Category Archives: Wedding

Part II of III

After absorbing Vania & Christine’s insightful presentation, {and of course asking questions freely}, we got our photography gear together and headed out to a private orchard to shoot a group session. Their location of choice is perfect. They have definitely inspired me to seek my own reliable “outdoor studio” here in Dayton.

The models, married couple Kristian & Skyler, were adorable! They were open to all suggestions and calmly posed in spite of having “18 shutters & 36 eyes all over them” as Vania explained in the recap of the workshop.

I love photographing just before sunset when so many gorgeous colors unapologetically flaunt their beauty:

Vania & Christine brought a mini trampoline and it was genius! Kristian was adventurous enough to do a few takes for us {in the amazing wedding gown} and this is probably one of my favorites from the day. She made flying look effortless:

I’m so glad they included a group session! I loved watching Simply Bloom work together and get a better understanding of how they direct their clients during a shoot. There is so much to learn by observing. At first I felt a little shy to “jump in,” but I find comfort holding my camera. It’s familiar. I forget that at this point it’s hard to put on shoes or bend over… There is an energy that compels me to capture everything that is playing so beautifully before my eyes. I have a hard time putting it down.

Thank you for sharing this experience with me as I revisit such a fantastic workshop! In the final part, I will share how they’ve impacted me personally at this “interesting” season in my life.

Pin It

Part I of III

I have been anticipating the moment when I could reflect and share the goodness from an experience that will most certainly shape the rest of my photography career. I am obviously referring to the absolutely amazing Simply Bloom Workshop I attended last week in Huntsville, Alabama.

If you aren’t familiar with Christine & Vania’s work, then you must check out their portfolio and blog! Every time they post new material I am impressed by their unique vision, talent, and most of all, consistency. They draw out the beautiful essence of each and every lucky person that is captured with their cameras. Their style is romantic and their artwork truly inspires me. I was thrilled when they announced that their workshop would be held during a time when I could attend.

Simply Bloom Photography is relatively new to the wedding photography industry, but it’s not an accident that their partnership is light years beyond their two year experience. As they shared their story, it’s very clear Christine & Vania are passionate and committed to their work. They both graduated as graphic designers and evolved into photographers {one of the reasons I love them so much}. Their evolution was not by chance, they’ve mastered their craft on purpose. They have put a lot of time and research into how to remarkably push the envelope in their business and their images. It’s usually difficult for two artists to work together so fluidly, but there is an absence of competition or pride. Watching them work and interact in perfect sync was enough to make us all wish that perhaps our best friends will be interested in forming a photography partnership someday…

I took some quick snapshots during our breaks, because the chapel was so adorable I couldn’t resist:

For some reason this pregnancy has me disliking cake {what once used to be one of my favorite desserts}. However, the peanut butter frosting from Gigi’s Cupcakes was pure addiction. I won’t lie, I’ve fantasized about having it again…

It was adorable how Christine used the trampoline for a little more height. Being 62 {and a half} inches myself, I can appreciate any and every little boost I can find!

Vania… she has one of the biggest smiles of anyone I’ve ever met!

The models were actually past wedding clients for Vania & Christine. They were fantastic & very patient with all of us scrambling to shoot them.

The workshop was a full day and intense. I don’t think I’ve scribbled so many notes since my Flash class {no kidding, seven large pages and I write terribly small}. Being eight months pregnant, I was a little nervous about the trip & whether I’d be able to keep up with everyone else. It was so incredible I almost forgot about my limitations until dinner. By the time our crème brûlée arrived, I could barely keep my eyes open. I can’t remember the last time a day has passed so quickly, but exhausted never felt so good!

Christine and Vania, thank you so much for all the work & preparation you put into such a lovely workshop. You made us all feel very welcome and shared so many valuable insights that I ponder over constantly. You deserve every honor and recognition that you have earned, you work so hard & produce amazing photographs. Thank you for inspiring me & teaching so much! ♥

{I will be posting my favorite shots from the styled session in the Part II Post from the Simply Bloom Workshop}.

