Category Archives: For photographers

February 2, 2018

Ten (more) things you might not know about me

Tags: central mn, Minneapolis, minneapolis and st. paul, minneapolis photographer, minnesota photographer, mn, Personal, southern mn

Onward with the year! I have done a few other of these posts so click HERE and HERE and then you will know 30 more things about me!! Happy Friday!!

I am very tactile in that I love writing everything down, and I am one of those crazy people that still writes checks because I love the art of writing it! (Seriously, not practical though!)
Although I do not like the cold at all, I am growing to like it more, or at least come to terms with it in that it grants me a season of rest, which I so desperately need during the year!
I love meal planning. I even have a chart for it, and as you can imagine, I write it all down!
I’m on my second wedding ring and engagement ring. It was a 10 year anniversary present from my amazing husband, and I still love it!
I once ran through a train yard with friends in Paris. Ask me the story and I would love to tell you. It still freaks me out and makes me laugh all at the same time.
I am a stuffer. With junk. While you might think my house is clean, please don’t ever look in the drawers. I hate seeing the clutter, so I stuff everything. In this season I plan to go through each area of my house and am using THIS website and worksheet for help.
I hate a messy sink.
Spelling is not my strong suit. I’m sure if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that this is true. Feel free to call me out if you see a spelling error, I never take offense to it! At this point in time I am just owning the fact that I am not good at it and spell check sometimes can not even find the words I am trying to spell. It is just plain hilarious!
When I was growing up I had just about every kind of pet you can imagine. My sister loved animals so we had fish, a cat, a dog, hamsters and guinea pigs, and just about all at the same time. We do not have animals in the Feder home now. I blame it on my crazy dog named Reggie. Ask me about him any time.
My first fully paid wedding was in International Falls, MN on December 23rd in 2001.

Tags: central mn, Minneapolis, minneapolis and st. paul, minneapolis photographer, minnesota photographer, mn, Personal, southern mn

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January 19, 2018

Defining my self care

Tags: for mommas, for photographers, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Personal, self care

Self care. Words thrown around in the mom world, in the entrepreneurial world and probably lots of other worlds. The two above are the worlds I mainly live in, and self care really is a thing, especially if you are throwing your time and energy into little (or big) people and your business. They can overwhelm you, and seriously overtake your life!

So what is self care. My definition might be yours, or it might not. But I define it as time away from my kids, family and work. Ways I rejuvenate myself and push myself to being the person that God made me to be BEFORE I entered into all these otter worlds that rely around other people.

So today, I am offering you, as moms, photographers and any other role you might have, some ways I do self care.

Working out. I used to run frequently, now I have taken up walking. I walk in the afternoon right when my kids get home from school. They decompress and so do I and an hour later we are all ready to be together again!
Redecorating. It’s funny, but I remember as a kid constantly rearranging my room and coming up with other room plans. In my off season, I have found that I really love thinking through a room and spending time on Pinterest to find ideas and actually implementing them! (Right now if you follow me on Instagram, you can see my 10 year old’s room redo in my stories or follow the hashtag #elisesroomredo!)
Going to bed at 10:30! I know, this is a grandma self care thing, but I am one of those people that needs at least 8 hours of sleep and by investing into myself and forcing the bed time, I am happier and more alert during the day!
Going out with friends. Thankfully I have a few really amazing groups of girlfriends, and I try really hard to invest into those relationships. Friends from college who we always plan a fun spring girls get away; friends from high school that really truly know my heart and are asking me the tough, hard, loving questions of how I truly am; my sisters who know me through and through; and friends from church who spur me on with my faith. I love investing into these relationships and I try really hard to invest into!
Planning family meals. I know this is crazy because it can seem like work for people, but for me, I love planning and cooking (even though I’m not amazing at it!) and knowing that healthy meals will be in my family’s belly at the end of the day!

These are just some examples of off ways to do self care. What about you? I would love to know some of the ways you invest in yourself so I can add to my list!!

Tags: for mommas, for photographers, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Personal, self care

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January 12, 2018

Who-hoo!! Wedding Wire Couples Choice award!

Tags: Minneapolis, minneapolis wedding photographer, Minnesota, mn, mn wedding photographer, summer wedding, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photography, Weddings

Just opened my inbox to receive this lil number! My Friday has been made!! Thank you to all past clients for trusting me to document your day and to those who took the time to review me on Wedding Wire, I truly appreciate it. With a business that is 95% word of mouth referral based, you do not know how valuable these reviews are. So thank you, thank you! And I can not wait to photograph so many wonderful couples in 2018!!

From Wedding Wire:: Congratulations! You represent the top 5% of wedding professionals on WeddingWire. The Couples’ Choice Awards® honor the exemplary work you’ve done over the past year and the highly regarded reputation you’ve established with your clients.

Tags: Minneapolis, minneapolis wedding photographer, Minnesota, mn, mn wedding photographer, summer wedding, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photography, Weddings

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January 10, 2018

How to shoot wedding details quickly

Tags: Details, for photographers, Minneapolis, minneapolis wedding photographer, Minnesota, Minnesota wedding photographer, summer wedding, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photography, Weddings

One of my very favorite parts of the wedding day is gathering all the details and taking some time to photograph them to add to the storyline of the day in the album or for my blog posts. Typically I allow for 30-40 minutes of shooting, but many times I can be in a crunch. So what to do when you are in a pinch with time and how do you shoot those details quickly? Today I have some tips for you!

Plan ahead! Connect with the bride a week in advance and have her put together a bag that will contain her shoes, jewelry, stationary, hanky, veil, flowers, perfume, and any other details that she wants photographed. I typically will have a personal attendant or family member meet me at the location where the ladies are getting dressed to have her bring along the dress and rings.
Find a neutral location that is well lit. Windows can be your best friend when shooting details. I will typically grab a chair and use the dress or veil as a backdrop. Wood or concrete floors can also be awesome to use as the backdrop as can textured chairs or benches.
Have an assistant or family member help you. If that personal attendant or family member that brought you the details is still available, put her to use. Have her hold the dress, bring in flowers, pull out stationary and be another hand to help arrange details.
Start big, then go small! To ensure I get all the details that a bride asks for, I start with a photo of all the details together, and then do each object alone or with another item!
Don’t forget about the men! Shoes, watches, flasks, cigars, tie clips, socks, rings, boutonniere’s, etc can all be photographed and are just as important to the day!
Use the timer on your phone. Often I can get caught up in this part of the day because I love all the pretty little details! I typically allow for this time in my time line, but I still need to remind myself that the timeline must continue and by setting a timer on my phone, I am able to keep myself on time!