We have been going over so many incredible wedding photos these past few days and because we have so many favorites we are going to put up the High School Seniors First – later this evening and the Weddings will be up next monday. Also this afternoon the prize for the most votes will be posted!
Photo Contest – Coming soon.
February 4, 2010 — Craig David ButlerHey everyone, I just wanted to give you a heads up – beginning on Monday 02/08/2010 we will be running a photo contest for Weddings that occurred last year. We plan on posting at least a dozen images that Bonnie and I really liked (it might be more or less we do not know). Tell all your friends and family to vote here on this blog but only “ONE TIME”. Duplicate votes will be rejected and multiple email address from the same person will be rejected.
If we had captured your wedding and there was 1 particular photo that stood out or was so meaningful to you, please send us an email and short explanation why and we will definitely consider it.
High School Seniors Photo Contest – Beginning 02/15/2010
Portrait clients – Beginning 02/22/2010
Check back – Oh and the prize – we are still coming up with it but it should be pretty good! – will be posted here on Sunday night.
Wedding Engagement Photos – Northville Michigan – Kevin & Katie
February 3, 2010 — Craig David ButlerWow, it seems like forever since I have blogged here. There have been so many good things going on and still trying to get caught up. So last week Kevin & Katie came out and after several emails we finally met up and booked their wedding – later this year up north. Such a pleasant surprise and so much fun, making image capture very easy:
Amazingly beautiful, timeless images.
January 21, 2010 — Craig David ButlerEvery year there are new trends in photography. Throughout the ages there have always been those trends that never last and few that do. In the late sixties there was Color. I remember my father resisting the trend to shoot color. Once he jumped in the 70’s he pushed the limits of creativity. If you have ever seen wedding albums from that era you noticed a very cheesy trend of double exposure images. Couple in the champagne glass, looking down on the ceremony photo to name a few. At the time if the photographer did them they were the money shots.
The trends were very subtle until onslaught of the digital age. In the 90’s we saw very over the top album layouts with tilted images and who still does oval images, big key lines and those drop shadows. Then we moved into the so 2002 spot or touch of color in the flowers which in many instances was so shocking it to became all the rage.
Now what is old is new again. Nostalgic looking images or the aged effect in a whole slew of color tones emulating various film stocks from years gone by along with grunge overlays have become the new rage. We have even been asked to shot photo and video for an entire wedding with that nostalgic look.
There is also a new trend to over saturate and make skin so soft the person looks more graphic as in an illustration rather than a photograph. This trend is so popular in high school senior photography. This trend while aesthetically appealing will not, like all the other trends, stand the test of time.
All these effects are new at the time but as time proves out the trends will come and go and by having so many of these images will make the wedding album so 2010. Sounds funny but in 10 years it will be so true.
So why do we lean towards the beautiful, classic, edgy and create images that are very unique to the couple, the day, the emotion the reactions? Those are the images that will prove the test of time and provide an accurate reflection of those immortalized moments to your children and grandchildren.
Beautiful. Classic. Unique.
Craig
Some of the Best comments
January 20, 2010 — Craig David ButlerThis past week Bonnie and I have had the pleasure of hearing first hand some of the most wonderful comments about us.
I was so thrilled I thought I would blog about it. Earlier this week a sister of one of our brides from this past year accompanied her friend on her initial visit with us. She mentioned something to the effect of when she got married it is going to be her, Craig and Bonnie and of course the man she marries in some great destination.
Then today a couple came in for their second meeting with us and said they had looked into several photographers “but they were just not Craig & Bonnie”.
I also received an email from a Bride whose wedding we captured in November who wrote: “everyone I talked to was blown away by your work. Many of my MI friends say they are going to use you when their time comes to get married!”
And finally I just stumbled across our profile on the Wedding Wire and was so blown away by the reviews we have received.
While we have heard comments like these over the years it somehow hit home a little more than usual. So thank you everyone for sharing our passion!
Craig & Bonnie
Where have we been? NASHVILLE
January 14, 2010 — Craig David ButlerSorry for being our of commission the last few days but Bonnie and I have been in Nashville at a photography convention. One of the top speakers was one of my favorite photographers – Jerry Ghionis. It just so happened he called me on stage for to help out with posing. While I was up there we had a moment, very bizarre one at that (more photos and I think video to following):
Craig Butler - David Gelson - Jerry Ghionis
Every wedding like it was our last!
January 5, 2010 — Craig David ButlerHave you heard the song – “Live like you are dying” by Kris Allen?
If you go back through the blog you will find a certain 11/21/2009 wedding in which we did a Same Day Edit to it. I began to think about how we approach weddings. To understand what we do and why so many people are thrilled about their images is really in the way we capture it, have fun and really as if it were our last. We are in this business because we are passionate about capturing amazing images. It is what drives us. It was no more true on November 28th 2009 which was the last wedding of our year in 2009. We are now in a bit of a break (actually catch up time). On that day, the wedding of Jenna and Andrew was somehow different for me. I actually had the mind set that I was going to capture it like it was our last. To my amazement we rocked or as many would say today it was just “sick”. We turned out so many great images throughout the entire day and really I was so looking forward to the Same Day Edit we were going to attempt that evening. I had done a lot more preparation to make it much easier to complete. Well, time was not on my side. When the band said they had to go Bonnie looked at me and asked are you done to which I replied “no I have about 10 more minutes”. The band said they could not wait. As luck would have it the Band got caught up in a conversation about something important to them allowing us enough time to get it up and rolling. I was disappointed that I could only include the video portions from the day and actually apologized to Jenna and Andrew. Their reaction floored me. They thought I was kidding and as it turned out Jenna & Andrew’s SDE became the most watched and complimented video we had ever posted 2009.
So yes, in 2010 we will be shooting every wedding, portrait and senior session as if it were our last. If for no other reason than the rewards it brings surpass our every expectation.
Thanks for reading,
Craig
