up north {by leslie}

I took last week off to escape into the woods. In this day of internet overload (and how amazingly reachable we all are at all times), finding a quiet cabin with no internet or phone access was complete bliss. I read four books, cooked almost every meal, napped and played with my dogs. All vacations should be this grand. Of course, I also took some photos. In case you need a mental break yourself this week, I offer up these images. Enjoy!

gone to the dogs! {by leslie}

Hooo boy, did I have fun last weekend at Open Streets on Lyndale. The lovely folks over at Zeus Jones hired me to have a "pet photobooth" at the street festival and capture the neighborhood and their pets. You guys, this was SO. MUCH. FUN.

Not only did I love photographing the dogs themselves (because hey, we all know what makes me happy) but capturing the pets with their owners was fabulous as well. Take a look and see what I mean.

If you want to see the full days worth of photos (which I, obviously, recommend) you can do that over here.

a change of scenery {by leslie}

All you Minnesotans out there know that this winter spring has been rough. Am I right? So much cold, clouds and rain! A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to travel to Palm Springs with some of my dearest friends, and man was that needed. The only regret of the vacation was that we were gone the weekend that Minnesota passed the gay marriage bill (woot!) and I couldn't be in Minneapolis to celebrate. Luckily I was able to toast the legislation with some of my favorite boys in California.

Anyway, I thought some photos of sun, heat and desert might be needed during this gray, drizzly week. Here's hoping loads of sunshine is just around the corner!

sex, dogs & rock'n'roll {by leslie}

Let's be clear, the sex in that header refers to dog humping. And yes, I'm going there. How cute is this little dog mounting all the big ones? And the poor victim is dressed like Batman. Ah, let's embrace the crazy, shall we?

Last weekend, I heard about this local band (Wild!!Wing) who was filming their newest rock video at a local art gallery, and they wanted it to be a concert setting, but with dogs instead of humans as the audience -- and they were asking if I could lend them my dog.

Hoooo boy! If you have learned anything about me in the last year or so, it's that I love dogs, and I love live music -- so this was the perfect collision of both worlds. First off, I was extremely impressed with the band's concern for the safety of the animals. All dogs had to be up on their shots before mingling, and they didn't actually play their music during the filming -- but rather kept it quiet for the dogs' ears. You have not been thoroughly entertained until you've seen a room full of people trying to herd their dogs in front of a stage filled with lazers and smoke machines while a rock band (including a key-tar!) silently jams in the background. Crazy! But so much fun.

Because photographing dogs is one of my favorite things ever, I asked if I could document the day -- and here are a few of my favorite photos. The enormous collie? That's my pup, Merlin. He's 10 years old and was WORN OUT from all the activity -- hence him laying down.

sxsw {by leslie}

Ah yes, back at SXSW -- my favorite working vacation. If you've learned anything about me through this blog, it's that I love, love, love live music. Even a little more than puppies. Ok. Maybe it's a tie. Anyway, I just got back from five days of constant rock'n'roll and walking and waiting in line and 80 degrees and sunshine, and I thought I'd share a few images. These are mostly band images, as I haven't processed my street portraits yet, but those might be next. We'll see...

The Ring (Post by Thea)

When my husband proposed to me there wasn't a ring involved. Just a nice dinner, some romantic hand holding, and the big question. He wanted us to shop together for the perfect ring. That suited us and we ended up finding rings for both him and myself together. I wonder, how did you pick your ring? Guys, was it something you toiled over or did you know the look you wanted immediately? Ladies, how would you prefer the proposal go down? With the ring or sans ring?  Oh, and the picture above is actually my own! I still love it.

dog days of winter? {by leslie}

This time of year is tough on us wedding photographers as... well... there aren't many weddings happening! So many of us fill our time with other photo interests, and today I thought I'd show you some of the recent dog photography I've been doing.

Some days are spent running in the snow and playing a little fetch...

 

But most of my shoots are done back at the studio.

You know what my favorite thing to photograph is? Besides rock'n'roll? PUPPIES.

You know when people get puppies? IN THE SPRING. That's in like three weeks. So if you're getting a puppy, please let me know! They'll only stay that cute for a month or two, and you really should document the adorableness while you can.

a little risqué

Maybe once a year, I shoot one of the local burlesque shows in town. I love these shows because the women are such amazing performers, and they make things like taking off your gloves look sexy. It's a sight to see. Also? It makes for great photos. So much glitter! And feathers! And twirling! I even took my mom once. I seriously suggest one of these shows for a fun night out with either your true love or a bunch of girlfriends. There's just a lot of smiling, laughing and wine. Fun for everyone.

