Impact Tip - Moving In

There are a lot of changes going around here at the Vrai studio and one of them is that we have moved to Chicago! I am so excited to be here and enjoying the city. During the move, I had to go out and get some new furniture for the new space and I wanted to be true to my style and get great furniture that in essence is recycled...ie. antique, reused, refirbed!

Then I realized that is a great thing to share with all the new couples that may be looking into a new home and needing some new furniture. A great option is going to estate sales, antique shops, and design shops to find furniture that is already in the market and reduces the energy costs of building new pieces and the shipping costs associated. Also, you can be pretty sure it is one of a kind!

I found some great stuff in the neighborhood at GRID, (btw, working with Greg and Robin was so great so be sure to check them out down here in Pilsen). Also, on the way home from Jenni and Jared's wedding in Michigan, I stopped at a great antique place outside of Kalamazoo, that was a blast too!

Check it out! The new space and new stuff that really isn't new at all!

Photo contest - Pick me!

I decided to enter the WPD photo contest this year and all three of my entries made it to the finals out of 2700 entries! I am excited but I need your help to win, I am already a week behind in the voting. If you like my photos, go to the contest site and vote! Here are my entries...

Lauren and Bryan

Saturday was an emotional one, these two were surrounded by love and fun and it was very touching to watch. We are so thankful we were able to be a part of this day!

We also got to work with some great people this weekend!
Amy Vaught of Vaught Events was the day of coordinator and helped everything run smoothly!
Sonia Roselli is always so fun and excellent with the make up!
Dustin from Toast and Jam provided the excellent dance music
Kevin from Maggiano's was wonderful to work with!

I love this shot Molly got of Bryan just before he left for the ceremony This is a great shot Molly took of Bryan as he first saw Lauren

Impact Tip - Finally the big news!

So some of you savy bloggers may have figured out by now that myself, Patrick and Jacklyn (the other VIP's) were up to something green and you are right. We have started a new blog featuring ways and tips for photographers to do something good for their business and lifestyle...MAKE AN IMPACT :)

This blog is geared towards ALL kinds of photographers as a resource to "green" up your business, find out what other photographers in the industry are doing to make an impact, fun random tips to save green, business ideas, and much, much more. This will be beneficial to your business if you are interested in making your studio green as we will have a green certification and resource list available for prospective clients to find a eco-friendly photographer.

We have a forum for people to communicate ideas, a gallery to look at pretty pictures of nature :), lots of links to find even more ideas, and just a fun place to go when you have time to waste while you are waiting for your latest photos to batch for example ;)

There are already several posts from all the ecophotogs including our first VIP interview with Anna Kuperburg!

So go check it out, add it to your blog roll, and tell me what you think! Ecophotog Blog

And for your amusement ecophotogs in the morning after talking about this all night in Atlanta :)

Williams Family

Yesterday was doubly good because I got to hang out with the Williams Family too and meet the newest addition to their family.

I love this shot because Blake got a tattoo of his 4 children's names and I asked him if there was any more room on that leg ;)

Cheri and Mia

I had the pleasure of shooting Cheri for baby #2 yesterday and sharing that with her daughter Mia who I have known since she was in the womb :) I am excited to watch both of them grow over the next year!

Sarah and Tony

Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting to know Sarah and Tony a little better before their wedding that is coming up this September. It was truly a fun time, I can't wait for the wedding!