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Does Bliss Eleven shoot weddings? Yes, yes we do!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Yep, 2011 was an incredible year for us here at Bliss Eleven. We moved into a great little storefront studio on Main Street in St. Charles that we share with a a handmade marketplace\boutique called I Am What I Am. We also tripled our portrait business with the addition of our high school senior "Spokeschickies" program that brought seniors looking for fun, creative, edgy and beautiful photos through our door in droves.
2011 was also the year that we decided to add weddings to our repertoire and we fell head over heels in love with photographing couples who are head over heels in love. Seriously, we LOVE all things wedding, the flowers, the colors, the dresses and the details, the bride and groom and their families and friends, the fabulous food and cakes and cocktails, the kisses and music and dancing and well, life. It's just so much fun!! We brought in second shooter Jen Peterson, to assist when shooting weddings and honestly, we couldn't do it without her. She has a great eye for capturing the moment and she makes the long, arduous day easier because we just have such a great time!
It really was an incredible year and I just have to say here - I am so blessed!! I really am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to go to work every day to such a fun place with such great people and really (honestly) love what I do. It's awesome!! :)
So....because I'm so excited about what we have up our sleeves in regards to Weddings in 2012, I would love to share some of my favorite engagement and wedding images from 2011. Enjoy!!
10 Great Years....Captured
Sunday, January 22, 2012
I don't often get to work with married couples when there aren't a brood of kids running around their feet. At family sessions the kids are usually the focus and Mom and Dad and their relationship and what got them all of those kids in the first place usually gets lost in translation. So, when Teresa called me and told me she wanted to book a 10 year anniversary shoot for her and her husband Randy, I was so excited. Yes, I shoot couples all the time but they are newlyweds or soon to be married and just this isn't the same. Newlyweds are so much fun and as I've said before I love capturing their love but this is different....this is capturing love and history and companionship and trust and faithfulness and all of those things that come with staying married for 10 years and actually liking each other enough to want to document it.
Well, happily, Teresa and Randy did not disappoint. It was an impossibly cold and dreary morning but we didn't notice. I was warmed by two people who, at the core, really loved and cared for each other and who, most importantly, knew how to have fun together. I just have to say, you guys are so great together. Your love is just so there, enveloping you both and subsequently all of those around you. I felt it! So much so that I'm pretty sure if you look up the word heart-warming in the dictionary the following photos will appear right next to it.
Manic Monday | New Studio Sessions
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wow!! The last few weeks have been insane! We have been going non-stop with this move from 105 N. Main to the storefront at 107 N. Main in St. Charles. Jessi, the owner of I Am What I Am who will be sharing the space with me, and I have been working so hard to get things in order and ready for our grand opening in April. In the middle of all of this craziness I managed to sneak in a couple shoots on some of the beautiful days that we've had and I wanted to show off these fun, springy, colorful shots!! Oh and I will be posting some photos of the studio soon. It's coming along beautifully!! I'm so excited to share them with all of you!
Manic Monday | Spring Style and a Contest!
Monday, March 07, 2011
I'm so excited for this post this morning!! When I started my company I knew that I would have the honor of working with some amazing clients and many of those clients have become close friends that I see outside of the studio and talk to on a regular basis. What I didn't realize was all of the great and inspiring friends I would make on the business side of things. I am truly blessed to be working with such talented, fun, creative people and because of them, I am able to offer my clients a one of a kind experience.
I have had the honor of working with Posh Principessa for about a year and a half now. Through them, I have not only found an amazing resource for adorable, custom clothing for my little clients but, a wonderful friend in Tiffany, the owner and creative mind behind all of the fun, colorful designs. I will not only be working with her pieces and recommending them to my clients but I will be selling them in the new studio space as well. Nothing but the best here at Bliss Eleven!! :)
I wanted to share some of my favorite shots from the 2011 Spring line:
Most of the adorable headbands and hair accessories you see on Miss Ava are from a local company called Pocket Full of Poseys. They can be found on facebook here and in several local kids boutiques and on the Posh Principessa website. Sally and Maddie are a mother daughter team and they create the most stunning hair accessories for kids and they also have a line of super cute blinged out flip flops and even designer hats for little boys (yay!! they got the memo that we need more cute boy stuff!).
