Champaign, IL: Megan & Jason – Part I

31.07.09 destination weddings

Greetings from St. Louis!  Jes and I are here for a very special wedding.  More to come on that!  But first, a few images from Meghan and Jason’s Illinois wedding.  I only met Meghan and Jason for the first the time day before their wedding.  They both had the biggest smiles on their faces when we met and hugged me like we’d been friends for years!  I knew that would be the case after spending the weekend with them.  We’re lifers.  Meghan and Jason threw the best, most well organized wedding I have ever seen!  My kind of people.  We started the day at a hotel where the preparations began:

Meghan and Jason had a traditional Jewish wedding.  According to Jewish tradition, a Jewish wedding ring should be solid gold all around, with no gems, and nothing cut out of it. This symbolizes the wholeness and eternity of one’s commitment to one’s spouse.

Leave it to Jesie:

My kind of girl!  She even has a “photography” tab:

I love this shot.  It takes a village to raise a child… and put on a wedding dress.

Speaking of child… Great shot by Jesie as Meghan reached over to feel that little baby inside.

That’s Jason, the groom, on the right.  Never fails, the boys are ALWAYS watching sports!

So here’s the thing about Jason.. he is ALWAYS smiling! And laughing!  He was such a joy to photograph.

They opted for a special meeting before the ceremony. Huge fan of this as it gives us mucho time to shoot B&G photos.

More photos from the lovely Ewing Manor, the gorgeous ceremony, and the hoppin’ reception! Stand by.

THE FIRST POST

29.07.09 engagements

Sound the horns! Call the papers! Ring the bell! …Tweet about it!  Whatever you do when something exciting happens – do it!  You have no idea how ELATED I am to share with you the brand spankin’ new blog! *insert victorious trumpet opening*  I sure hope it’s been worth the wait, my friends.  I’m am so thrilled to bring you more blog posts, better blog posts, larger pictures, MORE pictures, and a better way to comment!  (I love comments, P.S.)  Not only that, but this site is waaaaay more interactive that the old one.

Read up on what my second shooter, Jesie, and I are all about under the About Us Section.  Check out Your Experience for information on what to expect when working with us.  This & That (my favorite section) features my favorite (duh) stuff of the month! No wonder it’s my favorite section.  My friends always tell me I that I have this cycle of kicks… whether it’s a new song, a new food, or a new hang out, I play it over and over, cook it over and over, and drink coffee there over and over.  I kind of exhaust it and then I find something new to tickle my fancy for the next month.  Thought this section would be a great way to get to know more about this photographer and get some great tips and tricks in the meantime.

Also, please take note of the sweet category section!  Each blog will be linked to a particular category: weddings, engagements, seniors, families, etc.  Right now, only “engagements” shows as I haven’t posted anything to fill the other categories.

Hmm… let’s see, what else do you need to know?  Oh!  The comment section.  Boo ya.  That’s all I have to say about that. Go try it.  It rocks. Big contest regarding comments coming at ya in a few days. The prize? Something you’ll get a lot of use out of!

A HUUUUGE thank you goes out to my friend Taylor and Bew Lew of BenLew.com for piecing this together.  They were able to take my Photoshop design and turn it into a real working machine!  Love you guys!

So what good is a post without a little eye candy? I am waaaaaay behind on my posting; I really didn’t want to post all this kick-butt images without a kick-butt blog to display ‘em.  So, for the next several weeks there will be a new post with new images.  Oh yeah.  Work distractions, here we come!  To kick off this sweet new web site I would like to introduce to you Mr. Louis and Miss Lauren.  Lauren and Louis are one of the sweetest couples I know.  They showed up to their shoot at Ute Valley Park holding hands and softly smiling.  “You must be René,” she said.  “How’d you guess,” I answered and we chuckled as I looked down at my big camera.  We had such a blast.  L & L are so sweet and tender with one another.  As Jesie would say, I love the way he loves her. Take a peek…

Yeah, did I mention they are models… My job is tough.

They opened right up in front of me and we captured this sweet, you can’t pose this, kind of moment:

Love this shot that Jesie grabbed:

We had the best shooting location!  (Minus the rattle snakes!) Check out that hair light:

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay…

One of my favorites! I am obsessed with their shoe selection.  So classy.

After Ute Valley Park, we headed to Old Colorado City for some spunky, colorful shots:

Shizzam.  What a babe.

GQ. ‘Nuf said.

Louis and Lauren, thank you so much for such a fabulous time and for being so open and honest in front of us.  You two are so beautiful, elegant, fun, tender, and I am drooling at the thought of how beautiful your Air Force Academy Chapel wedding will be.