averyhouse » Matt Savage

A Dog Day Afternoon at Tompkins Park, NYC | New York Lifestyle

Matt Savage — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:55:26 +0000

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with one of your best girlfriends and a little pup? We unfortunately don’t have a dog but would like to adopt this one of Kathryn’s named Baily… he was so cute! This was part two of our shoot in the East Village of New York City. You can view part one here. We had this idea of going to the dog park in Tompkins Park so Kathryn had her husband bring Baily down and it made the shoot even more fun. Shirley and Kathryn are literally best friends and it shows, they have so much energy and chemistry with one another. This is key when shooting fun lifestyle work; that your subjects are completely care free and up for just having fun. It also helps that they are extremely talented at their jobs. We wanted to keep things fun so I shot almost all of our shoot at a true 35mm so you feel like you are right there with them.
Thanks to Ford Models, Courtney Rust for wardrobe styling, Kerry Crawford for makeup and Julius Toussaint for hair.

New York Lifestyle Shoot | Rooftop

Matt Savage — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:49:12 +0000

A couple of few weeks ago we had a meeting in New York and wanted to extend our trip and have a little fun. We collaborated with Courtney Rust, a commercial wardrobe stylist friend of ours here in Chicago. In less than a week we had a concept, models, hair, makeup and location. Arriving in New York on Friday we settled into a quaint walkup in the East Village near Tomkins Park did some quick scouting then off to shopping for wardrobe. Courtney has an amazing talent of seeing colors and patterns and visualizing how everything will come together . While Stevi and Courtney were shopping I ran for coffee and gave my occasional appoval, but I have learned not to get in the way of women and shopping. Truly I trusted Courtney and knew she would do a fantastic job. All in all we pulled for three scenes in a “girls afternoon out”.

Surrounding yourself with talented people, especially on a shoot like this, is vital. Stevi produced the shoot by coordinating travel, lining up models, hair and makup. She really made my job easy. I have to say the same for Kerry Crawford (makeup artist), Julius Toussaint (hair stylist), Courtney Rust (wardrobe stylist), and of course our models Shirley and Kathryn from Ford Models, all of whom are professionals and masters at their craft. We focused on having a good time and collaborating on looks so everyone came out happy and had great images for their books. The images below are from the first scene on the roof of the apartment where we were staying.

Special thanks to the crew for making this such a fun shoot!

Photographer: Matt Savage / www.averyhouse.net
Producer: Stevi Savage / www.averyhouse.net
Wardrobe Stylist: Courtney Rust / www.courtneyrust.com
Makeup Artist: Kerry Crawford / www.kerrymakeup.com
Hair Stylist: Julius Toussaint / www.hairormakeupusa.com
Models: Kathryn & Shirley from Ford Women’s Division New York / www.fordmodels.com

Engage!10 | Cayman Islands

Matt Savage — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:45:35 +0000

Last week Matt and I attended a luxury wedding business summit in the Cayman Islands called Engage!10. We came home feeling inspired and renewed. We firmly believe that in order to continue growing as artists and as entrepreneurs, it is important that we take time to surround ourselves and learn from the people in our industry who have already successfully paved their own way.

Some of the conversations we shared with other attendees left us dreaming bigger than we ever have before. Without big goals and dreams, we will never be able to fully grow into the person that we are called to be. We also feel that while working with your spouse is great, it is an even bigger challenge to constantly make sure we are growing together and always open to respecting each other’s perspectives.

Taking time to travel and attend a conference like Engage is a great way for us to feel challenged and refreshed. Thank you to everyone who made our experience unforgettable. We’ll let the photos below tell the rest of the story!

A little video recap from our friends at I Do Films

engage!10 Cayman Islands from I Do Films on Vimeo.

This film was produced by I Do Films, LLC.

Visit these blogs for more Engage!10 recaps:

(if you want to add your recap to this list email me, contact@averyhouse.net)

Tradition & Technology | Cypress Albums iPad Presentation Box

Matt Savage — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:00:41 +0000

We have been using Cypress Albums since we have started our business and have truly enjoyed getting to know their team. In our opinion they have the finest made albums and the most friendly team in the business. Lately we have been using the matted presentation box with mattes for our client meetings as well as offering them in our collections. These boxes are valuable to us because we can exchange the prints for each client meeting in order to be relevant and speak to the type of wedding they are having.

