Archive for April, 2007

Jesyca’s Maternity Session

Published by Ulysses on April 28, 2007 in Maternity and Portraits. 2 Comments

Jesyca and Bill are truly a special couple to us. Long-time readers of our blog might easily remember this most vivacious of couples from our sessions past:

Jesyca’s maternity sessionSo, we were thrilled when they asked us to photograph Jesyca’s maternity session. We wanted to provide for them the same sort of unique and enjoyable experience they had during their previous sessions with us. Jesyca was ready with a few different changes of outfit, hair and makeup beautifully done, and ready for whatever we asked. Bill was ready, too, with plenty of behind-the-scenes humor to keep us all laughing. It wasn’t long before we had him join in with the photo shoot. We can’t wait to join them again for baby photos in a few short weeks.

Their online gallery is coming soon. Look for it in the “Client Proofs” section of our main site.

Thanks for letting us have such a fun time again, Jes & Bill!

(Click the above image for a larger version.)

Jesyca & Bill’s Rave

Published by Jenni on April 28, 2007 in Raves. 0 Comments

Jesyca & Bill’s weddingJesyca and Bill got married last year, and it was a joy to photograph their wedding. Now we have again been privileged to share in another momentous time in their lives by documenting their growing family. Ulysses is about to post a preview from Jesyca’s maternity session, but I thought you also might enjoy reading the letter they sent us after the wedding. Words like these really emphasize to us how meaningful our work is…

Ulysses & Jenni,

A mere thank you does not seem to cut it. It was such a honor to have you photograph our wedding. From the first conversation on the phone, to our first meeting and then the engagement session, wedding day & the choosing of the album photographs, your relaxed professional manner made us confident that everything would be perfect.

Your discreet conduct on the day and professionalism throughout was greatly appreciated by all. You were wonderful to work with, so friendly, so unobtrusive; we loved having you as part of our wedding day.

Bill and I strongly believe that you have done the most fantastic job that we could have ever thought possible, and that also goes for all the other people that have seen the photos, as well. So many people have commented on your work, saying how stunning, unique, extraordinary, relaxed and natural our wedding photographs look. Your photographs are so rich, powerful and honest, as well as being incredibly beautiful. You are very talented artists.

Looking at our photographs, we can see and feel the whole day all over again. The love and happiness you have captured is so amazingly beautiful. Thank you for making the story of our wedding day so precious for us.

Thank you, for being such a special part of our wedding day, for your kindness, your friendship, and unique talent. Our photographs are a truly memorable gift that we will treasure forever.

Love and best wishes,
Bill & Jesyca

(Click the above thumbnail for a larger version.)

Tips For Using Our Blog!

Published by Ulysses on April 26, 2007 in Tips. 0 Comments

Jill & Adam’s e-sessioncounter_anim.gifWe’re happy to see that so many of you are enjoying our blog! In fact, our visitor counter has been going nuts for the past few days or so. That tells us that our couples are excited to see their photos, slideshows, and other info that we’re providing here. And it also tells us that you’re SHARING this blog with others. We owe you a huge THANKS for doing that. We want this blog to give you, your family, and your friends some insight into how we feel about what we do with our photography. :)

Go to our page of Blog Tips to find out how to get the best use of our blog!

Melissa & Bill’s Engagement

Published by Ulysses on April 25, 2007 in Engagements. 0 Comments

Today’s e-session with Melissa & Bill was as much a family session as it was a romantic interlude for their day. They are a very genuine and personable couple, and family is clearly very important to them. They brought their daughter along with them for the session. Though she was initially shy, Jacqueline’s energy and enthusiasm won out, and we had a great time with the entire family. Melissa and Bill didn’t let the cool rainy weather prevent them from displaying their feelings for one another, and neither did it prevent us from getting fantastic images for them.

Melissa and Bill, with daughter JacquelineMelissa & Bill, you guys did a really good job today, and you’re going to love the results. It’s always such a privilege to have this sort of window on a family’s love and warmth. We’re really looking foward to your wedding. :)

We’ll have their entire e-session gallery up very soon. You’ll find it in the “Client Proofs” section of our main website.

(Click thumbnail for a larger version!)

Kylie & Scott’s E-Session

Published by Ulysses on April 22, 2007 in Engagements. 3 Comments

Kylie & Scott e-sessionKylie & Scott came all the way from Maryland for their engagement session. It was immediately apparent how excited they were to take pictures. We met at the designated place on a beautifully sunny day, and after some enjoyable conversation getting reacquainted, it was off to the races!

