It had been a while since our company was hired by another photographer couple to shoot their wedding, but for obvious reasons, we certainly love working with other creative types! Usually they are up for anything and everything and are super appreciative of what goes into the final product.

Rachel and Eric were no exception, being photographers, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for them to let go of control and just let Sean and I do our thing, but they did a fantastic job and were fun and easy to work with. They found a couple of quirky locations for us to take the "grunge" type engagement pictures they were envisioning, and we ended at a sort of off-the-map spot with a spectacular view of the Denver Skyline.

Our first location was a seemingly abandoned warehouse...

Next we headed over to an old schoolhouse nestled quaintly in the heart of a nearby ghetto.

Last stop - the skyline! Only problem was we had to stand around and wait for dark to get the night shot we were envisioning. When all was said and done, I thought the daytime version came out pretty nice as well - and maybe a better fit for the rest of the "grunge" set, but the night one was DEFINITELY worth the wait!

We are looking forward to Rachel and Eric's wedding at Mount Princeton Hot Springs in September!

From the moment I discovered Jenna's nickname for her fiance, Jason, was "Fox" (which also happens to be his real last name), I knew we were going to have a ton of fun working with this young, beautiful, and easygoing couple. After all, we already had one major thing in common; Sean, aka "Panda" also shares a nickname with a cute, cuddly-looking-yet-ferocious-wild-animal.

Speaking of animals, the couple also has an ADORABLE pup named "Beau" whom they wanted to include in the shoot, so this past Saturday, Sean and I had an amazing time hanging out with Jenna, the Fox and their loveable hound.

We started the shoot at City Park, a popular location with some nice views.

As it turns out, Jenna and Jason are true sentimentals, and they had decided they wanted photos in front of the Cheesecake Factory and the surrounding areas because that is where they got engaged. I just love when couple choose locations with significance to them.

 

With a big fat check box next to those shots on the list, we did our typical thing and wandered the streets aimlessly looking for the perfect "grunge" urban locations to use. We saw the graffiti word "Fox" on a dumpster down this one alley and it was totally meant to be!

We had another location in mind, which unfortunately involved waiting for after sunset. We killed time at this next downtown location until we could get the shot we were envisioning!

Jenna and Jason: It was just wonderful working with you both! Thank you for your patience as we mosey-d our way around Denver looking for cute/original "urban" locations! I can't believe how close your wedding is, and can't wait to shoot some gorgeous mountain-backdrop photos next month to complement these city e-pics!

The world has ended, leaving only Evie and Caleb (Lindsay and Scott) as the last two people on Earth. Naturally, having no other options, these two both-just-so-happen-to-be-extraordinarily-attractive people, decide to get hitched. This Post-Apocalyptic Styled wedding shoot was conceived and created by the extremely talented editor of A Colorado Courtship wedding blog, and we were super excited to be asked to illustrate her unique wedding concept with our photography this past weekend!

The ceremony was unlike anything I've ever encountered in my many years of shooting weddings. Free-standing walls with stained glass cut outs served as what (in concept) was left of a once beautiful small-town chapel. With no other available living humans to witness as wedding guests or attendants, the couple dressed up mannequins to fill the mismatched vintage-chair-pews generously provided by Chairs with Character owner Nancy Olewnik.

The bride's look was a collaboration of several different vendors, including, Maggie Evans Designs, wedding gown; and Nicole Ramirez, custom hairpiece.

Lili Black of Bella Calla did an amazing job, not only creating the bride's bouquet and groom's boutonniere, but transforming a small clearing in the woods into a reception area that would have blown the minds of any would-be guests who didn't have plastic for brains.

Evie had a blonde moment when she attempted to hitch a ride to the couple's honeymoon accommodations for the night. Luckily, Caleb had the sense to make use of an abandoned truck instead.

The couple finally reached their five-star Motel fully intending to start in on the hard work of re-populating the planet. Unfortunately, by that time Evie wasn't looking so good.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the shoot! We had some seriously stellar vendors on this one!

Just when you thought we had let WTW die off completely, here is a new one for you! From the Wedding Tip Series, providing a new piece of advice every Wednesday to help brides get the most out of their wedding photography. This Wednesday we are proud to unveil Tip Seventeen: Whenever possible, do your engagement session with your actual wedding photographer.

It goes without saying that the wedding photography industry is extremely saturated with newbie momtographers and uncle bobs looking for wedding-related experience and an "IN" to the market. Just about everyone has either a co-worker, friend, friend-of-a-friend or relative with an SLR willing to shoot their engagement, and probably their wedding, too, for little to nothing. And if they're starting with engagements to get the necessary practice and experience to eventually make the transition into weddings, I don't have anything against that... if you give one of these people a chance you might even come away with a couple of photos you really like. We get it everyone has to start somewhere. :) However, this type of session is no substitute for an engagement session with the established professional you chose to shoot your actual wedding.

Here are some of the main reasons why you might want to keep that pro engagement session in your wedding package, even if you've already had a non-pro session with one of your friends starting out:

1.) Engagements are not JUST about having one or two decent casual photos of the two of you for a save-the-date, they are about getting to know your wedding photographer and vice versa. It can take a little while to feel each other out and in the photographer's case, develop an understanding of the couple's sense of humor as well what direction results in what types of expressions for that particular couple. This is one reason that in many cases some of the best photos from any shoot will come from the second half, when both parties are feeling really comfortable with one another.

2.) Professional engagements can be a part of the overall wedding experience. When you shoot with a friend or co-worker with not a lot of experience, engagements can be stressful. You don't know what to wear, where to go or how to pose yourself. An engagement with a real professional should be fun, laid back and you should have nothing to worry about except being yourselves and enjoying a romantic and unique experience together.

3.) Having an engagement session gives you a preview of how your photographer works in terms of blogging, customer service and delivery time. If your photographer ends up taking 6 months to deliver photos from the engagement session, doesn't answer emails inquiring about the status of your photos, etc., you know you have a problem. In very rare instances you may want to cut your losses and find someone else. Engagements take less time to edit than weddings, so having your e-pics delivered on time is insurance against possibly having to wait years for your wedding photos, or in rare cases, never receiving them at all. Do, however, respect the timeframe the photographer initially gives you for delivery during your booking process. Average turnaround time for professional images is 4-10 weeks, but if your photographer told you four months before you booked, you will have to wait until that timeframe has expired to start getting upset.

4.) Pro quality photos! Don't underestimate how amazing engagement pictures can truly be when taken by the right professional. Sean and I went back and did pro engagement photos with our wedding photographer AFTER the wedding, because in the end, we felt like we missed out by originally not doing them. Again, if you love your pro-epics, that's just extra insurance you'll definitely be happy with your wedding images. Neither your photographer or you want to be locked into a working relationship where you're not happy and he/she is unable to make you happy. Engagement photos are re-doable, most wedding images are not.

We do realize an engagement session with your actual photographer is not ALWAYS going to be a possibility due to planning out of state, extreme budget constraints etc., and that's totally okay. Some people you will just click with from the get-go and not having a session with them doesn't mean you should be paranoid. This post is really just about taking a moment to go over some of the potential benefits of having one with the person who will be shooting your wedding if you can :)

Please check out more of our wedding tips by going to the menu at the top of the page, clicking "Categories" -> "Wedding Tip Wednesday!"

Just a quick photo of baby Brimhall to brighten everyone's day!