Month: April 2017

Legos: A Painful Story {And Why I Took These Photos}

by Becky

Once upon a time, I didn’t have any children and I never stepped on Legos. Then, there were many children in my house and even more Legos. And now I find Legos in every room. Usually by accidentally stepping on them. Which really hurts. But one day, my house will stay clean and I’ll miss Legos. The End.

legos built by kids on display at window

Do you document the chaos in your house? Have you ever photographed the mess in your kitchen after you made an amazing meal? Or how about what your living room looks like on a lazy Sunday afternoon, when the kids have been playing and breakfast dishes are still on the coffee table?

I usually hate to have any photographic evidence that my house has been messy. I like to pretend that my house is always super clean and organized. (Ha! I have four kids–having an organized house is actually just a wish I have…) I’ll tidy up before I take a photograph or I’ll choose an angle that minimizes the background and all the toys, shoes or backpacks that are strewn about the floor.

So I don’t take photographs when the kids are playing. I don’t remember ever taking photographs of my living room with all the baby and toddler toys the kids had spread out everywhere. Which was my life every single day for YEARS. And I certainly don’t want you to see how my kids’ bedroom looks like it threw up on itself again ten minutes after they just finished cleaning it! (I seriously don’t even know how it happens. It truly baffles me.)

But aren’t those the photographs you love to look at? The ones that show real life? The ones that show what was really going on when you were pretending you had it all together?

My kids like to spread the Legos out, looking for the right piece in the right color. But, for some reason, it never occurs to them to pick the mess back up when they’re done playing. And after they have built their masterpieces, my kids hate to take apart any of their “creations,” wanting instead to showcase them on a shelf.

So, of course, Legos are everywhere and it drives me nuts. I find them in places you shouldn’t find Legos. Seriously, single Legos migrate to my office and my bathroom. A stack of Legos shows up on my bedside table. I even found a Lego in the bottom of the refrigerator.

Sometimes, you’re so ready to clean up the mess that you forget to enjoy it.

But it won’t be long before my kids no longer play with Legos, when they don’t have time for toys. What’s a pet-peeve today, I know I’ll cherish as a dear memory when my kids are grown.

You may not appreciate the messes at the moment. I know I don’t. But years from now, photographs of your regular, average day will be meaningful.

Today, I challenge you to stop and appreciate the chaos. Photograph the things that are part of your “every day.” Preserve these small little moments before they slip away.

I wish I had taken a photograph of my son’s walnut shell “family” that littered the sidewalk and patio for a whole summer (they looked just like little hedgehogs!). Or the play restaurant the kids made, with plastic food and tables and menus that overflowed to three rooms. Or even the huge mess in the kitchen after my daughter made her version of a gourmet breakfast for her brothers.

Take a moment today to snap a few photographs of what your life really looks like. Document the mess and the chaos. Years from now, you’ll be so glad you did.

legos close up on floor

piles of legos spread out on floor

 

Pain-Free Wedding Album Planning | Steph & Tim

by Becky

Looking at your wedding photographs and reliving all the happy, enjoyable moments of your day is the fun part. The hard part is trying to figure out how you’ll possibly cut out any of these amazing images and still tell the whole story of the day in a wedding album.

[See Steph and Tim’s Real Wedding Feature here.]

This was Steph’s predicament. She loved her wedding photographs! She looked at them online, she paged through her proof booklet, and she loved so many of them.

From nearly 700 images, Steph narrowed her favorites to almost 200 photographs that she felt represented her wedding. And then she contacted me. She didn’t know how to cut any more from her favorites! These included many of her family and friends, as well as special moments and details that let her remember the wedding completely. So, she then gave me her list.

Certainly, I can design albums to hold every image a bride and groom pick out. However, usually the story can be enhanced by some experienced polishing.

My motto is: “It’s not what you leave in, it’s what you take out.” When I first prepare images for a wedding couple, I spend a lot of time to ensure that every image they see is album-worthy. But just as an overly wordy paragraph can lose a reader, a bloated album doesn’t highlight the very special and personal moments that are important to the bride and groom.

