Updating the Website

I have never really done a formal introduction to my website that was launched late last year. From the web stats, I do know that folks check it out, and that makes me just a tad giddy inside and a bit nerve racking. It is like a mini-art gallery out in the public to view and critic, but you are not around to listen. But unlike a conventional art gallery, I can go in and change the photos as my style changes making it infinitely customizable and always evolving. Over the last several days while I was gone from blog land I was supplementing the galleries with new photographs and doing some general maintenance. I also added a new separate portrait section that I am excited to "curate".

So if you have not done so in a while, or ever done so, go check it out the site and let me know what you think!

Album Design Sample

I love, love, LOVE being around people, and that is probably why being at weddings is such a fantastic experience. There are lots of folks who are talkative and excited about being at a celebration. Personally, I thrive and gain a lot of creative energy from being around folks, talking about how they know the couple, funny stories they can share, and generally enjoying the lively jokes and antidotes that present themselves during the day. That interaction endears me even more to the couple and helps push me create the most beautiful images possible.

But there is a part of the process that often leaves me in a great deal of solitude. That part is the editing and designing of the album in my digital darkroom. What takes a day to shoot, can take potentially weeks to complete, and takes a great deal of that creative energy to put together a story the encompasses the entire events of the day. Although I am so energized by being around people, I can sometimes become so focused on the editing that I have been know to loose track of time. Because in the end, the album is going to be finishing detail to pull the entire experience together.

My greatest joy is that every album design is as unique and inspired as each couple it will be presented to. There are no cookie-cutter templates to draw from, and my goal is make the album truly represent that particular wedding, while working closely with the couple to make sure it hits the mark. This is the first family heirloom a couple will have, the very beginning of a life together, so you could say there is a little bit of pressure to get it just right. Ultimately, I want these pieces to stand the test of time, but maintain the personality of the couple that excited me so much on their wedding day.

The album below is the first I have posted on this blog. As I post more in the future, it will be apparent how unique each design is. This first album sample is from a small, intimate wedding with a classic feel. It is 10 spreads (20 pages) in total, and in the words of the brides sister, "this is them". Enjoy!

Press Printed Books ::.. Guest Books and Engagement Album Previews

Today is a little sneak peak of a smaller album that arrived at my office yesterday. This book is simply perfect as a guest sign-in book or an engagement album. Smaller in size and with a few less options then a wedding album, it has several features that make it perfect for presentation at a wedding reception. To give you a feel for the size of this album it is 20 pages, or 10 spreads in length -- the standard size option for this book.

The pages are thinner then our modern wedding albums, these pages are still firm and come with gorgeous photo printing. The turn-around time for ordering these is also significantly much quicker, so we are able to have them in time for the wedding day. It also comes in a variety of covers including leather in three colors (black, red, and brown), fabric (black, brown, and tan), or a custom printed photo cover with an optional matching dust jacket. On leather covers, foil stamping of name and dates is also an option.

My favorite feature is that the custom designed layouts are printed on hinge paper that lies flat, making it easy for guests to write a note. An acid free archival pen is also provided and found to be the best to work on the paper's surface and not leave smudges, but still preserve the quality of the printed images. That is some serious goodness going on.

For questions on album options provided by our studio, please feel free to send an email to info@amyclarkphotography.com. Tomorrow I will take a peak inside a custom layout designed for this particular album.

DIY Manzanita Tree

Another fantastic DIY project from the folks at Wedding Chicks. In earlier posts I gave links to their free templates for Thank You Card Templates and Day of Materials (menus, labels, escort cards). I do love when folks ask for suggestions of unique elements to add to their wedding, and the best touches are always the ones that are the most personal. Today's tip is the Manzanita Tree, a piece that can easily be incorporated in the decor, but also invites your guests to participate and add well wishes and suggestions for the bride and groom. All of the materials can be found at local craft stores, and a bit of help from nature and can easily be adapted to utilize fallen branches from trees at home. Click here for the instructions.

a brush with history

I would be remiss if I did not share my little brush with history today as the 44th President is inaugurated in Washington. This post is certainly not about political preference, but instead a couple of choice encounters with President Obama, before and after he stepped onto the national stage. As those close to me know, I spent some time living in Des Moines, which is the caucus capitol of the country. All the presidential hopefuls of both parties storm through the state stopping in small towns and trying to gain the favor with the local caucus goers over a year before the primaries begin.

