To kick off wedding season this year I was fortunate enough to be part of Eliesa Johnson's Wedding Boot Camp workshop.
The space was beautiful, and who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon with a bunch of great photographers?
Here are some of my favorite shots from the day!
-Bryan
I got to shoot an amazing wedding this weekend down in Iowa, and I wanted to give you a sneak peek! I'll have the highlights of the day blogged next week, but until then, you can enjoy this preview.
As promised, here are highlights from Kelly and Scott's engagement shoot last week. We began at the scene of Scott's proposal, the Aster Cafe. After walking more about the riverfront, we hit the sinfully-delicious Izzy's Ice Cream for sustenance. It was a nice evening to get to know these two and I am pumped for their St. Paul wedding this Fall.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to photograph a cocktail party. With the creative magic of Lindsay Piram, this was no ordinary cocktail party. Here is just a taste of this night filled with beautiful decor, masterful food, and innovative cocktails.
Each spring our boss lady, Eliesa, puts on a wedding bootcamp as a refresher before high season kicks in, and it is super inspirational and always gets me geared up for my weddings around the corner. This year was no different. Below are a few snaps from the day practicing everything from light to portraits to details to dance-floor shots.
As of late, I have had a fascination with black and white photos. Not to say that I am shooting black and white film, but I have had a strong urge to edit my images black and white.
Now, this does have it’s place, not every image is strong in black and white. When an image is conducive to this treatment though, it gains a feeling of timelessness.
When I deliver photos, I often provide both color and black and white versions; though time and again, I prefer the black and white edit. The artist in me loves the simplicity of the black and white.
Along side photography I love capturing video, I'm also a MAJOR nerd. I always try to find ways to combine the two whenever possible. With the current technology in RC flight systems ever-increasing, flying a camera several hundred feet in the air has become something almost anyone can do. Some people call these "Drones" or "UAV's" enthusiasts generally call them Multirotors. I'm currently testing and tuning a 6 rotor monster that will fly anything from a GoPro to my full frame D800. To get a hang of things I have started with smaller and simple to fly. That brings us to the 350 QX:Blade this little guy will fly a GoPro miles in the sky. Using GPS to collect altitude, speed, and location this multirotor is a powerful little package.
Here are a few shots from my maiden flight with the Blade.
All went well and everything was in 1 piece when I ended my flight.
I will have a post or two in the near future showcasing some video and the larger 6 rotor monster!
-Bryan
I wanted to share my favorite image from a recent family portrait session. When I am fortunate to catch a moment like this, I remember how much I love my job.
Photography has been a facet of my life for the past three years. In 2011, I spent a semester in Australia; we lived in an apartment 10 minutes south of Sydney in Waterloo. During the summer prior to that, I worked three jobs to save money for the trip. Two weeks before leaving, my Dad suggested I bring a camera. His words were something to the effect of, “You have loved shooting my camera, and it would be worth bringing down your own to capture the trip.” He is a smart man. Most of the money I made that summer went to a Nikon D7000 and an 18-200mm lens, and it was perfect.
For three months, I explored this beautiful country, from Sydney to Cairns, to the Whitsunday Islands and even over to New Zealand. Around every corner was an adventure, brand new and fascinating.
Each click of the shutter taught me something: I began to understand what makes a photograph versus just a snapshot. Some of my favorite images were taken while walking to get food, or to and from class. Looking back, I see the technical missteps I made with these images. A missed focus, the wrong ISO, or a less that ideal aperture, but know that doesn’t change the excitement of exploration or the feeling I had capturing that image.
It was all a journey and one that I am so thankful for.
Three months Down Under, and I came back with a love for photography. With a camera I am able to capture emotion and feeling. This is why I still pick up a camera every day three years later. I love it, and there is no other way to explain it. My photography has progressed greatly since my days spent wandering Sydney. My gear has changed; I have to be more creative living in a city I have known my whole life, and I cannot spend every day traveling in a new country. What still persists is my love of capturing a moment, something to hold onto. Whether it is a wedding, a family gathering, or on a photo shoot for lululemon, I still feel truly excited when I catch that moment, and it keeps me coming back to my camera every single day.
