Jodi and Alden: Let’s Be Together

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This is a short photo montage video that we put together for Jodi and Alden, who are going to be married next month.

I took the photographs contained within this montage at a local park, here in Puyallup, not too far from our studio. It was a great shoot, despite the rain, and we enjoyed our time with this great couple.

Congratulations, Jodi and Alden, on your engagement and we are looking forward to your wedding.

Blessings,

Chris

Tips for Taking Great Halloween Photographs

Halloween is a great time for photography! Halloween parties, carved pumpkins, costumes and trick-or-treaters are just part of the fun that you will want to capture for posterity. So here are few tips to make sure that you get great Halloween photographs.

1.   Fall leaves make great backgrounds for Halloween photographs. If the weather is cooperative, make sure to capture the full array of colors in those photographs;

2.   Make sure to vary your shooting angles. Something unique may give your photo that extra something to make it fantastic;

3.   Get down to their level. If you are trying to take photos of small children, take the photograph at their eye-level;

4.   Taking photographs of people in costumes? Make sure you take them early when makeup is still fresh;

5.   Take a variety of photographs: some posed, some candids, some groups, and some individual. Make sure the background is appropriate for the subject (i.e., not putting the pretty princess in the “graveyard”);

6.   Play around with the “night mode” on your camera. Many pictures are ruined by harsh flash, try to turn off the flash (if area is appropriately lit), raise your ISO to 400 or 800, turn down your shutter speed, and put your camera on a tripod.

And above all else stay safe!!!

Happy Halloween.

Chris

Laurel Creek Manor – Another Great Place to Get Married

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A few weeks back, we had the opportunity to photograph a wedding at one of the nicest places that we’ve ever had the priviledge to shoot at: Laurel Creek Manor.

As I previously posted, Dee and Zac’s wedding was great. They were a great couple and with this awesome wedding venue (and also for other events) it was truly one of the highlights of our wedding photography career.

Laurel Creek Manor, located in Sumner, WA, has everything that a bride and groom could want in a venue. It has a large, beautiful suite that the bride can use to get ready, a seperate groom’s area, lots of windows with great light, manicured gardens, and large, outdoor ceremony and reception area, and plenty of rooom to move indoors should the weather take a turn for the worse. If you saw our previous entry, you’ll notice that there are a lot of areas to get some unique and wonderful photographs. Laurel and Kirsten were great to work with as well as the rest of the staff.

I would recommend Laurel Creek Manor to any couple who are looking for a great venue. Visit them online at http://www.laurelcreekmanor.com/ .

Enjoy the video!

Blessings,

Chris.

The South Sound Wedding Show – Fashion Show Video

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First, I want to say a special thank you to all the brides- and grooms-to-be who stopped by my booth at the South Sound Wedding Show this last weekend, which was held at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. It was very nice to meet you and to talk with you all about your weddings. We would be honored to help you document your day in any way that we can.

I also want to thank Paula Lowe and the team at the South Sound Wedding and Event Magazine for putting together a great show. The facility was great and all the booths were incredible. And thank you also for having me be the official fashion show photographer. It was a lot of fun–the models were fabulous and the gowns, hairstyles, and makeup were incredible.

I put toghether this short video with some of the pictures that I shot. I hope that you enjoy.

And see you at the next show!!

God’s blessings,

Chris.

BTW-you’ll be able to view more of the photo’s on my websites:
www.chrismckennaphotography.com
www.chrismckennaphoto.com

Don’t forget the South Sound Wedding Show this Weekend

Just a quick reminder to visit the South Sound Wedding Show this weekend, September 26 & 27, at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Event Center, located at 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402.

Brides- and grooms-to-be will receive bags filled with treasures, coupons, and copies of South Sound Wedding & Event Magazine at the show. Plus, prizes will be awarded hourly.

See the latest hairstyles, makeup, gowns and apparel at the fashion show at 3 pm on Saturday. Watch the Arthur Murray dancers demonstrate the first dance. Dancers will also perform on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 pm

Try on wedding gowns, special occasion gowns (for your bridesmaids, moms and grandmoms). Costs range from $99 to $799. Presented by Brides Against Breast Cancer. Proceeds benefit Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.

Meet high-quality wedding professionals who can make your wedding day exactly as you wish it to be Meet caterers, photographers (including yours truly), makeup artists, hair stylists, wedding and event planners, dessert-makers, and talk to representatives from a variety of venues for your wedding and reception.

See us Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Free admission.

God’s blessings,

Chris.

Dee & Zac: Our Life Begins Together

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All our best to Dee and Zac Bishop, who were married just a few short weeks ago at Laurel Creek Manor, in Sumner, WA.