Pin It
  • Mayra - April 26, 2010 - 5:17 pm

    Andrea! These are AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS! You described it PERFECTLY! THANK YOU for sharing our wonderful day with everyone! XX

  • Amy McClain - April 26, 2010 - 7:31 pm

    you are impressive as always dear <3

  • […] Images Below by Andrea Dozier: […]

  • Ashley - April 27, 2010 - 11:09 am

    I LOVE YOUR PICTURES!!!!

  • […] Vania of Simply Bloom Photography. It was such an amazing experience, you can read more about it here & here {I will posting part III of III soon}. They also posted a recap and shared some of my […]

  • david - August 25, 2010 - 6:52 pm

    hi amazing blog and images
    I wonderd if you would share some of your processing techniques to get that loveley hazy summer look?

    I would love to attend the courses but unforrtunatey i dont have the money not to mention im in the wrong country 🙂

    I look foreward to your reply , I would be ever so greatful if you take the time to explain the process a little?

    thanks again

    Dave

  • […] experience Laura‘s experience Tiffany‘s experience Leah‘s experience Andrea‘s […]

  • Larissa - December 19, 2010 - 12:05 pm

    These images are so gorgeous! I was going to sign up for their course but unfortunately they have always been too far away for me as well =( I am with David on the hazy summer look. Would you be able to email me on the processing technique & explain the process a little to get this look? I would really appreciate it!!

    All the best!

    Larissa

Sarah has to be one of the most creative, artistic, and inventive brides I have ever met. I was so excited when we talked about her wedding & all the details she’d been working on. I felt so honored that she saw something in my personal work and trusted me to capture her wedding in Duluth, Minnesota. Many of these images are also on my portfolio site, but you’ll find a few new ones too. Since this wedding has her fingerprints all over it, I asked Sarah to share some of her thoughts:

I’m not like most girls. I never bought a wedding magazine, I never fantasized about diamond rings or white dresses… not until, that is- the day I had an engagement ring on my finger. Part of that could be attributed to my natural independence, but another part could be attributed to the minimal six months it took my husband, Joe to go from first date to proposal. He went to Israel with his Dad (all of a week after he met my parents) and came home with a custom-made ring from Tel Aviv. Despite the quick jump to a proposal, we had a fairly traditional length engagement, a little over a year. So this is when my innate need for originality and creativity sprung into action. A complete obsession with all things wedding ensued…

I always have and will always be completely driven by aesthetics. So, when planning this wedding my first priority was that it had to be beautiful, followed closely by original and affordable. The key to an original, beautiful and affordable wedding? DIY. I’ve always been a bit of an “art nerd” so there was no question- I would be hand-crafting everything I could for this wedding. Therein lies complete creative control. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent with paper, scissors, micron pens, hot glue, burlap sacks and ribbon strewn across the table in front of me. This is the beauty of a 13-month engagement though, you can invest in creative processes over a long period of time (it seems long at first, but wow, does it go by quick).

I loved her eclectic centerpieces. She used sheet music, vintage postcards, ribbon, twine, etc. to make each one unique. Her favors were burlap bags with chocolate covered coffee beans tucked inside… loved them!

Don’t be afraid to go non-traditional routes, with your location, invitations, centerpieces, anything and everything. More often than not, when you throw traditional expectations out you will end up more accurately representing yourselves as a couple and… saving money (oh, how wonderful!). Don’t believe me? Well, I have examples. Our invitations were vintage postcards with added paper decals displaying our names and the wedding date on the front and rubber-stamped wedding information (date, place etc) on the back. When it was all said and done, those invitations cost about 50 cents apiece, letter-pressed invitations (and RSVP cards) bought at retail can cost $5 or more apiece, easily. This option saved us anywhere from $500-$800. Hopefully, they came across as creative and aesthetically pleasing as well. I thought they were.