On February 10th, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for presidency in Chicago. The very next public appearance he made was the next day in Ames, Iowa. A friend of mine worked for the state senator that represents Ames, and because he could not go, he gave her the VIP tickets to the event. Apparently we were fortunate because they ran out of tickets and filled the Iowa State University arena. We arrived early and found standing spots right behind the press cage. I only brought my small point and shoot camera with me, but I did capture a few images from that day. Even more interesting for me is that I left these photos untouched and unedited for almost a year before I pulled them out of my digital storage.

This was not the first time I had heard Obama speak before. In 2006 my friend asked if I wanted to help out at event they were holding for Senator Tom Harkin. It was his annual steak fry, and the first term Senator Obama was going to come and address the attendees as the keynote speaker. I said "why not," I was willing to direct traffic in the parking lot and in return get a free steak lunch.

The then Senator Obama took the stage and delivered and eloquent speech, it was certainly obvious that he was a master of creating an imagery a crowd could relate too. He was relatively unknown having gained some notoriety for giving his "no red states or blue states, but the United States of America" speech at the Democratic National Committee Convention. I really knew very little about him and only happened to have my point-and-shoot camera with me.

Looking back at the day was beyond his speech, rather it is the more poignant point of the stark contract between 2006 and January 2009. With the flood of images in the last several months, I doubt there will ever be an image again where anyone can get so close to him. He greeted almost anyone in the audience who wanted to meet with him and shook their hands and thanked them for coming. There was absolutely no security around him, the only folks following along was a two person C-SPAN crew and a couple of staff members who were talking with other folks there and not even at his side.

This picture will always hold a special place for me, but upon closer inspection you may notice something strange.

Lets zoom in a little closer to the folks in the background and call them out with a bright pink arrow. If you recall, I spent the afternoon directing traffic into the county fairgrounds. Apparently my face was sunburned every place my sunglasses did not cover, and not having looked in a mirror I had no idea. If you look closely, the C-SPAN videographer and his assistant and holding back laugher at my ridiculous raccoon look, but to his credit, Obama does not even bat an eyelash. So to you I say, good job President Obama, if nothing else for not making me feel like a complete goofball. But to you C-SPAN, I have a bone to pick with you.

Bride Wars

The bitter cold has hung on for so long in the Midwest that the moment it broke into the single digits, it seemed like a heat wave was declared and folks began milling about with a newfound sense of purpose. In my mind it felt like spring this weekend, even though it barely touched the teens, and remained even colder with wind chill. I was practically digging out my spring jacket. Instead of following my normal instinct in this type of weather to go to the store and stock up on supplies in anticipation for the next freeze, my good friend and I decided to take in a little movie. By unanimous consent we decided upon Bride Wars.

Now, there may be a slight bit of irony that I would be so willing to choose a movie on a day when I actually was not going to be at a wedding. But I wanted to embrace the experience, a little like extra credit, going the extra mile. In reality it is a chick flick of the most massive proportions, which is truly what we were in the mood for. The guy to girl ration in the theater was somewhere in the ballpark of 3 to 70. And the poor three fellows that were brought along looked like they were in a resigning mood. One even asked his girlfriend if he could take a nap. But the girls united, the over exaggerations brought laughter in their base of truth; the little blue tiffany box, trying to fit into the perfect wedding dress, and of course the bachelorette party. The movie really served as a reminder of how thankful I am that my brides and grooms do not fit the stereotype portrayed in the characters -- love how easy going everyone is that I work with, and I do feel blessed to work with folks truly love each other.

