You know the old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”? Well I know it to be especially true. Geoffrey is in the navy and has been stationed in Hawaii away from Marissa. He only had a few days in town when we scheduled their engagement and I knew I’d have no problem getting lovey-dovey shots from them. I watched Marissa’s facebook statuses change from “is now only one week away from Geoffrey’s kiss” to “is sitting at the airport waiting to pick Geoff up!” to finally “is kissing Geoffrey!“

This last image was inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt’s “V-J Day in Times Square”. Geoffrey and Marissa wanted to recreate it and I happily obliged. So after Geoffrey changed into his uniform and Marissa into her amazing vintagey shoes we set out to capture the shot. We finally ran out into the cobblestone street, stopped traffic for 20 seconds and accomplished our goal.

These two are such a special couple. Such love for each other and pure excitement to be together. I am really looking forward to their fall wedding since I know it will be filled with picturesque moments.

The next day when I logged into Facebook, Marissa’s latest update made me smile, “is at the airport dropping Geoffrey off for the very last time. Next time he’s taking her with him as his new bride “

Let me share what she sent when I asked the best way to document their story together . . .

“Dan proposed while we were fishing at Lake Zorinsky.   He had spent the spring and summer convincing and reassuring me that it would be fine to put the wiggly worm on the hook.:-) So, imagine my surprise when I went to bait the hook and found a diamond engagement ring instead!  I chose the ring rather than a worm and the rest is history!  Anyway, if we could ‘go fishing’ that might be a nice, scenic opportunity to tell our story.”

The day we met for our “fishing trip” was a tad windy but we made the best of it. The wind just enhanced Laura’s beautifully curled hair in my opinion. She got a chance to show off her girly-girl side by wearing a cute spring dress for the first portion of the session.

After a quick wardrobe change we set off to the area of the lake where Dan proposed to Laura. Dan carried the small styrofoam container of worms and Laura carried her fishing pole. It had just the slightest bit of pink coloring on the handle and reel, perfect for her!

As you can see, Laura was a trooper and retrieved a worm out of the box. With a smile on her face and me laughing in the background she then proceeded to twist it into a smaller piece and thread it on the hook all by herself. That girly-girl definitely has a tough side. I asked if she could take the fish off the hook once she caught it and she said she’s still working on that. I instantly remembered fishing with my Uncle and how he told us we weren’t really fishing if we couldn’t put the worm on the hook and then take the fish off by ourselves. He had these plastic fish grippers he always let me use. I think I’ll have to get a pair for one of Laura’s upcoming wedding showers!

I really enjoyed hearing how often these two go fishing together. Laura said Dan has been teaching her how to cast and that he’s very patient with her. You can see how much they enjoy being with each other.

One last photo before we headed back to our cars. Laura and Dan, thanks for having me along on your evening fishing date. It was a good time getting to know you both more and learning about worms, lines and lures.

I love that you have this tradition that you share and it’s already set in place before you’re married. When life gets crazy I know you’ll just grab your fishing poles and head to the lake to remember what’s most important in life . . . each other. You are two amazing people whose lives have intersected perfectly and you’re planning to spend the rest of it, side by side with a box of worms between you. I’m honored to be part of your day this coming October and I’m happy to call you friends.

I’m always delighted to have couples open up and share their ideas for shoots. This helps me tailor the shoot to their unique relationship and that is always my #1 goal. I was thrilled when Lauren told me one of their ideas. Here’s a quick snippet from Lauren’s email response when I asked about their engagement shoot location.

“We’d like to take the photos downtown. It seems to be the place with the most meaning. The first summer I met Todd we were downtown with friends all the time. We mostly just walked around. One of the spontaneous random things we would do is play in the fountains in front of First National.

So before we finished our session we jumped in the car together and drove towards the fountains. Armed with Todd’s ninja like parking skills and our excitement for the location, we hopped out and started shooting.

We of course saved the fountains for last since they were completely drenched at the end. When Todd and Lauren dropped me back at my car a passerby saw Lauren get out and asked, “What happened to her? How’d she get soaked?”

