Lara Swanson Photo » Nontraditional, Offbeat and Alternative Photographer

It’s sort of like being the fastest gun in the west… I’m just the fastest photographer in the east. :D It’s a different kind of shooting! I want to demonstrate why every bridal party comments on how quickly and painlessly I take formal photos, so I took some of the video that Jen shot for me for an upcoming website feature and you can check it out below:

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/1934476[/vimeo]

My first photo of Amy and Billups alone was at 4:39pm. My last photo of them alone was at 4:45pm. That includes the walk back up the gardens to the ceremony reception (my last photo was of them walking up to the building). Less time spent taking the formals does not equal less quality, as you can see by the end result: Amy & Billups’ portraits at Meadowlark. You’ll have a happier bridal party, a happier family, and best of all – you get to enjoy your reception!

Oh, and many thanks to Jen, for videotaping me, as well as making me laugh and feel awkward:

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/1934374[/vimeo]

So between our email contact form on the portfolio not working and my host’s server getting hacked, we’ve had quite a week! If you’ve tried to contact me this past week and haven’t been able to, please visit this page to submit a contact form. I guarantee I’ll get it!

After “I LOVE THE PHOTOS”, what’s the favorite thing I like to hear from a client? That the guests never saw us. Well, naturally we get caught in our own crosshairs once in a while, and I thought it’d be fun to post some photos of us, in action, at weddings.

Ridiculous-face Lara to the rescue (thanks, Terissa):

The “I’m carrying too many things at once” pose (with Jen in the background) at last weekend’s wedding:

That was caught by a guest. But this was captured by Brad – I have no idea what I’m taking a picture of.

Then there’s the “let me show you this killer photo” chat with Jamie:

And also the “thank goodness my shorts fit me well otherwise I may have been showing a lot of skin” look:

The natural “how many photographers does it take to take a picture?” picture:

And last but not least, my favorite of them all, Jen and I mooching off the chocolate-covered strawberry bar (taken by Terissa):

Great news: now you or your guests can purchase an image file directly from your proofs site! It costs $10, and you’re able to use that JPG to print from anywhere.

You add it to your cart like you would a normal print (see image below), and download it at the time you check out! The download link for the image expires 24 hours after the order is placed.

So many people (guests too!) were asking for this option, and I’m so glad we finally have it!

The newly redesigned main portfolio website is up! It’s got more photos (and more types of photos), better navigation, and is much more in line with where the business is going. It’s chock-full of offbeat wedding photography, things to make you think about wedding traditions, and some more treats from photo adventures. Enjoy!

Seriously, I have the best second shooters around. I don’t know how I got so lucky. The ones that make it past the rigorous interviewing and training process (read: fire pit gauntlet) really know how to augment my shooting style and the way I work; it’s crazy how well we all work together.

As an added perk, they’re pretty good at washing my car.

We’ve got so many things in the works right now – improvements to my packages, my albums, my website… there’s been no time to post about the fact that I’m almost booked up for 2009! So if you’re thinking about booking, please contact us ASAP.

Also, I need a few beta testers of the new website. Any takers? Shoot me an email!

Lastly, I’ve gotten a couple of great comments from people looking to be guest bloggers, and I want to remind everyone that guest blogging is ALWAYS open! If you have a wedding-related or photography-related topic you’d like to write about, please let me know. For those looking to advertise their products, please know that I’ve got a questionnaire about your business practices that will need to be filled out before we discuss a guest post.

I will have a few off-topic posts coming up… namely in preparation for Pitbull Awareness Day. :)