RTP Fan Revealed: Miss Alex

16.03.12 the latest & greatest

A couple of months ago, my longtime assistant and photo-editor, Michael and I were photographing Nicky Cruz.  We were driving to grab a quick Starbucks when he told me a story. And it went something like this:

So the other day I was tagging along with my friend who was taking her roommate to the airport.  We were making small talk and I told the roommate I (Michael) was a photographer. The roommate got really excited and said, “Have you ever heard of René Tate?  She’s amazing and I follow her blog all the time.”  I laughed and told her, “Uh yeah, I actually work for her.”

That was one story.

A month later, a past bride and friend, Aubrey texted me and said, “So I have this friend from Georgia who starting going to school at UCCS and guess who her favorite Colorado Springs photographer is?”

Fast forward another month later and I get this call from Jesie: “Tater, you’ll never believe what just happened to me.  I was getting a burger with Brandon and the waitress came up me, beet red, and asked, ‘Are you Jesie?  You’re René Tate’s associate photographer, aren’t you?” 

Aubrey and I talked and we put all these stories together and realized the common thread through all these stories was Alex. :-)  It was then that Aubrey had the great idea of organizing a surprise lunch with me and Alex followed by a short portrait shoot to follow.  I was totally on board and knew I had to meet this famous Alex.

Alex is such a sweetheart.  She’s formerly a USAFA cadet and has switched gears to pursue nursing.  She looks like she’s from California, but she’s a southern girl that lets “y’all” roll off her tongue beautifully.  She’s a doll and I could photographer her until the cows come home.

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With all that say, once a month, we want to take one avid-blog reader out to lunch, do a mini-shoot, and feature him or her right here on the blog as a thank you for supporting us and our business! :-D

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce to you one avid RTP follower and lover, Miss Alex.

 

René: Alex, how did you first hear about RTP and what kept you coming back to our blog?
Alex: I first saw RTP through Aubrey’s enagagement session. I thought her pictures were beautiful, so I looked up her photographer, came across your blog, and just fell in love with it. I think what has kept me coming back is how all of your pictures are just so filled with love. Anyone who looks at your photos can just feel the love oozing out of them. I think that can sometimes be a difficult thing to capture, and y’all do it beautifully. I love reading your blogs too. They’re always so positive and endearing, whether they’re about your couples or about your own personal travels and experiences.

R: In 3 words, how would describe RTP’s style?
A: Ahh, this is so hard. Effortlessly beautiful. Classic. Casual, yet elegant at the same time. Very detail oriented, which I think is one of my favorite things about your pictures. So that’s a little more than 3 words… Sorry!

R: Be honest, how often do you check in with us on either the blog or Facebook?
A: Oh dear, probably way too much sometimes. But on average, probably 2 or 3 times a week. But if I see something posted on Facebook, then I definitely go check the blog.

R: Favorite blog post?
A: I just spent about 20 minutes going back through your blog trying to figure out which one is my favorite and that was just pointless… I couldn’t decide on just one! I love them all! However, one that really stuck out to me was one of your posts when you were in Scotland and blogged about being out walking or running one morning and coming upon this cliff and having this wonderful, powerful moment with God. It just sounded like such a beautiful moment, and the way you described it has always made me remember that. One of my favorite weddings that you’ve photographed happens to be Aubrey’s sister-in-law Lauren’s wedding. I love beach weddings and the pictures that you took of his reaction to his bride walking down the isle were some of my favorite wedding pictures I’ve ever seen.

R: Anything you’ve always wanted to know about me and/or Jesie?
A: At what point did y’all realize that photography was more than just a hobby and that it was something that y’all were really passionate about? Like when did it just click and you realized you wanted to do this for the rest of your lives?
R:  I think Jesie and I both have had hearts for marriage since before we picked up cameras.  I started in college by shooting some images on my Kodak Easy Share at friend’s wedding and from there things just snowballed.  I got a call to do my first wedding, did two to prep for it, and ending up loving photographing weddings.  I’ve always been a creative.  I’ve always loved design and color.  I’ve always loved working with people.  And I’ve always been amazed at marriage.  It’s only fitting that all those loves should meet and thus René Tate Photography was born. 