So here are some images that were taken in much drier conditions.

Many thanks for such an adventurous evening! I really enjoyed getting to know you two better and documenting a small piece of your history together. You will have to share the fountain images with your kids and grandkids someday. Those images are definitely unique and they’ll enjoy hearing the story that goes with them.

Looking forward to spending the day with you at your wedding towards the end of this month. It’ll be here before we know it!

While at WPPI I took a class by Amber Holritz that really opened my eyes to the way I photograph families. I always strive to capture real life while it occurs showcasing the bond between parents and children but I want to take it a step further. I want to spend even more time with the families I photograph getting to know how they spend their time together. I want to document how they *love* each other. My goal in this is what Amber explained to us. She said the portraits she had of herself growing up told her what she “looked like”. Instead, she wanted to see what her “life looked like” and “how she was loved”. I instantly related to her thoughts thinking of how I don’t have many images of my mom and I together since most often she was the one taking the photograph.

I photographed baby R’s newborn images and then I hung around to showcase the new dynamic this family has having added one more child to love.

These images are my favorite. Everyone in Mom and Dad’s room getting “cozy” as big sister K would call it. She’s dressed in her PJ’s with accompanying ballerina skirt and accessorizing the third child with a feather boa. This is *their* family. This is how they spend their Saturday afternoon together. It isn’t scripted . . . it’s real and I hope these pictures will stir up memories for these kids someday when they’re grown. I hope they can feel the laughter and love and silliness going on here. I hope they see the looks on Mom and Dads faces and know how much they’re cherished.

Thank you for inviting me in to document and be a part of it.

Sure hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day yesterday. I received a phone call from a very excited friend last night sharing the news that she was engaged. Such an exciting time for them! I told her to be and sure to savor each moment for the rest of the evening and to of course take some photos!

I imagine she isn’t the only newly engaged girl out there and that’s the reason for this post. I wanted to be sure and share some great resources for wedding planning and also extend a special Valentine special.

First up, let me share some wonderful sources of wedding day inspiration. These are the sites that I wish were around when I was planning my wedding 6 years ago. They make me want to get married all over again with all their unique ideas.

There are so many ways to truly make your wedding day a true representation of you and your fiance. These sites showcase many ideas that help you accomplish that goal.

• The Wedding Chicks – “Real Weddings”, beautiful photography, and my favorite, the DIY  section. You can get lost on this site.
• 100 Layer Cake – More unique wedding ideas and you have scroll down and check out their logo. Very fun!
• Style Me Pretty - If their title “The Ultimate Wedding Blog” doesn’t grab you and make you want to visit, I don’t know what will.

And one last thing before I end this post . . . cb Yates Photography is running a Valentine special for all recently engaged couples planning their wedding in 2010. It’s definitely a “sweet” deal so don’t miss out! Click on the “email me” link above and let’s get in touch before this offer is no more on February 27, 2010.

Offer applies to new clients only please.

I’d like to share this past week’s assignment with you. Holly asked us to create an inspiration board that best defines our style and what we personally love. I quickly set out to take inspiring pieces from around my home that enliven me daily. I have these images, artifacts, colors, and textures in my studio and living space as they are things that make me happy and therefore inspire me creatively.

I love how it all looks together but I realize there’s a lot going on here. Let me focus on a few details:

• The image on the top left was pulled from a KC Weddings magazine. Photography credit goes to Lemon Lime Photography. I instantly fell in love with the way these images are displayed at the wedding. I want to incorporate this into my own family photos somehow. Lemon Lime did an amazing job capturing this distinctive detail of the day.

• The top right image incorporates a couple things. The vintage wooden type stamps showcase my love of design. And the small scrapbook off to the side is something I put together using images from my brother’s wedding. I purchased the kit from Karen Russel and unfortunately I don’t think she is selling them anymore. Please visit her blog though! I am floored by her amazing, intimate family photos. She allows the viewer a pass into her everyday life through her images and writings.  A blogger that writes from the heart. She makes me excited to become a mama myself someday. I’m left with ideas of how I want to photograph my own kids everyday lives and leave them a beautiful day to day “yearbook” of their childhood.