Another company I love is Kaylee Bug Design. I am convinced that the owner Megan Horsch is a creative genius. If you are a photographer in need of a beautiful new logo or marketing materials Megan is your girl. She also has the most gorgeous line of birth announcements, invites and holiday cards I've ever seen. I have only talked to Megan through email....I found her online and she lives in Minnesota but, I just adore her and I love that we have such a great "cyber-friendship". I can message her a request for anything and she is on it!!! Usually, less than 24 hours later I have what I need.
Last, but definitely not least, is I Am What I Am. I Am What I Am is a company owned by local jewelry designer Jessi Gisburne. I am completely and totally blessed to have met Jessi and I am beyond thrilled that she will be sharing the retail space in my new studio with me. Jessi makes beautiful, inspired jewelry and her pieces are all about love and acceptance and knowing that you are the one and only you. She is also a huge supporter of local independent artists and crafters and she is going to have several of them selling their beautiful pieces at the new studio space. There will be definitely be more information to come about I Am What I Am and the collaboration with Bliss Eleven so stay tuned.
In honor of all of these amazing businesses and their owners Bliss Eleven is participating in a facebook contest with prizes valued over $400
Here is how it works...
1. Share our links (just copy and paste):
http://www.poshprincipessa.com/
http://www.kayleebugdesign.com/
and Pocket Full of Posey's Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pocket-Full-of-Poseys/379708600927
You can share them on facebook, twitter, or your blog.
2. Use a few words to describe our products to your friends and family.
3. Then, come back to ONE of our facebook pages and let us know where you posted it. Only one post per person allowed.
4. You must be a fan of Posh Principessa, Kaylee Bug Design, Pocket Full of Posey's, Bliss Eleven, and I Am What I Am to participate.
5. You have until Friday, March 11th at 8:30 am (central standard time) to post your comment and tell ONE of our fan pages.
6. Once the random number is drawn, we will check on the winner's page to confirm their post.
7. We will post the winner by noon Friday, March 11th.
Now, for the good part...the prizes...
1. Posh Principessa: One free dress/shirt from Spring 2011 line (no custom orders)
2. Bliss Eleven: one free photo session at Bliss Eleven Studios on Main Street
3. I Am What I Am: Custom Sterling Silver Band Ring with your choice of special date, your children's name, favorite quote, etc.
4. Pocket Full of Posey's: children's flip flops and headband
5. Kaylee Bug Design: Year of free designed card templates (Christmas, birthdays, holidays, etc.) or for photographers...any item off of Kaylee Bug Design's etsy website.
Have fun sharing our sites and good luck:)
Manic Monday | Oh Boy
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Happy Monday everyone (ok, it's actually Tuesday but Monday was so busy and I didn't have time to get this up....better late then never right?). This post is all about my adorable boy clients. I have two boys myself and I know how hard it is to style them for a shoot. Girls are easy! Pick a cute dress, add some fun shoes and a hair accessory, maybe some jewelry and they are camera ready. Boys, on the other hand, are a little bit more basic. Hair accessory? No way! Well, maybe a cute hat but I know for a fact that my boys would draw the line at a headband. One great accessory for boys is a fun tie. The funkier and more colorful the better and they just add that extra punch.
As of the last year or so I've been lucky enough to work with Tiffany of Posh Principessa. She has some of the most adorable ties for boys and she is getting ready to introduce a new button up shirt that is to die for. She just had a little boy herself so she is suddenly very motivated to come up with some great stuff for boys! If you are interested in her ties and other pieces for boys click the pics below.
