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in March i had the great pleasure of photographing Laura & Jon's engagement session in the Upper Peninsula. Jon's parents have a place up near Sault Sainte Marie,,, so we began the esession there and then moved onward to the ever-so awesome Tahquamenon Falls!
i absolutely LOVE that Laura & Jon thought a bit outside of the box when it came to their engagement photos & what they felt was 'them'. they are getting married in August,,, so i also LOVE the juxtapose of the different climates/environments.  our time up north was truly an experience i will never forget & would love to experience all over again!
below is a big sneak peek of some top favorites, however be sure to check out the slideshow at the end of this post if you would like to see even more images!
Laura, Jon, Chris, Bill, Ava & Brutus! i just adore you all SO, so, SO much.  to say that this experience was a blast, would be an understatement. thank you again for inviting us into your home in the U.P., for your incredible generosity & hospitality and for all the most Ah!ESOME stories shared. when i think about the entire trip, i cannot help but to smile a huuuuuge BIG smile. i loved getting to know you guys even better & am beyond excited for all the fun we will have on your wedding day! i hope you enjoy the pics!! ps. Jones told me to tell Ava & Brutus 'woof! i miss you! woof!' & that he would like a play date soon. 
first up, Jon, Laura & their precious Chi wau wau Ava : |
by the looks of Ava's face,,, i have a feeling these two spoil her a just a bit.  with a face as cute as that though, how can you not?! |
| such a beautiful family : |
| love everything about this image. the moment. the body language. the look on Ava's face! love, love, love! |
| seriously,,, don't you just want to squeeeeeeze her?! |
| we also musn't forget Brutus, their gorgeous 170 lbs Great Dane!! |
| he, too, has a TON of great character : |
| ...and the cutest face ever! ...tied with Ava, of course : |
| a 'ksp' style good ol' 'up north' family photo : |
| i also had the pleasure of doing Laura's make-up trial for the engagement session that morning. i cannot wait to recreate it on the big day! |
| i *heart* this image & moment so... |
| the trees at Tahquamenon had a whimsical, sparkling presence that day : |
| the movement, the moment, the overall feeling,,, a definite top favorite from the day : |
| another top fave... walking down to the falls! : |
| Laura & Jon both have such amazing smiles & laughs -- i can almost hear her laughter just by looking at this image : |
| the falls, one word -- INCREDIBLE : |
| the ring (Jon did a mighty good job!!) : |
| one of the things i love most about Laura & Jon is their ability to be playful around each other. they have A LOT of fun together which is amazing & super fun to capture : |
| remember what i said about playfulness?! exhibit example # 2 : |
| all you need is love : |
| i *heart* this image SO! : |
| as we were walking back, i couldn't resist taking a picture by the trash can. yes a bit odd, you may think... however, notice how much snow was on the ground in comparison to their height with the trash can?!!! out-of-control! |
| once back at the Tahquamenon Falls brewery & restaurant area, we got a little relaxed for a bit : |
| are they a beautyFULL couple or what?!!! |
| once inside, we warmed up. i admire how Laura & Jon are able to make what seems to be even the smallest moments fun & lively : |
| ...and lastly, i think nothing sums up a great day more than the awesome smiles on their faces below : |
| **** *CLICK HERE!!!* to view their slideshow & see more photographs. enjoy! |
17 comments so far... this post is hot!
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| chelsea.&.dan :: save.the.date |
tue, 3-10-09 |
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you might remember the super loveable & uber gorgeous couple Chelsea & Dan from their engagement session a little while back.
i had the pleasure of designing one of my 'save.the.date' creations for them recently & have been excited to post these beauts up here on the blog to share with you all. of course, i first wanted to wait until they were all sent out in order not to ruin any 'snailmail' surprises! i got the go ahead from Chels this past weekend and below are their save.the.dates!
in case you are not familiar with ksp 'save.the.date' creations, they are 5x7 postcard style cards that i custom design. for this particular save.the.date, Chelsea & Dan gave me their top favorite images, along with the text they wanted incorporated!
this is the front : |
| and below is the back of their save.the.date! |
Chels & Dan, i cannot wait for your wedding! it is going to be here sooner than we know. thanks again for being such wonderFULL people, truly inside & out.
happy tuesday friends!
: ) ksen |
8 comments so far... comments ROCK!
