Thanksgiving Family Portraits in Vail

The hardest part that comes with taking photos at this time of year is that I don't know which ones are going to be used for Christmas cards, so I don't want to post them just in case I spoil the surprise! Here's a sweet photo from Thanksgiving of my gracious hosts that I think I can get away with posting. Jeff certainly has some good looking ladies in his life...and Briar's not even in this photo!

A quick Thanksgiving pic of Suzanne, Jeff and Erin, taken in West Vail, CO

Studio Portraits in Edwards with Declan

I wanted to post one more photo from my studio session with Declan the other day, but I have to leave it at just one photo because I'm not sure which ones will be used for his Christmas card this year and I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone.  He's certainly a photogenic wee thing!

Click here to see more Baby Portraits in Vail, Colorado.

Introducing Photo Madly Wedding Photographers

Wedding photography used to be all about formally posed pictures of the bride and groom with various memembers of their extended family. They took hours to take, and by the end, no one was smiling! Luckily, wedding photography has come a loooooong way since then. Contemporary wedding photography is all about fierce, fresh, fun wedding pictures, caught on the hop, and reflecting the true personality of the bride and groom and their guests. So if you're looking for wedding photographers who capture the shared glances, the subtle gestures and the goofy inside jokes, that make your wedding unique to you, then look no further than husband and wife team, Erika Szostak and Mark Cooper of PhotoMadly. They're an American wife and an English husband, who are lucky enough to live beside the seaside in Brighton. Their passion is to tell stories through Erika's photographs, capturing the character of the bride and groom, and that's why they'll always want to meet up with you before your weding day, to get to know your personalities and your preferences.So if you are looking for a contemporary, relaxed wedding photographer, and you're not afraid to get a little silly, then Photo Madly is the wedding photography team for you. Do check out their Facebook page or blog for more gorgeous pictures.

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Real Homespun DIY Wedding: Sam & Wade

This wedding is packed to the brim with DIY ideas and shabby-chic inspiration. Gorgeous bride, Sam, is a style pro, so she was bound to put together a truly exceptional wedding, and this one is a wonderful combination of eclectic styles. I'm loving Wade's gingham shirt and red bow-tie look, and Sam's bridesmaids' individual plaited hairstyles. The guests all sat on fabric-covered straw bales for the ceremony, which took place under a tree, chalked with the bride and groom’s initials. Other fabulous wedding details include the flower girl holding a balloon and a butterfly jar instead of a usual basket, the photo-rosette boutonnieres, and the hanging bottle vases. Also the vintage quilt-style tablecloth and the typewriter guest book. Plus {yes there's more!}, Sam's sparkly pink Christian Louboutins, Badgley Mishka ruffled wedding dress and Wade's cool moustached socks. Wow! Literally every wedding detail was personalised. Fantastic pictures published with thanks to the ladies at Simply Bloom Photography.

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Family Portraits in Edwards, Colorado with The Carpenters.

I posted a couple of sneak peak photos from my session in Cordillera, CO with the Carpenter family the other day, and I finished editing them yesterday so I wanted to post a few more of them.  We're having an useasonably warm early winter this year, so we didn't capture a lot of snow in the photos, but you can see some scattered here and there. 

I ran a new action on this photo and I love it.  It tends to give everything a bit of a 3D effect.

This pose was Anna's idea from a photo she had seen.  It works perfectly with the amazing skyline that night.

I love Ayla's hair in this photo.  The wind added to rugged feel out in the hills.

To see more photos from this session, go to The Carpenter's Family Portraits in Edwards, Colorado.

In reference to my previous post about Search Engine Optimization, one of the tips was to make sure that your blog posts were longer in length.  I'm not usually much of a writer in my posts, because I'm a photographer and photographers obviously rely on photos to tell a story.  I've always been extremely concise (I once left a 3 hour journalism exam after 1 hour and managed to do pretty well on it - the task was to cut the fat from a story and present the facts), so bulking up on the blog will be interesting. 

My Google Places Card arrived today, and I now have a Google listing for Vail, CO.  My first listing is for Edwards, CO so having this new listing should help me I'm sure.  In Vail, we don't receive mail at our houses, so getting a listing on Google when you work out of your house is next to impossible.

Lastly, today is Small  Business Saturday!  It's a great excuse to get out there and support local small businesses during this Thanksgiving week/week of holiday shopping.  We don't have too many BIG businesses here, but we should always do our best to support the community.  Speaking of Thanksgiving, I did a few family photos on Thanksgiving for some friends and their beloved pooches, so those pics will be up shortly.

Current Ranking for 'Vail Photographer' on Google: Page 16, 8th entry.  Didn't I say the other day that it couldn't get worse?! :)

Click here to see more Family Portraits in Vail and Edwards, Colorado.

From Soft to Sculptural Wedding Dresses

In my quiet moments, while other people might watch TV, I like to look at wedding gowns (mock me if you like, it won't stop me!). And there's no one better at making dresses than Amanda Wakely. She does creates several collections each year, and I just adore these wedding gowns from her 'Morocco Collection'. From soft to scuptural, there's no shape she can't do. Which one's your favourite?

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In the name of Search Engine Optimization!

