“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people” -Will Rogers
Matt and I have been photographing weddings for about five years now, but it wasn’t until only a year ago that we truly realized the importance of sharing ideas, knowledge and our passion for photography with other photographer friends around us. We didn’t quite grasp what the photo community was all about and didn’t even know it existed until our trip to WPPI in February of 2009. Since then we have been blown away by the amazing friends and colleagues that we now have to grow with and lean on for support. The industry is full of passionate leaders who are eager to share what they know and help others along. One of the best things that we have done for ourselves and our business is to surround ourselves with photographers that love what they do and are continually challenging themselves to be more creative and innovative. Though there are many that I would love to list here, there is one that I just have to mention. Kenny Kim from Kenny Kim Photography is someone who is constantly inspiring us and has truly invested time into helping us grow our ideas and broaden our horizon. He challenges us to be more confident in our brand and to look at every experience as a way to learn and grow.
Kenny recently teamed up with Ray Santana to host what they call the Portfolio Plus Workshop. It is chalked full of valuable lessons and tips that they have each learned through their journey in being a wedding photographer. Jim Garner and Dave Cross also attended as guest speakers and packed in a mountain full of solid information about efficient workflow in photoshop, business philosophies, and much more. The workshop was held at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami and it was the perfect spot to get away and just soak up all of the goodness and included a group shoot out with models wearing beautiful gowns from Ines di Santo. Below are some of my favorite shots with Kenny & Thalita. You can find more on my facebook page. Also a huge thanks to Barbie and Lucy who also came out to model for us. For a more thorough review of the workshop visit Kenny Nakai’s blog! Matt says he will post his images soon.
All of this being said, Matt and I leave in one week from today for an inspiration trip to Italy with the Kenny Kim Photoventure crew. We are excited to bring back new ideas and stunning portfolio images and can’t wait to travel with our friends, old and new!
February 4, 2010 - 12:51 pmMatt Savage - Great to meet you to Gavin... thanks for the comments! Please come visit!
February 4, 2010 - 8:06 amsharon snow - Stevi, your images are GORGEOUS. So creamy and warm, they just feel romantic.
It was great meeting you guys at the workshop, hope we meet up @ future one's.
BTW - Italy with Kenny Kim, I'm jealous! Can't wait to see shots.
February 4, 2010 - 12:05 amGavin Wade - Woohoo! First comment! First of all, it was such a pleasure meeting and talking with you both! It makes me miss Chi town so much! Second, I LOVE love love the images you got of Kenny and Thalita, so precious :)
Hope to see you both soon!
This past weekend Avery House partnered with A Perfect Event and Vanille Patisserie in hosting a “Wedding Trends, Tips and Treats” Event sponsored by CS Brides to showcase some of the most popular trends in weddings for this coming year. We had a great time meeting lots brides and we can’t say enough about Debi Lilly, Chief Eventuer at A Perfect Event, and all of her fabulous design ideas. We have had the pleasure of working with her on both local and destination weddings for five years now and she never ceases to produce some of the most stunning events we have seen. The collages below are just a few of the wonderful things that were featured at the party. My personal favorite is the yellow, white and grey palette!
One of our favorite services and a recent photography trend that we offer our clients is the “photo booth.” It is such a great way for guests to get involved at the reception. At our event on Sunday, Debi helped take the idea one step further to create a photo/sketch drawing souvenir for the guests to take home with them. The photos you see here were actually taken with a cool iphone app called Epson iPrint. Debi’s husband helped us out on this one. Mike Rowe from Write by Mike did an incredible job at making the cute little sketch drawings to compliment the photos which you can see below. We think this is a fantastic way to add some extra fun to any party and gives your guests something that they are excited to take away. Check out his beautiful calligraphy work here.
A HUGE thanks goes out to Matt from I Do Films for stopping by and doing some stellar video coverage of the event. We really love what this company is doing and encourage everyone to visit their blog. They are fun to work with and incredibly talented. Enjoy the footage that he captured below!
February 4, 2010 - 12:52 pmMatt Savage - Thanks Kenny! See you soon!
