Emma ~ Class of 2019 ~ Milton WI Senior Portraits
Who: Emma ~ Class of 2019 ~ Milton High School
Where: Type A Studio
5 New Rules for Weddings ~ Midwest Wedding Photography
I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition.
- George Banks - Father of the Bride
The other day I was talking to a Type A bride about my own wedding. How, when I got married in 2006, "Asian decor" was really in style. And God-forbid we NOT be at the height of fashion, right? HA! So, our wedding looked like Happy Hour at China Buffet, if I'm being honest.
And neither of us are Asian.
The complete joke of a pasty Irish gal and a German dude marrying surrounded by take-out boxes, Lucky Cats, and a bridesmaid donning a Cheongsam was lost on us then. Looking back now? It's a little embarrassing. We full on appropriated an entire culture because The Knot told us it was cool.
Lesson learned? Sometimes places like The Knot and their ilk are full of bull-dookie. Their job is to SELL. SELL the idea of a hip, stylish wedding. The more they sell the idea, the more money they make.
But, weddings are an affair steeped in tradition. In cultural significance. And these days, your wedding can be ANYTHING.......
So here's FIVE NEW RULES for your wedding.
1. SEE Each Other Before the Wedding
I'm a big fan of what's become known as a the "First Look". This means seeing one another before the "big walking down the aisle" moment. Reasons why a first look are so great are many: You just got ready and you are looking the best you are going to look all day. You have a chance to share a quiet, special, just the two of you moment together away from prying eyes (except, you know, me....but I'm a ninja). If you're a crier, you can get that out of the way and still have time to fix your makeup. You can share letters you wrote or just a quick hug and good-luck. Everyone I've spoken to who has had a first look has really enjoyed it and not regretted the moment.
2. Don't Be Afraid to Eliminate Things
Here's the deal: Wedding are freakin' expensive. We all know this. I wrestle with being a frugal lady and being in the wedding industry on a daily basis. Because I know when it came to my own "big day", we cheaped out on a LOT of things that all the bridal magazines will warn you are MUST HAVES.
I also run the risk of alienating fellow vendors if I say their wares are not necessary. So, I'll just say this: Only you can say what is a "must-have" for your wedding. Don't let trend or other's opinions persuade you to drop major ducats on something you don't see value it.
We skipped out on flowers all together. For one, I'm allergic to most flowers. Two, I couldn't keep them around. I guess you could argue I could press some in my wedding album or something equally crafty. But, that ain't me. I carried a parasol down the aisle.
We also skipped out on cake. I had a strawberry shortcake trifle made instead and it was all kinds of awesome.
My point is, you don't HAVE to have anything you don't want to have. You get this one day. If you don't want to drop money on something, you don't have to.
(Side note: I wouldn't RECOMMEND cheaping out or eliminating photography, but duh.....that's a given.....)
3. Think Outside the Fashion Box
When my Grams got hitched back in the 1940s, she wore a suit and a corsage. The war was going on, she didn't want a big white, frilly dress, and she looked smashing.
You do not HAVE to go the "big white dress" route. Your partner doesn't have to wear a rented tux. There are SO SO SO many options out there these days that you can pretty much do anything you want.
If I could go back in time, I would totally wear a black wedding dress. I wear ALL black all the time. It's me. People know I only wear black. A white dress really made no sense for me other than that's what color I figured wedding dresses were. I mean, what would people SAY about a black dress!?
Who cares. Wear the damn black dress. Show off your arm sleeve tattoo or rock shorts and flip flops. Be comfortable!
Take Nicole's black and white beaded gown below. I have to tell you, I got MORE complimentary comments on her dress than any I've ever photographed a bride in. It stood out and she looked rad.
4. Why So Serious?
People take weddings SO seriously. And they are super serious, I get it. You are hitching yourself to another person for life.
But, like George Banks said, that's MARRIAGE. And it should be totally taken seriously. That's not A WEDDING.
A wedding is a party. A wedding is a series of events celebrating your decision to marry. In order to MARRY, all you really need is a few hundred bucks and a JOP.
So new rule? RELAX. Go into your wedding day ready to let the good times roll and let the bad things roll off your back. Because, I guarantee you this, something WILL go wrong. It may be something really small....but if you make a mountain out of a tiny molehill, you only have yourself to blame.
Approach your wedding like the party it is.
Approach your MARRIAGE with seriousness and reverence it deserves.
Learn the difference.
5. The Most Important Rule: Break All the Rules
Well...maybe not ALL of the rules....but some rules, especially completely ridiculous rules created by the wedding industry, are just made to be broken. (Maybe follow the rules that keep you out of jail. At least on your wedding day.)