As a photographer, I'm constantly distracted by visual images time and time again and this is probably something that myself and most photographers have been suffering with since the time we picked up our first books and got swept away by the illustrations.  The first time I saw the Uruwera Mural by Colin McCahon, it literally knocked the breath out of me.  However, the point of this blog entry is to discuss how a photographer that is more captivated by strong imagery, can hunker down and read the fine print and improve their habit/hobby/profession through strong Search Engine Optimization.

I wrote an essay on Google in 1999, discussing how search engines worked through the use of spiders.  I'd love to find that essay now, purely to have a good laugh at how basic it seemed to be then.  Being that Google is the dominant search engine of our time, most Search Engine Optimization focuses on improving your rankings in Google.  As a Photographer, I'm somewhat of a techie, but more in the realm of new camera gear and certainly not in the field of Search Engine Optimization.  SEO falls into the catergory of things that I'm really interested in, but not particularly good at.  Disc Golf falls into this category also!

Google is constantly updating their algorithms for how they search for content.  The latest round of updates shows that Google is now looking for frequently updated, fresh content.  To try and keep up to speed, I'm throwing it out there that I am going to try and improve on this, and will be updating my Website, Facebook, Flickr, and blog on a more regular basis.  This is only the beginning though.

It seems that every time I look into this, everyone has a new and improved method for moving up in the SEO rankings.  I try to do as many of these steps as possible, but if one searches for 'Vail Photographer', it comes up with pages of Photographers that don't reside in or anywhere near the Vail Valley.  So, as a social science experiment, I put forward the hypothesis that 'A small photography business can improve their SEO, through the research and application of other peoples ideas that can be found solely on the internet, without paying for a third party to take care of it'.  This is being done more as an experiment of curiosity than anything else.  Again, I'm fascinated by SEO, but not particularly good at it therefore it can do my business no harm!

After thinking about everything I've read on the topic so far, many questions spring to mind.  Does Twitter really work and who has the time to be on there?  Do I really need to add my business to Yahoo Directory for $300 a year like some SEO companies suggest, or is that done more for a kick back to the company?  Do I really need to design a Landing Page for Facebook? These are all points to touch on in future entries.  In the mean time, I'm going to start with this article from Photopreneur, titled 'The Reasons your Photography Blog is Failing'. 

Wish me luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

Current Ranking for 'Vail Photographer' on Google: Page 16, 6th entry...absurd!

Studio Portraits in Edwards, Colorado with Declan

One more quick sneak peak from from another family session this weekend with sweet baby Declan. Talk about multi-tasking. Decs managed to squeeze in baby male modelling, playing host to a gaggle of other babies in his house for the afternoon and a quick nap! He's a star :)

To see more photos from our session, go to Declan's Baby Portraits in Edwards, Colorado.

Elegant Vintage Style Wedding Dresses

If you're a vintage bride looking for a whimsical dress, it can pretty hard to find your perfect wedding gown. Often brides get lucky at a vintage fair or on eBay, but there is another way. Online marketplace Etsy showcases hundreds of independent wedding dress designers, many of them with a gorgeous vintage aesthetics. It's a great place to pick up a unique gown, handmade by someone with true passion. My most recent discovery are these gorgeous wedding dresses by Rowan Joy. They have an ethereal, bohemian grace, and would make any bride look elegant. Each one is made to order in Edinburgh, and usually require three months, so get your order in quick! *Update* Rowan has very kindly offered all Before the Big Day brides 10% off if you mention the wedding blog.

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Currently Under Construction

Welcome to The Handmade Wedding! The blog is currently under construction and is set to launch on the first of January. We are working hard to bring you an excess of handmade wedding content and will be able to share with you our DIY ideas, wonderful handmade artisans, directories, and more. Meanwhile, please do become a follower or save us for future reference.

Real French & English Wedding: Abigail & Huw

Enchanté! That's my attempt at a French description of this exquisite English wedding, with plenty of gorgeous details from across the Channel. Abigail and Huw live in Hong Kong, so they hired Anne-Laure from Et Voilà Weddings to organise their church wedding near Bristol, with the wedding reception in Abbie's parent's garden. I'm loving the quintessentially English rose theme to this romantic wedding day, which all stems from Abbie’s father's nickname for Abbie; Rose Bud, referring to her beautiful rose colour lips on the day she was born. So sweet! The tables were all named after roses, the details are all dusky pink, and Abbie even wore a rose in her hair and on her dress. Other fantastic wedding ideas to steal include the romantic mini-tent chill-out area in the garden, and the live music from a harpist and flutist. Beautiful pictures published with thanks to the very talented Giorgia Bertazzi.

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Real Golden Autumn Wedding: Sheryl & Nick

Autumn is famous for its golden light, and this fab couple almost glow with happiness in these pics of their big day. Sheryl and Nick chose a beautiful afternoon in October for their wedding, and celebrated in style, in a gorgeous garden ceremony. Inspiring details include Sheryl's bouquet of berries and blooms, plus her choice of rich red for the table cloths. The happy couple also used cake flavors instead of table numbers or names, and encouraged guests to dive in instead of doing a formal cake cutting. Don't miss Sheryl's stunning sapphire and diamond engagement ring - no wonder she looks so happy. Huge thanks as ever to Jessamyn Harris for her first-class photographs.

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