The Wedding of Jackie and Mark

I first met Jackie and Mark at our last wedding of the 2010 season. Jackie was a bridesmaid in Jessica and Kevin Schulze's wedding. The entire bridal party was a lot of fun to work with, so I knew that I was going to have a great time working with Jackie again.

We started out the day at Neon Salon in Sunbury. The girls arrived early to get their hair and nails done. A couple of the girls wanted to open up a bottle of champagne for some mimosa's and I remember thinking, "You may not want to point that in anyone's direction". The girls took the bottle outside and tried to remove the cork which just so happened to fly about 30 feet across the parking lot. Hilarious. :)

The wedding was great for me because I got a chance to shoot in my hometown of Westerville. The ceremony took place at St. Paul's which is a staple in the Westerville community. Beautiful weather, everyone was relaxed... couldn't have asked for more. I met up at the church with one of my up and coming shooters, Brooke Mott. (who did a great job I might add...) Between the two of us, we were able to capture some wonderful moments.

The reception was amazing. We were shooting at the Royal American Links country club, which is a great location because of the variety of areas to shoot in. Everything there is goregous. We were able to run around the golf course for a bit and shoot some fun group photos. The night flew by as the dance floor was packed up until the end of the reception. Kudos to the D.J. who did a fantastic job.

Congratulations to Jackie and Mark! We had a blast working with you!

-Steve

Rain or Shine... Breanne and Tyler

Ah, Ohio. Sometimes, the weather just doesn't cooperate. A few weekends ago, we shot the wedding of Breanne and Tyler... and did it rain! We had plans to shoot a good portion our photography outside with them immediately following the ceremony, so when the downpour started, we were thinking... this will not be good.

Amazingly enough, as soon as we stepped out of the car, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Who knew? The result was a beautiful scene at the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio. The wet ground really made the photos pop with reflections and actually helped create even more unique images.

The wedding reception was next door to the Palace Theater in Marion and I was very anxious for the opportunity to shoot in the beautifully ornate space. Towards the end of the night, we got our chance to shoot and the photos turned out AMAZING.

I think we were able to produce some phenomenal images and I can't wait for Breanne and Tyler to see their album!

All in all, a great weekend that started out rainy, but ended up with the sun in sky and great images in the camera. Enjoy!

-Steve

Married in Marion

Marion has been such a wonderful city for Kaufman Kramer. Our second wedding ever took place in Marion and it's always nice to come back to a city we've grown to love. In such a small town, everyone seems to know everyone, and that by far has been the best publicity for us. I think the thing I enjoy the most is the challenge to create something new for each client in the same town. Nicole and Brian heard about us through the Marion grapevine and they already had a great idea of the kind of photography we produce.

Wedding day was actually the third shoot they've had with us, and there are even plans to do one more session soon! (pics to follow of course...) :)

I think that as a creative professional, we seek out clients that understand what photography means to us. It's so much more than just... sign here, we'll show up then. It's about getting to know people, building rapport, and just having fun doing what you love to do.

We really had a great time shooting with Nicole and Brian, and judging from the already numerous Facebook comments, I'm confident that their photos will be treasured for many years to come. Congratulations you two!!!

-Steve

Mary and Ben

We've been catching up on some posts here at Kaufman Kramer and one that we've been looking forward to sharing is our shoot with Mary and Ben. When I met these two during our consultation, I knew from that moment that we would have a great relationship. They were excited to work with us, and we love it when clients really get where we're coming from creatively. It was the perfect match.

Our engagement session took us all over Downtown Columbus and we got a chance to find quite a few hidden treasures along the way. Enjoy the pics and vids, and we can't wait to post about them again after their wedding!

-Steve

Andi and Nick (From the Stadium to the Streets)

About a month ago, Chris and I worked with an upcoming 2010 couple, Andi and Nick. I have to start off by saying that this shoot was just flat out cool. We got a chance to shoot at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes! It was somewhat eerie walking into a stadium that is typically full of screaming fans and hearing nothing but silence and the click of the shutter. We walked onto the 50 yard line and started shooting away. We took some great panos of the stadium and had a lot of fun running around the field and the stands in the Horseshoe. Next, we took Andi and Nick to downtown Columbus for some shooting on the street. Northside Market provides some great opportunities for multiple setups and dynamic backgrounds. Our couple was so relaxed that it made the shoot an absolute joy. That's what it's all about on engagement sessions, lots of smiles, laughs, and flirting. All in all, we had a great time and we hope Andi and Nick love their photography! We can't wait to shoot the wedding.