A Stroll Downtown (post by Desiree)

This week is a week of inspiring meetings and prepping for our upcoming Bridal Fairs! Before catching the bus on my way home this morning, I snapped a few photos.  Yep, it's quite cold and people are bundled up here in Norway too! (ok, maybe it's not as cold as Northern MN..hehe) Let's embrace the cute hats and scarfs...the bit of sun....and the cold?!  ;)

Family (by: Marc James)

Over the holidays I made my yearly journey to Brookfield, Wisconsin to see my fathers side of the family and being that this was the first time in some time that all of us were together, it seemed like something that needed to be documented. Meet my family.

A Wintery Golden Love (post by Desiree)

I throughly enjoyed myself collaborating with Chelsea of Chelea's Cool Cakes on this GORGEOUS winter cake shoot! We wanted to push our creative minds so we literally drove out into the Norwegian woods and found the perfect spot with aaaawesome golden light! Maria, our model, was such a trooper sticking out the cold temps.  With Scandinavian clean and Norwegian red magic happened! Wether you're getting married in January or having a February Valentines theme, I hope you find some inspiration here!

90 years young {by leslie}

In a bit of a more unusual job for me, I got to shoot a pretty special birthday party last month. Instead of the usual child's party with pin-the-nose-on-the-clown, I got to spend a morning with someone turning 90 and his immediate family. It was amazing to hear about all of the accomplishments and things celebrated during his toasts. I'm so used to hearing what people hope for a couple at weddings, that to hear how appreciative everyone was for this man's help and life lived was a nice change of pace.

My Week in Review (by: Marc James)

This past week I had the pleasure of working a few different projects. One of which had me working with Rhymesayers artist and local legend Toki Wright, one put me in the depths of strange night in local Hip Hop at the 'Group Therapy' show, but first I would like to show you this. I had great time shooting with local model Allison Reimer for a little Lumberjack themed shoot. Though we were not in the heart of northern Minnesota we made it work and came out with some great images!

These are from my shoot with Mr. Toki Wright. Make sure to take listen to his music and see what all the fuss is about. He just put out a great new podcast which gives you a look into what this local artist listens to and what his life is like.

Last but not least I have the madness that was the Group Therapy show. All in all it was a great night but what really made the night was this. Next door to the 7th St Entry Public Enemy was performing. We were able to get in for the encore and when Flava Flav came out I heard this, "What Up Indianapolis!!!"... Flav you were everything I hoped, you retarded little savant you.

Desiree is in Norway (by Desiree)

You may have been noticing a few blog posts and Facebook updates at the wee hours in the morning.  You may have noticed some photos from new places and quite a few coming from a little Scandinavian country especially!  It's because I'm living in NORWAY!  :) I'm maximizing my passion for travel and I love taking photos all over the world!  I'll have to thank my mother for instilling in me this desire to travel and the need to constantly be wanting to see new and exciting things.  I'm what many would call a "Vagabond," which also describes my photographic style.  This truly does shine through in all aspects of my life, just ask those who know me personally...they'd probably agree! I had lived in Norway before and was drawn back in September, just at the tail end of the wedding season in Minnesota, and I'm now living in a town called Stavanger.  (Pronounced sort of like: Sta - vaughn - er) I'm here with my super amazing boyfriend, Yrjan, who I've known since college and met while working together as photographers at the University of North Dakota. (Go UND/SIOUX) Yes, I have a difficult time pronouncing his name....still.   Slowly, I'm learning to speak Norwegian and luckily my Minnesotan/Norwegian heritage helps me fit in just fine with the Norwegian people.  What a learning experience it has been so far!

(Stavanger is known for Preikestolen, or 'Pulpit Rock'...that's me teetering on the edge of a cliff above a fjord)

(Left: Yrjan and I atop a mountain called Dalsnuten, with the city of Stavanger behind us!  Right: A much warmer place)

I'm so fortunate to be able to experience these new things everyday, like looking out my window to watch boats sailing by, seeing the stunning view of the mountains, watching the hustle and bustle of Norwegians wearing wool knitted sweaters downtown, catching cheap Ryan Air flights to other European countries, and hearing 4 different languages simply by going to the market for a loaf of bread.  I'm so glad we're in an age where flights are abundant and we have many ways to communicate and see each other.  Most of my family is now spread out with siblings living in Minnesota, Colorado, sometimes Israel, South America, or Germany....keeping in contact is a MUST and I LOVE iPhones free FaceTime and Skype.  I've been meeting new clients and friends on Skype meetings so please, give me a call anytime.  :)

(I LOVE Skype.  Here I'm video chatting with my twin sister, Kelly!  Who's Who?!...Take a guess.)

