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How to Build Your Photography Business During Covid-19
I think every photographer and small business owner started feeling the anxiety set in when all of the government mandates started being announced, and the number of people who are allowed to be in a room together started decreasing very quickly from 250 to 50 to 10 in a matter of hours.
As a wedding photographer, my heart BREAKS for my brides and grooms who have had to cancel and postpone weddings. My first thoughts, of course, were for my couples. I spent those first few days helping all of my couples who are getting married in the next 8 weeks reschedule their weddings. Luckily all of my couples were absolutely amazing, their vendor teams were flexible, and they were all able to reschedule easily and handled the situation as gracefully as can be expected. My heart goes out to my sweet couples who have been looking forward to getting married for so long and have had to push back marrying the love of their life (or at least the celebration part).
After the craziness of helping my couples reschedule their weddings passed, the reality set in that I now won’t be able to shoot weddings or engagement sessions for the next 8 weeks. I will admit, I had a moment of panic and considered applying for jobs stocking shelves at a grocery story, but after I calmed down, I realized that the best thing I can do during this time is focus on my business. How many times during the last year have I wanted to do things for my business but I kept saying to myself “I don’t have time for that” or “I’ll work on that when I have more time.” Well, now, all we have is time, right? And the photographers who work on their businesses during this down time are the ones who will thrive when the economy bounces back after all of this.
I’ve put together a list below of a few things you can do for your photography business during these months of quarantine to help you get through this down time.
Practice New Skills
Do you have any new skills that you just haven’t had time to practice? Now is the perfect time to practice any skills that don’t involve other people. It might not be the best time to work on large group posing skills, but it IS the perfect time to work on using your camera in manual mode if that is something that you struggle with. Take a daily walk outside and take photos of all the flowers that are starting to pop up now that spring is starting to arrive. Take photos of your kids, significant other, or roommate in different lighting scenarios inside your home.
Maybe you are already super comfortable shooting in manual, but you need to work on your low light skills. Now is a great time to work on using your off-camera flash! Off-camera flash can be super intimidating when you first decide that you want to step up your flash game. I promise it’s not as hard as it seems, and you CAN master it during this down time. Early in the morning before the sun rises or later in the evening after the sun sets, set up some light stands and take some photos of your pets. When we finally get to start shooting weddings again, your couples will be so impressed at how much your reception photos have improved once you master your flash skills!
Build Your Online Presence
Are you someone who totally forgets to post on Instagram when your busy season hits? Or maybe you haven’t updated your blog in months? Now is the perfect time for all of those social media and online tasks that you’ve been putting off. Here’s a few ways to build your online presence while we can’t shoot weddings and sessions:
Post on Instagram at least once a day.
Update your portfolio on your website with your favorite recent photos.
Post all of your recent weddings and sessions on your blog.
Take some new headshots in your home, and introduce yourself to your audience.
Work on growing your Pinterest audience.
Submit your work for publications in blogs and magazines.
Support other small businesses by commenting on their photos and sharing their work.
Work On the Back End of Your Business
If you’re like most photographers, you probably view yourself as an artist more so than you view yourself as an entrepreneur or business owner. I’m in the minority where I actually feel the opposite. That’s because I majored in finance and economics, and I have a background in financial analysis as well as auditing insurance companies. I do love creativity too, but I’m someone who loves BOTH aspects of owning a photography business. I realize that that’s not the case for most photographers though. Most photographers hate figuring out the financial side of the business, the legal side, and the back end technical side. I totally understand that it’s easy to procrastinate the tasks in our business that we won’t enjoy as much. But while we’re not shooting, we don’t have an excuse to procrastinate these tasks. Here’s a few ways you can improve the back end of your business.
Set up your business legally if you haven’t already! Each state is different, so look up the steps you need to take to legally set up your business in your state (or country).
Get professional contracts that better protect both you and your clients. If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer to personally write your contracts for you, my favorite legal resources for photographers are the LawTog and the Legal Paige.
Get a CRM to improve your client experience. I personally use and love Dubsado. You can use this link for 20 percent off. Dubsado allows your clients to sign contracts online, pay invoices online, and fill out questionnaires for you. It keeps track of your bookkeeping, your calendar, sets up workflows to send things out automatically for you and SO much more!
Set up a business bank account and separate your business finances from your personal finances.
Figure out your Cost of Doing Business, so you can make sure your business is profitable.
