I knew immediately that the solution for me was to break Magan’s Lens into segments, but at the time I wasn’t sure how that would work. I finally decided sometime in June that I wanted weddings to be a sister company to Magan’s Lens, but for them not to fall under the same business name.  For the life of me, I could not decide what I wanted the new branch to be called. I didn’t want anything cheesy or too cliche. Dustyn and I would use long car rides together to listen to music for inspiration – to listen to how great verses were strung together. Nothing came.  I wasn’t sure that it would happen and I was not willing to start the new project until I was 100% happy with where it was going.

The day Amber Snow photographed Dustyn and I in August, she was following up about my plans for the new business. She and I had discussed everything on the plane ride back to Texas in June after the NAPCP retreat. Nearly two months had passed and I was still feeling at a loss.  She and I started brainstorming – starting with things I love. What type of photography makes me most excited. Something fun about myself. Slowly, everything began to come together. I love urban photography – I love architecture and grungy old buildings. I am a freak when it comes to the color grey; nearly everything in my closet is a shade of that color.  We tossed around variations and that night, sitting as we waited for our table at the Gristmill, I looked up www.urbangrey.com to see if the domain was available.

It was.

Over the next few days I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I obsessed over it.  I was excited for it. I could imagine what I wanted the blog to feel like.  With all of the other names, I’d never before been able to come up with a plan or vision.  I sprung out of bed one morning long before Dustyn woke up.  I purchased the domain name and contacted Lauren Gaige at Restored 316 Designs about the new project. She did my previous logo and working with her had been so seamless, I knew that I had to have her on board for this project as well.  For over a month, she and I have been agonizing over every little detail for Urban Grey. She’s done a fabulous job on everything and has really pieced together my vision well.

Everything is not quite complete on Urban Grey. I have taken all of the wedding and engagement posts from Magan’s Lens and imported them into Urban Grey. I have not been able to change all the logos on the photos, nor have I been able to fix all the links that show up in each post. I wanted every detail to be perfect before announcing it, but I realized that the longer I waited, the more work I was piling on to my plate if things kept getting posted on this blog.

Here are a few things I’d like to point out:

• New wedding and engagement posts will be on Urban Grey. I will no longer be adding new ones to this blog.
• Remember to subscribe to Urban Grey if you liked receiving the posts in your inbox or Google Reader.
• All current wedding and engagement posts will remain on Magan’s Lens until December 31, 2010. After that I will remove them and make this site an environment only for newborns, families, and children.
• Any wedding information regarding FAQs, pricing, and announcements will be made at Urban Grey. While I am keeping up the wedding info on the menu above, I will not be updating it. Anything at Urban Grey will trump what I leave behind at Magan’s Lens.

I am so very, very excited about this new transition. I hope you’re excited too and that you’ll excuse the messiness of it as it all gets worked out. Here’s a glimpse at Urban Grey. Go to the website and take a peek!

Back in August, I shot Annie and Jerel’s engagement photos. Annie fell in love with the album samples I showed her during our very first consultation. She wanted to incorporate her engagement photos into a sign-in album and inquired about her options. The album company I use offers their gorgeous albums with sign-in pages.  All pages on the left are sign-in pages and their photos are on the right side of each spread.

Plan for a Flawless Face in Wedding Photos

Wedding pictures hold some of the happiest memories of a lifetime, so be sure you consider all the angles when preparing to be photographed on the big day.

In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding…
Plan your procedures ahead- it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of tastings, fittings and appointments and forget to schedule facial treatments until the last minute. Don’t be tempted to get microdermabrasion or chemical peels within at least a month of the event, depending on the exact type of laser or peel. Laser resurfacing “heals within days and normal color returns within a few weeks- if that long” according to Dr. Edward Lack (Chicago Rhinoplasty). Even a simple facial shouldn’t be considered in the last few days leading up. Call well ahead of time and discuss this with the technician.
Practice good skin health- stay hydrated and eat healthfully leading up to the event. Don’t try new skincare products, or anything that may irritate your skin. Anticipate your skin’s history, and treat it accordingly depending on changes your skin may experience in the climate or weather that’s expected at the venue.

