Spink Studio · The Blog

Sarah and Spencer get my vote for the most easy going couple of the year! These two drove down from Lubbock for me to take their engagement and Sarah’s bridal photos. Unfortunately, it was the hottest day of June with a temperature of 105 degrees! Not only were these two smokin’ hot, so was the heat and we were all drenched and dehydrated by the end. But it was totally worth it and we had a wonderful time! I can not wait for their winery wedding coming up in August!

***Friends and Family: CLICK HERE to sign Sarah + Spencer’s guest book to view the photos when they go online and receive a print credit.***

I’ve know Bekah for a little while now and there is not a sweeter more genuine person then her. She is so fun and easy to be around and has the kindest spirit! She was living here last year helping intern at church but moved back home to Dallas to start working on her theater major. I was thrilled when she asked me to do some headshots for her while she was back visiting. We took these late last Friday and I had a fun time trying out some new locations!

***Friends and Family: CLICK HERE to sign Rebekah’s guest book to view the photos when they go online and receive a print credit.***

Thanks so much, Bekah! I had tons of fun!

So, I should be working on some designs, but I really wanted to look through all the photos for my last couple shoots and give ya’ll a little sneak peek! I can’t wait to show ya’ll more photos! I thought it would also be fun to share with my photographer readers my camera settings and how I got these two shots. I’m always curious about how photographers achieve certain shots.

Rebekah: Lifestyle Session
Location: Parking garage in covered shade with back towards the light
Time of Day: 8:00PM
Lens: 50mm 1.2L
Aperture: f/1.8
Shutter: 1/320
ISO: 200

Sarah + Spencer: Engagement Session
Location: Side of small building in the shade
Time of Day: 5:30PM
Lens: 50mm 1.2L
Aperture: f/2.5
Shutter: 1/1000
ISO: 200

This post is for all current and potential brides. I wanted to post this fabulous article written by my friend, Grant Perry of GrantDeb Photographers about how to pick your wedding photographer. It is so important that my clients click with me and have fun and are relaxed and confident in my ability. This is a great article for all brides to help figure out how to choose the photographer that is right for them!

Five Absolutes When Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

by: Grant Perry - www.GrantDeb.com

So you’re meeting your prospective wedding photographer for the first time. You found them on a Google search, and their site seems nice enough. But how do you really know they are the best for you?

The easiest answer is also the most ridiculous; in 30 initial minutes you can’t. BUT … there are a few things you can look for to become more comfortable with your decision.

1. Relationship - Relationship - Relationship
The absolute most important aspect to you reaping the results you desire from your final wedding photography is that you fall in LOVE with your wedding photographer(s). And by LOVE I don’t mean you’d ebay your rings, cancel your date and marry them - but I do mean you feel so comfortable that you’d be able to brag about them to your closest friends or have them over for dinner at your house.

A wedding photographer worth hiring doesn’t take pictures, and that sounds totally weird, I know. A great wedding photographer isn’t really a photographer at all but an artist who uses a camera and lens to paint and CAPTURE MOMENTS in digital files filled with emotion and passion. Their images - each and every one - CAPTURE a narrative or story that with one glance creates an emotion from the viewer; namely you. ANYBODY can take a picture, especially with the advances in today’s geeky low-priced digital cameras. But only true wedding photography ARTISTS can capture your story with passion and emotion.

Someone who is bestowed such a precious and significant task as being your ONLY wedding photographer must be someone you absolutely love and admire. In fact, a true wedding photography artist will almost always be easy to be comfortable with because they themselves are depending on building a strong relationship with you so they may better understand what is important to your final outcome.

2. Passion
Ask your prospective wedding photographer if they take their cameras with them to family birthday parties or if they shoot pictures of their niece’s soccer games. Only someone passionate about their craft integrates that passion into their lives - and a great wedding photography artist always integrates their passion into their lives.

When you’re sitting across the table from them, how do they make you feel? Are you getting excited about your day as they talk about their involvement? When they talk about their product, do they exhibit a kind of giddiness or are they just selling? What adjective comes to your mind to describe them if you were asked 5 minutes after you’ve left the appointment?

Passion HAS to at least be a likely adjective you could choose. If not? Run - do not walk - to the next photographer.

You see - any great wedding photography artist is in the “game” for more than just the coin. They are always - and I mean always - looking to become your wedding photographer because they are passionate about painting your special story with the lenses of their camera that tell the story through fine art photography. In fact, a passionate wedding photography artist will always be a remarkable artist.

3. No new stress - please!
The wedding photographer sitting across the table from you has no idea what your plans are for your upcoming fairy-tale day. In fact, just because they’ve taken pictures for hundreds of brides before you, there are no other weddings even close in style or substance as yours, period.

If your prospective wedding photographer isn’t asking the right questions of you, questions pertaining to your day, how YOU plan it to unfold, how many bridesmaids, groomsmen, the venue, is there going to be dancing, will your dad walk you down the aisle, who your maid-of-honor is and who she is to you …

If they are insisting on showing you their previous work, and how awesome they are, and who they’ve photographed before ever asking about how YOU envision your day? RUN - do not walk - to the next prospective photographer.

The most counter-productive and stressful situation is to have your wedding photographer not clearly understand your time line. And the best scenario in this situation is to have a needy, whiney, and question ridden person running around taking pictures creating more stress. The worst scenario? They don’t ask and subsequently don’t GET the pictures you envisioned. In either scenario? Stress and disaster.

