blog | chupp photography

May 20, 2013

Good morning! : )

We wanted to selfishly reminisce a little through our time in Georgia this month through some of the photos taken while we were there visiting Kyle’s family! We always love our time there and feel so blessed that we are able to visit as often as we do (although I think it could never be often or long enough!) and that a lot of the work we do is portable and allows us to visit for extended trips at times! We always find ourselves in the predicament of whether to pull out our camera, use our iPhone, or simply enjoy moments as they happen while we are there. Lucky for us there is always lots of people with iPhones, and another photographer in the family, that many moments are able to be captured so that when we return and have Georgia withdrawals we can look back through the photos and… miss it even more?!? It’s a vicious cycle really!

Lots of rain during the first week or so = jumping and playing in puddles!

A day at the Georgia Aquarium! So awesome! The dolphin show definitely evoked my grade five dream to become a marine biologist and work with dolphins. Maybe someday… haha.

Time outside with family…

and playing in the creek… lots!

the circus!! Thanks Erin for these photos!!!!

and this one of Ellie two! love it!

mother’s day : ) Lunch at Jim n’ Nick’s BBQ and a tandem bike ride on the comet trail! So fun!

and, always lots of good food and ice cream!

We’re ready for another visit!! : )

Happy Monday y’all!

May 15, 2013

Bridal Details Checklist

After going through a wedding season, there are always things Kyle and I discuss that we

want to be able to improve on for next year. No matter how long you have been in business or how many weddings you have shot, there is ALWAYS room for improving. If you THINK there isn’t, then I think you need to dig a little deeper! One of the things we wanted to improve on for this year was preparing our brides for their detail shots the morning of the wedding day! Brides have about a million and one things to do on a wedding day, so it is no wonder that these details fall through the cracks, and she forgets the rings, or her invitations to be ready for the photographers during getting ready time. We’ve been there and totally remember how crazy the morning of the wedding can be!! And it’s a time that should be relaxing! Hopefully this post will be helpful for our brides this coming season to help prep for the details in terms of what to have gathered and ready to go come the morning of the wedding day, with you wherever your getting ready location is!

We typically try to shoot all the detail shots after we first arrive to your getting ready location, while Kyle and I are both on site, and while the girls are still getting ready before finishing touches, and the dress goes on. After we grab these details (usually a 30 min time frame) Kyle then goes to where the groom and groomsmen are getting ready to capture some great moments of them together as they get ready, while I stay with the bride and her girls while she gets on her dress, jewelry and shoes, before the first look! It’s an awesome way for us to get in our groove and for brides to get used to us and our cameras being around : )

The details of the day are such an important part in telling the story of your day that we wanted to share a list of some of the most common details we try to shoot during this time so that you as a bride can feel better prepared when we arrive the morning of the wedding, give you a big hug, and ask for your details to begin shooting! These images are what is going to tie the entire wedding album together to tell your story, and give the feeling of returning to your day, and the feelings of your wedding day through looking at the images in your album.

Alright! Let’s get started with this list shall we!?! These are items that we typically photograph during this bridal details time. We are totally aware that not all brides with include all these items in their wedding day, but it gives a good idea of the items to have all collected and ready for when we arrive!

The Dress
Specialty Dress Hanger (TIP!: If you dont have a custom hanger here’s a great tip for your dress being photographed: make sure you have a decent hanger to be in photos with your stunning gown! Your dress should be paired with something other then a plastic hanger! )

Rings (TIP!: all three of them! Keep all the rings with the bride so they can be photographed together until the bridal party is all together after the first look.)
Shoes
Earrings
Necklace, Other Jewelry
Veil and Headpieces
Keepsakes (ie. handkerchiefs, something blue, notes to one another, heirloom pins, etc)
Perfume Bottles
Invitations ( TIP!: and other stationary: save the dates, programs, etc. TIP: have an envelop with stamps and your names/ address that you used for your invitations to go with your invitations to be photographed as well)
Bouquet’s and Boutonnières (TIP!: if you are having a first look, ensure these are delivered to the place you are getting ready so that you have have them for your photos together!)
Gifts (ie. to each other, gifts to be given to the bridal party – couldn’t resist this one of our ellie from when she was a flower girl last summer!)
Bride’s Purse/ Clutch

Hope this helps make your day flow a little more smoothly!! xox Here’s a list of all the items together so you can easily copy, and add to a checklist if you need!

The Dress (and any specialty hangers! If you dont have a custom hanger here’s a great tip for your dress being photographed: make sure you have a decent hanger to be in photos with your stunning gown! Your dress should be paired with something other then a plastic hanger! )
Rings (all three of them! Keep all the rings with the bride so they can be photographed together until the bridal party is all together after the first look.)
Shoes
Earrings
Necklace, Other Jewelry
Veil and Headpieces
Keepsakes (handkerchiefs, something blue, notes to one another, heirloom pins, etc)
Perfume Bottles
Invitations (and other stationary: save the dates, programs, etc. TIP: have an envelop with stamps and your names/ address that you used for your invitations to go with your invitations to be photographed as well)
Bouquet’s and Boutonnières (if you are having a first look, ensure these are delivered to the place you are getting ready so that you have have them for your photos together!)
Gifts (to each other, gifts to be given to the bridal party)
Bride’s Purse/ Clutch

May 13, 2013

Inspire Me Monday | Garden Party

This month’s Inspire Me Monday post features outfit ideas for a garden party themed shower, or rehearsal dinner! Or if you are planning a garden wedding how perfect would these dresses be for your bridesmaids! How fun! : ) I hope these spring dresses inspire spring to come and stay for good! ; ) Happy Monday! xox

Bridesmaids Dresses: Modcloth

Bride’s Dress : Ruche

Accessories: shopsosie.com

May 10, 2013

Connect 2013 | A Marriage Retreat for Photographers

You know that feeling when you come home from an amazing trip and you start going through withdrawals? That’s what’s been happening here last week since returning from the Connect Retreat at Winshape in Rome Georgia. King-size bed withdrawals. Sleeping In withdrawals. Chick-fil-a mint withdrawals. Being surrounded by new close friend withdrawals. *Sigh* It’s bittersweet when a good thing comes to an end, but even sweeter for us is the lasting impact of everything that happend at the retreat, the lasting friendships that were made, and the renewed relationship with each other and with God. We wanted to share a little more about the retreat this morning and, perhaps a little selfishly, relive through some of the experiences a little more :).

Connect Retreat Group Photo at WinShape Retreat in Rome Georgia

[Group Photo at Connect Retreat by Allen Adams Photography]

Kyle and I had been anxiously awaiting the Connect retreat since we found out we would be attending in March. As it was the first year for this retreat to take place, and honestly the first of it’s kind we weren’t exactly sure what to expect [I don't think you could narrow down the niche more than a marriage retreat for Christian spouses who are photographers and work together! awesome!]. We did, however, know two things: we needed to make a change in how our business was run together, and in our priorities as a couple and as a family.

I can’t even describe to you how our expectations of this retreat were just blown. Everything we could’ve even imagined WAY surpassed what we thought. And from getting to know the other 42 couples at the retreat, there was a general hum unanimous in this opinion. The retreat was hosted at the stunning retreat center – Winshape, in Rome Georgia - and although we knew it was going to be beautiful from the photos, words cannot describe the once french-inspired dairy farm from the 1930′s that has been transformed into this amazing backdrop where marriages are constantly being transformed and renewed. If the beauty of the location were not enough, the southern hospitality and genuine kindness of all the staff was moving and inspiring to say the least.

Throughout our week at the retreat, Kyle and I were able to meet and befriend so so many amazing couples. It’s an incredible thing being in a place with 40+ other couples who are also married, share your same key values, are also photographers, and also work together. Somehow, when you have all those things in common with another couple right off the bat, it’s so much easier to let walls down and connect quickly in real ways. It was such an unexpected blessing I had no idea I needed. After hearing different speakers talking about things that impact you straight to the heart – it’s nice to be filled with a room full of couples feeling the same and being connected with an incredible small group to debrief, speak openly with and support.

