Jennifer and Bryce (Wow.)

Hey everyone. We've been excited for this wedding for a LONG time coming. When Chris and Brad first told me about meeting Jennifer and Bryce at the McBroom Wedding last year, I thought to myself, hmmm... ok, I really hope the book with us. As luck would have it, Jennifer and Bryce did book with us and we were able to produce one of the coolest engagement sessions to date for them. They are both huge Michigan State fans, and thus we traveled up to Lansing, Michigan to shoot on the MSU campus. We had so much fun and developed such a great relationship with them over the past year that when it came time to shoot their wedding, it seemed nothing short of bittersweet. On the one hand, we were so excited to shoot for them, and on the other, we were sad that we wouldn't have them to look forward to. (I guess we'll have to wait for them to pick us up for baby pictures...right?) Jennifer and Bryce did a great job of allowing time for photography and Jen in particular had so many ideas of her own that we really couldn't have asked for a more perfect situation with which to be creative. The hair salon, Salon Seventy Six, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan was awesome. It was located on a picturesque downtown area with lots of shops and character...great for candids! The church was AMAZING. The reception hall was fantastic. It was just a great day with perfect weather and lots of great places to shoot. We couldn't ask for more! The one thing that absolutely blew me away was that the song that we selected for their engagement session video "To Show You My Love" by Mike Schmid, wound up being the song they used for their first dance. I remember thinking, oh wow... that's truly an honor for us, and that we really connected with our client on a whole other level.

Many of our couples check out our blog after the wedding day to see what we write, and I, as well as the Chris and Brad want to personally thank Jennifer and Bryce for allowing us to be apart of your special day. You guys were great to us, and your families were so much fun to work with. We hope you love the photography as much as we loved producing it. Enjoy!

-Steve

A little something extra for Jen and Bryce:

Tausha and Luke. The Engagement...

Hi everyone! David and I got a chance to shoot with a really cool couple, Tausha and Luke and we wanted to share some of the photos from their engagement session. This was an especially fun shoot for us because I got a chance to work with David, (a really good friend of KKP's.) David (also known as the guy who waves his hands at the camera in EVERY blog post) started shooting with us a little over a year ago and he's really been producing some great stuff. I'll have some blog posts in the coming weeks that showcase some of his work. I think it's important to work with different shooters on occasion just to mix things up a bit and to provide another critical eye. Tausha and Luke were very easy to work with and after we loosened them up a bit, (mainly by David and I just making fun of each other) the photos really started to take off. I always stress with our clients the importance of working with their wedding photographer before wedding day. There's just something about building rapport and knowing what to expect that helps put minds at ease on wedding day. When we first started KKP (almost 4 years ago...) we didn't offer engagement sessions right off the bat, and I think it impacts your ability to engage with a client on wedding day. It's nice to experience something familiar, and as stressful as wedding day is, the one thing you don't want to worry about is whether or not your photographer is going to produce for you. The KKP engagement sessions are really one of our strongest attributes, because we're always traveling to locations we don't know, and we're forced to think outside the box. I think that's one of the huge draws for me personally when I decided to become a photographer. Always new. Not just sitting in a cubicle with the same old monotonous tasks to complete.

This was a great engagement session, and I hope you enjoy the video!

-Steve K.

Jillian and Walter, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Hi everyone! I wanted to share one of our latest couples with all of you...Jillian and Walter. This was a very cool wedding. The wedding took place on May 30th in Akron at a place called Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. I must say, this location was absolutely beautiful. Lots of old-English buildings, tea garden, flower gardens, and little nooks and crannies that provided us with tons of great setups for photography. It was interesting being at such a huge property because this location can actually accommodate 2-3 weddings simultaneously, and thus the staff there coordinate to keep the brides from seeing each other. It was cool to turn the corner and see another wedding party. The funny thing was that I think that the photographers sized each other up as much as the brides did. "Oh...he's a Canon shooter...Oh... he's got a Nikon". I always try to be friendly towards everyone we meet, because hey, we're all in this together right? Let that be a lesson to other photographers who may just be starting out. Don't nay-say the competition, it reflects poorly on you, and you wouldn't want other photographers doing it to you.

Jillian had one of the coolest bouquets I've ever seen. Each rose in her bouquet was made of wood. Each one was hand-painted and looked so real that you literally couldn't tell they were wood unless you tried to smell them. The best thing about it is that she can keep her bouquet forever! Very different, and very beautiful. Overall, it was a a great ceremony, and the weather was perfect. Enjoy!

-Steve

Holly and Andy

We know...we know... the midst of wedding season tends to get a bit hectic, so we haven't gotten a chance recently to update you on some of our weddings. However, I think that now is a perfect time to share some of the awesome weddings from the year thus far. One of our recent couples, Holly and Andy were married in May, and actually, right after the wedding there was a crazy rainstorm that blew through. Luckily, their church had some great locations to set up some creative shots. Remember, clouds aren't a bad thing...just a giant softbox in the sky. ;) Holly and Andy have been friends of ours for awhile now, so it was really fun to get them to mix things up a bit with us. (We do love those adventurous brides) - Oh, and when the storm did finally pass through... Let's just say, amazing sunset.

Check them out, and again, Congratulations you two!

-Steve

Danielle and Matthew

Hi everyone! Brad and I were down in Columbus a week ago for our latest engagement session for Danielle and Matthew. Danielle and Matt picked out some cool locations toward the downtown area of Columbus. We walked around the German Village area and got some great back-alley shots. We love to put our subjects in warm light with colorful backgrounds, and downtown Columbus is full of detail-rich places to shoot. The shoot was a a lot of fun and we are definitely looking forward to the wedding.

On engagement sessions, it important to keep things easy going and relaxed. It's a delicate balance for photographers because on the one hand, you want to get as many setups in as you can before your light is gone, and on the other, you don't want to rush your couple because it sets up a negative atmosphere where they can't be themselves. Brad and I kid around all the time with clients, tell lots of stories, and generally just make fun of each other. "If you can't laugh at yourself...right?" It's important to keep the conversation going and to make sure to take this valuable one-on-one time to build raport with each couple. Often, as a photographer, you only get to work with the client once before the wedding day, and that day may be a year away! So...make it count.

Here's a preview of their engagement session. Enjoy!

Holly and Andy

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share with all of you a video on some friends of ours, Holly and Andy. Andy works with Brad and I at Ashland and we were honored when he selected us to be his photographers for the big day. We had some very windy weather when we originally shot their engagement session, so we followed it up with another session a few weeks later on Ashland's main campus. Luckily, AU looks like a botanical garden 90% of the time. Definitely great to have home field advantage. Check it out! -Steve