I just remodeled my photo studio and had my first shoot in it last week, and wow was it fun! I've been wanting a space where I could bring families and clients for a while now (my former space was fine for dogs, but not much else), and I'm slowly getting all the props in order for the modern space that I want it to be. Here are a few shots from the first shoot!
Last week I was lucky enough to venture down to Austin, Texas where it was 84 degrees. What an awesome escape! One day we ventured out to a nature preserve in the city where there were wild peacocks roaming the grounds. And, oh, hey, did you know it's peacock mating season? Because THAT happened right in front of us. What a show!
If you're ever in Austin, I highly suggest the Mayfield Nature Preserve. So lovely. Oh! And they do weddings...
I have posted about Laura & Melissa's wedding a few times already on this blog…about their engagement session, backyard brides dinner & their wedding! I was beyond excited to see that the Spring Wedding issue of Lavender Magazine hit news stands last month! Absolutely thrilled to have these two lovely brides grace the cover & inside spreads! What an amazing day this was!! Here are a couple of screen shots from the magazine…click on the links above to enjoy the online issue! Enjoy!
Everyone can admit this winter has been LONG and COLD. When I approached my buddy about a northern Minnesota camping trip at the end of February I was getting a mixed response. I finally talked him into going. The week leading up to the trip involved a lot of convincing and promise that we both would come home with all our fingers and toes.
We ultimately decided to head up to the Iron Range about 200 miles north of Minneapolis. I was avoiding checking the weather but I knew that we had a chilly weekend ahead of us. We promptly packed our sleds and loaded up the Jeep.
With the gear wagon packed and the cup holders loaded we set off!
Once we arrived we began our trek after digging a parking stop for the Jeep. Once parked we got bundled up and strapped on the snow shoes and started the trek.
Moving our sleds in the deep snow turned out to be a bigger challenge that we had anticipated. we luckily were able to get everything to camp after a few trips! After digging out our "Home" for the weekend we quickly got a fire rolling and setup camp.
With the sun quickly setting we knew that getting warm and staying warm would be critical for survival, the temperatures we sitting right around -8. After a nice warm dinner and some warm water we shivered around the fire for awhile and took some time lapses of the stars.
After drying gloves, socks, face masks by the fire we boiled up some water and tossed it in the tent with us. Once in the tent we fired up the heater and warmed up the tent to a balmy 30ish degrees. Knowing running the heater all night was not an option we wanted to start off as warm as we could. Completing the simple process of changing, getting on fresh socks, placing hand and foot warmers strategically in your gloves and socks while in a cramped tent turned out to be enough fun for one night. Once we were cinched tightly in our bags we called it a night.
- DAY 2 -
Once the sun started coming up we both got very optimistic that maybe we would be able to feel the warmth of the sun in the tent.. wrong.
With the high for the day of -16 we knew staying warm would be critical. It's quite amazing how a warm breakfast and some coffee would help raise moral around camp. Once you taste that first sip of coffee and that first spoonful of oatmeal you get this rush, this feeling of power. It's moments like the this that keep me going, you honestly feel like superman knowing that you just survived a night at -18 in the back country of Minnesota . We found out later it was only 10 degrees colder on the summit of Mt. Everest that night.
--
Camping in the winter is a constant battle to stay warm without sweating, keeping warm and dry are the two biggest challenges we faced. Our cameras also really started to feel the pain. Holding your frostbitten camera even through thin gloves made taking photos next to impossible.
After collecting wood, watching water boil, making a snow tunnel, and a nice warm lunch we strapped on the snowshoes and headed out.
Once back at camp came some more busy work around camp, followed by some afternoon spirits. Gathering wood became a great source of warmth in 2 ways; trudging through the snow works up quite the sweat, and we then get to burn the wood and stay warm. That a huge win in my book!!
We sat out the cold and night with a nice fire, the two of us talked about our weekends adventures. We learned so much about staying warm and staying smart in the extreme cold. We then headed to bed that night after taking a few more star photos.
- DAY 3 -
After several trips back to the Jeep we loaded up and headed home.
--
Looking back on the weekend I can't wait to get out camping this summer and next winter. Getting out into the wilderness and forgetting about everything but the bare essentials is what getting out is all about to me. Nothing makes you appreciate a bottle of water like boiling snow over an open flame for 25 minutes. Warm coffee and oatmeal in the morning make you feel like you have one some sort of lottery in the wild. That's not a feeling you get everyday by turning on the faucet, or microwaving some oatmeal.
