Megan + Shane | Minot Wedding Photographer

I used to think Spring, Summer, and Fall were the best time of year to shoot engagement sessions...basically, anything but the middle of winter here in North Dakota.

That was until I had the pleasure of shooting a December engagement session at the request of Megan & Shane. Now I'm trying to convince more couples to go out in the snow to play while I take their photos. :)

What made it so great, though, was Megan and Shane. They were both truly happy and so positive (even when it started to feel REALLY cold out there), and came with fantastic ideas and an incredible sense of creativity (see Shane's amazing snow heart!).

Megan and Shane, I cannot wait to share in your big day. And if it happens to snow next September 21st, I know someone who can make us a great snow heart. :)

 

 

   

Cortney + Ryan | Minot Wedding Photographer

 

They met in Junior High right here in Minot, North Dakota, but went on to live in separate states after high school. So separate, in fact, they were at opposite ends of the country – he in Virginia, she in Washington State. But neither time, circumstances, nor distance, could keep them apart.

That’s how fate works.

 Cortney and Ryan came home to North Dakota to get married on this beautiful Saturday in June, but in reality, their marriage itself is just as much a coming home for this sweet, funny, and amazing couple.

A little love to some of the businesses that

made this vintage-inspired wedding happen:

Hair  ~ Headquarters Salon

Flowers ~ Country Meadows

Ceremony ~ Carnegie Center

Reception ~ International Inn

Cake ~ Lalee Cakes

DJ ~ Magic City Music Factory

 Cortney, seriously...rawr. You are gorgeous beyond words.

 Love love LOVE Cortney's brooch bouquet.

 Not only did Cortney & Ryan become husband and wife, together with Ryan's beautiful daughters

Kaylee & Cadence, they became a family. 

 

 It is a tie between this photo and the next for favorite of the day.

 Back to where it all began...

This is what love looks like.

 

How to enjoy your day and get great photos! | Minot Wedding Photographer

Some more great advice from The Things We Would Blog:

I have a little bit of wedding philosophy for you. Consider this some very basic tips for being in the right frame of mind for getting amazing photos on your wedding day. Having a good photographer is key, beyond that, there are some things you can do to insure you look your best, happiest, most in love in your photos.

Be relaxed. Sometimes this means having a mimosa with your bridesmaids before you start photos. Just one though. :)

Be on time. Make sure you include enough time for photos. I usually suggest even scheduling extra time so you can have a cushion in case hair and makeup runs late. More time is always better. You can always take a break after.

Be playful. It makes for great photos.

Be flexible. Sometimes the weather or light just isn't cooperating. Maybe there's a huge crowd of people right where you want to shoot. Trust your photographer if they suggest doing something other than what you had in mind. It could be the difference between a mediocre shoot where you wanted or an amazing photo-op somewhere slightly different.

Be in the moment. Don’t worry about what happened before photos or what comes next in the schedule of the day. You're only going to do this once. Enjoy it. If you're stressed or rushed, you'll be able to see it in the photos.

Be away. Go somewhere fun and away from other people so you don't have to feel nervous because people are watching, you can have a private moment together and you don't have people running up to you to ask random questions about details. Let other people figure out the last minute details and enjoy this time together.

Be done before the ceremony. This is definitely a personal choice, but here's why I suggest it.

Be fearless.
Sometimes brides step into the dress and suddenly feel like they can hardly move for fear of getting the dress dirty. Well, just know, if you're wearing something white that touches the floor, the underside is bound to get a little dirty but no one will notice, I promise. Don't miss out on amazing photos because you're afraid of a little dirt. You're only going to wear the dress once anyway.

A Conversation with my Dog

We have an amazing German Shepherd. She's incredibly smart and fiercely loyal. But, as I found out the other night, she's no Lassie.

So, without going into all the details, I found myself in the position of being stuck on the bathroom floor in a whole lot of pain last week and needing some serious assistance. Marc was asleep, so I called for Freddie, thinking I could send her for help. Here is how that conversation went:

Me: "Freddie, come here."

She comes in the bathroom and licks my face.

Me: "Freddie, go get Daddy."

She licks my face again.

Me: "No Freddie, Go.Get.Daddy."