I've been meeting with vendors here who travel globally and sharing with them what Rivets and Roses is all about.  (Stay tuned for a Vendor Love post!)  It's quite a different wedding market here and it's been interesting learning all about it.  Traveling inspires me and I feel like it's a fast track in making me a better photographer!  I can't wait to work with more amazing people and create inspiring photo shoots.  I'm currently taking wedding bookings in Minnesota and Europe....book me here!

(Below: I can't believe it...but this is the view from my living room window.  OMG is right.)

(Did you know Edvard Munch was Norwegian?)  In lieu of the season...I've decided to share below this holiday reindeer special with you all.)

If you'd love to see more feel free to follow me on Instagram!  There is sure to be tons more photos of Norwegians on skis and wool knitted sweaters!  Oh, and Happy Holidays!

Waiting for your First Kiss (post by Desiree)

Would you wait to kiss until your wedding day? There is something special about a couple who has the willpower to save their love for the one and only person they will marry.  When you're just 15 years old, how do you know?!?  I went to middle school and high school with these two and watched their relationship go from Sarah giggling on the sidelines watching Jeff play football, through graduation, and onto their wedding day.  Sealing your love and promise to each other with a kiss on your wedding day is a special event...but for Sarah and Jeff, it meant so much more!  I asked Sarah to share a bit about her experience and why they choose to wait.

Photography by: Karen Feder

Q: Why did you choose to wait until your wedding day to have your first 'Real 'kiss? 

#1 - I knew I didn’t want to date someone I COULDN’T marry so in some ways I had thought about marrying Jeff, but because we started dating so young (10th grade) I didn’t know for sure that he would be my husband. (Although I was hoping he would be!) That being said, we both wanted to respect and honor our future spouse and save the next kiss for them. It was a way we could each guard our hearts and each others.

#2 – It seems like so many things in a romantic relationship get watered down and lose their meaning. The words, “I love you” don’t have the same meaning when you say it to multiple boyfriends who, in the end, you don’t end up “loving” after all. In the same way, I wanted my kiss to mean something. It was a physical way of showing my husband I was committed to him for life and that it was worth making sacrifices now so that he knew how much he meant to me. Jeff didn’t tell me he loved me till the day he proposed (and that was the first time I’d told him). It was one of the sweetest sentences I had ever heard.

#3 – Not kissing freed us to focus on our friendship more than our physical boundaries. As ironic as it feels, setting clear boundaries we both agreed on was really freeing. I didn’t have to wonder if I “should” kiss him or if my kissing was causing him to lust. We didn’t have to worry that kissing would lead to the next thing, and to the next. We were committed to save ourselves for our spouse. We didn’t have to worry about being that awkward PDA couple. We were free to spend time together and really get to know each other as a person rather than a set of lips. ;)

Q: How long did you wait? (after you decided to not kiss) Was it tough?

A: We had been dating for about a year when we decided to save our next kiss. We had been dating 4 years when he proposed and it was just over 5 years we’d been dating when we said “I do” and kissed as husband and wife. Was it tough? I asked Jeff and his immediate response was “Yes!” I think for both of us in some ways, yes, but in others, no. The benefits so outweighed the sacrifices – I wouldn’t do it any differently.

Q: Do you think it was especially tough since you had actually already kissed in the past? A: In some ways yes. We knew what we were giving up. But again, the benefits were much more important than the temporary satisfaction.

Q: Once you decided to wait, did you know you wanted to marry each other? A: I knew I didn’t want to date someone I would never marry so he was always a candidate. And actually, in 7th grade I specifically remember thinking I wanted to marry someone like Jeff. I guess I decided “Why try to find someone like him? I’ll just marry him!” As time went on in our dating relationship I knew I would say yes if he asked! I think even if we wouldn’t have ended up married, and maybe even more so, I would have been glad we saved that next kiss for our future spouse.

Q: When you finally kissed on your wedding day, were you nervous? A: I think I was more nervous to have all the attention on us as the bride and groom at the front of the church than for the actual kiss. I’m not a huge “center stage” kind of girl, but it was probably one of my favorite and one of the most important decisions I have ever made to stand at that alter and say “I do.” The kiss was like the cherry on top.

Q: What did you friends and family think? A: I think our families were really supportive. I don’t remember talking about it a ton with them, but I know they trusted us together! My friends? Some I think were really supportive, I’m guessing some didn’t understand, and others maybe thought we were crazy, but looking back at the possible regrets we likely avoided, I don’t mind being a little crazy.

