Fractured Thoughts. ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photography

Currently Watching: The new "Anne" series. Even though I'm a big ole believer that you should not attempt to improve on perfection (perfection being the Sullivan production of "Anne of Green Gables").....I really enjoyed this take on my favorite literary character. Consider it endorsed! 

Also binge-watched "Girlboss" on Netflix, which even given the recent bankruptcy filing of Nasty Gal, I still enjoyed. 

Currently Reading: Well....all my books are packed (more on that in a bit) so.....the back of cereal boxes, lately. Articles on how to maintain septic systems. Exciting stuff. Lists on what NOT to do when building a home (like I said....more on that in a bit)

Currently Spinning: Husband played me some Father John Misty the other day, which I quite enjoyed (the little that I was able to hear). Still Hamilton. Yeah. 

- First things first, obvs, we sold the house. WOOOOO FRIGGGIN HOOOO. I was getting all impatient and stuff (me? Surely you jest! NO!). But yes, it is sold and we close on May 26th. So, it's been a fury and frenzy of packing and moving stuff to storage, etc.

- So WHERE are we going? That was the million dollar question. For over a year. I bounced all over the state in my head (I bounced to Washington state a few time.....Prince Edward Island....my brain has a wanderlust unmatched by most). 

One day I went out in the baby bus searching for a particular plot of land near Edgerton, WI that I had seen online. On the way, I happened across a country subdivision. I decided to drive through and it was just GREAT.....big, ginormous lots...houses set way back from the road and shaded with woods. Ponds and trails and your neighbor not right on top of you or right out your back door.

I drove around and around and figured "Yeah, looks great but I'm guessing these lots are ridiculously expensive"

Turns out....not at all. In fact, they were downright affordable.

So....we ACTUALLY MADE A DECISION. I know. Shocking.

We are moving to the Town of Janesville, off Hwy 14, smack dab between Janesville and Evansville to a subdivision called Grand Videre Estates. We purchased a 1.3 acre plot of land and found a house that is just my own little version of Green Gables. It's a dream house. Completely. 

We hired a builder and we are on our way....which is all together exciting and the stuff of dreams and absolutely terrifying all at once.

I haven't slept much this week....lots of stuff on my mind with the move, the build, the job.....oy! But, I'm staying in Rock County, which means I will be able to service all Rock County High Schools for Senior Portraits and continue to bop down to Chicago and up to Milwaukee and Madison quite easily for weddings. 

- We spent the last 2 months or so sick in this household....while all this was going down. Bronchitis, the flu, colds, it's just been a mess, but we all seem to be over everything at this point. 

Kids, man. They're little germ incubators. 

- Wedding season started! Which is always exciting. This is my 9th season. I can't believe by this time next year I will be celebrating TEN YEARS as a professional wedding and portrait photographer. That's nuts to me. 

- Record Store Day came and went. I have to admit, I drove by the old place (Tin Dog) on my way to the post office on RSD morning. Made me a tad nostalgic for our time behind the retail counter, but only for a moment. Tin Dog is in much better hands now and it was so awesome to see them busy for RSD! 

- New Doctor Who has started and I'm actually LIKING it. Whodda thunk it? Capaldi seems far more likable this series and I am digging the new companion. Maybe Moffett had an epiphany. 

- My baby girl....my last baby....my Beanhead turned one. I have to be real here, I had a hard time with this. The last year went REALLY fast and I am not ready for her not to be my little tiny baby anymore. 

COMING UP: 

- I am hosting THREE workshops this summer. One for beginners, one for portraits and one for folks who would like to learn about wedding photography. If you are interested, check out the workshop page here: http://www.typeaimages.com/workshops-2017/

I'm keeping the studio in Milton since we are moving a lot closer so all workshops will be held there.

- SPEAKING of the studio in Milton, I am currently booking Seniors for the Class of 2018. My Senior Models have all been initially photographed and will all be recieving their Rep Cards very soon, if they already haven't.  I am looking to expand into Janesville Craig, Parker, and Edgerton schools as well as Milton and still Beloit, so spread the word! In-Studio or On-Location! 

- Weddings: 2017 is pretty much booked in full, though I do have a few dates in late fall still open that I'd love to fill!  2018 is already booking....and Chicago folks are way ahead of the game! 

Here's some pictures from the last month (including super-exciting pictures of our grass/tree/pricker bush patch that we just spent a butt-load on)

Enjoy! 

OUR LAND! (Just picture it with a house on it.......) 
 

EASTER SUNDAY

BRIDGET'S 1st BIRTHDAY (SOB!) 

8 Ways To Be Crazy In Love With Your Wedding Photos ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

  You've all heard the stories. Whether it be from your friends....coworkers.... or other people in the wedding industry. Chances are, we all know someone who HATED their wedding photos. 

Yeah. Sad trombone.

It's enough to strike fear in the heart of any bride who is mid-planning-mode and faced with the daunting task of choosing a shooter out of the bajillion choices out there.

Have faith, Grasshopper. There are ways of thinning the herd and getting yourself a photographer who will "get you" and rock out your big day. There are ways to be crazy, head-over-heels in love with your pictures. 

1. Choose Wisely. 

Sometimes, in my nerd head, I imagine brides walking into a room full of anxious wedding photographers...much like Indiana Jones did at the end of the Last Crusade...needing to choose the correct grail or be rendered dead where he stood. Some old knight in the corner saying "Chooooose wisely......" 