I am all for clients that are willing to be risk takers, the dreamers, the merry-makers, and the creative types. I'm all about a dog with a bowtie. I am all about photographing a wedding in your backyard with only your best friends to witness it and a barrel of beers to celebrate.
This year? This season? I'm about seeking out my tribe of lovable weirdos. Is that you? Then let's chat!
I still have a few openings for 2018 and 2019 is booking now as well. I can't wait to hear about YOUR "new rules" for wedding splendor!
A Different Kind of Spring Portrait ~ Wisconsin Family Portrait Photographer
My kid has become a reluctant model for my portrait whims. Where once she would wear any ridiculous vintage dress I could find on Etsy....now I must bribe her with promises of makeup wearing and listening to Imagine Dragons on the way to the studio.
Ahhh...pre-teens.
But, I wanted to showcase a different take on the average Spring Portrait. These are more editorial based, fine-art portraits that can definitely be done for your youngins'. With or without bribery.
5 Things I Need Seniors to Know ~ Wisconsin High School Senior Portraits
I'm sure you've heard it all before.....photography is changing. Bigly. (HA!)
Back in my day (cue sepia-toned old-ness) you'd go to the popular local photographer, you'd pose next to some big numbers or fake books or something....you'd hang your letter jacket from a grunge-y chain-link fence....or you'd whip out your best "Blue Steel" next to a potted plant. Slap on a fuzzy filter and BAM....senior portraits. You'd get your wallets in a box and pass them out to all of your friends.
Today's cellphones take pretty damn good pictures. Even I'll admit it. Today everyone has a "professional" camera and friends will offer to take your senior portraits and save you a buck. Today very few people have studios because folks are fine with outside and a "few good shots".
But, if you flip through a Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, or Elle you will see photography as I like to see it: dramatic lighting, modern editing and posing. Styling to reflect what you like, who you are, and where you are at this age and stage in your life. This is editorial photography and it's something that can take the average senior portrait and kick it up a notch.
So, if you choose Type A Images for your Senior Portraits, first...thank you a TON....second, here are 5 things I need you to know about your Senior Portraits.
1. I'm Not Going to Pretend to Be Cool
First things first, yes....I'm 37. I didn't really REALIZE what 37 meant until I watched the Steve Martin movie Parenthood recently and it occurred to me that the white-haired Mr. Martin was supposed to be 35 in that movie.
So, I've become the "adult" in movies. This weirds me out to no end because it feels like just yesterday I was that 17 year old going to shows at the Alumni House, dying my hair pink, and listening to Propagandhi at top volume in my crappy car. I have no IDEA what it's like to be 17 years old in this day and age. It kind of scares me. We didn't have social media when I was in high school. We didn't have cell phones. Hell, I didn't get the INTERNET until I was 19. I know, right?
So, trust me....I'm not going to pretend to know what's up with the "youths" these days. But, I am going to listen to you. If you bring me an idea, I am ALL ears....because I'm going to trust that you are tapped in. I will do everything I can to make your idea a reality.
You know. Within reason. :)
Bring your Spotify playlist, let's listen to some tunes and make some awesome portraits. That's my goal.
2. You Don't Need to Do What Everyone Else Does
There's always going to be fads in photography: selective color, glitter, boho, hugging trees, water shoots, etc. I get it, things get cool and you want to do it to. And hey, that's what is so fun about Pinterest, right?
But, just bear in mind you don't necessarily need your portraits to look just like your friends' portraits. Think outside that box a little bit and if something your photographer comes up with maybe sounds or, to you, looks a bit funky....just go with it.
I mean, Annie Liebovitz once had John Lennon curl up next to Yoko on his living room carpet butt naked. And it worked.
I'm not Annie Liebovitz, but you know what I mean.
3. Don't Force It
Whether it's a new fashion look, a brand new haircut you've never tried, or a fake smile....forcing a look that's not you is going to show ALL OVER your session and not in a good way.
It's MY job to get you to relax and go with the flow. It's your job to show up with the best version of you.
Sometimes parents can kind of get in the way with this. They want to futz with hair. They want to force you to show your teeth even if it looks weird. Because braces were expensive and don't I know it. I GET it. I have three kids. And having me at a portrait session with them is just a bad idea all around.
But trust me....the LESS you futz, the better everything is.
4. Don't Choose a Photographer Based on Price Alone
Ok, here's where I get real and tell you the truth: If a price seems too good to be true, it more than likely is. Sometimes you can get a deal, but do you really want "cheap" senior portraits? These are likely the LAST professional portraits you will ever have taken until your wedding. And after your wedding, you only get professional portraits taken a handful of times. Senior portraits ARE important. They document a specific point in time where you are right on the precipice of adulthood. This is HUGE.
