This is going to be a multi-faceted post, but I found it perfectly fitting.  It's a quick sneak peek at Rochelle and Jeremy's wedding, but also a chance to explain why it is we love what we do. 

I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by a VERY well respected wedding photographer, Joe Buissink.  His images have always been so moving and he challenged everyone in the audience to really search what images of our own speak to us and grab us at the core.  He followed it up by saying, that is who you are as a photographer. 

As I was looking through some images from Rochelle and Jeremy's wedding this past weekend, this sequence from when they first saw one another really spoke to me.  In my opinion, we wouldn't have to show any other images from the whole day and these two would be enough to show the love Rochelle and Jeremy have for one another.  Given the opportunity to capture moments like this is truly an honor.  I couldn't think of anything more rewarding than being invited in to someone's life to preserve their true and deepest emotions!

We hope you find it as moving as we do!

Wow, where is 2010 going?  It seems like not too long ago we were with family celebrating Christmas!  The start to the year has been pretty chaotic over here with Staja Studios and the Thon family.  My dad had some heart problems that took me out of town in January and March.  However, I am happy to report that he is doing much better.  Stacey and I have been searching for a new studio space, which we have found (more on that in a new post).  Now it's getting to be summer and we will be in full swing as Minneapolis wedding photographers.  All the while, our little babies just seem to keep getting bigger.  The other week, I thought I would bring a camera with me to Ian's ECFE class and try to capture a few moments in time of him and some of his classmates.  It was a bit of a slow day which was nice, but unfortunately not everyone was there.  I just can't believe how much he has grown in what seems like a short span of time.  I keep joking that he reminds me of a puppy trying to grow into his feet.  At any rate, as today was his last day of ECFE for the spring, I thought I would put a little slideshow together which you can find HERE!

P.S.  The music in the slideshow is by a great singer of children's music by the name of Elizabeth Mitchell.

Wow, what a fun day I had in the Las Vegas area before all the chaos of WPPI started.  After getting back from my experience in Tanzania, Africa, I made a conscience decision to try and stay involved with Thirst Relief International.  When the chance to help out with a new fundraiser came up, I jumped at the opportunity.  Plus who could pass up working with three people that I not only have the utmost respect for, but also consider mentors and friends!  When I knew Mike Colon along with David and Luke Edmonson had committed to instructing the shoot, I knew it would be a success. 

For anyone who has had the opportunity to shoot with any of these guys, you know why.  Not only are they are all committed to the craft of photography, they have also helped a great deal of photographers along in their careers.  What I liked most about the concept of this shoot is that the participants would see the different approaches they take and get their own chance to direct the shoot for a while.  Mike has a more lifestyle approach to his photography, while the Edmonsons were brought on because of how well they utilize non-ambient light sources.  It was a total win/win for the participants and Thirst Relief.

In addition, even though I am primarily a Minneapolis wedding photographer, I always look for opportunities to shoot outside of home.  I find it very inspiring to work in new places, different light, and with other people.  It is so easy to become stuck in your approach and way of doing things that sometimes you just need to shake things up.  I always learn something new and come back more inspired!

I would like to thank everyone involved for their participation.  A lot of people gave of their time, skills, and money in an effort to save lives.  Despite the economic climate, I encourage anyone reading this to find a way to help others in need.  Even if you don't have available money, we all have some sort of skill that can be used to help others!   

In closing, here are a few of the images I particularly enjoyed from the day!

Sitting in front of my computer, I officially feel like I am home.  What a whirlwind trip Jason and I had for WPPI 2010.  Despite all of the fun we had, there isn't anything quite like walking in the door and giving our kids a big hug and kiss!  It's amazing how much they seem to change in a few days. 

I will save all the details of our trip for a later post, but wanted to follow up Jason's post with an image of my own.  Our good friend and local photographer Laura Ivanova set up a fun shoot just outside of Vegas and I was more than game to go!  It was in a little town called Nelson.  While Jason's image demonstrated the drama of the scene, I opted for mine to showcase a little more signature Staja!  I hope you enjoy and look forward to showing some more images and details of the trip in the upcoming days.

As I'm sitting here typing this at 6:45 PM, Stacey is desperately trying to grab a couple more winks of shut-eye.  WPPI is the annual wedding and portrait photography extravaganza.  It is a place to come and learn, be inspired, develop new skills, and meet a lot of great people.  This year has probably been like no other for Stacey and I.  We have finally started coming to a place where we are comfortable with who we are and what we envision.  with that said, as Minneapolis wedding photographers, we sometimes don't see out of our backyard.  One of our objectives this year was to gauge where we are with our craft and how far we have come.  We constantly want to learn new things and push ourselves to find useful applications.  With that in mind we both participated in a "shoot out" of sorts. 

The first shoot was a benefit for Thirst Relief that I helped organize and came along to hopefully help with the flow and be of assistance.  I had the great opportunity to help out a couple of my mentors and people who I respect immensely in this business.  Mike Colon along with the father/son team of David and Luke Edmonson were the instructors for this shoot and came with different teaching styles and ways they see things.  It was so great on many levels because it allowed all of the students to see things in two different lights (no pun attended).  With that said, here is one of the shots I envisioned as the day was coming to the end.  I wanted the couple to stay nicely lit while keeping the drama of the background.  I love how the use of off camera light resulted in aiding the scene in the background.  I hope you enjoy.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a shot of Stacey's!