Mike Colon Workshop

Hey Everyone,

I am checking in on my last day in sunny California, and am getting ready to hit the hay after an incredible week spent learning with Mike Colon. What an amazing time spent with some wonderful people. I will be sure to post more about it and the people I met when I get back home, but I wanted to put up a few images for you to take a look at.







To finish the week off, I ended up loosing my money in poker to the infamous [b]ecker, who is going to be playing in the WSOP in two weeks. Be sure to wish him good luck!!

P.S. Stacey and Lauren, I look forward to seeing you!!!

- Jason

Chickens in the city??

On Monday one of Lauren's teachers from her school invited our whole class over to her house to see her chickens. No no, she doesn't live on a farm or in the country, but right in the heart of Minneapolis! I still can't get over it...farm fresh eggs every morning. Very neat. The children all loved getting a close up look and even got a chance to pet and feed them. Afterward we went to a nearby park for a picnic. Our school year ended two weeks ago, so it was really nice to see everyone again. Lauren has been non-stop talking about teacher Trish's chickens and her school friends. Here are some pictures from our "Chicken Day" and there are many more on this cute little slideshow. Check it out!

Thanks so much Trish for having us! We had a blast :)

Stacey

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Our Dads both shared the same weekend for their birthdays (June 1st and the 4th). We wanted to give them both a big shout out and tell them we hope they had a great day, as we will be celebrating them a little bit late.

They both have been huge parts in our lives and we would never be where we are today without their love and support. Needless to say, for all of the chaos we have probably put you through, we want to wish you the best and love you both!

- Jason & Stacey

Laura & Dan

What a fun time we had shooting Laura and Dan's wedding. They are such a great couple who really love eachother, and come from wonderful families. Both sides were so welcoming and complementive, which makes our day that much more enjoyable.

The days festivities started off under the threat of rain at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul. However, as the day progressed, the weather became much more cooperative, and the sun began to shine through as the ceremony was about to begin (a pretty nice omen). After a beautiful ceremony, the fun continued at 317 on Rice, which always does a great job. Needless to say, the guests all seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the entire day.

Here are a few images of the couple and a slideshow of the day's hightlights!











We wish you the best, and look forward to hearing all about Jamaica!

Dawn & Tom

Dawn and Tom got married on May 12th, 2007 at Wooddale Church with the reception following at the Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka. Talk about a whirl-wind week for the couple. Tom was living in Florida and moved up here right before the wedding. That must have been some stress! The lovely couple pulled it off beautifully though.

Everyone was so friendly and great to work with. The couple, their families, wedding party, and Peggy (the wedding cordinator). Under the threat of ominous skies, the weather even cooperated. We had a great time, and want to wish the two of you the best - Congratulations.

Be sure to check out the slideshow of the day's highlights.

The Fashion Shootout's Lost Model - Robb

Hey Everyone,

At the fashion shoot that I talked about in the previous post, one of Erin's husband, Paul's, friends stopped by and made himself available for some pictures also. I took a few shots while he was there and really liked how simple yet interesting this shot was. At any rate, considering Robb has a unique look and owns a vinyl graphics company called Blown Concepts, I thought his shot needed a little edge to it.



Take care everyone.

- Jason

Fashion Shootout

Hey everyone,

A couple of weeks ago, Erin Johnson (a good photographer friend of ours), held what she called a photographer's fashion shootout. It was a handful of photographers who got together and did a fashion shoot. She had one of her past clients and friends come in as models, and they did an amazing job. It was a lot of fun doing a free flowing shoot like this with some other very talented photographers. Needless to say there were some great images taken. On that note, these are some of my favorites that I took during the day.























I would like to take a moment to thank our lovely models and Erin for hosting such a fun and inspiring event.

Later,

Jason

Laura & Dan - Engagement

What a fun time we had shooting Laura & Dan's engagement pictures. We met near St. Anthony Main in Minneapolis and walked all over. We started by walking across the river on the stone arch bridge and got some great pictures involving the skyline. Dan had mentioned how they both really like the cityscape and wanted to incorporate that into the pictures. We walked up to the Guthrie Theater and by the Mill City Museum. We loved incorporating the architecture that they provide. After that, we walked back toward St. Anthony Main and down by the river where they have some great wooden bridges and varying landscapes. It provided a nice contrast to the urban setting.