February 3, 2010 - 2:59 pmKenny Kim - Wow, looks like it was "A perfect event"! Beautiful images, love the sketch idea and the photobooth. U guys rock! :)
Some of our dearest friends in the world, Dave and Bonnie had a little girl named Emery Jane. She was born on November 23, 2009. When we were back in Texas for the holidays we stopped over to visit our old friends and couldn’t help photographing their new family.
Emery at the time was a little fussy, not feeling her best. Little did we know it wasn’t just a little sickness she had. Through a series of events a tumor was found (Neuroblastoma) in Emery’s delicate body. It was about two inches long extending behind her lung and into her spinal canal. For the past ten days Dave, Bonnie, Emery, and a number of the family members and friends have been in Houston at Texas Children’s Hospital where Emery has been admitted. Emery has undergone numerous tests and a few rounds of chemo trying to shrink the tumor.
Things like this we can’t understand and can only look at them as a way to see what is important in life, grow closer to each other, and ultimately grow closer to God. We have been praying along with many others for a perfect healing for Emery’s body and strength for Dave and Bonnie as they do all they can for their sweet daughter. Please join us in prayer for Emery.
January 23, 2010 - 10:28 pmBonnie Davidson - Thank you so much for posting this important message and these most precious pictures!!!
January 21, 2010 - 8:22 pmTricia Parks - Thank you for posting this, Matt. David was telling me about how incredible the session was and that you have grown as an artist so much. He is so right! You and Stevie are awesome. God loves little Emery more than any of us could ever imagine and I know He hears us when we call out to Him and is answering our prayers. I am so excited to see what His plans are for this sweet girl. God is good, Emery's healing will be complete and perfect, and life is precious.
January 21, 2010 - 4:47 pmKele - these are absolutely beautiful!
January 21, 2010 - 12:47 pmTiffanie - Ryan and my prayers are with Emery as well. I know she IS healed and will recover ever so fast. We love you guys,and will continue to pray for such a sweet baby girl. She is so beautiful by the way. God bless you guys!
January 21, 2010 - 11:58 amBill Rice - What a beautiful job, Thankyou
Bill & Patty Rice
Uncle/godfather
January 21, 2010 - 9:47 amSarah Durham - Thank you so much for being such an amazing friend to Dave and Bonnie! You really captured the love they have for one another and for precious Emery. You are an incredible talent. We pray everyday for healing of Emery's tiny body.
January 20, 2010 - 10:57 pmLezlie - Aww...I love these images of them! I have known David for quite some time (since elementary school) and to see him with his little girl just makes me smile. We have been interceding for this sweet family and we are believing in complete healing in Emery's tiny body!
January 20, 2010 - 10:43 pmMatt Savage - Thank you... that is an awesome testament.
January 20, 2010 - 10:28 pmdavid - I truly hope and wish the very best and speediest recovery for Emery. My son Aiden had a brain tumor at four months old and went through brain surgery to have it removed and he is a healthy happy boy now. I hope that gives you hope and may God's awesome love pour out on you all and especially little Emery.
Just a week ago in Nashville, TN I attended Jeremy Cowart’s workshop at his Studio in the Factory. This is the first workshop I have ever attended and found myself surrounded by people who were passionate about their art form, meeting other’s in the industry and a hunger to learn from someone who has changed the way we look at photography.
Jeremy Cowart is not only a photographer but someone who has taken the gift he has been given of creating art from the creation that surrounds him and used it to impact others in a long lasting positive way. Recently he founded Help Portrait, a movement that has taken photographers into peoples lives. Focusing on photographing less fortunate people and giving a portrait that many of them have never had before. This movement has spread around the world and has given a new perspective on how we can impact the lives around us with simple acts of love and giving of our time and resources.
What did I learn from the workshop? I didn’t learn what I was expecting, instead I was inspired to not look at what I don’t have but what I do have and to put myself in situations that will be a catalyst for my creativity. What we do as artists is reflect the creation around us that is personal to us by finding beauty and emotion.
I did know a few others that were also attending the workshop, my good friends and photographer’s Ben Rollins and Kenny Nakai. I also met Jesh DeRox, someone I have looked at for inspiration and who has impacted so many with his creative process and friendship. During the workshop we were split into several groups to do a shoot and critique. The following images are a few I took during that time with our fantastic model Kasey Reed who is on her way to modeling in Japan.
