On Friday, October 16, Ashley and I photographed Sasha and Nathan's wedding in Waukee, IA.  Sasha and Nathan are extremely laid back and easy going...which as most of you know matches Ashley and I perfectly.  When we connect with the couples so well, taking photos is easy.  As you can see from the shots below it was definitely the case.  It was wet outside and a typical fall day, chilly.  We were able to find some great spots right outside the church to take fun photos.  Wedding party, family, and everyone was great to work with.  Ashley and I would like to thank Sasha and Nathan for letting us be a part of their big day.  Below are a few of our favorites.  Congratulations Sasha and Nathan!

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Last week Ashley and I photographed senior photos for Courtney.  It was a cold and windy day out, but you can't really tell from the photos.  Courtney was great to work with and we found some fun spots to take photos.  Congratulations Courtney!

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 9:33 AM | Permalink

A little over a week ago I got the opportunity to photography little Lila who was accompanied by Mom, Dad, and big sister Carly.  Lila did amazing, she slept through the first part of the session (which is always ideal) and at the end we were able to get a few with her eyes open.  Meet Lila.

Posted by Ashley Nuzum at 2:39 PM | Permalink

Ashley and I want you to plan your day to be perfect for you.  We don't want to dictate your timeline.  Having great moments is more important than capturing great moments.  However, a lot of brides and grooms would like our input.  This article sums it all up quite nicely.  It talks about important parts of planning for wedding photos as well as general timing.  Enjoy!

http://www.wedplan.net/articles/63/

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 12:56 PM | Permalink

There are a lot of websites with tons of information regarding hiring a wedding photographer.  You can find FAQ's, must take photo lists, MUST ASK questions, and many other lists, discussions, and an overwhelming amount of information.  So what is most important of all the information?  If you could only find out one thing about a wedding photographer what would it be?

It's simple.  

Ask yourself, can I spend my wedding day walking side-by-side with this photographer(s).  If you can't answer yes to that question, then you must move on to the next photographer.  Even if that photographer produces the best photos in the world, if getting those photos causes you stress or otherwise on your wedding day....is it worth it?  The moments of the day are much bigger than any photographer.  You HAVE to let the moments happen and it is the photographer's job to capture them along the way. 

As a photographer we have to be able to get along with and spend the entire day working with each bride and groom.  If we don't have some sort of emotional connection how can we truly capture the day.  Ashley and I want to know every bride and groom and be able to have fun with them on their big day.  Just showing up and taking photos leaves a disconnect.  We want to get to know you.  

This is why we love engagement sessions so much.  We get to work with the couple alone before the big day.  They see how we work and we see how they react to the way we work.  Engagement sessions are a great way to get to know each other talk about the big day, the weather, college football, or any other topic that comes up along the way.

The big take away:  You have to like your photographer, not just your photographer's pictures or website.  If you can find both in one, you win.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:37 AM | Permalink

On Sunday Ashley and I got an amazing opportunity.  Andrea and Tommy, whom Ashley and I have known for a long time, like elementary school and before, wanted to do a day after/Trash the Dress shoot.  Trash the Dress shoots are not as bad as they sound.  The idea is that on the day of your wedding you want to get some formal photos and some fun ones as well, but don't take any risks with the dress or tux.  By doing a TTD shoot you get the opportunity to take some shots in locations you normally wouldn't.  It is a great opportunity for us to get pretty creative and take some fun photos.  Andrea and Tommy were married just over a year ago at the Rose Garden in Des Moines.  We started out there.  Sunday at the Rose Garden in the fall....tons of family photos sessions.  We weaved through the mounds of people and found some great locations.  The sun was shining, but under the shade of the trees the sun lit the leaves with a golden glow every where we looked.  Taking good photos here was EASY.  Andrea and Tommy were great the entire time.  After leaving the Rose Garden we headed over to an empty and abandoned building on the south side of downtown.  It is a location we've shot at once before.  Lastly, we stopped at a barn that Ashley and I have always wanted to photograph at.  We'd seen it many times as we drove out to Saylorville Lake, but it is on private property.  Ashley ran up to the house to get permission and it was granted.  We had a great time.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Sunday afternoon I drove up to Ogden for an engagement shoot with Kellie and Brian.  Kellie and Brian are getting married next August.  We took a few photos at a gazebo just on the west side of Ogden.  Then headed out to Brian's parent's farm for some additional photos.  I love the opportunity to shoot any photos on any farm.  They have limitless possibilities and provide a lot of backgrounds.  Kellie and Brian had a specific shot they wanted with an awesome tree.  We started there and then walked around the farm taking shot after shot until we'd circled the farm about 3 times.  The shoot went great and we are really looking forward to next year's wedding.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:39 AM | Permalink

