Last weekend I indulged in a quintessential Minnesota weekend, my debut ‘normal’ weekend in fact… sans TSA checkpoints, receiving lines, and fading Nikon batteries. As a Denver wedding photographer, those weekends are few and far between. While my internal batteries need to be drained challenged before fully recharging, there’s nothing like playing hard after working hard. Highlights included my very first Minnesota Vikings football game, eating all things fried on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair, seeing the winning results of the latest wedding photo contest, and spotting a rare albino squirrel in the backyard. Action-packed weekend!
Vikings game
Most guys’s eyes blur after sitting down and noticing a line of cheerleaders:
Good thing I have my very own Norwegian Viking (notice the genetic similarity):
Fans love Joseph “Ragnar” Juranitch, a true Minnesota Vikings Mascot who hasn’t missed a game since 1994. Not only is he the only “human” mascot in professional sports, but he’s also the first to arrive in a motorcycle (now, copied by many). Get this: he’s at popular school janitor in his day job. Two subtle details about this portrait of Ragnar catch my eye: the NFL goal post sign, and the fan hand in the foreground. Skål Vikings! 
Minnesota State Fair
Then it was off to the great gathering of the Minnesota state fair to witness Princess Kay of the Milky Way getting her sculpture carved out of a 90-pound block of butter in a 40 degree room. This year’s winner: Mary Zahurones representing Morrison County, MN.
Continue Reading…
Posted by R. J. on August 30, 2011
Joy, tenderness, energy, love, intelligence, inspiration, whimsy, elegance, spontaneity infused every event at Amy & Sean’s wedding in Santorini, Greece. These words were articulated by a special wedding guest and I couldn’t agree more.
My experience working with Amy & Sean shaped my approach to wedding photography in so many wonderful ways. Not only were they perfect clients to work with, but they treated their guests to a world-class experience complete with wonderful food and wine.
Santorini: heaven of earth and a photographer’s paradise. Pair that with a sweet, smart couple with a panache for treating friends and family with only the finest and then I pinch myself. ‘Is this real or a dream?’ Santorini showcases quintessential Greece: rustic beauty, rolling fields, cliffs, architectural marvels, and majestic seas. The light in Santorini is simply amazing to photograph, thanks to the fog and sea haze and stark contrasts of the white plaster and blue skies. I felt like I arrived in photographer heaven. No wonder Travel and Leisure magazine featured Santorini as top island destination for 2011. Pinch me.
I remember first speaking with Amy about her wedding planning experience on the golf course in Hawaii. Pinch me again. I was giddy beyond belief she chose me after their stellar engagement session in New York. Their engagement album sooooo rocked.
Pressure makes diamonds, I reminded myself. Armed with my gear of choice, a Nikon 85mm f/ 1.4 and 24mm f/ 1.4 each mounted to a Nikon D700, I composed my world with clarity and focused on my best creative work possible while offering a world-class wedding photography experience. Thank goodness I had time create a few preliminary light paintings in Greece to get my creative skills polished. I flew in a few days early to take advantage of jetlag and explore visual gold mines of Santorini at dawn. AH-mazing.
The preparation and planning took months, facilitated by the fabulous Helena Han at YaSena Couture Weddings & Events. Working with Helena has even influenced my thoughts on planning my own wedding. I even proposed a few times in Greece (proof). I was honored share in the collaborative efforts by such a creative team!
Ceremony: Astra Suites
First Look location: Aghios Artemios
Reception: Theros Wave Bar
Catering: Selene
Officiant: George Karayiannis
Videography: Apostolos Gkoris, Urban Cinematography
Make-up Designer: Dimitra Giatrakou
Beauty Artist: Renia Bledaki
Hair Stylist: Georgia Theodoraki
DJ: Kimon Karageorgis
Flowers & Decor: Onirotopos of Athens – YaSena Couture Weddings & Events – k art handicrafts
Favors: Katerina Chronopoulou, k art handicrafts
I felt the power of Astra Suites which shines as happy place.
Continue Reading…
Posted by R. J. on August 28, 2011
We return to a happy place often to relive old memories… like smelling a familiar blanket or hearing an old tune. There’s comfort. We work hard to deserve it. Returning to a happy place lightens the burdens of our lives, keeps the wrinkles at bay, and wine flowing. Some people go home, some to Burning Man. I went to a farm.
