CAMP WEDDING AT CAMP WANDAWEGA WITH CHERRY BLOSSOM EVENTS

July 29, 2016 lexia frank

You all know that Camp Wedding is one of my favorite wedding industry conferences- and i'm so happy to be asked to speak and teach again this year, and i am going ALL OUT ya'll. i have some surprises up my sleeve, i'm not telling, but it's gonna be goooood.

But seriously, it is a ridiculously good time because it's just not pretentious. you know what i'm talking about- we, in the wedding industry- can sometimes put on airs. it's all 'look at all the amazing weddings i've worked on' or 'i'm so fancy' and that can be really intimidating in a learning environment.

This is NOT that type of learning experience. Yes, we may get pampered to the max with gifts, experience incredible food prepared by celebrity chefs, relax by the lake with a cocktail, awaken (in the cutest little rooms or teepees you've ever seen) to a breakfast spread you can only imagine in your wildest dreams already prepared for us by magic elves working before the sunrise (seriously)- but it's the 'camp' environment that allows everyone to loose their intimidation factor and really let down to create meaningful networking connections and create a safe place to ask questions and really learn.

Everyone smells like campfire and has camp-hair and probably some stray seaweed hanging off their shoulder from the lake. no one is too cool to approach, no one is worried about their image, everyone is there for the same goal- to unwind, to network, to learn, to be inspired.

But the best part is the fact that all types of wedding professionals are there. it's not just a conference of one genre- because do we realllly need to network with more people of our same industry? As a photographer, i want to be spending more time with planners, florists, magazine editors, bakers, calligraphers, watercolor artists- other creators that are doing game-changing things in their own field that i can take inspiration from. and i have things to teach those people too (like, how to take ridiculously awesome pictures of your own creations even if you're not a photographer, or how to set up your work at the wedding so the photographer can get the best photos of your creations as well). it's this type of give-and receive that is so valuable.

here is what we were up to last year, and i really hope you come join us this year at camp wandawega. there are a few gifts left if you sign up ASAP (like free post-camp webinars with your favorite speakers for follow-up education).

Here is what i'm looking most forward to: sunrise canoeing the epic rope swing straight into the lake, lunch on the pier, hikes in the woods to the teepees on the hill, smores by the MASSIVE 10 foot tall bonfire, the wild dance party at the end of camp, celebrity dinners (for once we get to be the wedding guests!), A-list speakers and education, watercoloring (!), and making new friends at one of the most wonderful venues.

Go register here

Tickets are going fast, and if you register before tomorrow you'll receive a free gift! http://www.campwed.org/contact/

here is what we were up to last year.

Destination Wedding Photographer Lexia Frank - a portland oregon fine art film photographer- photographed this wedding at camp wandawega in wisconsin for Camp Wedding by Cherry Blossom Events  www.lexiafrank.com

the swag bags were ridiculous. no joke, i'm literally in a battle with my 5 year old son about who's backpack this gets to be. i say it's mine, but he claims i have no use for a backpack and since he's in kindergarten, this gets to be his.

If you aren't familiar with Camp Wandawega, it is a restored summer camp that has kind of a saucy history. The owners have renovated in the most kitchy and authentic ways... but dont misinterpret 'restored' and 'renovated' for luxury- this place is as rustic as it gets. they actually make you sign a disclaimer saying that you understand that this is more 'glamping' than resort style living. that you'll have a 'no big deal' attitude if, you know, toilets wont flush or the electricity goes out.

not going to lie- it made me want to stay there even more. i was like 'GAME.ON.'

you want to know what is really silly, but really made me feel amazing? seeing my own placecard for seating done in beautiful calligraphy. i'm so used to photographing events and eating a crappy cold sandwich in a backroom somewhere while everyone else is enjoying some luxurious meal that i was literally taken aback when i realized that i was meant to sit at an actual table, that i was a guest, that the food was meant for me.

holding that placecard with my name on it was such a reminder that as industry professionals we MUST take time out to re-energize, to invest in our own education, to practice self-care.

swag bags are awesome... but that placecard and the food that was meant for me was worth so much more.

this is my dear friend Jenna. she cries every time she speaks, and i totally love her for it.

we learned how they do chalkboard transfers! dude- it is NOT EASY. i have a degree in art and about halfway through i was like 'yep. i'm done.' i literally only finished the task so i could take this picture.

I rolled my pregnant self out of bed every morning to find the most incredible spread of breakfast treats you can imagine. who the heck wakes up at 6am to put out a spread like this?! i'd take my little nummies and go sit down by the lake and watch the sun get higher. perfection.

WHHHHHHHAAAAT. you guys. those are cinnamon roll cupcakes. to the person who invented cinnamon roll cupcakes- you are my hero.

stillllll more photos of breakfast. it goes on and on. seriously you guys.

last year i did headshots of all the attendees! look at these beautiful people! they cleaned up so nicely after the lake water and late night bonfires.

Why we shouldn't travel to multiple locations for photos on your wedding day

June 6, 2016 lexia frank

"Where should we take photos on our wedding day?" clients often wonder.

After all, you only get married once, and after investing so much in a wonderful photographer you want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. In many clients' minds that translates to "i want a photograph at every beautiful location in the town of X"

but here is why that is detrimental to your wedding as well as to your resulting photographs.