-Steve

Nicole and Brian (At the Conservatory)

Hi everyone! I'm catching up on some blog posts and wanted to share some of our latest engagement sessions. Nicole and Brian are one of our upcoming 2010 weddings, and we had a blast shooting with them this fall. It was a beautiful day out, and we got a chance to run around almost all of Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus. Brad and I were following Nicole and Brian down a hill to grab a few more shots up near the main building when I stepped in a divot and rolled my ankle. Of course, I spend more time on the shoot talking with the client and making small talk than watching where I'm stepping.  I would have put money on it being broken or at least a bad sprain, but I was able to hobble down the hill and finish up the shoot. When I got home that night my ankle was huge. Luckily, my lovely girlfriend Rebecca was a ballet dancer for many years, and thus knew exactly how to take care of a sprained ankle. Thanks to her, I was running around again in a week.

Despite the ankle, the shoot turned out great and we were able to produce some wonderful engagement photography for Nicole and Brian. Enjoy!

Katie and James

Chris, Brad, and I got a chance to work with a Katie and James a few weeks ago in the town of Ashland. As much as I love to travel for our photography, I do find it nice to work close to home on occasion if for no other reason than it's so much less wear and tear on us after a long day shooting. That being said, we got a chance to shoot in the AU Chapel, a location that we know well. We figured, this would be a great opportunity to bring in one of our "interns" to give her some experience in shooting with us. Brooke, who is currently attending Bowling Green State University and is a visual communication major, joined the KKP team to "learn-the-ropes" of wedding photography. It was a great experience for us to shoot in a location that the full-time shooters were familiar with because it takes much of the pressure off of the flow of the day. We know what works in terms of lighting and locations, and we know how to change things up to get a different look for each of our clients. Now, I should note that we never rely on our interns to produce photography because they're "in-training". However, I also believe that part of growing as a business and staying fresh with your ideas means bringing in new and aspiring talent and letting them have the opportunity to show off what they can do. Brooke performed great and produced some fantastic photography during the wedding.

Creative free reign is hard to find in internships. (I know this from my own VCT days...) but with Kaufman Kramer, we wanted to offer something different for up and coming creatives. It's not about carrying gear... (well, it's a little bit about that...) but it's REALLY about putting a camera in your hands and letting loose. We always welcome new shooters to come work with us, and if you're interested in an internship with Kaufman Kramer, please feel free to shoot us an email through the web site or leave us a message on Facebook.

Katie and James were a wonderful couple to work with and allowed us to work our creative magic. We were able to produce some fantastic photography for them and I can't wait to get started on their wedding album. Congratulations once again to Katie and James!

Hillary and Jim (nothing but smiles)

One thing I love about photography is that I get the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. I especially love it when our subjects let their personalities shine. Hillary and Jim have been long- Kaufman Kramer friends, who have appeared in numerous other weddings we have shot. I'm sure it was a change of pace for them to be the subject of attention on their special day. Hillary and Jim have been awesome to work with. Hillary works at Z's Hair Salon here in Ashland and is a very accomplished stylist. (Hopefully, we'll get a chance to work with her this coming winter on some projects we had in mind...) It was really fun to watch her get her hair styled on wedding day. So often, the guys and I joke around about how tough it is to be the subject of a photograph instead of the shooter. I'm sure Hillary was feeling much of the same way not being in the drivers seat. The thing I like most about working with this couple is that they love to smile and joke with each other. From their engagement session, to their wedding day...nothing but smiles. Being an Ashland wedding, we were able to bring in all 3 of us for their special day. We had Chris cover the ladies at the hair salon while Brad and I set up at the reception hall. Lately, I've been reading quite a few blogs about having multiple shooters on wedding day. I hear from friends who have been in bridal parties recently that the solo photographer just didn't capture everything they could have. It's hard to be in two places at once.

I think the beauty of having multiple experienced photographers is that we are able to accurately capture the entire story, not just the bride, not just the groom. During the reception, I've had numerous moms and dads approach me and comment on how wonderful it is to see what the guys were up to while the bridesmaids were at the salon, or vice versa.  Our slogan is Live Your Day, Share Your Story... and that's hard to do with only one photographer. Again, this all relates to experience, and I appreciate sincerely the photographers who shoot solo... in fact...kudos! However, they still can't be in two places at once.

