A few hours with Maja and Mike

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of shooting with Mike and Maja at several locations. I knew Maja from high school, and although I had never met Mike, the engagement session ended up being filled with lots of giggling.

Our original shooting location, a swamp where Mike hunts, was flooded so we headed out to Princeton instead. After realizing the pier we wanted was completely inaccessible (and I lost my shoe, temporarily, to mud) we shot along the river and then moved to a friend's farm (where I was nearly attacked by a horse. Maja and Mike tell a different story, don't listen to them).

After the farm, we moved to LeClaire where we finished up the rest of the engagement session.

Overall, things went wonderfully. Maja and Mike were a ton of fun, and even though I had a virtual show down with a horse, things went smoothly.

Did you know I have a website?

I do!

www.studiolauraann.com

Bridal Session with Rachel Jay

For those of you active on the Model Mayhem forums, you're probably familiar with Rachel Jay who got married June of this year.

This August, I was lucky enough to shoot a bridal session with her. We found an awesome Makeup Artist, Christin Connell, who brought together our ideas and recommended the faux hawk that Rachel is rocking. Not to mention, she fit in perfect with Rachel and I...and we are admittedly total goofs when we shoot with each other.

We decided to take the shoot a fashion route, using natural light, and things came together well.

For those brides reading this, who are looking to book a similar session, my gold wedding package includes an additional bridal session like the one posted above. If you're already married, or looking at a bridal session as an add on to another package, send me a message at lauraannphotography@gmail.com for a quote.

Have you checked out The Knot?

'Cause you probably should.

But for those of you who are Facebook fanatics, and like to keep track of people that way, The Knot has a fan page.

They post pretty regularly, but not so much that your whole news feed will be filled with The Knot. They post unique ideas, show off some weddings, and introduce you to couples and tell you about their stories. It's a pretty nifty way to stay on top of ideas, so if you're looking to keep some tabs on bridal information, I highly recommend fan'ing them.

Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/theknot?ref=nf

-Laura Ann

More pictures from the Galletti wedding

Blogspot and I were having a little tiff last night about picture uploading, so I'm going to go ahead and put up some pictures from the Galletti wedding now rather than try and edit yesterdays blog.

Enjoy!

A Day with the Gallettis

Dan Galletti actually found me off of Craigslist, which is a site that I occasionally use to put my name out there, but not one that is usually very productive for me. I lucked out with the Galletti wedding. Not only was it one of the few weddings I've booked through CL, it was also one of the more fun weddings I've had the privilege of shooting.

Everyone was a bit hesitant as we arrived to the site in Eureka, IL. The location was beautiful, but mother nature was not on our side, and it was pouring buckets of rain when I arrived. But Dan kept a smile on his face, and we all waited, hoping the rain would stop and that the ceremony could go on as planned.

Luckily, about ten minutes before the ceremony, the rain stopped and everyone pitched in to clear up the area...brushing away the rain from the stage, moving all of the ceremony materials to their spots, and wiping off the seats for guests.

And might I say, everything turned out beautiful. Dan and Heather were a pleasure to photograph, the ring bearer and the two flower girls were precious, and the bridal party was willing to play with ideas and make the shots memorable.

So thank you Dan and Heather Galletti for letting me be a part of your day. I hope life treats you well, and congratulations on your marriage!

Where does one begin with a new blog?

I suppose at the beginning, wherever that may be.

First things first, a little about myself. My name is Laura, but I mainly go by Laura Ann when I'm working. I've been shooting for about 3 years now, but don't let that fool you. I've been working hard for these past 3 years, learning everything I can about photography, and working with clients to create images that fit their vision.

I've been shooting weddings for just over 2 years, and that's where this blog comes into play. It's about time to show off some of the work that I've done, and I'd like to keep all of you up to date with what I'm doing and what I'm hoping to do.

Now I must be honest, this won't all be wedding work, I'll throw in some portraits too, but the primary focus will be weddings.

Watch for some blogs in the near future. I'll be updating pretty soon here with some recaps of some recent shoots and weddings.

-Laura Ann