Learn With Online Education
No matter what stage you are in in your business, we all still need to be constantly growing and improving through continuing education. No matter what career you have, continuing education along with real world experience is so important if you want to grow, improve, and get better at what you do. What better time is there than now to learn and grow in our photography careers through online education? My favorite educators are Katelyn James and Amy and Jordan. However, I realize that this is a difficult time economically for a lot of people, including photographers, if you are looking for free education, SkillShare is giving away two months of membership for free here. They have tons of photography and editing classes. I’m also working on developing free educational content for you here on my blog as well as over on my YouTube channel. If you have any specific questions or content that you would like to see from me, DM me over on Instagram and let me know!
I know this is a difficult time for all of us, and it can be so easy to give into fear and anxiety. Instead of focusing on the fact that we can’t go out and shoot right now, let’s focus on what we CAN do! I hope this list helps you! Let me know, what will YOU be doing to grow your business during Covid-19!
A Few New Headshots
I knew that I wanted to take advantage of all the the beautiful scenery that South Carolina while I was in Charleston last month for Colleen and Joe’s leap day wedding. In addition to all of the amazing nature in the city, we also chose to stay in the cutest little Airbnb! I loved the white and coastal look of the house, and when I saw the kitchen, I just knew I had to take some “headshots” in here!
I say “headshots” in quotations, because I realized recently that I use that word differently than most people! I never take the typical serious, professional, head and shoulders only shot while wearing a suit (at least not since my financial analyst days). Instead, I love more lifestyle photos that show off my personality that I can use to help my couples and followers get to know me more! And these are the types of photos I take for other small business owners with personal brands who need photos for their websites and social media as well! I love fun lifestyle photos that show business owners just having fun in their element. That was my goal with these photos of myself!
I have to give a huge shoutout to my friend, Hannah, for taking these for me! I set up the camera and flash settings and taught her how to focus the camera so that she could take all these photos for me! It’s so great to travel with fun friends!
I hope you enjoy seeing some of my favorite new “headshots!”
Are you looking for an Indianapolis, Indiana Wedding Photographer or a destination wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Please send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Rick's Cafe Boatyard Wedding
Kevin and Leila were actually married one year ago on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii. They decided on a casual elopement with only Kevin’s sister and her fiance present. They wanted to celebrate with all of their friends and family in Indianapolis a year later by repeating their vows to each other and holding a reception to celebrate. For the couple that loves beautiful views and adventure, Rick’s Cafe Boatyard was the perfect location to celebrate their marriage with loved ones. The stunning lake views were perfect even on a snowy March day.
I loved getting to witness Kevin and Leila’s love throughout the day. The sweet interactions, tears, and emotional moments made this wedding day so beautiful to witness and photograph. It’s getting to photograph wedding days like this one that make me realize just how important my job as a wedding photographer is. I love getting to document love.
Even through all of the snow on Saturday as well as the global pandemic that we are going through right now, nothing couple stop this sweet couple and their friends and family from celebrating their love on such a pretty snowy day on the lake.
Kevin and Leila, you two are amazing! Congratulations on your beautiful marriage and wedding day. It was SUCH an honor to get to be your wedding photographer. I can’t wait to finish editing your full wedding gallery. In the mean time, enjoy these sneak peaks!
A Huge Thank you to Kevin and Leila’s amazing vendor team:
Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Rick’s Cafe Boatyard
DJ: Don K Masters
Hair and Makeup: Jeffrey Sperber at Salon Lofts in Keystone
Catering: Rick's cafe boatyard
Bridal Gown: Faviana
Jewelry/Rings: Pacula Diamonds
Men’s Attire: Men's warehouse
Save the Date, Invitations, and Programs: Appy Couple
Favors/Gifts: coffee beans and candy for kids
Charleston Wedding Photographer
I LOVED getting to take photos with my friends, Hannah and Jack while we were all in Charleston, South Carolina. It is so much fun getting to be a Charleston Wedding Photographer with all of the beautiful nature that blooms all year round, even in February while it’s still technically winter in many other parts of the country. The stunning Hampton Park, located right in the heart of the city of Charleston was such a beautiful spot for our sunrise bride and groom wedding portrait session. The main thing we wanted for these photos was the classic, southern, Spanish moss hanging from the trees in the background of our photos of these two love birds. We certainly accomplished that with this beautiful Charleston photo location.