(Oh boy...I'm on the right in the light purple.  WAY back in 2005!)

Q: Anything surprising about the overall experience? A: I think this decision has given us more opportunities to tell others about the most important relationship we have with Jesus Christ. He is really the reason we decided to honor each other and our future spouse. He has changed us and blessed us in ways we could never have imagined and I think He’s used this part of our relationship for us to be able to share Him. Our verse for our relationship, inscribed inside our rings, and used at our wedding was Psalm 37:4. It says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Delighting in the Lord was not the means to an end, but when we made that our first priority, our heart’s desires have been surpassed countless times.

Their wedding KISS!  :)  Thank you Sarah and Jeff for sharing this special part of your life  with us!

Why are you getting married? (post by Desiree)

Vows.  The whole point of your wedding. Solidifying yourselves as a couple, into a marriage by making promises to each other.  Right?...The whole reason you're standing up there with your beautiful love on your wedding day.

I got to thinking the other day about my very favorite part of a wedding day and I realized I've changed over the years and especially since becoming a wedding photographer.  I used to love receptions.  Rockin' out and eating cake til the weeee hours of the night.  While I've gotten older, I still like to get out there and 'cut a rug,' but my absolute favorite now are the VOWS.  I am one big tear fest when it comes to the vows.  There is something SO touching and POWERFUL about watching a couple exchange their promises and commit to one another.  I find it exciting to be taking photos of the bride and groom, waiting on the side or back of the pews, to be a witness during this incredible moment.

So...then I got to thinking... What do vows mean to YOU?  Every relationship is different and special.  Every couple defines their marriage in their own unique way.  Some people choose to honor the more traditional vows, depending on their religion.  Some people write their own vows and suprise one another on the wedding day with their personal promise.  Some find inspiration in books, movies, television shows to help describe their own love.

Now, I'm not married but my twin sister is.  She married the love of her life, her HIGH SCHOOL sweethart, Ryan.  :)  I was the Maid of Honor for her wedding and remember how awesome it was watching them profess their love in front of friends and family.  I asked her what her vows meant to her and she said this -

"Everyone is different, but vows to me are a representation of your marriage.  It's your mission statement. It's can be easy to get wrapped up in the wedding day, but my vows are what help remind me what's important."

Kelly and Ryan created their own vows by pulling ideas and inspiration from one of Kelly's favorite movies, 'Shall We Dance.' (Yea, the one with J.Lo.)

I bring myself to you this day to share my life with you. I promise to care about everything. The good things, the terrible things, the mundane things...all of it, all the time, everyday. When our love is simple and when it is an effort. Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness. I believe in you, and I will be there to chase away your fears, wipe away your tears and love you always.

And check out the YouTube clip!!!  Susan Sarandon ROCKS!

(Photography by: Davis Photography)

"I can go back and look at something and be like, what are our core values?  How are we going to recreate that? If Ryan and I are having a rough time I can go back and ask 'Am I caring about everything?  What can I do to do that?'  They help get us back on track. Bring it back to your vows."

Look!  I'm over there in the left corner holding a bouquet instead of a camera...with a giant lump in my throat holding back sobs  ;)

 "Sometimes caring about 'EVERYTHING' is a challenge.  'I don't care' shouldn't be in our vocabulary.  Besides, that's mean!" - Kelly Vredenburg

Below: I cried at every single one of these weddings.  Seriously I'm such a SAP.  I LOVE watching and photographing these awesome moments. What an honor.

Jenny and Bart wrote their very own individual vows and shared them for the first time on their wedding day. It was soooo touching and cool.

What are you favorite moments? What did you do/are you going to do for your vows? Share below...We'd love to know!

A Norwegian Bug (Post by Desiree)

Hey friends! I'm currently roaming the streets of Stavanger, Norway! I'll be here for the winter season. I'm getting out and about on these adorable cobblestone roads. When I saw this yellow bug sitting outside one day I KNEW I needed to photograph it.  What is cooler than a pop of yellow on these streets lined with little white wooden houses?  Maybe the bohemian models?  Thank you once again to the girls who helped me out and made my vision happen.

