http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/ Nickel City Studios Blog en-us http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=345 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=345 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:26:00 GMT Alyssa: For the past few years, we hadn't been taking New Year's Eve weddings - we have a few days that are off-limits for us for shooting while we have little kids, but we'd taken NYE off for us as grownups. Then we realized how totally lame we are and that we never actually go out for NYE and are usually completely asleep when the year switches over. So when Shannon + Tyler came to us with their fabulous NYE wedding at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, we immediately gave up our NYE to hang with them at their super cool NYE wedding.

Rich: Shooting really late in the year is worlds different than shooting in, say, June when our wedding season is usually at its peak here in Buffalo. That photo above of Tyler and his groomsmen is the only shot either of us did outside. Luckily for us and for Shannon and Tyler, we had a really rad venue that let us shoot all over it and Shannon and Tyler also worked closely with us to figure out how the timeline of the day was going to play out since everything was taking place at the museum after sunset.

For the ceremony itself, you couldn't ask for a better backdrop than S + T had. When a couple tell me they want a small, intimate and emotional ceremony, this wedding is what I'm going to think about going forward. I absolutely love that we get to do this stuff.

Alyssa: Yes to everything you said :) Though the setting wouldn't have mattered one bit if Shannon + Tyler hadn't had as much fun as they had. Seriously, Shannon was just glowing the entire day, and it couldn't have been a more fun wedding to photograph.

As we were driving back to Buffalo and talking about our 2011 wedding season, Rich said, at the end of the day, he really just wants to do a great job at every wedding because he genuinely cares about our clients. And I couldn't agree more. And that may seem silly or hokey or whatever, but he's right. People trust us to come into these amazingly intimate moments in their lives, and it's so important to us to give everything that we have at each wedding because while it may be the 33rd wedding we've been to this year, it's the ONLY wedding of the year that matters for our bride and groom. And we never forget that.

Somehow, we've been lucky enough to get to do this amazing job for the past six years, and we're so thankful for every couple that trusts us with their amazingly important day. While 2011 was a hell of a year, we cannot wait to get started in 2012.

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=343 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=343 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:42:00 GMT Alyssa: Hellllllo blog! Nice to see you again :)

We've been working on a bunch of fun new stuff over here, and, unfortunately, we paused on blogging to find the time to do so. So, we want to take you back a month to see two totally awesome weddings we shot at the end of the year! First is the super fantastic Laura + Jon. They hadn't necessarily wanted a winter wedding, but they went with it because they knew Jon's job would give him the time off then. Even so, I always love winter weddings - there's something so fantastically romantic about the snow, to me, and somehow in this weird, barely-any-snow winter we're having, they had just the perfect light dusting for their day.

L+J met in art school in Pittsburgh (though they're both originally from here - how random is that?) and Jon is a photographer - it's always nerve-wracking/crazy flattering to me when other artists/photographers deem us worthy for their big day - so I was definitely pumped for their wedding, and it was an awesomely relaxed and fun day.

Rich: Also fun is getting to shoot and get to know a couple right before their wedding day. I'd been emailing with Laura for a long time before the wedding but Jon didn't get back to the Buffalo area until just a few weeks before the wedding. A wedding day that's relaxed is always great to shoot, and when we get treated so well by everyone involved, it's perfect.

I've missed our blog, too! We're going to blow it up sometime this year and completely redo everything, so for the time being, we should probably enjoy our posts in this format, huh?

Alyssa: :) Yes, that's one of the things we've been doing this off season - there's a few and hopefully one of them will be debuting here in a few weeks - a project I'm really super excited to show everyone. Anyway, not that anyone has mentioned the lack of posting to us :), but we do have one more wedding to show everyone today, so we'll catch you all in the next post. :)

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=342 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=342 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:37:00 GMT None/Slideshow: (embeded object)

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=341 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=341 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:44:00 GMT Alyssa: I'm having a hard time believing 2011 is coming to a close. It was such an amazing year, and it went by so fast it seems kind of crazy that it's already the holidays. Laura + Jon were our last portrait shoot of the year - we still have a couple amazing weddings to shoot (including Laura + Jon's :) ), but we're definitely winding down for the year.

For us, the end of a year and the end of a season always means thinking about the business - where we want to take it, the things we want to change... one of the things we've been talking about for a long time is our blog. We love this thing; we love showing people everything we shoot and lots of stuff from what we're shooting, but the truth is, it's gotten a little crazy.