• Like that vintage camera in the middle row? My good friend Jamie recently took out some of the “guts” to it and converted it into a pencil holder for my desk. Brilliant! I often glance at it and wonder how it would be to use a camera like that instead of my digital one. How far photography has come is amazing to me. It’s something I definitely want to try this summer. What do you think Jamie? Are you game? Guess we’ll have to go antiquing again, darn.

• I bought that film proofer a year ago while antiquing with another friend of mine, Amanda. I’m going to use it to frame a favorite image in the new studio. I always enjoy finding new ways to display photos.

• Another image from the same wedding that Lemon Lime Photography captured. I love everything about it, the lighting, the wording, and most definitely the mood. Makes me want to plan my own wedding all over again to incorporate this unique and heartfelt touch. To all my 2010 brides, who wants to try something like this using wording that is different and unique to you?

• My favorite Beth Quinn necklace that my mother-in-law gave me as a Christmas gift. The saying is a mantra for me. At times when life gets hectic it’s also one I forget but the minute I put on this necklace I am reminded. It’s also the reason I do what I do. Photography allows you the one opportunity to go back and visit those “moments”.

• Some favorite images of my best friend and I together. These were taken in a photo booth at a wedding I was photographing and she was helping at. Ironically we have photo booth images from middle school too. This is us being us. It inspires me to capture that same unabashed silliness in my clients. No need for fancy, stiff, posed portraits. You want to remember the authentic smiles that graced your face everyday of your life. I feel it’s not only my job to capture them but to remind you that those are the images you’ll love most many years down the road. You being you . . .

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing what inspires and brings me to life. Maybe you gained a better understanding of who I am? I sure hope so.

Now I’d like to know . . . what inspires you?

]]> http://www.cbyatesphotography.com/blog/2010/02/08/a-little-inspiration/feed/ 15 http://www.cbyatesphotography.com/blog/2010/01/22/2009-fall-wedding-faves/ http://www.cbyatesphotography.com/blog/2010/01/22/2009-fall-wedding-faves/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:08:22 +0000 Cara Bresette-Yates http://www.cbyatesphotography.com/blog/?p=836 The latter part of 2009 was quite a busy one for cb Yates Photography. So busy in fact that I didn’t get to post images of the beautiful autumn weddings I attended. It just wouldn’t feel right not displaying these images and giving the couples their time in the limelight that they so rightly deserve. Don’t you agree? Each of these husband and wife relationships is gorgeous and as always I feel blessed to be part of their life-changing day. I went through and pulled my favorite newlywed images from each day. They aren’t posed, they aren’t even looking directly at my camera, they’re just being themselves *together* and those are always my favorite images of the day.

As I chose my fall faves for this post I couldn’t help but feel excited as I look ahead to 2010. I am working with some incredible couples that are planning detailed, beautiful events for this year. How do I get so lucky to work with these people? I don’t know but I’m already looking forward to sharing images from their days with you.

And one last note, BIG thanks to the photographers that graciously allow me to second-shoot with them this year. Some of the weddings are pictured above. As you all know I love what I do, but when I get to do it alongside another photographer it’s even more delightful. How fun to share the excitement when walking in and seeing the bride dressed in an amazing gown with an even more amazing smile on her face to match. Or overcoming an obstacle such as pouring rain during outdoor photos and walking away with images that we’re very proud of! And my favorite, sitting down together at the end of the night and celebrating the closing of one wedding season with a big slice of decadent wedding cake.

Here’s to an exciting 2010!

Alright, enough with the typing, you came to see some images! This first one was from the “first glance” series. I love the look on both of their faces despite the cold weather. Such great smiles!

Becky and I met for lunch earlier in the week and scouted out some great locations. I love that we share this passion for unique photo spots. We hit the jackpot. And I love that Beth and Jared were game for getting in the car and going with us. Thank you!

One of the hard parts about blogging this one was choosing which photos to share. There are just too many. I created a couple smaller collage photos to condense more photos together so this didn’t turn into the world’s longest blog post.

