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Wedding at The Four Seasons Denver
Documentary Wedding Photographers | Shahar and Rachel
The only thing predictable about a wedding in February is the cold and this year, we barely predicted that accurately. As for everything else, it's anybody's guess. Especially if the members involved are having a traditional Jewish wedding at the Four Seasons Denver with an R and B band and a delightful craziness that would inspire a bride to enter an outdoor pool towards the end of the reception. By bringing us to their wedding, Shahar and Rachel enhanced our love of wedding photojournalism but also allowed us to take part in what was easily one of the funnest events we have covered.
The dynamic of Shahar, the peaceful well-groomed groom who keeps a James Bondlike straightmannedness about himself at all times juxtaposed with such an emotive bride like Rachel, whose face has more expression than a Jim Carrey career montage, made for some enjoyable shooting. I believe the quote was, "there is no such thing as a bad picture of Rachel." This includes the pictures of her spontaneously jumping up on stage and performing with the band as well her outside going "just a little further" into the hot tub with her supportive husband holding the train and bustle. It was love indeed.
Other highlights of the night included the discourse of the two Rabbis, each of whom were family, the onstage performance of Abba's "Dancing Queen" by Rachel's mother, and two of the most genuine and low stress families we have ever met before a wedding. Smiling, hugs, and all round friendliness were some denominators more common in these two families than in most children's television shows. It was clear that both Shahar and Rachel came from good stock and from people who know how to enjoy the gift of life. These are the same kind of people who look good in photographs whether they are being hoisted above the crowd in a chair or not. We will always remember this wedding fondly in our hearts.
Prepare yourself to smile through this wedding photojournalism and fall in love or re-fall in love with a group of people who you may or may not have met.
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If you are visiting Selah and reading this posting, you're likely "that couple." The one who would rather not have photographs of their wedding than to spend their precious day standing unnaturally for a pile of formals photos - a blessed time where everyone is happy to be together while at the same time yelling to find Uncle Tom who has wandered off.
But also, you get it. There needs to be some photos of your family.These are the traditional photos that you will have to see every time you walk past your parents’ mantle on every trip home for the next several years. We want your photographs to be valuable for life. Our personal belief is that photographs simply showing what you look like while smiling at the camera are not timeless. We believe that these are not the type of photos that will help you re-live the love and excitement of your wedding day.
We are not aware of too many photographers who are more non-traditional or anti-formal than we are. As wedding photojournalists there was one point in the life of Selah that we would have celebrated whenever a couple didn't want formal photos at all.
Though “non-traditional wedding photographer” describes Selah's documentation accurately, I highly value sentiment, relationship, and family and am always seeking to document that from a wedding photojournalists' perspective. Yet, through experience we have learned that there is a special and important place for the not-so-formal family photographs.
During our wedding, our formal list was about as short as it can get. We had four or five photo groupings then were done. Oddly, as anti-formal as we are, we cherish every one of them and do have them uniquely hung on our walls at home…yet we find ourselves saying "I can't believe I didn't ask for a photo with this guy."
We aren't writing this to scare you and we definitely are not writing this to encourage you to make a list for your photographer describing every image that you want. We believe that almost everyone at your wedding will be significant to you and want to journalistically document that to the best of our ability.
We've found a balance between this love-hate relationship of formal photos. We call them natural family photographs. We have discovered a mix between getting those important family photographs while making the experience efficient, simple and natural.
Truth be told, during the wedding day it's really not possible to grab a photograph with everyone you love. When our brides and grooms create their formal list, we ask them to keep two questions in mind:
1. Will I actually display or use this photo in an album?
2. Will I regret it if I don't have a photo with this person?
After all, this may be the only time in your life when every person you love is in the same room for a celebration. How do you want to remember that? As a top Wedding Photojournalist Denver is the place we call home.
