Through the lens over time...

I was framing up these images through my lens at Grant and Michelle's wedding and felt a strange feeling. I can try to describe it as a mix of fun, responsibility, flattery, and service. The images of Josh and Dre and Jay and Frances are mostly the same from their weddings we captured; but the stories, time, and locations are entirely different. Josh and Dre were sans their three kids, but Jay and Frances brought their 5-month-old miracle along. Since we've been shooting weddings now for about 8 years, we've run into more and more of these referral couples at the wedding, but this is the first time we've done three siblings. I put the 4th sibling, "Last of the Mohicans" Natalie in there just for fun. No rush, Natalie!

This kind of stuff keeps pushing photography farther and farther from a "job." -Judd :)

Grant + Michelle Trash the Dress in the pool and on the beach...

It was 6am Monday morning and I heard a knock on our hotel room door. We had planned to meet Grant and Michelle for Trash the Dress part 2 on the beach, but I didn't fully expect to see a bride with makeup and a dress on at my door at 6am! Michelle says, "At least the guacamole washed off in the pool last night!" I love how the sunrise looked like the sunset - it was like watching a really slow firework the way it lit up the sky. I can't remember the last time I watched the sunrise; I definitely recommend it if you haven't done it for awhile! As Michelle was laying the sand she said, "Did I tell you I hate sand." Oops. I think it was worth it!

Grant + Michelle = 12.05.2009 Destination Wedding (Azul Sensatori Resort, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico)

Here are the links for Grant and Michelle's Wedding!

Click here to view their wedding album pre-design
Link to all pictures (available after Grant and Michelle release them - register to be notified)

Facebook link (Become a fan of ours and tag pictures of yourself!)

I had to pinch myself to believe my wife Martha and I had this amazing opportunity to create images of Grant and Michelle and their families over the course of 6 days in Mexico. Even greater is how fun it was just to hang out with these 30 or so people this week. It was the 4th wedding we have done in Grant's family. I found myself reflecting on the awesome privilege and responsibility it is documenting people's lives at their most important moments. Two of our newlyweds had become parents (Josh and Dre / Jay and Frances) - it is so fun to see the families develop. The all-inclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen really helped make everyone happy as well. :)

Below are some of our favorite images:
Best dress hanging shot I've taken, Joe & Carli getting pedicures, the picturesque dock and hut, the ladies, my wonderful wife getting the amazing shot of the pelican in the foreground of the couple, Grant tearing up when Michelle walked down the aisle, the rings, the donkey bar (yes there was beer and ice in the green saddle bags, the massive chess board, Stephanie cradling her son during the dance (made us miss our kids!), and the final shot of the night through the folded "swan towels" on Grant and Michelle's bed. The "Dirty Dancing" shot on the beach was Michelle's idea and with her dancing & ballet experience she of course perfected the technique - right down to the toe point!

Some special thanks: Megan for braving the rainstorm in the pool with us, Joe & Carli for being our meal time buddies, Charlotte (Gma) for being a great hostess, Joanna for introducing me to Mudslides, Josh and Jay for the smack talk and causing me to pull a hammy on the tennis court, Natalie for the bottle of champagne, Frankie and Ruthie for just being really fun all week, and Grant and Michelle for being up for 5 photo sessions and making us feel part of the family all week. This was an awesome way to end our 2009 wedding season! -Judd & Martha

Grant + Michelle = Engaged (downtown Playa Del Carmen, Mexico)

This has been an amazing week from the moment we had our first bite to eat at the Azul Sensatori resort near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Grant and Michelle are this amazing couple who are up for anything and we had a full day before their family and friends arrived so we got to spend some extra time in downtown Playa Del Carmen and on the beach late at night capturing these images over the last 3 days. The wedding is Saturday afternoon - can't wait! I'll write more but wanted to get these images online quickly. -Judd and Martha

Crazy Skies & Maria

So Maria comes in today for senior portraits and "maybe" wanted some outdoor photos. After a little prodding we got THESE images - think it was wort it Maria? Those gloves are cool. She almost cancelled today since she got her wisdom teeth out Friday and we're pretty glad she didn't. :) I am still amazed we are outside doing stuff like this November 30. Three of these five images are straight out of camera; I love that. -Judd

The Daniels Family (featuring Dave Daniels)

Anytime a family has their 4th photo session with us they get their very own blog post! The lighting was cool, Dave was in great shape from his 12 marathons this year, so we decided to do a little solo time with him as well. His beautiful girls have been up in the studio for so long he was jealous; it was time to shine. So Dave, here is your 15 minutes, and an eternity of fame in a blog post. Enjoy! -Judd

Santa and Holiday Cards!