We decided on a sunrise session for these bride and groom photos. We actually started a few minutes before sunrise, while it was technically still blue hour. You can see in the photos below that the light transitioned into that morning golden hour sun rise glow about halfway through our portrait session. Although I really do enjoy shooting in blue hour too, I loved getting that pretty glowy light for at least some of our photos. Hannah and Jack are so fun in front of the camera, and I just love getting to capture their love over and over again.
Hannah and Jack, you two ROCKED this session, as per usual. I can’t wait to finish editing this full gallery of photos. In the mean time, enjoy a few of my favorite photos as sneak peeks here on the blog!
Are you looking for a Charleston wedding photographer, Indianapolis wedding photographer or destination wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Charleston Engagement Photos at Hampton Park and Rainbow Row
Last week, I got to do something that I rarely ever get to do as a wedding photographer and engagement session photographer. I had the pleasure of photographing a sunrise engagement session! Sunrise is such a beautiful time of day. It’s always just as beautiful, if not more beautiful than sun set. It just gets a bad rap, because of how early it is! I will admit that we had to wake up around 5am, and we started shooting around 6am, but it was totally worth it for these Charleston engagement photos at hampton park and rainbow row! The main reason that I love sun rise photos more than sun set photos is that hardly anyone else is awake! In a city that is as popular as Charleston and locations that photographers love to take photos in as much as Hampton Park and rainbow row, sun rise is the best time of day if we want the place all to ourselves and to not have to worry about sharing the place with other couples trying to take engagement or wedding photos at the same time. It also really helped that we were taking these photos on a week day and not on a Saturday, when I’m sure it gets much more crowded with photographers and couples.
We started this super fun session off at Hampton Park. Our main goal for this location was to capture this sweet couple with the beautiful Spanish moss trees in the background. We wanted a very Charleston look, and this park gave us that for sure! Next, we headed over to rainbow row to capture Hannah and Jack in the other most classic Charleston environment. I’m so happy with this session, and I loved getting to photograph one of my favorite couples again.
Hannah and Jack, I love you two! Enjoy these sneak peeks while I finish editing your full gallery!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would LOVE to work with you! Reach out to me over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available!
Runnymede Plantation Wedding in Charleston, South Carolina | Colleen and Joe Part 2
After sharing part one of Joe and Colleen’s Runnymede Plantation wedding yesterday, I’m so excited to share the rest of the wedding day today! As I mentioned in the last blog post, I just loved Joe and Colleen’s Charleston destination wedding so much that my second shooter and I took way more photos than we’ve ever taken at any other wedding. Therefore, I decided to split their blog post up into part one and part two in order to not overwhelm everyone with too many photos in one post! Yesterday, I shared the bridal details, getting ready, and portraits. Today, I’m sharing their sweet ceremony, the gorgeous reception details and fun reception, and of course my favorite part of any wedding day: sunset photos.
One of my favorite things about the last half of this stunning wedding day was just how FUN their reception was! We heard the best maid of honor speech of all time. Check out all of Joe and Colleen’s reactions to it below! And I loved how much fun Colleen and her girls had on the dance floor. I definitely have a ridiculous number of amazing dance floor photos that I can’t wait to share with the bride and groom.
Joe and Colleen, it was SUCH and honor to be your wedding photographer! You two are such an amazing couple, and I am so thankful to have had you as one of my couples! Your wedding day was such a perfect and amazing day. I absolutely cannot wait to finish editing your full wedding gallery! Until then, enjoy all of your sneak peeks in these blog posts!
A HUGE thank you to Colleen and Joe’s vendor team:
Charleston Wedding Photographers: Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Runnymede Plantation
Wedding Planner: Katie Jean Events
Florist: Forever Flowers Charleston
Desserts: Duck Donuts
DJ: Bunn DJ
Hair and Makeup: Erin Ennis & Kaci Kennedy
Catering: Hamby Catering
Gown: Essence of Australia from Blue House Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Shoes: Free People
Jewelry/Rings: Macy's/ Shane Co.
Men’s Attire: Black Tux
Transportation: School Wheels Direct
Officiant: Dan Towle
Charleston Wedding at Runnymede Plantation | Colleen and Joe Part 1
I’ve been looking forward to Colleen and Joe’s leap day wedding in Charleston, South Carolina since Colleen first asked me to be her wedding photographer a year ago! I first met Colleen through working together when she was the wedding coordinator for a wedding I photographed years ago. Since then, we’ve gotten to work together a few times but not nearly as much as I would like considering how amazing she is at what she does. When she told me about her own wedding, I knew from that first email that it would be one of my favorite weddings of all time. I consider it one of the biggest honors of my career when brides who are in the wedding industry themselves hire me to photograph their own weddings!