Inspiration and creative processes occur when we least expect, we need to be open to creative accidents to break through our shells that hold us so tight.
Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography
January 20, 2010 - 10:05 pmMatt Savage - Thanks Jessi... believe it or not that is straight out of the camera with a little contrast. You have got to love double exposures.
January 20, 2010 - 7:22 pmjessi - i love that last image on the right. awesome, awesome!
A few days before Christmas Matt and I had the chance to meet some of our 2010 clients for the first time when we were in Dallas. Jennifer and Steve have one of the most sweet and unique love stories I have yet to hear. Before they ever met, Steve worked at a bank that Jennifer came to regularly. She had caught his eye several times and he finally worked up the courage to write her a note one day to give to her the next time she came up to drive-through window. When he had to leave for lunch one day, he left the note with a co-worker to give to her in case she came through while he was gone. And, of course, while he was out that day, Jennifer came by and received the note from the co-worker and the rest is history! They are planning an awesome outdoor ceremony in April and we couldn’t be happier to be their photographers. They are head over heels for each other and so fun to hang out with. The weather in Dallas couldn’t have been more perfect for our shoot considering it was the end of December and we had a great with these two as we explored beautiful Addison Circle.
Matt and I are in Nashville now where he and a couple of our friends, Ben Rollins and Kenny Nakai, will be attending one of Jeremy Cowarts’ first-ever workshops on Saturday. We plan to stick around on Sunday for the first part of Imaging so if any of you are around be sure to look us up!
Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography
January 24, 2010 - 5:25 pmkristel wyman - i love the colours and tones in all these photos !
January 13, 2010 - 10:35 amMatt Savage - Angela, that is crazy! We will have to get together next time we are in town. We had a lot of fun hanging around Addison Circle. Thanks for the comment!
January 13, 2010 - 9:56 amAngela - Oh my goodness, I can't believe y'all were in Addison Circle! That's where I used to live before I moved to Uptown. I actually used live right above that cute little coffee shop.
Pics are beautiful!
Paul and Katie are some of the hippest people we know and they absolutely adore one another. They chose to have their outdoor wedding ceremony at the beautiful Hidden Falls Ranch where they both had spent many summers as either campers or camp counselors. The rugged location was perfect for them and their own personal style. Since this was a place where I had also spent a summer as a camp counselor with Katie it was even more exciting to be a part of the day and see so many old friends. The ranch sits on the edge of Palo Duro Canyon and the view from their ceremony was simply stunning. As Matt and I are wrapping up our 2 week holiday visit with his family here in Amarillo, TX, I thought this post would be most appropriate. Our next venture is TN where Matt will spend next weekend at Jeremy Cowart’s workshop in Nashville. From there we will head to Knoxville to spend a few days with my family. We hope you all have enjoyed the holidays and we wish all of you the best in 2010!
Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography
January 31, 2010 - 10:27 pmMatt Savage - Thanks!! Great meeting you guys as well, hopefully we can meet again soon. Fantastic work in Tanzania, by the way!
January 30, 2010 - 9:52 amJason Thon - Hey Matt and Stevi, what a beautiful wedding. These images are fantastic. It was great meeting you guys this past week. We hope you enjoyed your time in Maimi!
January 25, 2010 - 11:13 pmNancy Wittig - I love this wedding!!! Her dress is s original, and the pews outdoors are just perfect. Wonderful work.
January 23, 2010 - 12:16 pmSylwia Kotlarz - fantastic couple, amazing place ... great result !!!
January 6, 2010 - 11:50 amMatt Savage - Thanks for the comments! We had a blast in Texas, now on to new adventures.
January 5, 2010 - 1:13 pmOtto Rascon - Hi Stevi. Thanks for sharing these photos. What a beautiful set of images... I especially like the portraits with the rocks in the background. Way to rock it out! Have a great time on your vacations.
