Photobooth: the results

Warming up to the photobooth.


Getting the hang of it.


Some of the boys.


Love the expressions in this one!

Photobooth: the test run

Knowing a DIY photobooth is in our future, it is important (for my sanity) to work out the details of the how as soon as possible. Our annual New Years party presented the perfect opportunity to set up a prototype booth. Of course, Mr. P and I had to get the thing working in a matter of days but those are small details, right? Hah. Once it was up and running, our friends would test it out and find the flaws.

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I did some research, finding free and not free programs. Heck, I even have a program on my MacBook that does the hard work for me. But I didn't like any of these options. I wanted more control (and to keep drunk people with liquids away from my laptop).

That boat has set sail...

The engagement session I wish we could have had!

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As much as we would have enjoyed a sailboat/marina e-session, asking our photographer to travel 3 hours to the home marina wasn't in the cards. And the boat had already been pulled out of the water ("on the hard") in late October so we wouldn't have gotten the desired shots anyway! (Here's a look back at our pictures.)

Happy 2011!

Just popping in to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Hi!
We had a blast hosting everyone last night! The photobooth was a big hit and we have more food and alcohol than we started with, as usual. You know what that means -- a second party ("no BYOB/F") is coming very soon! I wouldn't leave you without some sample photos from our little DIY project (details to follow). For now, it's just pics of us - pending model release from our friends.

Easy peasy presents

After the last shutter click of our engagement shoot, our photographer asked what we would do with the shots. Mr. P and I looked at each other and shrugged. I knew we'd do something with them, but what exactly had yet to be determined. Once the online proofs were in and the families (read: the moms) raved about them, I knew we had foolproof Christmas gifts.

We ordered ten prints from our photographer's Pictage account after Thanksgiving. Turnaround time was estimated mid-December, which wasn't fast enough for our early Christmas in WV. Hoping the prints would arrive just in time, I put a 2-Day rush on the order. We missed their arrival by less than 12 hours, so the rush shipping fee ($16) ended up being a waste of money. And to rub salt in the monetary wound, free shipping was offered on Cyber Monday and is now 50% off.

So how did the photos turn out?

Epic e-pics

We're over the moon with our engagement pictures. They're better than we could have hoped for. The teaser pics just hint at the awesomeness contained in the online album. (Private, sorry. It has last names.) Mr. P and I have not laughed this hard (at ourselves) in a long time.

The Moms were the first to see the album. I called both of them so we could view the albums together. The pitch and decibel of their excited voices may have caused permanent hearing damage! To say they are excited for the wedding is an understatement. The outpouring of love and enthusiasm feels grand. I'm on a natural high.

Levels of awesomeness

Our engagement photos are here! Early!! (Dogs are howling and our wine glasses just shattered - I may need to calm down.) After the shoot, I left wondering what level of awesomeness the photos would be. We had a great location and photographer, but would we screw them up? I was convinced I'd have my eyes closed in a third of them and Mr. P would look painfully uncomfortable. Happy to report that on a scale of 1-10, this one goes to 11!

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As much as I'd like to keep the location of our amazing photo shoot a secret, I feel that it's my bridal obligation to spills the beans so everyone else can visit too! Drumroll, please...

Engagement pictures are in!

My palms are clammy. I'm so excited I can't see straight. And if I weren't at work I'd be running around in circles. What has gotten into me?!

Our engagement photos are in! Heather has posted a teaser on her blog, but I have decided to wait until I’m home to look at them with Mr. P. Bonus excitement: he just got home after being away for a few days!

An hour has never felt so long!

And the skies clear...

All morning long, it rained and I anxiously watched the clock. Once noon rolled around, we had a decision to make. Would the rain hold off for our Brandywine Creek State Park shoot? Or would we be forced to reschedule if none of the Plan B's panned out?

Just as I was ready to leave the office for the make-up appointment, my phone rang. It was Mr. P. And he had good news. Really good news. I squealed (quietly) and left in an excited flurry with a stupid grin on my face. The rain didn't stop. In fact, it poured on the hour drive to and from the make-up appointment. But it didn't matter - I was so thrilled it was all working out.

(I heart this shot.)
My car practically came to a screeching halt outside the house with 10 minutes to spare. After a quick change of clothes, inhaling some nachos and maybe half a Captain 'n Ginger, we grabbed the props and rain gear and were out the door.

It's raining, it's pouring

After spending two hours last night auditioning engagement shoot outfits (very full and semi-drunk – not recommended), it was all for naught – it looks we’ll be rained out. If you recall, we chose Brandywine Creek State Park to showcase the fall color peaking thisveryminute. All the locations were outside: fields of grasses, a meandering stone wall and sweeping views of the rolling countryside. I had even planned framing for certain photos and props.

I knew the weather wasn’t guaranteed. The only explanation I can offer is that I stuck my head in the sand and pretended bad weather wouldn’t foul our plans. So now with a 50% chance of thunderstorms, a chance we're not willing to take, so we’re exploring other (inside) options. Big pouty face. It’s my fault. I’m a planner who failed to plan.

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Old, embarrassing family photos...

Back in town after a weekend trip downstate to see Mr. P's mom. Since he would be working around the house, I had to find something to occupy myself. Something productive. She has a (treasure) chest filled with old family photos, many of which I haven't seen. Scanning in all the photos sounded like a reasonable project. Except there are close to a thousand images...

We brought six albums home for me to work during the week.

Say hi to baby Mr. P!

Engagement shoot - inspiration

I'm not one to go into things blindly. I like to research. Given the opportunity, I over-research. So when I came time to brainstorm our fall engagement shoot, I turned to other wedding bloggers' engagement shoots as a frame of reference. No need to reinvent the wheel when other (smarter, more creative) women have been through it already!

The Wedding Bee engagement session wiki is chock full of helpful posts. There's lots of beautifully styled shoots with a similar location or look that we're going for. Some of my favorite engagement shoots:

Mrs. Dolphin - Pure Photography
Mrs. French Fry - MThreeStudio

Engagement shoot - scheduled!

Now that the leaves are changing color, it's time to think about our fall engagement shoot with Heather Fowler. I finally remembered to email her about a late October shoot and it's set up for a Wednesday near the end of the month. Another reason why we love our photographer: she suggested a 4pm shoot to capture the best light of the day. It's something I feel strongly about. After all, the golden hour makes for some terrific shots.

Our location is a state park full of grassy meadows, open fields, stands of tall trees and a dramatic stone wall. Mr. P wants to visit the park to scout locations (I know, crazy right?) and snap photos. Done, done and done. I'm on board. We haven't gone yet but I have several archived albums, including a fall shoot from November 2008.

Just shoot me

Before Mr. P ever popped the question, I knew a photographer would be one of our Big Three vendors. A love of photography runs deep in my family. Growing up, Dad documented every birthday, family trip, and milestone with camera and/or videocam in hand. There are thousands of photos of us archived at my parents' house. (Which I cannot wait to dig through for projects!) Dad's dad, Pépère, had a serious manual photography hobby. When he passed, Dad inherited his equipment, which included an old Nikon FM that I adopted.

Man, I miss this camera
My first "grown-up" purchase after high school was a Sony Cybershot that went everywhere followed 4 years later by a Canon EOS 300D (still in use). I've definitely followed in Dad and Pépère's footsteps so choosing a wedding photographer was a task I did not take lightly.