Colleen was over the moon and told me that Joe was making all of her dreams come true by planning their wedding in Charleston, South Carolina, one of her favorite places. Joe and Colleen are one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever met. They compliment each other so well and would both do anything to make the other happy. It’s so obvious from the outside how much Joe loves Colleen and would do anything for her. Their love and happiness was so apparent the whole wedding day.
Joe and Colleen chose Runnymede Plantation as their venue, and what a fantastic choice it was. It’s right on the water with the classic Charleston oak trees with the spanish moss. In the center of the venue is a huge, historic oak tree where Colleen and Joe chose to have their wedding ceremony. It was also a beautiful spot for most of the day’s portraits.
I loved Colleen and Joe’s wedding so much that my second shooter and I took more photos than we’ve ever taken at any other wedding. Because of that, I’m splitting their wedding into two blog posts in order to properly show off the beauty of their wedding day. Part one includes bridal details, getting ready, their sweet first look and vows, bride and groom portraits, and bridal party portraits. Stay tuned for part two which will feature the ceremony, cocktail hour, reception details, and reception fun!
Colleen and Joe, you two are such an amazing couple who hosted the absolute perfect destination wedding! I hope you enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing the rest of your wedding day sneak peeks and then your full gallery!
A HUGE thank you to Colleen and Joe’s vendor team:
Charleston Wedding Photographers: Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Runnymede Plantation
Wedding Planner: Katie Jean Events
Florist: Forever Flowers Charleston
Desserts: Duck Donuts
DJ: Bunn DJ
Hair and Makeup: Erin Ennis & Kaci Kennedy
Catering: Hamby Catering
Gown: Essence of Australia from Blue House Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Shoes: Free People
Jewelry/Rings: Macy's/ Shane Co.
Men’s Attire: Black Tux
Transportation: School Wheels Direct
Officiant: Dan Towle
Best Bridal Party Photos of 2019
Continuing on with my Best of Weddings blog post series for the 2019 wedding season, I’m excited to share my favorite bridal party photos of 2019. This includes, bridesmaid photos, groomsmen photos, and the full bridal party photos, as well as those adorable flower girls and ring bearers.
Interestingly enough, 2019 weddings set a record for me for the most wedding days where the bride and groom chose not to have a bridal party at all. I’ve said it before, but I will continue to say it, I LOVE when couples don’t feel the need to follow every single tradition for their wedding day. Your wedding day should be all about what YOU want, and you should never do anything because you feel like you have to. You get to pick and choose the traditions that you want to follow and skip the ones that you don’t like.
For my brides and grooms that did choose to have bridesmaids and groomsmen, you’ll notice a few trends. Almost all of my couples chose floor length bridesmaid dresses. I love the formal feel of long dresses. You’ll also notice that a huge majority of my couples chose blush or dusty blush for the color of the bridesmaid dresses. It was by far the most popular wedding color of 2019. Burgundy was still a popular color, although it was definitely more popular a couple years ago. I wonder what the most popular color of 2020 will be? Do you think “classic blue” being Pantone’s color of the year will have an effect on bridesmaid dress colors or wedding colors in general?
All of my bridal parties last year were SO fun to work with and photograph. I’m sure 2020 will be no different in that respect. Enjoy some of my favorite bridal party photos of 2019 below!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer for your special day? Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I still have your wedding date available!
Best Bride and Groom Photos of 2019
Wow, going through all of my 2019 wedding galleries in order to select photos for this blog post was SO much fun! Sometimes I forget just how amazing my couples are and just how amazing the weddings I get to shoot are until I go back and look through the full galleries. Through this Best of Weddings 2019 blog post series that I’m doing, this was the blog post that I was most excited about writing, Best of Bride and Groom Photos 2019.
2019 was a huge year for destination weddings for me. I went to Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Chicago, Cancun multiple times, and of course, I got to shoot many many weddings here locally in Indianapolis and in many cities throughout Indiana. I am SO thankful for all of the couples who trusted me to capture the most important day of their lives. And I am so thankful for all of the amazing vendors that I got to work with this year as well. I shot in many familiar venues and in many new venues. As I look back on how wonderful this past year was, it makes me so excited for the year to come, all of the new couples I get to work with, all of the familiar faces I’ll get to work with as my couple’s bridal parties get married, and all of the familiar and new to me venues I get to work in. You guys, my job is seriously the best!