So, we're taking the blog a little more minimal - a photo here, a few photos there. But for those of you who loved seeing lots of photos, no fear - we'll still have lots of stuff from every shoot to check out - we're just migrating the bulk of our content over to our Facebook page. We're hoping that by changing the way we blog a little, we can have more fun with it, inspire ourselves to be more creative with what and how we post.

We're ridiculously excited about some of our projects for the coming year and can't wait to share them with you, but first Laura + Jon. Guys - you were amazing in that horrific cold - we can't wait to do it again this weekend!!

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=337 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=337 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:16:00 GMT Rich: What I really like about getting to work with the people we do is that I always feel like I'm getting away with hanging with out with people dramatically cooler than I am. The first thing I noticed about Eric and Monica when we met them was that they were so effortlessly the kind of people you want to be around and hang out and, ultimately, be friends with. On their wedding day, with the really great group of friends and family they were surrounded with, it was completely impossible not to fall for their story and completely get into who they are and what the day means to them. That's a great day for a wedding photographer and I feel pretty amazing that we got to be there.

Alyssa: It was a shorter day for us, and this late in the year, the sun goes down so early that if we don't do shots before the ceremony, they'll be in the dark, so Monica + Eric decided to see each other before (well, they got ready together so of course they were gonna) and we got to shoot for a few minutes before the ceremony - but I do mean a few :) The timeline got crunched, so we had to shoot a few post-ceremony with the guys, as well.

Alyssa: But we got E+M's shoot and some with the girls before we had to head to the church - Eric getting out of the limo below? One of my favorite shots ever.

Rich: The best part about that is how unbelievably Eric that shot is. When it was mentioned in the best man's speech that he used to sing in a red hot chili peppers cover band, I was completely unsurprised.

We were back in one of our favorite places in Buffalo, St. Louis Church. It feels like St. Louis is a good luck charm for our wedding days, too. And it's been a while since we shot there, so it was nice to be back.

Alyssa: It was a perfect ceremony. I love this black and white of yours, babe! You know, when I'm putting the blog post together, rarely do I ever go - huh, is she smiling in too many of these photos that they'll look the same layed out together? (because yes, I think about weird things like that) But I did with Monica! And being up in front of everyone you know can wear on people's nerves, so ceremonies aren't usually the smiliest time of the day, but there was nothing that was gonna wipe it off her face!

Rich: If the bride is happy, everyone is going to be happy. I think a lot of couples get weirded out about how on display they are on a wedding day and that can make them nervous. Being nervous, in turn, can definitely make some people more serious than they usually are. I believe that the brides and grooms who have the best overall experience on their wedding days are the ones who can let go a little and remember that everything is just a reflection of them. If they're happy and smiling and having a good time all day, everyone else will, too.

I know I was smiling all day. You guys had a really great wedding party to hang out with and everyone all day was really gracious and welcoming.

After the ceremony we went outside next to St. Louis and shot in total darkness for a couple. And only a couple because it got cold fast...

Rich: ...and then we were at Pearl Street. And we took some shots in the dark with Monica and Eric out on the fourth-floor balcony that I'm really stoked about. You guys looked incredible and were perfect to work with.

Alyssa: Yeah - the balcony stuff was really fun, and I was super excited Monica + Eric wanted to do that. You know, once we get to a reception, we pretty much just let our couples go and enjoy their night and be done with us, but anytime someone wants to take another 10 out of their cocktail hour and do some more photos - dude, I'm always so stoked about that!

Rich: Pearl Street is such a chill place to have a reception and I really enjoy shooting a dance floor there. And I think Eric and I may be long-lost musical twins because I've never met someone with the exact same oddball taste in music as me. Dude, I still want a copy of your dinner mix. That was fantastic.

Guys, we're gonna keep it short and sweet since we've been blogging for about 3 hours and you guys are our fourth and final post of the evening :). Thank you, again, for everything throughout this process. You have been perfect for us and I really hope you guys fill all those empty and waiting frames at your house with the photos we made with you, because you guys owned your day in every sense of the word and it showed. Thanks!

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=340 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=340 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:50:00 GMT Rich: Hey - whirlwind blog session is go right now. This is the third post of the evening! Another awesome couple, another gorgeous day, a lot of photos I'm really fond of.

