…soon you will have answers!

As a wedding photographer, I am keenly aware of how people look. Especially how brides and grooms look (and feel) on their wedding day. A long time ago it became apparent to me that the more put-together the couple looks (the perfect dress, the perfect shoes, the perfect hair, etc) the more confident and beautiful they will feel, and with that, they will have the perfect day! So with that in mind -

Sara Lovell, a Rochester MUA/hair stylist has agreed to an interview with me in an effort to educate and help brides prepare and look gorgeous on their wedding day. Sara has a huge list of tips already, but we are still interested in getting more questions so that the interview can be more productive and more informative for you! So, ask away – and in two weeks, your questions will be answered! Use the Facebook comments tab, or the native blog comments, and please please please also share this with your friends/girlfriends/family/coworkers – we want A LOT of questions, so we can have a GREAT interview, so it can ultimately help you have the wedding day you always dreamed of!

Ah, springtime. With only a week to go until the Rochester lilac festival, I met with Jenn and KC at Highland Park for their engagement session. Even though the lilacs have not made their appearance yet, we found some magnificent looking magnolia trees and other blossoming, fragrant delights. I can’t wait until September – these two were naturals in front of the camera, and I look forward to seeing that huge smile on Jenn’s face on her wedding day.

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I look forward to celebrating with these two lovebirds in August – even though the day of their engagement session was brutally cold, we couldn’t stop joking and laughing. What a great experience! I’ve almost, ALMOST, forgiven Shannon for the frozen fingers

The bulk of the shoot was at the George Eastman House, and then we went to the Starry Nites cafe and a nearby art studio.

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mmm… snickerdoodle cappuccino… YUM!

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This is something that has been a concern of mine in the past, and of other photographers I know as well. The issue of image credit has come up almost every time right after  I posted a new blog or a new images to Facebook. We photographers put a lot of work into our images and when we post it online for everyone to see it is like displaying the best of the best in our portfolio – so why do clients still think it’s OK to strip the image of any identifying marks (logos) when they repost it on their own social media sites?

Drew is an awesome wedding photographer down in Orange County couldn’t have said it any better, so here it is verbatim:

“I get asked a lot by both photographers and clients what my policy is on letting my clients post their images to their blogs and facebook account. I personally love it when my clients post their family pictures on their blogs, facebook, etc. It shows me that they truly love their images! I encourage my clients to “steal” their pictures from my blog to use on the internet. Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should think about when reposting your images:

1) DO ask your photographer what their specific policy is on taking pictures off of their blogs. Some photographers encourage it and some don’t allow it. If this is important to you this is something you should ask BEFORE you hire your photographer!

2) DO include your photographer’s name and website under the images (a link would be super nice!). That’s just the polite thing to do

3) DON’T crop out their logo. Unless you have paid for the digital negatives don’t alter the files in anyway. Most photographers use their blogs to advertise their work and do so as a courtesy to give their clients a sneak peek. If a client crops out the logo then how will other people know who took the picture?

4) DON’T edit the picture in any way. Taking the pictures is only half of a photographers job. The other half is editing. If you think you can do a better job or want to edit out some of your wrinkles or use selective coloring please don’t show and/or tell your photographer. That is super insulting. If you don’t like your photographers editing enough to want to edit it yourself than maybe you need to find another photographer next year.

5) DON’T try to print from the files on the blog. For me specifically I know that the files I upload to my blog are too small to be printed in a 4×6 size. It’s not cool to invest in a family session and then print the images off of the blog and not pay for prints. Make sure you know how much the prints cost before the session to avoid sticker shock. Same goes for scanning prints that you already bought. Not cool! Some of my family members are guilty of printing images off of my blog. It makes me cringe when I see them FRAMED in their homes with my logo still on there! To be fair, I’m also not great at emailing them the file when they ask for it ”

Thanks Drew, I couldn’t have said it any better!

Please respect your photographer.

*Photographers, you can re-post this information, just as long as you give Drew credit. (http://www.drewbphotography.com/)

* If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at kristina [at] photokisses [dot] com

As I sit nice and cozy in my office, designing some albums and ordering holiday prints, I am already thinking of awesome things to do next year. Everyone who knows me, knows that winter is my favorite season. So…

Grab your sweetheart and let’s go play in the snow!

