YOU ARE INVITED!!

On Sunday, May 15 2011, we will be hosting an open house to celebrate the opening of my new studio as well as to thank all of my friends, family, and of course my past and future brides! It's going to be a great start to the 2011 wedding season. Please stop in for some drinks and hors d'oeuvres, get a picture in the photobooth, and stay and chat for a while. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

How to get to the studio:

Take Hall St. exit west off of 131. Take Hall St. through Grandville St., go down and around the sharp curve/hill. Go straight throught he light at the Hall/Godfrey intersection. DON'T turn onto Godfrey. Park in the dirt lot on the right behind the first large red brick building. Go into the door next to the loading dock overhead doors. Walk straight and pass the vending machines to the elevator or stairs. Take the stairway or the elevator to the 4th floor. Once at the 4th floor, take a left and go until the hall comes to a "T." Take a right at the "T" and find the blue door. Yep, it's complicated but we will have signs and people to help you if you get stuck, or please call Phrene at 616-322-3093. FYI, it's an old urban factory, but I promise our studio is gorgeous inside ;)

Associate Photographer Carolina!

I'm very excited to announce a new addition to the Phrené - Exquisite Photography company, my associate photographer, Carolina! Carolina and I go back to our days in college when we were stressing and losing sleep over our many photo projects, term papers, and class critiques. We found ourselves critiquing and working together in our photography classes so a few years later it seem so natural to starting working together professionally. She's become a great friend and a wonderful photographer and I'm happy to share that she is available for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Check our her gallery of work here.

I thought it would be fun for us to go out and do a little photoshoot, we are fun crazy girls and we don't need a better reason to do a photoshoot! As you can see she didn't have a problem working it out for the camera :) I thought you should all get to know her better so we also did a fun little interview session, here's Carolina in a nutshell...

How would you describe your personality? Who is Carolina? :) hahaha we are so cheesy

I'd say I'm a little shy, but when I say that my friends bust out laughing. Probably because I love joking around and it's easy for me to get comfortable with people quickly. My friends always say I have a bit of a Latina attitude...like I'm always quick to have a wise crack back. I'm proud of being a Latina woman, I feel like being so close to my family is such an important aspect of my heritage and personality. It keeps me grounded, keeps my values strong, and my priorities straight. Because I have such a strong and genuine relationship with my family I seek to have the same kind of relationships with other people I encounter...and in my photography it helps me to recognize and capture those type of connections I see in others around me.

work it out Carolina!

What do you like about shooting weddings?

I love working and photographing people, the atmosphere of weddings are fun, I love seeing family and friends coming together and celebrating...it's cute...and emotional...I'm girl what do you expect? Plus, fashion!! Brides are beautiful models, they look awesome and should feel awesome even just for this one special day. I started off not knowing much about weddings until I started working with you...Phrené. Before I started shooting weddings, I thought wedding photography was about those typical family photos in front of the church. I didn't realize that the photographer was such an integral part of a wedding. I thought we were seen as more of a nuisance dodging through the guests as they party the night away, now I realize that having a professional photographer there to archive those priceless memories is so important. You helped me see the infinite possibilites with weddings, weddings incorporate so many different types of photography... fashion, jewelry, food, portraits, documentary and photography aside just connecting with people.

What gave you that preconceived notion wedding photography was about "typical wedding photos in front of the church"?

I guess it's from weddings that I went to as a kid or past wedding photos I saw of family and friends. I think the modern bride looks for something more unique, fitting her own personality and style. Now with website portfolios and the internet people invest a lot of time and energy into researching the perfect photographer.

How would you describe your photography style?

I like making things pretty...that's sounds simple but it's true. Pretty makes people (brides) happy, I want to make something beautiful and interesting to look at but I also want my subjects to connect on a personal level with their photos, but even further I want to capture the personal connection, emotions, and relationships of the people and events going on around me at weddings.

Aside from wedding photography, are their other photography things you enjoy?

Most weekdays you'll find me at WMCAT downtown GR teaching high-school kids how to appreciate photography. They get to experience traditional black and white photography but also high end studio lighting, photoshop...the whole shebang. After college I missed being in the darkroom and it's been fun getting back into traditional style darkroom work.

I really love pin hole cameras, they are so simple yet the results of the image can be incredibly creative....not much use for pin hole cameras at weddings...ha oh well. Maybe a new adventure for the future right?!...or not. Don't worry I won't show up to your wedding with a pin hole camera oatmeal box!

Anything else we should know about you?

I can't wait for the new Sex in the City movie!!!

Published Again!!!

Soooo excited to share the news!!! I recently received my box of Kalamazoo Bride magazines, opened the box, and giggled like a little girl to find one of my recent brides on the COVER! Dionna was such a beautiful bride, there's no doubt in my mind why they chose her for their cover. I give her all the credit, all I had to do was push the button, she did all the rest. The beautiful bouquet was done by the equally awesome Sebesta Designs. Corrine is fabulous and her designs reflect the exquisite quality and creativity that is Sebesta. I'd highly recommend her for the creative and discerning bride.

This is my second bridal magazine cover within the year, to be honest it feels a little surreal. I am incredibly flattered that my work was chosen, thank you again to Jake and Kelly at GRB Ventures Publication. These magazines are such a great resource for brides, in fact I found them so useful when I was planning my own wedding a few years back. Get your copy here, you'll see another of my beautiful brides, Julie, on their home page.

For all you brides out there planning a wedding in southwest Michigan, this weekend the Kalamazoo Wedding Affair is the bridal show to attend. Below is a coupon to get you future brides into the show. I'm thrilled that they chose to use another of my images to promote their show.