Blogging about Blogging | Featured Wedding Photographer
With the internet being such an incredible resource for ideas and creativity I am humbled that my clients and their weddings are featured on so many excellent stores for inspiration. You really can find a wedding blog that fits any flavor. Selah's been featured on blogs that highlight modern weddings such as Modernly Wed, Colorado Weddings on Mile High Bride, Couture Colorado and Luxe Mountain Weddings along specialized blogs like High-Fi Weddings.
If you've got an interest there is a blog for you. A big thank you to all of these fabulous editors that have featured Selah's photography. Go on now, check out their sites. There are so many ideas to be had.
With Love like That
CBS Local - Selah named top Artistic Photographer in Denver
Brooklyn Bride
Wedding Anarchy
Wedtog
Style Unveiled
Photo Life - Pitage
Style Unveiled
International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers
Modernly Wed
Mile High Bride
Luxe Mountain Weddings
Land Locked Bride
Mile High Bride
ISPWP (international society of professional wedding photographers)
ISPWP (international society of professional wedding photographers)
ISPWP (international society of professional wedding photographers)
The decision to go to Thailand on a photographical honeymoon became increasing wise with every smoothie drunk, though it also became increasingly regrettable with every time we had to use the bathroom on the overnight train. Fortunately for us, the former outnumbered the ladder and the trip was a wonderful experience and we have the photos to prove it.
The country of Thailand is famous for being one of the most desired vacation destinations in the world. It is a country that has good culture, good commerce, and all of the tropical water-related activities people desire in a vacation - and all for the incredibly low price of "How much is that in USD?... Holy cow! Can we get two of them?".
Through the camera's eye, we looked at the country with the artist's perspective as well as the tourist's perspective. For example, the ripple of water, the shape of leaves, the colors of a street market all make for some great fine art wall pieces. As for interests of the common tourist, we were also fascinated by things like seascapes, the Buddhist Ronald McDonald, and my swim-addicted husband's rib cage (see below for each).
No matter the angle, Thailand's beauty seems to be exposed everywhere (except the aforementioned overnight train) and it was a thrilling experience to capture a fraction of it.
People: So what did you do in Thailand?
Us: We learned to open our eyes wider.
People: What?
Us: We ate a lot of smoothies.
Enjoy these photos. We hope they take you on a trip as nice and safety as ours was.
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How to make your wedding the best day ever
Our wedding
First of all, you must note that the kudos for the photography featured does not belong to Selah. Thanks to Adonye Jaja, Mitch Arnett, and Nathan Salley (photo booth and time lapse) we not only have an incredible set of wedding photographs but a greater understanding of how important wedding photography is.
I've been telling you all to "check back soon" for months now as I've promised to update the blog with our wedding story. Now that we are rolling on over our five month anniversary and I've wrapped up the 2012 wedding season I'm ready to share and recollect. Having been to well over a hundred weddings and now being a veteran bride, I have a whole new perspective on the experience.
Though our wedding was simpler than most, I still feel like I put much of my free thoughts and energy in to planning and idea making. I am sure that today, with the craft and detailed approach to weddings, most brides do the same. I often wonder that despite the amount of money and time spent on weddings if couples are really enjoying their day as much as they should. The stress of tyng hundreds of bows and collecting every perfect detail ends up placing couples in a task oriented mindset rather than allowing themselves to experience what should be "the best day ever."
Tips on how to make the most out of your wedding experience.
1. If it's not fun, don't do it
You do not need to make favors for your guests. If you hate cake, don't have cake. Does decorating make you crazy? Pick a venue that you don't need to decorate.
...but you have to do it? Then find a unique and simple solution. E-mail "green" e-invites instead of addressing hundreds of envelopes.
2. Delegate Responsibilities
Anything that requires any bit of responsibility from you on your wedding day (and the few days prior to it) must be outsourced. Simple tasks such as picking up flowers and steaming dresses can cause a lot of unnecessary stress. Remember that your emotions will be high and if you're like me in times of great emotion, little bumps can be very distracting.
3. Give your phone away
Give all of your vendors and major players the phone number of a personal attendant. Hand off your phone and enjoy the present. You would be shocked at how many people text you, the bride, and ask questions such as "what time is the reception again?"