In the midst of thinking about big decisions like renting a house, answering craigslist ads about selling stuff, facing new jobs, moving, planning a wedding, making lists of lists… I am reminded by the words of Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
And while adjusting to challenges in life aren’t supposed to be easy, I remind myself the process of letting go of the old makes room for the new.
Creating new happy places jump spark neurons to create a whole new set of visuals. You don’t have to venture to a tropical destination. For me, riding in a tractor in the middle of Minnesota nowhere {in a total new place} brings a smile to my heart.
Wedding photographer as therapist
As a photographer, I often feel insecure at times to walk into someone else’s world {special place} and interpret what I see… and what I feel. Did I do it justice? Did I capture the feeling they were looking for… or feeling embedded deep in a subconscious decades ago?!?!? Such as a life as wedding photographer. We often step back into a lifetime of nostalgia, of framed-coveted-perfect memories, of heaven as we see it. Such pressure drop on our lens, on our shutter. If only my $2,000 Nikon 24mm f/1.4 could be a therapist.Together, my lenses and I, play 1 part photographer and 3 parts therapist.
Shooting weddings, no different than a candid, off-the-cuff family moment is a challenge I taken seriously — but never too seriously, otherwise I couldn’t do my job as destination wedding photographer. Sometimes I feel scare of rejection, isolation, or loneliness… like a divorce, especially with little repose from the said ‘client’ other than the shun of quietness… which feels like darkness at times (y’all, we’ve been there before like in rain and goulashes and wet pooches…. it sucks). However, on other times, like tonight, I feel 1120% rejuvenated that what artistically creative is sooooo what I should do. There is a moment whereI feel if I can make just one person’s day… just one person… then my day is made. Such is today.
Present memories as a ‘present’
Sometimes we get caught up in the past & forget we are creating new memories in the present. Cheers to celebrating roots of happiness ignited now!
Continue Reading…
Posted by R. J. on August 23, 2011
This great family knows how to take care of the business {of fun} in Minnesota lake country. Thank you for the great summer memories!
These kids earned their way to the next level after mastering the knuckle-grab-nunchukka-crounching-tiger-move:
Practicing for Goofy-Man-of-the-Year Award: 
Practicing for Strong-Man-of-the-Year Award:
Continue Reading…
Posted by R. J. on August 22, 2011
While I’m all about looking forward, let’s not forget about remembering roots, especially lessons learnt from the past. Appreciating of how far we’ve come, but offers hope for what the future brings. I look back at six years of work with a stockpile of lessons learnt from just six images:
2005. Weddings don’t have to be posed. Candids matter and photojournalism is at the heart of the wedding day from a photographer’s perspective.
2006. Weddings aren’t all about the bride. Focus on the groom, especially when he sees her for the first time.
2007. Learn to anti-pose, explore location, and use off-camera flash to bring more art back into wedding photography. Explore post-processing as expression.
2008. Be strategic abou off-camera flash placement, emphasize the importance of anticipating the moment, and draw inspiration from favorite painters.
2009. Master the Art of the First Look. Backyard weddings offer ample opportunities for relaxed portraits of real people in a low-stress experience.
2010. Out-of-focus can reveal more sexy than what’s in focus. A sharp photo of a fuzzy idea doesn’t compare to a soft photo of a sharp idea.
2011. Location, location. Never forget the importance of place in wedding context. Think about wide-angle composition from a painter’s perspective.
I’m wearing shades, cause the future is looking bright! Blessings to your future the same!
Posted by R. J. on August 18, 2011
As a tribute to Wizard of Oz, I tried on a different concept during the Free to Create workshop including this take on a Trash the Dress session. While we were shooting in an old factory, I had this sense of scary coolness. I wanted to push the concept of WHY we were shooting pretty brides in a old, ravaged industrial space. The goal of the workshop (you had to be there) was to take a step out of the box to create something unique, daring in a supporting and educational environment. We encouraged each other to take chances at the risk of failure. Safely to say, everyone has a blast and learned a ton! Stay tuned for more highlights.
Posted by R. J. on August 17, 2011