Another, traditional “must have” that can get expensive is live floral centerpieces. I knew we didn’t have the dough to cover $70 centerpieces for each table-yikes. So my solution was to make flowers from book paper, floral wire and vintage buttons. Joe even contributed “baby’s breath” made from speaker wire and crumpled paper. Explore options for centerpieces, express your personality, and as a result, very likely save money.

I loved that they wrote their own vows. It made the ceremony very personal.

She was stunning. I’ve known her for years and now she’s all grown up. {Sigh}.

They were married at The Historic Duluth Depot in Duluth, Minnesota. I love when brides have their ceremony & reception in the same venue. It gave us a lot of time for portraits, there was a lot to work with in a small vicinity. During cocktail hour, guests were able to peruse the museum and look at the train exhibits:

Location, location, location: The venue- dun dun dun. This is a big decision. But never fear, the non-traditional rules apply here too. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make the white walls of a convention center look good? You will save yourself a lot of time and money (not to mention hours of fighting with rolls of tulle) by choosing a venue that speaks for its self. Out-door weddings are becoming increasingly popular; barns, State parks and family member’s back yards. You name it. But don’t forget that museums, concert venues and in our case, train museums also make great venues. The Historic Duluth Depot with its French château style architecture, 88-foot ceiling and two original brick fireplaces made for an easy (tulle-free) venue choice. Joe’s grandpa also worked for the railroad in Duluth, so he was able to tell guests about the trains in the railroad museum during cocktail hour. He even designed a few of them. Duluth was a perfect spot for our wedding because of familial ties, a historic charm, beautiful views of Lake Superior and most conveniently- affordability. Future brides, keep this in mind during planning- often venues outside of the city are cheaper, as are caterers etc.

Sarah & Joe also agreed to do a “first look” before the ceremony. It allowed them to have some special portraits taken during some peaceful & private moments. Every bride will admit that once guests have access to them, it can be hard to steal time away {especially with family traveling hundreds of miles to see you}.

These were taken during the family portraits. I love that they have non-traditional backdrops for their family & wedding party portraits.

The bridesmaids were fearless, I’m not sure how they maneuvered up the train in heels! I climbed up after this shot, and it was quite a step…

After the ceremony there is also a sense of excitement & relief. Big smiles are abundant. Adding the handcar into the scene was hilariously fun.

Again, I really liked that they were all willing to move around & let me work in some creative places for their portraits. Makes it so much more fun to look back on…

The End. The Beginning.

I hope that this was helpful to brides planning their weddings! I would love to do a DIY post about how she made her paper flowers next time she’s in town {ok, Sarah?}. Stay tuned. Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your advice & perspective. It was an amazing honor to capture your lovely day ♥.

Pin It

In honor of the respect I have for the military and all they have sacrificed for us since September 11, I wanted to share a special post. I went to high school with Kelly, but only recently got to know her. She is incredible, an army wife who has really inspired me (she finished a bachelor’s degree with two children at home during this deployment}! Her husband, Jerry, will be coming home from a year long deployment in a few weeks and I wanted to share their Rock the Dress Shoot. He had an emergency in the family and ended up coming home for about a week last spring. We went out and shoot this during that special time when he would only be there for a few moments before returning to Egypt. I loved these pictures because they were so genuine. I barely had to ask them to do anything, the joy and love was all over their faces. It was such an honor to be able to capture it. {I give Military 10% off portrait sessions}.

DSC_0290 copy

DSC_0303 copy

A lot of photographers call it Trash the Dress, but I prefer to think of it as a glamorous session. I’m not against anyone ruining their dress, but a lot of people who are booking these sessions with me are really wanting “the wedding pictures they never had.” It’s an opportunity to take beautiful pictures without the stress or time constraints of the wedding. Grooms are optional, but encouraged to come.
Please contact me if you are interested, I think it’s a lovely way to remember and renew the love from your special day.

DSC_0146 copy copy

3

2_vertical

DSC_0143 copy

Pin It