Often, people don't realize the expense of "cheap" until after the fact. Even if you don't go with Type A, look at your Senior Portrait experience as an investment. Choose the photographer whose WORK you love. You won't be sorry.
5. PRINT YOUR IMAGES
I'm yelling this because it's super important. We are raising a generation of people who are going to have no printed images of themselves. We live in an age of disposable. This makes me so sad. I love NOTHING more than looking back at old pictures of my grandparents and great-grandparents. My Grandmother's senior portrait is one of my most treasured possessions.
Type A offers a variety of ways to print and preserve your portraits, including heirloom prints, canvas wraps, metals, and albums.
Missy MWAC said it best, you never realize how important photographs are until that is all you have left. So print those images, display them, take pride in them.
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I cannot wait to launch Senior Season 2018. I have a ton of new ideas to launch and in-studio reveal appointments are BACK!
If you need to reserve your Senior Portrait Session, please email typeaimages@gmail.com
Fractured Thoughts. ~ Wisconsin Wedding Photographer
(Post contains affiliate links to stuff I like)
Currently Spinning: Oh, Dear Evan Hansen. You have stolen my heart, you have. Yeah, it's schmaltzy and full of some typical teen-angst tropes, but man....it's good. Really good. Ben Platt is just loverly and his voice pure sunshine. I highly recommend it.
Currently Reading: I make it my mission with the turn of each new year to read more, so I'm reading more. I just finished How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell. I really hated it at first. It took me FOREVER to get through the first half of the book because I thought the writing was so laborious. She just came off....bad. Not cool bad. Just bad. Very unlikable. The second half of the book was better, but I walked away with a sense that Ms.Marnell really didn't learn anything of note and is fine with being a "mess where heat has been applied" for as long as her body holds up and it brings a paycheck.
I just picked up At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard for my next read. We'll see how that goes. I know I need to get off my memoir kick and read more fiction, but I'm a firm believer that, typically, truth is better than fiction anyway.
Currently Watching: Not much since we are all sharing one TV and the husband seems dead set on watching sports...or YouTube clips about Disney or electronics most of the time. If I get the TV to myself, I'm usually seeking out 48 Hours, 20/20, or any random Investigation Discovery joint. I did see a documentary on Netflix the other day called The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin which was great and now I want to read all of his books.
- So APPARENTLY I haven't done one of these since pre-Disney trip. However, I will spare you the Disney run-down. Suffice it to say Disney is so much more my husband's thing than mine, vacation-wise. I dream of a solo trip to Prince Edward Island or Seattle where I can delve straight into my little geek-hobbies with wild abandon and no shame.
I'll include some Disney-pics at the bottom here, though. Ya'll know cute vacation pics of the kids are just the best :)
- I got to go see Pete Souza speak at the launch of his new book Obama (which is amazing and everyone needs to buy it). That was great. He's great. I need to blog about it at length but haven't quite carved out the time yet.
- Christmas came and went, it seems like it was ages ago, honestly. We are still at my in-laws and the house is still in-progress so it wasn't quite "our" Christmas. But, we all came away with some lovely gifts and memories.
- The house IS coming along, however. We have a roof now. And sorta-walls. And a foundation. So, I can see the light at the end of this very very VERY long tunnel. Sort of. Then it got so damn cold after the holidays that no work could be done.
Why do we live here? Seriously.
- I overhauled the website....which was a long time coming. I've missed the dark, edgier look since I changed it in a fit of crazy 2 years ago. I gotta be meeeeeee (singing!).
- We lost Dolores O'Riordan. I'm gonna be real, here.....I could never stand her voice. I was never a Cranberries fan. Ever. But, it's sad that she died. It's sad when anyone dies.
Except for Charles Manson. He died too.
I wasn't sad about that.
- I've been WRITING lately. Like, for real for real (yes, a writer just wrote "for real". Twice.) I've taken on some freelance jobs with our local paper, covering the 55 and over beat. Because those are my peeps, obvs.
And....I'm working on a book.
Now, I only put this out in the universe to perhaps goad myself into actually transferring the chicken scratch I have in multiple notebooks into a Word file.
Maybe.
Part of me is scared I'll be REALLY bad at it. I don't do well with doing things badly. But, I've had these characters, this story, this idea....swimming in my head for so long. It's probably about time I just put it out there and see what happens.
If it fails, I still have the 55 and over beat. :)
And, you know, taking pictures and stuff.
- Speaking of taking pictures, I'm still taking applications for Senior Models until January 31st. The application is up top! Go ahead and apply, this season is going to be awesome!
- Still booking for some 2018 Wedding Dates as well. 2019 is also booking. I'm still offering 10% off all 2018 weddings to celebrate my TENTH year in business (can you believe it?)
Here's some pictures. Sorry for the picture dump, I really need to do these more often!
