We really and truly are thankful for each of our clients. We come away from every photo session, every client meeting, and every wedding feeling like we’ve made new friends. You have supported us, encouraged us, and entrusted us with some of the most important moments of your lives.

We want to thank you, our loyal clients. We recently added a new product to our line. It’s a session album. It’s a 4×4 book (with your choice of a supple leather or hardcover linen cover). The book has 15 spreads (30 pages) with each page highlighting and image from your portrait session.

The book is small enough to easily fit into your purse, diaper bag, or sit on an end table to share with your family and friends.



As a thank you to all of our returning clients

If you book your portrait session by July 1st you will be given a session album as our thank you gift to you!! (that’s a $250 value!!)

Are you a new client?

We want to thank you too!! For new clients, if you book your portrait session by July 1st you will be given a session album at a 50% savings, as our thank you gift to you!!

(the session needs to be BOOKED by July 1st to qualify for this special, however your appointment date can be scheduled for whenever you’d like)

contact us right away to schedule your portrait session, the dates are filling up fast!

Thank you all for all your love, support and entrusting us with your beautiful moments in your lives. You all hold a special place in our hearts, and we can’t wait to see you again soon!

Chris & Jen Stewart

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Haven’t we all heard that comment before?  I came across a great article today that addressed just this. Not written by a wedding photographer, but by an amateur photographer, who tagged along at a wedding with 2 wedding photographers, and learned just what goes into wedding photography.

Now I know that our wonderful blog readers, and clients understand the importance of hiring a seasoned professional photographer to memorialize the important memories of their wedding day.  So if our blog readers, and clients understand the importance of hiring a professional, why post this?  Because maybe you know a friend or loved one who is getting married and you’ve heard them say this.

The wedding photos after all, are often times, the only memories a bride and groom has to remember their day through.  The day is such a blur of activity and emotion, it’s often hard to remember any of it.  At least that’s the way it worked for Chris and I!

Please take a moment to go and read the article Pros of Hiring a Pro

What are your thoughts on this topic?  Would love to start a discussion in the comments below!

Have a great day everyone!

Jen

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Hello again! I hope you are enjoying our blog series on “Planning your wedding day for the best photos possible!!” If you missed any of the posts, or want to read the series from the beginning you can go to the 1st post and there are links in that 1st post to all the posts in the series!

Today we will be talking about why engagement photos are important to the wedding day. Sure they provide you with beautiful photos, photos that may be able to capture a different side to you and your fiancé and your relationship, than can be shown on the wedding day. But there are benefits far greater to the success of your wedding day than just beautiful engagement photos!

By the time you have decided on and hired your Sacramento wedding photographer, you’ve probably put a lot and time, energy and research into that important decision. I’m sure you’ve looked through their online portfolio, possible sample wedding albums, full wedding galleries, and their blog. You hired them because you are confident in the work that they produce. But is there still a nagging question in the back of your mind, “how will I look in their photos??” That is a normal question. Heck when Chris and I have been photographed, buy photographers we love and trust, and WE had the same nagging questions in our heads. It’s not until you see firsthand what those photos look like, of YOU that you truly have that question answered. The engagement session gives you that opportunity, before the wedding, day to answer that question.

The engagement session gives you an opportunity to get more comfortable with your photographer(s) and being in front of the camera. It gives you a chance to see firsthand how they work, what it’s like working with them.

It also gives your photographers an opportunity to get to know you better. Not only your personalities, but your comfort in front of the lens, and how you two interact together. Everyone has different angles, expressions, etc. that they photograph best at, and your photographer(s) can have the opportunity to perfect the best way to photograph you and your fiancé so you look your best.

This also gives all of you a chance to get to know each other better. Our goal (as I know many other photographers feel the same way) is to get to know our clients personally so that they feel comfortable around us and like we are old friends by the time the wedding day arrives. There is nothing worse (or awkward) than the feeling of a stranger with a camera in your face, on your crazy emotional wedding day.

Another benefit that will translate into your wedding day photography, is you will be relaxed and at ease with your photographer. This comfort and trust will trickle down to those loved ones that will be with you and in your wedding day photos. If your wedding party and family can see and sense your comfort and trust in your photographer, they will feel more at ease and trust your photographer’s lead and ideas throughout the day.

So as you can see, the engagement session provides you with far more than just beautiful photos of you and your fiancé prior to your wedding day, and are and important benefit to the overall success of the wedding day photos. Again, thank you for following our blog series thus far! I hope you are enjoying it! As always, if you have any tips you’d like to add, or any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for the final installment of our blog series, “Trusting your photographer and having fun!”