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| fine.art.albums |
fri, 2-27-09 |
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happy friday! i have been meaning to get this post up for quite some time now. below are some samples of the fine art albums that i offer in 5x5, 8x8, 10x10 & 12x12 inch sizes,,, along with the 8x10 fine art guestbook album. i know that some of you have actually seen these lovelies in person however, i thought it would be nice to have them up on the blog as a point-of-reference when thinking about the size of album you want. i also thought it would be fun to share with those of you who have never seen them.
ksp fine art albums are absolute beautyFULL pieces of, what i like to call, touchable, liveable art! each album is custom designed by myself, every page is then printed on archival photographic paper, mounted, textured & sprayed for the utmost impeccable quality. i am a HUUUUUUUUGE, and i mean huge, stickler on quality over quantity, so when it came time to merging with the right album company -- i wouldn't settle for anything less than the top of the line. after all, these albums are here to stay as modclassic, timeless pieces for generations to come, right!?!
so, without further ado, here's a little sneakypeeky of ksp's fine art albums! |
| two other things that i *heart* so much about my album company is that they have an awesome variety in cover choices so you can really customize your album to match your style & wants (these are just a few below),,, as well as that they pay so much attention to detail (i know, me loving attention to detail is such a SHOCKER! ...) : |
| a few details of a 12x12 album : |
| i *heart* the 5x5 parent albums, too.... sooooo uber cute : |
8 comments so far... comments ROCK!
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| good friends, great questions! |
thu, 1-29-09 |
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i have said this before, & i will say it again -- i love what i do, i love my job. while i feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do what i love, i also have to admit that it takes an incredible amount of work -- there is SO much that goes on behind the scenes that most people don't see... so it is no wonder to me that so many photographers become friends with each other. not only because we can relate in the passion & art of it all, but also the work in it all! however, please don't get me wrong -- all the work is worth it!
i have been blessed to know so many amazing photographers whom i can also call my friends. it is truly a wonderful thing that i am forever grateful for. one of those great friends is the beautiful inside & out Heather Essian of Heather Essian Portrait Arts. Heather & i met in December of 2007 when i documented her sister-in-law, Sam's, wedding. we instantly clicked that day, as well as over some yummy Caribou Coffee & great conversations the following week ... and have been friends ever since!
the other day, Heather & i were talking and we both realized that, although every photographer is different from each other, both she & i specialize in fine art photography & tend to have a longer turn around time due to the process that goes into editing, post-processing, etc.
therefore, the question that we discussed was that day was:
why does it take so long to receive my wedding/portrait images?
(Heather & i decided to collaborate on the verbiage for this post!)
while we've been lucky to not have anyone ask this question, at times maybe we wish you would! we wonder if you might be asking yourself this question, or just plain want to know more about the logistics of it all!
recently, we were also inspired by a post on Anne Ruthmann's blog (if you don't know Anne, she is an uber-awesome photog & person !)... and, although we completely related to her post which you can read here, we thought that we would both take a moment to break down the process for you, as well! |
however, just to make it easier, let's use a wedding for the example!
here are the basic steps about the process we fine art photographers go through the minute your session or wedding is over.
step one:
we load all memory cards to the computer in order to properly back up your beloved photos.
then spend what seems to be a NEVER ENDING process,
burning dvd's of these files to make extra sure the images are safe, as well as backing them up to an external hard drive!!
EXAMPLE: 3500 images = 8 - 10 hours (MINIMUM) |
step two:
all thousands of images are reviewed (often times up to 4500 images... yes 4500)!!!
one by one, we choose the best of the best images, to help make your life easier.
the idea behind narrowing down images, is to make sure only the most perfect shots are edited and given to you.
we take so many to make sure we can have a grand selection of every moment, as well as duplicates to insure the moment is captured!!!
this process takes hours & hours looking at each individual image, deciding which to keep or not to keep.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 2 - 4 hours (MINIMUM) |
step three:
somewhere between 100 - 300 top favorite images are selected and then given the very special artistic effect that is custom by photographer's style and makes your wedding unique and special!!
this is the process that takes the most time, energy & personal touch, as well.
in order to provide you with the beautiful, one of a kind, fine art you invested in, this process most definitely cannot be rushed.
