The Latest News and Images--Our Blog! Louisville Wedding Photographers

Turning an good photograph into an EXTRAORDINARY work of art!

So, the last post had images of my niece and nephew--we did an early spring session of Sam and Addie to get a special anniversary gift for my brother, Rex and his wife, Stacey.  And I am AMAZED at what Jon did in Photoshop (we use CS3) to get the end-product that I wanted. 

The process all starts, however, with the image being strong, well-composed, and perfectly lit from the get-go.  We used our Canon 5D with an awesome 70-200 lens.  We added beautiful portrait lighting (at an outdoor setting--we bring this set-up to ALL of our sessions, weddings, and photo shoots!) with a monopod holding our Quantum T5DR (which is basically a studio light with umbrella that we take on location to get that extra pop in our images).  Sure, it would be easier to use on-camera flash or natural light, but the extra lighting is what separates us from the rest! If you see a red-head hiking around town with a monopod and umbrella, it's probably me!

We also take the time to go ahead and remove blemishes and any other distractions from the images--in the proofs!  We want your photographs to be the best!

Here is the image straight out of camera, with a basic white balance and color-correction.  It is well-lit, but needs some work in the artistic realm.  I wanted it to look more like an art piece, since we were doing a 16x20 framed canvas of the image.  And we also needed to remove power lines and the other distractions in the photograph.



And here is the finished product (minus our logo, of course)!  We removed the power lines and anything else that was distracting in the image.  Then we took the image into a wonderful program called Corel Painter and performed a painterly effect on the photograph.  We illuminated Addie's face a bit to bring focus to the eyes and texture to the hair and clothing details--there is a much lighter painter effect on the kids so that they are brought forward in the image.  And then we had our pro lab mount the image on canvas and spray it with a protective lacquer.  We framed it with a beautiful wood-toned antique frame!  It is now hanging over the mantle at Rex and Stacey's and they love it! 



I love doing techniques like this--and we also do re-touching for our engagement, seniors, and wedding images!

From the off-camera lighting to the special re-touching, we know that our clients notice the Monarch Difference and we are happy to provide it!

Remember that photographs are something to treasure and pass on from generation to generation.  This is why we go the extra mile with our client care--we want those images to be cherished for years!

My Niece and Nephew!

So, my nephew, Sam, and my niece, Addie, started school recently--and I get to see them (as well as the rest of my family) this coming Labor Day! 

Sam is looking so grown up lately!  Here is one of his "big guy" images from a session we did with them on my parents' land this past spring.



And this is Sam's sister, Addie!  She just started pre-school a week or so ago!  I can't wait to hear all about it!



Keeping up with big brother!



Hi, Sam and Addie!  Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Jon love you and will see you soon!

Melissa and Nick's Engagement Guest Book!

So, Melissa and Nick tied the knot this past weekend and I am working on their gorgeous wedding images!  Their ceremony and reception were, by far, one of the most energetic and fun times I have ever seen a couple have when it comes to their big day!  Tears, laughter, and even a surprise pizza delivery (more of which I will post about later!) We photographed their engagement session in June--click below for their image video--



They loved their engagement session images so much that they asked me to design one of our  Keepsake Wedding Guest Book in addition to their wedding collection!  These albums are so lovely--hard-bound leather covers with thick pages.  The cover comes in various colors and I design every single one with the couple in mind--they choose the images and I go from there!

I really think it is important for our couples to choose the images that go into their albums--let's face it--who knows better than the couples themselves?  Of course, I can certainly choose the images for them if they request it, but I find that our couples enjoy choosing the images!  It is extra time spent together!

Here is the final product for Melissa and Nick's guest book--it was a big hit at the ceremony and reception!  I will post images of it "in action" soon!

They chose the black leather cover with silver imprinting on the front--



The opening page--Melissa sent me a list of their favorite love songs, so I was able to incorporate those into the pages!  They wanted the pages lined for signatures and the lyrics really added a romantic touch!  We had everything from Jack Johnson to Brad Paisley in there!  Love it!



The background had a really lovely neutral foliage pattern to it.  So pretty!



Loving the Brad Paisley lyrics!



Sturdy thick pages! 



And they are a great keepsake!



So, of course, I will post images from their wedding soon!  Right now, they are enjoying their honeymoon!


Remembering...

Today is the two-year anniversary of the Comair crash in Lexington, Kentucky.  That plane was filled with beautiful people--moms, dads, sisters, brothers, children, grandchildren, co-workers, friends, and even newlyweds.  Every single person on that plane meant something to someone--and I don't even know how you get over that loss.

I remember waking up that morning and seeing the great amount of loss and sadness on the television screen.  Please take a moment today to know how precious life is and how lucky we all are to have family and friends in our lives.

Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones in the crash--may time continue to heal you and may the future bring you closure and good memories...

Happy Anniversary to Jessica and Craig!

Geez, Louise!  We are so busy right now with bookings, weddings, engagement sessions, senior portrait sessions, and a most fabulous "Trash the Dress" session!  We are having a blast!  I will do my best to catch up on my blogging, I promise!

I wanted to take a moment to wish Jessica and Craig a Happy One-Year Wedding Anniversary!  They tied the knot at Calvary Episcopal Church on 4th Street on August 25, 2007 and had an awesome reception at the Audubon Country Club!

Here is my ABSOLUTE favorite from their first dance--it is so dramatic!



Lovin' that light coming in through the stained glass!  And her gown was AMAZING!



At the country club--so classic



And the blue sky at sunset--love it!



Congrats, you two!  We wish you the best!

80's Hair Metal Lovers Unite!

We now interrupt this photography blog for a very important announcement:

HAIR METAL STILL RULES!

Yes, that's right--Jon and I accompanied our best pals and pretty-much family members, Monroe and Sarah (Jon has known them FOREVER) to a little concert in Cincinnati on August 16.  We had a weekend off from weddings and decided to hang out with Mo and Sarah!

Nowadays, I listen to everything--metal, show tunes, blues, country, etc.  I love music!

This time in concert:  Catch this--Sebastian Bach (formerly of Skid Row), Dokken, and Poison!  It was like being back in high school, sans the ripped jeans and Aqua Net, of course!

Now, most blog readers between the ages of 28 and 40 will surely remember the band, Skid Row--they brought us incredibly hard-rocking tunes like "Youth Gone Wild" and "18 and Life."  My personal favorite was the rock ballad, "I Remember You!'  Well, Sebastian has been solo for a while (and somehow even appeared on CMT, but I don't want to talk about that) and "The Gilmore Girls", but he still entertained us with old and new songs!  I love Sebastian because of his incredible voice!  And he appeared on Broadway in "Jekyll and Hyde" a few years ago!

Jon got some really awesome images with our little Canon G-9 point-and-shoot camera (I highly recommend this camera for anyone-it enables us to get good quality images when we don't need our pro equipment or cannot bring the big guns into a function like a concert).

Here is Sebastian--still looking good and sounding SO GREAT!  Note:  That large painted canvas above him was done by his late father, who was the artist, David Bierk.  His dad also did the album cover for their huge album, "Slave to the Grind."  He lost his father in 2002 and wrote a beautiful article about him.  See it here.



Woo-hoo!





Gotta thrash that hair!



And then we moved onto Dokken, who sounded good, but the only original band member, Don Dokken (who, of course, owns the band name) was a bit rude.  Oh, well--he was probably rude back in the 1980's when I listened to him, but I was a silly teenager and didn't notice those things!  Dokken is best known for their songs such as "In My Dreams," "Alone Again (my personal fave)," and "Dream Warriors," which was the ultra-cheesy theme song for "Nightmare On Elm Street: Part III"--which, may I add, I saw at the one-movie theatre in my hometown back in 1987.  I think I saw that movie with my short-lived dating moment with a boy named Corey, and I seem to remember breaking his heart.  Corey--I still feel awful about that, even if it was 20 years ago...

So, I will throw Don Dokken a bone and give him one photo in this blog entry--



Can you believe the people?  And you should have seen the other 3,000 or so additional concert-goers behind us!



Okay, I have to admit--I was never a huge fan of Poison, but I did have a couple of their albums on cassette.  You remember cassettes, right?  Anyway--I was more of a Winger, Whitesnake, VanHalen, The Cult, etc. fan, but all my friends loved Poison, so I had to jump on the crazy train with them (until I started listening to The Cure and Depeche Mode my senior year and died my hair purple, then things got a little weird)!

Yes.  I admit it.  I watch "Rock of Love" on VH-1.  And I enjoy it.  And Big John was at the concert!  So, let's share some Poison love, even though the sound-mix was horrible and CC DeVille played one of the WORST guitar solo versions of "Amazing Grace" that I have ever heard...Just watch "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and know that every bad boy has a soft side.  After all, the hair metal guys taught us how to love--didn't you see those commercials for the rock ballads?



A great pic of CC--too bad you sounded awful, man!



They did have the most awesome pyrotechnics and movie footage from 70's exploitation films, though.  Perhaps that was to distract me from the horrible sounding performance (although Bret did sound good vocally).



I puffy-hearted Bobby Dahl in high school and I still do!



Bret did pay a major tribute to our troops overseas--nice job, guys! 



And then he broke out the harmonica and it was our cue to head home.  A 10-minute harmonica solo is enough to send even the biggest hair metal fan running in the opposite direction!



One final shot from the audience!



