Take a look at Greatchen and Dan’s wedding album!

Here’s Gretchen’s comments from the design process – which she gave no input on – just let me do my thing:

First, THANK YOU! It’s even more perfect than we imagined!!! I’m all misty. Second, we have exactly ONE change to request: Dan would like to include the photo of him and the best man chest-bumping “backstage.”

Have you fainted yet? I know, I know, an immediate, low maintenance reply! Shockingly on-time. (It’s the only completion I’ve managed today.) I figure we owe it to you.

Thanks so much for all your patience, and your talent. Dan just kept shaking his head as I paged through the design, saying “He’s just so good!”

Dan – it takes a good man to know one!  I do want to put a sideline note in about my beloved bride Gretchen, a self described ‘type A’ as you can see from the lists and flow charts that decorated the background of page 2.  Gretchen took my advice about not stressing over the album image selection, and was thoroughly pleased with the results.  You may want to select your album images, but the process is often more rewarding when the design flows from how the pictures best fit together.

A few of my favorite spreads and some comments on them:

This spread from the opening moments of the ceremony is an engaging peek into Dan’s excitement, Gretchen grinning behind the doors, and walking down the isle taking Dan’s breath away, and drawing a tear from the groomsmaid.  The iconic shot of Gretchen’s tweaked nervous smile from behind the hall doors, gives a huge visual splash to the carefully observed moments of the beginning of the ceremony.  I shot this wedding alone, and I find it very satisfying to shoot the big epic graphics, and complement it with great storytelling shots to make you look closer at the page!

A moment in time – or a story across time.  I often try to tell stories in my pictures, but sometimes I can tell time too!!  But seriously, how else could you see how much fun Gretchen has with her dress, and Dan?  Good solid album design comes from good solid ideas while we’re shooting.  I often describe the process of ‘posing’ for me, more like acting for a movie–and this is why.  Good action, helps you forget  your nervousness, be natural in your expressions, and let loose with some fun.  Cheers to great results in your album design.

Deanna finally approves her wedding album!

Sweet success indeed for this well planned, wonderful event.  Catch the blended storylines in this intricately designed and textured wedding album design.

Here are a couple of my favorite speads:

Here Deanna is coming down the isle (which is a narrow row of cedar bushes) and my three shots on the left show her finding, posing and receiving the roses from her groom; which the key shot on the right is coming into view of the guests for the first time and was shot by the assistant photographer.

The first dace spread is a free flowing sequence that really tells about the interpersonal and environmental space is a freeform design over time.  To me this is the most gratifying way to view the wedding photos – and it’s also without color.

Which leads us into the next spread – which is all about color, the emotion and mood of their after dinner portrait session in the field.

We do not limit ourselves to just photography here at Make Love Real – we design all our own books, do the creative production for our shoots, and provide creative elements to your wedding planning.  Here we’ll showcase a suite of designed cards for Heather and Drew’s wedding.  This is a long post, so settle in to see how we can be a multifaceted creative team for your wedding.

Here’s a close-up shot of Heather’s menus at her reception held in Del Frisco’s wine cellar, the menu designed by Neil.  However the story start a year infront of their wedding…

…with their Chirstmas card and save the date combo.  Here is me holding their limited edition Christmas card, custom designed by me: … Read more

Here’s a good look at Kelly and Tom’s 70 page Make Love Real album design:

Here are a couple of my favorite spreads:

If you’ll give me a moment to talk about the elements of design we use in our albums – in this horizontal spread, I cropped the images in a tight panoramic 1:5 format to show the tight moments of the bride and groom placing the rings on each other’s fingers. The tight spacing and blurred edges allow for a quick ‘read’ of the eye across the page. That emphasis is heightened by the horizontal bars of color running through the background of the image at the grooms eye height and the bride’s ring height. The lines tie together the separate pictures with implied continuation of line that I ‘felt’ between the photos while laying them out. This extra amount of care and attention brings your album to life telling the visual stories of your wedding.

In this spread we use the design element of a light vignette to tie together and soften the overall page design, can you see the subtle darkening at the coreners?

And if you’re looking for a creative photographer, look at how we tie the action of the day into the album design! We’re wiling to see the whole day for what it is, without presuppositions about what wedding photography ‘should be’ – so we notice the littlest things that make your wedding yours! (did you notice the bee on the clover in the above spread? – I know it’s hard on the web, but we noticed it and shot it!)

Enjoy your album Kelly and Tom.

