About a week ago I had the pleasure of working with the Gross Family again. I had photographed two of their daughters weddings in 2006, and since there were a few young additions to the family, it was time to get together for another group photo. I love how they turned out and this is one of my favorites!

The other thing that I would like to make note of is their use of color in their outfits. I had told Mrs Gross that having everyone wear all white or all black shirts can sometimes make the photo look like a big blob. In this case, Mrs Gross chose a color pallet and mailed everyone a sample of colors to choose from. As you can see in the photograph, this worked out perfectly.

Even if you don’t end up going the route of a color pallet, consider giving the family a theme. If you chose neutrals for example, then everyone in the photo could choose from an assortment of shades in brown and beige. That way, you will achieve depth in the photograph while still having a sense of uniformity.

Here are the photos that I did for Nessun Dorma which you can view in this week’s Shepherd Express newspaper.

As many of you may already know, Hotcakes Gallery will be closing for good. Unfortunately, this is where I was holding my photography class.

At this time I am searching for a new home! I am also considering a studio space where I could conduct the classes as well. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!

Lastly, I am also working on some additional photography classes and workshops. Please contact me if you have any ideas of suggestions of things that YOU would like to learn!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I’ve been getting my hair done by Mary at beauty for about 8 years now! It looks like they’ve finally started an e-newlsetter and one of the head honchos, Bjorn, wrote this nice little piece that may prove helpful to my future brides:

Wedding Do’s and Don’t for Hair and Makeup
by Bjorn Nasett

I’ll never forget the Saturday I got a frantic call from a regular salon client. “We just got our hair done for my friends wedding, and it’s hideous! Can you help us?” As it happens I was at the salon doing inventory and I said, “Of course come over right away and I’ll see what I can do.” When they arrived I took one look and realized they were right. They looked like ballerinas with severely pulled back buns. With a few adjustments, they were on their way to the ceremony. This situation was extreme, but could have been avoided by following a few simple tips.

Plan ahead with pictures of hair and make up looks you like. Study them for WHAT you like about them. Is it the bangs? The height at the crown? When you know what you DO like it is easier to explain what you DON’T like to the stylist who will be doing your hair and make up for the big day.

Let them know if it is an outdoor wedding, indoor, casual, formal, and the like. The more information they get from you the better their plan can, and will meet your needs.

Schedule a practice hairstyle and make up. Remember, this picture will be seen by hundreds of people over your lifetime, and thousands of times by you and your spouse! Practice does indeed make perfect.

The most important rule of all is: Be on time for your salon appointments! When you are late, it will throw off the stylists/make up artist’s schedule, and, only increase YOUR stress level. Being early is not a crime, and in fact, will be a bit more relaxing.

Whatever you do with your do’ for goodness sake, put the same care and planning into your hair and makeup as you do to all the other little details, of your celebration. These “salon rules” can definitely help make this the most wonderful day of your life.

I photographed an Indian restaurant a few months ago called India Rasoi on Brady Street.

My birthday is January 17th. I thought it would be fun to have a “Bollywood” style birthday party at my house, with Bollywood movies, Indian food, and lots of fun Indian music. However, my mom ended up being admitted to the hospital a few days before my birthday, so I never put the plans in motion. As my mom turned out to be ok, and January was coming to a close, I tried to pull my party together. I decided it would be easiest to have the food catered at this point, so I called up India Rasoi and spoke with Neal, whom I had photographed for the restaurant. I apologized to him about the last minute notice (mind you it was Thursday night and I was looking for food for Saturday night for 15+ people), and told him about my mom and about trying to squeeze in a birthday party for myself at the last minute.

Well, needless to say, Neal was awesome. He helped me figure out the menu, he kept in touch with me, he had the food ready at the time he promised (we were picking it up to take to my house). He even was nice enough to throw in some salad and rice pudding. He also called me the next day to make sure everything went ok. But most importantly, the food was awesome! Everyone at my party was raving and asking me where the food had come from. So good food=successful party!

My mom is out of the hospital and is doing well. Neal helped me out in a difficult situation and made my birthday party a success, so much thanks goes out to him and his staff! He clearly takes pride in what he does, which is always a recipe for success in my book!

Neal and one of the chefs at India Rasoi on Brady Street, Milwaukee: