I got my new Coach purse in yesterday! It’s awesome (Thanks Danielle!). It was the purse I previously wrote about in about blog that I might be getting and the day has come! I got it! I need to go to bed, so I’m going to make this quick. Don’t you love it???? I do! Ok, going to bed now, but check back tomorrow to find out who the winner of our iPod Nano Giveaway is! Cheers!
I came across this great article this morning. I think a lot of brides are focused on dishing out the money for the dress, the venue, flowers, etc, but when it comes to the photographer, they skimp. Why is that? Of all the things to pay for at a wedding, the photographer is one of the most important. Why? Well, other than being bias of course 
it is one of the only tangible memories of your wedding that you will have! The food, yeah, it may be good, but it will be gone before the night is over, the venue, yes, gorgeous, but again, after the night is over, gone. You get my drift. Photography (videography if you have a videographer too) is the only tangible memory that you will have, so why skimp on the photographer? Check out this article. I love this article because it compares a newby to a seasoned pro and truly shows what you could get if you skimp on your photographer. This is also why it is a GREAT idea, if you are starting out, to second shoot for another photographer. They can help teach you so much that you may not have thought about. I second shot for Doug McGoldrick a couple of times, and while I got some great shots, I learned I had a big problem when it came to receptions. He taught me critical information I needed to know to really improve my game. I also listened to a couple of webinars with Jules Bianchi where she went over lighting receptions and I’m happy to say that those experiences have led to my reception photos looking sooooooo much better than before.
It is really important to be willing to spend the extra money for a good photographer and maybe tighten your budget on other things, such as flowers or invitations. Hopefully this article will help to prove that with wedding photography, most of the time, you get what you pay for.
Jen Shannon Photography
I was disappointed when we ended up not being able to go to Florida while Monica and her husband, Jeremy, were visiting their parents. She was going to do a trash the dress session with Megan, my best friend of 20 years, and I was invited along but because I couldn’t go I decided to do a little photo shoot of my own. I was initially going to do a TTD session but decided I wanted to do a bridal glam/TTD in one. I also read an article about using video capabilities to a photographer’s advantage and decided to make a promo video while me did the glam session (watch the promo video here). I recruited my friend, Steph, for the job but her sister ended up coming home from Norway (study abroad) and thought she would be better suited as the bride. Steph had this awesome dress she had purchased for home coming back in high school that she never really got to wear. It matched the bridal gown I purchased PERFECTLY!
A little behind the scenes story. So Colby and I set out to David’s bridal to find their $99 sale rack for a dress. I really thought all we’d find was crap… We walked in and they showed us the slim pickin’s they had left for their $99 sale but the first one to catch my eye was the one we bought. It was the only black and white dress. It ended up a couple sizes too big but a clamp worked just fine to hold it up. We also tried to find the perfect veil but I couldn’t find one I liked. So I ended up buying the netting fabric, the flower, the feathers, etc and putting it all together myself I was very proud of my hot glue gun and scissors skills
Moving on… So Steph and Mandy came over to get dressed up but already had their make up done. Mandy is not a professional make up artist, but she definitely should be. Her make up was amazing. She also did Steph’s make up which was amazing too! Then we set out for some run down parts of Joliet (which if you’ve ever been, no they are not hard to find hahaha) and the Joliet Metra station. While we ended up not trashing the dress, we did the bridal glam session. Here are some of the final photos from the glam session I did yesterday with Mandy and Stephanie Bruno. These sisters sure knew how to rock this session! I have so many amazing photos it was hard to choose so I put them in a slide show for easier viewing. I’ll be editing more later.
I am so excited and have been waiting for today to come for a long time! My friend Stephanie and her sister Mandy agreed to be models for me. Stephanie had this amazing dress and I went and bought a wedding dress that almost completely matches Stephanie’s dress. Initially Stephanie was supposed to play the bride but decided her sister Mandy was a better fit for the job. I could not believe the second we started shooting how Mandy immediately turned on her model/vogue side and COMPLETELY ROCKED IT!!! She did her own make up too! Isn’t she amazing??? She was PERFECT for this! We had an amazing time and she totally looks awesome. Here is a teaser from the session. I’ll be posting more once they are all edited.
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Bridal Glamour Photographer
I believe in being bold. I believe in being a go getter. I believe in saying, “So what?” I believe in looking at the odds and knowing I can beat them. I believe in not caring about what other people think. I believe in going after what I want. There is nothing wrong with going after what you want. I believe in taking chances. I’d rather try something and fail at it than to have never tried it at all and never know what could have been. We all have aspirations and ambitions and dreams. Why not go after them and live a life that makes you happy than submit to doing something you don’t enjoy?
I was inspired to write about this today because I have noticed so many of the people I know are submitting to doing things that they don’t enjoy to make a buck. Although I believe in working while you build your dream so eventually your dream can support you, I don’t believe in not chasing your dream at all. What a meaningless life to have not lived it to what you feel you love and were born to do. I love being artistic. I love arts and crafts. I love who God has made me to be. I always wondered why God gave me such a strong personality… I now realize it is because he knew I was going to be a business woman someday. He knew if I didn’t have a strong personality I would give up, give in, and never chase my dreams. He knew if He made me the way He did I would have the courage to say, “So what?” when people say, “You’ll never make money in the art industry” or “You won’t be able to run a business” or “You won’t stick with it” or worst of all “There are too many of them in your area, you’ll never get any business.” God has been so good to me and I’m super happy with where I’ve been and where I am today. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for my future.
Here the photo of the day for today Remember that if God can move mountains, He can pave your way to success.
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
I’m pleased to announce G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S. Glamorous is a program where you come spend an afternoon with me! I’ll teach you about your camera’s functions, technique, editing, and even let you pick my brain with questions you have! Our Glamorous afternoon will consist of 3-4 hours where we meet and I get to learn about you. You can tell me about your photography experiences, where you’d like to grow and what kind of things you’d like to learn. I’ll set up a model for us to photograph and then I’ll show you editing techniques to take your work to the next level. I’ll even throw in a quick portrait session for you so you have some great head shots of yourself, but you have to give me the credit line because I know you’ll want to use them online Glamorous is $100 for the afternoon. You’ll walk away with great insight, functional camera knowledge and some amazing portfolio images! So holla if you are interested by using the “Holla” link in the navigation bar!
I’ll have a promo video up about this soon
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
On of the fascinating things I’ve realized is that when you are doing something you love you tend to learn more about yourself. You know…., what you like, dislike, etc. I’ve noticed, even in the past three months that my photo editing style has changed. I am continually trying to find my niche and develop my style. Although it’s come a long way, I know it will continue to change, just like a child grows up and tastes change, so does my photography style. I’m growing up in my photography world and it is so amazing to look back and see just how quickly it happens.
I am currently going through every single photo on my website and re-editing my photos to reflect the style I’ve developed for myself. In doing so I found a few of my favorite engagement photos of Richard and Lori that I took while I was studying underMonica in Colorado Springs back in April. The funny thing is that I was so happy with these photos and the way I had edited them, but looking at them again today, I realized that they needed some “Jen Style” work. So I made some minor updates, but here they are. I love bright, vibrant, sharp images. I would encourage any photographer who is up and coming to keep a blog so they can go back and see their work and how it has evolved. I’d love to say I was perfect and awesome from the get go and that I am perfect and awesome right now, but I’m not. I don’t think you ever really get “there” but I am happy and thrilled to looked back to see where I’ve come from, where I’m going, and how quickly this is all happening. xoxo.
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
I was putting the finishing touches on some images from Jessica’s wedding that I shot on July 10th and came across a few that I decided I wanted to post to my blog. Enjoy
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
I was putting the finishing touches on some images from Jessica’s wedding that I shot on July 10th and came across a few that I decided I wanted to post to my blog. Enjoy
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
Yesterday I set out back to the mall in search of a purse. This time, I took Colby with me but dropped him at Gloria Jeans so I didn’t have to listen to the whining… I decided to spend some more time searching for the perfect big purse. As much as I wanted my Coach Carly Signature bag, it was too expensive. All of the other purses from Target, TJ Maxx, and Burlington Coat Factory were just too cheaply made… I hate cheaply made purses. They look bad, they feel gross, and they unravel quickly. I guess you could say instead of a shoe addiction I have a purse addiction. My first stop was JC Penney because I didn’t look there the night before but no such luck in finding what I wanted. So I went back to Macy’s with a new budget in mind and found the perfect purse! Colby hates it, but I love it. It’s white, which is weird for me because usually I hate white purses, but it is single strapped, zips on top and is huge! I LOVE it! Best of all, it is made of real leather and it’s not cheaply made! I got it for 25% off but I’d rather not talk about the price I will say, though, that it was under $100. It’s a Guess purse. I don’t know if there is any fun model name or anything but I still love it. It’s got all sorts of great pockets inside and one on the back that is perfect for my iPhone LOVE IT!
Oh and just to clarify, yes, it is made with scrunched leather so it is supposed to look like that!
Jen Shannon Photography, Chicago Wedding Photographer