By this point we were pretty hungry and stopped for dinner at Pracna On Main, where we enjoyed some good food and the company. Stacey and I both love the opportunity to sit down with our clients and really get to know who they are. The relationships we have built with people is one of the best parts about what we do. A really interesting tib-bit about Laura and Dan is that they met while studying in Japan.

After dinner we got a few pictures with the skyline lit up. The night provides a great opportunity to play around and try some new things while taking pictures.

Needless to say, we had a great time and want to thank you two for being such good sports and up for anything. We are looking forward to the wedding!

Be sure to check out the slideshow, and a few highlights from the day below.

Dawn and Tom

Last week Jason and I shot an engagement session for a fabulous couple. Dawn and Tom were so much fun to work with and really great sports. The weather wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked for an April afternoon (like around 45 degrees!), but you can't tell from the pictures. We started in the Sculptures Gardens of Minneapolis and then crossed over the bridge to Loring Park. We ended up at Cafe Lurcat for some drinks and appetizers. We enjoy doing these extended engagement sessions as it really gives all four of us some time to bond and get to know each other. It can only make the wedding day that much more relaxing and enjoyable. Below are some of our favorites from the shoot and of course don't forget to check out the slideshow!

Enjoy

Stacey

Girl's Day

Last week two fabulous photographers and good friends of mine, Erin and Noemi and myself got together at Erin's studio to take pictures of our kiddies. We thought it would be fun to photograph each other's kids, plus Erin's cool new studio needed to be broken in. Of course we all had a blast and got some really great shots! I hate to admit it, but I am the last to post my results. In my defense though, our computers have been busy with engagement sessions and album designs...so I guess I have a decent excuse for being last. Sorry girls. Here's what I got. I made a slideshow too!

Take care,

Stacey

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Hey Everyone,

As some of you may know, Stacey and I are the Mpls PUG leaders. In addition to a cool looking dog, our PUG is short for Pictage User Group.



This is a collection of local photographers that all use Pictage in some form or fashion with their business. At the meeting last night, we headed up a roundtable discussion on blogs. It turned out great. People had a lot of questions, were interested in some of the features of a blog, how often to post, should it be strictly professional vs. personal, etc. I think a couple of things about our blog that they liked, was our use of slideshows within the blog and the Slide.com scroll that we have on top.

What did we walk away with? First off, we are continuing to try to be more active and post more frequently. Secondly, this is something that we really enjoy and feel that it helps our clients and others get a better idea of who we are as people. The more at ease and comfortable our clients are, the more relaxed they will be, which always leads to better pictures.

Take care everyone!

- Jason

The 2007 Season kicks off with a bang!

Yeah, the 2007 wedding season is rapidly approaching and we had our first engagement session of the spring/summer. We will be posting more later, but I wanted to put up this shot from Dawn and Tom's session we did today.

I thought the graffiti tag was fitting for the occasion.



Be sure to check back for more from their session.

- Jason

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Hey everyone,

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game!



The 2007 baseball season is underway and I think the entire state of MN already has Twins fever. When you finish last season with a historical run to make the playoffs and return the 2006 AL MVP, batting champ, and Cy Young winner, there is reason to be excited. They got off on the right foot last night and beat the Orioles 7-4. At this stage, Lauren is a little young to bring to the game; however, this is one Dad who is excited to take her to her first game!

Go Twins!

- Jason

Spring Is In The Air

Hey everyone,

With March Madness winding down, and a weedend with temps in the 60's, it felt like a good time to salute Spring. I was looking through some recent pictures in order to represent this occasion (yes in MN, Spring can be a pretty joyous occasion), and came across this one that Stacey took while we were on vacation. The colors remind me of an Easter basket, so I thought it would serve nicely.



We hope you all had a great weekend and are enoying Spring!

- Jason