averyhouse » Uncategorized http://blog.averyhouse.net Chicago Wedding Photography Tue, 21 May 2013 18:02:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Portfolio Plus Workshop | The Biltmore Hotel | Miami, FL http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/02/03/portfolio-plus-workshop-the-biltmore-hotel-miami-fl/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/02/03/portfolio-plus-workshop-the-biltmore-hotel-miami-fl/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:11:09 +0000 Stevi Savage http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=1458 “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people” -Will Rogers

Matt and I have been photographing weddings for about five years now, but it wasn’t until only a year ago that we truly realized the importance of sharing ideas, knowledge and our passion for photography with other photographer friends around us. We didn’t quite grasp what the photo community was all about and didn’t even know it existed until our trip to WPPI in February of 2009. Since then we have been blown away by the amazing friends and colleagues that we now have to grow with and lean on for support. The industry is full of passionate leaders who are eager to share what they know and help others along. One of the best things that we have done for ourselves and our business is to surround ourselves with photographers that love what they do and are continually challenging themselves to be more creative and innovative. Though there are many that I would love to list here, there is one that I just have to mention. Kenny Kim from Kenny Kim Photography is someone who is constantly inspiring us and has truly invested time into helping us grow our ideas and broaden our horizon. He challenges us to be more confident in our brand and to look at every experience as a way to learn and grow.

Kenny recently teamed up with Ray Santana to host what they call the Portfolio Plus Workshop. It is chalked full of valuable lessons and tips that they have each learned through their journey in being a wedding photographer. Jim Garner and Dave Cross also attended as guest speakers and packed in a mountain full of solid information about efficient workflow in photoshop, business philosophies, and much more. The workshop was held at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami and it was the perfect spot to get away and just soak up all of the goodness and included a group shoot out with models wearing beautiful gowns from Ines di Santo. Below are some of my favorite shots with Kenny & Thalita. You can find more on my facebook page. Also a huge thanks to Barbie and Lucy who also came out to model for us. For a more thorough review of the workshop visit Kenny Nakai’s blog! Matt says he will post his images soon. :)

All of this being said, Matt and I leave in one week from today for an inspiration trip to Italy with the Kenny Kim Photoventure crew. We are excited to bring back new ideas and stunning portfolio images and can’t wait to travel with our friends, old and new!

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2010/02/03/portfolio-plus-workshop-the-biltmore-hotel-miami-fl/feed/ 5 Carlos & Kathy http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/03/27/carlos-kathy/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/03/27/carlos-kathy/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:25:25 +0000 Stevi Savage http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=482 Kathy and Carlos have been awesome friends to us since college and we were so excited to be a part of their wedding in Dallas a few weeks ago. We had a beautiful day for their sweet little outdoor wedding. Kathy’s dress and veil were gorgeous and there were so many little details that made the day special. I can’t wait to share more images with you! For now, enjoy these!

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]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/03/27/carlos-kathy/feed/ 0 What the heck have we been up to? http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/02/05/what-the-heck-have-we-been-up-to/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/02/05/what-the-heck-have-we-been-up-to/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:45:19 +0000 Stevi Savage http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=435 We’re alive! Matt and I have taken a sort blog sabbatical over the past month, but for those of you wondering, we have been taking care of lots of important business! First off… Avery House is moving! We are excited about our new studio space on the south side of the city in University Village. The neighborhood is rapidly growing and is home to some of Chicago’s hottest art galleries and we are excited to move in! We have watched our business grow little by little over the last year and decided it was time we make the move into a space where we could really spread out. In the new loft we will have an actual office rather than having our computers, hard drives, printers and camera gear taking over our living room like they are now. Also we will have plenty of room for photo shoots, client meetings and most importantly of all, entertaining! Here are a few pics to give you an idea but we will post more next month once we get settled in. 

Chicago has had a pretty good amount of snow this year, although we have been spared the last few weeks. Here are a few pics that Matt shot around our apartment that I think are really interesting. Check them out!

Here is little collage of some snapshots we took during our gift exchange with our dear friend Jaclyn Simpson. Check out her brand new killer photo website HERE if you haven’t already!

