Posted by: Kellan Studios | March 3rd, 2010
I promise we are ready to bust this shooting season wide open starting this weekend. I am itching to get some fresh meat on the blog and March will not disappoint! In the meantime, I thought I would give any planning brides some bouquet inspiration courtesy of our sweet friend Janie Medley of JM Flora Design and also the creator of the incredible online resource The Bride’s Cafe. You may remember an adorable vintage dress shoot we did for the Brides Cafe back in January. We also shot a bunch of Janie’s bouquets as well. I wish you could smell through the screen….they were divine! Enjoy some floral inspiration!
Tags: inspiration, Trendy Nuggets, Vintage
Posted by: Kellan Studios | February 14th, 2010
My dear, sweet and insanely talented friend, Candace Grahl is going on an adventure. She is jumping head first into the event design business. With an affinity for color, paper, fabric and baking….she is taking those passions and channeling them into Candace Marie Design. We, her friends, have been benefiting from her delicious baked goods, creative crafting, and decorating tips for years. With a gentle nudge from her husband and her friends holding up pom poms and banners…she is going for it! Her main focus will be on the dessert tables/small-time catering & the designing details like tags, ribbons, and things of that fashion. The finishing touches are happening with her website so stay tuned for her official launch in late spring.
She approached Ryan and me in the fall to grab some headshots for the site. FIsh in a barrel! Not only is she a looker, she has an insane range of facial expressions. Candace is one of my most animated friends which makes for some great photos. She also happens to think Ryan and I are pretty darn funny so getting her laughing is a cinch! Enjoy some of my favorites of her as well as a sneak peek at some of her work from our little friend, Ella’s, first birthday party.
***Yellow cupcake donated by my friend and baker extraordinaire, Beth from Taste Selects Confectionery***
Check out those gams!!! She was training for a marathon at the time. Literally running her butt off.
location change…little more rustic
such a Candace face
Now on to a Candace Marie event. This was a 1st birthday party for our dear friends Sarah and Nathans daughter, Ella Jade!
Check out the beautiful table…..
and the adorable birthday girl!
Ella actually had a violent reaction to the taste of frosting. She yelled and shook…then she realized she was CRAZY and enjoyed it.
So keep your bookmarks set for Candace Marie Design to see more of what Candace has cooking in the kitchen…literally!
Tags: Anytime Shoot, headshots
Posted by: Kellan Studios | February 4th, 2010
Greetings, salutations, yadda yadda yadda. From the looks of the title I have a lot to share. Oh yes, dear reader, I have a cup of coffee going too, so if you are wise you will join me. This is sure to be a long-winded post. Might I recommend a little Jon Foreman in the background, mood music always helps the mental palette.
So Ryan and I headed a little west a few weeks ago to Nashville, TN to attend the Jeremy Cowart Workshop. Now if you are scratching your head at that name then first of all, shame on you, second of all, slap your hand, third of all, click over to his site before you keep reading.
Jeremy is a master of off camera lighting, Photoshop, and truly a photojournalist (I hate how that term is tossed around in the photography industry). His bodies of work are along two distinctively different veins, the “haves” and the “have nots”. Carrie Underwood one day and Africa the next. He has had two books published documenting his travels overseas including my personal favorite, Hope in the Dark.
I will say it, I came on board with Jeremy only because of Ryan. Ryan has been following Jeremy since his graphic and web design days….long before he was the official tour photographer for Brittany Spears. Ryan is a true blue loyal fan of Jeremy’s work.
I am a fan of Jeremy’s heart (and so is Ry). He loves him some Jesus and he has an extreme soft spot for those in the world that are “the least of these”. He is passionate to tell the stories of those who can not do it for themselves, to bring humanitarian relief, medical care, and love. THIS, my friends, is worth taking a moments pause. THIS is what makes my heart race and my pulse quicken. THIS is using gifts to bless others in eternal ways.
So that is Jeremy. He’s pretty radicalmungo!
Back to the workshop. This was Ryan and my first time attending a photography workshop. We were pretty pumped that it was generic in the sense that it wasn’t wedding-focused. Don’t get me wrong, we can talk shop about weddings all day but we know we won’t be doing that forever, let us just learn more about the scope of photography. We sat in a room with 18 other photographers, some just starting, some seasoned in their field. Jeremy’s theme was simple and yet profound, “What is your passion?”
The first night Jeremy walked us through his journey growing up exploring the creative arts. He also took us through his entire website critiquing his own work and telling stories about certain celebrities or breaking down the way he lights things. Apparently, Jeremy and I were surfing the same wavelength because in a room full of 20 people you could hear my nasally chuckle on and off for two hours. Me and ONLY me was laughing at his commentary. What can I say, I am a sucker for dry, self-deprecating humor!
