Barb and I are not big on “tooting our horn” by listing all of our awards, hoping that our work speaks for itself. But more importantly, because we feel that we can always do better.
Nevertheless, we’re thrilled and honored that we have again been selected by our brides, as one of the top wedding photography studios in the Pittsburgh area for 2008. Thanks so much for your vote of confidence!
So, if you’ll permit me this one time….
from the official notification -
In-Vision Studio has been selected as a 2008 Pick for The Knot Best of Weddings magazine, a coast-to-coast, by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding sites, photographers, florists, and more in over 40 key cities across the United States published by The Knot Inc., the #1 wedding website and most trusted wedding resource.
The Knot conducted its second annual survey of over 20,000 recent brides to capture detailed feedback on every business that couples hired for their wedding celebration.
Pittsburgh newlyweds contributed their raves and reviews on the area’s wedding professionals. The newlyweds were asked to rate their vendors on multiple criteria, from creativity to professionalism, and to comment on their experiences. The resulting ratings—and detailed feedback—were aggregated by the editors of The Knot to create this one-of-a-kind publication highlighting the best wedding resources in each region according to local brides. The survey was administered by Harris Interactive.
I guess my motivation for writing this post is that, along with the surprising statistic that 20% of all brides are expecting on their wedding day - congratulations!, many of our wedding clients are concerned about what they feel are unusual family situations at their wedding. Don’t fret - everyone rises to the occasion.
I’m not sure what’s normal these days, only that it’s “normal” not to have what may be called a standard family configuration. Barb and I were faced with the common situation of having a divorced parent. It took a little Emily Post thinking, but everything was wonderful and both Dad’s were thrilled and proud that we included them in our wedding plans.
It’s a little unclear at what point a white wedding gown became a moral symbol. In ancient Greek times, white was a color of celebration.
As a fashion statement and a sign of wealth, Queen Victoria wore white on her wedding day.
It really wasn’t until the mid-fifties and the publication of “Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette” that white gowns became a symbol of purity, with a stigma attached if you were viewed as not fitting this categorization.
In today’s society, this taboo is falling by the wayside and white maternity wedding gowns are back!
If you find yourself shopping for a maternity gown, take a look at Isabella Oliver, a UK company with many US clients. They graciously allowed us to include a photograph from their collection.
In the US, couture maternity gown designer, Sarah Houston is a talented and popular designer.
And, I take great baby pictures! 
White wedding dresses losing their taboo [PPG]
The Top 10 Wedding Venues in
Steve and I are really blessed to work with the top wedding vendors in the city. I will share with you our thoughts on the best of the best over the coming weeks. This will give us a chance to thank our favorite vendors while letting you know who we love and why.
This week, I will start with Wedding Venues, specifically, The Omni William Penn Hotel. Steve and I have photographed events in every ballroom and reception room in the hotel and the experience is always the same - fabulous food, fabulous service and a beautiful location. When you walk into the lobby it is easy to see why couples choose the Omni for their receptions, and in some cases, their ceremonies as well, (Johanna & AJ and Sarika & Sri come to mind.) The elegant details of the hotel speak of a time gone by, but the hotel glitters as if it were brand new. You are greeted at the door (always) by a friendly bellman offering assistance.
To find out more about the hotel, I asked an expert, Lora Peluso, Director of Catering and Conference Services. According to Lora, “The Omni William Penn has been a premier location for wedding and special events since it opened in 1916. Our weddings are custom designed with our brides and we have 3 ballrooms and unique rooms such as the Bob and
I think that the following rave review of the Hotel by Lora will convince you that the Omni should be at the top of your venue list too! This makes me want to check myself in for a few days of pampering.
What is your favorite part of working at the Omni William Penn?
Besides the spectacular space, it is the staff. The Staff of the William Penn takes such pride in working here and it shows in how we serve our guests. They work with passion, and care, and it shows.
What is your favorite dish on the catering menu?
Our Culinary team is so creative it is hard to select just one. We are constantly updating our menu to incorporate the latest food trends. My personal favorite is the lavender scented lamb chops. They are fabulous!!!
