Archive for June, 2010
Bridal portraits not only tradition, but practical too
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Article & Photos by FACES by jessica
Although no one is quite sure exactly how the Southern tradition of the bridal portrait started, I do know that bridal portraits began as oil paintings. Some were done of European royalty, as no woman looked more beautiful than in their full bridal regalia. How it became an American tradition (typically in the ‘Genteel’ South), we may never quite understand.
By the time it became such, it was usually commissioned by the parents of the bride. Most likely because they wanted a piece of memorabilia of their daughter’s wedding, a significant reminder of their little girl now all grown up. The portrait was typically framed and kept in the home of the bride’s parents.
Eventually, it seems that brides began seeking out these sessions and having the portrait given to their mothers as a gift. I think of it as a portrait that depicts the significance of a young woman’s life. Think about it – Mama & Daddy’s little girl. They took a million photos of every single stage in your life and every milestone. What better way to end the giant row of pictures hanging in their hallway than with the final exquisite image of the end of that chapter of your life?
On the wedding day, your portraits will be taken with your groom. But the truth is, after all the dreaming and planning you’ve done since you were four or five years ole- don’t you want a memory of the most fabulous you’re ever going to look in your life? All the work and worry you’ve invested (and expense) into finding just the right gown/veil/make up/hairstyle that will make you look like a regal, ethereal princess deserves a photo session to showcase all of that, if for no other reason!
On the practical side, keep in mind that having a bridal portrait session is the perfect time to:
A) See how long it takes you to get ready so you can plan appropriately for the big day
B) Have a trial run of your wedding day hair and make up (and even your bouquet!)
C) Play dress up and have one day where its all about you pretending to be a princess – hey, deep down, you’re still that little girl who wants to be a princess, aren’t you?
So, whether you display it at the entrance to the reception or just do it for Mom’s sake, don’t just dismiss the idea. I’ve never heard anyone say they regretted having it done. They only regret it when they don’t.
Tags: Advice, Beauty, family, Photography, wedding ideasPosted in Advice, Beauty, Photography | No Comments »
Why should you have a video of your wedding?
Friday, June 25th, 2010Submitted by Mark Thomas Pro Photo
In the past, wedding video has been something that were not easily justified for a wedding. Most wedding videos were shot with one camera and very basic editing was applied. The result was a video that most people could only sit through once and most friends and family would squirm uncomfortably waiting for it to be over.
Wow how times have changed! Wedding video has become an art form that ranks right up there with beautiful wedding photos. Professional videographers have many more resources available today to produce cinematic quality productions.
Multiple cameras can offer many different angles and cover much more detail. When the footage from multiple cameras is edited together you can see just how dramatic video can be. With multiple perspectives you can see reactions from the bride, the groom and also the guests. As with movies, video is much easier to watch if the shots are steady and move smoothly. Steady cam devices and tripods are crucial to a cinematic video.
Nicole&Luke from Mark Thomas Pro Photo and Video on Vimeo.
Story telling makes a huge difference in video production from years past. Rather than a straight forward coverage of your event you get an artistic adaptation of your entire day. Incorporating detail shots and artistic angles and movement make the story move more fluidly. Effects and music bring out the emotional feel of the day and also drive the story forward.
How does video differ from photos? With photos you get a visual representation of a moment in time. With video there are many elements that impact emotion, including:
- Movement: The way a videographer can use the camera to reveal or pan across a scene or slow zoom to direct your eyes to the subject.
- Sound: A musical score can be edited with the video footage to invoke the desired emotion. Actually hearing and reliving your vows, toasts and speeches and loved ones narrating moments that impacted them during the day along with special effects, color effects, B&W effects, slow motion are a few tools used to also draw on your emotions.
We live in a visual world. With technology video has become one of the most popular trends on the internet. Sites like YouTube and Vimeo allow people to share their special day with friends and family around the world and with the right kind of video editing they won’t be squirming wishing it was over.
Tags: Advice, videography, weddingsPosted in Advice, Videography | No Comments »
Father-daughter team at imageeclectic photography in the news!
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Fathers who work alongside their kids add a professional layer to relationship
Jose and Rick Guerra have more in common than the usual bond of last names and genetics that link fathers to their sons.
Their shared passion for engineering has led them not only on similar educational and career paths, but also to head up the same company, Jose I. Guerra, Inc., and receive recognition for their success in the field. Jose, 76, and Rick, 50, recently made history by becoming the first father and son to be named engineer of the year by the Travis Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers.
“It was just one of those coincidences, and it just so happened that we were both 50 years old when we got the award,” Rick Guerra said. “I remember being 24 and just out of college when I sat and I listened to him accept the same award almost 26 years earlier. It was unique and very humbling to have walked on that same stepping stone.”
Like others who run family-owned businesses in Central Texas, Jose and Rick Guerra have learned what it takes to work alongside family members.
“I think the fact that we are related made things a lot simpler,” said Jose Guerra, who now serves as chairman of the board. “I don’t know if I would have started a mechanical engineering group if it hadn’t been for him. I didn’t want to pursue a direction I wasn’t familiar with without having someone heading it up who I knew I could trust.”
The elder Guerra founded Jose I. Guerra, Inc. in January 1973, when Rick Guerra, the oldest of his four children, was 13. Rick Guerra became president and CEO of the company in January 2009 and increased its growth in revenue by more than 27 percent in one year.
“There was no foresight or vision that I would ever take over the company,” Rick Guerra said. “I was actually pre-med and about to start my first semester at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, when I got a letter from UT’s engineering school saying that I had been accepted and had been given a full scholarship.”
Although his mother, Bertha Guerra, was a registered nurse with an obvious interest in the medical field, she filled out and submitted an application to the University of Texas at Austin’s engineering program on her son’s behalf without his knowledge.
“My mom set the direction for my life — she knew better than I did what I was really born to do,” Rick Guerra said. “I had the engineering mentality. I was an engineer at heart, I just didn’t realize it.”
Both father and son graduated from the University of Texas’ engineering program — Jose Guerra received his bachelor’s degree in structural engineering in 1957, and his son earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1982 and a master’s in 1988.
After working as a mechanical engineer in Los Angeles, Rick Guerra moved back to Austin in 1994 and joined his father in expanding the engineering services offered at his firm. Today, Jose I. Guerra, Inc. provides structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering services and has grown from 20 to 44 employees in the 16 years the father and son team have worked together.
Although Rick Guerra never expected to be working alongside his father, he said he has enjoyed being part of a business built on the same values he grew up with.
“We’ve worked together for 50 years, but we’ve been in business together for 16 years,” Rick Guerra said. “It is a very rare opportunity for a father and son to work together, and it’s been very special.”
Father-daughter team Bill Ledbetter, Jr., 53, and Hannah Lindsley, 23, also have realized the benefits of working together at imageclectic photography, their Austin-area family and wedding photography business.
“This has brought us closer as a father and daughter,” Ledbetter said. “It has given us a relationship we never could have had not being in a creative endeavor together.”
Ledbetter has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering, but he said he became “burned out” after his 26-year career and wanted to do something different.
After years of taking photographs of his five children, now 25, 23, 20, 19 and 16, he and Lindsley took their artistic passions to a professional level in 2007 and have since enjoyed the different lifestyle it has afforded their family.
“Growing up, we didn’t really see a lot of him because he worked 60 to 80 hours a week,” said Lindsley, who has a bachelor of arts degree in linguistics. “He is so much different than he was in his last job; we would all say he is much more relaxed now.”
Ledbetter most enjoys the happiness his newfound career brings to others — something he said was difficult to achieve in his previous field.
“One of the things I love most about photography is getting to make someone else happy,” Ledbetter said. “You can give someone that precious moment from a wedding or a family gathering that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
Though father and daughter do not always see eye to eye, they say their different views often translate into strengths.
“One of the reasons I love working with Hannah is because we see things very differently; two different perspectives are good to have,” Ledbetter said. “I don’t think either one of us loses the argument. We start at different places and we negotiate and wrangle and come to a common acceptance that makes sense for us.”
His daughter agrees.
“I think that is where being father and daughter really helps — when we end up fighting, our particular relationship as father and daughter lets us get to the best situation,” she said. “I would really like this business to become something I can take over one day and eventually pass on to my children.”