The next day was full of lighting knowledge as we watched Jeremy work with four models lighting things off-camera and with natural lighting. We watched how his direction, posing, and composition come together. Each of us gleaning little nuggets of wisdom from a master. Then it was our turn to work with the models and for his assistant to come around and let us lock into some off-camera lighting. We had an hour and then we had to pick three photos to be projected on a MASSIVE wall and critiqued.
Cue nervous sweat and poo cramps. OH MAN…I don’t care how many comments we receive, how many fans on FB or Twitter followers….you are your own worst critic. We always chuckle when people sing our praises (although very much appreciated!!) If you think we are big fish then you clearly don’t know how big the pond is! To have a little piece of your soul projected 20 feet by 12 feet on a wall is humbling.
******HONESTY ALERT******
I, Kelly Portnoy, have never shot in manual until the Jeremy Cowart workshop. For those of you non-photographers reading you could care less about that statement. For those of you photographers reading you may have gasped a little.
I mean REALLY…and you call yourself a professional? Yup, darn skippy I do.
I remember clearly listening to a photography GIANT, Cliff Mauntner speak on the showroom floor at WPPI last year bagging on photography snobs that say you HAVE to shoot on manual. He confessed he doesn’t shoot manual all the time and he is known as one of the top ten wedding photographers in THE WORLD! It’s the end product we are going for and there are a gazillion ways to achieve that. So what if I shoot aperture value or shudder priority. I achieve what I am going for.
BUT, I confess…I am a parasitical photographer of Ryan’s skills. We joke that Ryan has technology autism. Me, not so much. He can read a manual folks (gag) and digest and retain all that he reads. I am visual ALLLLL the way. Show me, let me see what you are talking about, practice it, (cue lightbulb) AHA! That is how I learn and that is how I have been learning all along the way. Organically! Truthfully, I have felt insecure though not being able to shoot in manual. I wanted to understand the camera more and be able to troubleshoot lighting situations without my little nerd husband (said lovingly) being there to bail me out if I got stuck. It was important to me. I decided for 2010 I was going manual, not that I won’t have a fling or two on the side with AV and TV….but I was going to show my camera who was boss. Own it baby!
So here we go….I am in a group with four other ladies and given a professional model to work with. Lacey was incredible! Sweet as the day is long. I don’t know who I felt more sorry for, her or me. It was 5:1 ratio and her name was being yelled every two seconds to look here or there, act this way or that. It is very hard to grab a shot or frame up a shot when you are literally on top of another photographer doing the same thing. Five vultures on a fresh piece of meat.
Example: I do not lie…this was the reality
I took my time, talking myself through my settings and just went for it on manual. This is what I came up with during my time with Lacey and the vultures (I LOVED the ladies I was with).
This is where I will say my epiphany happened. I really really love photographing women. Figuring out feminine angles and body language. I love pulling the vulnerability and inner beauty out. I love processing with soft, vintage tones, this is ME in photo form. This is where I want to continue to go.
Transitioning outside.
The windows she was just leaning against acted as the most amazing reflector when we brought her further into the courtyard. None of these next photos were shot with a flash.
So then we moved into this very cool restaurant with awesome blue glass walls aptly called Sapphire. This is what the room looked like without any lighting whatsoever.
CONFESSION #2!!! Here is the moment folks, the first time I locked into off-camera lighting. Besides running a sharpening action, these are right out of camera.
Ryan is the only one who uses off-camera when we shoot receptions or portraits. I stick with my external flash. Ignorance is bliss or is it?
Loved using it! It was great practicing with it. I also enjoyed going back to Jeremy’s studio and watching him use these insane octobanks showing us how to balance off camera lighting. He immediately showed us frame by frame what each shot looked like as more lighting was added and moved around. Visual Kelly grabbed on immediately…AHA!
So then came the critique time. Both Ryan and I were fairly unscathed with just minor criticisms of our post processing and composition. Jeremy was gentle.
There is so much more but this post is enormous and I haven’t even addressed what is ahead for Kellan. We learned a lot while we were there, mostly subtle things about our business future. We had 9 hours in the car to discuss what was on our heart about Kellan and our passions. Where were we going and shy and how does this affect our marriage, our children, Ryan’s full-time job.
Most people do not realize that this is not a full-time gig for us and there are no plans for it going full time. Although we have been blown away by what the Lord has done with Kellan in 3.5 years we also learned the hard way in 2008 that pursuing wedding photography full time is not a fit for us. We have such a young family and plan on adding one more freakishly large child to the crew in the near future. We have only been married for 4.5 years and rather enjoy being together at home. Ryan was blessed with an AMAZING day job as a commercial photographer and web designer for a SAHWEET leather design company, Moore and Giles Inc. He gets to use his camera skills almost daily and loves it!
