Vegas – Day 4…

Here we are with Yervant! 🙂 Day 4 was equally awesome…after a full day of shooting, he critiqued many images, showed us how he post processes and played a slideshow of some of his award winning magazine style albums, they were awesome! Inside Digital Photo came in that afternoon and interviewed him for one of their segments and John just happened to catch the funniest blooper EVER on video…you have to listen closely and turn up the volume (warning – not suitable for kiddos) 😉 but we had to post this…absolutely unedited and hilarious!  CLICK HERE to watch it… (P.S. We got Yervant's approval that day to post this…) 😉

Vegas – Day 3…

I LOVE THAT SHOT!! (Above) It's probably my favorite from the whole trip and it reminds me a lot of Yervant's famous Rangefinder image of the bride against the red wall with the overhead can light. Anyway, day 3 was AMAZING…we spent 10 hours talking, shooting, learning & taking notes. Yervant is one of the most famous Australian photographers and wins all kinds of print & album competitions every year. He talked about how fashion magazines and the media influence the fashion-inspired shots he gets at weddings. He showed us how he uses video light to add extra dramatic lighting and depth to his photos in some low light situations. Then he talked about how he runs his studio and how he takes care of his clients and his staff…he is truly an amazing photographer and he's so funny and down to earth! His wife is super sweet too….they make a great team together! Here were some other favorites from the shoot with Yervant. I loved the reflection going on in this one…

And after removing the overhead sign, I liked this one too…we added overhead video light here. She was in a really dark stairwell under an overhang so under normal conditions, there wouldn't have been enough good light to shoot there but with the extra video light added, it was perfect. 

We shot outside in front of the hotel too, I loved how her veil nearly flew off in the sequence of the dip & kiss. By the way, these were hired models just for this photo shoot, they didn't even know each other until the shoot. (Brave souls…LOL) 

The studly looking groom…(model) 

And here's MY studly groom! 🙂 He's so good to me…holding my purse, camera bag, taking notes AND shooting videos all at once. Mr. Multi-tasker….xoxoxo

Then we went to the Miracle Mile Shops to shoot…we drew quite a crowd, I think everyone thought we were the paparazzi shooting someone famous! 🙂 

Loved the angle and available light on this one… 

Then when we were shooting in front of the fountain at Paris, Jim Garner (inventor of the ever popular Boda Bag) was walking by and stopped to say hi to Yervant! 

Then he busted out a few poses of his own! LOL Check out John's video by CLICKING HERE!!

What an awesome day!! After a full day of shooting, we grabbed dinner and then went to Jerry Ghionis' Business Institute kick-off program & opening reception. He had some amazing marketing ideas and said something that really hit home that I wanted to share. He said that brides who truly value amazing wedding images (and realize that the images are one of the only things they'll have left after the wedding) will hire their photographer based on:

1. Personality (which I think is key in building any kind of relationship with others!)

2. Quality

3. Experience

4. Value

And that they'll choose the photographer that's right for them in that very order too. That is soooo true!! Whenever it's humanly possible, I always like to meet with my clients before their wedding. Even if they're out of town, I'll ask if they'll be in Indy at all before the wedding and schedule an appointment with them. You have to make sure your personalities and styles jive and that everyone is on the same page. If someone comes in and says they want all traditional images, I will most certainly refer them to someone else who I know specializes in that style…but if they say they want more of a mix of candids, fashion, photojournalism, fun stuff, etc. then I know they will be a good fit for us. 

I think that quality and experience speaks for itself when you look through photographer's albums though. Ask yourself – are the images vibrant and sharp? Do the people look like they're having a good time? Are they presented in an artistic manner that matches the style you're looking for? As far as value goes, look at the tangible and the intangible items when hiring someone…are they responsive to your emails and calls? Do they organize your wedding day for you so that you don't have to worry about anything but having a good time? Often the intangible is just as important as the tangible items in a package.

Photography packages are very hard to compare sometimes because it's like comparing apples to oranges…it's always better to splurge in that area of your budget and cut something else in my opinion. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a photographer…when I was a bride, I knew who I wanted to hire for our photography before I was even engaged. The moment I saw Gary Fong shoot a wedding, I knew that his style & personality was a perfect fit for us. He's now retired but we spent more on him 5 years ago than what my current highest package rate is right now, just to give you an idea. 😉 Sometimes I think brides can get really wrapped up in a lot of wedding "stuff" that they forget to take a step back & re-prioritize their budget for what's really important. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the awesome wedding ideas and details and many of them make for great images – especially on my blog! 😉 But after it's all said and done, you'll have a husband, a ring, a cake topper and an amazing album full of awesome images from your wedding day – if you hire the right person. 😉

And thanks Jerry Ghionis for reminding all of us what is and should be the most important priorities for our clients, I think you hit the nail on the head with that one! 😉

Vegas – Day 2…

Day 2 was a much needed vacation day for us! John and I LOVE hanging out together so we had planned for a day of shopping, attractions, and just chilling out. 🙂 We walked all over Paris and Bally's that day…Vegas has some of the best shoe shopping I've ever seen…I loved it! I also had to resist the temptation to buy this adorably cute pink jacket. It's so cute but so flamboyant too! LOL I don't think I own anything else that would match that…except basic black maybe?! 