With Hillary and Jim, we got a chance to steal the guys away for some fun group shots while the bride was getting into her dress... thus, we were able to capture the full story. :) The wedding was beautiful and was held in St. Edwards Church in downtown Ashland. It was a beautiful day all around, with sun pouring in through the windows during the ceremony.

We had a lot of fun working with Hillary and Jim and we can't wait to see what they think about their photography. Congratulations you two, from all of us at Kaufman Kramer!

-Steve

Krista and Scott (Rain or Shine...)

Hi everyone! We got a chance to shoot with a wonderful couple in Columbus recently, Krista and Scott. Now, this was an interesting story. Scott, who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, was unavailable (for obvious reasons) to shoot an engagement session with his finacé, Krista. Now, this absolutely bummed me out because they are both such cool individuals, I knew that we would have had a blast had we the chance to shoot with them before wedding day.

As a photographer, flexibility is essential. One of the key aspects of our business is our ability to work with a client before wedding day. This is allows us to build rapport with our client, and it really helps take "the edge off". How many times have we had a camera pointed in our direction and we freeze? Plus... our engagement sessions rock ;) , so... you can understand why I was bummed. Luckily, I was able to cover their rehearsal dinner, which turned out to be great since I got a chance to steal them away for a "mini" engagement session.

The reason why I named this post "rain or shine" is because we had a ridiculously rainy weekend. A funny story happened to Brad and I as we were shooting. The reception hall was in this fantastic old warehouse in Downtown Columbus. It's called "The Venue" at Smith Bros. Now, the Smith Bros. building burned a few years back, and was renovated into multiple reception sites for weddings, corporate events, etc... Wedding day allowed for enough time for Brad and I to preset our photography table with the slideshow for Krista and Scott, extra gear, etc... While we were out shooting the bride and groom at the hotel, it absolutely down-poured. Since the reception hall was an old warehouse, the roof would leak in hard rain. Luckily, one of the staff (who we owe a debt of gratitude and cookies too, btw) noticed that our photography setup was getting dripped on. She moved our table out of the way just in time... since our iMac was just about to get rained on. No harm done...but definitely a close one.

Despite the rain, we had a great time shooting with Krista and Scott, and I think they're going to love the photography. Scott is going to be deployed shortly after the wedding for up to a year, and so I hope that both them can look back at our photos and remember what a wonderful wedding day they had during their time apart.

Congratulations you two...and come home safe Scott! :)

-Steve

Erica and Danny (From the Beach to the Chapel)

The thing I love most about working with Erica and Danny is that they are adventurous. There is something to be said for couples who are up for anything, and that is by definition, exactly what Erica and Danny are in to. We met these two last year and we were so excited to shoot with them during our Kaufman Kramer Photography weekend. They graciously agreed to shoot a "Trash the Dress" session with us in addition to their engagement session. Anything in the interest of great photography right? What I find to be wonderful about Erica and Danny is that they both have very strong personalities. Danny is very laid back, and really enjoys letting Erica run with her ideas. Erica is the strong-willed, adventurous type who knows exactly what she wants. (And the camera loves her) ;) When it comes to photography in general, I've always felt that it is the responsibility of the photographer to capture the personality of their subjects. I think in Erica and Danny's case, their personality comes through in every photograph. One thing I've always enjoyed about shooting is the chance to meet cool people. We've been blessed as photographers to have nothing but great relationships with each of our clients. Through our many interactions, from the Trash the Dress, to the Engagement Session, to the Boudoir Shoot, to the Wedding Day, every experience we've had with Erica and Danny has been exciting, vibrant, and a great chance to produce awesome images.

One thing I always tell clients during my client consultations is that it is ESSENTIAL that we work together before the wedding day. Before the wedding, I had worked with Erica specifically 3 times, and going into the wedding day, we already had a great rapport built up. I think that's what makes the difference between the photographer that shoots for the paycheck and the photographer that shoots for love of photography. We deal in relationships...we invest in people. I've been hearing many clients say that we'll be their photographers for life. For me, there is no greater honor as a photographer to hear a client say that. If I can be included in the list of...My Doctor is...My Dentist is... My Photographer is... then my job is done.

I just wanted to say thank you to Erica and Danny for continuing to invest in our relationship and for being so awesome over this past year. I can't wait to see what you think about your images, and I can't wait for the next time we get to work together.

Congratulations from myself, and all of the Kaufman Kramer crew! You guys rock.

-Steve