We drastically backed off on bookings in 2009 to just two weddings/month and for 2010 we backed off even more to one wedding/ month (with the exception of Oct and July). Our priority is our marriage and family and because of that we have had to make the choice to conscientiously step back from the wedding industry, get really darn picky about our clients and travel at a rate that fits our family. If you are one of our 2010 clients then pat yourself on the back, you made the cut! HA! I think we are going to get even more stingy about 2011.
We will never regret putting our marriage and children first and walking away from a lot of success that was handed to us so quickly. This is what is right for US, this is our conviction and what we feel clearly the Lord is showing us to do.
We learned we are passionate about making “pretty” photos. That may sound elementary but you have to understand how fickle this industry is. You can literally sell your first born to keep up with equipment. Editing trends come and go like the tide. Lighting options are endless. Finding your voice in an industry that is SATURATED is very difficult to do. The bottom line is we are paid very well by our clients and they should get our best. What will always be timeless and something we are proud of, especially when working with mostly brides is pretty photos. Photos that make you say “OOOOOHHHHHHH”. We want women, brides and couples to see our photos and say, THAT is how I have always dreamed of being photographed. This is what we want to be known for, that is where we feel we are approaching but want to push ourselves even farther.
I hope you have enjoyed a little voyage into my brain and back again. We hope to continue to encourage and inspire those who are fair-weathered voyeurs of our work and to those budding photographers looking for advice or seasoned vets that sharpen us in the industry. Thanks for 3.5 years of love, support and patience as we continually learn to grow in our craft.
Tags: News, Portnoy Family
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 31st, 2010
Each year we get more and more floored by the awesome brides coming our way. We have zero complaints about 2009, but here is a little sneak peek at what we have to look forward to for 2010.
Ming is one of our August brides. She throwing one killer outdoor wedding at her parent’s BBQ restaurant in a renovated old dairy barn. Just Google Cuz’s Restuarant and you will find an insane amount of people singing their praises of being the “Best BBQ restaurant on the planet.” To say we are excited is an understatement. Ming herself is one ambitious mama. She is currently in architectural school in Boston but on the side dabbles in her baking hobby. Check out her awesome cupcake site.
As if that was not enough to seal the deal that she is a Kellan bride through and through….we get her Save the Date in the mail a few weeks ago. A DECODER SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!
How fun is that?
I’m also second shooting a wedding in May with the fabulous Heather España from Portland, Oregon. The wedding is in NYC for one of my new friends in the industry, headpiece guru, One Little Dove. We “met” Melanie while in NYC in November doing a headpiece/make up shoot for Ruffled blog. I am so excited about not only officially meeting Melanie and shooting with Heather…but when she emails me an inspiration board like this…
…I know I am going to fall head over heels in love with her wedding.
So that is just a little glimpse into what we have to look forward to in 2010. It’s going to be a good year!
Tags: inspiration, Trendy Nuggets
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 25th, 2010
Well this is Sara and Todd’s run on the internet. I believe they will be signing autographs this Friday from 5:00-8:00pm at Barnes and Noble….Kidding. I woke up this morning to the sweetest post on The Brides Cafe on Kellan Studios featuring Sara and Todd’s super fly shoot and giving us some big, fat sloppy kisses of praise. If you missed their shoot first time around, you have to take a second and check it out. Truly, one of our favorites this year!
Tags: lifestyle, News, Press and Publicity
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 20th, 2010
We were so honored to be asked by Janie at The Brides Cafe to come photograph another lifestyle shoot. Back in the fall we photographed a collaborative effort with Janie and Courtney of Merriment Events, called“Stitch in Time”. We had an awesome time working together so when Janie was sent some incredible vintage dresses from Whirling Turban she was ready for us to reunite for another shoot. If you are into vintage dresses you MUST spend some time on Whirling Turbans site…amazing!
We asked our friend Sara, of our recent three part series labeled “Todd and Sara” to come stand in as a model. I wish you could understand how insanely cold it was outside. It was literally only in the 20’s with a severe windchill. These girls were TROOPERS. With goosebumps and chattering teeth they soldiered on as if it were a lovely spring day.
To see Janie and The Brides Cafe posting on this shoot click here. To see Courtney and Little White Book posting on this shoot click here.