Hello all you lovely blog readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

You may be confused by the blog post title, and asking yourself, Didn’t the 1st post in this series (and day 7) originally say that today would be “Why engagement photos are important to the wedding day”?

Well I decided, after talking to Eric Upton of 916 Entertainers, that it was important that I add another day to the series! As well as working with 916 Entertainers where they focus on “providing entertainment that reflects your unique charm and character”, he also just got married this last summer! So Eric has a fresh perspective on wedding vendors both as a vendor as well as recently being the groom!

Eric shared with me, “I’ve noticed that a great way couples can help achieve amazing wedding photos is to choose wedding entertainment that is sensitive to the needs of the photographers as well as the desires of the Bride and Groom. When choosing your entertainment spend some time asking them how they work with other vendors. What do they do to ensure that all the vendors can work and communicate with one another during the event? As it pertains to the photographers specifically, will the DJ communicate with the photographer throughout the event to let them know when and where things will happen (i.e. the cake is about to be cut, the Bride & Groom will be having their first dance, the toasts will be in five minutes, etc.) Having wedding entertainment that allows for cohesion between the special events and the photographers will ensure that your photographers will be prepared and able to get all the shots that are important to the bride and groom, as well as the family members.”

We couldn’t agree with Eric more! It’s very important that ALL of your wedding vendors share this vision, that your wedding day is a team effort, not just the DJ or photographer, or wedding coordinator. We try to work closely with the DJ, the wedding coordinator, the venue, your videographer, etc. If there is one vendor that is just focused on their agenda, it can not only affect their success, but possibly negatively affect rest of your vendors success at providing you the wedding of your dreams.

Another thing that this discussion brought to mind is that most vendors will have a “Preferred Vendors List”. Check with your venue, DJ, Photographer, or Coordinator, etc., as to why they have those vendors on their list, and if anything is required of those vendors that are referred.

While many vendors in the area list vendors that they work well with, respect their work, and know they provide an exceptional service to their clients, we have heard of other vendors that require a “bonus” or even “membership” to be included on their preferred list. This we see as a huge conflict of interest, and basically is a “kickback”. The vendors that require such “gains” are not giving you the vendors that they most respect, but the ones willing to pay. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with a vendor paying for advertising, many wedding websites have paid listings. But that information should be revealed, and not appear or be perceived as anything other than a paid advertisement.

Make sure ask your vendors how others get on that referral list, and what it is about their service that they find valuable. This will give you helpful information, not only to make sure that these are quality leads, but also give you some insight into the vendor you are talking to, as well as the vendor they are referring.

We often share vendors with our clients, and love talking to the couple about what it is about that vendor’s service that we think would be a good fit for that specific client’s wedding. We are very particular about the vendors we pass along to our clients. We value the service we provide our clients so much, we find it of utmost importance that the other vendors we refer also provide an exceptional service. Because like mentioned above, to provide you with the best service possible, all your wedding vendors need to work together as a team on your wedding day.

Below is a photo in the photobooth provided by Artistic Imagery, of the wedding team from one of our May 2009 weddings. In this photo is the bride & groom, Alan & Amber Silva from Artistic Imagery as well as Doug LaVine & Jara Harmon from Music On The Move DJ’s This was a perfect example of a group of vendors who truly got the “team effort” mentality!!

Again, thank you for following our blog series thus far! I hope you are enjoying it! As always, if you have any tips you’d like to add, or any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for the next installment of our blog series, we will be talking about “Why engagement photos are important to the wedding day”. (for real this time! haha)

Today’s topic is a personal decision. Many brides (and we’ve come to find out even the grooms), when they think of their wedding day, imagine that moment of first seeing each other as the bride walks down the aisle. That is a beautiful moment. But why do we imagine it that way? Probably because for years and years, that was expected and really, the only option. So many couples, when we’ve talked to them about this, said, they had never thought about it, it’s something they had always just assumed.

I remember when Chris and I got married. I wanted to see him so badly before the ceremony, but at that time, the only experience we had had with weddings was that was a big “no, no”. I remember my mom working double time to make sure that Chris and my paths did not cross before the ceremony. But I remember thinking how I just wanted to get a glimpse of him, see how handsome he looked, and get a hug and kiss from him before taking the next step in our lives together.

I now wish we had bucked tradition and went with our guts on this. Especially when we see our clients experience that moment privately before the ceremony, without a million eyes watching. It’s one of our very favorite moments to capture in photos! The pure emotion, excitement, joy, anticipation, all able to be felt freely and shared with the one you love! Nothing beats it!

We encourage all of our couples to consider seeing each other prior to the ceremony. This is a very personal decision for your wedding day, and it isn’t something everyone wants to do. But there are many benefits to this if you are open to it.