Wow that was quite a day with Santa on Saturday! Here are a couple of the holiday cards that came about from the sessions. If you are interested in fine art holiday cards - this is the place, just email us a picture # we have taken or your own and we will create!

If you were here for the Santa sessions, here is the link to all Santa photos. -Judd

Open House Tonight!

We've had many families stroll through today and get priceless shots with Santa. Come join us for our Open House and check out the new studio!

-All of us at Studio J

To Jett

Jett was the salt of the earth. He was a guy who enjoyed life, and was a back home, "you can take the boy out of the woods, but you can't take the woods out of the boy" type of guy. He passed away last week of pancreatic cancer, 1 year and 10 days after his storybook wedding to Stacey in the snow, reindeer and all. We'll miss you, Jett.

November October

I keep getting confused when we walk outside and get shots like this - this is the October we never had. OK I'll come clean Ozzie the dog was inside and that small dog sweater is Target - $3. Hilarious. -Judd

One of our favorite moments of the season!

-Joe

Only 9 more wedding dates available for 2010!

After doing 86 weddings in 2008 and 2009, we are on the cusp of becoming a mid-sized corporation in 2010. We have decided that we really enjoy knowing each of our wedding clients personally and providing a highly personal and fun wedding experience. Our portrait division has also seen major expansion so we have decided to pull back a bit on our weddings.

WE ARE ONLY GOING TO ACCEPT 9 MORE WEDDINGS for 2010! Unless it is a destination wedding and then you might twist my arm. :)

We are entering peak engagement season and we are booking weddings at twice the rate of last year, so if you know anyone who is interested in a highly personalized & fun wedding experience, tell them to get in touch with us ASAP! -Judd

Matt + Melissa = engaged

Might be doing a destination wedding with these guys in 2010! Matt is in the national guard so they are playing it by ear. Melissa came into the studio and said "just inside shots is fine since it's getting kind of dark." Josh and I looked at each other and told them we could do some cool things with lighting and we were going outside whether they liked it or not and here's what happened. :)

Great November Days!

'Tis the season for holiday cards! We have done a number of sessions in this amazing November weather. Captured these images this past weekend and we have a few spots left for our mini-sessions (details below) on Nov 14 and 21 and Santa will be here on the 28th for our Grand Opening! The cute girl in the family heirloom lederhosen is my niece Eliana. -Judd

Jeff + Tarrah: 10.31.2009 (St Mary of the Lake and Sheraton West, MPLS)

Jeff and Tarrah's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Jundt)

Jeff and Tarrah will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their wedding album pre-design!

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Happy Holloween! It was a crisp, sunny fall day - amazing for late October so we could do some outdoor sessions with Jeff and Tarrah and crew. Joe and I were going to dress up as cat burglars, but the nylons I bought for over our heads were pushed to their elastic limit, so they looked more like really long do-rags. Some of my favorite moments and images from today: the small-town vibe of the North Dakotan guests (complete with chocolate covered potato chips or "chippers", the cool sky, cold wet leaves the bridesmaids were game enough to throw at Tarrah, the purple cat socks I gave Tarrah as a Halloween gift, my favorite shoe / ring shot to date, the old man mask that got left behind (anyone know where it is?), little Bridgit cooing during the ceremony, (Joel and Mary's new daughter ('06 wedding), the elevator shot, and making up a brand new pose I call the "paper dolls" picture on the Stone Arch Bridge - nobody copy it! Yeah, right, :) Toward the end of the night, Don (Tarrah's Dad) invited Joe and I up to his hotel room for some "Apple Pie." Little did we know it was a tasty mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and everclear - yikes! Is that legal? What a way to end an eight-wedding month! -Judd, Amanda, and Joe

Holiday mini-sessions are here and SANTA!