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Grand Opening: Two Great Vendors, One Shared Space
Monday, June 21st, 2010San Antonio Wedding and Event Consultants and McGreevy-Squier Photography invite you to their Grand Opening event to celebrate their new space!
Posted in Photography, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Professional photographers tell the story of your wedding
Thursday, June 17th, 2010Article and Photos submitted by élan Imaging.
Hiring a professional photographer for your wedding is a big decision. You are hiring an artist to document your wedding. It can be easy to get carried away comparing package to package. But in the end, you aren’t purchasing prints in a package, you are purchasing the artist’s time and talents.
The moments that happen at your wedding only happen once. You can’t go back and recapture those images. As we are photographing a wedding, we are telling the story of your special day. We are looking for the details and the moments that you can look back and remember.
The best way we can complete your story is with your wedding album. When we are photographing your wedding we are already laying out the album in our head. We create the beautiful albums that allow you to relive your wedding over and over. So who better to finish the story than the people who documented it for you?
Okay so you have a CD….now what to do? We can take the stress off of your hands of not knowing what to do with all your wedding images. The CDs are nice for Facebook and reprints for Mom, but unless you are a graphic designer or artist, creating an album can be very overwhelming!
Allow your photographer to finish telling your story and to take the stress off your hands of being overwhelmed with hundreds of images.
Posted in Advice, Photography, Professional | No Comments »
Give back at your wedding!
Monday, June 14th, 2010Make your big day even bigger by helping the community that helped you.
Truth be told, most wedding favors are generally tossed after the reception. Instead of giving your guest an item they’ll never use, why not honor them by giving money to the charity of your choice?
Wedding Industry Outreach is a new opportunity that allows brides to do just that. The organization has compiled a list of 11 Austin-based charities that have been researched and approved to ensure that donation is utilized to the fullest for brides to choose from when they make their donation. Brides with donations totaling at least 100.00 dollars will receive note cards to be placed at the table of their guest informing them that a donation was made in their honor to the selected charity. Not only is this a wedding favor to remember, but it also allows the brides to give back and help their community as well.
Participating charities include:
AIDS Services of Austin
512-458-2437 • www.asaustin.org
Any Baby Can
512-454-3743 • www.abcaus.org
Austin Community Foundation
512-472-4483 • www.austincommunityfoundation.org
Austin Humane Society
512-646-7387 • www.austinhumanesociety.org/give
Austin Mobile Loaves and Fishes
512-328-7299 102 • www.mlfnow.org/site/PageServer
Austin Smiles
512-451-9300 • www.austinsmiles.org
Capital Area Food Bank
512-282-2111 • austinfoodbank.org
Caritas of Austin
512-479-4610 • www.caritasofaustin.org
Family Crisis Center
512-303-7755 • www.family-crisis-center.org
Meals on Wheels
512-476-6325 • www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org
Project Life Change
projectlifechange@gmail.com • www.projectlifechange.com
Posted in Favors | No Comments »
Magic 105.3 Dream Wedding at Granberry Hills!
Friday, June 11th, 2010Congratulations to Sarah & Adam and their Magic 105.3 Dream Wedding at Granberry Hills!
Tags: ceremony, contest, Reception, weddingPosted in Celebration, Contest/Giveaway, Reception | No Comments »
Maria Bernal Photography Wins Big!
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Congratulations to Maria Bernal Photography for award-winning portraits in the Austin Professional Photographers Association’s annual competition!
Maria won a first place trophy for Best Portrait, a second place trophy for Best Portrait, a third place trophy for Best Illustrative image, a first place trophy for Best Wedding Image and the Best in Show Trophy along with a Judge’s Choice award. Maria Bernal Photography associate photographer Nathan Johns also won a second place trophy in the Illustrative Category. Congratulations from the Wedding Guide!
Posted in Contest/Giveaway, Photography | No Comments »
Once Upon A Time Photography contest
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Vote for your favorite photo by Once Upon A Time Photography on their Facebook page! The winning photo will be used as the company’s next San Antonio Wedding Guide advertisement.
Tags: contest, PhotographyPosted in Contest/Giveaway, Photography, Uncategorized | No Comments »