4. Rehearsal Dinner
We didn't want a typical rehearsal dinner. We saw it as another opportunity for hosting a great party and connecting our closest friends and family. Matt and I are known for hating games but knew that we wanted our family to connect quickly during our rehearsal dinner. To kick off the party, we played a scavenger huntesque game titled the "amicable meal ticket." Every person at the party was listed on small piece of paper by a trait they were known by such as "lived overseas," "was valedictorian," "wore Jackie's troll mask," etc. Every guest had to fill out their card before they could eat. Our meal? A favorite food truck of ours. Guests ordered from the truck and came back inside to eat as we shared our slideshow story (below) and had our parent and wedding party toasts. We believe that few people really want to watch and listen to either of those and it often breaks up the reception. Toasts end up being an uncomfortable thing for most people to give so we thought that if we made the pressure less, it would be more meaningful and it was.
5. Slideshow
At one of our recent weddings, we sat through a 20 minute slideshow featuring photographs of the couples smiling in red shirts, smiling in blue shirts, smiling in front of the capitol building, smiling in front of the picture of them smiling. Often couples will add in a special surprise and sneak in a photograph of them getting married towards the end of the photo. After some eye rolling, we brainstormed ...here are a few of our favorites.
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6. Bachelorette Party
Again, I am not a game player and just cringe at the thought of wearing a tiara and playing drinking games downtown. My friends and I held the bachelorette party at two of my favorite places. We started off with tea at one of my favorite tea places, the House of Commons and followed that up by making flower bouquets for disabled people at a care home. It was so meaningful...and so me.
7. Borrow things
I am very anti-waste. I didn't want to buy a bunch of things that I would never use again. I frequented a local thrift store to find a collection of beautiful vases and unique bats of cloth to use for our centerpieces and table decor. Our flags that we used were borrowed from another friend's wedding. The area we got married at was very natural and filled with pine cones. Prior to our wedding, a friend and I collected trash bags full of pine cones to borrow and decorate with...but pine cones are for winter, right? Who cares? Be unique.
9. Hire a wedding planner
If someone else isn't doing this...you or your mom will be. How much do chair rentals cost? You could research for hours or ask someone who knows all the chair rental places in your city. If someone isn't picking up the chairs, your bridesmaids will be. If there isn't someone pointed towards asking questions...you will be answering the questions. Thanks to some good friends and Cielle of Storyteller Events our day was flawless.
10. Prioritize your memories
Your actual wedding day will be really full and emotionally intoxicating. How will you remember everything? Obviously, photographs and video should be your top priority but also, think of things that you will be able to keep and pass on. We had our processional cross made and use it as a art piece in our home. We had an artist come and paint a picture of the wedding during the ceremony. I chose lavender for our bouquets so that the sent would always be a trigger for me and have jars of the buds saved in our wedding memory box.
11. Experience what is going on...be there for the love.
To culminate all of these tips make sure that you remember what is the most important thing. To us, it was the fact that all of the people we love most in the world were in the same place...they had come to celebrate us and we wanted to be there for the love. If that means you don't finish that final decoration or don't have the time to pick out your perfect shoes...remember that no one will notice. If your last minutes before the wedding are focused on things that don't breath, then you're missing out one of the most incredible experiences of your life. Prioritize being there for the love.
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Images Nathan Salley
Photos by Adoneye Jaja, Mitch Arnett and Nathan Salley.
Denver Based Band Photographer | Unique Band Photography | Concert Photographer
I often get asked what photographers I follow or where I gather my inspiration. There are many photographers I respect, but I would have to say I am most inspired by expression, emotion, risk and newness. Live band photography is always a joy for me and such along with a resource for inspiration.
Here is a bit of my off season work that we house at Denver Band Photographer. There is nothing quite as great as the raw emotion and free expression that exudes through performing musicians. I love photographing all types of artists in any stage of their career, yet again, there is something that leads me to favoring musicians. Thanks to my friends at Reverb, I've had the opportunity to photograph several of my favorite musicians live such as the Lumineers, Macklemore, Sheryl Crow, Typhoon, Sleigh Bells and many more who have made me so glad I am a photographer.
