Rocky Mountain School of Photography Wedding Photography Career Training – and the beginning of our stylized wedding shoot

Last week I was blessed to be the instructor for the wedding career training intensive class at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography.  It went super well, and on Tuesday I took a few photos.  These were all from Council Groves, where I was demonstrating to the 16 students some of our interaction and ice-breaker techniques with couples.  The goal for this shoot was to learn how to make our couple feel as comfortable as possible in front of the camera.  As a photographer, capturing the real, genuine emotion and depth of a relationship is important.  This was the only day I did any significant shooting myself, and I wanted to share the images because I really like how they turned out.  We were able to work with our new friends, Ashley and Andy (as models), and they were fantastic.

And Nelli made the wedding dress!  The flowers were designed by Earth Within Floral.

This was big week for me personally.  Any of you who read this blog regularly or have known me personally, know that photographing couples has been my livelihood for over a decade.  I still really enjoy it, but when we moved to Montana I knew I wanted to transition some of my effort toward teaching.  Working with other photographers and helping them build their careers is probably the most fulfilling endeavor for me these days.  I’m really grateful for this group I was able to work with.

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missoula wedding photography missoula wedding photography u94a5554 missoula wedding photography thanksFrom this outdoor shoot, we went to the Ranch Club for an amazing stylized setting put together by a team of the most talented vendors in Missoula.  I’ll blog that in the next few days 🙂

Jesse

P.S. If you are interested in mastering your DSLR camera check out our Free Email Crash Course : 5 Tips for Taking Better Photos

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Jeff & Abby | Married in Cleveland

Jeff and Abby were married at the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum. There were so many spectacularly unique things about the wedding you are about to see. In ten years of photography, I had yet to photograph a reception that included a carousel and a tater tot bar – both of which I approve of without hesitation.  Did I mention the polaroid signing book? Or the reception was surrounded by the coolest of classic cars and planes?

There were so many things right with this wedding.  It really is what I love best about Cleveland.  It’s what I love best about weddings and live music.  Abby and Jeff were amazing.  To share the day with these two is an honor. We all witnessed a start-to-finish day of laughter and suprises (like the song written by Jeff’s dad played by The Vallures). All of that aling with two of the most joyful, loving people we know makes for quite a wedding day celebration. Here’s what it looked like from our perspective.

Jon & Heather | Rancho Palos Verdes Wedding

Heather and Jon were married in sunny southern California on a gorgeous summer day last August.  This was a very special wedding to me(Nelli) because it was my younger cousins wedding!  It was a time that all my family would be coming together.  I always get a new prespective whenever I get to photograph a family wedding.  Being with family the week before, anticipating the wedding and having our children as part of the wedding is so special.  It shows me how to relate with the couples that we photograph and to value those special moments of family being together.  Our daughter Alicia was my second shooter, which made it super fun:) It was also a special day because my parents were there, and it was their 40th wedding anniversary!!

Heather and Jon are both very talented musicians and actually met from being cast in the same musical production! The wedding was a very special day for both of them to bring together their families. They knew they wanted a beach themed wedding, so they chose the location, Point Vincente Interpretive Center in Palos Verdes that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.  The day couldn’t have been more beautiful with all the handmade decorations, perfect weather, awesome music and loving family.  Heather and Jon put together a band of very talented musicians and even surprised everyone with a guest appearance of both of them singing to wrap up the night!  Everyone who attended was totally blown away by their musical talents and also the love they share.

Congrats Heather and Jon!

Please click on any individual photo to see a full size gallery slideshow.  Also be sure to check out Jon and Heathers full photo gallery here:  Jon & Heather

Keith + Denise | Married!

Keith + Denise | Married!

Keith + Denise | Married! at the beautiful Mooreland mansion amidst their family and closest friends. It was a beautiful sunny day for their outdoor ceremony in the Rose Garden. We appreciated how the reception was decorated with memories from their journey together. These two were a delight to photograph. You could tell how much they were enjoying their time together. Being able to capture their natural joyful reactions in such a beautiful space was great. I started off the day by hanging out with the guys who are all big Cleveland sports fans. Here are a few of our favorite images…

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Keith + Denise | Married! Congrats Keith and Denise!  We had a great time with you and are excited to show you the rest of the images.