Plus when Jenna and Kevin came in from Philadelphia they brought their puppy, Speedy with them. We had a great time shooting all the way through. :)

Alyssa: Yeah - I was totally stoked with these photos. We spend most of our time in the car (well, not WE, me - Rich looks at the road :) ) staring out the window, looking for new spots that we want to shoot, and we are always super stoked to get to play with a new place and J+K were awesome and up for it, and we got some stuff!

Alyssa: And their puppy is ridiculous - he was super chill while we were working with Jenna + Kevin, and when we got him out for a few shots, he was just an angel. Also, he might be the cutest puppy ever. It's funny -- when we shoot kids, I get nostalgic for ages we've passed with Murph (though I'm excited we get to do them again!), and on this shoot, I got puppy nostalgia! Seriously - Speedy is hysterical - he's doing that puppy thing where he's just constantly grabbing/chewing/eating things - I think in the few minutes we played with him he ate at least one stick, a handful of leaves and something undistinguishable. J+K are adorable new puppy parents - they were constantly like, "Oh no, Speedy!" and grabbing for things, where Rich is like, "oh, Alyssa - the dog is eating a squirrel again." :)

Guys - thanks, again, for taking time out of your trip home to shoot with us. You were fantastic and Speedy was an angel! I hope you guys (and he) had a great ride home!!

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=339 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=339 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:59:00 GMT Rich: Now that we've been doing this in Buffalo for a while, we're starting to grow with families who we've worked with a few times of the years. Seeing Charlie over the years is pretty rad for me. I was at her first birthday party - and now suddenly she's almsot four. And she's awesome and has some pretty awesome parents.

I love photographing kids - especially the ones that just want to run around and have fun and are completely full of energy. These were fun :).

Alyssa: It's also unreal how fast time flies - I can't believe that was nearly three years ago. I know we gush on and on about how much we love shooting families every time we do a family shoot (because, well, we do!), but I truly feel there is something pretty epic about capturing not just your kids on camera, but the whole family together because seriously kids grow so fast, and I think it's so important to have those shots together. And I know I'm old for being all, "kids grow so fast," but it's true. Anyway, our new one doesn't sleep, you know - ever, so I'm on the verge of typing incoherent emotional gushiness, so I'm gonna stop typing (at least, on this of our marathon posting sesh) and hand it back to Rich.

Rich: So true - all of it. Guys, thank you so much for having us out to shoot you again! And, of course, for wall coffee and the butt chairs :). And for having a cat name Orange Kitties - these are all awesome things. I hope we get to do it again soon :).

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=338 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=338 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:05:00 GMT Alyssa: I'm super excited to be back from our little blog-hiatus with Alicia + Calvin - who were absolutely wonderful to get to shoot despite it being freezing and incredibly early. I'm bummed we're into the part of the year where we start to lose feeling in our hands by the end of some shoots, but then we hung our Christmas lights today and I was outside barefoot, so I guess I'm not complaining. :)

Also, Rich walked into a tree.

Rich: Alicia, I had this opening to your blog post written before Alyssa got a hold of this post that may or may not have poked a little bit of fun at my wife over what we spent the last 30 minutes of your shoot dying laughing about. But I was told that subject was super, double, top secret off-limits, so instead we're going to talk about how I walked directly into a tree while shooting.

Total double standard over here at Nickel City, but she promised we could talk about it AFTER the wedding, so I have hope.

And if you want to know how nice Alicia and Calvin are as a couple - they both saw me walk directly into the tree but totally didn't laugh at me about it until I mentioned it myself. Because sometimes you do something so ridiculous that you can't not mention it, even when the people you're with are too polite to openly mock you for it. My wife? She''ll do enough mocking for all of us.

Alyssa: Oh not just mocking - I believe there was pointing and laughing involved, as well.

And there is no double standard - if I'd walked into a tree, I'd expect you to mention it as well. Because I think what everyone is missing is that it wasn't just a tree, it was this giant head-level, can't-miss-it-as-it's-directly-in-front-of-your-eyes branch, and, also, it was hilarious.

Anyway, we have lots of blogging to get to tonight, so we're gonna post this and just say thanks, guys, for taking time out of your trip home to do this with us - you're fantastic, and we can't wait to see you again!