Another great idea for boys is to take a minimal approach. No shirt, no shoes (or no shirt and shoes) is so cute on boys!! Let them be boys, have fun and be their crazy little selves and I will really be able to capture their true "boyness"!
Another thing you can do when preparing for your little guys session is browse the web and take cues from kids clothing designers and retailers. I love Gapkids, JCrew (Crewcuts), Tea, Ben Sherman for boy inspiration. Through these sites you will learn how to use color and layering to get "the look" of a put together kid....even if you and I know the truth! :)
Manic Monday | Senior Style
Monday, February 21, 2011
Every Monday I will be posting information for my clients about what to wear to their session, styles or trends that I love or other fun things I find online that will help you when you are planning out what to wear to your shoot. This week I want to focus on my high school senior clients and how to make your images amazing with the right outfit, shoes and accessories. I stumbled upon this fun site called Polyvore (warning, this site is a time sucker and can be very addictive!) Polyvore is fashion and style and creativity all wrapped up into one fun little site where you can play stylist or just browse through all of the cool stlyle ideas from other contributors. I wanted to show off how you can use this site when planning your outfits for your senior shoot so I chose 4 celebrities with very different personal styles (Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez) and picked my favorite layouts showcasing these celebrities from the site's contributors. If you click on the images showcased below you will go straight to the site where you will find links to buy all of the amazing pieces online that are shown. Talk about making it easy for you!!
When you are preparing for your shoot, browse style and teen magazines and online sites catered to fashion and trends. I am a visual person so it is so much easier to see everything put together and to plan your outfits on a look rather then to just go to the mall and start buying things. I love Polyvore because you can actually piece together the outfits and see how they will look together before you buy. Please, please call me if you have any questions about your shoot or if you have a concept in mind (ie, "I want my pictures to look just like those pics Taylor swift took in the field" or "I love the balloons in the Selena Gomez pics". If you have an idea we can make it happen (within reason of course....haha!). Oh, and I know I am neglecting my guy seniors but don't worry.....I'll have a manic monday post soon dedicated just to them! :)
Revitalized
Saturday, February 19, 2011
I have been in a creative drought. It's been bad. I've been so focused on the business of owning a studio that I felt I'd lost my creative spark. The construction on the new studio is in full swing and we've been working on gearing up for the high school senior season and on marketing and networking and all of the other things that make the studio hum and consequently, I've had little or no time for shooting. Add to that a couple feet of snow and bitter cold over a two month time period and YIKES - my beloved camera was starting to feel like a stranger to me. Thank goodness for this amazing organization called the Metro St. Louis Cinderella Project. The Metro St. Louis Cinderella Project is an event sponsored by Community Council. Promoting confidence and self esteem in junior and senior high school women, they provide the gift of a prom dress to young women in the metropolitan area who are unable to acquire one on their own. I will be posting more about the Cinderella project soon but for right now I just wanted to share some of the photos that I've taken for them that will be displayed at the boutique in Mid Rivers Mall. It felt so good to work on this project and to just shoot - it's like coming home and I'm happy to be back!
You Better Work....
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Please, if you are reading this blog and you haven't had a chance to check out the new site, take some time to look around. There are a lot of changes for 2011. My name has changed from Laurie Nowling Photography to Bliss Eleven Studios and (obviously) there is this great new site and logo. I will be talking more about the new name and branding experience in a future post. I'm also officially announcing that, as of March, I will be moving to a larger studio space downstairs at 107 North Main Street in St Charles. The studio is going to be bigger and better and I'm thrilled that I will have a presence on Main Street. Oh yeah, people will definitely know I am down there now!!! Because the space is so large I have teamed up with Jessi Gisburne of I Am What I Am Jewelry. Jessi and I will be sharing the boutique area of the studio and she will have a shop that features her jewelry and several other talented local artists and designers. We are still in the planning stages of the new studio space and I will keep you updated on all of the changes that will be taking place over the next few weeks. It's so exciting and I am so happy that you are here and along for the ride!!
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