In this post, I tried to only select one or two photos from each wedding that I photographed this year, but I will admit that I got a little carried away. I couldn’t help but select 3-4 favorites from some of my weddings, especially the ones where my couples gave me tons and tons of bride and groom portrait time. Enjoy (more than) a few of my absolute favorite bride and groom portrait photos from 2019. I can’t wait to create more art for my couples in 2020 and beyond!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I still have your wedding date available!
Best First Looks of 2019
After finishing up shooting and editing my January weddings and sessions including another beautiful destination wedding in Riviera Maya, Mexico, I’m excited to get back into our blog series, the Best of 2019 Weddings! After the bridal details and getting ready, the next thing we always shoot is the first look. I’ve been so excited to finally start working on this blog post, because first looks are my absolute FAVORITE part of every wedding day.
The first look is where the bride and groom see each other for the first time on their wedding day. It’s such a special, private, intimate moment between the two of them. It’s always so fun to get to photograph the bride’s and the groom’s reactions to seeing each other for the first time in their wedding dress and suit and tie. It’s usually when things finally start to feel “real” and there are usually tears. I love that my couples choose to add this sweet moment into their wedding day timelines so they can spend a few minutes together before the craziness of the day really begins. Something I’ve been loving is that a lot of my couples have been choosing to read their private vows to each other during the first look instead of during the ceremony.
First look photos are really all about the series of photos when capturing those sweet reactions. It’s not JUST about that one reaction photo. For that reason, I decided to post a few of my favorite photos from that series of first look photos and I opted to just share a few of my favorites instead of every first look. Otherwise, I would be sharing a million photos in this post! Don’t worry, you’ll get to see a lot more of my couples in the next post of the series, Best of Bride and Groom Photos. In the mean time, enjoy some of my favorite first look photos from last year!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available!
Carmel, Indiana Winter Engagement Session
It was such a treat to get to photograph Cassandra and Daniel this afternoon! They were such champs for putting up with the snowy January weather and the freezing winter temperatures. I was so proud of how well they handled getting photos taken while it was snowing outside. This poor couple was shivering and holding on to each other for warmth in between shots.
Daniel might be the most enthusiastic groom I’ve ever had when it comes to getting photos taken. I definitely loved his energy! And I just love how sweet these two are together. Daniel keeps Cassandra laughing 100% of the time, and I love getting to witness their love for each other. In fact, they love each other so much that after planning their wedding for awhile, they decided to move their wedding date up about four months because they just couldn’t wait to be married!
We decided on Carmel, Indiana for engagement photos. This time of year, I tend to opt for more urban backdrops as opposed to nature backdrops. We used the Camel City Hall building, the Carmel Performing Arts Center, and Coxhall Gardens. One cool surprise that we got when we visited the Performing Arts Center. I didn’t realize that the Carmel Christkindlmarkt was still going on. There were some cute little igloos beside the ice skating rink that were super cute for a few photos! Plus it was a nice break from the freezing temperature to have a little bit of heat even for just a few minutes.
I’m already so looking forward to getting to photograph Cassandra and Daniel again at their wedding in May!
Cassandra and Daniel, you two are so amazing together, and I love your love for each other! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full engagement session gallery!
Generations Riviera Maya Wedding
Ryan and Naomi’s Generations Riviera Maya was nothing short of incredible! The day, the resort, the couple, and all of the guests were absolutely perfect. This sweet couple chose to have a beach wedding right on the resort beach on the Generations side of the resort. The resort is actually three resorts connected. Couples can choose to get married at El Dorado Royale, Casitas, or Generations. Ryan and Naomi chose to get married at the Generations side, because it’s the family friendly section of the resort. This allowed them to include their two sweet daughters in the wedding, and it also allowed their guests to bring children to the wedding as well.
I love how Naomi and Ryan chose to mix both formal and casual elements into their wedding. For example, Naomi wore a beautiful ballgown wedding dress and Ryan wore a suit with a jacket, but they chose not to wear shoes since the entire wedding day took place in the sand. I just love that they took advantage of all of the fun elements that come along with a beach wedding.
