Viewing entries tagged
on_location

Milestone Photography Session

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Milestone Photography Session

This outdoor photography session, appropriately on-location at Oklahoma City’s Myriad Gardens,  celebrated a myriad of milestones for returning clients  Lane and Kearsten Westmoreland.


These outgoing jokesters and dog lovers used this milestone photography session as a vehicle to celebrate the big 3-OH for both of them, and though Sadie, Tobey, and Duke are clearly their furever furbabies, the real puppy love was obviously between Lane and Kearsten, still laughing, joking, smiling, and in love on their tenth wedding anniversary.   


Outdoor photography venues are a popular request in Oklahoma, and amid milder fall weather, Oklahoma City’s Myriad Gardens never fails as an awesome  outdoor on-location shoot. It says, “fun;” it says, “home;” it says, “outdoors in Oklahoma.”  


A photograph is snapshot in time, but it tells a story much deeper.  This milestone session captures turning thirty and marks ten years of marriage; it also a brief shot of  ceremonial grandeur for  Kearsten,  who just received a PhD in pharmacology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. 


The ten year journey of marriage, tireless work, studying, goal setting, mind changing, growing up together---the photograph is so much deeper than the paper on which it is printed.  


Congratulations Lane and Kearsten (and to Sadie, Tobey, and Duke--my how you’ve grown!) on a life well done, on a journey peppered with milestones yet a journey just begun.  I hope you enjoyed your outdoor session at Oklahoma City’s Myriad Gardens, and I hope you look at your photographs for years to come and remember the journey behind moment in time. 

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The Benefits of Second Shooting a Wedding

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The Benefits of Second Shooting a Wedding

I often second shoot for other photographers through out the year. There are many benefits to this for the primary photograph as well as for the second shooter. Assisting my colleagues so they can capture all the important memories, emotions and details for their client is the primary goal, this allows them to have a well rounded album. Second shooters can capture different perspectives of the day, such as emotions, reactions and actions which will add nicely to their day. It's always good to have a second set of eyes to catch little things that can go unnoticed, for example, phones in pockets, twisted hems, even hair that is entwined in an earring. It also allows for more coverage, both photographers can be in different locations at the same time. For example the primary photographer can be photographing the bride getting ready while the second shooter is documenting the groom getting ready. Having a second photographer can also serve as a backup in the event gear fails, the second can fill in for the primary while changing out gear should theirs fail, let's hope this never happens, but we all know Murphy's law, if it can happen it will.  You never know when a "moment" will happen and you want to be sure to capture it.

Just a thought as I prepare to second shoot this next weekend. Here are a few images of me second shooting. Enjoy.

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How do you show your family portraits?

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How do you show your family portraits?

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Why I choose to print.

Vanessa Sr Pic
Vanessa Sr Pic

WHY I CHOOSE TO PRINT

When I was a senior in high school I didn’t get senior pictures. Actually I did, but since I was paying for this myself, I couldn’t afford much.  I had them taken as required by the school/studio.  A few poses were chosen and purchased in the 4x6 size.   I made copies of the 4x6 prints, which resulted in very dark and over saturated pictures. Oh my… how wrong was I back then.

When Danielle, my eldest became a senior I knew she was going to have the senior pictures I never had. You know what I’m talking about. We all want our kids to have what we didn’t. The session was set up and we carefully picked the outfits that would represent who she was.  A few weeks later and several hundred dollars and I have a beautiful senior portrait on my wall.

When it came time for Kiley, my youngest to have her senior pictures taken we did the studio session for yearbook purposes. But we also wanted something different. Not your typical studio look and feel. We wanted the on location look and feel.  She was a soccer player and we wanted to incorporate that into her pictures.  We hired a photographer, had the session and a couple weeks later we had the CD in hand with her senior pictures.  We were so excited to finally have her senior pictures and get them hung on the wall next to her sister’s portrait. At the time, I thought this was the easiest and cheapest way to go. Easiest because I would not have to sit down with someone to pick and choose.  I could do that from the comfort of my own home on my own time. I wasn’t accountable to anyone.

Many of you know what it’s like when you have a senior in the house. There are so many activities and functions and things on the calendar, this in addition to everyday life. You get busy and don’t have time for anything else..much less decide which picture you like the best and what size and who gets what and where to print. Graduation came and went as did summer then college. Needless to say, I didn’t print any of her senior pictures. To this day I still do not have any of her pictures on the wall. Sad but very true. It’s not because I didn’t like them. Time just got away from me. I wasn’t held accountable.  You know what they say out of sight out of mind.  The CD was put away and I forgot about it.  Uber fail on my part. In fact I went and searched out the CD for this blog and I’ll be printing some out.  Soon I’ll have both sisters’ senior portraits on my wall.

When I opened my business I knew immediately what I wanted my business model to be. I wanted to be a full service photographer for my clients. I want to ease the stress and for them to have a great experience from beginning to end.  I mean really…who needs or wants more stress in their life.  I want to help them pick their favorites images and sizes and know when they return from the lab the color is the same color as the pictures in their gallery. Not the dark or overly saturated ugliness.  All my clients have to do is hang the pictures in their home. Easy peasy no stress, just pure excitement, joy and happiness. Your memories deserve prints.

If you would like a stress free fun session contact me at www.vanessawellsimages.com and we’ll get you on the books.

Photo credit would go to the studio, but I don't remember who the studio was or if they are still in business.

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