If you are meeting first, your wedding photographer can arrange for a private location for you two to see each other for the first time. For our clients we find a place that is beautiful in photos, and we set it up so that we can ensure capturing those ever important “first reactions”. We generally use our “long lenses” to allow us to take those important photos, and yet still give you a sense of privacy.

Seeing each other before the ceremony gives you and your fiancé an opportunity to have 10- 15 minutes alone, privately on one of the biggest days of your lives. It will probably be the only time you have alone together during your wedding day. We have literally witnessed any stress that was felt by the wedding couple visibly melt away as soon as they saw each other. After those few moments alone, they were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day fully.

Seeing each other before the ceremony also allows for your wedding photographer to get all your wedding portraits done before the ceremony. This way you and your wedding party can go straight to the reception and not keep your guests waiting.

Another benefit to taking the photos prior to the ceremony, is you can plan for ample time for your “Bride & Groom Portraits” as well as your “Wedding Party Portraits”. By giving your photographer this time, it allows your photographer to take creative beautiful photos without you, your wedding party and your photographer feeling stressed about wanting to get you back to your waiting guests. Don’t’ forget if you plan to take ANY formal photos prior to the ceremony, to let your florist know what time you will need the flowers by.

If you choose to see each other prior to the ceremony, we suggest you make sure to let your wedding party, and any family you need for photos know what time you will need them ready for the photos. Remember what we mentioned in the post on planning your timeline, and pad some extra time in to the time you tell your friends and family to be ready for the photos. It’s inevitable that someone will be running late, but if you’ve padded some time in, you won’t be stressed!

As I said, this a personal decision for each couple. We encourage you to consider the benefits of seeing each other prior to the ceremony, and talk to your fiance about it and decide what is most important to you.

Again, thank you for following our blog series thus far! I hope you are enjoying it! As always, if you have any tips you’d like to add, or any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for the next installment of our blog series, we will be talking about “Why engagement photos are important to the wedding day “. (change of plans, we added another post to the series, before the engagement photos post.) “Do ALL your vendors see your wedding day as a “Team Effort?”

Hello everyone and welcome to day 6 of our series, “How To Plan Your Wedding Day To Ensure The Best Wedding Photos”. If you have not been following this series, or missed any entries, you can click HERE (or on the series title) to view the first entry in the series. In that entry it lists all the post with links to them (it’s being updated daily as the post are put up).

When making plans for your wedding day, and wedding party, consider carefully, where you will be getting ready. Many Sacramento wedding photographers, who have a documentary style to their photography, will be with you as you are getting prepared for your big day. So as your selecting where you and your groom and your wedding party will be getting ready, keep in mind that photos will be taken in that location.

As you are looking for a place to get ready, ask yourself, “what is the lighting like?” Natural light is best
when available, big windows, which you can pull back any curtains or shades on, are best. Florecent light and incandecent light can add color casts to skin, making for unflattering skin tones in photos. Also when thinking of lighting, you want to make sure there is a LOT of light available so that you and your bridesmaids can not only properly put your makup on, but also so that your photographer can take nice photos. You don’t want to worry about a camera flash going off either startling you when putting on your eyeliner, or making you see spots! haha

Also when looking for your getting ready location, ask yourself, “Is the room cluttered or open and not too busy?” If it’s a bit cluttered, is it possible to move out any clutter while your wedding party is using the room to get ready? If you are using hotel rooms or a home, or there are multiple rooms available to you; you can also consider having one room for your wedding party to get ready in, and one room to keep “stuff” to reduce clutter in the background of the photos.

Stop and look at the décor of the room. Is it something that you would like, or cringe at when looking back at your wedding photos?

Is the room comfortable? Think about the size of the room, and how many people you plan to have with you as you are getting ready. Remember not just wedding party, but any moms, mother in laws, aunts or cousins that may be either getting ready there, or stopping in and hanging out. Also remember that each person that will be getting ready with you will probably have a few bag with them. (clothes, makeup, accessories, etc.) Is there enough room, for people to move around easily if there are several people sitting down, putting on makeup, curling hair, getting dressed etc.

Especially pay attention to temperature, and the quality of cooling available in the room. Even in the middle of winter, a small room can get quite warm and uncomfortable with several people nervous and getting ready at once.

It’s easy to overlook this last detail, but possibly one of the most important. Scout out to make sure there are plenty of mirrors, sinks and outlets available for everyone. if everyone will be getting ready at once, you want to make sure that your wedding party doesn’t to wait to have access to a mirror, or outlets to blowdry their hair or curl etc.

It’s details like these, that may seem minor, but if planned ahead of time thoughtfully, will make for smoother, enjoyable wedding day experience.