The Hilton had a Star Trek exhibit on display and even thought I am NOT a Trekkie at ALL, John definitely is…so that was the first thing I had planned for us on Day 2. Even though I didn't really know what all of it was about, I still thought they did an amazing job with the exhibit! 😉 And I got "wife brownie points" when I bought him a replica of one of the space ships and surprised him with it before lunch. He was lovin' it!

After lunch at the Hilton, we decided to check out the Stratosphere which overlooks all of Las Vegas…. 

We cut through a hotel on the way over there and found this! LOL 

And this was on the way….oh my…. 

Yikes…glad we never eloped…LOL 

The AMAZING view from 110 floors up in the Stratosphere! They actually had a Starbucks up there too so John & I sat at the coffee bar and enjoyed the view… Here's a VIDEO of the view from the top!

Then we had to head back to Paris to get all dressed up for the WPPI Plus Welcome Reception in the Diamond Lounge – oh la la! 🙂 We met Skip Cohen, the President of WPPI at the event, it was fun! 

After that was over, we changed clothes and had the night to explore the town again so we went to the Wynn…I LOVE that hotel!! Here's another video that John posted on YouTube, he's so funny….:) 

When we walked in they had the line of trees all lit up with lights… 

Then we walked toward the back of the hotel and found out that the awesome water wall that I loved last year is actually turned into a light & water show in the evenings! CLICK HERE to watch the amazing video John took of this! (By the way, it's probably worth mentioning that his little video clips are from a tiny point & shoot camera – the quality isn't the best and we do NOT offer wedding video services!) 😉 LOL He was just having fun capturing videos while I took photos…

Then we shopped around the Wynn and had dinner on the back patio near another waterfall that night…so romantic! 🙂 

Come back tomorrow to see a wedding fashion shoot with Yervant!! 🙂 

Vegas – Day 1…

I loved the bright blue skies when we left for Vegas, doesn't it look like we're headed into orbit or something?! LOL We actually left a few days earlier than most photographers since we signed up for the WPPI Plus class with the world renowned Australian photographer, Yervant. They limit the Plus classes to about 20 people per class so it's super hard to get into them…(all 8 classes ended up selling out fast!) I was literally hitting the "refresh" button every few minutes (around midnight) while waiting for the WPPI registration site to go live a few months ago so here's a tip to all of you photographer blog stalkers out there – if you know you want to go to WPPI next year, be prepared to register the moment the site goes live in order to get into all of the classes you want!!

Anyway, back to Day 1…we arrived safely in Vegas and got all of our luggage. I knew after having a hard time getting everything to fit into 1 suitcase last year that we'd be better off bringing an extra one with us and it definitely paid off…except for the fact that we had to rent a limo to get to the hotel. (darn!) 😉 All 4 suitcases and 3 carry-ons wouldn't fit into a cab for sure!! LOL We stayed at the Paris Hotel, same as last year, and the convention was at Paris & Bally's. Here's the limo driver dealing with all of my pink luggage…LOL

Check out this display in the lobby of the Paris Hotel…only in Vegas would you see this…LOL Oh, and they do sell those cake toppers in the gift shop!  

We unpacked our stuff and then headed out for a stroll after dinner…here's the Eiffel Tower at night… 

We watched the fountains at the Bellagio twice…it's all synchronized to music and it's AMAZING…John uploaded this video to YouTube – CLICK HERE to check it out!  

Then we went inside to take more pics…the garden area was under construction when we stopped by (they were switching out their decor for the Easter season) but I managed to get some cool shots of their lobby and of some of the stores inside.  

Jean Phillipe's was an amazing pastry shop at the Bellagio…these desserts were way too pretty to eat – so we didn't…we just took pics! LOL 

Then I noticed they do wedding cakes!! AMAZING stuff…I've posted some closer up detail shots in case any of you want to use these as inspiration for your wedding… 

Oh and these "bags" were made out of cake and fondant….WOW! 

Our hotel at night… 

The reflecting pool…. 

More pics to come soon! 🙂