I loved both their ceremony and reception set ups with beautiful pink and white flowers on the arch at the ceremony and gold pineapples filled with tropical florals for the reception centerpieces. And it was so fun that the reception tables were set up under twinkling lights right next to the ocean. How romantic! But my absolute favorite thing about Ryan and Naomi’s wedding day was how much their love for each other and their two daughters was so evident throughout the day. At the end of the day, that’s what matters, and that’s what it’s all about.
Naomi and Ryan, you two are awesome, and I LOVED getting to be your wedding photographer for your beautiful destination wedding! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery!
A HUGE thank you to Ryan an Naomi’s amazing vendor team:
Cancun Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photographer
Venue/Resort: Generations Riviera Maya
Florist: Generations Riviera Maya
MC: Ben Elder
Hair and Makeup: Generations Resort Spa
Catering: Generatons Riviera Maya
Bridal Gown: La Reve Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Etsy
Men’s Attire: Indochino
Save the Date’s, Invitations, and Programs: Vista Print
Officiant: Kieth Freeman
Riviera Maya Engagement Photos at El Dorado Royale
Last night, I got home from the most amazing trip to Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico for Naomi and Ryan’s beautiful wedding weekend. We started out the weekend with a couples/engagement and family session throughout the El Dorado Royale and Generations Riviera Maya Resorts. I arrived to the resort a day early in order to scout of the entire resort as well as the two connected resorts, Generations, and Las Casitas, to find the best spots around the resorts to take portraits of this gorgeous couple and their family.
I absolutely LOVED getting to photograph Ryan and Naomi and getting to know them the day before their wedding. We started over on the El Dorado side of the resort to get some epic photos on a beautiful bridge over by the lobby. Then we headed over to Casitas and met up with Naomi’s two daughters. I found a beautiful little backroad path and an archway that I really liked for some family photos. Last.ly we headed over to the Generations Riviera Maya beach to get some additional family photos and engagement photos. We really got to explore the entire resort. I love all of the different backdrops we were able to use. One of my favorite things to do is provide as much variety as possible for my couples.
I thought it was so sweet that Naomi and Ryan wanted to include their two girls in their couples shoot as well. They wanted their daughters to be such a huge part of the entire wedding since the day was really about the entire family, not just about Naomi and Ryan. The special bond that both Ryan and Naomi had with the girls was so sweet to see. And of course, the love they share with each other made for some stunning, love-filled photos with the most amazing backdrops.
Enjoy these sneak peaks and stay tuned for the wedding day blog post coming soon!
Best of Getting Ready Photos 2019
I’m so excited to continue on with my blog post series, “Best of Weddings 2019.” I’ve already covered Best of Engagement Sessions and Best of Bridal Detail Photos. Today’s blog post covers Best of Getting Ready Photos 2019. I’m showing off some of my favorite photos from that last couple minutes of hair and makeup, the bride and bridesmaids in their robes having fun together, the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids helping the bride into her dress, and the groom putting on his suit.
The getting ready portion of a wedding day, while some say can be one of the least exciting times of the day, I find to be an extremely special and sentimental time. It’s the calm before the storm. The bride and groom are just relaxing and hanging out their their best friends, talking about how excited they are that they are about to marry the love of their life. It’s often such an emotional time for the mothers as the mother of the bride helps her daughter into her wedding gown and as the mother of the groom helps to put on her son’s boutonniere. I absolutely love this portion of a wedding day.
One of my favorite weddings this year was Amanda and Alex’s destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta. Their getting ready photos are ridiculously epic, taking place on the balcony of their private villa with mountains to one side and the ocean on the other side. It will be hard to ever top those photos, but I have a ton more that I really loved from 2019 as well. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite getting ready photos from last year, and make sure to stay tuned for the rest of the series!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? Contact me here to chat about your special day!
Best of Bridal Detail Photos 2019
In my last blog post, I got to show off my favorite engagement photos of 2019. At the beginning of every year, I always love to go back through all of my weddings and sessions and show off some of my favorite couples from throughout the last year. My brides and grooms are so amazing and have such inspirational weddings. I’m such a lucky photographer. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to photograph over 40 weddings. Because of that, I need to break my “Best of Weddings 2019” blog post up into a series of blog posts, each showing off a different part of the wedding day. I’m starting with the first thing I photograph on a wedding day, bridal detail photos.