Wedding Fair Goers!

Great to meet so many of you brides at the wedding fair Sunday! For those of you who picked up our general pricing information, at the bottom there is a coupon for up to $250 off your wedding collection OR two complimentary parent albums so be sure to mention it when you book with us! We are booking right now at twice the rate of 2009 so contact us today to see if your date is available!

Geoffrey + Phyllis (Grace Lutheran and Crowne Plaza)

As our wedding season draws near the end, the parties seem to get better and better! Geoff and Phyllis celebrated a great wedding and their family and friends had everyone (including us) cracking up the whole day. From the quaint Grace Lutheran in St. Paul we headed to the Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis and captured some fun photos. Note the winning runway pose from the bridesmaids! Nice work! Geoff and Phyllis win the award for most gorgeous view from their reception site. The Carousel Restaurant on the 22nd floor of the Crowne Plaze provided us with some amazing views of downtown St. Paul. Everyone danced the night away and celebrated a union of two great people!

Check out our favorite shot of the crew at work. Joe shoots into a mirror capturing Josh doing video and Aron providing fill light while Geoff and Phyllis end their video interview! Amazing!

Geoffrey and Phyllis' Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Faulkner)

Geoffrey and Phyllis will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their album pre-design!

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

The studio expansion continues!

We had a little fun yesterday creating a video to help clients find parking here in downtown Stillwater and took these shots as well; the old man / monster mask you will understand better once you see the video that will be ready in a couple weeks. To handle our increasing workload, we've hired on photographer/videographer/lighting specialist Josh to be our portrait manager to free up Allie to work with just our wedding clients. Joe continues to be our award-winning video editor and I basically do whatever needs to be done when I'm not shooting; like buy clearance Fedora hats. :)
So in review:
Allie: Wedding Manager
Josh: Portrait Manager (High School Seniors and Families)
Joe: Video Manager
-Judd

Caption Contest

Cutest two dogs came into the studio the other day - totaling a whopping 15 pounds - together. Leave a comment with your caption for this picture and the best one will receive a half price family photo session from Studio J! Here's mine: "¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!"

Storyhill Fest 2009

I was on vacation with the family last month near Deerwood, MN at an outdoor music festival. Usually on vacation I try not to take any pictures but with the sun setting behind these artists (Justin Roth, Antje Duvekot, and Storyhill) I couldn't help but grab my wife's camera and take some fun slow-shutter stuff. There were some amazing singer / songwriters there in the northern Minnesota pines. The campfire music was still going around 4am... -Judd
Here is the link to view all the pictures!

Scott + Majalisa: 10.17.2009 (Ft. Snelling Services Club)

Scott and Majalisa's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Diaz)

Scott and Majalisa will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their wedding album pre-design!

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Both Scott and Majalisa are in the Army Reserve so we had a chance to capture some really unique images: Scott going to pick up Majalisa with a convoy of five HUMVs (you should have seen the looks from the Cottage Grove neighbors), Maja "surprising" Scott with a lime green fake dress (he had a lime green tie but left it at the hotel), Maja always wearing green Army socks (which she stayed true to), some fun images at Minnehaha Falls like tracy getting after Maja and Art (Maja's dad), cool shots on the runway (right before we violated the runway radar and got warned by a dude with an AK-47 machine gun, and Scott's "first" pitcher of the night! - Judd, Amy, and Josh

Happy Halloween from Studio J!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

John and Naomi - October 9, 2009

John and Naomi's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Janklow)

John and Naomi will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Josh and I had a great time at John and Naomi's wedding! From the beautifully quaint church in Bayport to the hotel in White Bear Lake, everything went smooth and the wedding party had a blast. We got some fun shots at the park near White Bear Lake in the 30 degree weather, everyone being troopers. At the reception, everyone was partying and the DJ was excellent. I almost shed a tear during their love story, touching stuff. We're happy for you guys and check back soon for photos! -Joe and Josh









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Steve and Cristina - October 3, 2009 (St. Mark's and The Prom Center)

Steve and Cristina's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Pihl)

Steve and Cristina will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their album pre-design!