Recently, we teamed up with Vertical Horizon on their way through Denver to capture a new promo shot. These guys are really great on and off the stage.
Contemporary Artistic Photography | Downtown Denver | Chris . Gisela
You may need to take a deep breath before looking through this unique gallery of photographs. The modern, life-full environment provided a perfect match for this wonderful and freshly engaged couple. Every adjective I love to use in conjunction with my art is highlighted in this set of photographs. From fresh, modern engagement photographs to real and meaningful photojournalistic moments.
When a couple asks me to focus on imagery for wall art, like Chris and Gisela did it gives such an opportunity to fly...to document in ways that will create a unique lasting heirloom. Downtown Denver was the perfect setting for this. Cheers to the newly engaged couple and their willingness to share their story.
ments.
...are you thinking something? We would love to know. Comment below.
First Friday Art Walk | Modern Denver Photography Studio
The word Selah is an old Hebrew word from the Psalms, meaning "stop. reflect. take it in." etc.. The moments of life that we want to hold on to and re-experience are the Selah moments. What is it that makes you not want to hold on and not forget? What day in your life is one that you continue reliving in your memory? Stop. Listen. Take it all in and dream big.
We put some Selah questions to First Friday art walkers and this is some of what they said:
One day in my life that would have made for a good documentary would have been:
The day I moved to college
The day in the ER when I found out I had stage four colon cancer
My graduation college day
Moving in to my first NYC apartment
Halloween 2011
2-11-1981
The first time i held my baby bro
Any winter weekend snowboarding
Getting stranded in Salzburg, Australia
Moving across country
Crossing the Cage River
Pick a day, I live an extraordinary life
One things I'll do to make the world a better place tomorrow is:
Jesus is up!!
Smile at people
Take Public Transit
Help a lady organize her office
Recycle
Go to work
Continue to love everyone
Volunteer
Photo Edit
Random acts of Kindness
Give extra food to the poor
Help someone
Relax and spend money. I'm a job creator.
Have you never attended a First Friday? It's a must. Come down to the Santa Fe Arts District every first Friday of the month from 5:00 to 9:00 pm for a charming cultural experience and art tasting.
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Happy wedding pictures
The Kansas City suburbs welcomed Paul and Kathleen's Thanksgiving weekend wedding which presented an opportunity for a great deal of gratitude: bridesmaids roughing it for the outdoor shoot and smiling through their goosebumps, the sun going down early so that the hot air balloon-esque lanterns could show off their radiant splendor.
The wedding itself took place in the bride's home church where they managed to fill every pew and balcony with support for the candle lit prayer service. With all the preparations in place, the wedding went off beautifully and was just the kind of union that the wedding photojournalists inside of us love to shoot happy wedding pictures- it was celebrated with pure thankfulness.
Everyone was so happy... and we were so glad to be able to document the story.
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Natural Engagement Session | Denver, CO | Sarah . Jeff
Sweet, strong interactions. Immediately best friends. Bike riding passioneers. Gentle spirits. Christmas-like smiles. Fit for forever.
Jeff, Sarah and I met at Wash Park and South Pearl Street to document their engagement. This natural themed shoot capitalized on the couple's beautiful personal resources. I really don't like to waste anything. I don't like to waste creativity, ideas, time or interactions to name a few. I likely landed in the portrait photography business because I really believe that realistic, personality filled photography is purposeful. When photographing couples, I think about what the images will mean ten years down the road or what these journalistic photographs will mean to the the couple's offspring, to the ones who they will meet down the road or to a family when celebrating 50 year of marriage.
These photos of Jeff and Sarah show great beauty and meaning inside and out. Two of the things I hope they remember and understand even better in 50 years.
Natural Engagement Photos | Denver, CO | Andrew . Nicole
"We want photos that show happiness," Andrew told me as they described what their ideal engagement photos would be like. I think we nailed it...happiness.