Winter in Chicago is brutal! We were able to steal away, though, for about a week and a half over Christmas and headed down to Virginia and Tennessee to visit my family. We felt so refreshed after having such a great time with them all. We ate four Christmas dinners, played lots of games, ice skated twice, saw the light show at Bristol Motor Speedway and best of all, we were able to celebrate our neice, Olivia’s, 3rd birthday with her! Also, my dad and stepmom surprised us with a Wii for Christmas so of course we got hooked. We shot well over 2,000 images while we were home, but here are a few of my personal faves from the trip. 

One of our favorite parts about January was that Matt’s mom, Fran, came to visit us all the way from Amarillo, TX! The last time she was able to make it up was when we were still living in Milwaukee, so we had a great time showing her around Chi. Here are a few shots from that week. 

Right now we are in the middle of booking season for weddings. We are meeting with lots of great brides and hitting up all the great bridal events that boutiques and hotels around the city are hosting. If you are interested in checking out the calendar of bridal events, CS Brides magazine is the place to go. It is a “must have” if you are planning your wedding in Chi with so many awesome features and vendor listings. Though the weddings have been sparse, we have had a great time working with our commercial clients and assisting for our favorite commercial photographers in town, Fred Stein and Stephen Hamilton. One of our commercial clients, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, is getting ready to launch brand new website that we are stoked to be a part of. They have been working hard to get it just perfect and if everything goes as planned it will be live next week for all of you to see! We will make a post and let you know when that is. For now, enjoy a sneak peek of just a few shots we have done for them over the past few weeks and go find the nearest store near you for some tasty brews!

The above collage is a “cupping” series. Cupping is a technique used for evaluating coffee aromas and the flavor profile of a coffee. It is performed in a small intimate setting and is a really fun and interesting way to really learn about coffee. 

 

These are some images taken inside the roastery. Everyone at Intelligentsia LOVES their job because they know they are delivering an exceptional product to all of their customers across the world.  

Here are some photos taken at the Broadway store. Don’t they all look so declicious?! Go get some… NOW!

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]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/02/05/what-the-heck-have-we-been-up-to/feed/ 2 Lil Miss Muffin http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/01/02/lil-miss-muffin/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/01/02/lil-miss-muffin/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:05:09 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=399 This past week Matt and I have had some fun times with my family here in Tennessee and Virginia. We have celebrated Christmas 4 times, gone ice skating, driven through Bristol Motor Speedway’s Famous Light Show, went to a birthday party for my niece, Olivia, and have eaten lots of really good food. A few days ago, we decided to do a little photo shoot for my sister-in-law’s etsy page. She recently started selling some of her clothes online and needed some fun pictures for her site. My niece, Olivia, was the model of course and her good friend, Ellie, showed up toward the end for a few pics too! We hope you enjoy the sweet pictures and visit Sam’s etsy page here! Her outfits are adorable and would look good on any of your favorite kiddos! Matt and I are looking forward to getting back in the office on Monday and hope that you all have enjoyed your time with friends and family over the holidays!

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]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2009/01/02/lil-miss-muffin/feed/ 3 Are you a dog or cat person? Or both? http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/05/are-you-a-dog-or-cat-person-or-both/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/05/are-you-a-dog-or-cat-person-or-both/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:32:10 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=334 Lately, I have really started to either want a dog or a baby. The baby idea hasn’t quite gone over so well with Matt yet, but I do think a pet could be somewhere in the near future. I have noticed lately, though, that Matt has been fancying cats. For instance, a couple weeks ago when we were at my mom’s house, he would not stop playing with the cats. We even found him behind a chair taking pictures of them while simultaneously teasing them with a toy in the air to get them to pose just right. I thought that was quite a bit of effort to put into a feline portrait. The pics turned out pretty good anyhow and for the rest of the weekend he seemed to have formed a special bond with one of them. At that point, I realized for the first time that Matt may be more inclined to getting a cat rather than getting a dog. I have never seen myself as a cat owner. I am miserably allergic and because of that I have never been very attached to one. There are some obvious advantages to owning a cat over a dog when you live in a big city, though, which makes me a little more open to the idea. And I started wondering if maybe my annoying allergies would begin to subside a little after getting used to one cat being around all the time.

So, this brings me to the main reason for this post. I want to know what you consider yourself. A dog person? A cat person? Or both? And why?! Also, if anyone could shed some light on the whether or not my allergies might become more manageble after getting used to one cat, that would be greatly appreciated. My mom and my good friend, Jaclyn, both claim to have had the same problem but are now two very happy cat owners.

And, of course, here are a few pictures from that weekend at my mom’s to go along with the post!

Meet Frodo (Sweet and sometimes spastic)!