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Steve and Cristina had a gorgeous wedding. From the beautiful addition at St. Peter's to the stretch hummer to the decadent table settings at the prom center, they didn't skimp out! Some great memories include "I've Got A Feeling" coming on the radio on our way to the prom center, hilarious photos at Pioneer Park in Stillwater including the patented stylish shades, a quick stop at Brine's to cheer on the Twins and some great singing skills throughout the guests at the reception. Congratulations to the newly weds, we'll show some of their photos on here soon. -Joe & Josh

Mike and Mary - October 3, 2009 (St. Mary's Orthodox and Graves 601)

Mike and Mary's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Woog)

Mike and Mary will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their album pre-design

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Whirlwind! That pretty much sums up this day - a whirlwind of energy and events. Here are some random fun memories: Alice's glam jewelry, the Godfathers fighting off lactic acid buildup during the Russian Orthodox regal ceremony, Kristy Lindsay and Dan's toasts on the bus, Nye's Polynaise and the crazy vinyl seats, Mary's 100-year-old aunt, the "Louisville Chugger" random episode, pictures with Bert Blyleven and Frank Viola at the Graves 601, the Russian live dance music and me getting trapped in the middle of the circle, the guy who was doing the wheelbarrow pushups (who was that guy), MetroJams keeping the dance floor going all night. Our team had to top off the night with a round of White Russians in honor of the occasion. Whew! -Judd, Aron, Troy and Allie

Josh and Brenda - October 3, 2009 (Cross Lutheran and Midland Hills)

Josh and Branda's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Hom)

Josh and Brenda will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their album pre-design!

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Chad and Aarthi - October 2, 2009

Chad and Aarthi's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Monica)

Chad and Aarthi (Monica) will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Click here to view their album pre-design

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

I lived in India for 5 months right out of college and Chad and Monica's wedding brought the memories flooding back. From the amazingly colorful saaris to the naan and paneer for dinner, it was a full sensory experience. We got some unique shots in the rain on the Stone Arch Bridge - even though it was tough getting there with 4 huge golf umbrellas (the you Target!), I love the foggy look of the skyline and how the colors of the vests and dresses popped in the diffused light. Some other random memories: Chad and Monica's athletic choreographed dance, Monica;s huge smile all day long, the way there obviously cared so much about each other and how grounded they were in their faith. I'm sure I will never hear vows like that again: it was well-crafted poetry from the heart that left not a dry eye in the crowd - thanks for being such a great example you guys! -Judd and Josh

Other Fun Stuff - Horse Photography and Ironman

If you want to feel fat and lazy, go watch an ironman triathalon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike "ride", followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon). The mass start of the open water at sunrise was a sight to behold. My brother in law and cousin participated - it took them about 12 hours to compete. Don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon...

I also got to challenge myself tonight with some horse photography - an image I got in my mind and we had some clients with horses (Maria, Monica, "t", and "Lookit" and Cookie the jealous dog). I originally wanted the shots really dark but the sky was too cool so I went with it. Thanks to flash ladies Liz and Jessi! -Judd

Miles and Meghan - September 26, 2009

Miles and Meghan's Wedding Links:

Link to all pictures (The EVENT KEY is: Abbott)

Click here to view their album pre-design!

Miles and Meghan will release the images after they have seen them all first. Register before the release and receive a $10 gift certificate code when they release the pictures.

Become a fan of our facebook page to tag yourself in the blog photos!

Miles and Meghan had a beautiful fall day with the sun shining to celebrate their union. We took some great shots by the river in downtown Stillwater and headed to the beautiful Trellis Events for the ceremony. After a brief drop of the ring and hilarious advice for the couple, we headed back to the Water Street Inn via trolley for the celebrations! Miles and Meghan are a fun couple and we had a blast capturing their wedding day! -Joe & Josh