January 4, 2010 - 10:20 pmayres photography - Great shots! What an awesome set! So glad I stumbled onto your blog... :)
Meet my fabulous friend/photographer, Brittany, and her charming sidekick, Anthony. Brittany has been my pal ever since I lived in Milwaukee where she owns her own wedding and portrait photography business, Hanle Productions. She was my small group leader for a while and during a time of major transition for me, she reached out and made me feel at home in a brand new city. We shared lots of good stories over hot tea in her cute little vintage apartment that overlooked Prospect St. Together we dreamt about our future before either of us officially had our own photography businesses and now, looking back, it is hard to believe that we shared those dreams only a few short years ago. Both of us have come a long way and I am thankful for our friendship. If you live in or ever visit Milwaukee, you have to check out Miss Ruby’s where a few of her dresses came from and definitely don’t forget to check out Brittany’s work.
If you had the chance to spend a little time with Mike and Elizabeth, you would know that they are passionate about music and passionate about teaching and helping others. They are such a perfect pair and we loved them for letting us be creative with their wedding. When we found out how classy and victorian their wedding theme was, we knew that parasols would be a great addition to all of their beautiful details. I love that we are just a hop, skip and a jump from Chinatown where they sell them by the dozens for only a few nickels. Mike and Elizabeth had their wedding at The Danada House which is a gorgeous property just west of Chicago and a perfect place for a wedding. Built in 1939 and with a whopping total of 19 rooms, the Danada House was the home farm to the 1965 Kentucky Derby winner, Lucky Debonaire. I can imagine that if I was a horse, this would be the place I would want to call home too.
As you can see, Elizabeth is just about as sweet and elegant as they come. I think the Danada House was the perfect location for the style and vision that she had always dreamt her wedding to be. We wish all the best to this awesome couple!
On another note, Matt and I returned from our trip to India last week and are working hard to get all of our images processed. We can’t wait to share a few of the stories and slideshows with you. We leave this coming week and will be out of the office for 5 weeks straight traveling to Amarillo, Birmingham, Dallas, Nashville, Knoxville, Tuscaloosa and my hometown of Marion, VA. Hopefully we will see some of you along the way!
We love Dave and Katie for several reasons. They are such encouraging people. They are sincere listeners and treat their friends and family with so much respect. When you are around them it is hard not to be happy. They really do carry the joy of the Lord with them and it was such a pleasure shooting their wedding and capturing the love that they share for each other on that day. Not to mention Katie is just such a cutie! Well, Dave isn’t so bad either. We couldn’t be more blessed by all of our awesome clients from this past year and Dave and Katie were just one of those couples that made our 2009 wedding season so memorable.
December 10, 2009 - 11:02 pmmatt - Thanks Otto! You are so encouraging! Hope to see you guys soon.
December 10, 2009 - 3:46 pmOtto Rascon - Hey guys. These images are so sweeeet! I really love the way you displayed the groomsmen photos. Your lighting on the first dance photos is amazing. Rock on!
Nick and Jill are probably the most laid back couple I have ever hung out with. We had a blast at North Avenue Beach here in Chicago, IL shooting their Engagement Session. Looking at these picks it’s hard to believe the warm weather is gone for us. Nick owns a sausage company in Michigan where they are getting married next year, and I met Jill, who is a food stylist, while working with Stephen Hamilton. (one of the best food shooters in the world) We are so excited to shoot Jill and Nick’s wedding next year in Michigan. Congratulations, hope to see you guys again soon!
Jill and Nick are engaged and we had the pleasure of hanging out with them on one of the last day’s of summer on North Avenue Beach in Chicago. This couple is dynamite and are getting married next year in Michigan. Congrats guys!
Music Credit: Discovery – “Swing Tree”
Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography
December 10, 2009 - 11:01 pmmatt - Hey Tyler... the polaroids are actually polaroids from an instant polaroid camera. If you are referring to images in the slideshow that have a black border they are TTV (Through The Viewfinder) using a homemade black box and a Duraflex III camera. If you google TTV, you will be able to see what I am talking about. Cheers!
December 8, 2009 - 3:42 pmTyler C - Hey I really liked these. Question what do you use for the blank Polaroids?
We couldn’t be more blessed by all of our awesome clients from this past year and Dave and Katie were just one of those couples that made our 2009 wedding season so memorable.
by Stevi Savage
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