but wedding photographers are so expensive.

I have been thinking about  wedding photography prices since I heard in my Documentary class that Wedding photographers are the most overpaid photographers in the buisness and I would like to disagree for these reasons.

If you are a good wedding photographer you not only make images that will hold memories of these monumental moments years and years later (Our images will literally become a family heirlooms)

but we are an art director, choosing the look and feel of your images so that it will best tell the story of your day and convey the personality of the Bride and Groom.

we  are an event planner, making sure there is enough time allotted  for all of the images AND enjoying the day.

we are a director telling your guests where to stand and when not to shoot their own images because their flash will interfere, and also telling your wedding party where to stand and making large groups look happy and natural.

we are professional people watchers, watching all that happens in the day and trying to record it so that you not only get great posed images, but we don't miss the moments that come naturally and freely.

We are graphic designers making your wedding album fit the original idea of the art direction and able to last for  years of being pulled out from a closet and lovingly looked at.

We are Editors, going through the thousands of images from your day and narrowing them down to the ones that tell your story most effectively 

 We are artists using post-process editing to enhance your images natural beauty and go from a great image to a great photograph. 

We are receptionist answering and taking your calls and emails about the big day

and we will basically take on the roll of personal assistant making sure the day runs smoothly and everything gets done.

we will meet all of your family, we will be there in every moment, and we are the only vendor you will see after the actual day is over with, 

so take all of these into account when you hire a wedding photographer and hire a good wedding photographer.

And trust us, Erin and I would shoot every wedding for free if we could, having to worry about money is our least favorite part about doing this because at the end of the day when we pack up our gear and leave, it feels like the last day of camp when you have to leave all your new friends that you shared this unique experience with. The last thing we want to do is charge you. But alas, Erin and I like to eat, and be able to make little dents on our indentured servitude to Columbia College.  so we have to charge you, but our hope is that years later when you are showing your kids our photos in the Album we designed for you, you will think... "this was more than worth it."

why F/stop Poetry?

So Erin and I have been getting a lot of questions about the meaning of our name, and I could go all “speech class” on you guys and give you the dictionary definition of both words but I will just tell you what they mean to us.

 Fstop is the measurement of light able to pass through the photographic lens. In photography it’s a huge part of how your image looks. If you have ever seen an image where the background is completely out of focus it is the F/stop that is able to control that look. We chose F/stop to remind us to have tunnel vision with our goals, to let all that’s going on in the background blur and stay focused on what’s really important to us.

 We chose to go with poetry instead of photography because we feel it is closer to what we do as artists. In today’s digital world any one can create a photograph, but an artist can make poetry out of the world that she sees. Also we feel that your wedding day isn’t the whole story, its an introduction, a poem in the beginning of the book you are beginning together as a couple. And that is the moment we get to share with you.

We both chose not to take ourselves too seriously when we began photographing weddings, its easy to get caught up in the business aspect of any career, neither of us are interested in being “business owners” our heart and passion lies and making images and connecting with people who inspire us. Each Couple we have photographed has tought us something unique about love, relationships, life and beauty. This is the reason we make images. If any of you know Erin and I on personal levels you know we are fun, and outspoken people, it feels strange to have to portray ourselves as Corporate business women when we want to wear tutu’s and listen to Hanson, so we chose to just be ourselves and we hope that you find us likable still. Because in the end it could be almost 2 years of your life you share with us from booking us, until getting your album. No one wants to fake a corporate attitude for that long.  We want our clients to be as fun as we are, we want to grab wings at hooters after a shoot with our clients (which we have before) mostly we want to get to know you because ultimately we want to feel like we are doing a good job not just for a client but for a friend.

            Chances are if you don’t like us when we rant about gazebos or share photos of our husbands dressed as fairies, you wont like us in person. And who wants to spend the most important day of your life with someone you can’t relate to? 

-Alicia 

Growing excitement.

One of the things I love about working with Erin is her seriousness and dedication to her art. When I first met her, we we're both working for another studio and I was instantly intimidated at how focused and on the ball she was while shooting. Truth be told I thought she didn't like me (I thought she was a bitch). Now it is that extreme drive of hers to get the shot no matter what it takes and her passion for her craft that I love and am inspired by when working with her.

                 

We have spent the last few nights sleeplessly and breathlessly excited about the year to come. it may sound silly but this is our dream. We had a conversation a few days ago about how much we both love doing this. We both went to Columbia College and we loved it, but we felt like outsiders for wanting to make fine art photographs for normal people and not museums.  I legitimately can't tell you how much it makes our day when we think that 50 years from now, when these couples who we have become so attached to from shooting their wedding are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, ours will be the photos they use to remember the beginning of their love and life together. That seems way more prestigious too us, than a gallery opening.

anyway here we are brainstorming, hoping and dreaming and planning. We love that we get to do this and that we get to share our photography with people and they in turn share their lives with us.  We get to plan and create and connect  in a way that feels the best fit for us.  and mostly we are just really excited about all that is to come.