Golden Globe or Oscar contender--don't think so. Good movie to see with the girlfriends, you betcha.

Prints and Matboard

Not all prints are created equal. 8x10 and small prints generally are perfectly fine for display with professional photographic paper, and likely to have a long lifespan. Larger prints that are going to be used for display are also made from the same paper, but they have a tendency to not lay as flat in their frame. That is why I have all my large prints come mounted for display.

Folks always wonder exactly how thick the mat board will be and if it will add a lot of extra bulk making it difficult to frame. To give an idea of exactly how thick the mat board used to frame this 16x20 from the Fond du Lac National Guard, I did a little comparison. I am visual spacial learner, so I will use a DVD from Season 1 of the West Wing to compare.

It is thicker then the DVD, and the mat board is thick enough that this image is able to support itself. At 2mm, it is not overly thick, when in a frame it will remain flat and not curl. Just an extra little touch to make sure prints remain as perfect as the day you open the package. I really love how the print quality turned out on this print, and with the mat board, I am really proud to present this to my client.

Jennie :: Anytime Shoot

What seems like eons ago, I posted about a photo shoot I had with my good friend, Jennie. That teaser was posted all the way back at the end of November, and I am finally catching up and thought I would do a little of my personal photos in there. Jennie is my good buddy, and if there is anyone more obsessed with taking photographs then me, it would be her. In fact, she has been razzing me for quite some time now asking when I would post pictures from our impromptu photo shoot.

Can I just publicly embarrass Jennie a little bit and say that she is just a gorgeous person inside and out. Her idea of a fun afternoon activity on the weekend was to go around the area and scout locations for portrait sessions. Along the way we captured some pretty fantastic spots and practiced some new lighting techniques.

Enough talk, onto the photos.



Most definitely a favorite of mine.















At the end of the evening when the sun went down it actually started to get really quite cold; not as cold as the -30 degree weather we have now, but cold enough that my fingers started freezing without gloves. If I sit down and take the time, I will have to share the "who is out there" parking ramp series we created. Our attempt at photo "acting". Jennie even grabbed a few frames of me in there, and they are pretty funny.

amy is awesome ::.. nod in agreement

Amy is awesome. Nod and blink if you agree with that statement.




Thanks guys, I appreciate that.


(sorry, this is how I send my breaks when editing wedding photos)

twitter bug >{}<

Most of my photography buddies know what that little box is up on top is that gives random mini-updates of my life, but I know some of my favorite dedicated blog readers may not. Twitter meet blog readers, blog readers meet twitter.

Not that you have formally been introduced, you may wonder what that little box does. I like to think of it as a mini blog within a blog. Gives small snapshots into my life without the time of putting together a formal blog post -- tweets if you will. For folks who are familiar with facebook, this would be similar to the news feed feature, but usually funnier and a bit more updated. In some ways, it is just another social networking tool. For folks who cannot give up their love of facebook, there is also a twitter app you can install so the two can live harmoniously.

If you have a twitter account, or set one up, feel free to add me as a follower and I will return the favor. Just another way to stay connected.

walking on winnebago

A familiar site for folks who live in the Fox Valley is Lake Winnebago. It gets a bad wrap for being mucky and it certainly has a few things at the bottom that should not be there, but it certainly is a part of Wisconsin.

I have many memories of this lake. One involves my brother's first time driving a boat across to High Cliff State Park and ending up in a rain storm, another is wadding in at Fresh Air Camp as a kid--before it was invaded by invasive species. Two summers ago I even took a sailing workshop and with our small crew we manned it across the lake and watched the local sailing club have a small regatta as we flew by.

