Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Attended my first luau last night! Weather is improving each day. Spent yesterday on beach…getting jealous yet? Oh - we’re staying at the Ko Olina Beach Club. If you’re looking for a honeymoon spot, consider this place. We have a huge villa with a full kitchen, deep tub, separate shower… It’s adorable and sits right on the ocean. Let me know if you want to know more.

Today’s guest blogger: Mel of McLellan Studio

Service offered: Nashville wedding photography

Focus: a real Nashville engagement photo session

Here’s the 60 second scoop:

Hey Friends of Ashley!

We’re Sean and Melanie McLellan, the photographers of McLellan Studio. We’re excited to share one of our recent engagement sessions with you!

Jessica Harp and Jason Mowery were engaged a few months back and we were so excited when Jason asked us to come along to photograph the big event. Being in the music industry, they share a love of old country music so how perfect is it that they met at the Ryman? Jessica’s band (The Wreckers) was in need of a fill-in fiddle player and Keith Urban’s fiddle player, Jason, was asked to help out. A couple of weeks later, he was made a permanent fixture both in the band (sorry, old fiddle player!), and in Jessica’s life. Jason decided to go back to where it all started to ask Jessica to marry him. Check out the images below and the slideshow montage on our blog for many more images…

Popping the question….

Obviously she said yes!

Where it all began…

The Ryman has so many cool little nooks and crannies!

After the Ryman, we walked around downtown a bit. Check out the slideshow to see the random dutch guy who came to chat with us. There was also a singing homeless guy who ended up joining a chase for a thief down the street. Only downtown! Sean and I don’t make it out of the Franklin bubble much so it was an exciting time! haha!

No story here - just a fun yellow wall…

What can I say? These kids are super cute, super sweet, and super talented - they just have it all! Check them out and keep your eyes peeled for Jessica’s new album coming in 08!

Jessica and Jason, thanks for sharing your infectious happiness with us.

We hope everyone enjoyed sharing their story. Thanks for having us on as your guest Ashley!
- Mel

Hey Mel - Thanks for picking up the laptop and doing my work while I travel:) Too many great pics to choose one but thanks for giving Nashville brides an idea of why they should consider an engagement session. It’s certainly a great way to retell their story. The pics would make awesome save the date postcards or would be a cool slideshow for the actual wedding day. There are so many options. But, you must hire a great photographer - that’s where the magic starts!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Today’s guest blogger: Martha of Daniel Howell Photography

Service offered: Nashville wedding photography

Focus: a real Nashville engagement session

Here’s the 60 second scoop:

Featured Couple: Casey & Paul, Nashville, TN

Location: Downtown Nashville

When Casey & Paul came to us they expressed a desire to have engagement and wedding photos that were art. This is thrilling for us as photographers, since we’re always searching for clients who are looking for something more in their photos than just goofy grins.

Their engagement session took place on a chilly night in late October. They love their big city life, so they decided to have their session in downtown Nashville, at night. Since the shots were at night, they had to be very still and pose for shutter speeds of up to 6 seconds. We went to the Pedestrian Bridge, played in fog, danced with Elvis and more. Their 3 hour engagement session flew by! With clients who are willing to experiment, take time, and laugh with us, we were able to capture beautiful e-session images.

FAQ About E-Sessions

What do I do with my engagement pictures?

Casey & Paul chose to have enlargements of their e-session images at their reception. With an e-session that focuses on creating art, these images are great for framing and placing in your new home together. You could also use them on your save-the-date cards or even the invitations themselves.

At Daniel Howell Photography, we use one of your e-session images to create your own personal business cards to pass out at your reception. This is a huge hit at weddings – guests love this gesture.

When should we have our e-session?

Normally, I recommend doing an engagement session at least two months prior to your wedding date, since this allows time for ordering plenty of enlargements for your wedding!

Where should we have our e-session?

Many photographers choose to do e-sessions in their studio. This choice is great for traditional standard images. However, we love to go on location with our couples. We urge them to choose places that represent who they are. For example, we’ve had some choose to go the river, farms, downtown settings, playgrounds, and more.

The bottom line is - choose locations where you will be comfortable. And think outside of the box. While you may be used to seeing traditional poses in front of a black background, imagine how wonderful your image would be if your were sitting on top of a bail of hay or dangling your feet into a stream. Anything is possible!
Why have an E-Session? How much do e-sessions cost?

Some people think that having a private session with a photographer to do a portrait shoot like an e-session must be terribly expensive. Well, we don’t think it should be!

An e-session is vital for both the photographer and the clients to get to know each other. Simply put, it’s much easier for the photographer to work with the clients on their wedding day if they’ve had an opportunity to shoot a session with them prior. And it’s a lot easier for the clients to be comfortable with the photographer if they’ve had a chance to work with them as well.

Photographers can charge anywhere from $50-$350+ for e-session sitting fees. They are also sometimes included in your wedding package. Be sure you know what is included in this fee. Do you get prints? How long does the shoot last? Will the shoot be in studio or on location?

When we meet clients who are unsure about their need for professional photography, we like to offer engagement sessions for free (in fact, right now we are waiving sitting fees for engagement sessions for everyone interested).

This way, we can make up our clients mind for them. We have met several clients who were unsure if they actually needed professional photography, and after they saw their e-sessions images they were sure that professional photographers would be a vital part of their wedding day!

Remember that your wedding photography is an investment, and an e-session is not only a great way to get great images of you and your soon-to-be spouse, but also to ensure that your time with your photographer on your wedding day goes as smooth as possible!

-Martha Howell from Daniel Howell Photography (http://www.danielhowellphoto.com/)