It is Y O U R wedding so make the best of every moment!!! I was so happy to see Nadia and her balloon setup in her moms room.  Designing something simple like this gives you a break from the wedding day nerves and allows you to have fun!   Besides, it's the best way to create something different than your friends weddings.  I find anything unique you add to your decor makes it YOUR wedding.  Give yourself permission to have fun like the little girl you once were.  Having a youthful heart will always look beautiful in your wedding imagery.

 Just like designing your house, the same rules apply to designing your family portrait. An interior designer will look at your living space and find a consistent color tone that works the best. Sometimes You can take a throw pillow and find a single color that you can match for your drapery in your room. That subtle way of tying in colors Is what gives you that rich beautiful custom design look and feel. The outfits you select for your family portrait is the exact same thing!  

This is Bonnie and Anil's beautiful family.  As I was taking these beautiful pictures I was noticing where all the colors were being tied into and from. Consider Bonnie's skirt as that throw pillow in your living room sofa. She was able to take colors And build a design that truly stands out yet is subtle enough to be tied together. Look at dad's suit and colors and the little man. Look how Anil's shirt color is a specific color In Bonnie's dress. Then notice the ties the boys are wearing with the same color yet different textures. Look at the little girls and find their colors in Bonnie's dress as well. One of the most important things to consider with your outfit is your shoes. Your eyes read an image from left to right and top to bottom so consider your outfit selections accordingly.

I always tell people To dress according to the wall you would like to hang your portrait on. If you would like a casual family portrait in your game room then do as you wish and have fun. If you would like to display your family in your Sundays best...Well, just follow the direction of the Ust family portrait above.  :)

I look forward to helping you create the perfect most beautiful family portrait for your home. Give me a call and we can get started today 504-957-8412

​GK

 Well 2020 is bitter sweet for many reasons but for me going into the Christmas holiday season we are not having Santa visit the studio this year. Covid is the main reason and our normal Santa of 18 years has decided to retire. As much as he cannot be replaced I have searched for other centers for 2020 but the Covid virus is a major factor this year. It just makes sense to skip this year for everyone's safety. 

Since we are in our new studio location we also have a new set design by my good friend, Eric Fredricks of Bee's weddings and events.  He is the florist / Artist I share the new location with.  Click the following link for the signup page and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
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I love to travel and experience other cities for what they offer but I always miss the scenic opportunities New Orleans has on every corner.  We have a variety of everything here like, colors, textures and a vibe you simply cannot escape.  The people here are friendly and supportive to our visitors.  We want you to enjoy our food, music and love for celebrating life itself.  
When I go downtown to take pictures of my clients, we have all the above infused into our session.  It's hard to NOT be in a good mood with the brass bands playing, cajun cuisine cooking, people dancing in the streets...and all of this is DURING THE WEEK!   hahahaha. I love it!

This image was taken a bunch of years back when I taught at a seminar called "After Dark".  These were the best times of my teaching life.  Dave Junion, the creator of After Dark, was simply awesome.  He took an idea we all talked about learning photography in a new way, and made it happen.  I love to teach and After Dark was my favorite experience of all time.  

This image was a long exposed image enhanced with 2 flash pops on each model as I ran around the Lotus within 30 seconds of the shutter being open.  The point is learn! Learn as much as you can in the most unique ways you can.  If you only copy what you see from others you'll never step in the front to lead.  Dave knew how to make things happen and that was also one of my greatest take aways from this seminar.  Ideas are great but proper execution is genious.  :)

The camera is on the tripod.  The models are posing by the Lotus with Miami behind them and your job is to expose for both the city background, the Lotus sports car and the models, all within a 30 second exposure.  Don't worry.  Watch this video and you'll be ready for the challenge.  :)

Here in New Orleans our wedding events are much quicker in pace thank around the country.  We do not have sit down dinners so we go from church, group portraits then first dance at the reception.  The amount of work we do within the timeframe is very impressive actually.  I have realized that time management is all about your communication skills with your clients. If you are bored with your own workflow CHANGE IT UP!  Ask your bride for opportunities to be creative by scheduling the wedding day itinerary in your favor.  Nothing will ever change until you make it happen.
Whether they have a wedding planner or not, your voice is everything.  Communication with your bride for your creative ideas is EVERYTHING!  

Our last wedding was incredible at the hotel getting ready because we were ahead of schedule. I know this seems like a simple example but was a much bigger deal to me.  Usually when I get to the hotel the girls are not completely done with makeup, the bride, mom and mother in law are still needing last minute touch ups.  This is all time I'm waiting instead of creating.  On this wedding the makeup was completely done!  The girls were in their long shirts with monogramed initials and I had my total time to create.  They were ready to rock!  After we did the fun shot on the bed with her girls we had some time to kill before getting in their dresses. 

I always wanted to create some modeling shots with the girls but when time isn't allowed those types of images never get created.  I told the girls I wanted to take a quick shot of each of them and they can do their own pose.  One at a time I had them by the wall with the beautiful natural light and my fast paced goodness.  :) .   I Was like...I'm gonna turn away from you and on three, I'm turning fast and taking the single picture of whatever you wanna give me.  All the girls were laughing and shouting at each other for how to strike a pose...it was so much fun.    :)

 These quick images are only one example of what good communication with your client will do for your creativity!  Gaining an extra 15 minutes on a New Orleans wedding is HUGE!  Take advantage of your time and take charge with your creative needs.

 I follow a channel called, yes theory. This channel is based on facing your challenges and doing it anyway. Even the famous Will Smith was impressed with their channel and did an amazing collaboration right before wills 50th birthday.  Today was a simple video of them launching their podcast. Instead the video was about Aamir's Life changing experience. This video of theirs is the real reason why I love Youtube. As a photographer I capture your story but YouTube allows me to share mine as well as others on the YouTube experience. 

This video link will remind you we are all human and we should be grateful for the life we have whether it's good or bad. The life you have in your many directions depending on the drive and passion and faith you have in your own life.   SEE VIDEO

Take a quote from Amir that really hit me hard is… Hold on to why you want to be here! 
If you have not found your own "WHY", yet you should start soul-searching now.