But there is one thing I have not done in quite some time--walked on Lake Winnebago when it was frozen over. At first when I stepped onto the ice I had a surreal moment. My brain knew that there was at least an 18 inch base and could see that there were snowmobiles off in the distance on a make-shaft course, but it seemed like the ice should not be able to hold the weight. The very top layer was crinkling with a slight melt for the sun, so my feet sank in momentarily, and first impulse was to jump back onto land, but I could see the other feet track marks and knew that they too sunk in slightly. Onward I moved along the shoreline, at peace with how quiet it was with the mostly isolated lake. Here are a few shots from my walk on winnebago.

Michael + Jennifer {the slideshow}

One last blog entry from Michael and Jennifer's amazing wedding. With so much fun and craziness going on, it could hardly be contained in just one set of photographs, so I will attempt to do it in an entire slideshow.

As I recap and finish up editing my first wedding of 2009, I have to say my favorite moment of the day was when everyone was sitting back and watching the slideshow they created for their reception. Watching everyone as they looked back at their lives growing up and coming together as a couple reinforced how important photos are for folks. Some evoked memories of cousins growing up together, parents showing their love, siblings causing a ruckus, and college shenanigans. Quite a few times there was a significant amount of laughter and signs of joy from the crowd when a certain picture appeared on the screen--simply because it was humorous or because they shared that moment with them. But all of the photos held a special place in Michael and Jennifer's life. Hopefully these new photos will become a part of their favorite memories as well.

A high resolution version will be available this afternoon, but for now--Enjoy!

Michael & Jennifer {I do} from Amy Clark on Vimeo.

Anything for a Good Photo :: Part 2

I posted a while back about how far I will go to make a photo work jumping in a pond to thigh high water. I knew it was snowy outside, but I wanted to make sure that my wedding party was comfortable, so I grabbed the shovel and expanded the path so everyone could fit outside and not get their feet too wet. While I ran outside with the shovel, I handed my camera to one of the groomsmen for safekeeping for a minute. At the reception he leaned over and said, "there may be a little surprise on there."

Fast forward to later that evening when I was doing my second back-up of all the images and I came across this little gem. Please note that I put this in slow motion, because in real life, I was going incredibly fast (just kidding):



I think it will be a new challenge for all my guests to capture me in the most awkward situations trying to capture the best photo. So the challenge is on. Anyone who sends it to me, I promise your handy work will be posted because if it makes me laugh, hopefully it will give someone else a little chuckle.

Jennifer + Michael {Tie the Knot}

Meet Michael and his entourage. There was not an usher in site, he only had bouncers. They double as lounge singers on the weekend. Jennifer and Michael had a pretty fantastic wedding planned, dare I say, a winter wonderland. Their ceremony was at the beautiful Faith Reformed Church in Wisconsin Rapids, and the reception was at th Biron Municipal Center. I love blues against the snow -- of which we had plenty. Not to mention the ice that coated our cars at the end of the night. I walked outside to find my entire car covered in an icy glaze, it looked like it started to rain and then froze upon impact. Two fantastic guests came over to my rescue and helped to scrape me out -- so to those rockin' guests a HUGE THANK YOU! I do not know what I would have done without you.

Alright, enough talk, time to show off some images:

It is fun to see the last minute "to-do" lists at the church.

Serious.



Not so serious.







Last minute preps before the bridal party enters the reception. Look at those game faces.



This cake tasted as delicious as it looks. I found out that it was done by a business called "Sweet Nothings" out of Rothschild, WI. My happy tummy recommends them highly. And let us not forget about the salt and pepper shakers -- I have seen a few weddings now who are finding antique ones online, occassionally I will run across them on etsy, and using them as cake toppers. These ones were just on the gift table, but really cute nonetheless.





So I took an obnoxious amount of ring shots, but there was just too much inspiration in the room not to try a couple different poses.





These kiddos were just adorable showing off their bell ringing skills. Mad props to all the talent.


They had a fantastic DJ, Steve Scholl, out of Sheboygan, who even brought his karaoke set up to spice things up a bit. If you are looking for someone awesome for your wedding, give me a buzz and I can send you Steve's contact information.

Congrats Jennifer and Michael! With all the love and support around you, your marriage is already truly blessed.