She goes to lay down on her bed. I call her back.

Me: "Freddie," I say, "GO.GET.DADDY."

She licks my face again and goes and lays down on her bed.

Me: "I f***ing hate you, dog."

This weekend I will be teaching my dog a new, useful trick. Like "Go Get Daddy!"

*Sidenote: I do not, in fact, actually hate my dog. So please don't call the ASPCA or PETA or anything on me. I was in a lot of pain. lol

On Getting Older…and 7 Little Words That Changed My Day

There’s no doubt that since I turned 30 (4 years ago…), and had a child, I’ve started to feel…well, older. I never thought my 30s would be so completely different from my 20s (or even the age of 29), yet they have an entirely different feel to them. My 20s were a time of reckless abandon (ok, the really early 20s anyway): college, skipping classes (shhh), part-time jobs, renting, sleeping in as late as I wanted on weekends, spur of the moment road trips with my husband, while my 30s have had a decidedly more grown-up feel to them. In the last 4 years, I have: had a baby, bought a bigger vehicle, purchased a house, started a business, not had a full night’s sleep (can I get an ‘Amen!’ from the mommies out there!), and career-wise, gone from ‘employee’ to ‘manager’. So between all of that and the ‘thank you ma’am’s’ I get from the young whippersnappers at work and various retail establishments, I have been well reminded that time is marching on…ok, and if I’m totally honest, the fact that in my 20s I think I used to look a lot cuter first thing in the morning. As my sister so fabulously put it, “Some mornings I look in the mirror and wonder who that tranny hooker is looking back at me.” I heart her. And it does feel so sadly true many mornings.

So what is the point of this story ramble of mine? Well, getting older for the ladies can be challenging – everything we see on TV and in magazines tells us we need to look youthful and beautiful and vibrant FOREVER. (I mean, have you seen Jaclyn Smith/Christie Brinkley/Demi Moore lately? They look better at 50+ than I do at 34 – it’s hard for a girl out here!!) All of this combined with the lines we swear weren’t there yesterday can diminish even the most confident 30+ woman’s self esteem.

But then there are days like today, when you get a chance to see yourself through someone else’s eyes, someone who doesn’t see the fine lines and pores and ‘maybe if I sucked in a little’ that you do. My daughter and I were getting ready in the bathroom this morning and she asked for a little sparkle powder - my girl, she loves the sparkle! – and as I leaned toward her to put it on, she asked me for what I had on behind my eyelashes. Thinking she meant mascara, I asked, “Do you mean what’s on my eyelashes?” She replied, “No, what’s behind it, on your eyes.” I told her I didn’t have anything on my eyes yet. She looked at me, confused, and said “Then how do you look so pretty?”

And with 7 little words, my little girl changed my whole day.

Coolest Idea EVER

I just came across this on Pinterest (my newest obsession/productivity killer) and had to share it. How FABULOUS is this idea? Artisan bread as wedding favors? I swoon.

http://www.greylikesweddings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/shoot_this_not_that_7.jpg

Reflections and who I am... | Minot Wedding Photographer

As I get ready to begin my third season of shooting weddings under my own business name, I have been thinking about how I got started and where I want to go with my photography. Even though I am learning and doubting and critiquing myself still, stopping to take a look in the rearview mirror of life definitely gives you perspective on how far you've come. It's important to do this because it's very easy when doing something that's very subjective (like photography) to be very hard on yourself and feel like you are the worst photographer that's ever picked up a camera and that you'll never know as much, or be as good as, the others whose work you admire.

It's easy to get discouraged because you want to know everything, but you have to accept that you can't and that it's always a learning process - that even photographers that have been doing this for 25 years are still constantly learning. So you just try to soak up as much knowledge as you can from as many sources as possible. My husband, who is of course my biggest cheerleader, always says that as long as I feel like I'm improving from one wedding to the next, that I like each one's results more than the last and I've done or learned something new each time, that's all that matters. Again, I'm my own biggest critic and he is kind of legally required to be my biggest supporter, but I know he's right. I just have to learn to believe in myself as much as he does.

Does anyone else feel this way?