Kylie and Scott were true naturals in front of the camera lens, and Jenni & I had a perfect afternoon with them. They were willing to try anything we asked of them, and they often took our ideas beyond what we’d envisioned, truly making the e-session very personalized. Loved it!

We cannot wait for their wedding, as they’re going to allow us plenty of time and freedom to work with some really cool ideas for their personalized wedding session. Keep your browser bookmarked to this blog!

Click the above image to see their enthused energy as they played hopscotch together! These guys got some serious “hang time” in the air. Awesome! :-D

UPDATE: The complete gallery is now available in the “Client Proofs” section of our main website. As always, we love hearing about your favorites, so give us a shout by clicking on the “Comments” link immediately below. Enjoy! :)

Florida Mailing Lists

Published by Jenni on April 22, 2007 in News and Travel. 0 Comments

Since we have family in Vero Beach and will soon have some in Daytona, too, we’ll be starting a mailing list for anyone who may be interested in portraiture in those areas. Everyone on our list will be contacted as soon as we have our next trip planned, so that they get first choice on available time slots (and special offers!) for beach portraits or other great locations. If you would like to be added to our list, email or call us and we’ll take your information. If you know anyone in those areas, please spread the word!

Stephanie’s Maternity Session

Published by Ulysses on April 21, 2007 in Maternity and Portraits. 0 Comments

It was so enjoyable to be reunited with Stephanie & Brian once again. Just look at all the fun we’ve had with them!

Stephanie’s maternity sessionSo there was no doubt that the maternity session would be just as pleasurable. The light filtering in through the windows of their baby’s room provided much of the inspiration for the shoot. After shooting a few sets, we also got to meet and play with their three-year-old boxer, Max, who was a bundle of energy that simply begged to be photographed, too. :)

Thanks so much, Stephanie & Brian, for being such a beautiful couple. It’s a joy to see your growing family. We can’t wait to meet Madison when she arrives!

Their online maternity session will be available very soon in the “Client Proofs” section of our main site. Simply provide your email address and password for entry (available only via Stephanie & Brian). For those that get to see the images, we’d love to hear from you about your favorites by clicking on the “Comments” link immediately below.

(Click the above image to see a larger version.)

Our Visit to Vero Beach

Published by Jenni on April 21, 2007 in Family, Portraits and Travel. 2 Comments

Mom & DadAs some of you may already know, Ulysses and I spent last week in sunny Florida visiting my family. The weather was gorgeous in the 80s, and it was nice for us to have some time off before the wedding season hits full swing. My parents took us to see some of the sights, including beautiful Sebastian Inlet, and we enjoyed a full culinary tour of Vero Beach. While we were there, Ulysses borrowed my mom’s point-and-shoot camera for an informal family photo session. Here are my parents, and my niece and nephews. Enjoy!

Timmy & Tajia Tevin

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Gowns and Fashion Trends

Published by Ulysses on April 9, 2007 in Fashion, Tips and Weddings. 0 Comments

Gown in a Parisian shopIt might go without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway: We LOVE wedding gowns. You might think we’d become a bit jaded since we photograph them all the time. But we’re always on the lookout for something unique and different in a gown; we thrive on unique and different! We immediately start coming up with ideas on how we’re going to show off the personality of the gown in the photos.

During our recent trip to Paris - the fashion capital of the world - we were very interested to see how fashion impacts weddings, and we weren’t disappointed. As we walked the narrow streets and passed the boutique windows, we saw a lot that excited us: Fabrics, textures, laces, feathers, frills, nets, meshes… the possibilities were amazing and endless. We can’t wait to see if some of these ideas make it over to the gowns here in the States!

Gown in a Parisian shopOne of the most interesting trends lately is the inclusion of color as a design element in the bridal gown. Sometimes you’ll see color in the sash or trim. And in a bold move, some brides are actually foregoing the traditional white gown in favor of something even more eye-catching — entire gowns of soft pink, champagne, or chocolate, and even deeper colors like teal, purple, scarlet, indigo, black, etc. Amazing!! And we whole-heartedly applaud the idea!