We had to give in and let them wear their coats. I mean we are humane :-)
Flowers by Janie Medley of JM Flora and The Brides Café
Styling by Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events and little white book
Dresses by Whirling Turban
Makeup by Erika Nixon of Makeup on Demand makupondemand@comcast.net
Cupcakes by Two Sweet
Pink feather fascinator by One Little Dove
Tags: Editorial, inspiration, lifestyle, Press and Publicity, Vintage
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 14th, 2010
We are so delighted that Sara and Todd are front and center on the always inspiring Green Wedding Shoes blog today!
The winning combination of great style, details and amazing chemistry make this one of our favorite shoots of 2009.
Click on over to see which images Jenny chose to feature.
Tags: Anytime Shoot, Editorial
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 12th, 2010
Thank you all for the AMAZING turnout of voters! We were blown away as over 500 of you weighed in your opinions, some biased….some completely objective. Either way, it was an awesome week of voting and very fun to watch certain categories battle it out to the bitter end.
We are here in Nashville attending the extremely awesome and did I mention insanely talented Jeremy Cowart Workshop. We didn’t want to leave you all hanging while we are out of town so between bites of quesadilla explosion salad (YUM! Thank you Chili’s) we wrote down the names of the 15 category winners. Those that were in the running for the three prizes were:
Katherine and Mark-Romance (ooh lala)
Chrissy and Jay- Hot Potatoes (representin New JER-SAAAAAAAAAAY)
Jill and Jed- Cutie Petuties (awwwww)
Adam and Lauren- Passion (sizzlin!)
Jamie and Paula- Color Pop (pink and green unite)
Joe and Joanna- Best ups (white men can and will jump)
Sara -Just Plain Purdy (and I think Toddio will agree)
Hillary- Shoes Glorious Shoes (how can hot pink not win?)
Catherine and Nick- Ring shots (they started something new alright)
Susan and Thad-Happy Happy Joy Joy (when doesn’t a dapper older gentlemen laughing not make you smile?)
Molly hugging her mom- Intense (this photo still makes her mom cry)
Josh’s father holding the Bible-Details (The MOST perfect detail)
Heather and TIm with flowergirls- MISC (It’s not their party, but they will cry if they want to)
Jill and Jed-Out of a Movie (This is a shot everyone wishes they had of themselves…beautiful!)
Soooooo…we put everyone’s name in Ryan’s hat and drew three winners. They are:
THIRD PRIZE- winning a 12 X 18 enlargement: Catherine and Nick
SECOND PRIZE- winning a 12 X 12 canvas wrap: Jill and Jed
FIRST PRIZE- winning a 16 X 24 canvas wrap: Chrissy and Jay
You three email us with your most recent mailing address and the photo from your session you wish to have printed. Congratulations everyone!
Not to be forgotten, we did pull up an online number randomizer that calculated our 87 commenters. Commenter 12- Katie Curry was chosen for our $15.00 Starbucks card. Congrats Katie…have some coffee on us! Email us your address as well.
You guys rock. Thanks for closing out our 2009 season with thunderous applause. We can’t wait to show you what is up our sleeve with 2010.
Tags: Besties!, For kicks and giggles
Posted by: Kellan Studios | January 2nd, 2010
Being the BEST is a huge responsibility, being the BEST as a Kellan client…well that is a whole other realm of importance. Can you handle the pressure candidates? ….CAN YOU????? It’s game time.
It is an arduous task plowing through a year’s worth of photos picking moments, expressions, looks, style, color and emotion that grabbed our eye. This year we structured “The Besties” into categories and changed around the voting.
So we ask you to take a moment with each category, consider it, savor it, marinate in it, and cast your vote! There are 15 categories so scroll all the way down.
It is just that easy!
We will open the polls on Monday, January 4 and close them on Monday, January 11 at midnight. The winners from the 15 categories will then go into a random drawing. First winner will receive a 16 X 24 canvas wrap, the second winner will receive a 12 X 12 canvas wrap and the third winner will receive an 12 X 18 enlargement. JUST FOR BEING THE BESTEST!!! How rad is that?
BUT WAIT DEAR VOTERS…..you can win too! By leaving a comment at the end of the post you will be eligible for a drawing for a $15.00 Starbucks card. All you have to do is link to a photo that meant something to you in 2009. It could be a personal photo, a photo from another photographer or one of ours. We would love to see what moves or inspires you! That’s it…..leave a comment, be in a drawing. (Unfortunately, Facebook links will not work)
Get your clicking finger ready and vote, vote, vote….THANK YOU for helping support our awesome 2009 clients.
And…. Begin!