The second part of this post is for the clients, and potential clients, not just mine, but anyone who is looking for a wedding photographer. What I want to talk about is knowing and liking your photographer as a person, which is much different than just liking their photos and their photography style. Of course, finding someone whose photography style matches what you are looking for is important, no doubt about that - your photos and your album will be the one tangible thing that remains long after the cake has been cut, the music has ended, and the dress has been put away.

But the reason I bring this up is because, although I am really lucky that at this point the majority of my brides are referrals (which I LOVE!!!) , I do still have some couples that book my services sight unseen. Not the photos, me. I usually try to meet up with all of my clients before they actually book me, not only so they can view my work, but so that we can both get a feel for each other and decide if the fit feels right. Given the amount of time we will spend together, from the engagement session to the wedding day (which usually adds up to about 12 hours - yes, I'm there with you allll day!) to post-production and album design...while we don't have to be best friends, mutual affection is most definitely a plus! In addition to that, if you have someone photographing you that, let's say, kind of aggravates you, or you don't really care for, that person is not going to be able to bring out the best in you. And it will show in your photos, believe me.

So! On that note, and because of the proliferation of couples weeding out potential photographers on the Internet before even making contact, I think it's really important to put yourself out there so that potential brides and grooms can get a good idea of who you are. I am going to work hard to do that more - you know, maybe I'll put something out there about myself, like 'I cannot stand water chestnuts.' (It's true, the texture or something, it drives me nuts. It's like an apple, but NOT an apple. Ugh!!) Ok, so now I've put that out there - maybe a potential client just read that and thought 'She's obviously crazy. Water chestnuts are AMAZING. I do NOT like this nutty, water-chestnut-hating loon of a person.' And that's ok, because maybe another client will come along and go 'Yes!! She is so right!', and in that moment, feel a connection with me, feel like we're compatible in some odd, water-chestnut-hating way.

Do not underestimate compatibility and mutual affection's effect on photography. If you still doubt me, think about this...who do you smile more easily and naturally for - a friend you know and love, or a complete stranger behind a camera?

Ok, so here are some brief facts or quirks about me that I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully this doesn't make potential couples everywhere run the opposite direction.

• I am married to a man who puts my cooking to shame. Seriously, I like to cook and LOVE to bake, but he is a genius in the kitchen. It used to make me jealous, but now I've decided to just enjoy and reap the benefits.
• I have a daughter who is just amazing. She totally rules my world, but I try not to let on so much, otherwise her little feet will truly walk ALL over me. I'm pretty sure she has my number though. :)
• I also have a bonus son who is a teenager, so I have a balance of one child that adores me and one that probably thinks I am ridiculously uncool. It keeps a person grounded. :) He is also amazing, and is now driving and has a job and is hopefully not doing all the stuff I was doing at 16. :)
• I have a very whiny but lovable German Shepherd that we've had for five years, and a fish we've somehow managed to keep alive for over a year. This, in our house, is an amazing feat.
• On that note, I once killed a fern. I'm pretty sure that's not even supposed to be possible.
• As mentioned previously, I hate water chestnuts.
• I love chocolate and all things pastry and bread-related with a passion. Unnaturally so. I recently found out we were getting a new bakery and immediately alerted EVERYONE I knew.
• My husband and I once tried the South Beach Diet. I lasted 3 days. I needs my bread.
• I am a hard-ass about spelling and grammar. (disregard previous 'I needs my bread' statement above)
• If I could live anywhere else in the world, it would be New York City, hands down. I am, for lack of a better word, obsessed with that city. I went there two years ago for the first time, thinking I would get it out of my system, but it only made things worse. I ADORE New York City.
• Fall, Autumn, whatever you want to call it, is my most favorite season. The changing colors on the leaves, sweaters, hot cocoa - I love everything about it. Except that winter comes along and ruins it for me.
• I always stop the microwave before it gets to the end - the beep when it's done drives me nuts. I'll leap across the room just to stop it before that stupid beep. I know, clearly I have issues. :)
• I NEVER get tired of watching two people in love start their lives together, and sometimes the emotion of it all and knowing what's in store for them (having been married now for almost a decade!) gets me. Do not be surprised if I cry or get teary at your wedding. It just means I really, really like you.