Why are some of these trends happening? It’s simple: More and more brides are looking for ways to show their own individuality and their personalities even on a day that is usually based heavily on tradition. Some brides comment that they never want to forget the fun and beauty of their day, and they want their gown to be equally unforgettable. Others comment that they want to see less fluff and more fashion in their photos.

Top designers such as Vera Wang and others are leading the way in response to brides’ wishes for gowns that are not only beautiful, but also daring, trendy, and stunningly fashionable. Check out these fun-to-read articles and see if these choices appeal to you (cover your mother’s eyes if she’s afraid of gowns with color) :D

Gown in a Parisian shopSo whatever your taste in gowns and/or colors, have a great time choosing your gown! And if your gown is one that you want to seriously show off in your photos, send us an email about it. Tell us WHY you love it (don’t worry, we’ll leave the surprise for the groom). :) We’re going to have a BLAST photographing you, your wedding, your bridal session, and your killer gown!

We want to hear from you. Let us know what you think about your gown, gowns in general, and fashion. Click the “Comments” link below to drop us a note.

Katherine & Anthony’s Photos

Published by Jenni on April 8, 2007 in Engagements. 0 Comments

Even though this was our first time meeting Katherine and Anthony, we hit it off with them right away. We had a great time exploring the streets of a cool little town together during their e-session! Anthony said later he thought the photo session was going to be like school portraits (haha :D ), but these two totally let loose and just enjoyed being together. That’s what it’s all about! Please enjoy this preview below. Their entire proof gallery will be available shortly in the Client Proofs section of our website.

Katherine & Anthony e-session

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Annie & Jason’s Engagement

Published by Jenni on April 8, 2007 in Engagements. 6 Comments

Our last portrait shoot yesterday was of Annie and Jason. Again, these two were such great sports in the cold. They did absolutely anything we asked, even rolling around on the ground when we found some irresistable tree roots for some striking and beautiful images. Those turned out to be some of our personal favorites from the session! Here is a preview in Infrared. Their entire gallery will be available shortly in the Client Proofs section of our website.

Annie & Jason e-session

(Click image to see larger version.)

Sarah & Ryan’s Engagement

Published by Jenni on April 8, 2007 in Engagements. 0 Comments

Sarah & Ryan e-sessionWe know it’s supposed to be spring, even though right now there is actually a layer of snow on the ground. Despite the chilly weather yesterday, we had a fun and romantic session with Sarah and Ryan. They braved the cold and wind, and we just kept them nice and close for warmth, which they didn’t seem to mind at all. We now can’t wait for their June wedding at the beautiful Chateau Hathorn in Warwick, NY. Here is a preview from their session. The entire proof gallery will be available shortly on our main site under Client Proofs - stay tuned!

(Click image for larger version)

Ena’s Baby Portraits

Published by Ulysses on April 7, 2007 in Babies and Portraits. 1 Comment

Wait until you see this baby - she just makes you want to smile! Ena is a gorgeous 6-week-old little girl, and she was an absolute star to photograph. It’s no wonder her family is so in love with her! Ena’s entire gallery will be ready shortly in the Client Proofs section of our website. Until then, please enjoy this slideshow preview - just click the play button at the bottom.

Trade Show and Convention

Published by Jenni on April 6, 2007 in Education, News and Travel. 0 Comments

Ulysses and I regularly travel for seminars, as well as to find the newest and best products out there. We just returned last week from a photography trade show and convention in Las Vegas, and we thought you might enjoy hearing about it.

When we arrived, we were very excited to see our work featured prominently by two of our favorite vendors. One of our bookmakers used a photo of one of our couples in the ocean as the backdrop for the entire booth (about 10 feet wide!), and also had our album on display. Our canvas supplier also used one of our pictures to display their gorgeous canvas wraps - the photo wraps around the sides of the 1-1/2″ thick frame to create a ready-to-hang art piece. We were also excited to meet Gina Alexander in person. We were just recently accepted to carry her line of gorgeous designer handbags and wallets, and it was great to examine the bags in person and have Gina demonstrate to us their high quality features.

Besides being able to attend some great seminars, we also did some teaching while we were there. Five photographers signed up to mentor with us for 1/2 hour each, and 100% of the proceeds went to the Vision for Tomorrow Foundation, assisting children with poor vision. It was wonderful spending the week with photographers from all around the world, learning from and inspiring each other. We came back infused with ideas, refreshed and ready for a great new wedding season!