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Stuff in the ‘wertman photography’ Category

Fun with Flour

— 08/28/2015 by Monika Wertman —

 

Seniors are so much fun, I love working with them and love to discover what each of them loves to do.

Creating images to share their passion is very special and great fun.

 

Two weeks ago I worked with a senior girl who is not only beautiful on the outside but has a great spirit and was looking to do something different with her senior pictures. She is enrolled in the culinary program at one of the local high schools, loves her dog and baking. She is looking to go forward with her culinary passion and decided that that passion needed to be captured in her pictures.

wertman photography Haylee senior pictures-4

 

I roll with what my clients want, and the prospect of having fun with baking items, tools of the trade and some flour, invited some great ideas. Haylee was open to playing and trying something that was a bit outside of the box.

 

We started the day with images of her and her puppy, moved on to the yearbook pose and finally arrived at the culinary aspect. We started with some poses and then decided to get messy. Throwing flour into the air in front of a black backdrop with high speed lighting was fun, took a bit of tweaking and produced some great images.

 

The first time I asked her to throw up flour, Haylee grabbed a handful and I thought, after looking at the back of the camera, that we had overdone it, quite sure that I would toss that first try. We proceeded to tone it down and arrived where I thought we should be.

wertman photography Haylee senior pictures-1

 

While editing, I discovered that the first try created one or two that were very fun and would stay as one of her choices. She loves it! It is shown below.

 

One of the images with less flour tossed into the air also remained as a favorite and both really show her love of baking. She is happy, is having fun and in her element.

wertman photography Haylee senior pictures-2

 

After cleaning up we headed out to get some more formal images in her prom dress, which also rendered some great photos as you can tell in the sample below.

wertman photography Haylee senior pictures-3

 

Here at Wertman Photography we capture what our client wants, we go all out if needed and have a wonderful time doing so. I invite you to vote for your favorite of the two flour pictures, and for doing so you will be entered in a drawing for a free one hour session for up to 5 people, a $150 value.

 

Please browse our galleries and if you are not a client yet, give us a call today to schedule your session.

Capturing your Wedding Day

— 08/17/2015 by Monika Wertman —

This summer was pretty busy with weddings and I have decided to share a fun one that happened just a few weeks ago. The day started around 12:15 pm with my second meeting the groom and his men at their “getting dressed” location and me meeting my bride and her gals at Greengrove Gardens where they were getting dressed.

 

We had a lot of fun with everyone, including some sweet moments between my bride and her flower girls, my bride and her mom and the bridesmaids getting all of the underskirts of the wedding gown into the right position. We had some good laughs and I captured it all.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-6

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-7

 

Within a couple of hours we proceeded to the church in Smithburg for the ceremony, a beautiful little church with gorgeous stained glass windows. My second was already there with the men and was setting up in the balcony to capture the vows on video, while also catching some stills of the church, the details and the wedding party as they entered from above.

 

One of my favorite moments is always that first glance between my bride and groom and his reaction to seeing her in her gown, gorgeously arraigned for their special day. It was very touching as some tears were shed upon that first look.

 

After the ceremony we got some great shots of everyone in front of the church and the typical photos of the bridal party and all of the family inside. Two of my favorites are shown here. That special moment I was able to capture when my bride and groom forgot I was there while we went looking for a groomsman gone AWOL.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-16

Another great shot is of my couple in front of their church after I sent everyone else back in to gather their things so we could depart for the reception at Greengrove Gardens.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-9

 

My second had preceded us there to catch the detail shots of décor and cake and guests milling about. After we arrived back at the venue, I caught a few more shots of the bridal party before the big entrance.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-10

 

Another favorite of mine is the first dance of husband and wife and the daddy daughter dance. My bride had chosen “butterfly kisses” for her song, which always has me on the brink of tears, as I have daughters who have those little rituals with their daddy as well.

 

After dinner we took our couple back out onto the grounds for what I call the specials. It’s that time when the guests are happily settled and I can sneak my couples off to get wedding day portraits without being rushed. The sun was setting and with the help of a bit of portable lighting, we got some great shots. Please look below to see some samples.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-14

 

To finish the day, we came back inside to catch the tossing of the bouquet and garter, and after checking with our couple to make sure they did not want us to do anything else, we called it a night around 9:30pm.

wertman photography Adrienne and Joshua wedding-15

 

Yes, weddings are long, they are tiring, but they are one of the most rewarding and fun events we love to record for our clients. We make sure that not a moment is missed, we are on our feet the entire time with just a few minutes to eat while everyone else does the same, and at the end of it all, we return to the studio to create a sneak peek for our couples that is posted to Facebook the same night. Within two weeks each wedding is edited and ready to be relived in our studio during the viewing session, when we help our couples decide which photos go into the album that comes as part of their wedding collection.