We were honored to be chosen as the photographers for their incredible wedding. The day started out with a terrible rainstorm, and we were all concerned that with the rain the wedding might have to shift to plan B, but with a few prayers the rain lifted and their beatiful ceremony was allowed to proceed.

This video is a short montage of some of the photographs we took of their day.

Congratulations, Dee and Zac, and enjoy the video.

God’s blessings,

Chris.

McKenna Video Earns Best Wedding Videographer Nomination

McKenna Video has once again been nominated for Evening Magazine’s Best of Western Washington Wedding Videographer.

Last year, we placed 3rd with only 3 days of voting between our nomination and the time voting closed. That speaks volumes to us about you, our loyal customers and friends (we appreciate it and thank you for your support). This year, we have about a month between the nomination and the time voting closes and are hoping that the extra time translates into a few more votes.

So we are asking you to help us acheive the #1 spot in voting. Click on the banner above and you will be taken to our profile in the BOWW website, where you can vote for us.

Thank you so much for your support.

Chris.

Stacy and Shawn: A Love to Live For

Its been a few weeks since I posted, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been busy.

Today, I am posting a video of some of the engagement photographs that I took Stacy and Shawn, who will be married later this month (I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding). These photographs were taken at Tumwater Falls, in Tumwater, WA in the early to mid-morning. It was a spectacular day and we captured some awesome photos. The last couple of photographs in this montage were shot down on the waterfront in Olympia, WA. next to the statue of the Kissing Couple (it is very popular to replicate the statue pose and have your photo taken next to it).

Congratulations, Stacy and Shawn, on your engagement and we’ll see you at the church later this month.

Blessings,

Chris
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Tips for better vacation photographs

You plan for months, you pack your luggage, pile the kids into the car and you’re off on that family vacation. And like most people, you probably want to capture (i.e., photograph) all the fun times you are about to have so to be able to relive those memories over and over and over again. Great! Nothing wrong with that-I do it too.

But maybe, perhaps maybe, you want this round of photographs to be better than the last one. Sure, you want to get that photo of the family standing in front of that monument, but you also want something unique, something cool, something better.

Here are a few tips to help.
 
 

1. Make sure you pack a good camera. Forgetting a camera is never a good thing, but brining a camera that is not up to snuff is almost as bad. Sure, I have family and vacation photographs that were taken using something less than a decent camera and when I look as some of those photos today I am reminded that I want to continually kick myself for not having better equipment with me at that time.
2. Don’t forget to actually take a photo of the family. Like I previously mentioned, you want to take that photograph of the family in front of the monument, but when you take it, make sure that you can actually see and indentify the family. Many times, the family is nothing more than some distant object in the frame of the picture. Move in close and take that photo with the family identified; take a separate photo of the landmark if you wish.
3. Not all photos need to be posed shot, so be sure to get lots of candid’s of your family doing what they do.
4. Take detail shots of your subject. A lot of interesting pictures come in the form of detail so don’t be afraid to get in close, but always remember safety first! (Your camera/lense combination may have some limitations on how close you can get so pay attention to the focus)
5. Don’t always take your photographs standing perpendicular to the subject. Vary your perspective and create angles. Framing and lighting might be better as well as visual pleasure by just moving yourself a few feet this way or that.
6. Take a lot of photographs. With the advent of digital photography comes a very low cost per picture (no film, no developing) and if you don’t like how the photograph looks you can always delete it.

Happy shooting and have a great vacation.

Come Meet Puyallup Photographer Chris McKenna at the South Sound Wedding Show – Tacoma

Chris McKenna Photography and MVS Wedding Productions will be present at the South Sound Wedding Show – Tacoma. We cordially invite you to come and meet us, talk with us and look at samples of our work.

The South Sound Wedding Show – Tacoma is presented by the South Sound Wedding & Event Magazine and Brides Against Breast Cancer / Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. It will be held between 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26 – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday, September 27, 2009 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. Free admission.

This show will feature:

• Fashion runway show featuring 2010 wedding dress styles.
• Ballroom dance demonstrations presented by Arthur Murray® School of Dance. Dances include bride and groom’s first dance, bride and groom dancing with parents, dancing at the reception, and more!
• Seminars presented by select wedding show vendors; advice, tips and tricks, and questions answered.
• Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation- Tour of Gowns. More than 2,000 bridal gowns and special occasion dresses on sale for up to 10 percent off regular price. Proceeds benefit the foundation.
• Prizes for engaged couples. Enter to win at the show. Drawings every hour.

For more information, please visit the South Sound Wedding and Event Magazine site.

We hope that you will be able to make it.

See you there,

Chris.