http://bsweetfoto.com/ en studio@brandonmsweet.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-15T16:07:02+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_vi/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_vi/#When:16:07:02Z Wear Less Makeup This has nothing to do with a personal preference but just the fact that cosmetics often contain potentially harmful ingredients.  Ingredients such as formaldehyde, lead acetate, phthalates and many of these contain derivatives of petroleum.  Up to 200 chemicals are exposed to the average woman on a daily basis through the use of makeup and skin products.  Not to mention most the products end up in landfills or incinerators where they can contaminate groundwater and the air.  You should always check with manufacturers to see if they accept old containers for recycling or the proper way to dispose of. 2 More photographs from Last week {image_1} 2010-03-15T16:07:02+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/portrait_session_with_maggie/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/portrait_session_with_maggie/#When:19:31:01Z A week or so back I had an amazing portrait session with Maggie Kreitlow.  She has been modeling for about 6 years and is a pretty nice lady. I was really looking forward to experimenting with some new films that I haven’t worked with to often.  One being the Fuji Reala 100 which I pushed about two stops to get some added saturation and of course I shot with the beloved Fuji Pro 400h.  All the black and white photos were shot on the Fuji Neopan 1600 - I love this stuff! It has a beautiful grain and amazing contrast.  A lot of people just don’t realize the amount of post production put into digital photography to make the photographs look similar to this :) I can’t say that film was 100% the reason this shoot turned out a success.  A few other reasons are to thank also, perhaps the beautiful lighting, a beautiful model, and the awesome brick wall which was reflecting the morning sunlight. Hope you like the images and if you do please feel free to post a comment below or contact me. Maggie Kreitlow {image_1} {image_2} {image_3} {image_4} {image_5} {image_6} {image_7} {image_8} {image_9} {image_10} {image_11} {image_12} 2010-03-10T19:31:01+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_v/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_v/#When:18:17:51Z Composting non-recyclable cardboard and paper I have never taken this one all to seriously but hopefully I can follow through this year.  I am not completely sure how as of yet and will get all the details figured out shortly.  But the plan is adding various types of non-recyclable paper and cardboard( such as tissues and egg cartons) to various things like yard trimmings, food residue and other compostable items.  All these various items account for about a quarter of our annual waste and can reduce the volume of your trash by 80%.  Just something to think about. Kim and Jim’s Engagement Photography {image_1} {image_2} {image_3} 2010-03-08T18:17:51+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/the_importance_of_personal_art/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/the_importance_of_personal_art/#When:04:42:40Z As a wedding photographers, portrait photographer, commercial photographer, or whatever we may be we sometimes forget why we got into this. Or at least why I got into it.  Making art for myself always revives my excitement for photography.  In the past couple months I have been undergoing a transformation back into film and it has gotten me so excited about photography I can hardly stand it.  Sometimes I get all caught up on other photographers blogs and following the latest trends in wedding photography that stepping back from it all and just taking photographs for myself has been a huge boost.  I really think to be successful a wedding photographer, and really create your own niche that you need to take a lot if not all photographs for yourself.  I know when it comes to wedding photography I have a higher standard then every couple I have booked and I think that is one of the reasons I have been successful at it so far.  The work I create I am constantly trying to improve on and hopefully my couples see that as well, that I care almost as much if not more at creating beautiful images that capture the look and feel of their wedding day. art for yourself {image_1} {image_2} 2010-03-05T04:42:40+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/engagements_make_a_change_monday_iv/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/engagements_make_a_change_monday_iv/#When:04:50:42Z This week is pretty exciting! Two subjects in one post!  I will start with Make a change Monday. Buy fair-trade coffee Workers on these conventional coffee farms must often meet a harvesting quota, if they don’t, they don’t get paid, forcing them to bring on family members for help including their children. Since their children aren’t technically employees they aren’t protected by any laws. Fair-trade coffee demands premium prices are paid per pound of coffee and even higher prices if the coffee is organic. Workers earnings aren’t affected by market fluctuations, thus eliminating the need for unfair quotas.  In addition to this, fair-trade coffee is generally grown on smaller farms with the use of shade.. Shade grown coffee means not cutting down the rain forest which means more happy birds and animals. Make the commitment to purchase fair-trade! Engagement Photography Happily I will be shooting Crystal’s and Kyle’s wedding this up coming year and I couldn’t be more excited… The reception location is absolutely drop dead GORGEOUS.  