-Bryan
Our yard has been in a state of thaw for weeks now. But, last weekend the ratio shifted and now the patches of dirt and grass outnumber the piles of crusty snow. Let the season of yard work, grilled meat, and weddings begin.
In January I had the opportunity to shoot the AMSOIL Championship Snocross when it was at Canterbury Park.
I had a blast running around in the snow snapping shots of these amazing athletes on their fine tuned machines.
The skill that each and every one of them display the entire race is truly amazing. The sport as whole has progressed so quickly, with the technology in the snowmobiles getting better, it helps these guys go bigger and faster every year.
To check out all the shots check out my personal website here!
-Bryan
Last week, I was thrilled to travel down to Arkansas to visit an old friend's farm and take photos of her family and operation. Not only was I excited because it's spring and the goats were scheduled to be birthing (!!), but I was probably just as excited to head down to some 55 degree weather for a few days. Although, I must admit, the return up north has been brutal. Here are a few images from my visit -- man, what a fun trip.
Looking back at these photos, I can almost feel the warmth. I tell you what, June cannot get here fast enough!
When I was first met Briana and Jason I was shooting senior portraits for Jason's sister, we started talking about their upcoming wedding and the rest was history!
When planning their engagement session we wanted to capture the two of them where they first met, and like that we were off to Kieran's Irish Pub in the heart of Minneapolis. I was so excited to have the entire place to run wild and get creative with these two. After capturing the mood of Kieran's we decided to head outside, if anyone as gone outside this winter you know there haven't been too many "warm" days...
Once we got bundled up we ended up heading over to Loring Park to soak up what was left of the beautiful sun.
We ran around, sat on some snow covered benches, and ran around the park. Boy was I happy I wore boots!
I am so excited to shooting Briana and Jason's wedding this summer at the Gitchi Gammi Club up in Duluth, MN.
Ok, so it's the end of winter & I am so completely over it. I usually dread that very "brown" time, after the snow is gone & before the grass turns green…this past week we had some higher temperatures which started to melt the massive amounts of snow everywhere & I can honestly say seeing all of the brown ground peeking out through the snow put the biggest smile on my face! Did you know that this Thursday is the first official day of Spring?? I am so EXCITED!!! The only reason I'm glad that there is still snow on the ground is because of this Engagement Session. We've had this bonfire idea brewing for a little while now & this past weekend it all came together! So thrilled for these brides-to-be! For now, just a sneak peek while I get everything edited! Enjoy!
Along with photography I also love capturing moments through video. I shoot video for an amazing organization called RAW: Natural Born Artists.
"RAW:natural born artists is an independent arts organization, for artists, by artists. RAW is an international community made up of creative individuals across the globe. RAW's mission is to provide independent artists within the first 10 years of their career with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity. Welcoming all genres of art including independent film, fashion, music, visual art, performing art, hairstylists, makeup artists and more."
RAW currently operates in nearly 60 cities across the United States, Australia, Canada and, London!
I think RAW is an amazing way for emerging artists to get exposed into the local (and global) art scene. It gives artists a outlet to get express who they are and what they create.
I have met so many wonderful artists through RAW, I absolutely love getting to be part of such a great organization.
Here is some of the work I produced for the Pixels show last month!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuFRl_FcSQI&index=2&list=PLpIUe_p9ff5OJbaxOLQP6FqJogH7gFcK8[/youtube]
If you would like to come check out all the wonderful artists at the next RAW show I'd love for you to come say hi, contact me and I will add you to the guest list!!
-Bryan
I have an engagement session this weekend & as I was preparing for it I couldn't help but go back to this inspiration session I photographed for the venue that the brides will be getting married at! The Southern Theatre's mission is to foster a community of exceptional artists & this amazing theatre couldn't be a better place for just that! In addition to proving the perfect backdrop for musicals, plays, one acts, dance shows, comics & more this theatre is also available for your wedding! I was very lucky to be able to work with some amazing vendors & models who really brought this inspiration session to life! June can't get here soon enough! Enjoy!