Thank you everyone for following our blog series thus far! I hope you are enjoying it! As always, if you have any tips you’d like to add, or any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

Be sure to check back for the next installment of our blog series, we will be talking about “Seeing each other prior to the ceremony”.

Many of you have been following our recent blog series. If not, you can go to the 1st post in the series, “How To Plan Your Wedding Day To Ensure The Best Wedding Photos” and it lists all the post with links to them (it’s being updated daily as the post are put up).

Today we will be discussing your hair & makeup. By this point in your wedding planning, you will have done your research, found your Sacramento wedding photographer, and hired your wedding coordinator (if that’s what you decided to do) and all your other wedding vendors. Most of the main details of the day have been taken care of. Now the fun (but sometimes overlooked) details of hair & makeup.

Your first decision is WHO will be doing your hair & makeup. Whether you are all about the glamour of the day, or plan to keep it simple and natural, you need to come up with a plan. What will compliment the style of wedding dress you’ve selected? What will compliment your facial structure? A professional can help you with these decisions if you aren’t sure the answers to these questions. Heck, you’ve invested quite a bit into a photographer to record the day for generations to come, even if you want to keep it simple, you want to look your very best in photos!

I spoke today with our personal stylist, whom we highly recommend, Lisa Sacco, based out of Newcastle, California (contact me if you would like her contact info). She suggests if you are going to color your hair, do it a week before the wedding so that you it’s as fresh and vibrant as possible, but also allows time, in case your stylist needs to make any changes. She also suggests, “Plan your trail run 2-3 weeks before your wedding date. You want your trial run to be done on your hair when it’s going to be the closest to the wedding length as it will be on the wedding day.” And finally, as a tip from a pro, she suggests, “Have “day old hair” on your wedding day, not freshly washed that morning. It’s best to work with for styling.” Thanks Lisa for sharing your tips. And brides, if you are looking for a stylist for your wedding we can’t recommend Lisa highly enough!

Even if you are on a budget, it’s sometimes nice to be pampered a bit on your wedding day. Your stylists are professionals, and can keep your hair simple, but ensure that it will stay simply beautiful through the end of your reception. The same goes for your makeup. Even if you plan for a natural look, a professional makeup artist can ensure that you keep that natural glow all day.

The second decision will be where you want to get your hair & makeup done. There are pros & cons to both. Going to a salon allows you to sit down, relax, away from the hustle and bustle of the wedding, and just be pampered. It also allows you to walk away, and not worry about cleaning up a mess. However having it done in a private home or at your venue allows for some privacy, you don’t have to remember to bring your veil (if you’ve having your stylist put it in) or risk leaving something at the salon. And it also cuts down on your travel time during the day, lessening any chance to get stuck in traffic. Think about what your personal preference would be, and what would help you to feel the most relaxed and able to just enjoy each moment of your wedding day.

We encourage you to have a trial run for hair & makeup (even its being done by yourself or a friend) prior to your wedding day. This helps both you and your stylist to find the “perfect” style for your wedding day. The key here, much like when talking to any of your other vendors, is good communication. Share with your stylist your vision for the day, and your vision for what you will look like. Maybe even come in with some sample photos. I can’t tell you how many brides we’ve seen walk away from their stylist, or makeup artist upset that they didn’t end up with what they had envisioned. They rush to their next location and hope that their bridesmaids can fix everything. It’s even worse if that hair stylist or makeup artist is her friend, or bridesmaid! Now the bride has to worry about hurting her friend’s feelings, and yet, she doesn’t feel as beautiful as she wanted to on her wedding day.These are tricky waters, and best to avoid these issues before they ever happen.

Or worse yet, we’ve seen when a bride is halfway through getting her hair done, and realizes that her friend or stylist (whatever the case may be) isn’t doing what she had envisioned (but hadn’t told the stylist what she wanted in the first place) and there isn’t enough time to start over! Another scenario we’ve seen is when the bride is doing her own hair or makeup, but gets halfway through and realizes that it’s not work like she had hoped or wanted. Most of those brides could have avoided that stress if they had a trial run prior to the wedding.

The trial run also gives you a good idea of how long to plan for in your wedding day timeline. As a general rule of thumb, typically allow 1 hour for each of your bridesmaids with your stylist, and 2+ hours for the bride. But this time will vary with different styles, hair types and with different stylists.

To ensure you look the way you had always envisioned, and have a stress free fabulous day, from beginning to end, it’s always best to have that trial run done before setting up your wedding day timeline.

Come back tomorrow when we will be talking about “Planning Where You Will Be Getting Ready For Your Wedding”.

As always, we love to hear from our blog readers. If you are a bride or vendor, who has an experience that you think will benefit our readers please share. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!