Romance
Mark and Katherine:
Adam and Lauren:
Ellen and Erik:
Heather and Tim:
Dustin and Christy
Hillary and Josh:
Cindy and Josh:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
HOT POTATOES
Sara and Todd:
Candace:
Heather and Tim:
Chrissy and Jay:
Ellen and Erik:
Molly and Chris:
Thad with groomsmen:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
CUTIE PETUTIES
Amanda and Jason:
Jamie and Paula:
Jill and Jed:
Cindy with bridesmaids:
Julie and Steve:
Joe and Joanna
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
PASSION
Jamie and Paula:
Chrissy and Jay:
Kristin and Tim:
Adam and Lauren:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
COLOR POP
Jamie and Paula:
Heather and Tim:
Kristin and Tim:
Stitch in Time Editorial Shoot:
Jay with groomsmen:
Chrissy with bridesmaids:
Josh with groomsmen:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
BEST UPS
Joe and Joanna
Christy and Dustin
Erik and groomsmen
Chrissy and Jay
Jed and groomsmen
Tim and groomsmen
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
JUST PLAIN PURDY
Jill
Sara
Jill and Chris
Ellen
Natalia
Lauren
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
SHOES GLORIOUS SHOES
Molly
Ellen
Jill
Heather
Hillary
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
PUT A RING ON IT
Cindy and Josh- Charity tokens
Molly and Chris
Comic book lovers Kenley and Michele
Chrissy and Matt’s signature drink at their reception
Jill and Jed
Heather and Tim avid gin lovers
Susan and Thad
Catherine and Nick
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY
Molly
Candace
Kenley and Michele
Chrissy and Matt
Susan and Thad
Joe and Joanna
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
INTENSE
Natalia
Ellen’s mom
Michele
Jill and Jed
Molly hugging her mom down the aisle
Jay
Kristin dancing with her dad
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
DETAILS THAT CAN’T BE IGNORED
Molly’s awesome derby hat
Ellen’s chalk signs at reception
Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot wearing her mothers wedding gown, grandmothers headpiece at the church her parents got married at.
Jill’s mother’s necklace worn on her wedding day.
Set up a ring shot on Chrissy’s favorite tattoo of Jays: Lion/God defeating the Snake/Satan.
Tim’s grandfather watch that was given to him after his passing, held by his grandmother, the recent widow.
Ellen standing on the tractor her grandfather used to ride on many decades earlier. It now resides on their friends farm.
Josh’s dad officiated his son’s wedding ceremony to Cindy. This is the Bible he used to read scripture and during the vows.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
MISCELLANEOUS
During Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot, we worked in a portrait of her mother wearing the original bridal gown.
Heather and Tim’s wedding…flower girl hit her limit.
Molly and Chris’s wedding. Bridesmaids switched to flip flops and shoved into a photo booth together.
Matt and Chrissy read separate vows to each other after their ceremony but had an ill-timed moment where they bashed heads.
Kristin and her mom during reception.
My brother Jamie putting out the vibe.
Dustin doing yoga in the desert
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
OUT OF A MOVIE
Jill and Jed
Chrissy and Jay
Catherine and Nick
Cindy and Josh
Adam and Lauren
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
Tags: Besties!, Bridal Portraits, Editorial, Engagement Portraits, For kicks and giggles, inspiration, News, Weddings
Posted by: Kellan Studios | December 22nd, 2009
Friends, family, countrymen, lend us your ears. Kidding. Okay, so this is Christmas week which means one thing…we are NOT taking any print or album orders until after the holidays!! You heard us…it is time to celebrate the baby Jesus, enjoy family and generally just rest our noggins. Any albums received will be shipped out to their respective owners over the holidays we will just not be fulfilling new orders until after January 1st!
We will be working on the 2nd annual “Besties” competition. Last year we had an AWESOME showing of voters. We almost staged a cage match but in the end Danny and Rachel took home the trophy for 1st place with over 102 voters!!! We expect great things from our 2009 Bestie competition and can’t wait to share the contenders.
In the meantime, please keep up with us through our often witty and sometimes melodramatic twitters at:
kellyportnoy and ryanportnoy (very clever, we know!) Or you can go to the cute little blue bird on the home page, right-hand column and click on our latest tweet.
Also, we have never pushed our Facebook fanpage on our website but if you are a Facebook junkie than please come and get connected to us here. There is a junior higher in all of us waiting to be affirmed in every public forum. Let us sit with you at the lunch table, will you?
Have a very Merry Christmas and New Year. We are so thankful for the incredible brides and grooms we have had the privilege to work with this year. By far, the best year ever! We can’t wait to recap some favorite moments in the Besties. Stay tuned!!
Because Jesus was born,
Kelly, Ryan, Chloe and Bennett!!
Tags: News, Portnoy Family
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