Can you tell me which reception room is your favorite, and why?
All of our rooms are unique which is what makes hosting an event here so great. The Grand Ballroom along with the Urban Room are spectacular. However, the William Penn Ballroom, which is on the lower level actually provides a beautiful backdrop for a wedding, with 10 chandeliers but a lower ceiling than the Grand Ballroom, it sparkles and provides a warm and inviting setting. The ballroom will be renovated soon to update the colors and make it flow with the rest of the hotel.
Are you allowed to share with us the name of any famous guests that have stayed at the Omni that may surprise us?
It may surprise you to know that every president since FDR has been in our ballroom. Charles Lindberg was hosted here after his famous flight. The William Penn’s archive of pictures is pretty impressive. Most recently, Bon Jovi, Oprah, Keith Urban, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Favre, Bishop Desmond TuTu, the list can continue……
Tell us one time that you feel that the staff went above and beyond the call of duty to make someone’s stay memorable?
Our staff is truly amazing. A grandmother of the Groom forgot her insulin medicine. She remembered during the wedding reception. It was late and most pharmacies were closed. Our Front desk people assisted in finding a late night pharmacy, which is not as easy as you might think in
Finally, of all the magnificent places to hold a wedding in
The Omni William Penn stands for timeless elegance and beauty. The William Penn staff creates memories. What bride doesn’t want to be introduced from the Balcony under glittering chandeliers? If you ask the people of
For more information about booking your wedding or event at The Omni William Penn Hotel contact their wedding specialist at 412-281-7100 or visit their website.
Lisa and Jim were married at the Hersey Hotel, an incredible location for a destination wedding. While I wrote a post about their wedding day, I thought you might enjoy seeing their finished album - an absolutely gorgeous wedding, beautiful details and a wonderful couple.
Please let me know if you have trouble viewing their gallery - it’s a new feature and should be more accessible than a Flash slide show for those of you who do their research at work (psst….I won’t tell).
Well, as I knew I would, I was harassed mercilessly by my guy friends after my makeup post, the general gist of which was, “that was pretty girly, Steve”. But hey guys, I live with 3 women, it’s my profession and it’s in my best interest to reduce the amount of time I spend on retouching while helping our clients to “look their best”.
So, I thought I would counterbalance that post by pulling on a white v neck undershirt, picking up a can of Iron City, offering up a belch or two and jotting down a list of the equipment that Barb and I carry to a wedding.
We do get equipment questions at most client consultations, some from photography enthusiasts who have an interest, but most to answer the digital/film question along with a concern about backup equipment.
Based on a survey, over 90% of all professionals use digital equipment, so that question has become a bit moot. These days, the quality of digital capture exceeds the results from film, short of some specialty films, like infrared monochrome.
While it’s a bit of a cliche, it is very true that it’s the photographer who takes the photograph, not the camera. Many photographers are creating stunning images using cheap, plastic Holga or pinhole cameras.
It’s the photographer’s creativity, life experience, emotional connection to their subject, along with to a lesser extent, technical knowledge, that creates a great image.
That said, I admit to being a bit of a “gear head” and believe in using multiple backups of the best professional equipment available on the market, especially for a one time event like a wedding.
So, here’s what’s In the Bag - Barb and I each carry our own “wheely” bag with separate equipment.
Canon 1D MKII body
Canon 1DS MK II body
Canon 5D body
Canon 20D Infrared modified body
Canon 16-35 2.8L lens
Canon 24-70 2.8L lens
Canon 24 1.4L lens
Canon 50 1.4 lens
Canon 50 1.2L lens
Canon 50 2.8 macro lens
Canon 85 1.8 lens
Canon 85 1.2L lens
Canon 70-200L lens
Canon 15 2.8 fisheye
Canon 1.4 extender
Canon 580E flash (4)
Lowell video light
Sony professional video light
Gitzo Carbon fiber tripod
Sandisk Extreme IV 4GB CF cards
Sandisk Extreme IV 4GB SD cards (simultaneous backup)
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop
Multiple backup batteries and cables.
burp….