-Alicia 

why we love boudoir photos

I make photographs of half naked women and It is my favorite thing in the world and I will tell you why in case you have your panties in a bunch over it.

Carrie May Weems, who is a black woman photographer working out of New York, said she had read a Zora Neal Hurston book that changed her life. she quotes something that Zora said that profoundly encouraged and inspired me.

“You have the right to the glory and the beauty of your culture.”

I love that. I love that as woman I have the right to the glory and beauty of my body, my femininity,   and my gender.
I spent the majority of my life hating the image in the mirror. I was told when I was a not more than 13 that I "shouldn't eat twinkies because they will make you fat" by a women who was an amazing friend but terribly insecure about her own body and it stuck with me. I have thrown up my dinner. I have chewed reeses peanut butter cups and then spit them out so that I could taste them but not have to eat them. I have stared at the mirror and pulled at my skin and wished that there was only half of what was there.
and I am done.
I saw through photography that the images I were using as  my fuel for an "ideal body" were fabricated. I saw through learning photography how to fabricate images in such a way. and Now I don't believe a single lie on the cover of any magazine.
it became my personal joy to be able to photograph other women in their own skin. happy with it. confident in it, and unashamed.

I love photographing pin ups because I think it is freeing for me and the women I photograph. simply that.
I have no contrived agenda other than I think it's awesome when women stop worrying about their body and start enjoying it.
I know that there will be people who disagree with that and may feel discomfort over the idea of sharing things that they think are private, and I can only say for me, I think it's awesome. and if for you it's not, feel free not to look at my photos.

I also think that women are shown in a slew of advertising that are made specifically to target men, and I like that I am a women, making art for other women and that sometimes men enjoy it. How they enjoy it I have no control over, and I am OK with that.
You may feel my photos look the same as those used to exploit women and I have no argument for that. I know when I make photographs I make them to celebrate my femininity, that for years I hated because I thought it was a disadvantage.  how my images read to you, is up to you. I have no control over that. but it won't stop me from making them, and it definitely won't stop me from celebrating it. and I am ok with that.

- Alicia 

Scott and Jillian 9-4-10

Alicia and I had such a great time shooting Scott and Jillian's wedding. It’s always nice when you cross that professional line with your clients and become friends, which is something Alicia and I do at every wedding. We enjoy having a personal and close relationship with our bride and groom. We feel very blessed that Scott and Jillian chose us to be their wedding photographers. The two of them were so nice, genuine, and so welcoming. They hired us to shoot their wedding, engagement photos, bridal shower, and rehearsal dinner. I loved doing all these events for so many reasons.
I honestly could not have asked for a better day, a better couple, or better weather. Everything really did fall perfectly in place. Speaking of perfect, take a look at these AMAZING flowers from Rosemary’s Garden.

And these incredible shoes ….

Jillian wore beautiful jewelry to match her amazing Jim Hjelm wedding gown that she bought from Kleinfleds in New York City!

LOVE this shot of the bride and flawless makeup by Jacqueline Wrzesinski with The Perfect Canvas  .

 

This is one of my favorite moments of a wedding, when the bride switches arms of the 2 most important men in a girl’s life, her husband (soon - to be) and her daddy...

 

 

I love this photo of the adorable little Miss Ellie. I have photographed Miss Ellie 3 and 9 month photos. She is such a happy, smiling, and adorable little one year old. I honestly can’t believe that she is already walking. And that dress, I mean really, can it be any cuter?

Mr. and Mrs. Love...

I know how difficult it can be to 'relax' and 'look natural' in front of two people with cameras but Scott was a real trooper. I love that moment when you find what it is exactly that you love about the couple that you are photographing, with Scott and Jillian it is that no matter how uncomfortable Scott was getting his picture taken he did it for Jillian. He did it because he loves her. And in the moments when he forgot that we were there is when they truly came alive.

Look how happy they are to finally be married....

The reception was at the beautiful Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. The grounds there are picture perfect.

 Rings....

Cheers...

The couple danced the night away with music provided by Connexions Band

Thank you for allowing us to watch your day unfold and document it through our lenses. I'm honored to have experienced such a perfect day and I wish you both only the best in your lives together. Much love and appreciation...

To see Scott and Jillian's full wedding gallery click herehere