Trying to catch up on the blog, I have not been good about keeping up to date lately. Ashley and I shot this wedding in Winterset, Iowa on May 7th. Barbara and Krisda are two amazing people. I can't even start to tell you some of the amazing things their friends had to say about them. We had a great time working with the two of them, their families, and all their friends.

Winterset has some fun spots for photos. Most people instantly go to the covered bridges...which are cool...but don't stop there because you will miss some great locations. The hedge maze in city park, the town square, or the alleys around the shops. There are a lot of great spots that aren't red and covered and over water.

Unfortunately there was a lot of construction going on around the town square so we headed over to city park to shoot some photos. The wedding party was a lot of fun and up for the hiking we had to do around city park to get some of our shots. It was a little warm, but they were more than willing to go along. We had a great time and wish these two nothing but the best. Congratulations Barbara and Krisda!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 2:42 AM | Permalink

The first sight is one of the biggest moments of the wedding day. Whether it be during the ceremony or before hand like this photo below. While some brides and grooms are still choosing to see each other for the first time during the ceremony, 90% of our brides and grooms do a first sight like this one below where we setup the groom in a location and the bride walks up behind him and taps him on the shoulder to turn around and see her for the first time on their wedding day.

Shooting the first sight is tough. You want to get several reactions and angles and it all happens very fast. If family and friends are present it complicates it even further. Here is a quick list of the reactions/shots I want:

1. The groom waiting.
2a. The bride approaching.
2b. The bride approaching in the background with the groom in the foreground.
3. The grooms reaction to seeing his beautiful bride.
4. The brides reaction to seeing her studly groom.
5. The kiss that inevitably happens.
6. The reaction of any family or friends who may be onlookers at the time.
7. The bride and groom's behavior when we don't tell them what to do next.

It is tough to cover all of that with just one person. Luckily Ashley and I work on a different level than most and know exactly what the other is doing. That allows us to capture these moments from many angles and perspectives very quickly without taking the exact same photo. There is no other team like Ashley and I and that comes from the fact that we are married and know each better than anyone else. It allows us to be completely open and honest with each other regarding our photography and how we work together.

This first sight is from a recent wedding with Amber and Brian. We shot these first sight photos in the Sculpture Garden in Downtown Des Moines. There were a lot of people in the garden that day, but you wouldn't be able to tell from these photos. (Another important aspect of how Ashley and I shoot.) These two photos show the different angles Ashley and were working from for this first sight. We will always recommend an outside first sight, but we also do them at church alters if so desired. Congratulations again to Amber and Brian!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 1:53 AM | Permalink

Ashley shot these great photos of Mason downtown at the sculpture garden. The sculpture garden has become a destination of choice because it provides some green as well as a city feel. We really like shooting there and will do so more and more.

Mason certainly enjoyed his shoot. It may just be me, but I think Mason resembles dad a little bit...judge for yourself. Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 4:30 PM | Permalink

I recently photographed Jager's 9 month photos. His parents brought along the coolest John Deere tractor. So we headed out to the barn at Valley High School for some simulated farm photos. Jager was in an outstanding mood especially for how cool it was out. He didn't stop smiling for the entire shoot.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 6:00 PM | Permalink

Annabelle recently turned two and we had the opportunity to photograph her for her birthday. Ashley and I have both had the opportunity to photograph her before. This time I had the honor. (I would have fought Ashley for the right to do it) Annabelle is great in front of the camera and we had such a fun time. Anytime the subject of your photographs signs thank you to you, you know it was a good shoot.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:53 PM | Permalink

Last week Ashley and I photographed Amber and Brian's downtown Des Moines wedding. The weather was exactly how you'd like for a wedding day. Beautiful and sunny. As photographers we would prefer partly cloudy to give some intermittent shade to shoot in, but we work with what we have. What we ended up with are some amazing photos of a beautiful couple. I've known Amber for quite some time as we graduated in the same high school class together.

The wedding and reception were held downtown at the Des Moines Convention Center. This location provided us access to some of downtown's best photo locations. One being just outside the convention center. We started photos at the sculpture garden before moving back the convention center. Amber and Brian had a great timeline and left us more than enough time for photos. Which we certainly took advantage of. With the sun high in the sky midday it creates some challenges with shadows on faces and hot spots on hair, etc. So we do our best to position them for photos and take care when shooting. That doesn't mean that we take 5 minutes to get one shot, it means we know what we are looking for and slight adjustments to head position or the direction they are looking make a huge difference. We ... just know.

We had an amazing time with Amber, Brian, friends, and family. The wedding was fantastic and the photos show the love these two have for each other. Congratulations Amber and Brian!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 7:39 AM | Permalink

A couple weekends ago Ashley and I photographed Courtney and Matt's wedding at the Fort Des Moines Museum. The location was beautiful, the weather ... well not so much. We've known Courtney for a while now as we photographed her senior photos as well. Courtney is the best self poser we have ever worked with. She just knows what to do and if we try to chagne it, it only makes it look awkward.

While the weather was less than ideal we still made it outside to get some fun photos and with the cloudy weather the lighting was perfect. The large reflecting pool that sits between the chapel and the museum made a great spot for photos. Of course it would have been better had we not been so cold. Everyone was still up for it despite the weather and we got some great shots. Congratulations to Courtney, Matt, and Family!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 6:24 PM | Permalink

Ashley, Levi, and I photographed Michaela and Jon's wedding April 16th and the Temple for the Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines. The weather was fantastic and our April streak of getting outside photos continued. Going on 4 years now. It was the first time that we'd shot a wedding at the Temple for the Performing Arts, but hopefully not the last. The location was beautiful and made for some great shots during the ceremony and reception.

Ashley only stayed for part of the day so Levi and I shot everything from formals on. Following the ceremony we left for a short time and headed over the capital before heading to the sculpture park which is not far from the ceremony location at all. The things that happened at the sculpture can only be described as awesome. I was in very little control of the situation and that worked out great because the bridal party had some awesome ideas. Including hand stands and twin human pyramids.

We had an amazing time and the wedding was beautiful. Michaela, Jon, family, and friends were all great to work with and really helped turn out the photos that we did. Congratulations to Michaela and Jon!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 8:57 AM | Permalink