Spending a day with Liesl from Claris Photography is no ordinary day.  Her ability to find unique locations and capture elegant moments is amazing and quite an art form (her sense of humor is also one-of-a-kind)!

Time of Shoot: 2:00pm
Bride: Kate
Hair: Hair that Moves - Lena Hartford
Makeup: Joya beauty – Joanne McDonough
Photographer: Claris Photography
Accessories: Occasions Bridal and Tuxedos
Flowers: Apotheca Flower Shoppe
Location: selected urban areas in Portsmouth

Liesl shares with us some of her thoughts around the shoot and particular shots…

As I do with all of my shoots, I usually have an image or images in my head way in advance of what I visualize.  I wanted to have a more Urban/City type feel for my images and pictured locations in Portsmouth that I hoped to find.  Typically, I have this type of thing already “scouted” and planned, but this time the fun was actually in walking the city blocks in search of hidden gems.  The model I had was also an adventurous type of person and I knew she would be up for a challenge. A couple of times I would have her wait a few moments while I scoured the streets to come back for her…but working in this “in the moment” style brought a few challenges; ultimately it felt free and allowed for much creativity on both of our parts.

For this shot, I chose the dramatic angle because it is powerful yet feminine.  Often I try shooting objects in a manor that people don’t usually see them everyday which I feel adds interest and makes one look again and say “what is that?”.  Adding a person into this type of shot just gives it personality.

We kept finding ourselves in the “entrances” of strangers’ apartments.  In this shot, this amazing den-like entrance added shape and with her arms mimicking this outline it allowed her body to be soft and graceful.

I try to view a posture from all angles and created this shot from inside the den, which changed the look with very dramatic lighting.  And of course we seemed to get caught EVERY time as we were greeted by the owner of the apartment trying to get in the door…oh well!

I have always loved the look of femininity in a rough surrounding.  The contrast is very interesting to me so I loved the location here – and it was fun to watch the model trying to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic It would have been easier without the 5 inch heels but at least we know that for next time!

I was trying to forget I was still in NH so I pretended we were in France.

In these two shots, Kate was looking at me like “you’re the photographer,why didn’t YOU bring the quarters?!”  So I thought you should all know she can be tough sometimes when she gets all done up (we really love her though!).

The flowers are amazingly beautiful on one’s wedding day!

And this one is just amazing!

Since all of Liesl’s photos are absolutely incredible, we can’t resist showing even more!

Whether your wedding needs full coordination with unique and customized designing, or just some advice and direction, Maine Seasons Events will help you achieve your dream wedding!

image by Brea McDonald Photography

Company: Maine Seasons Events
Wedding Coordinator: Meagan Gilpatrick
Phone: 207.729.2308
Website: http://www.maineseasonsevents.com/

Number of Years in Business: I have been designing and coordinating weddings for 10 years, and officially launched Maine Seasons Events in 2006.

Preferred Wedding Locations: Private residences, barns, outdoor tented weddings at meaningful locations to the bride and groom, unique and usually unseen locations

Pricing Information: Our services range from hourly consultation starting at $60 an hour, to full event design and management, starting at $3,500. My goal is to customize our services to meet the unique needs of each client, and many times, those needs are a combination of services, and I want our clients to have a choice.

What makes me stand out in my industry? My specialty is in personal, creative and customized service. I strive to get to know my clients and listen to their vision and create unique and interesting ways to make their event vision come to life, coupled with professional and experienced logistical and design advice.

What do I like to do in my spare time? There are things I do in my “pretend” spare time, I really never have any spare time, it is always filled up! I make time for knitting, sewing, gardening, reading to my daughter, restoring a vintage camper with my husband.

What charity am I supporting and why? I have volunteered for the ADA Tour de Cure and feel that diabetes is a disease we need to educate about. I have a passion for animals, even my neighbors will grudgingly tell you that I peacefully allow our resident ground hogs to eat my prized flowers! I feel that there needs to be more awareness about animal cruelty, that it is unacceptable in any form. All 3 of my pampered (okay, spoiled) cats came from animal shelters, or were strays. I support the ASPCA so that more people will be educated that animals are not disposable, and for animals in shelters to be adopted into caring and responsible homes. Cancer is a disease that affects so many people, almost everyone I meet or talk with knows someone who is or has been affected by this disease. I have faced my own battle with cancer and want to help fund research so that this disease can someday be a thing of the past.

image by Sharyn Peavey Photography

image by Sharyn Peavey Photography

image by Sharyn Peavey Photography

image by Sharyn Peavey Photography

I thought it would be helpful to describe the type of vendor you will find on MY KPW as well as the philosophy behind MY KPW as we expand throughout New England and NYC.  This may be useful to vendors who are considering joining the MY KPW family because this is a VERY different resource compared to anything in print and on-line.  It will not be the right fit for everyone and because we are limiting the number of vendors per category and overall wedding budget, we have to make sure we select the vendors who are best suited to help inspire brides and who can take full advantage of the wealth of opportunities MY KPW offers. 

