Happy Valentine's Day to all the newly engaged couples out there. Today would be a great day to start practicing that camera ready kiss. Step 1: Lean In Step 2: Meet Lips Step 3: Eyes Closed Step 4: Let it Linger
More amazing kisses here.
Since it's the dead of winter and weddings and shoots have slowed down a bit, I wanted to talk to you brides about light. We photographers worship the light. It's the paint that makes our art, and we need it in one fashion or another to create the best possible images.
I have noticed in the last year or so that more brides are starting to visualize their weddings. Not just plan it, but visualize it. I am pretty sure this is because of Pinterest. Yes ladies, I love the site as much as you do, and I'm thrilled you are turning to photographs for brainstorming your big day. THRILLED. This is because you can now show me what you like (sometimes saying it out loud and finding the right words is tough -- I get that). The site helps us all brainstorm and visually communicate, and I think nothing but great things can come from it. Pin away, I tell you!
But I want you to notice something. I want you to look hard at all those images you're posting and look at where the light is coming from. Are there large windows? Is the couple outside? Are there lots of trees? Is it dark and lit mostly by candle? I want you to notice the light because it's like the "hidden" character in the picture.
Stay with me here. Did you ever watch Sex and the City? Yes? How many main characters were there? Many people would say four. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. But I would say five. I would add Manhattan. That city was like the character that made the show. It had good moments and bad moments and it had story arcs as well. And that's kinda what the light is in your photographs. It's not the subject, but it's still required.
OK, still with me? Now think about the light as you're pinning away on all of your favorite wedding photos and inspiration photos, and try to guess around what time the photos were taken. Nothing exact, but was it high noon? Are there shadows on the faces? Is everything bright and crisp? Or are things softer and warmer? Like late afternoon/early evening? This also should be considered. Taking images outside of all of your family and wedding party might be most practical at noon, but with the light directly above, there will be more shadows on the faces, so maybe you'll want to push it back a bit.
Now wait. I don't want to discourage you! We are, after all, a bunch of professionals who know tricks around such situations. We can totally make scenarios like the one above work. I'm talking about getting the best-possible situations here though, and I want to manage our brides' expectations.
So when you're trying to decide the timeline of your day or the location of your cocktail hour, the position of the sun or the number of windows might be something you want to factor in. And if you are overwhelmed enough without thinking about something as silly as light, then meet with your photographer beforehand. Show him or her the kind of photos you want and talk about your location and the two of you can create a game plan to get the kinds of images you want.
And don't worry if it's cloudy! I hear so many brides (and parents of brides) who worry that clouds will ruin their photos, but the clouds simply diffuse the light, making great light no matter the sun position (or timing), so clouds actually work in your favor.
And lastly! You should follow us over on Pinterest! It's where we post a lot of our inspiration, as well as some of our own work.
I have a daughter, Annika. This week, I've been wondering where the past year went to. Though obviously on a much smaller scale, I am having as much fun planning her first birthday party as I had planning my wedding. I took her picture just the other week. Isn't she cute?
In case you didn't get a chance to head out and visit us at one of the bridal fairs last Saturday, here is a little peek into our European Booth! The Rivets crew had a booth at Den store Bryllupsfesten (The big wedding party) and MN Bride's, Look of Love. I had such an AWESOME time meeting all the bride-to-be's, grooms, designers, and stylists. I was also lucky enough to be right next to Chelsea's Cool Cakes...which kept an incredible aroma of sweet chocolate cake surrounding me all day. Yes, yes I ate lots of samples.....Oh dear.
Don't forget // You can still get in on the fair offer if you book by this Friday! Just give us a hollar! 
With Tom and Kristen, we tried something different... studio engagement portraits. Novel idea huh? Well, when it's cold and gray outside, sometimes it's best to get back to basics. Personally, I love how these turned out and hope you all do too. By the way, aren't these two cute? We were definitely having fun, it was Tom's birthday after all!