Although I call this portion of the wedding day photography “bridal detail photos,” it actually includes both the bride’s details and the groom’s details. These photos generally include the rings, the invitation suite, the shoes, the flowers, the dress hanging, perfume bottles, the tie, cufflinks, etc. I love when my couples bring extra details for these photos such as a custom Mrs. Box or a personalized dress hanger.
I hope you enjoy looking through some of my favorite bride and groom detail photos below! Coming up in the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the rest of this “Best of Weddings 2019” series including Best of Getting Ready Photos, Best of First Looks, Best of Bride and Groom Photos, Best of Bridal Party Photos, Best of Ceremonies, Best of Reception Detail Photos, and Best of Receptions. There is so much yet to come! I also can’t wait to tell you a little bit more about all of my amazing weddings and brides and grooms that I was blessed to serve last year as the series progresses. In the mean time, enjoy!
Best of Engagement and Couples Sessions 2019
Now that 2020 is officially here and my amazing 2019 wedding season has come to a close, it’s time for me to take some time to reflect back on all of 2019’s weddings and engagement sessions as well as all of the rest of the work I got to do last year. I love making these “Best of” blog posts at the end of each year, because it reminds me of how much I loved each and every one of my sessions. As I spent the whole day today going back through all of my couples and engagement sessions this year, I was reminded of just how amazing all of my couples are and just what a fantastic year it was for Rakoteet Photography. I tried to just choose one or two photos from each session, but some sessions I loved so much that it was impossible to narrow it down, so I had to add a few more photos from quite a few of these sessions.
For some of these couples, I photographed both their wedding and their engagement session in 2019, so you will get to see some familiar faces in my “Best of Weddings” blog posts that are to come shortly. For some of these couples, I am so excited to photograph their weddings in 2020, and you’ll definitely be seeing their wedding day blog posts throughout the year this year.
In 2019, I photographed 31 engagement sessions or couples sessions. These sessions took place all over Indiana and even in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Puerto Rico. I got to shoot in some of my favorite locations multiple times, and I got to explore some amazing new locations that have become new favorites! The beach is quickly becoming one of my favorite types of locations to shoot at, as I spent so much of 2019 traveling.
Thank you so much to all of my incredible couples that made 2019 so fun! I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings for couples session and engagement sessions! Enjoy some of my favorite engagement, couples, and anniversary photos below!
Iron and Ember Open House
I was so excited to finally get the chance to explore Iron and Ember, the brand new sister venue to Mustardseed Gardens. Ever since Iron and Ember opened a few months ago, I’ve been seeing so many beautiful photos of it online. From the photos alone, I knew it would be the type of venue that I absolutely love, because the white walls and ceilings and light stone accents work so well with my light and airy style of photography. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled when Colleen, one of the venue managers asked me to photograph this styled shoot that they set up before one of their open house last night. Colleen is actually one of my brides. She’s getting married next month in Charleston, so I always love getting the chance to work with her. The staff at Iron and Ember fully set up the venue as if it was a really wedding day, complete with stunning florals from Violets are Blue. I loved getting to see what the venue looks like all set up.
I already know that Iron and Ember is going to become such a popular wedding venue choice for couples. They already have a lot of weddings booked for 2020 even though they just opened! The venue has so many cool and unique features like their floor to ceiling fire place that helps to give the venue such a classic look and their second story balcony that allows for more tables and chairs as well as a spot for photographers to shoot a really cool angle of the reception below. The venue is located on a golf course, which allows for amazing portrait locations for the bride and groom, bridal party, and family photos on the wedding day. Plus, Iron and Ember has such a perfect location right in the heart of Carmel, Indiana.
I’ve had so many people asking me about Iron and Ember already, and after finally getting to photograph this venue myself, I can definitely say that I recomend this venue to any brides and grooms looking for the perfect wedding venue! Check out my photos below to see how the venue looks when it’s fully set up for a wedding reception on a wedding day!
Winter Wedding in Anderson, Indiana
Yesterday was such a special day as Zach and Hannah committed their lived to one another after four beautiful years together. As Hannah’s college roommate, I had the pleasure of getting the witness the beginning of this relationship. And yesterday, I got to document Hannah and Zach become husband and wife.
It was such a joyful day full of happy tears, laughter, and tons of hugs from Hannah and Zach’s closest friends and family. I love that these two didn’t feel bound by tradition but completely made their wedding day their own. They completely transformed their reception space, where I’ve gotten to photograph multiple weddings, to be almost unrecognizable.