As a documenter my job is to visually tell the story of your day. The final product of which is usually an beautifully constructed album that should read as an actual story. If you want to know more about that process stay tuned for the next part of this series: how to choose the right photos for your wedding album

Here is the basics of what you should know: there should be a beginning (getting ready) middle (the ceremony) a climax (the ceremony/reception) and an ending (images that bring closure to the reception). There should also be transitions between those elements which usually come in the form of 'establishing shots' which sort of 'set the scene' so to speak. perhaps an overall image of the entire reception set up sets the scene for the following images of the reception. perhaps a shot of the bride walking down the hall is a good transition between the 'getting ready' pictures to the 'ceremony' pictures.

Destination wedding photographer Lexia Frank is a portland oregon fine art wedding photographer. bride walks through the entrance at her sunstone winery wedding in california. www.lexiafrank.com

bride finishes getting ready and awaits the ceremony at the lyford house house in san francisco. Destination wedding photographer lexia frank - a fine art wedding photographer shoots film at this san francisco wedding at the lyford house. www.lexiaf…

destination wedding photographer Lexia Frank - a fine art wedding photographer- photographs this wedding at Sunstone winery in california www.lexiafrank.com

You should think of your album as not a collection of random beautiful images, but rather a cinematic movie with stills rather than motion.

When putting together your album, it should read like an actual story:

"once upon a time, in a beautiful country vineyard, a bride was getting ready to meet her groom. Surrounded by friends in a light-filled room she awaited patiently and journaled her thoughts to her soon-to-be husband. surrounded by all of her most-meaningful treasures, her hair was done and makeup was applied, and her mother quietly wept as she watched her little girl enter this rite of passage. as she walked down the hallway to the ceremony she felt butterflies, but upon seeing her groom at the front of the alter she knew she was making the best decision of her life"

can you mentally see all the photographs that would go along with those words? Those are the ones that should be in the album.

now what if this happened to the story:

"then they took photos by the lake. then they took photos in the vineyard. then they took photos on the street. then they took photos in front of this building. then they fake-laughed to get laughing photos in front of the river"

i bet all of those photos are beautiful- but it has turned the storyline of the day into something... well...odd.

now, dont misunderstand me, I am truly happy to take photos wherever my clients want to take photos! I will often scout out locations to do this as well; it's important to me to take beautiful lightly posed photographs of my clients on their wedding day. While i love photojournalism- there needs to be a balance of strictly documentary photography and also direction by the photographer to capture formal family photographs and some seriously stellar pictures of the bride and groom together.

However, i don't think we should necessarily leave the entire premises to go to an unrelated location, taking time away from experiencing their day with their friends and family.

Here are a few pages from a client's album that show how transition images work to connect one portion of the wedding to the next.

Destination wedding photographer Lexia Frank is a fine art wedding photographer in portland oregon. Wedding at the Villa Terrace in milwaukee wisconsin. wisconsin fine art wedding photographer and wisconsin fine art film photographer. www.lexiafrank…

Destination wedding photographer Lexia Frank is a fine art wedding photographer in portland oregon shooting luxury weddings throughout the united states and beyond www.lexiafrank.com

Note how there are a few 'scene setting' images. note how there are transitions from one section of the day to the next. note how the majority of the images are documentary in nature and only a few classic portraits. and finally, note how there is a clear beginning, middle, and end to the storyline.

of course there are always exceptions- Last year a client of mine made a special point to travel off location with her husband to take a few photos in a gazebo dedicated to her maid of honor who had recently passed away. what a beautifully loving way to include someone so dear to your heart that could only be there in spirit. It was so beautiful and so touching and added a really meaningful layer to not only their day but also their photography.

My main point is the final gallery and album of imagery should tell the story of their day in a cohesive and logical way. And while i'm obsessed with a beautiful image- i want to make those beautiful images in locations that actually have something to do with your wedding day, and for you to be able to enjoy your wedding instead of running all over town hoping in and out of a vehicle to take pictures. (can i get an amen?)

my advice is to stay at the venue whenever possible, and to take that into consideration when choosing a venue- would you want your photos taken there?

a final note- many (if not all) places require a permit for photography and sometimes a heafty fee. If you still want to take photos off location, make sure you budget in a few hundred extra dollars for permitting fees and do the necessary paperwork beforehand. Even public parks require permits. Just another reason to pick a beautiful location for your wedding that you want to stay at and be photographed in, instead of picking a venue on price alone and thinking you can make up for it by traveling to other locales to get beauatiful pictures. In the long run it will cost you more than your money- you'll be sacrificing your wedding day experience, your time, your storyline, your photography, and your album.

a wedding at Whistling Straits

May 17, 2016 lexia frank

You guys... THE JOY. have you ever seen so much joy in your entire life at a wedding? like, we're talking uabashed, existential JOY from these two. Normally after a wedding my arms are exhausted from lifting equipment and my thighs worn out from squatting... but after this wedding my cheeks literally felt like they would fall off from laughing and smiling all day long with these two.

side note: i've NEVER been rained out of a wedding in my life. i have a 100% success rate in the past 7 years. only twice did it rain on a wedding day- but we still had an outdoor wedding before the rain came. This wedding there was a 100% chance of rain and - no joke- a TORNADO WARNING. for an all-outdoor wedding. I played it off all cool and calm on the outside but inside i was freaking out.

not.a.drop.fell.

i thought for sure this was going to be the wedding that broke my 7 year lucky streak, but while the rain threatened and the wind blew.... by the time the ceremony happened the sun came out from behind the clouds and gave us the most beautiful weather. glorious!