I will have tons of amazing images for them and my portfolio… I am excited to say the least. Tech details:  Canon EOS 1 with some Fuji Pro 400H {image_1} {image_2} {image_3} {image_4} {image_5} 2010-03-02T04:50:42+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/donovan_on_fuji_pro_400h/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/donovan_on_fuji_pro_400h/#When:21:53:30Z I have photographed Donovan probably on 3-4 separate occasions and we always have a decent time and get great photos.  This is the first time I photographed her on film.  I am pretty happy with the results although I wasn’t as happy about the super overcast day but I think we made it work, at least I hope we did!?!  Shes back in California for the time being which is exciting… and yeah… I am a horrible blogger but I much more enjoy just posting the images. If you like any of these photos you are here by OBLIGATED to comment… If you don’t comment I will just assume you hate my photography.. fotographie to the max {image_1} {image_2} {image_3} {image_4} {image_5}   2010-02-26T21:53:30+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/a_vendor_story_-_lavish_inc/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/a_vendor_story_-_lavish_inc/#When:19:25:08Z This morning I had the wonderful opportunity to fire off a few shots at Lavish inc which is located at 2140 Ford Parkway in the Beautiful Saint Paul Minnesota!!!! I like this area :) Lavish Here is what they had to say: Lavish is a fabulous boutique located in Highland Village in St. Paul. Custom stationery is a Lavish specialty. We love paper, and it shows. From your save-the-dates, invitations and programs, to thank you notes, bachelorette and shower invitations we are here to help! Our stationery department is well stocked with unique papers for invitations that are designed and printed in-house. We also work with the best companies to deliver beautiful stationery to you. Allow our knowledgeable staff to guide you through papers, fonts and phrasing to create the perfect invitation for your perfect day. Stop in and let us put a little Lavish in your life! We are located at 2140 Ford Parkway right next to Lunds. PHOTOGRAPHY AND PAPER {image_1} {image_2} {image_3} 2010-02-26T19:25:08+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/canon_eos_1_fuji_pro_400h/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/canon_eos_1_fuji_pro_400h/#When:03:14:29Z About a month or so back I got myself a new camera along with some new film. I got a Canon EOS 1 and have been shooting Fuji Pro 400H film with all my engagements, portraits, and general photography lately and loving it!  Its been a great experience and is reminding me so much and really helping me improve my photography and focus on the basics again and forget about having a 27” iMac that I can spice up my images with.  I decided to post a few images of my friend, Special Lady friend, and my Dad to show you guys what I have been up to!  I am super exciting about shooting a few more sessions with it next week!  oh and I almost forgot Ill be photographing tomorrow morning for my Vendor Story so be sure to check back! If you guys like these photos please let me know! I need the encouragement!! Also I’ll be posting a model portrait session hopefully within the next couple days so there’s another reason to check back!! {image_1} {image_2} 2010-02-26T03:14:29+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/weddings_-_ricky_and_christina/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/weddings_-_ricky_and_christina/#When:19:21:12Z I am kinda in a blog post mood today, so I thought I would prep a few of my favorites from Ricky and Christina’s wedding at The Fort Snelling Church.  Mainly in honor of a Wedding I will be shooting this coming October at this same church for Jenna and Peter.  You can see a couple of their photos here! I loved how simple and relaxed this day was! Kinda rainy which was lame but beautiful nonetheless!  It was also one of the first weddings I ever shot so I am pretty proud that I was able to get so many awesome pictures!  My only regret is that I wish I would have been shooting full-days at this point! I could have gotten so many more portfolio worthy images! FOTOGRAPHY {image_1} Plans I have so many plans for my next wedding here! First off I am going to try and shoot about 75% film! I am pretty excited about that! Second, I am going to shoot the crap out of this awesome staircase! {image_2} I loved her shoes! {image_3} Thats it! I told you it was a last minute post type of thing! I got some other amazing shots but just wanted to show off a few of my favorites. Please feel free to contact me, comment below, and have a wonderful day!   2010-02-23T19:21:12+00:00 http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_iii/ http://bsweetfoto.com/blog/view/make_a_change_monday_iii/#When:16:06:52Z If you aren’t all familiar with make a change Monday please check out this post or this post. Drive more slowly I know no one wants to hear it but its true!  I love driving fast, Theresa loves driving especially fast and we all have places to be.  But if we are going to complain about gas prices or finding sustainable energy I think we should take this into account for the time being, especially if for some reason we can’t walk, ride a bike, or invest in a more fuel efficient vehicle. It has taken nature about 250 million years to produce the oil that fuels are vehicles, and America consumes more than 20 million barrels of oil per day…  Just a slight increase of say 55 mph to 75 mph can increase your fuel consumption by 20% or more. As you can see the smallest changes in our lives can make a huge impact. A few favorites this morning {image_1} 2010-02-22T16:06:52+00:00