Actually, the absolute BEST scenario is a wedding photographer who sits across the table and interviews YOU. That’s right, you’ve invited them to the table to choose them - but what you really want is someone who wants to work with you because you both click. Someone who asks you a bunch of questions, and diligently writes down YOUR answers about YOUR day as they interview YOU. Why? Because when they truly understand YOUR day, and how it will unfold, you have found someone who doesn’t need to create stress on your day (or before), you’ve found someone capable of discovering and understanding what you want prior to your day. Someone who can click with you (and hopefully - FOR you - wink).

4. Show me your stuff
More than likely, you’ve seen a lot of your prospective wedding photographer’s work (and probably their best work) from their web site. And having a look at an album or prints or canvas or … is a good thing too. But understand this, nothing they show you across the table is going to be what you get - ever. You are seeing a compilation of work from perhaps their best work, which is understandable. But even on a perfect day, no two weddings are the same, nor are any two wedding albums, or prints, or … the same.

Obviously your wedding photographer needs to be able to nail their focus, and exposures, and all of those technical photography details in order to even be considered. But, going back to the number one “must” - other bride’s relationships with your photographer have got to be great.

Ask your potential wedding photographer to give you a couple of brides you can contact. And when they provide those names, call those brides and ask one question; “What do you remember most about Photographer xx?” That’s it! You’ll get the whole story from that one question. And the best part? You’ll also get your answer overall from that question.

5. It’s gotta be fun
Ask the wedding photographer this question; “So what do you do for fun?” Not that you need to care WHAT they do for fun - but you do care if they do anything that IS FUN.

Just because your wedding photographer will be working as a “vendor” on your awesome day does NOT mean they have to portray it as work. They have to have fun at it - and you’ve got to have fun at it - and that does NOT mean it’s up to you to make it fun. THEY have to make it fun - the whole day. It may be 98 degrees in the shade or 2 below zero - but THEY have to be able to roll with the punches or change direction at any given time and still make it fun and stress-free for your entire party.

And there is really no way to know if that person you just met is that person other than to know they know how to have fun on their own, hence “So what do you do for fun?”

Fun = happy. Stress = ugly. Which do you choose?

Grant and Deb specialize in being a husband and wife Wedding Photography Artist team. You can view their work at their Wedding Photography Artist Site at GrantDeb.com or you can stay up to date with them on their BLOG at blog.GrantDeb.com.

I want to give a little shout out to my totally, fabulous husband Clint! Clint has been friends of Jeremiah’s for several years and I loved having him shoot with me at their recent wedding! Clint second shoots with me at almost all my weddings and he is an amazing help to me! Although you may catch him downing some of your sparkling cider, he is the best at getting me where I need to be, shagging my bags, keeping me cool and hydrated, making EVERYONE laugh, holding video lights and to top it off, he has become an amazing photographer! He catches tons of great, creative shots that I don’t always have time to capture. He is also the one taking all those cute behind the scenes shots of me. Thank you, Clint for all your work! Love you!

Hello to all my Colorado friends! I wanted to let you know that I am headed your way and I am offering a photo session special just for you! I will be offering one hour photo sessions at Denver City Park on Saturday, July 25. Your session could be anything from portrait, couple, engagement, family, bridal, maternity, baby or kid session. Anything goes for your whole hour of shooting! Bring props such as big balloons, ice cream, your dog, a picnic basket or a vintage bike for some fabulous photos in the park! These will be photos that you can display in your house and cherish for years to come! Spots are limited, so reserve your time slots as soon as possible. A deposit of $150 is due in advance to reserve your spot. Email me at info@spinkstudio.com to reserve your spot!

What: Fabulous Park Photo Session
Where: Denver City Park (west of Denver Museum of Nature and Science)
When: Saturday, July 25 Afternoon
Cost: $250
You Get: One hour of photography, dozens of fabulous images put in an online ordering gallery and a CD of all the edited high-res files
Book: Email me at info@spinkstudio.com to learn how to reserve your spot

Current Available Time Slots:
2pm:
3pm: The Salas Family
4pm: The Whitlock Family
5pm: The Teague Family
6pm: Sarah Wilhelm
7pm:
(more will be added if needed)

Part two of Hannah and Jeremiah’s gorgeous wedding! Continuing on with some hot guy photos and the smokin’ awesome wedding party! Despite the typical, hot, south Texas heat, we were all SO glad the photos were done beforehand because a torrential rain (close to a hurricane) type thunderstorm showed up just as their ceremony started! Half way during the ceremony, the electricity went off and left everyone is silence with Hannah and Jeremiah lite by my little video light! Although it was crazy, it was somehow romantic and totally unforgettable! The rain followed us all the way to the reception but finally let up and left the most gorgeous, blue night sky. If you make it to the bottom of this long post, you’ll see what I mean!

***Friends and Family: CLICK HERE to sign Hannah + Jeremiah’s guest book to view the photos when they go online and receive a print credit.***

Hannah and Jeremiah, thank you so much for having me capture your special day! I wish you both the best.

***Friends and Family: CLICK HERE to sign Hannah + Jeremiah’s guest book to view the photos when they go online and receive a print credit.***