Come On In and Stay A While

Welcome to the blog of Staja Studios. We are STAcey and JAson Thon, the dynamic duo (self proclaimed) behind Staja Studios! This blog serves as our way to keep in touch with everyone we know, like, and love. We thought it would be a fun way for people who know us to keep up with what is going on in our lives and studio, and a wonderful way for those of you who may have just met us to learn more about who we are.
We would like to bring together our professional and personal lives. You can expect to see pictures from our latest weddings, engagement shoots, portraits, etc. As well as some personal, fine art, family pics, and other projects. In addition, we will be sharing our "Cheers and Jeers", and other random ramblings about whatever strikes our fancy. In the future we are also looking for ways to make things more interactive, if you will. This may include voting for a particular marketing piece, contests, and various other activities.
Thank you all for stopping by, and don't forget to - Get Captured!
- Jason & Stacey Thon

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Loooong overdue!

I have been so neglectful of this blog. I have tons of great things that need to be blogged about so I'm just going to start at the beginning and hopefully by the end of next week, I'll be all caught up. Ambitious and doubtful? Yes...considering my new fascination with Facebook and Twitter. My super cool friend, Jenn, got me all signed up one night at like midnight and ever since I've been on a never-ending quest for facebook friends! Plus, as a bonus, I can waste more time by playing pointless games against my "friends". Jason finally broke down and registered himself tonight as well. (He's an even bigger loser than I am. (He's only got TWO friends and I am one of them!) So, if you're on Facebook, please make ME a friend cuz the race is on!!

I know this is totally old news to most. I've been somewhat resistant to changing technology since texting became popular. Just fell behind I guess, but I'm back now and can't wait to see if the new I phones and service are better than the crappy ones that are out now. Pretty much everyone I know with an I phone curses it's name on a daily basis. That's a whole other post though, so let me get back on track.

Okay, back in May I took a two day workshop with a fantastic wedding photographer from Washington state named, David Beckstead. He's well renowned in the wedding photography world and considered one of the very best. His workshop is called "Shoot With Beckstead" and that is exactly what we did. Day one was spent shooting two different models around Minneapolis. We hit the Gutherie, Mill City and the Sculpture Gardens. All three places are typical spots for shooters from the cities to take their clients. At first I was kind of bummed that we would be going to the same old spots, but as the day unfolded I realized that I was seeing it through someone elses eyes; someone that had never been there before. I am really in love with many of the images I got and pleasantly surprised that they are NOTHING like what I would typically get at those locations. We shot for like 10 hours, drove back to our meeting place and edited down to our 30 favs. Day two was all critique and discussion. I learned a lot from day two and was wishing that there were a day three to go back out and use what we learned from the critique. It was only a two day workshop though, so that was not to be. David is all about light and lines and using them to create imagery. Here are just a few from the day. Let me know what you think!

Stacey:)












Friday, June 06, 2008

A Walk In The Park

Katie and Steven are such a fun couple. We got referred to them by one of our past brides and her family (Thanks Lauren and Lynn). We met them this past Sunday at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina. They are about the cutest couple you could find. Steven seemed to think this whole picture thing was pretty cool, as it was just another excuse to kiss his bride to be! We just loved how relaxed and into everything they were. It really makes the engagement session so much fun.

A lot of people ask why we get so excited about engagement sessions. All of our collections include one because by the end of the day, we leave really getting to know one another. Besides getting great images, our number one goal is that by the time the wedding rolls around, we are looked at more like guests than photographers. It is truly amazing what you can capture when people trust you and let you get a real glimpse of who they are. With that said, here are some of the images from the park.












After the park, we cruised over to Lake Nokomis and took a few shots on the beach. The light was absolutely gorgeous by this time of the day.



I love this picture that Stacey got of me showing them an image. The beauty of digital - instant gratification.


After the session, we went over to Fat Lorenzos for pizza (awesome pizza) and a beer. We really couldn't have asked for a better day. We are really looking forward to your wedding you guys! It is going to be a blast.

- Jason & Stacey

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Staja Studios Featured on Pictage

Stacey and I are happy to say that we were asked to be featured on Pictage's "Inside the Image" section for their blog. The image is from Woodie and Nicole's wonderful wedding at 317 on Rice which was also featured in the Mpls St. Paul Wedding Guide. This was a really fun wedding and we are honored that the images have been so well received. For all the details behind this image, be sure to check out Pictage's Blog.



Have a great day!

- Jason and Stacey