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=336 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=336 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:30:00 GMT Alyssa: To be honest, I'm a little sad to be writing this blog post this morning. Because writing this post means Gretchen + Mark's wedding is over, and we've been looking forward to this wedding for almost two years. We don't start booking for any given year until January 1st the year prior, and I think it was January 2nd, maybe 3rd, that Gretchen + Mark were sitting in our studio signing up. And at any moment over the past two years, if you'd asked Gretchen how many days until the wedding, she would've given you a specific number, because she's had a running countdown in her head since the moment they picked their wedding date. Seriously, 272 days, 140 days, 29 days -- she knew them all without thinking, and finally there were no more days, because it was her day, and a day she has done her time waiting for.

We love our clients - we are always amazed at how we somehow get the coolest people ever to work with, but occasionally we have a special client. The kind of client so considerate that she comes by and takes the time out of her day to comment on every post we shoot. Seriously, if we've shot your wedding, your family or someone you know over the past two years, odds are good Gretchen has said something nice about you. During the toasts, someone mentioned that G+M are the kind of people who never forget your birthday, and when we were shot Gretchen's cousin's wedding on Rich's birthday this year? Sure enough, G+M showed up with a present for Rich. And not just something they grabbed in the checkout line at Walgreen's, but a thoughtful, fun gift that had a backstory with Rich.

And the biggest thing? She talks to Rich on Twitter. I can't think of something more telling than her dedication to listening to my husband pretend to be witty in 140 characters. :) Seriously though, we KNOW Gretchen, now - Rich talks to her everyday on Twitter, and we were definitely nervous going to shoot her. And we've been doing this a long time - rainy day? Throw it at me. Jacked up timeline? I'm calm. Dress broken? I'll sew it back together while cracking jokes. We stopped getting stressed about things a long time ago, but we got nervous last weekend for Gretchen because we wanted everything to be perfect for her.

This has the potential of turning into the longest written post ever, and I want to get into her photos, so Imma shut up now and get to these photos!

Rich: We should shut up just slightly - but you nailed it up top :). And then there were the details. I wasn't even a little bit surprised when Gretchen bought Mark a sweet, custom-made Mario side table (yes, many photos exist of him opening it, G - don't worry! You know how I do) or that all the guys had different NES cart cufflinks (and you can see Mark, of course, got the OG cart). Or that everyone was in chucks. Or that the groomsmen gifts were mini replica wrestling title belts.

But what makes a wedding a really fun, genuine day reflective of a couple and the the life and friends they share, isn't details or the flowers or cut of the clothes. It is evident in whether or not the couple can relax and enjoy all the hard work. It's in the honest emotions of the day.

And can I just once walk into a wedding and have the coolest facial hair? Like, I walked in to G+M's house and my beard (which is entering its yearly winter crazy homeless-man form) was instantly dominated by a certain groomsman's 'stache.

Alyssa: I like how you hadn't written anything on the blog and were like WE should shut up. Ahem.

Anyway, Gretchen was doing just fine until she got a text from Mark that she got too choked up to read and her SIL had to for her :) Then she saw Dad... and then she got in the limo. (I was like, is that too many choked up shots for the blog? And then I was like no, MWUHAHAHAH there are NEVER too many choked up shots for the blog!) And Mark, being one half the awesome couple we were talking about, had made Gretchen a movie to watch on the way to the ceremony. No kidding. It started out, all, hey Gretchen - I know how hard you've been working on the wedding, and I wanted to make you something to keep you laughing on the way to the church.

Half the limo was crying, so way to go, Mark :)

Rich: We may be blogging two of the most thoughtful people ever. I just can't imagine them any other way, honestly. It's been pretty amazing getting to know you guys :).

Alyssa: And how stoked were we about their church? The church lady came to us and was like, so we really prefer if you shoot from this door to the altar with a perfect view to G+M's faces during the ceremony. Uh... okay!!

And the B+W you shot of them right after, babe? Totally my fav of yours. Love it.

Rich: Hey, thanks. The church lady was awesome. She was like, "So there's this secret tunnel behind the altar and I encourage you to use that to move around during the ceremony." Really?? Usually you roll into a church and you get told, "If you move during the ceremony, I will smite you."

Gretchen took us to her grandparents' property where we'd actually shot before with her cousin and it was perfect. This time of year the portrait time on a day with a mass isn't falling during pretty harsh light hours, so we got some bonus back-lighting :). You guys all looked great!