Choosing one of us to be your one and only photographer can be ROUGH stuff, dude. I know. There are literally eleventy billion of us. That's a legit number. Our market is way over-staffed and we all have different styles, approaches, pricing strategies, and customer service levels. 

What helps is taking it one thing at a time and really educating yourself on your likes and dislikes. First and foremost, what is your budget? This will eliminate a chunk of folks right off the bat. 

Then, what is the style you are looking for? Do you even KNOW? Do you like more candid coverage (sometimes called photojournalistic or reportage)? Do you like light and airy editing? A film look? Dramatic lighting and editorial posing? These are all wildly different approaches and if you're drawn to one, but seek out shooters that specialize in another....you're gonna have a bad time. 

2. The Get-Along Gang

This may seem like a "no-duh" moment, but you have to "meld" with your photographer. Seriously, don't just pick someone who is "okay" but has the personality of a slug on Xanax. Because you're gonna be with this person ALL. DAY. LONG. and people with crappy personalities can really bring down the whole room.

Plus, you want someone who has enthusiasm for their work and your day. This will bring out the best in your pictures. Because if they're just phoning it in....it's gonna totally show.

3. Know Thy Wedding.
If your wedding is country chic, don't expect beach pictures. If your wedding is in January, you're probably gonna freeze your patooties off during portraits and that's going to affect the amount of time you're going to want to stand outside (it's also going to affect timing of your whole day, since it gets dark around 3pm in Wisconsin). 

Just KNOW your day....know the flow of your wedding and the style of your wedding. Know how your choices will affect the way the story is going to be able to be told. 

4. Timey Wimey
Speaking of timing....timelines rule the day. They are mega-important. So if you want to end up loving your images, you probably want to give the shooter enough time to capture images you can love....instead of shoving 3 hours of picture time into 30 minutes.

Sit down with your photographer and create a timeline you both can jive with. The photographer should know how long everything takes to complete in a satisfactory manner. 

5. Check Yo Self
We are 1 person. 2 if you hire a 2 person team. We are not magic, time-travelers, or shapeshifters. There are some things, as human beings, we cannot accomplish no matter what. 

If you want table shots.....you have to give us AT LEAST an hour to complete them (so, in essence, you probably want to rethink the table shots there, bud.)

If you want heavily lit portraits....you need to hire someone that knows their way around a flash, not just assume all photographers know how to get that look.

If you want someone else's wedding entirely recreated with precision.....you should probably
have a come-to-Jesus moment with yourself.....which brings us to.....

6. This is YOUR day, Not Everyone Else's
We've talked about Pinterest before, but it's a blessing and a curse. I know all the images on their wedding boards look amazing....but remember this is YOUR day...and should reflect YOU. 
You want to look back at your images and be crazy in love with them because they reflect your style and the way your day actually went, not re-created set-ups of other people's images.

7. Money Matters
Here's where I get down to brass tacks. If you want to love your images, you have to be prepared to spend the money where it counts. I know everyone has a budget....even opulent weddings have a budget. This is part of Step 1 and research. I have a lot of people contact me who really have no idea what a wedding photographer should cost, so they may end up with a bit of sticker shock.

So here's a bit of a quick and dirty cheat sheet:
The AVERAGE wedding cost in the United States is  $31,213, this according to TheKnot.com (and I'm gonna go ahead and assume they researched that thoroughly). Now, most guides suggest you allocate 10-12% of your total budget on Photography. So, that would make the average you're looking at between $3121.30 and $3745.56. That's AVERAGE.

If you want an ABOVE average photographer....one that has been, say, doing it for longer, offers more in the way of albums, coverage, or customer service, prepare to pay more. If you can't afford the average cost, you're probably going to have to be more diligent in your vetting of shooters. Because I can tell you now, knowing the industry as a I do, there are a LOT of folks below that average. And they're not bad photographers. In fact, a lot of them are GREAT photographers.

Averages are just that: averages. Not everyone is average. And that's okay.

The point is, if you are spending, say, $800 on a photographer for 8 hours of coverage and you're expecting to be presented with the work of someone who charges $5000 for 8 hours of coverage, you're likely going to be disappointed. The person who charges $5000 has shot hundreds of weddings, studied wedding photography, knows lighting and posing and angles well. The $800 photographer is probably new....maybe doesn't have the best grasp on running a wedding day. They're gonna make a few mistakes here and there. Probably over-edits their stuff. Because we all started there. We know. We all have dirty newbie secrets in our closet (I see you there, selective-color-lover circa 2008!) 

We cost what we cost for a reason. The numbers are not arbitrary. 

8. Spread Love Everywhere.
If you want to be crazy in love with your pictures, it helps to be crazy in love to begin with. I tell you, the best wedding pictures I have taken are of folks who were just madly IN LOVE. It just oozes off of them. It colors the whole day and it makes my job fun as hell. 

I know wedding days are super stressful....but if you take a moment, soak it in, and really try to spread the love around, your shooter will likely catch that....and you'll love the results. 

The whole point is, hiring a professional wedding photographer is just like hiring any other professional: you need to do your research. Meet with a handful of us....see who you get along with. See whose work excites you. 

Any photographer worth their salt WANTS you to come away from your experience crazy in love with their work. We live for it. I get anxious way in the pit of my stomach each and every time I send out a final edit because I'm just DYING to get that feedback that my clients loved what I did for them. It's the reason I do what I do....and I set out on every single wedding day wanting so badly to make you fall in love.

Good luck on your search and may you ALL end your wedding experience crazy in love!