Three piece invitation set

Shannon had many themes for her wedding day, which I mentioned on her photography post. For the stationery, we decided to keep things simple and went with an elegant bride and groom design, surrounded by subtle snow flakes. We used a pearlescent paper which shimmers and sparkles just enough to make the snow flakes twinkle. Even the envelopes sparkled, so guests would get an instant feel for the special castle wedding to come.

Shannon choose the three piece invitation set, which consists of an announcement page, directions page with a custom designed map, and a response post card. We used shades of red and green to compliment the girls red dresses and the green christmas decorations.

The first piece of the invitation with all of the important wedding details.

Directions card with custom designed map featuring the locations for the ceremony, reception and guest lodging.

Close up of the front side of the response post card with the main invitation in the background.

Front and back of response post card. Guests select their meal option, and mail back to the bride.

We designed these 5x7 folding thank you cards for the guests to have a memento of the day.

After the wedding, she choose her favorite image for thank you cards. The cards are 5×7 inches in size and fit a normal frame, so guests will have a memento from the day as well. Since we didn’t have real snow, I embellished the cards with a similar snowflake pattern as the invitations.

I love how everything came together in one consistent theme. Since Shannon used the Snap Cinema fusion team, her video packaging, proof book and other weddings elements will all coordinate with her wedding stationery. If you enjoy this cohesiveness in design, give us a call today. We are happy to serve you in creating custom, original and unique stationery for your wedding day!

All of the wedding stationery coordinated with the snowflake theme.

Often when taking a picture we focus on what is in the foreground of the picture , usually the person or thing we are photographing (our main subject). Yet it is essential in creating a professional looking photograph, to always be aware of what is happening in the background and where you are placing the subject in relationship to the scene. By doing this we avoid unwanted distractions such as lines going through our subject’s head (for example a distracting tree branch or telephone wire in the distance). If a scene has a lot of detail in the background it is particularly important to consider putting the background out of focus in order to keep attention on the main subject.

A simple way to blur the background

By moving your subject a few more feet away from the background (towards the camera), you create the effect of a blurry background and a clear foreground or subject. Just by increasing the distance between the subject and background it causes the camera to focus more acutely on what is closer to it.

Example 1

• Subject 1 ft. away from background
• Exposure: 1/100 at F 10
• ISO: 400

Here you can see the grain and texture of the wall, which distracts from the model. Also the background lines of the bricks more abruptly cut through the model’s head.

Example 2

• Subject 8 ft away from background
• Exposure: 1/100 at f/10
• ISO: 400

Here the background becomes blurred as subject moves away from it allowing the person to be the main focus. The lines created by the bricks are softened and create a nice background instead of distracting from the model’s head.

Using zoom to blur the background

You can also use focal length to create the background to blur. This is simply the technique of zooming in or out. When you are zoomed in further the lens focuses more on the foreground or in this case your subject and the rest goes out of focus.

Example 3

• Subject 5 ft away from background
• Exposure: 1/125 at f/10
• ISO: 400

Focal Length: 60 mm

Example 4

• Subject 5 ft. away from background
• Exposure: 1/125 at f/10
• ISO: 400
  

  Focal Length: 106 mm

Advanced: Using aperture to control the background

If you’d like to go further, you can change the depth of field by changing the aperture. The aperture is measured in F- stops. A stop of f/5.6 would open the lens wider and give you a shallow depth of field, a stop of f/22 would have a very small lens opening and give you a wide depth of field, so the image would be very clear. To make the background blurry use a lower number F stop of f/4, f/5.6, etc.

Example 5

• Subject 6 ft away from background
• Exposure: 1/15 at f/25
• ISO: 250

Exposure: 1/15 at f/25

Example 6

• Subject 6 ft away from background
• Exposure: 1/250 at f/5.6
• ISO: 250

Exposure: 1/250 at f/5.6

When to use these techniques

It isn’t always necessary to use these tricks, there may be times when the background details are very important to your image, for example if you are posing in front of the Eiffel tower. It becomes more important in taking portraits when you want the focus centered on the person you are taking the picture of and the background doesn’t carry as much weight. Regardless of whether you use these techniques or not, it is beneficial to pay attention to the composition the background creates with the subject. Depending on how you utilize the background, the composition may strengthen or take away from the photo. To create new compositions that incorporate a background you may want to try placing the main subject off to the side, or play around with shooting both vertically and horizontally.

