ArtEssence Studio Artist's Blog

Jennifer & Phil’s Couture Session- Cancun, Mexico

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:13:57 +0000

As promised, here are the images from Jenn & Phil’s underwater couture session during our fabulous trip to Mexico. Secrets Silversands was the perfect setting for such dramatic and beautiful imagery, and even though we typically avoid early morning shoots at all costs, this one was absolutely worth it. Enjoy!

Jennifer & Phil’s Wedding- Cancun, Mexico

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 04:07:47 +0000

It’s been a while since we blogged… but we’re convinced it was worth the wait! Jennifer and Phil live here in beautiful South Florida, but decided that they wanted to go someplace really special for their wedding. So off we went , along with 20 of their closest friends and family, for an amazing weekend at Secrets Silversands Resort in Cancun Mexico. The festivities started on Friday evening with a fantastic hibachi meal (yes, we flew all the way to Mexico for excellent Japanese food). Saturday got off to an early start with a gorgeous underwater couture session (more on that later…), and then an afternoon of pampering at the spa before the evening celebration began. There’s so much we could say about what a fantastic trip this was, how awesome Jenn, Phil, and their families are, and how gorgeous Cancun is… but we’ll let the pictures do the talking Stay tuned for a separate blog entry for our Saturday morning couture session!

ArtEssence Studio Presentation at Photographers Ignite WPPI 2012- Las Vegas, NV

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:03:20 +0000

We get to do a lot of really cool things, but this may be one of the coolest. Every year, about 16,000 photographers descend on Las Vegas for the annual Wedding and Portrait Photographer International (WPPI) convention. And each year, the party gets started with a really awesome kick-off program. This year, it was Photographers Ignite. Fifteen Photographers were selected to speak for five minutes each, and their mission was to enlighten, inspire, and entertain the over 3,000 people staring at the stage. We are so honored to have been included in this year’s line-up, along with: Vanessa Joy and Rob Adams, Joe Photo, Tracy and Dee, Matthew Kemmetmueller, Kirsten Lewis, Jennifer Emery, Cory Henry, Annemie Tonken, Wendy and Byron Roe, Doug Gordon, Skip Cohen, Tamara Lackey, Benjamin Edwards, and Jerry Ghionis. Below is a link to a facsimile of our presentation… we prepared this to help us practice for the main event. But we had so much fun doing it, we thought we might as well share it with our friends too. We hope you enjoy!

ArtEssence Studio at WPPI Photographers Ignite 2012 from ArtEssence Studio on Vimeo.

Special thanks to Candice Cossel for taking photos of us on stage!!

Althea & Rich’s Engagement Session- Miami, FL

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:59:36 +0000

We love a good story, and Rich and Althea have a great one! They’ve actually known each other for over 20 years. Rich and Althea met while in high school at Miami Norland Senior High School where, according to Rich, Althea wouldn’t give him the time of day. Althea remembers a slightly different version of the story. However, the fact remains that after graduation, they lost touch for over a decade. It wasn’t until their 15 year reunion that contact was made again. But it was STILL another several years before the romance truly blossomed. Even with Althea teaching school in Tallahassee, and Rich burning the candle at both ends as a homicide detective here in South Florida, the bond they share has only grown stronger. For their engagement shoot, we decided that it would only be fitting to start where it all began, Norland High- home of the Vikings. But from there, we took things from geek to chic as we journeyed through Miami on our way to the Epic Hotel (which just happens to be the site of the reunion that brought them back together. Once there, we took a break for a fantastic dinner at Area 31. The view was incredible, but the fun we had with Rich and Althea was absolutely the best part of the day. The chemistry these two share is evident in every photo we took, and we simply can’t wait to do it all again on their wedding day.

Courtney & Greg’s Wedding- Davie, FL

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:23:00 +0000

After a totally out of the box and exciting engagement shoot with Courtney and Greg, we felt like we were family when the actual wedding day arrived. Very well protected family… To give you a little background, Courtney and Greg are both law enforcement officers. For their engagement session we decided to step things up, and do a little bit of their kind of shooting. Fast forward to the wedding day, and Courtney and Greg’s working lives were left at home for a great celebration. This warm, sweet, funny, but tough-as-nails bride was simply beautiful in her wedding gown, and the transformation from guns to groom in tails was fantastic. It was a fun filled evening that brought two wonderful families together. We couldn’t have been happier to be there to document the occasion. Courtney and Greg, we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Caitlin & Shannon’s Wedding- Key West, FL

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:32:02 +0000

Key West is always a good idea… and since, technically, the locals consider themselves part of the Conch Republic, we consider it an international destination… LOL. Caitlin and Shannon have been an absolute pleasure to work with from day one. We had an amazing time with them from the first meeting with Caitlin’s parents, through our fabulous engagement session at The W Hotel, and ultimately at their Key West wedding. Both the bride and groom exude warmth and joy, and it makes them wonderful to photograph and spend time with. Thoughtful details were the order of the weekend, from guest gift boxes upon hotel check-in, to postcard sign-in notes for each guest. Also, luckily for us, Caitlin & Shannon knew what a great opportunity we had for portraits in and around the downtown Key West area. So, they scheduled lots of time between the ceremony and the reception for the four of us to explore the town. What a great time we had! After our galavanting, we headed to the Key West Marriott Beachside for the reception, where our couple’s friends and family proved to be just as fun and warm as they are. Caitlin & Shannon, we had a fantastic time on our Conch Republic adventure with you, and we wish you a very happy ever after.