Sunday morning I had the great opportunity to photograph engagement photos for Mallery and Ben.  Ashley and I will be photographing Mallery and Ben's wedding next September.  We took all the photos downtown in the Court ave. area.  If you follow our blog much, you know we love this area.  I love when we go on a photo shoot and I hear things like "i'm not photogenic" or "what should we do".  Then the photos turn out like these.  Clearly photogenic, clearly knew what to do.  Some might ask, what to do?  The answer is simple.  Be yourselves.  That is what these two did and the photos turned out great.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:33 AM | Permalink

This past Saturday Ashley and I photographed Melissa and Andre's wedding in Ames, IA.  You might remember Melissa and Andre from our engagement session contest.  They were our first shoot of the winners.  As we all know the weather has been rather cool, but I don't think anyone expected snow!?  That didn't slow down their big day.  I personally love snow and would have been elated to shoot some wedding photos in the snow, but that's just me.  The wedding was in a beautiful church with the best entry way that we have ever seen.  It was open with incredibly high ceilings.  The sun came out around ceremony time and allowed that area to really light up.  Post ceremony we headed to the Memorial Union on the Iowa State campus for some candid formals.  It was still a bit cool out, but wedding party as well as bride and groom were up for it.  After capturing all that we could we headed to Seven Oaks Lodge for their reception.  The lodge was beautifully decorated and you could tell how much hard work went into it.  They had also put up some big prints from their previous engagement session.  Ashley and I were honored that they would hang up our work to be a part of their wedding day.  In the end we had a fantastic time and the photos turned out great.  Below are a few of our favorites.  Congratulations Melissa and Andre!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:23 AM | Permalink

Last week Ashley photographed Mayzie and Theo at Greenwood Park.  The weather has been unseasonably COLD, but we are making the shoots fast and getting everyone back to the warmth quickly.  The good news is the photos don't really show just how cold it is.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:20 AM | Permalink

We've been blogging on Connor for over 1 year now.  Ashley shot his newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and now 1 year photos.  I will let the photos do the talking....

Newborn

3 Months

7 Months

9 Months

 1 Year Old

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:26 PM | Permalink

It was not too long ago that we took family photos for Carla and Family.  We shot those photos outside at Greenwood Park.  This time Ashley got them in studio and turned out some great shots.  For the last photo shoot check here.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:24 PM | Permalink

It is rare that I venture out on photo shoots without Ashley.  We love to work together but from time to time schedules don't workout or we get TOO scheduled.  We love to be busy!  On Monday I took family photos of Kelli, Ben, Holland, and Andrew.  Kelli really wanted some fall colors in the shoot.  Every fall we try to guess what Mother Nature is going to try and do.  We scheduled this one for a little earlier, but the leaves didn't cooperate and we moved it to this later date.  Luckily we had enough trees change over and leaves hit the ground to get some fall color in the shots.  We took all photos at Greenwood Park in Des Moines.  The photo shoot was a lot of fun.  Complete with a killer yellow cast...Andrew, some wind in the face, cooler temps, and an acrobatic performance from Ben and Andrew on a railing at the park.  Great time!  Below are a few of our favorites!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:20 PM | Permalink

Last Saturday Ashley and I photographed Rochelle and Colby's wedding in Winterset, IA.  It was our first wedding trip to Winterset, but we are hoping it's not our last.  The town is great and it is a true Iowa small-town.  The weather was hit and miss.  The day started out cool but manageable and then we sprinkled in some rain followed up by the best sunset we've seen this year.  The drive home was amazing as the sun spread out over the Iowa farmland.  Some people who won't leave the city or the coasts, just don't know what it is that they are missing.  The church was right near downtown Winterset and you could feel the long standing tradition as soon as we walked in.  The church has a lot of history.  Rochelle and Colby's reception was held on the Madison County Fair Grounds.  We headed to the barn area to capture some shots there....as soon as we arrived....and took 3 pictures....rain.  So we snapped as fast as we could, got as much as we could, and got them back to the reception area before it stopped sprinkling and started pouring.  Luckily the rain was short lived and as I mentioned above, the sunset following it was stunning.  Beautiful day, great wedding, and thankful we got to be a part of it.  Below are a few of our favorites.  Congratulations Rochelle and Colby!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:14 PM | Permalink

Last Sunday Ashley and I photographed family photos for Jennifer and Jeremy.  We shot the photos at Gray's Lake in Des Moines, IA.  It was a great weather day, partly cloudy, little breezy, but nice.  Of course as soon as we started photos the sun burst out from behind the clouds and created harsh shadows all over the place.  I busted out our giant wind block/sun block/baby distraction and did what I could.  We grabbed some shady space and snapped away.  We all had a fun time and the photos show it.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 11:10 PM | Permalink