Time of Shoot: 2:00pm
Bride: Kate
Hair: Hair that Moves – Lena Hartford

Lena for Hair that Moves shares with us her inspiration for Kate’s hair and how she created the look…

With Kate, she has a short hairstyle and fine hair, so I had to come up with a hairstyle that can be utilized by many others brides who have the same hair type.  I heard that her pictures were going to be taken in downtown Portsmouth and she was going for a mod look, so I wanted to do a popular angled bob to create a 40’s style and feel.

First, to create some volume, I used a curling iron to shape pieces of her hair (spraying them with hairspray before curling) and then I let the curls set for a little bit.

Once her hair was curled, I brushed back her hair to loosen the curls and shaped her hair into a bob (teasing some pieces to keep a little fullness).  Once smooth, I took some smaller pieces and added a little extra wave with a curling iron.

On the sides, I created braided rosette shapes to add a little extra detail and excitement.  These little details are always good to have, even if your head piece covers them because you’re most likely going to take that head piece off at your reception.

Joanne for Joya beauty shares her expertise on Kate’s makeup and how she envisioned her 40′s look…

The concept for Kate’s makeup was based on a 40′s inspired theme.  This is a popular request by the more adventurous bride and perfect for an evening wedding.  Kate’s face was perfect for the creative with her large eyes and voluptuous lips.  I started with an opaque matte white cream eye shadow to create the perfect canvas.  The eye makeup for this look has to be very clean and emphasize the lash line.

The white made the perfect backdrop for the sweep of the eye lashes I chose for Kate….feathery, flirtatious and mysterious. The crease is a tigers eye loose shadow with just enough color to create a contour and set the whole eye with a loose mineral white shimmer.  Both shadows are original Joya beauty custom colors.

Kate’s skin was airbrushed for a flawless finish and her cheeks were brushed with the slightest hint of pink.

Her red lipstick completed the look and is also a custom color I created and named “Deception”.

Now that Kate’s hair and makeup is done, Lena sits Kate back down to fit her with her birdcage…

Once the hair style was in place and makeup done, it was time to adorn her with the birdcage.  Before you begin pinning the cage into your hairstyle, you want to consult your hairdresser, makeup artist (if you have one) and the person you bought the piece from to ask for their suggestion as to where to place the head piece.  Sometimes, certain veils or cages call for a particular style hair and makeup, so you want to make sure the placement of the headpiece meshes well with the look you are going for.  Since Kate’s look was more mod, we had fun placing it in a way to accentuate her makeup, especially her crazy blue eyes.

And here’s the final look for Kate’s hair and makeup.  Lena and Joanne definitely hit the mod look!  Stay tuned for more photos of Kate’s shoot in her beautiful gown running around Portsmouth!

Melissa Wilson from Melissa Koren Photography provides some great insight on planning wedding day formals. Check out her work below or visit her website: Melissa Koren Photography

When meeting with clients we discuss their needs and expectations of formals. I’ve had formals range from 2 hours just for bride & groom to 30 minutes for a 10 person wedding party and family! The more time provided, the more relaxed the portraits can be however, the more permutations they want, the longer its going to take.  If they are anticipating a ton of formals, I often ask them to check with their venue and DJ to see what scheduling they require so we can adjust start times accordingly if need be – some venues are very particular especially if they’ve got a kitchen full of food waiting to be served.  It’s also important to make sure they let their family members know not to wander off if they’re going to be needed!  Sometimes we spend more time trying to gather people than I actually do shooting!

I ask if they’re planning on seeing each other before the ceremony.  It’s such a personal choice and I completely respect that, sometimes the anticipation of not seeing each other until the end of the aisle is part of their ideal day and I never press to take that away from them.  If they do want to see each other before hand, we try and plan backwards from the ceremony time.  If you need to be at the alter at 4, then we need to be wrapped up in time for you to leave at 3:30 so we need to start at 2:30 time and so you should all be dressed, made up and ready to go at 2:20!

In my experience the majority of my couples are not seeing each other before the ceremony but opt for some length of ‘getting ready’ photos.  When that is the case, and everyone is ready in time, I try and get as many of the brides formals (portraits, family, attendants) out of the way before the ceremony, if there’s time and location is conducive I will also find the groom and do the same individual shots for him as well.  Then we have more time after the ceremony to celebrate and shoot.

Flexibility is important.  If it’s crucial that you want a photo of your mother putting on your veil, but she’s running an hour behind, lets put on your veil and take some photos and then when mum is ready, we’ll carefully remove it and let her do the honors.  If you definitely want a shot with your godfather, but for some reason he wasn’t available during the formal time, we’ll make it a point to get a lovely shot of you two at the reception.  I always let clients know that if they have a large family group shot that’s not going to fit into the allotted “formal time” they can gather everyone at the reception and I’ll gladly make it happen!

Most importantly, try and relax and enjoy every moment of the day!  No matter what time line gets worked out with the couple I try and make sure they know that things can happen and that’s OK! Even the most detailed schedule is sometimes only a guideline.  It’s their day and if something gets off track it’s not the end of the world, we’ll all do our best to still make everything work out and provide absolutely the best results possible.  That’s just another part of why it’s so important to work with professionals, especially the DJ/band & the photographer. We all try and work together with the on-site coordinator (if available) to make sure that even if the day doesn’t go as “planned” everything is still perfect