5D mk ii at f/2.5. When a thunderstorm struck and the church went virtually pitch black and they started shutting all the doors and windows I bumped it up to ISO 6400 for a while. Thank goodness the 5D mk ii rocks the high ISOs!!)
MARRIED!
Erin looked radiant.
And her veil originally belonged to her mother. Something old...
After the ceremony we explored the campus a bit for just a few more photos. I'm so glad that Erin and Ted made photography a priority!
They did their first dance out on a dry sidewalk of St Andrews as the dance floor was covered in rainwater and mud (it was later mopped up). Once again, the school made for a perfect backdrop.
Father/Daughter dances get me every time.
Did I mention 'The Flood'. It was quite a stormy day and many went barefoot in the sloshing grass by the end of the night. Erin was still sporting her full attire however. I love this shot of Erin, Vera Wang, Valentino, and the mud! :)
The celebration was a blast and the guests enjoyed every minute of it - except for this minute... Not so sure this Bridesmaid enjoyed her cigar.
Congrats you two! What a delight to be a witness to your day!
Introducing BABY WILSON!! Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Personal
After nearly three years - our adoption of our newest child is official! We 'passed court' this week meaning that in the eyes of the Ethiopian Government this beautiful baby boy is now our son!! This also means that we can now share with you a few photos. ;)
Here is one from the first set of photos we ever saw of him (back in early April)...
And this was sometime between then and now...
And here's one from the latest batch of photos we received...
We are now waiting on a birth certificate to be issued and then we'll get our US Embassy appointment scheduled and then we'll fly over there to meet him in person, give him a billion and a half snuggles, visit the US Embassy, and then bring him home.
We are so thrilled to have a new member of the Wilson family! It's been a long road full of highs and lows, but the mountaintop is just around the corner and we're almost there...
THANK YOU EVERYONE for all of your support and prayers!
Engagement Session in Denver - Alissa and Matt Monday, June 15, 2009 - Weddings & Clients
This September I've got plans to attend - and photograph - one of the biggest parties in town... Alissa and Matt's wedding! I am so excited about this one, I just know it's going to be a celebration to remember!! But first, we've got to celebrate the engagement, right?!
This weekend Alissa and Matt were out here from Cali and we meet up for a night out in Denver. They were rockin' the camera - check it out!
Actually they were kinda messing around here - but I think it's a keeper regardless!
Here are *just* a few more...
And here's one of the happiest mistakes I've made in awhile. Focus, schmocus...
Engagement Session in Denver - Vanessa and Craig Friday, June 12, 2009 - Weddings & Clients
Who ordered up the thunderstorms!?
I was going to meet up with Vanessa and Craig for their Engagement session earlier in the week, but when a funnel cloud appeared above our houses on Tuesday night we rescheduled for Thursday morning - which turned out to be beautiful! So, that's the setup - and now, here are the awesometasticsuperiffic photos of this lovely duo (and trio!)...