Did this post help you? Let us know in the comments what you thought of this tip, or what you would like the next tip to be!

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This has been a guest post by Sara Tiberio, the newest member to join the Light+Ink team! Sara is a Junior at my alma mater, RIT, and will be an intern here for the next few months. She will be creating more tips and goodies for you, so leave some feedback for her in the comments here. Or, give her a nice warm welcome if you see her around!

First of all, Shannon is amazing. We re-met about a year ago… which was about twenty years after her mom taught me in kindergarten! She booked the Snap Cinema team, which meant I got to work with my favorite people in the world– my parents, and my BFF Erin, AND she choose to honor me by having her wedding on my birthday! Okay… that may have been more of a coincidence, but I’m still counting it as an awesome birthday present!

There were several “themes” surrounding this wedding. Since it was a December wedding, there had to be some christmas decorations and well, Santa of course! Shannon is also a huge Disney fan, so you may notice some Mickey’s and Minnie’s in the photos below. There were also wine tastings and wine favors to reflect the best the Finger Lakes have to offer. And last, but certainly not least, being at Belhurst Castle meant Shannon was the Princess! And although the princess did not get the snow she had hoped for, she did get a spectacular full moon rise over the lake.

This was a magical day, and I am so glad I was able to share it with you. I cannot express how happy I am for you both! John, you are one lucky man, and Shannon, you’ve got a keeper. I hope you enjoy this sneak peak of your dream day, I cannot wait to get started on your Fusion Video!!

The Who, What, and Where

Ceremony: St. Mary’s Church in Waterloo, NY
Reception & Catering: Belhurst Castle
Venue Coordinator: Carmen Brennan Bain
Florist: Faith Flowers
Baker: Lori Legott, Club 86
Hair Stylist: Stephanie Woodsworth and Kate Springler
Transportation: S&S Limousine
Ceremony Musicians: Anita Babiarz and Cecilia Augustus
DJ: Q Productions
Videography: Duprey Video Productions
Rentals: Elizabeth Chair Covers
Stationer: Light and Ink (Blog on that coming soon!)

L-R: Darlene, Dave, Shannon, John, Lori and Erin

Thank you Shannon and John! from The Snap Cinema Team

We will be offering unbelievable 1-day specials for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Check back here each day to see what the special is, and act fast! They are only available for 24 hours!

Give the unique gift of family portrait sessions, photo restorations, gift certificates, wall art and more while saving up to $250 with these deals that have never before been offered!

We’ll post the specials here each day, so be sure to check back to see what’s new! If you are on Facebook, you can join the event by clicking here, where we’ll remind you each day of the new offers!

Our number is 585-678-1905, so put it on speed dial and check back tomorrow for the next exciting offer!

12 Days of Christmas Specials!

December 13: Buy 25 Christmas cards, get 10 free! (Value $16-$45)

December 14: Free 8×10 Print with Photo Restoration ($30 Value)

December 15:Free Metal Photo Ornament with Family Portrait Session ($45 Value)

December 16: Purchase a 20 page Photo Book, get 10 Pages FREE. (Value $40-$80)

December 17: 25% off Matted Fine Art Prints @ http://galleries.lightandink.com/matted

December 18: $50 for an Engagement Portrait Session! (Regularly $150)

December 19: $25 off Holiday Portrait Session Booked Today!

December 20:Rochester Scenic Postcards 50% off! (regular price $2.00 each)

December 21: Purchase 3 hours of event coverage, get one hour FREE. ($150 Value)

December 22: Note cards with Travel scenes 50% off! (Regular Price $2.50 each)

December 23: Come in for a Wedding Consultation and get an extra hour of Wedding coverage FREE with booking! (Value $250)

December 24: Purchase a $75 gift certificate for $50!

The deals have ended for this year. Thank you for participating, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

For a personal and casual look, we seated this family under their newly built pergola.