Here's a little pre-Valentines day boudoir inspiration! I was so lucky to meet the lovely and talented Mrs. Depew Vintage. I know I use the word 'lovely' a lot...but seriously this girl is the definition of lovely! She designs and creates vintage lingerie patters. She sewed these gorgeous pieces and together we created a sweet, simple and classy shoot for her one-of-a-kind designs.
Now I'm wishing I would've listened when my grandmother was trying to teach me to sew! ;) Check out Mrs. Depew's online store here.
Hair/Makeup: Charlene Nedrum Lingerie: Mrs. Depew Vintage Photography: Desiree Mostad Special thanks to Cafe Stills!
a little impromptu shoot with model Blair Emerson around Harriet Island. I recently got some new fun equipment so this was a great opportunity to test it out!
I have a bride that I'm shooting later this year at her "real wedding" with her family and friends present, but for practical purposes, it made sense for these two to tie the knot before the end of 2012. So they decided to sneak off to the courthouse and get things done on the sly. They didn't want to upset their families or make their "real day" any less important, but sometimes you need to be practical when government laws/benefits are involved. And they asked if I wanted to be one of two witnesses. Hell yeah, I did! I've never shot a wedding at city hall before, and I was extremely curious as to how it would go. And while they didn't officially hire me to take any photos, you know I couldn't resist.
A few things to note about this day: 1) The groom's ring did not arrive in time for the ceremony! Not to be discouraged from the big event, they subbed in a candy ring pop. 2) This judge put on one of the best ceremonies I have ever heard. And I've heard a LOT. I really liked his message, and the thought that was put into such a "quickie" wedding was nice. Should you ever need a judge for your big day, I highly suggest Judge Kevin S. Burke in Hennepin County.
On Friday, perhaps the warmest and sunniest winter day we will have in January, Ben and Emily tied the knot in Maple Plain, Minnesota. We managed to make our way to Baker Park with the bridal party after everyone was ready. Feast your eyes on the gorgeous fur Emily wore while we were there! After a charming ceremony in the local community church the reception got underway in Medina. Thank you Emily and Ben for giving me so many wonderful opportunities to make great photographs. You two are terrific!
This week is a week of inspiring meetings and prepping for our upcoming Bridal Fairs! Before catching the bus on my way home this morning, I snapped a few photos. Yep, it's quite cold and people are bundled up here in Norway too! (ok, maybe it's not as cold as Northern MN..hehe) Let's embrace the cute hats and scarfs...the bit of sun....and the cold?! ;)
Over the holidays I made my yearly journey to Brookfield, Wisconsin to see my fathers side of the family and being that this was the first time in some time that all of us were together, it seemed like something that needed to be documented. Meet my family.
Can you feel it? All the excitement in the air? With the holidays right behind us and the most romantic one almost upon us it tis'the season for engagements! If you are anything like me, and anything like most of my girlfriends, once that proposal is made it's all about plan, plan, planning for your big day! And what better way to get all of your thoughts organized into once place than in Pinterest! Pinterest is swiftly becoming the go-to resource for brides when planning for their wedding day. It's so easy (and fun!) to create boards to keep track of all the ideas you have for your flowers, wedding invitations and those swoon worthy bridal gowns! I'm fairly certain that if you can think it, you can pin it on Pinterest and that's what we love about it! Rivets & Roses is on Pinterest now too! From snippets of our work to creative DIY projects, the Rivets & Roses Pinterest site is one you will want to follow!
It is possible! Putting together your own bouquet is definitely a challenge, but at each of the last two weddings I photographed, the brides were carrying a DIY bouquet and they were ABSOLUTELY lovely. Poking around on Pinterest today, I did some pinning of plenty of achievable and elegant bouquets. One rule I seem to run across is to select one or two varieties of flower. That keeps it simple and makes a bold statement. Of course, if you decide to work with one of the many talented florists in the area... no judgement here!