Last weekend Ashley and I photographed family photos for Ashley's Uncle Bob and Aunt Sheila.  Along for the photos were their children Mindi and Tony, Mindi's husband Tim, newborn Boston, Hailey, Jake, and Tony's fiance Heidi.  Not pictured....Rocco.  Whenever you do family photos a couple things may happen....1. No one listens....2. Some listen TOO much....3. Too much talking....and sometimes you get what we have here.........Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 10:57 PM | Permalink

As you may remember Ashley and I gave away some engagement sessions to couples with awesome engagement stories.  Jessica and Brett our another pair of our winners.  I won't repost the entire story here, but here are the highlights....Jessica is a huge Christmas fan and always wanted to be proposed to on Christmas Eve.  Jessica was graduating from the University of Iowa in May and didn't believe her boyfriend, Brett, would be able to make it.  However, Brett had arranged to make the trip back from Tennessee and surprised Jessica with a Christmas in May.  He had setup a Christmas tree complete with gifts.  Jessica worked her way through all the gifts until she opened the last one.  It was a Precious Moments figurine of a proposal.  Brett got down on one knee and popped the big question.  Awesome story, one which my proposal story does not come close to.  These two will be married next July.  Below are a few of our favorite shots from the shoot.  Congratulations Jessica and Brett.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:43 AM | Permalink

On the 27th Ashley and I shot 3 engagement shoots.  Each was incredible in its own way.  We hit so many different backgrounds and locations.  In the morning I was in Ames with Christine and Derek, at noon Ashley and I shot photos with Laurie and Matt in studio and at Saylorville Lake, in the afternoon we ventured downtown with Carmen and Ron.  It was an awesome day and the photos are the proof.  Find their blog posts below....

Christine and Derek

Laurie and Matt

Carmen and Ron

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Last Monday Ashley and I got out and photographed family photos for Nancy and John.  They were looking from something a little different than a park or near water.  So we headed to downtown Des Moines and one of our favorite spots near the Science Center.  We took a ton of shots and fought the wind the whole time.  The kids were great and as you can see form the photos, had a good time.  We took some formal family shots and also captured some fun off the wall stuff.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:50 AM | Permalink

To cap off our trifecta of engagement shoots on the 27th, we photographed Carmen and Ron around the Court Ave. district in downtown Des Moines, IA.  Shooting in the court avenue area is always interesting because of how many people are in the area.  It was especially busy due to Wicked being in town.  Carmen and Ron handled it great and we were able to get some really fun shots.  Court Ave. is easily becoming one of our favorites spots to shoot.  Below are a few of our favorite photos.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:40 AM | Permalink

On the 27th of September, Ashley and I photographed engagement photos for Laurie and Matt.  I was traveling back from a morning shoot in Ames, and missed the studio shoot.  Ashley took care of it and we moved outside as soon as I arrived.  We traveled up to Saylorville Lake and got some shots both at the Visitor's Center and down by the water.  Watching these two hang out together will put a smile on anyone's face.  They had so much fun and you can tell that it wasn't just because they were on a photo shoot.  They were enjoying every moment and are perfect for each other.  We sent them out into a field and they came back with every plant form stuck to them.  They were awesome sports about it.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:35 AM | Permalink

On Sunday, September 27th, I headed to Ames to shoot engagement photos with Christine and Derek.  We started out on the ISU campus near the Memorial Union and ended up at a park north of Ames.  They had some specific ideas of shots they wanted which always makes things easier.  It also helps them put their own little touch on their engagement session.  The weather was great and the photos turned out perfect.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 9:32 AM | Permalink

Wow, so this blog post is a week late....completely unlike us, but check the calendar...we're a little bit busy...on to the post...

Last Saturday Ashley and I photographed Sheri and Ryan's wedding in Ankeny, IA.  The weather was amazing outside.  Sky was perfect photos.  The clouds scattered across the sky like a Bob Ross painting (no happy trees in sight.)   You may remember Sheri and Ryan from their engagement session.  We were waiting and waiting for snow last winter and never got any so we headed out for a chilly engagement session.  From that moment forward we knew these two were meant to be together.  They are so much fun when they are around one another.  Sheri and Ryan live in close proximity to the ceremony/reception location so we were able to actually stop by their home for a few shots.  Everyone was full of ideas and we were able to capture a ton of fun moments through out the entire day.  Below are a few of our favorites shots.  Congratulations Sheri and Ryan!

Posted by Steve Nuzum at 1:23 AM | Permalink