Here are some of the *many* beautiful details that were a part of this unique wedding day.

Beth and Jared had the great DJ ever, TeeRoy from Unique Pros. I’m lucky enough to have worked with TeeRoy twice this wedding season and I’m always happy to see him when I show up at the reception. Love this photo of Beth’s entrance into the reception! The music was rockin’!

I just had to share this next picture on the blog. Whenever the guests started clinking their drink glasses indicating a kiss from the couple Jared would choose a couple from the crowd. He would then ask them to demonstrate a kiss and he and Beth would kiss each other exactly the same way. What a perfect expression on their faces while watching Beth’s parents smooch!

Again, here’s a second collage of shots taken throughout the day. Wanted to make sure and post images from the parent’s dance. I always end up crying behind my camera at that point in the evening.

I’ll have to split this blog post up into two parts because I haven’t shared any images from the photobooth yet! Stay tuned.

Below are this year’s examples:

Another way to view these is by going to the proofing section of my website. This is also where you can place your holiday card order. As soon as your session is proofed and loaded to your private gallery I’ll send you an email with the link and password. From there you can choose which card you’d like and which photos you want to include. We can also customize the greeting, family names, date, etc. Also, I know that some of the designs seem specific to the type of shoot, example: wedding or newborn photography. Please feel free to look closer and know that even though those are the images shown doesn’t mean we can’t customize that card design with images from your family  photo shoot. I wanted to show a diverse sample of the many reasons to have custom cards printed.

Most of my clients have gotten a sneak peak at the card examples but in case you didn’t here are the specifics:

• Press Printed Cards are not photographs, but are produced on state of the art digital printing presses. The printing facility uses real liquid ink, not toner like a color copier as some other printers use, to give the cards the look and feel of a very high quality printed piece.
• Cards are double sided (more room to show off your gorgeous photos!)
• Size is 5″x 7″
• Ordered in increments of 25
• Pricing includes envelopes
• There are multiple paper finishes available (matte, glossy, watercolor paper, and pearlescent)
• Custom cards are $50 per box of 25 cards.

I am always excited to place orders for the Holiday cards. I love designing/customizing the cards with images we’ve taken in the past year and waiting to see the end product. Everyone loves receiving them since they’re such a personalized item. And the other good thing about these cards is all you have to do is address the envelopes and you’re ready to mail. No need to sign the card since we’ve already customized them with you family’s name.

Holiday cards are available for all clients that have had a session or Wedding within the past year. If your session was earlier this year and you’d like to order cards please drop me an email and I’ll be happy to reinstate your gallery for you.

We started off the night at the Nebraska Wesleyan campus which is where Katie and Evan met. I enjoyed having them give me a tour of the campus while we scouted out special areas to photograph. They told me all about the business classes they took together and showed me the building their dorm rooms were in. I have great images of all these places but I didn’t want to make this blog post too long so you’ll just have to imagine! Meanwhile, I have plenty of other great shots to share.

One of the sentimental spots we visited was the campus library. I walked in and right away the smell of old books hit me. Without thinking I blurted out, “I love the smell of libraries.” I had to giggle to myself as I know that sounded tremendously dorky. Immediately Katie agreed with me by saying she loved the smell too. She told me about childhood memories of visiting her Grandma that worked in the Gretna library. I smiled because I loved that library as a child too.

So I imagined Katie and Evan studying late into the night in this library. I wanted to capture their relationship now in the area where their relationship first formed. I had no problems talking them into this shot.

After our trip through the campus at Wesleyan we made our way out of town to find a sunlit cornfield. A couple weeks prior to our session Katie called me and asked if we could get some sunset images using an old church pew. Of course I instantly said yes! It’s even cooler to know that this church pew came from the same church they’re getting married in next July.

I know I always say it, but I had the best time photographing this couple! I feel so lucky to have clients that care about creating unique, meaningful images. I was ecstatic when they hired me as their wedding photographer because I felt an instant connection to them. Katie and Evan, you made my job easy because you’re so *in love* with each other. Thanks for such a fun autumn evening. I’m looking forward to doing it again next summer at your wedding!