With the advent of the iPad, so many people have been using it for client meetings, presentations and have had great feedback. The iPad, if you haven’t used one by now, is impressive. One of the things I like about it most is that it is extremely tactile, this is also something I like about the matted presentation box which I have to say, I think is equally impressive.

We wanted to implement the iPad into our client meetings especially when we are not meeting in our studio or traveling but didn’t feel the cases you can buy for the iPad while useful are not very elegant and don’t really reflect our brand. We decided we wanted to combine the two into somewhat of a dichotomy between photographic prints and brand new technology.

Since we have been working with Cypress, who make all custom products, it seemed like it would be a natural fit and not too far off from what they already do. We mocked up concept using a presentation box we already had and an image of the iPad (above image). In less than a week we had one in our hands that is exactly what we envisioned (below images). These guys are truly amazing craftsmen and are so willing to try new things. As soon as we contacted them they said yes and I think I am seeing this more and more with companies that are becoming innovators, they never hesitate to take on new exciting projects or refuse to ride a trend. We have heard since this first model they have been making more and more iPad presentation boxes and that is absolutely fantastic news!

Last week we went to Engage10 in the Cayman Islands and brought the iPad presentation box along. Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts spoke about trends and somehow saw an image I posted on twitter about bringing this to the summit. Well, she put it in her presentation as one of the Top 10 innovations. We were extremely honored and humbled to be mentioned with so many others that have done much bigger work than we have. We couldn’t have done it without Cypress and they deserve credit as well.

Wedding Photography Inspiration | The Ivy Room | Chicago, IL

Matt Savage — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:04:30 +0000

The Ivy Room at Tree Studios is one of our favorite venues to photograph a wedding in Chicago. Not to mention Donna and her staff are wonderful to work with. Randi and Mark had a wonderful wedding thanks to Debi Lilly at A Perfect Event who did all of the flowers and decor, and The Entertaining Company for catering with fantastic flavors.

Perfect Healing

Matt Savage — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:39:59 +0000

Some of our dearest friends in the world, Dave and Bonnie had a little girl named Emery Jane. She was born on November 23, 2009. When we were back in Texas for the holidays we stopped over to visit our old friends and couldn’t help photographing their new family.

Emery at the time was a little fussy, not feeling her best. Little did we know it wasn’t just a little sickness she had. Through a series of events a tumor was found (Neuroblastoma) in Emery’s delicate body. It was about two inches long extending behind her lung and into her spinal canal. For the past ten days Dave, Bonnie, Emery, and a number of the family members and friends have been in Houston at Texas Children’s Hospital where Emery has been admitted. Emery has undergone numerous tests and a few rounds of chemo trying to shrink the tumor.

Things like this we can’t understand and can only look at them as a way to see what is important in life, grow closer to each other, and ultimately grow closer to God. We have been praying along with many others for a perfect healing for Emery’s body and strength for Dave and Bonnie as they do all they can for their sweet daughter. Please join us in prayer for Emery.

Jeremy Cowart Workshop | Nashville, TN

Matt Savage — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:09:56 +0000

Just a week ago in Nashville, TN I attended Jeremy Cowart’s workshop at his Studio in the Factory. This is the first workshop I have ever attended and found myself surrounded by people who were passionate about their art form, meeting other’s in the industry and a hunger to learn from someone who has changed the way we look at photography.

Jeremy Cowart is not only a photographer but someone who has taken the gift he has been given of creating art from the creation that surrounds him and used it to impact others in a long lasting positive way. Recently he founded Help Portrait, a movement that has taken photographers into peoples lives. Focusing on photographing less fortunate people and giving a portrait that many of them have never had before. This movement has spread around the world and has given a new perspective on how we can impact the lives around us with simple acts of love and giving of our time and resources.