The next step with Steph and Tim’s wedding album was to go through this list of images. Steph was a little worried about this appointment. She thought it was going to be so difficult to make decisions about which photographs to cut.

I assured her that I was there to help and to make the whole process pain-free! She and I sat down and talked about what was important to include in the album. We then talked about easy ways to cut images.

For example, she had chosen images of the entire bridal party processing into the ceremony, recessing out of the ceremony and entering the reception. In an album, these images can become repetitive, so we picked the best of the three options. In this case, we used processional images.

We continued through the list of images in a similar way. We would group photographs together that included the same people or were taken in the same place and chose the best ones. This avoided unnecessary duplicates in the album.

Next, we looked at all the remaining images to see how they progressed through the day. We wanted to make sure we told the whole story of the wedding and that we didn’t have any holes in the photo-narrative.

Once Steph was satisfied, my design work began. I custom-designed a 10×8 album with 30 pages, along with a photo cover. Steph then reviewed the design, approved it and the album went into final production.

The result was a gorgeous album that beautifully and concisely showcased the entire day for them to be able to show off, share and enjoy for years to come.

Oak Hill Farm Wedding | Shelby & Jeff

by Becky

church at oak hill with bride and groom photo

Shelby and Jeff were married last September at Oak Hill Farm in Apple River, Illinois. The location was fabulous and the day was perfect!

We started the wedding day in Galena, Illinois with their “first look” and photographs of the bridal party. Schedule-wise, this worked well because Shelby and the bridesmaids used a salon in Galena for their hair and make-up. Also, the first look allowed Shelby and Jeff a chance to talk and calm their “wedding day jitters.”

We then made the drive over to Oak Hill Farm for the wedding. Oak Hill is unique because it’s like a little town on a private estate. The owners have a love of antiques, which includes the general store, school house and even the church that were moved to the property! I was told it was quite the sight to see a church being rolled down the road to be put into position on the farm.

Shelby and Jeff were able to take full advantage of the space. We started with family photographs next to the barn that doubles as a dressing room. The ceremony was held in the old country church. While guests mingled at the cocktail hour by the old school, we had a few minutes to photograph Shelby and Jeff around the property. Guests also made sure to hop over to the general store for the candy buffet.

The bridal party then made their entrance into the tent reception, which overlooked the fields and had a beautiful view of the sunset. Later, a bonfire and s’mores were set up on the lawn, past the tent.

The service that Oak Hill Farm provided was great and the location is unique, including a variety of settings to use throughout the wedding day. This wasn’t a “rustic barn” wedding. Shelby and Jeff used Oak Hill for a more vintage and elegant version of a farm wedding. I would really recommend them as a wedding venue: Oak Fill Farm. It’s worth the drive to have a wedding here!

location wedding photos of bride and groom in galena Ill

bride and groom on location in galena Ill for wedding photos

bride and groom at oak hill for wedding

wedding couple at oak hill Ill with bridal party

outside cocktail hour for wedding

outdoor wedding location tent reception

Choosing Wedding Flowers

by Becky

bride with flower bouquet on wedding day location outdoor photography session

Recently, I talked with Caroline Kelly, of Caroline’s, about wedding flowers for an interview on Corridor Wedding Guide’s website. She shared about trends and tips for choosing flowers for bouquets and the reception.

She told me about foliage making a big showing in wedding decor right now, including branches, twigs and vines. We also talked about how succulents are quite popular, not only for both bouquets and boutonnieres, but also with decorating the reception and wedding cake.

One of the things that she said that I absolutely loved was, ‘knowing what you don’t want is just as important as knowing what you do want-sometimes even more so.’ This seemingly odd piece of advice actually gives her a better insight into the style the bride is trying to create, she says.

Isn’t that great? You don’t have to have everything figured out before you meet with a florist. You don’t even really have to know anything about flowers or what you like. You can just go in there, being all opinionated and telling her about things you’ve seen at other weddings, in magazines or online that you think are U-G-L-Y. And she LIKES it. She appreciates it. That helps her do her job better.

So if anyone gives you grief about being negative with your wedding planning, just let them know it’s okay. You are actually being helpful when you know-and share-what does not appeal to you.

You can check out the interview here.

Happy wedding planning!