For the big day…
Start with a good base- be sure that your foundation is the right color and formulation for your skin. You may feel like you should use a heavy cream or stick foundation since you’re being photographed, but heavier formulas will look caked on and are more likely leave a line of demarcation around the neck and hairline that’s tougher to blend away. Just stick with the liquid or powder that works for you, and be sure it’s properly matched to your color. No one wants to look washed out, but it can also age you a bit if your base is too dark for you. Color correcting concealers, like green or yellow for redness, and peach or yellow for undereye circles are a much better choice than simply layering on more makeup. Remember that redness will be easily picked up in photographs so take care to balance that out, and stay away from more pink based foundations.
Avoid the shiny look- glitter will reflect too much on camera, and shouldn’t be worn to a nice event like a wedding anyway. Radiance-enhancing or shimmery foundations make faces look too slick and shiny for photos, so if you must, only keep the sheen on cheekbones and the cupid’s bow for highlighting purposes. Always finish the t-zone with powder, which is especially important to balance any highlighting applied. If you know you’re more oily, pop pressed powder in your bag so that you stay shine free.
The eyes have it- keep in mind that darker eyeshadows and heavy liner make eyes look smaller. A matte or pearl shadow formula will be universally flattering and especially in warm, earthy tones. To keep eyes looking big and bright, highlight the inner corners and brow bone with an off-white, light pink or pale gold shadow or crayon. The older you are, the more important it is to stay fast to the no shimmer rule, as it tends to bring attention to fine lines. Black eyeliner can also look too harsh for older women (same goes for liquid liner) and fair blondes are more suited for eyeliner and mascara in the brown tones. Don’t forget to make sure brows are properly framing the face- everyone looks better and younger with defined brows. Fill the arches with powder or if using a pencil, blend with a brush. Brow color and size are important considerations here, so don’t forget to use a light hand and blend.
Consider your venue and lighting- do take the time to stop and think about if the event/ photos will be taking place indoors or out, and at what time of day. Indoor photos will be taken with flash, so it’s important to use powder to combat shine and to also be sure foundation is matched well. If outdoors, soften makeup a bit as it can easily look too heavy or harsh. Also adjust your makeup look for more formal locations, and later times in the evening. When considering these factors, you will want to use more color and definition over simply adding more makeup.
Keeping these ideas in mind, remember its always most important to look like yourself and feel comfortable on your wedding day. These techniques will help ensure you look flawless both in person and in photographs for years to come.

Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of ASI (skin care schools, NY). It offers specialized coursework in cosmetic laser training, as well as microdermabrasion training.

I love art. Photography is art. There is nothing better or more amazing to me than a home filled with meaningful art.  The difficulty in purchasing art to hang in our homes is understanding how it will look on the walls and what sizes are appropriate. One of the best ways I can help you make the best decision to fit your needs is to show you examples of different sizes.

As I’ve mentioned before (on the investment page), consultations before a session or wedding is key. I love to know what you want to do with your portraits so I can make sure to keep your vision in mind while I’m shooting. I still occasionally meet at a Starbucks or Coffee Bean, but lately, I’ve really enjoyed the transition to having meetings in my home.

If you’re a writer or you remember your high school English teacher pounding “transition between paragraphs” into your head, you’re probably wondering how in the world those two paragraphs fit together. Well, you see, I got to hang a pretty rockin’ Wall Collection on my very own wall tonight. No, no, it’s not of Dustyn and I (though I wish we had one of our own… still workin’ to find someone to photograph us soon!).  Do you remember Rachel and Michael?  Well, they are now beautifully hanging on the grey wall that has been bare for nearly a year.  I was waiting for the perfect piece to hang there. I even purchased railroad signs to hang, though I never felt the push to actually place them on the wall.

Now, however, our wall looks like this, comprised of five Gallery Wraps. Four of them are 11.5″ squares; the middle canvas is a 20 x 24.  The color printed absolutely perfect.  I can’t wait for your consultation so we can dream about what to do with your portraits!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s [insert word here] Tuesday post!

With their wedding approaching, the weather lookin’ so gorgeous outside, and it being Tuesday (hey, look at that, I remembered to do a Tuesday post… and I’ve even posted twice today!)… I went outside for some fun in the sun.  My wonderful friend Anna is in need of photos for her blog as she’s doing a brilliant job promoting her writing.  She and I went outside briefly, and I’m talking about 30 minutes tops, to do a mini-session together.  Unfortunately, those photos will make their appearance later this week (aka: probably tomorrow because I’m so excited to share).

I’m in wedding mode and I am posting some detail shots.  Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

Up first is Pantone’s Fashion Color Report for Fall 2010. It’s unbelievable how far out they think about fashion, but if you want a heads up on what colors will be trendy or widely available, you need to check this out.  The link takes you to a 62 page online document with different designers, hand drawings of models, and their color picks for the fall. This is the front cover of the fashion report.

The next page gives you a preview of some of the popular colors and briefly explains the vision for the fall.

This last screen shot is of one of the color options, Purple Orchid. The designer, Adrienne, discusses the color and what items would be “must haves” in Purple Orchid.

Go check out Pantone’s site for more inspiration, awesome links, and to find out what the “Color of the Year” is.

Another personal favorite inspiration site is Restored 316 Designs. Lauren frequently posts inspiration photos or color schemes that work well together. You should check out this link to see some of the recent inspiration colors she’s put together.

For now, that’s all. I really like sharing these ideas and resources with you. I hope you’ll find them useful! Let me know what you think about the websites.  Leave some blog love (aka: comments).