[Our incredible Small Group and New Friends. Photo by Finest Moments Photography]

And the speakers! Zach and Jody, Mike and Rachel, Micheal and Katelyn, Jeff and Julia, and Nathan and Jane all have such a special place in our hearts after last week. As photographers, the photography couples were definitely well respected by us and others in the industry by the amazing things they have done in their businesses. What we didn’t expect was the amazing testimonies of their marriages and life experiences that would be so so much deeper impacting in our lives. We will be so forever grateful for these couples for speaking openly, earnestly, and honestly despite the possible fear of others seeing the real them. We were able to see the way God used them last week in our own marriage, but also in the marriages of so so many others. Also, the marriage counsel team; Nathan and Jane taught us so much that has helped Kyle and I understand each other even more and just continues to strengthen our relationship together. Yay! : )

There is so much goodness to say – and a lot we are still processing a week later!! If you’d like hearing more about it check it out here. Or let’s go grab some coffee – we’d love to chat and truly can’t get enough coffee goodness so really that’s a win-win- win : )

happy friday y’all! xox

May 8, 2013

PASS | Part One

Kyle and I have been so excited about the online gallery we use for all our couples since we started using it last season. We’ve written a blog post about it you can read more about here, but today we wanted to talk a little bit more in depth about it! But first, check out this video:

Awesome right?! We’ve got so much goodness to share, we’re going to break this ‘wed on wednesday’ post into a two part series for ya. But quick – what is ‘wed on wednesday’? Yes, I know it is not typical to be wed on a wednesday. But I liked the fun wordage to give a name to the general topics we’re wanting to save for our wednesday posts. : ) We’ve been working to create structure to our blog, and a big part of that has been commiting to posting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The next step for us is creating more consistancy in what is posted when. For us, Wednesday is a great day to talk to you – our couples and other bride/grooms, about things we think you find interesting, questions you want answers to, and our most recent wedding and engagement sessions! Yay for Wednesdays! : )

So… PASS galleries. There is so much we love as photographers about these galleries we gift our couples, but today we wanted to dive into some of the reasons brides La-la-la- love these galleries too. There are so many reasons why brides love PASS galleries! Let’s touch on a few favourites, shall we?!

Easy Sharing

it is so simple to share your gallery with family and friends across the country and around the world. As soon as your gallery is shared with you, you can share with your family and friends and allow them to have instant access to save, download and/or order high quality prints of their favourite images. It’s one easy click for you, instead of hours of emails back and forth, uploading and sending individual files through email to everyone who wants copies.

Easy Access

because your images are stored in the cloud, you have easy access to your files anywhere you are. You can have full access to your gallery from all your devices; smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops whether you are at home or out and about.

Security

because your gallery is stored in the cloud, your images are save from getting lost or accidently deleted on the computer, harddrive malfunctions, scratched DVDs… floods and ninjas! haha.

Easy Print Ordering

with the new PASS, you will be able to order prints from your gallery on any device and have them shipped right to your home! This new feature is coming soon and we are so excited for it!

It just LOOKS amazing!

your photos look simply stunning on the new PASS gallery! All the images fit nicely together to create a look that helps maximize the way your images tell the story and feel of your day. You really have to check out a gallery to experience it fully. It’s so amazing, and the way it works on smartphones and tablets, as well as your laptop and desktop is so beautiful!

Keep Track of Your Favourites

star your favourites as you view your images, and they automatically are saved to your own favourites tab within your gallery.
You can then go there to review your favourites, share images directly to facebook and pinterest without having to download and reupload them to each different social media platform, download all your favourite images at once to your computer or harddrive, and order prints from your favourites selections.

Brides! What do YOU love about your PASS galleries most?? Share your thoughts in the comment section for other Chupp Photography Brides! : )

May 6, 2013

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

mother’s day is coming up and it’s that time to shower our mom’s with the love they so deserve! aren’t mom’s so great?! kyle and i were lucky to each grow up with super moms. seriously. after just tasting the waters of motherhood myself for the past two and a half years, i have a whole new appreciation for our moms and so this day is just one small opportunity we try to take advantage of to love on our mom’s a little and make them feel special.

so, i thought it would be fun to put together a few gift ideas to get your brain wheels turning for a little something you can get for your mom to show her you care! I’d love to hear some of your ideas, or if you are a mom, what your all time favourite mother’s day memory is! happy monday all! xox

May 3, 2013

May Snapshot

whew! we are just a few short days into May, and already so much amazingness has been pouring into our lives. This past week Kyle and I had the incredible gift of spending our time together at the Connect Retreat at Winshape Retreat in Rome Georgia. It was such a blessing to focus on rearranging our priorities, reconnecting with God and with each other. So much happened for us in such a short, but sweet, period of time. It was incredible to spend four days with 43 other married couples who work together in the photography industry, and who share the same life values and love for Christ. Words really can’t describe the amazing way God worked in this time!

