Engagement Pictures Take 2

So ecstatic about the pictures we took on Monday! 

We decided to take the pictures at UCR's Botanic Gardens because we hadn't been able to take them there the first time we went, and because that's where our "first date" was. 

We ended up being a little early, so I dropped Eddie off at the Gardens to scout out some picture taking places.  I went to meet Allan and the team at the Starbucks by campus.  When Allan arrived, he started telling me about the kind of pictures and poses he was going for this time: something softer and quieter.  Perfect!  After a stop for coffee (the guys were coming off two weddings over the weekend, one of which was Tony's cousin!)

Headed to the Gardens and started taking pictures.  Two other team members (Christian and Matt) joined Allan Jay and Tony.  Matt became the DJ playing various mood music.  :)  Because we weren't doing a lot with the lighting, keeping it mostly with natural lighting, it was a little disconcerting to have four cameras pointed at us at various times.  But the guys were fun and there was a lot of chatter back and forth which helped me feel more comfortable. 

Over all, a very enjoyable couple hours and I think it shows in the gorgeous pictures Allan Jay posted.

So here are some from Triversity Wedding Photography's blog.

On the Nature of Blogs, Wedding Photography, Customer Service, and the Bomb Dot Com

(Another draft of a blog that never got posted) from May 12

OMG.  Yesterday night I had a "blogs-are-public-forums-and-you-never-know-who-might-stumble-across-your-blog-and-read-things-about-themselves" moment. 

So around 9 o'clock, I get a phone call from a number that I didn't recognize.  And imagine my surprise when it was Allan Jay, our wedding photographer.  We're not really scheduled for anything else between now and the wedding, so his call seemed to come out of the blue.  He had happened to stumble across my blog when Googling Triversity Wedding Photography (his company).  So he called after reading the blog entries about the engagement photos and our reactions.  He was concerned that we were not satisfied with the engagement pictures.  He was also very positive about criticism, as he viewed it as a way to improve and grow because few people often give him feedback like that.

To be completely honest, I could not, for the life of me, remember what exactly I had posted in the blog, and I wasn't really sure that I even really had offered any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism in the post.  I know how we felt about the pictures being more dramatic and not very natural to our usual selves, but I thought of it more as a practice for the wedding, giving us a better idea of what we wanted in our pictures and knowing more what was his style.  But I did post some of the pictures that we felt were NOT the style we were going for.  Can we say awkward?...the captions were meant jokingly, but could totally be read rather as insulting (just thinking if I were the photog, I would be sensitive about my work!)...

After my initial mortification, this is was actually an encouraging encounter with thoughtful customer service.  Allan truly cares that his brides (and grooms, but we all know who's opinions are REALLY more important ;) ) are happy with the work and pictures and the whole experience with the TWP team.  He was very open and wanted to dialogue about what we wanted in our pictures (while I was still trying to get my metaphorical foot (in the form of typed words) out of my mouth).  He even offered to retake the engagement pictures.  Even if we were too busy before the actual wedding, he wanted to take them after the wedding when we're freer.  I'm going to be messaging him with more specific details of the style/sentiment/etc. of the photos.

So to anyone else Googling Triversity Wedding Photography, Allan and his team are fully committed to you and making your wedding photography experience everything that you want it to be.  They are the bomb dot com ;)

Engagement Photography

So we met with Allan Jay from Triversity Wedding Photography on Dec 30th to take our engagement pictures.  We started at UCR, in front of Sproul Hall (where we first met), moved to the steps in front of the Arts building, the spiral stair case and red tile walls of Humanities, and the bell tower before moving to the Mission Inn.  There we tried to take pictures in front of the St. Francis Chapel doors, and around the walking mall.

While there were some pictures that did turn out okay, I thought I would highlight some of the more dramatic ones....

Eddie thought this one looked like he was kissing a
dead me in amausoleum.  Note the stone steps behind...

And another vampire shot...

Mexican Gangster pose...with me as the gangster

Eddie as a cancer patient and me
swooning on him...

I like to move it, move it

Aaaand I like pictures with motion.

Was thinking about the shawls and how I would like a picture with them moving somehow...tossed in the air, twirled around the girls, something with life... and I came the realization that I like pictures with things moving. I like the walking pictures, the jumping pictures, the look caught over a shoulder as someone turns to someone else; I just like pictures that show movement. And not necessarily those candid action shots that Eddie likes to take which also captures horrendous facial expressions as often, or MORE often, than not.

I think what I like about the movement is as if it's a snapshot of life. It's caught as it's happening, not posed (or posed as stiffly and formally as some of the wedding picturs that I also expect - and want - to take). It has energy.

I want pictures with energy. With grace. With laughter. With quirkiness (though I know that's not something that you can order up).

Sparklers!

*sparkle, sparkle*


Has anyone else seen/heard about this sparkler exit?

Then again, do I trust my younger siblings and cousins with sparklers...?

Say, "Cheese!"

At Esther's wedding this weekend, we (the bridal party) took about 3 poses with Esther, and 1 with the groomsmen. Jen and I were talking about how we would want more pictures than that.

Did I mention that I want to take a jumping picture?... For sure with me and the girls. Maybe with me and the boys. I'm not sure I see Eddie jumping though... :)














This is also a cool picture with the rings against the colors in candy. It makes me think of Rachel che che's cocktail hour decoration with the martini glass with jellybeans.

To check out later for styling and poses:
http://www.jessicaelizabethblog.com