“In Love With Love” - 2012 Contest

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:04:56 +0000

What’s this… a wedding photography giveaway?!? Yes, you heard right. ArtEssence Studio is giving back in 2012 by giving away a wedding photography collection. One lucky couple will win a full day of wedding coverage with ArtEssence Studio, plus a fabulous engagement session!

THE RULES:

1. You have to LOVE our work, and be really excited about how cool your engagement shoot and wedding photos are going to be if you win!
2. We’re sorry, but this contest is not open to couples who are currently contracted to work with ArtEssence Studio.
3. Your wedding must take place on or between February 14th, 2012, and February 14th, 2013.
4. ArtEssence Studio must be available on the winner’s wedding date. Availability will be confirmed upon contest entry.
5. The prize is non-transferable (winner cannot gift it to another couple), and has no redeemable cash value.
6. If travel outside of Palm Beach, Broward, or Miami-Dade Counties is required, travel fees for ArtEssence Studio will be the responsibility of the winner.

THE PRIZE:

Winner will receive one full day (up to 8 hours) of wedding photography by ArtEssence Studio. Winner will also receive a full engagement shoot. (And we promise, no one hour session with jeans and t-shirts on the beach. Check out our blog to see just how awesome our engagement sessions are.) And to top it all off, the winner receives a disc of the finished collection.

HOW TO ENTER:

What we need-
1. A photo of you and your fiance.
2. A wedding date.
3. A short story about why you should win our “In Love with Love 2012 Contest”.

Please email your submissions to info@artessencestudio.com . Entries must be received on or before 01/19/12. Once we receive your entry, will will send you an email confirming that we are available on your wedding date, and confirming your entry into the contest. The couple who has the most “likes” on their photo in the contestant’s gallery wins!

HOW TO VOTE:

Simply “like” the photo belonging to the couple you would like to see win! Don’t know how to do that? Follow these three steps:

1. If you’re not already, become a fan of ArtEssence Studio by clicking “Like” on our facebook page.
2. Check out the “In Love with Love” contestant gallery.
3. Find the couple you want to vote for in the gallery, and click “like” under their specific photo. (A “like” for the contest gallery does not count as a vote.)

Voting will close at midnight on February 14th, 2012. Please feel free to comment on photos, and leave notes of encouragement. Contestants, and their friends and family are encouraged to campaign and gather as many people as possible to vote for their photo. Voters may “like” more than one photo. However, remember that a “like” on the main gallery does not count as a vote for any particular couple. And remember to always play nice! No disparaging remarks about any contestants will be allowed.

Jennifer & Phil’s Engagement Session- Palm Beach, FL

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:51:43 +0000

We are often fortunate to travel to beautiful destinations for our shoots. For example, Jennifer and Phil are taking us to Mexico for their wedding! But we’re also very lucky to live near an incredibly picturesque and iconic locale… the storied island of Palm Beach. That’s why we were so excited that Jennifer and Phil wanted to do a very Palm Beach engagement shoot. From the clothes to the colors to the croquet, everything about this shoot has a classic Palm Beach feel to it. Jennifer played the part perfectly, and had the outfits to match! Any excuse to wear a large floppy hat should be used, and she looked beautiful in it. And Phil was no slouch either. It takes a real man to wear pastels, and he worked it like a true Palm Beacher should. After a competitive round of croquet (we believe Jennifer was victorious here) and then a round of Bocce (Phil took that round), we strolled the famous shops of Worth Ave. Not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon. In the evening, we decided to enjoy a little more of a modern Palm Beach experience, and spent some time exploring City Place. Fabulous dining, fabulous conversation, fabulous looks… Dare we say it? It was a simply fabulous Palm Beach day!

Mike & Martha’s Engagement Session- Cocoa Beach, FL

admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:01:32 +0000

We often talk about how much we love our engagement sessions, but this one was really one of the most fun and creative shoots we’ve had the pleasure to do so far. Mike and Martha came to us with a fantastic idea- they wanted to take surfing lessons at the famous Ron Jon Surf School in Cocoa Beach, and have us document the experience. Always up for a challenge, we said “surf’s up”, and dove right in! For two hours, the waves crashed as Mike and Martha rode them in. We decided that shooting from land AND sea was really the only way to capture this story completely. Waterlogged does not even begin to describe the feeling of shooting a large pro camera in pounding surf for two hours… a small price to pay for the results that we got it! Mike and Martha were all smiles as their lesson went on, and had a fantastic time. After taking some time to refresh and regroup we wandered down the Cocoa Beach Pier, and eventually made our way back to Ron Jon for a little late night shopping. It was a fantastic experience all around. We’re so very lucky to work with great people who come to us with great ideas. Mike & Martha, we’ll do it again any time

Lauren & AJ’s Wedding- Ft. Lauderdale, FL

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:17:31 +0000

So now we get to share with you, a fish tale… One of the things we love about weddings is the totally unique and creative places our clients choose to have them! The International Game & Fishing Museum (IFGA) in Ft. Lauderdale played host to Lauren and AJ’s nuptials. The entire museum is dedicated to the sport and history of fishing. Each space is designed to be colorful, educational, and interactive. Lucky for us, we had a couple who knows their way around the fishing world! Lauren looked just as stunning in her gown walking down the aisle, as she did playfully reeling in the big catch. In a scene reminiscent of Atlantis, guests mixed, mingled, and danced in the under sea oasis of the Museum’s great hall, with fish hovering overhead. It was a great evening in a totally unique location, and we’re so happy for Lauren and AJ. Congratulations!