Rich: A few weeks ago, Gretchen mentioned on twitter that her grandmother had broken her hip and wouldn't be able to make the wedding ceremony or reception. And so what do you think Gretchen and Mark did? Took the limo and the wedding to her, of course. No words needed.

Alyssa: And it was a Timberlodge kind of night - and the pumpkin's? Gretchen DIYed. Actually, she just about DIYed everything - centerpieces, bags for her girls... pretty much everything except their monogram - that was Mark :)

Alyssa: And then it was party time - Gretchen wanted a special shot for her thank you cards - her + Mark with thank you written in sparkler's and luckily Timberlodge has that great back area to play around with, so we made that happen for her. :)

So, yeah, there it is... Gretchen + Mark got married. You guys - you know we love you and couldn't have been more excited to be the photographers you chose. You guys are amazing and we're better for having met you. Thanks for letting us be apart of it.

]]> http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=335 http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/index.cfm?postID=335 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:54:00 GMT Alyssa: I'll be honest - I had a really hard time putting this blog post together. Partially because the open box of Girl Scout Cookies next to me I'm currently gorging myself on (damn you, Girl Scouts and your delicious cookies!) is severely distracting, but also because Tricia is the kind of girl whose smile, as cliche as it is, totally lights up a room, and I really just wanted to put every photo of her laughing in this post. And she kind of laughs all the time. But it was a little too long, and I think I've finally got it down to a reasonable number of photos :)

Anyway, I LOVE a happy bride (but all ours are - we have the best ones!!!), and even when her mom was still not dressed an hour before the ceremony because she was busy sewing one of the bridesmaids' dresses so it wouldn't fall off her (seriously, how amazing a mom is that?!), she was just like, "I can't let it bother me." And that's just how awesome the day was. Love it!!

Rich: Seriously amazing :). And to the point about Tricia, I was talking earlier to another photographer about how looking at photos of all these fun, happy people leaves you with with this great rush of happiness whenever you're editing. I spent the past few days with all these images doing our post-processing routine, and I swear my days have been so much better for it. We can say all this cliche stuff about how someone's smile "lights up a room" or is "totally infectious" but you just can't be around Tricia and have a bad time. Seriously - try it, Tricia will make your day better.

You're alright too, Jack. We think you're pretty awesome.

Alyssa: ... though I do suppose there's always the possibility Tricia couldn't stop smiling because she lost feeling in her lips :) (she tried the lip venom for the first time that day - I once drank Habu Sake and it's safe to say I won't mess with venom again. It was definitely not awesome.)

Rich: Hah! I totally forgot about the lip venom stuff. Hey - you totally didn't realize you put yourself on the blog, did you? If you were a wedding superhero, you'd be "The Bustler," amirite?

Alyssa: It's definitely possible :) No - I didn't see myself in that one until I'd chosen it - I just liked the windows, but it's definitely a little more awesome with that almost rockstar-like back-of-head there :)

Alyssa: Do I love fall? Yes, yes I do.

One of the most awesome things about weddings this time of year is that portrait time is during some pretty awesome light, and we always dork out for some golden hour, but we usually only get it when we're in control of the time we're shooting (during portrait sessions or eshoots), so when we get this one month where it gels with wedding portrait time? That's a win!

Rich: An even bigger win was this location - thanks, Tricia :).

Alyssa: I love this top shot of yours, babe. It's my fave of yours!

Rich: Thank you! You see? That was the tree I wanted to walk over too, and it was worth it - I told you it would be :). It was great to get back to Fox Valley for the reception, we haven't been there for a while. Shout out to our super-talented former bride Alyson, who is a hell of a graphic designer. You need invitations? Place cards? Check her stuff out - she's good.

This reception had such a good vibe. Some rooms are just like that when you fill them with good people. We had a good reception and the studio box was going strong, so stand by for a ton of reception photos :).

Rich: Guys, our littlest one needs some mom attention, so Alyssa is checking out for the evening and leaving the post to me to wrap up. I just want to say a big, heartfelt, "Thank you" to everyone involved with the wedding. We couldn't have asked for a better, more fun wedding day to spend with Tricia and Jack. And as for you guys, thank you so much for trusting us and getting into what we do. You are a GREAT couple and you're going to have a long, awesome marriage. We'll be in touch soon :)

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