Katie & Jeff were the winners of my wedding giveaway last year! They met at the wedding of a mutual friend, Katie was a bridesmaid & Jeff served the dutiful role as an usher. After the wedding, Jeff returned home to Arizona. Even though he was a few thousand miles away, Katie & Jeff stayed in touch. They talked daily...for hours at a time! They got to know each other very well & it was during a trip back to Minnesota that they officially decided to date long distance. Distance is never easy on a relationship, but they made it work. In July, Jeff decided to pursue his career as a pilot back in Minnesota. Katie went out, helped him pack up, & they drove across country to bring him back home. Since Jeff's return to Minnesota they have been inseparable. And since November they have been husband & wife! This wedding was so much fun to photograph! Personally, my favorite moments are always those moments when I get the bride & groom to myself. The air was cool, but not yet too cold and the ground wasn't yet wet...perfect for photographing their first look outside! From the adorable salon on Grand Avenue to the historic St. Paul Hotel, from the Church of the Assumption to Rice Park & the Town & Country Club every moment of their day was filled with amazing locations to photograph them, their wedding party & family in! Enjoy!
In November, I got together with Ben and Emily for engagement portraits at their favorite Minneapolis spot, Town Hall Tap. After a couple pints of beer, we made our way to the beach at Lake Nokomis. Just a few weeks more and these two cuties will be getting married! Shooting a lovely wedding in the midst of January definitely helps cure cold-weather doldrums.
I throughly enjoyed myself collaborating with Chelsea of Chelea's Cool Cakes on this GORGEOUS winter cake shoot! We wanted to push our creative minds so we literally drove out into the Norwegian woods and found the perfect spot with aaaawesome golden light! Maria, our model, was such a trooper sticking out the cold temps. With Scandinavian clean and Norwegian red magic happened! Wether you're getting married in January or having a February Valentines theme, I hope you find some inspiration here!
I'm Thea, the new photographer on the Rivets & Roses team. Let me take the stage for a moment and introduce myself.
About one year ago, I relocated to Minneapolis from Chicago where I was the staff photographer here. Many weekends I shot weddings at locations from downtown hotels to places like this and this. I met so many wonderful people in Chicago and got to know the city from top to bottom.
I married my travel companion and sweetheart in 2010. My good friend Lin Eagle photographed our wedding and I Do Films shot video. At last I experienced the other side of the lens. Shortly thereafter we decided to shake things up. Basically, have a baby and change the scenery. We made the jump and this past year I have met even more creative, fun, and friendly people. I already keep regular hours at a few of my new favorite spots close to home in South Minneapolis. You are likely to see me at Lowbrow, Blackbird or Grand Cafe for pancakes on Saturday morning.
As this year gets started, I look forward to getting to know everyone that has been and that will be a part of the Rivets community. Please introduce yourself to me! We can have pancakes.
As 2012 draws to a close I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all the beautiful couples I
was able to work with this past year. Congratulations to all of them and I hope you enjoy these lovely brides as much as I did.
In a bit of a more unusual job for me, I got to shoot a pretty special birthday party last month. Instead of the usual child's party with pin-the-nose-on-the-clown, I got to spend a morning with someone turning 90 and his immediate family. It was amazing to hear about all of the accomplishments and things celebrated during his toasts. I'm so used to hearing what people hope for a couple at weddings, that to hear how appreciative everyone was for this man's help and life lived was a nice change of pace.
This past week I had the pleasure of working a few different projects. One of which had me working with Rhymesayers artist and local legend Toki Wright, one put me in the depths of strange night in local Hip Hop at the 'Group Therapy' show, but first I would like to show you this. I had great time shooting with local model Allison Reimer for a little Lumberjack themed shoot. Though we were not in the heart of northern Minnesota we made it work and came out with some great images!
These are from my shoot with Mr. Toki Wright. Make sure to take listen to his music and see what all the fuss is about. He just put out a great new podcast which gives you a look into what this local artist listens to and what his life is like.
Last but not least I have the madness that was the Group Therapy show. All in all it was a great night but what really made the night was this. Next door to the 7th St Entry Public Enemy was performing. We were able to get in for the encore and when Flava Flav came out I heard this, "What Up Indianapolis!!!"... Flav you were everything I hoped, you retarded little savant you.