R: What’s your favorite part about your pal Aubrey who set this up?
A: She’s just so darn sweet! And thoughtful. I love that quality in people. Like who else would have gone through the trouble of setting something like this up? I just can’t thank her enough.

Alex, thank you for joining us in our journey!  We love you and can’t wait to get to know you better!

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Know an avid blog reader who’s never been photographed by us?  Or maybe it’s yourself?
Either way, nominate our next RTP Fan Highlight for lunch, a shoot, and their own blog post by clicking here! 

Announcing: Maternity Shootout

15.03.12 maternity, the latest & greatest

If you happened to catch the video update on Sunday, you’ll get the hint that we want to start promoting all the maternity and boudoir sessions that we do.

We get so many inquiries for boudoir, but especially maternity and newborn photos.  This is something that, I, René, just don’t have the time to take on.  Truth be told, Jesie and I, for a long time, have been thinking and praying about how to handle these inquiries, as we want to continue the relationship we have with our couples as their families start to grow.  We truly do value our couples and many of them become trusted friends of ours in the end.  What an amazing blessing to be able to watch their families grow and be able to give them the gift of capturing their little ones.

All that to say, Jesie and I would like to formally announce that she is going to be your go-to gal for maternity and newborn portrait sessions.  She has such a heart for expecting moms, newborns, and new parents, where as I just feel so called to the wedding portion of our business.  Now, we’re not separating by any means, just being a little more deliberate about dividing up the types of sessions we do.

In honor of that decision, we’re going to be doing a day-long Maternity/Newborn/New Family Shootout!

And by “we” I mean Jesie. :-) Though, I’ll be there assisting.  Each session will be 45 minutes here in Colorado Springs at a beautiful, outdoor,  styled location (more on this later) and will cost $99.00.  We have a limited number of spots available, so please e-mail us asap to get on the books! We anticipate this to fill up fast based on the amount of interest so far.  We’ll have your images ready right after your session and have some neat deals on products, prints, digital files, etc.  You’ll only be able to order prints and products on the day of the shoot, so please bring your checkbook!

Email us to sign up for the Maternity/Newborn/New Families Shootout on Saturday, April 14th!

We’d like to kick off this very special season for RTP (and Jesie!) with a recent maternity session of our very first couple.  Ever.  Chad and Alyssa.  These two are expecting what I THINK is going to be a girl next month!  April… Now wouldn’t that be a great name for her? ;-)

Chad and Alyssa, you’ve been through it all.  And Jesie and I have been so honored to call you friends.  To travel to Italy with you.  To see you overcome trials and come out stronger on the other side, and now, capture your family as it blossoms.

So much love to you both,
René + Jesie

P.S. Thank you to the Marantz’ for the inspiration on the best way to handle the logistics on the shootout.  We love you! xoxo

 

RTP Retreat Video Update

11.03.12 the latest & greatest

Hey ya’ll!  Good evening; we hope you’ve had a sunny and beautiful weekend.  It was great wasn’t it?  For the last two days, Jesie and I rocked out our annual RTP business retreat where we go over everything with a fine-toothed comb.  We thought we’d end our festivities with a little video update from us. :-)

xoxo,
René + Jesie

Backyard Comfort Meets Elegance

20.02.12 extravagant details, the latest & greatest, weddings

Good evening!  We have a treat for you! You’ve seen glimpses of it at the top of this blog or on my Facebook timeline, now see the whole picture… a René Tate Photography Inspired Shoot.

A couple of weeks ago, Jesie and I put our heads together to create a styled shoot that just oozed René Tate Photography. Not only did we need some new images for our blog facelift, but we also did this to inspire us and inspire you.

This is us.  From our colors, to our furniture, to my grandparents’ wedding photos, to our clients-turned-friends.  We chose to feature Scott and Alicia – a couple we photographed in October 0f 2011 – for a few reasons.  A.) They embody our ideal clients – more on that later.  B.) They’re not bad to look at. ;-) and C.) These two got about 5 minutes of “bride and groom portrait time” during their wedding day cause their day was incredibly cold and windy so it couldn’t hurt to have a few more images of them – olive green adorned or not.

We want to give a special shout out to Amber and Catherine from Twigs and Posies for creating such gorgeous floral arrangements!  We couldn’t have done this shoot without them.

Enjoy these and leave us some love!  We’d really like to hear your thoughts.

With Joy,
René