This lovely couple will be getting married next summer at the Brown Palace, a unique, classic downtown wedding venue. Many more happy photos to come. Stay tuned.
Artistic Wedding Photographer in Denver | Selah is featured
There is an overwhelming amount of outstanding artistic wedding photographers in Denver which makes us even more honored to be a part of this group of photographers being featured on CNN local as a "Top Artistic Photographer in Denver." CNN notes our desire to capture people as they are. We find that our work is most successful when we can create a strong, artistic portrait that really shows the couple's true colors. We believe that we could make the most unique photograph in the world but if it doesn't feel genuine, the portraits' heirloom quality dies. We specialize in a mixture between photojournalism and fine art photography. We want out images to look good and feel real.
Della Terra Photographer | Colorado Destination Wedding | Steve . Jamie
Every young girl dreams of her own wedding and has ideas of what it will be like someday. Then, that girl makes it to her mid twenties while still single, then she changes her dreams to "less Disney" and "more unique; not like all the cliche weddings you hear about." What most people don't realize however, is that almost nobody sticks to their guns when it comes time to make that immortal decision of "Will you really be wearing tuxedos and posing James Bondesque for the photos, or will you just have everybody jump in the air and/or stand at the altar together?"
After shooting as many weddings as we have, it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain hope in the former, and not just because we at Selah are big Bond fans. Steve and Jamie were a refreshing drink of wedding couple creativity and we have several amazing photos to prove it.
Not only did we do the James Bondesque shoot, but there were other things involved that kept your assigned bloggers/photographers excited to be shooting out of book*. I'm talking handstands. I'm talking video games. I'm talking wild turkeys, deer, and a massive smoke cloud from a nearby forest fire. I am also, since you are still here, referring to Jamie's amazing wedding dress, which was a three piece ordeal involving some removable shell-like pieces that almost took her paragliding. After a full day of things like this, Steve and Jamie kicked off their first dance with a prepared tango at which point, DJ Matt Martindale (Amore DJ Entertainment) and Selah asked ourselves, "They must have been preparing this for years. What more could there be?" As it turned out, there weren't anymore shtick or theatrics, but instead Steve and Jamie spent the remainder of the night the best way possible: all of their friends and family enjoying each other on the dance floor.
It truly may have been one of the best-prepared and more fruitful weddings of the Selah catalog. We were so happy to be there and so thankful to get to spend time with with great group of people.
*chess phrase, meaning something that hasn't happened before.
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Rainy Urban Couple's Photography | The kind that you will hang on your wall | Brandon and Cielle
They say the best things in life are free. I have always thought that phrase was referring to refills and furniture found in the alley behind my home and Whole Foods samples and Gmail... but after a serendipitous photo shoot in the rain, I am starting to reconsider. It is sometimes the things we don't plan for by which we are blessed the most. This rang especially true when rain fell on our photo shoot with Brandon and Cielle. We ran. We danced. We spun around downtown documenting this wonderful couple and capturing some some amazing images that the two could hang on their wall as custom, personal art pieces. Little did we know, the combination between rain, urban shapes, a Q-flash and the energy of Cielle and Brandon would create an incredibly unique set of artistic portraits.
This couple with these raindrops... tis' the beauty of the accidental, and I love them even more knowing how fabulous the subjects are.
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Denver Art Museum | Couples Photographer | Chris and Steph
You remember these two young pups? If you have been a Selah follower for life, you may remember Chris and Steph's awesome New York wedding. Their wedding is at the top of my "Let's set this up and do it again" wedding list. They were married as babies, five years ago, and are still living happily ever after. The two moved to Denver a couple of months ago and couldn't resist a photo update.
We LOVE Chris and Steph. Here's to you, your greatness, and fantastic five years of marriage!
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Engagement photographer Denver
Justin and Stacey
Saturday's daylight joined the last bits of Colorado's fall to showcase these spectacular candid engagement photographs. I always feel that we have completed a successful session when the images clearly define the couples connection and personality. These images so distinctively share their playful and loving interactions with each other. The credit of their realness must be given to Justin and Stacey's trust and willingness to share themselves. I'm sure these engagement photos, marking such newness and excitement, will be a treasure to their family for years.