[Thanks Dana for grabbing this photo of Kyle and I in our Connect 'Lo -Ve' shirts!! xo]

We miss our time there, and all our new friends already, even just being away for a few hours! :( But, we are excited for this month’s goals! yay!

Personal Goals:

Having set ‘sanity’ guidelines.
Making God first priority – setting aside time first thing in the morning for prayer and growth through devotions/ reading.
Learn more about Listening Prayer
Making time for each other, our family, and our friends intentionally. Too often we’ve put every ounce of ourselves into our business. Kyle and I both felt really convicted in getting our priorities straight – God first, our marriage second, our family third, our friends fourth and our business next.

Business Goals:

Finish reading “Getting Things Done”
Preparing for the upcoming busy wedding season

What we are Looking Forward to:

Investing in mentors to speak into our lives as individuals, a couple, and as owners of our business.
Spending time with Kyle’s family
Hoping to take Ellie to the Georgia Aquarium! Fingers Crossed!
Summer Wedding Season starting this month!

May 1, 2013

Astrid + AJ | Engaged!

Their love was slow to start. After attempts of family to set them up on multiple occasions, and each of them opting to ‘pass’ on the blind date route, AJ and Astrid finally crossed paths and intrigued one another enough to give the other a second look. and then another. and another. and well, you can guess the rest : ) Good things are worth the wait – which these two know all too well. After long distance love between Toronto and California, these two are just ecstatic for their wedding in August, and say goodbye to time zones, skype dates, long plane rides, visits, and most of all – having to say goodbye to each other.

We were so excited that Astrid’s trip to visit AJ this April, lined up with a day we could get together and meet these two, and take some Engagement Photos as well! They are the sweetest couple you’d ever meet. : ) Cuddles were abundant during their session as AJ kept Astrid warm amidst our much cooler Canadian weather (it had been 36 C when she left California!!!), as we dodged the rain last Thursday afternoon. Fitting, as these two had no interest in being very far apart after just coming together again after long distance time apart. So so sweet.

Astrid and AJ we LOVED getting to know you two better and cannot wait for your upcoming wedding this August!! Enjoy these last few days together before returning to California! xox

I mean, these two are stunning! Love love these!

gah! Favourite!

April 29, 2013

April in Instagrams

oh april. you’ve come and gone so fast! This was such a busy month for us, filled with a lot of work for both Kyle and I, and trying to get some spring cleaning done around the house before leaving to spend some time with Kyle’s family in Georgia. So far, even heading to Georgia has not allowed us to escape this spring’s rainy weather either! It followed us down I swear! : )

Despite all the rain [and snow], we’ve been trying to soak up any sunshine we can, and can’t wait for more sunny days to come our way – ellie’s baby legs look so cute in shorts, I can’t wait! haha. We also kicked off engagement session season with some STUNNING couples! We cannot wait to start into wedding season this May! So So excited! : ) : ) : )

What did April hold for you this year????

April 26, 2013

Astrid + AJ | Preview

We’re headed to Georgia today, after a late night drive and a night of little sleep [thanks to our munchkin who wanted to play when we arrived at our hotel at 3 am instead of continue sleeping!]. Despite some serious lack of sleep, we’re so excited for everything the next few weeks holds!

One thing keeping us going this morning is our over the moon elation about the engagement session we did with Astrid and AJ yesterday afternoon! We couldn’t help but share a quick preview before we head to the airport. :) They are the sweetest and we are so glad it worked out for us to meet up with them before their wedding day in August! Astrid is from California, so we were able to work out a time for their session during her visit with AJ this week, and managed to dodge yesterday’s rain as well! Such a blessing! Can’t wait to share so many more images of this gorgeous pair soon! xox Have an amazing weekend all!