We hope that everyone had a nice holiday weekend.
David and Nina were been home for spring break, so we worked in spurts before the kids got moving in the morning and while they were visiting their friends, along with a few late night stretches.
Barb’s sisters Marie and Kathy were here for the weekend with their families to visit Barb’s Mom, who hasn’t been doing too well. It was great to see everyone - it made for a lively household!
I think we all needed some down time, so we spent the weekend watching a few ball games, playing some cards, visiting friends, eating Chinese food along with a trip to our favorite burger joint - Red Robin.
Marie’s surprise 40th birthday present Lydia, was here and is such a cutie. It’s been a while since I’ve rocked a baby, but I still have my touch, although I don’t who fell asleep first in the rocker.
Here’s a few shots from my Iphone and a chance to show our new blog gallery feature.
One of our favorite weddings this past fall was the marriage of Jennifer and George. Steve and I really enjoyed their company.
George is a homicide detective in the city and Jennifer is a lawyer who volunteers countless hours with law students doing mock trials. They are healthy, full of energy and it was obvious to us how much they care for each other.
On Friday, George was injured in the line of duty. We are praying for his quick recovery to full health and that his wife, Jennifer and their families find additional strength to get them through this difficult time.
We believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking, so please keep these newlyweds in your thoughts.
We’re very excited to be unveiling a new website, hopefully this week. We love our current website (it took honorable mention in an international design competition), but it’s time for a new look. And, we do have some issues with our current site and the Firefox web browser, which 20% of our viewers now use, including us - issues which can’t be easily corrected.
Here’s a little hint of what’s around the corner.
A big project like this rarely goes smoothly and there may be times where we experience occasional outages while the new site and database is being built, installed and updated.
stay tuned for more updates………..
Painting is my way of winding down after a long day in front of the computer, but it’s something that requires the right frame of mind - sometimes spacing out and watching Lost wins as I think it will tonight.
I just completed this work for a client, based on a photograph from their wedding. It’s a bit hard to see the brushstrokes, but it’s done in an impressionist style and will be finished on canvas.
While I used to paint from life using pastels and paper, I love the flexibility of painting electronically using a sophisticated software application from Corel, called Painter; it allows limitless brushes, chalks and mediums - very cool, but sometimes overwhelming.
I like to watch Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, What not to Wear and Project Runway, but usually with one eye while surfing the net with my laptop.
Last night, I came across a fun site - Taaz - which brought back memories of playing an old dress-up software game with Nina and Kate.
It allows you to upload your own photographs and play with different hair and makeup styles - I think the site may be helpful, or at least fun, when you’re planning your wedding day hair and makeup styling. At the very least, it’s a good way to kill some time with a glass of Merlot.
Here’s the result of my makeup artistry and hairstyling expertise in a before and after photograph using the tools available on the site. Well, maybe I need some work - I’m not totally digging my florescent highlights upon further review.
While I highly recommend using a professional makeup artist on your wedding day and we have some suggestions for you, some brides are more comfortable with applying their own makeup.
From a photographic perspective and especially if you’re wearing a veil, makeup is much more important than your hairstyle.
Here’s a few tips for your wedding day makeup.
• Mix your foundation with a little moisturizer. It will give you a lighter, more natural coverage.
• Limit the amount of concealer to the amount that just covers blemishes.
• Powder is very important to reduce shine, especially during a hot summer wedding. It’s better to use a powder with some color rather than translucent color which can give you a washed-out look.
• I hate glitter and pearlized finishes - to the camera and especially when flash is used, it looks like tiny holes in your skin. I’ve spent countless hours retouching little white spots from glitter.
• Select a blush that’s close to your skin color - the camera’s sensor really heightens the difference between light and dark tones.
• Don’t go overboard with mascara, which can darken your eyes and create shadows over your cheeks.
• And, don’t go too dark with your lip color - the camera sees the contrast to a much greater extent and your lips can look quite dark, especially in black and white photographs.