EXAMPLE: 75 images = 10 hours (MINIMUM) |
step four :
a blog post is created so that you have a great sneak peek to be able to view, share & enjoy some of the top faves from your day!
everyone does blogging a little differently, however for me, i really LOVE being able to make my blog posts as special & personal as possible because of how much i connect with my clients. i want your first look at your wedding to be moving & memorable.
an average blog post from start to finish takes me on average about 24 hours & up (MINIMUM)! |
step five:
color and density is corrected with each and every image. images are cropped if necessary.
because your wedding was shot in a multitude of different lighting situations each image can have different corrections needed.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 21 hours (MINIMUM) |
step six:
the images are loaded to an online proofing company for viewing, sharing & ordering!
depending on the photographer's system and the on-line company used... this process can take several days.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 48 hours (MINIMUM) |
...so now you can see it has been a MINIMUM of 117 hours - just to get to this point! this of course doesn't include other weddings & sessions shot, client meetings, daily emails, phone conversations, downloading/backing up, orders made, album designs, etc. that all happen in the 'in between' time either!
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****PLEASE NOTE****! both Heather & i feel it's super important for all to know that we as photographers each have our own way of doing things. some photographers have a team of editors,,, and others do it all themselves there is truly no right or wrong... which is what makes it an art & so special.
all of us have a different style and approach. what is MOST important is the fit. finding the right person to capture the memories of your special day who also has the style that makes your heart swell,,, because after all, we are around you the entire day, too!!!
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another thing that both Heather & i firmly believe in is that what counts in the end is the quality of your wedding photos. when you see how much you love, LOVE them, you will be sure it was worth the wait!!!
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| ...and then, you will have all the years of your life to relax, share & enjoy them! |
| and just for fun... here are a few more top favorite wedding images from this past year that have all gone through the meticulous process mentioned above! |
13 comments so far... comments are the coolest!
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| sarah.&.ron |
mon, 12-29-08 |
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Sarah & Ron are the CUTEST!! i will never forget our initial conversation on the phone and then finally meeting them in person -- no matter which way you put it, you cannot help but to smile & laugh A LOT when you are around these two! they are full of passion & life, and i absolutely adore their constant zest & enthusiasm. they light up when they are around each other. we had the best time in downtown Ann Arbor one early October day (can i thank you guys again for your patience?! thank YOU!! )... leaving us with far too many memories to recall in this simple paragraph -- so, you will have to take a browse below to see for yourself!
of course, remember to also check out their slideshow at the end of this post which was even more photographs for your viewing pleasure.
Sarah & Ron! you guys are the BEST! thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so rad & wonderFULL,,, for being the amazing people that you ARE. thank you . i am so happy that we were able to go to Ann Arbor & play! i cannot wait until your wedding in May -- it is going to rock!!! until then, i hope these images plant huge smiles across your beautiful faces. more to come soon!.... |
| there is just something about this image that i love so much : |
| can you tell how the light each other up?! |
| i *heart* this series... i think my artsy-fartsy self will call it, 'the pedestrian' : |
| all you need is love, laughter, love... |
| ... and a little bit of oomph! |
| the talented make-up artist extraordinaire (& also my rad assistant and friend), Angela, did Sarah's make-up for the engagement session : |
| i remember taking this image & being very happy : |
| however, then i snapped this one & i was uberdoober happy -- definitely one of my toptop faves from the day : |
| yep, i *heart* this one so! |
| i just love the way they interact with each other : |
| and so very sweet : |
| this one has such a classic/mod feeling to it that i adore : |
| doesn't this make you want to smile?! |
| how could we be in Ann Arbor & not give the Cube a twirl? |
| or grab a slice of the infamous NYPD pizza? |
| i love, love their expressions here! |
| another very '"ann arbor" spot we couldn't resist! |
| as we were wrapping things up, Sarah & Ron both like to read so we decided to check out some books at Borders.... |
| ...and how appropriate that there were tons of books on photography! if you ask me, by the looks on their faces, i think they were thinking about one-up-ing me on my photog skillz... ! |
****please *CLICK HERE!!!* to view their slideshow & see even more photographs. my dear sweet friend Aya suggested this particular song (used in the slideshow) to me a little while back & i have been waiting to use it. reflecting back to our awesome conversations that day, i thought this song was perfect for their slideshow. hope you enjoy! **** |
7 comments so far... comments ROCK!
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| 357 posts, 2650 comments |
| 202,079 visits, 752,897 page views |
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