Up Close and Personal (post by Desiree)

I am completely honored to have a photo chosen for The Portrait: Up Close and Personal exhibition at the Mpls Photo Center!  Not that I want to toot my own horn but only 75 portraits were selected out of 1,600.  Okay, so it's tooting a little.  :)  There are some AMAZING photographs apart of this collection.  I entered one of my all time favorite photos that I've ever taken in my photographic career - a photo of two old ladies in Saknihn, Israel.  I had the most incredible time traveling in Israel and happen to spot these little ladies sitting on their porch trying to escape the burning sun.  They waived at me and wanted me to have coffee with them (this is what I managed to understand as I don't speak Arabic.)  Finally the ladies were departing and during that last moment I captured one of the ladies giving the other a kiss on her cheek.  SUCH a fabulous moment to witness and capture forever. I will never forget it.  :) Seriously, if you have time to check it out then do it!  Your chance to see some incredible portraits from all around the world is free until August 19th at the Minneapolis Photo Center.  You can read more about the exhibition in the article from the Star Tribune today.

On a personal note...(post by Louisa)

Hi guys! Louisa here, one of the Rivets photogs. I wanted to share a personal project with you today. It's Sunday, it's hot out, you're probably sitting around in your underpants drinking coffee and reading facebook status updates, so this should be a nice addition to your morning.

For the past 2.5 years I have been working on a photo/word collaborative

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project with my friend Christian Dahlager. What started out as an innocent gchat conversation turned into a project that now includes three books and over 500 vignettes. Basically, here's how it works: I send a photo to Christian via the interwebs and he writes thirty-five words about the photo. This is a blind collaboration, which means Christian has no say in the photo he gets and I have no say in the words he writes about the photo. Challenging? Yes. Frustrating? Sometimes. Kick ass? Always.

The first round of this project (called .onethirtyfive. for one photo, thirty-five words) went EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. Have you ever tried this? Have you ever tried doing something every day for a year? Even brushing your teeth? Try adding another person to any daily routine and see how the difficulty multiplies. BUT! We did it. We had an art show at the oh-so-awesome-and-now-closed art gallery Umber and hung all 365 vignettes in March of 2011. This past year we eased up on ourselves a bit and decided not to do the project every day. We just finished our second year of 100 vignettes a few weeks ago. Our most recent iteration of this project came in the form of a grant from Mnartists.org. Here's what I had to say about the project on our tumblr blog (which you should totally visit, follow and put on your google reader).

Waaaaay back in December (or maybe it was January), Christian and I sat down for a meeting at the Red Stag, a hopelessly hip bar and restaurant in the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis. We put our heads together and came up with a proposal for a grant application for a project called CSA. You’ve heard of this, yes? It’s called community supported agriculture. Basically, you can buy a share in a farm and every month the farm drops off a box of veggies. You never quite know what what will be inside, other than it will be seasonal and delicious. Mnartists.org came up with an artsy-fartsy version of this: community supported art. Shareholders could pay $300 and get a box of art each month for 3 months. This meant that there were 9 grants available for $1000 each and we wanted one. Thus, the Red Stag powwow.

Fast forward to mid-May of the same year. Christian and I had received one of the grants (thanks mnartists.org!) and had been hard at work for the past 100+ days making our project. What we ended up with was and is a labor of love. We put an incredible amount of work into this project and we hope the recipients of the CSA shares love what we came out with.

For 100 days straight, I took a photo and Christian wrote thirty-five words about the photo. We compiled these vignettes into a pocket-sized book. With the exception of 4 vignettes, the entire book was based in Minnesota. All of the images were black and white and the vignettes were all identified by neighborhood. The book is 4”x5” and was designed to be portable art; you can put it in your pocket and bring it on the light rail, or to the Guthrie or anywhere you need a dose of art. The book was printed by Merit printing and bound and finished by Campell Logan Bindery, both downtown Minneapolis operations. We used hand-cut paper and hand-stamped the cover and title pages using custom rubber stamps. Each book is signed and numbered in an edition of 50.

Hopefully, we will be re-releasing this book in another form down the road for all of our followers. In the meantime, enjoy the photos and stay tuned for the release of our second year of .onethirtyfive. The book is compiled and ready for print…we just have to figure out where to print it to get the best quality and price. Cheers!

Raincheck (Post by Louisa)

Minnesota is an unpredictable place. It's hard to know when you can schedule outdoor events and have them go off without a hitch. For instance, you may have scheduled a whole test shoot for a new makeup company with a florist and models and a beautiful location...and then it might rain. And you might not have a backup plan. What to do then? Well, then you make lemonade out of those darn rainy lemons. You call makeup artist Alice Berman and Lisa Roy of Flora Bella and you even convince an old family friend to model for you. If everything goes the way you hope it will, you end up with images like the ones below (and some really tasty lemonade). Special thanks to Elizabeth Messina for inspiring this shoot.