At the end of the evening, our ears were ringing  and I realized that I am no longer a teenager with the ability to endure deafening guitar sounds.  I had a blast, though!

Here is a little concert video of all of the images!  Of course I had to use music from our copyright-free collection because it would be illegal to use any of Poison, Bach, or Dokken!  The last thing I need is for Bret Michaels to knock on my front door and demand payment to use his music!  Come on, Bret--I already paid big bucks for a ticket to your concert!

So, enjoy!  And remember that metal still rules!



A quick peek at Rachel and Neil's wedding images...

I will post many more soon, but I wanted to share just a few from Rachel and Neil's wedding!

There are SO many of them that I love, so I will do a nice, long post about them soon, I promise!

Gorgeous church--Holy Family is so beautiful!



A little black and white...



And one of my faves from their day!  Love it!



More soon, I promise!


Happy Anniversary to Amanda and Justen!

I wanted to send warm wishes to Amanda and Justen, who just celebrated their one-year anniversary on August 11!  They had a beautiful wedding day and are such a sweet couple!

Here are just a few images from their big day!

I love this one!



Fun with the bridal party!



And a classic portrait--



Congrats, you two!  Happy Anniversary!

Stephanie and Jimmy's Wedding Images!

Oh, boy--I have gotten behind on my blogging duties yet again!  So sorry--I will try desperately to catch up this week for you!

I wanted to share images from Stephanie and Jimmy's beautiful July 19 wedding!

We met Stephanie and Jimmy last year when we photographed Amanda (Jimmy' sister) and Jared's wedding.  I cannot tell you how wonderful their families and groups of friends are--we thoroughly enjoyed every minute we spent with all of them!  It was really nice to see everyone again!  And although Father Caskey wasn't there to perform the ceremony (he passed away earlier this year), the ceremony was so very special.

To view their wedding image video, click below--



And check out the hot pink H2 that they girls arrived in--so fabulous!



I LOVED Stephanie's gown--so different, elegant, and beautiful.  It was hands-down one of the most gorgeous wedding gowns I have ever seen!



And beautiful flowers, too!



And it doesn't hurt when the bride is beautiful as well!



I adored the pale pink color that Stephanie and Jimmy used for their wedding.  So light and pretty!



This is the adorable Kaylee--Stephanie and Jimmy's little girl--she was perfect all day long!



And our handsome groom, Jimmy!



Love this shot of the guys!



And daddy and daughter!



Occasionally, we do the "doorway" shot so that our couple can be near one another before the ceremony without seeing one another.  I love the laughter and joy in this image!



Waiting for their big entrance...



This shot is courtesy of Kate--our third shooter!  She tags along with us when she isn't a student at Morehead State University--we adore her!



A nice moment here...



Jimmy's mom got a little emotional during the ceremony...



But Stephanie and Jimmy were all smiles as they said their vows!



One happy family!



That bridal party was awesome!



Love this detail...



And this one, too--I love this one!



The lighting behind the cake was so incredible!  Love it!



Here are our own 2007 wedding clients--Amanda and Jared--with their sweet little baby boy!  We will be photographing that adorable little one soon!



This little boy was all about getting his picture taken--he kept following me around and begging me, so here you go!



Love it.



First dance fun!  They took lessons and were great!



Stephanie's dad really dipped her!  Love that look on her face!



Dragging the camera shutter for some fun lighting...



As you can see, a good time was had by all!  Sounds Unlimited Productions kept the party going all evening!



See what I mean?  Loads of fun!



This wedding guest performed Vanilla Ice's hit, "Ice Ice Baby" and knew every single word!



One of my favorites from the evening!



Stephanie and Jimmy--we loved every minute of your big day!  You all are wonderful!  Congrats!

Wedding Day Details:

Colors:  Pale pink with accents of white and silver
Ceremony:  Most Blessed Sacrament
Reception:  Incarnation Hall
Bridal Gown:  Cincinnati Bride
Bridesmaids and Flower Girl Dresses:  Bridal Warehouse
Florist:  Dixie Florist
Cake:  Louisville Cake and Candy Supply
DJ:  Sounds Unlimited Productions
Caterer:  Connie Strange (family friend)





A warm welcome to Kelly and Matt!

Jonathan and I would like to welcome our newest wedding couple to the Monarch client family!

Kelly and Matt will be getting married on May 30, 2009!

They are such an awesome couple--Kelly is preparing for law school (Go Kelly!) and Matt is an art student who specializes in painting on glass and creating three-dimensional pieces (Matt--I SO hope that I am describing your medium correctly)!  I am anxious to see his work!

They are both such interesting and unique personalities--and they are a perfect fit!

We are really booking up for 2009, so be sure to contact us about our wedding photography collections!

Kelly and Matt--congrats!  We cannot wait to work with you two!