Stay tuned for Justin and Stacey's wedding in April. Matt and I will be traveling with many of their closest friends to their Mexico destination wedding. Yes, we're so excited.
Interested in getting your photos taken downtown Denver?[flo_button url="http://selah.dev/engagement-photography/" style="grey" size="small" type="round" target="_self"] Best downtown Denver engagement Photos [/flo_button]
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Hotel Boulderado Wedding
If you look in Colorado's history books, they'll be filled with accounts of goldminers, ranchers, and the story of the Bouldorado hotel. One of Colorado's oldest hotels, in 1907 the Bouldorado's proprietor said, "I want to build an aesthetic establishment that will stand the test of time and years from now will still be one of the best Colorado wedding venues around." It must have been this quote that inspired Brian and Charlie to throw their classy and intimate celebration at this hotel.
With groomsmen who looked like Reservoir Dogs and bridesmaids who looked like.... Reservoir babes, the bride and groom, who have been dating since the 7th grade, put together a wonderful ceremony and party thereafter that included some unforgettable events like Charlie having a laughing attack upon hearing Brian's vows, a photo shoot with a colorful brick wall, one of our favorite wedding dresses we've seen this year, and a DJ whose music list was as perfect as his haircut was radical.
Often times the rule goes, "the bigger the wedding party, the harder the creativity" but Brian and Charlie are fun people who spend time with fun people and it was our pleasure to hang out with them and see continuously how their party was the exception to the rule. We're thankful we got to take part in a historical event and add another point of interest in the chronology of such a historical setting. These natural, photojournalistic wedding photos feature such personality and emotion. Enjoy.
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Colorado Wedding Photography Feature | Kiss the blog
This beauty and culture of Colorado is what brings so many talented individuals to the state and is what makes it the best place to be a fine art wedding photographer. In the fields, mountains, or skyscrapers - during our 300 days of sunshine, or our 65 days without, no Colorado photographer has to travel far to find beauty of people or beauty of location. This is why Colorado is a popular wedding destination and Selah is a popular destination photographer. Once you've experienced it, you'll see that those four perfect border lines are just the frame for God's masterpiece.Check out the rest of our story on Bride Access.
Natural Colorado Wedding Photography | Michael . Diane
The Aspen trees wore their best yellow leaves to celebrate this intimate destination Colorado wedding. During Michael and Diane's wedding in Breckenridge, we experienced a refreshing approach to the typical union. We were missing the stressed out bride and the parade of distant friends waiting to tell the couple "it would be nice to have met you." There was nothing overwhelming or too fast to truly experience and enjoy.
Instead, the two gathered with their immediate families, grandparents and pastor to highlight many of the things that make life so important. The intimacy of this meaningful event was so special I left feeling like I had known the group for years. The invitation into this personal celebration was such a good fit for an emotional photojournalist such as myself. Tie that to a stunning Colorado fall and I present you with the images below.
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Fine Art Products | Albums, Standouts and Gallery Wraps
Since the the time of Jesus being at the wedding in Cana, everyone understands the importance of displaying your best product in the most prominent spot. Just as the pictures of your kids in your billfold have them smiling rather than crying, there is an innate understanding of displaying the best face, because that's the way you remember it. All this to say that Selah carries the line of art products that you want in order to display your photos in the way that is not only intriguing to others, but enables them to experience the event the same way you remember it - bound in leather. One of my favorite couples, Andy and Angela just sent over this image of their 20x30 standout. I like this photo so much I wish I was in it rather than the one who had taken it. I'm sure this standout will be an art piece in their family for many years. [/flo_one_third] [flo_two_third_last padding="20px 20px 20px 20px" class="" ]
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Selah Photography
Denver based wedding photographers for the unique, art-loving bride and groom.
HAVE SOME QUESTIONS?
Get in touch, we love questions.
JACKIE Call or Text (720) 509 9228 info - at - selahphotography - dot - org