What did I learn from the workshop? I didn’t learn what I was expecting, instead I was inspired to not look at what I don’t have but what I do have and to put myself in situations that will be a catalyst for my creativity. What we do as artists is reflect the creation around us that is personal to us by finding beauty and emotion.

I did know a few others that were also attending the workshop, my good friends and photographer’s Ben Rollins and Kenny Nakai. I also met Jesh DeRox, someone I have looked at for inspiration and who has impacted so many with his creative process and friendship. During the workshop we were split into several groups to do a shoot and critique. The following images are a few I took during that time with our fantastic model Kasey Reed who is on her way to modeling in Japan.

Inspiration and creative processes occur when we least expect, we need to be open to creative accidents to break through our shells that hold us so tight.

Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography

Jill & Nick | North Avenue Beach | Engagement Session

Matt Savage — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:12:11 +0000

Nick and Jill are probably the most laid back couple I have ever hung out with. We had a blast at North Avenue Beach here in Chicago, IL shooting their Engagement Session. Looking at these picks it’s hard to believe the warm weather is gone for us. Nick owns a sausage company in Michigan where they are getting married next year, and I met Jill, who is a food stylist, while working with Stephen Hamilton. (one of the best food shooters in the world) We are so excited to shoot Jill and Nick’s wedding next year in Michigan. Congratulations, hope to see you guys again soon!

Jill and Nick E-Session | Chicago, IL from Avery House on Vimeo.

Jill and Nick are engaged and we had the pleasure of hanging out with them on one of the last day’s of summer on North Avenue Beach in Chicago. This couple is dynamite and are getting married next year in Michigan. Congrats guys!

Music Credit: Discovery – “Swing Tree”

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography

LIFEinPRIME | "Take One" | Chicago Lakefront

Matt Savage — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:26:01 +0000

I recently started a new project called LIFEinPRIME. This is a personal project exploring the correlation between a focal length and a person’s age and thoughts as narration during that time. Now this is the very first project, and was a learning experience to see what works and what doesn’t. This however has nothing to do with my age and was in fact shot all with a 50mm. Sometimes I am hesitant to share personal work, well, because it is personal and I’m worried about what other’s might say or think. But with much prodding from my always encouraging wife, here is “Take One”, and I assure you the Chicago Lakefront doesn’t look like this anymore. I am working on a dedicated website for these projects that will include stop animation and interviews from future subjects. Projects like these keep my mind working and unfortunately plenty distracted as well. Hopefully I will have time to share some more projects in the not so distant future. One more thing… “LIFEinPRIME” is me, Matt.

LIFE in PRIME | Take One from LIFEinPRIME on Vimeo.

This is a project I have started and is in the making, this was the brain child. Shot with a Nikon D700 and a 50mm 1.4, Music is Andrew Bird – “Natural Disaster”

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination India | One Month Count-Down

Matt Savage — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:17:55 +0000

Although the primary focus for Avery House Creative is wedding photography we have a broader vision than just weddings and portraits. From the very beginning we have been involved in missions and supporting missionary friends that have dedicated their lives to sharing the Gospel around the world near and far. Missions like Casas Por Cristos, The Word at Work, Dublin Christian Mission, and Matthew 10 Ministries. Everything we do is worthless unless we have a community we can give back to and be a part of. We are blessed to have a vocation that allows us to give back so freely with our time and resources.

We finalized our travel dates today with Matthew 10 Ministries, a non-profit group based in the states that partners with Manna Ministries in India to help orphans, equip pastors, encourage widows, and bring the Christian Gospel to thousands of people there. We will be traveling Nov. 22 – Dec. 1, 2009 to Suryapet and several other surrounding towns. There are a handful of images below that Stevi took on her trip in 2007 to Warrangal capturing the essence of the people and children that, to the eyes, have so little, but looking deeper have everything they need. Coming from a consumer society this is hard to believe but to hear Stevi say “they were the happiest and most beautiful people you have ever seen” I believe her and can’t wait to experience India for the first time next month.

We are going to document the best we can what God is doing through Matthew 10 and Manna Ministries with stills and short video clips for about nine days traveling from city to city and meeting with families, children, widows and pastors and look forward to sharing the stories and images with all of you.

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Chicago Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photography