Details:
1/2 hour session, $150 with images on disc. Book now, shoot January 1-31. 1/2 hour if it’s brutally cold, longer if we are having too much fun to quit. 20-30 images on disc with print release. Sweethearts, best friends, moms and daughters, pets – anyone that can have a snowball fight

Contact me using the form above, or email me directly kristina [at] photokisses [dot] com; make sure to include 2-3 preferred dates (any day in January) and 2-3 preferred locations (in the Rochester area)

Once again, this is not just for engaged couples – anyone can play!  Have a fantastic holiday and I hope to hear from you soon.

With the 2010 wedding season coming to a close, and the 2011 season approaching fast, it is time to start photographing engagement sessions for all the lovely couples I am going to have next year. Here is one such couple, Bri and Eric, who wanted a laid back, casual session that was all about them. We went to Highland park and Genesee Valley park to seek out the best fall foliage and colors, and I came home with some pretty awesome images. Enjoy!

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As I mentioned in the post below, the main reason I went to San Diego this March was in order to photograph the engagement session of one of my couples who are getting married back here in Rochester this June. Since I love travel, and they currently live in San Diego, I thought that March would be the perfect time to get out of cold dreary Rochester NY and do a bit of work out of state! Needless to say, the weather in San Diego was perfect.

(I’m still playing with this new blog layout, so please let me know if the vertical images aren’t showing up grouped together for you. They should.)

Without further ado, here are my favorites from the 3+ hour engagement session with Jillian and Kyle:

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While in Balboa Park, I saw a perfect spot where it was shaded and the sun was shining just so. Unfortunately, there were about 150 people there gathered for a magician’s street show. Thinking quickly, I positioned Jillian and Kyle in behind a family and in front of some tourists. It looked like the spot was deserted – and yay for that perfect sun spot!

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After Balboa Park, we traveled to Ocean Beach for sunset photos. We managed to get three outfit changes accomplished in less than 30 minutes – all while the sun was racing us to the horizon.

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Jillian is a ballerina in the San Diego Ballet, and Kyle likes to surf. I love it when couples incorporate their personalities into the shoot.

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I enjoyed the trip! Even the blisters on my feet and the nasty cold I brought back with me were totally worth it. Can I drop everything and just move to San Diego already? I love California.

With Love,
Kristina
(Rochester San Diego wedding photographer)

It was a bitterly cold day this winter (when is it not bitterly cold in Rochester?) when we decided to photograph the engagement session with Lauren and Joe. Armed with layers of warm clothing, we went to the University of Rochester campus and walked around, finding nooks and crannies and taking as many pictures as quickly as possible. We had lots of fun! I can’t wait for their wedding in September – they have hired what I call the “dream team” of all my favorite vendors. This Rochester wedding will ROCK!

In this snowy, verrrry cold Rochester weather, I like to reminisce about last year and look over photos I’ve taken of people in love. So today I bring to you a HOT summer engagement of Kara and Buck, which I photographed in Rochester’s beautiful Highland Park. I was happy to do it especially when they told me they’d be driving from Ohio for it! Seems like I get more and more out-of-state couples as time goes by    (This month I’ll be going to San Diego for an engagement session, YAY!)

Also, this is the first time I am using the newly updated Prophoto blog theme, so please forgive any dust that may have settled during construction. Those of you on RSS may need to click through to my actual website to view the following slideshow. I’d love to get some feedback in regards to slideshows vs. posting individual images, so please leave a comment!

AndrewKara-03 AndrewKara-12test AndrewKara-18test AndrewKara-20 AndrewKara-23 AndrewKara-36test AndrewKara-43 AndrewKara-75-76 AndrewKara-81

Oh, and I’ve added Facebook compatibility! How geeky is this!  (PLEASE let me know if it works! Go comment!) *Edited: took off the Facebook comment script, it doesn’t seem to be working right*

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I must admit, winter is by far my favorite month. Yes it’s cold, and yes it’s difficult to drive, but Rochester looks so beautiful covered with a blanket of fresh white snow. I was so excited when a future bride (a May 2011 wedding I booked in Long Island! Wow!) decided to visit Rochester and arranged a bridal meeting and engagement session with me. Knowing the weather, I bundled up from head to toe, told them to wear some layers, and off we went to play in the snow in Genesee Valley Park!

It’s not fair that I have to wait a whole year and a half to photograph your wedding in Long Island! I am looking forward to it  – very impatiently!

With love,
Kristina
[Rochester Wedding Photographer]