I was incredibly impressed with everything that Zach and Hannah’s families did to make their wedding day happen. Hannah’s mom made her wedding gown by hand!! And it was stunning! She also made all of the food. And she, along with Zach’s mom, made all of the flowers and reception decor as well. Hannah’s sister helped to plan their entire day along with Hannah’s mom and she made the cake and deserts for the wedding. Many other family members worked behind the scenes helping to decorate and serve food. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a family do more for a wedding day than Hannah and Zach’s families. And that speaks volumes about how loved these two are by those that surround them as they start their marriage.
Hannah and Zach, it was the hugest honor in the world to get to be your wedding photographer and to get to witness you start the rest of your lives together. Enjoy these sneak peaks as I finish editing the rest of your wedding gallery! I can’t wait to send you your full gallery super soon!
Vendors:
Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography
Florist: Terri Fulton and Cindy Wampler (the moms)
Cake and Desserts: Alissa Englert
Hair and Makeup: bridesmaids
Catering: Terri Fulton
Bridal Gown: Terri Fulton
Rings: Shane co.
Wedding Planners: Terri Fulton and Alissa Englert
Christmas Wedding at Valle Vista
Ivan and Anna were married last night in a magical winter wonderland themed wedding at Valle Vista right before Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year to be married according to their adorable invitation suite! It was also the shortest day of the year yesterday. And while winter weddings can be sometimes difficult because of the lack of lighting, it usually means beautiful sunsets at the perfect time for all of the wedding day portraits. We had such a magical golden hour in the snow yesterday while we were taking our bride and groom and bridal party portraits! Anna and Ivan’s entire wedding day was so much fun! I love how much these two and their bridal party laughed together and enjoyed such a joy-filled day.
The ceremony was held by candle light and twinkling lights that surrounded the venue. It was so romantic and meaningful with friends and family surrounding the beautiful bride and groom. And once we got to the reception, the party really started, and Anna and Ivan just had the time of their lives. I know they are going to have such a FUN and joyful marriage.
Ivan and Anna, you two are incredible and your wedding day was so magical. Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery from your beautiful winter wonderland Christmas wedding day!
Anna and Ivan’s Vendor Team:
Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Valle Vista Country Club
Florist: George Thomas Florals
DJ: DJ Connection
Hair and Makeup: True Colors Inc.
Bridal Gown: Retulled Boutique
Bridesmaid Dresses: JJ's House
Shoes: Badley Mischka
Rings and Wedding Bands: Shane Company
Men’s Attire: Men's Warehouse
Save the Date’s, Invitations, Programs, and other Stationary: Minted
Wedding Planners: Rosie Maloney and Donna Schnell
Officiant: Alisa Petruzzi
Favors/Gifts: Stockings with candy - DIY
In-Home Couples Session
I absolutely LOVED getting together with some of our good friends last night to hang out and photograph an in-home couples session with them. It was so sweet and special to get to take Christmas-time photos in their first home together. Their beautiful tree was all decorated in the old-fashion way with popcorn and cranberry garland strands and oranges and pears hung up as ornaments. My friend, Hannah, is known for her classy, old-time style. She always make it look so good! My husband was my lovely assistant for this shoot. I asked him to hold up Christmas lights in front of my camera as I photographed Jack and Hannah. It gave such a magical, Christmas light bokeh effect that I am absolutely obsessed with!
I was lucky enough to get to photograph both Jack and Hannah’s engagement session and their wedding as well. At this point, they are so comfortable in front of my camera that this cozy session was perfect. They were relaxed and in their element in their beautiful house, all decorated for the holidays. We took photos all around their home, in their living room with their Christmas tree (and all of the presents underneath), in their beautiful white (and super photogenic) kitchen, and in their master bedroom and guest bedroom. Their rent out their guest bedroom as an airbnb, so it was perfect for photos.
It was also the perfect time to introduce the newest member of their family. They surprised me when I got to their house by telling me they had just gotten a new puppy that very morning! They already had a dog and two cats (and a horse), so this animal-loving family was so excited about their new addition.
In-home sessions might just be my new favorite thing to shoot! They are so perfect for those winter days when it’s cold but not snowing so it’s not super pretty or fun to be outside. Who is up for an in-home winter engagement session? Check out some of my favorite photos from my session with Jack and Hannah yesterday, and let me know if you need some cuddly winter photos!