This year make your family portraits something to remember! Why not consider stepping away from the traditional? Don’t be afraid to branch out, to bring a new element to this years holiday season that could possibly become a new tradition for years to come. Make this year’s holiday portrait unique by following these 3 simple steps:

• Include a personal element in the portrait. Instead of photographing in front of the Christmas tree or holiday decorations, opt to move the picture to a favorite family place. For example: the woods in the back of grandpa’s house, the kids’ favorite park, or somewhere where many fond memories have been made.
• Instead of dressing in traditional colors of red and green (although there’s nothing wrong with those colors!), try blue and white for a cool wintery feel or go with a more classic gold and black scheme. While it can be fun to have everyone wear the same outfit, you can try to show off each family member’s individual personality with outfits they’re comfortable in, yet still coordinate the color scheme to portray the visual message that you are a family.
• Have one of the kids write a special message this year or have everyone sign (you can even include the family pet’s paw-print). You can have the message written on a sign and hold it up for the photo, or you could also have it imprinted in it’s original handwriting on your holiday card.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun with it! Taking a family portrait shouldn’t be stressful but just another fun holiday activity for everyone to enjoy, both as you are shooting and once you get the final results!

Portrait of Sara by Brandon Mercer

If you aren’t comfortable with setting your camera up on a tripod and making your own portraits, we’re always glad to help. You can contact Lori Coleman at lori@lightandink.com to set up a portrait session. You’ll need to hurry though, as dates for the holiday season are booking fast!

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This has been a guest post by Sara Tiberio, the newest member to join the Light+Ink team! Sara is a Junior at my alma mater, RIT, and will be an intern here for the next few months. She will be creating more tips and goodies for you, so leave some feedback for her in the comments here. Or, give her a nice warm welcome if you see her around!

The wedding was the perfect blend of her and Kevin’s interests. Roxy, one of their dogs, was part of the procession (Kevin is a veterinarian). A passage was read from the decision in Goodrich v. Department of Health (Rowan is a lawyer). The wedding favor was home brewed beer made by Kevin and his brother. (Part of my job included sampling the beers… they were all delicious, though I was partial to the Hefeweizen and Root Beer!)

So back to the environment. Rowan is a Environmental lawyer, and lover of the outdoors. In fact, she and Kevin met in Alaska! How cool (pun intended). Anyway, most of her communication with guests (save-the-dates, invitations, and RSVP) was handled online. This was to reduce paper waste, as once the wedding has passed, many guests feel no need to keep this information. There are, however, a few VIP’s who will always save and treasure their printed keepsakes. Parents, grandparents, siblings, bridal party and others who are close to you will keep this beautiful and sentimental document for years to come. Thus, a limited edition printing was in order, which is where I come in.

The goal was something simple, recyclable, and fit the theme. The blue and green bubbles were a perfect element, and became the anchor for each piece to follow. We kept things simple with just one typeface and three colors. We then printed the three piece set on brown, recycled paper.

The pattern continued onto the website, and then on to the favors! We used labels and a home printer to create these one-of-a-kind bottles. Well, I just did the layout. I give the credit to Rowan and her mother-in-law for the printing and sticking part! They turned out awesome, and were a big hit at the wedding.

Rowan and Kevin, your wedding was seriously one of the most perfect I have ever been to. It was perfect for you, and you are perfect for each other. Thank you for letting me play a small part in your big day! Congratulations, and many happy years to you both!

I’ll end this post the same way they ended their ceremony, with a quote by Ogden Nash:

To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it; Whenever you’re right, shut up.

For more information about your custom designed invitations or favors, email me today!

Molly told me she always wanted four children. Two boys and two girls between 2 and 9 years old, how much more perfect could you get? Each has their own personality, but they all share at least one thing in common: they like to play! We took advantage of this gorgeous day and had some fun in their backyard. We climbed trees, threw leaves, raced each other and played with our favorite toys. I took my usual position of step back and watch, allowing me to capture some great interactions between this family of six.

Special thank you to Tim and Molly for inviting me over, and to Megan, Abby, Patrick and Henry for allowing me to capture your energy and playfulness! If you can’t tell, we had a lot of fun with this session! Special thanks to Erin Perrotta for your assistance!

Now, I would like to introduce you to the star of the show, Stella! She is four months old, just learned how to roll over, and is cuter than a button. I had the pleasure of recording her baptism, and then a few days later we met up again at her “crib” (sorry couldn’t resist) to make these portraits. In two hours, I witnessed laughter, tears, shyness, playfulness, snuggles and curiosity. All in a days work for a four month old I love that in just a few hours you can capture such a range of emotion.

Congratulations to the new parents, I can’t wait to watch her grow!

If you prefer this type of candid, photojournalistic photography over the traditional studio experience, give me a call at 585.678.1905 to set up a consultation for your family.

Thanks for looking,
Lori