Here’s the design for Morgan’s “Thank You” card design:

And here’s what Morgan said about the card:

Thank you so so so so soso much I am so excited to have our beautiful wedding in the paper for all to see! I also meant to tell you that when I sent out our thank you cards, I have never gotten more compliment on anything inmy whole life! My one friends husband had gotten it while she was at work and he put it up on the fridge and when she got home that night and saw it on the fridge she thought it was a jewellery ad! SHe had to look a few times before she even noticed it was me! Another friend thought it was an ad from Nordstroms! Everyone said how gorgeous the photo was. Thank you so much for that!  

For the back of the card I found an authentic antique postcard and scanned it to give the piece a unique believable look.

Here’s the design layout for Morgan and Jason’s toronto skyline wedding:

A couple of my favorite design layouts feature the close combination of related photographic moments:

I can’t wait until my next Toronto wedding photojournalism assignment!

Here’s a Christmas Card Sample from a family in Lake Wylie North Carolina

Front above – Inside below

Back below:

Book your portrait session with Neil and choose your card style:

• 8×5 full color double sided postcards
• 4×5.5″ Folded Greeting Cards
• 5×7″ Folded Delux Greeting Cards

Heather and Drew had me shoot their engagement photo session at their Lake Norman shoreline home.

You can see the golden sparkles from the fall sun bursting around the couple’s clasp hands in the cover photo on their custom designed greeting card.  Heather ordered that picture on metallic paper as a 16×24 enlargement for her walls, I can’t wait to see where that art will live!

Heather and Drew didn’t want a lot of space inside for writing, but wanted to allow the photos to convey much of the message.  

On the back, Heather wasn’t sure what to do to complete the design, so here’s our e-mail convo:

“How about 102 – 109 for the back cover. I know it needs to be portrait but we don’t want another picture of us on the back. Leaves are pretty..”

“Oh yes Heather I hear you – you want a tone poem to fall, expressing the hidden energy between blue skies and falling leaves – yea I got it.”

And then after she got the cards out, here is her response:

“Hey Neil -
Everyone loves the xmas cards. I’ve gotten notes from most of the people we sent them too. Also, the humane society that we adopted Otis from loves them and wanted your info.
Not too mention how much we love them! You’re so talented!

My wife helped me pick out sizes for some of our pics, we took advantage of the sale!

Have a Great Holiday!
Heather”

We’re so satisfied when we give voice in our photos and design to people’s lives and bring joy to all those around them

I did all the art and design for this CD packaging:

Above is the CD cover. Below are the enlargements of the band members: … Read more

You know Charlie & Courtney from their magic making.

You can also see this album delivered by me, here’s the layout in detail:

Courtney & Charlie’s wedding was at the Episcopal Church in Pittsford NY while we shot family photos and wedding party photos at the George Eastman House and gardens on East Ave.  We then continued out to the Rochester Country Club for their tented wedding reception. Apples carried the fall theme and colors through the centerpieces and decor. No matter the location their rich personalities show through in all their photos while their caring and compassionate family moments are seen clearly in their album.

So if you’ve watched our ‘virtual album meeting’; you’ll want to see the end product…

Album Delivery by Neil

You’ll be just as excited and enthralled to open your album for the first time!

Order a Custom Design Series Album from our three sizes: 8 Series, 9 Series, and 13 Series

We also have an a-la-carte option that starts at $300 – and you build the album with only the photos you want by starting with an either an 8 inch cover, or an 11 inch cover.  Add each page of your album by selecting ‘album page’ from the photo page in your private gallery on the shopping cart.

Sit down with us and talk albums…

The Album Meeting with  Neil & My wife Cowley –  Watch in HD on Vimeo.

You saw their engagement story

Here’s their signature journal.  40 pages for their guests to sign and enjoy.

… Read more

Wow, the wonders google can bring up, I got a lot of inspiration from this site on 1940′s vintage wedding styles to inspire my design for Bill and Deanna’s Thank You postcard design.

I made a stop to my local New York Antique shop and picked up some choice authentic postcards. A quick scan later and I’ve got Deanna a real vintage look for the back of her postcard to match that beautiful shot sitting on the groom’s lap in thecockpit of the P-40 Warhawk.

Shannon and Andy were married in 2005 and we were there!

Little Ryan Anthony was born November 17th 2007 and I was there to help Shannon make her birth announcements.

But sadly that’s another blog post you’ll have to look forward to another day – this one is is about “Where Art Lives” – we hope the different answers you see us helping our clients making, gives you creative ideas about how to use the art we make for you.

So here’s a look at Shannon’s classy cute bedroom arrangement, decorated with her wedding photos. … Read more