Avery House Creative

Portfolio Plus Workshop | The Biltmore Hotel | Miami, FL

Stevi Savage — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:11:09 +0000

“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!

Wedding Trends 2010 | A Perfect Event & Vanille Patisserie | Chicago, IL

Stevi Savage — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:04:00 +0000

This past weekend Avery House partnered with A Perfect Event and Vanille Patisserie in hosting a “Wedding Trends, Tips and Treats” Event sponsored by CS Brides to showcase some of the most popular trends in weddings for this coming year. We had a great time meeting lots brides and we can’t say enough about Debi Lilly, Chief Eventuer at A Perfect Event, and all of her fabulous design ideas. We have had the pleasure of working with her on both local and destination weddings for five years now and she never ceases to produce some of the most stunning events we have seen. The collages below are just a few of the wonderful things that were featured at the party. My personal favorite is the yellow, white and grey palette!

One of our favorite services and a recent photography trend that we offer our clients is the “photo booth.” It is such a great way for guests to get involved at the reception. At our event on Sunday, Debi helped take the idea one step further to create a photo/sketch drawing souvenir for the guests to take home with them. The photos you see here were actually taken with a cool iphone app called Epson iPrint. Debi’s husband helped us out on this one. Mike Rowe from Write by Mike did an incredible job at making the cute little sketch drawings to compliment the photos which you can see below. We think this is a fantastic way to add some extra fun to any party and gives your guests something that they are excited to take away. Check out his beautiful calligraphy work here.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Matt from I Do Films for stopping by and doing some stellar video coverage of the event. We really love what this company is doing and encourage everyone to visit their blog. They are fun to work with and incredibly talented. Enjoy the footage that he captured below!

Wedding Trends, Tips & Treats from I Do Films on Vimeo.

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

Steve and Jennifer | Addison, TX Engagement Session

Stevi Savage — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:23:26 +0000

A few days before Christmas Matt and I had the chance to meet some of our 2010 clients for the first time when we were in Dallas. Jennifer and Steve have one of the most sweet and unique love stories I have yet to hear. Before they ever met, Steve worked at a bank that Jennifer came to regularly. She had caught his eye several times and he finally worked up the courage to write her a note one day to give to her the next time she came up to drive-through window. When he had to leave for lunch one day, he left the note with a co-worker to give to her in case she came through while he was gone. And, of course, while he was out that day, Jennifer came by and received the note from the co-worker and the rest is history! They are planning an awesome outdoor ceremony in April and we couldn’t be happier to be their photographers. They are head over heels for each other and so fun to hang out with. The weather in Dallas couldn’t have been more perfect for our shoot considering it was the end of December and we had a great with these two as we explored beautiful Addison Circle.

Matt and I are in Nashville now where he and a couple of our friends, Ben Rollins and Kenny Nakai, will be attending one of Jeremy Cowarts’ first-ever workshops on Saturday. We plan to stick around on Sunday for the first part of Imaging so if any of you are around be sure to look us up!

Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography

Paul and Katie | Hidden Falls Ranch Wedding

Stevi Savage — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:11:59 +0000

Paul and Katie are some of the hippest people we know and they absolutely adore one another. They chose to have their outdoor wedding ceremony at the beautiful Hidden Falls Ranch where they both had spent many summers as either campers or camp counselors. The rugged location was perfect for them and their own personal style. Since this was a place where I had also spent a summer as a camp counselor with Katie it was even more exciting to be a part of the day and see so many old friends. The ranch sits on the edge of Palo Duro Canyon and the view from their ceremony was simply stunning. As Matt and I are wrapping up our 2 week holiday visit with his family here in Amarillo, TX, I thought this post would be most appropriate. Our next venture is TN where Matt will spend next weekend at Jeremy Cowart’s workshop in Nashville. From there we will head to Knoxville to spend a few days with my family. We hope you all have enjoyed the holidays and we wish all of you the best in 2010!

Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography

Brittany and Anthony | Chicago Lifestyle Photography

Stevi Savage — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:34:04 +0000

Meet my fabulous friend/photographer, Brittany, and her charming sidekick, Anthony. Brittany has been my pal ever since I lived in Milwaukee where she owns her own wedding and portrait photography business, Hanle Productions. She was my small group leader for a while and during a time of major transition for me, she reached out and made me feel at home in a brand new city. We shared lots of good stories over hot tea in her cute little vintage apartment that overlooked Prospect St. Together we dreamt about our future before either of us officially had our own photography businesses and now, looking back, it is hard to believe that we shared those dreams only a few short years ago. Both of us have come a long way and I am thankful for our friendship. If you live in or ever visit Milwaukee, you have to check out Miss Ruby’s where a few of her dresses came from and definitely don’t forget to check out Brittany’s work.

Contact | Website | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography

Mike and Elizabeth | The Danada House | Chicago Wedding Photography

Stevi Savage — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:21:57 +0000

If you had the chance to spend a little time with Mike and Elizabeth, you would know that they are passionate about music and passionate about teaching and helping others. They are such a perfect pair and we loved them for letting us be creative with their wedding. When we found out how classy and victorian their wedding theme was, we knew that parasols would be a great addition to all of their beautiful details. I love that we are just a hop, skip and a jump from Chinatown where they sell them by the dozens for only a few nickels. Mike and Elizabeth had their wedding at The Danada House which is a gorgeous property just west of Chicago and a perfect place for a wedding. Built in 1939 and with a whopping total of 19 rooms, the Danada House was the home farm to the 1965 Kentucky Derby winner, Lucky Debonaire. I can imagine that if I was a horse, this would be the place I would want to call home too.

As you can see, Elizabeth is just about as sweet and elegant as they come. I think the Danada House was the perfect location for the style and vision that she had always dreamt her wedding to be. We wish all the best to this awesome couple!

On another note, Matt and I returned from our trip to India last week and are working hard to get all of our images processed. We can’t wait to share a few of the stories and slideshows with you. We leave this coming week and will be out of the office for 5 weeks straight traveling to Amarillo, Birmingham, Dallas, Nashville, Knoxville, Tuscaloosa and my hometown of Marion, VA. Hopefully we will see some of you along the way!

Wedding and Reception Venue: The Danada House

Wedding Photographer: Avery House Creative

Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography

Dave and Katie | Village Presbyterian Church & Hilton Chicago/Northbrook

Stevi Savage — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:47:34 +0000

We love Dave and Katie for several reasons. They are such encouraging people. They are sincere listeners and treat their friends and family with so much respect. When you are around them it is hard not to be happy. They really do carry the joy of the Lord with them and it was such a pleasure shooting their wedding and capturing the love that they share for each other on that day. Not to mention Katie is just such a cutie! Well, Dave isn’t so bad either. We couldn’t be more blessed by all of our awesome clients from this past year and Dave and Katie were just one of those couples that made our 2009 wedding season so memorable.

Wedding Ceremony Venue: The Village Presbyterian Church

Wedding Reception Venue: Hilton Chicago/Northbrook

Photographers: Avery House Creative

Engagement Session Blog Post: Navy Pier | Union Station Engagment Photos

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 Creative 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