Engaged! Vickie and Jordan

Tampa Engagement Portrait Photographer

We spent the week of Christmas in Sebring with our families. While we were there, we met up my old pal Vickie and her fun fiance Jordan. Jordan grew up on a cattle farm in the cold north, so they though it was fitting to do their engagement session on a ranch. These guys take some nice pictures! Thanks for letting us take part in the fun!

A Tiny Visitor

Last night as we came in from getting groceries, I found a new friend.



Here he is compared to my wedding ring. So tiny!



Have a good night, little guy!

Merry Christmas!

Kurz Studio Photography would like to wish a very jolly holiday to you and your family!





My beautiful mother took these pictures. She didn't get into photography until after I did at the end of my high school career, but she sure is good. She has a great eye. As well as a great heart. =)

Out of Town

Kurz Studio Photography will be out of town until Monday, December 29th. We may occasionally have some dial-up internet access, but email responses will be slow. We apologize.

We do have a couple of great engagement sessions planned, so stay tuned.

We're doing fun things like chasing seagulls, digging in the dirt, and giggling with grandmothers. =)

Wedding Photography Tip: The Exit

Tampa Wedding Photographer

Everyone wants a great photo of "The Exit" from the wedding. I know I did. We bought a ton of sparklers with visions of them framing the gorgeous photos of us leaving, beaming ear to ear, waving, holding hands up in victory, etc.

For us, it didn't happen. We walked out into the pasture (we got married on the ranch) for sunset photos. My mom handed out sparklers to entertain the guests while we were away. We ran back to try to catch a few sparkler shots before they were all gone. The sun was still up so they didn't really show up. Plus we missed the sunset pics. And, when we really left, the photographer was gone and we weren't wearing our pretty clothes any more. Boo.

When we shoot weddings, once in a while we DO get a good exit shot. But, it has to be planned out with the rest of the wedding. Often most of the guests leave before the end of the reception. Also, "The Exit" is not on the mind of the bride or groom, so the bubbles/candy/birdseed/etc. gets used up by bored kids and doesn't make it into great photos.

Here is the fix. Plan "The Exit" into your wedding, and let those who are running the show know about it! Get people excited about it with your exit prop (the petals/rice/bubbles.) If you are having a long, leisurely reception, think about faking "The Exit" earlier in the evening, when more people are still around. You can walk out (remember to do this slowly, if you run there will be significantly fewer pictures) spend a few moments outside, and come right back in. This is also a great chance to take a few more bride/groom only shots.

Stefanie and James gracefully descended a flight of stairs off the porch as their guests threw cute white candy hearts.





Danielle and Nathan ran through a canopy of trees lined with loved ones. The guests threw birdseed from little lined picnic baskets.





Danielle and Jesse's family and friends wished them well as they set of as husband and wife with a cloud of bubbles.

Family: K

This weekend I met up with this sweet family to work on some Christmas photos. Little K's curls just kill me! =) K's mom and I finished our Master's Degree in Special Education at USF together last year.

We met at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. Great park! Several miles of trails, beautiful views, not crowded, and fun playgrounds.



I love the pink shoes!





She wrote her K in the sand.





Swinging with Mom and Dad.

Quick Family Picture

This has to be our fastest portrait session. Ever. (Not that I'm rushing you. You can have all the time you need.) =)

This is Drew's oldest sister and her family. They wanted a family picture for their Christmas card. We had things planned out but then, because of all the little ones and traveling, time got short. So we ran outside (where it was in the 30's), grouped up, grabbed the shot, and ran back in, all in under 2 minutes.

And, they turned out pretty cute!

Those Are Great Photos! She Must Be a Model.

I often scope out other photographers websites. It gives inspires me, gives me great new ideas, challenges me, and keeps my work fresh. There are some AMAZING photographers out there. (My favorite has to be Almasy in Atlanta. Dan and Anne, you guys rock.)

I did notice while I was browsing websites this week that there are some wedding photographers who appear to use models on their websites. Nothing wrong with models. They are gorgeous and you DO want to show off gorgeous work on your website. The problem is that working with models dressed in gorgeous gowns in very controlled environments is NOT the same as shooting a bride on a her wedding day. So many things happen on a wedding day. There are nerves and crazy emotions seeping out of all the people involved. There is love. And chaos. Many things happen that cannot be repeated, and if a photographer misses a shot he can't just ask for the act to be redone. A photographer CAN work this way for the posed shots part of the day, but the posed shots are not catching any moments. What we love to catch are those beautiful little glances, touches, and grins.

So, when you look at photographers for your wedding, keep this in mind. If there are only a handful of shots on the website, and most of them are the same few girls looking gorgeous, maybe they are models. Want to know for sure? Ask the photographer. Request to see an entire wedding if you are curious.

We have a few weddings posted on our website for you to browse. Each of these has about 100 photos, all very real. But, we probably take closer to 500 pictures for a 4 hour wedding. We'd be happy to give you access to see what the rest of the shots look like. Really. All you have to do is ask!

=)

Uh Oh! A Trap!

Today I got this in the mail.



Um... Would you open a package from A. Trapp?





Marked Publix cheese?



Turned out it wasn't a trap at all. It was a movie I ordered for my sister from half.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are out of town this week counting our blessings with family.

We wish you a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Birth Announcements

Are you aware that Kurz Studio Photography can design a custom birth announcement to tell the world about your new bundle of joy?

If you weren't before, you sure are now!

You have the baby. We take the pictures. You pick the colors. You pick the pictures. We design something that fits just right.

Baby boy blue and brown stripes...



Sweet little girl pink flowers...



More neutral colors and fancy damask...



You get the picture. ;)

We can also design to fit more than the standard 1-3 pictures on the card.

We'll take care of the printing or give you the file so that you can print them wherever you desire.

Married! Chris and Danielle

This weekend Drew, Eli, and I got to be guests at a wedding. My cousin Chris married the beautiful Danielle. We stayed firmly in our seats, but Drew managed to snap a couple of cute shots of them, nonetheless.

Eli and his cousin play peek-a-boo over the pew.



Grama sits on the wrong side of the church. See the groom in the background trying to get her attention. Also the worried look on Caleb's face.



Chris waits for Danielle.



Danielle is just precious.



The newlyweds! Congratulations guys!