And Opey (Matt’s Favorite)!

And Lucy (The cool, calm and collected one).

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

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/05/are-you-a-dog-or-cat-person-or-both/feed/ 9 Baby Lincoln is on the way! http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/04/baby-lincoln-is-on-the-way/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/04/baby-lincoln-is-on-the-way/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:35:07 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=326 One of the things I am most excited about right now is our little nephew due for arrival in only a month from now! My little brother, Derek, and his wife, Casey, live in Knoxville, TN and 2 weekends ago we went down to visit them. The night before we left we felt Baby Lincoln kicking around in Casey’s tummy and it was so exciting to think that he will be here in such a short time! We have two precious nieces already, Lily and Olivia, so we are super excited for this little guy to get here! We will totally spoil him with Cubs’ paraphernalia and electronic Battleship. Below, meet Casey as she did a fabulous job modeling for us during her little maternity session! I am so thankful for my sweet and beautiful sister-in-law and we look forward to seeing them again at Chrsitmas!

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]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/12/04/baby-lincoln-is-on-the-way/feed/ 2 Max & Olivia http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/30/max-olivia/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/30/max-olivia/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:07:51 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=215 A couple of weeks ago Stevi took Max and Olivia out for a great shoot in Old Town. Max and Olivia, son and daughter of Stephen and Leah Hamilton, are awesome kids that know how to have fun and they do a lot of it. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to come along on this one… Stevi did an awesome job. A lot of the time I wish I could see things like she does.

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/30/max-olivia/feed/ 4 Summertime dreams. http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/08/sometimes-i-dream-of-summer/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/08/sometimes-i-dream-of-summer/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:47:40 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=199 Days like today make me dream of summer. There is something about cold grey and rainy days I love, but not this soon. It feels like winter will be here soon, and I am not a fan of that. I guess I should reconsider where I am living… naaa, that won’t happen, I love Chicago, and will be here indefinitely, but it won’t stop me of dreaming of that California sun.

A few pics from a trip Stevi and I took this summer will keep me revitalized and I can’t wait until we return. I am sure as winter creeps in I will post more and more from this series. When I look at them I can feel summertime all over again.

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/10/08/sometimes-i-dream-of-summer/feed/ 1 Brad & Lisa http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/09/13/brad-lisa/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/09/13/brad-lisa/#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:25:58 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=138 Some of our dear friends from Texas were married last month and we were so glad to be a part of it. Brad and Lisa are super fun and are always laughing with each other. They have 3 very sweet dogs too! I love the pinks and greens they used in their wedding details and they just looked so stunning that I had to post a few pics. The thing I loved most about this wedding is that the reception was held outside at Amarillo’s Botanical Gardens and when the rain came pouring down half way through the night, everyone followed the DJ into the nearby conference room and continued to party inside for the rest of the night just like nothing had happened! It was great and we even danced a bit too (photo credit for the last picture goes to the fabulous Dave Williams)! Congratulations you guys! We love you both!

]]> http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/09/13/brad-lisa/feed/ 3 Meet the Crew http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/09/11/meet-the-crew/ http://blog.averyhouse.net/2008/09/11/meet-the-crew/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:39:04 +0000 admin http://blog.averyhouse.net/?p=137 This week I am working as with some of my favorite people in Chicago. They are sort of like my second family (Uncle Danny, Uncle Stevie, Uncle Arty, Uncle Mikey and of course Fred and Winston (the dog.)) I have worked with them quite a bit over the last year. Fletch and Wendy are our wonderful stylists and Jim and Bob, the clients, are also joining us this week. We are shooting for a Seventh Avenue catalogue on a beautiful property in Barrington, IL. Rather than styling or photo assisting, I am merchandise coordinator which has been fun. I love the challenge of being super organized. The pictures below are just some quick snapshots I took during our lunch break except for the first one of Arty which was taken in the studio just before we headed out to location. My husband and brother-in-law are also on the job helping me out. Thanks guys!


Uncle Art with his sweet hot pink shades.


Matt, Andy, and Uncle Stevie in the lunch line.


Matt taking a quick snooz!


Uncle Dan, Uncle Arty, and Fred striking a pose.


Danny pretending he is in charge.


Danny confused!


The guys with their grub.


Me and Matt.


Me leaning against Matt.


Winston of course!


The whole gang gathered around the equipment truck!


Not sure what Matt is doing…

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