 

Please browse our website for recent events, weddings and senior pictures and call us to book your next life event or family/senior session with us. We are ready to create memories for you that will last a lifetime.

 

A Pretty Senior and Strong Athlete

— 08/09/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Fun with a cute senior who is also a swimmer

 

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with a cute senior who loves to dress up and is also a serious athlete. Katy swims which occupies a good chunk of her life, a passion we portrayed in studio as we had fun shooting at the pool last year and did not want to repeat the same scenario for her senior pictures.

 

Before we headed to the studio though, we met at the C&O Canal in Williamsport, MD to capture some fun sides of Katy’s personality only her family and non-swim friends see. The location I chose offers many different opportunities to not only utilize nature, but also fake an urban setting.

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-10

We started with Katy in her prom dress from this past year and I thought that contrasting the softness of the skirt against a rough looking wall would be fun. A slight breeze kicked up at just the perfect time to sway the skirt and hair just enough to lend interest.

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-4

 

We also used the bridge crossing the Potomac River as a backdrop to lend interest. It was a bright and sunny day with the humidity in the upper digits, so water breaks were a must.

 

Katy changed into a cute shorts outfit for some more casual pictures by the river and the canal as shown below.

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-1

 

Next came a very grown up dress. The blue played nicely against the greenery growing on the other side of the canal that we explored next.

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-11

 

In the outdoors, I portrayed Katy as the pretty young lady she is, fun loving and ready for anything. Once we headed to the studio, I asked her to show me the strong athlete side of her, which I captured with strong and dramatic lighting.

wertman photography Katy's senior pictures-9

 

Here at Wertman Photography we love working with seniors who love to show their personality, special interests, and are up to try something different. Call us today to schedule your session, you still have time to capture who you are in a unique and fun way.

A fun couple’s session at the C&O Canal at Williamsport

— 07/09/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Lately we have had several couples come through the studio and while most of them have been engagement pictures, I had a session with one couple who do not fall into that category. In this case, the session was a Valentines present from him to her and it just took us a while to find the perfect date to execute the session.

 

Gabe and Melissa are a lovely couple who were up for an adventure. We set out to our local stretch at the C&O Canal in Williamsport, MD and because they were both open to ideas that pushed the typical location a little, we found a few spots to create pictures at that I had not previously been able to utilize.

 

One such spot was on top of a taller base of a bridge. Gabe gave Melissa a leg up, then jumped up behind her and Voila, we had a background that looked urban enough to rival any inner city location.

wertman photography Gabe and Melissa-2

wertman photography Gabe and Melissa-1

We also found a wall covered in lots of ivy, lending a romantic feel to the image that was also different than what I had utilized before with other clients in the same general location.wertman photography Gabe and Melissa-4

 

After a quick clothing change I asked if they minded crossing the water basin for me and upon an enthusiastic “we don’t mind at all” I gave them instructions as to what I wanted them to do, as the distance was too far to give the instructions once they were in place. This situation led to some wonderful impromptu images that look fun, relaxed and non-posed.

wertman photography Gabe and Melissa-3

 

Now it was time to head in the opposite direction and explore what we may find as we were heading down the path leading into the wooded area of the canal. We found little hidden clearings, spots where the sun peeked through the trees just enough to light Melissa’s dress in a romantic way and gnarly tree trunks that made wonderful props.

wertman photography Gabe and Melissa-5

 

The samples within this post illustrate some of the locations described above. Here at Wertman Photography we love to discover new spots, even if we have been to the general location before and each time we take a client to that area, something new happens, as each client is inclined to a different adventure.

 

Please check out our galleries, in particular the wedding gallery, as we are busy with weddings and are updating that gallery as our couples come in to choose their images.

 

Please vote on your favorite image in this post by leaving a comment below, leaving your contact information and sharing your comment on facebook. You may win a 1 hour family session for up to 5 people, a $150 value, by doing so. The winner will be announced July 20 on our facebook page.

 

 

A Bridal Session in the Park

— 06/18/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Last Saturday I helped preserve memories for a special couple on their wedding day.  While the wedding is still in post production, I also captured the bride in question three weeks before the wedding in some wonderful moments during her bridal session, a service included in our middle wedding collection.  For that session, Kristen was pampered by my make-up artist and stylist, got to try out her wedding look and play dress-up in her gown for the afternoon.  It had rained for days and the morning of our session, so, being conscious of the vulnerability of her gown, I carefully placed a plastic table cloth under my bride and arranged her gown on top of it, to keep it pristine for the wedding day.  With the help of two assistants and Kristen’s maid of honor we utilized the sunlight we received just in time for our session and bounced light onto our bride using only natural light for this session.

wertman photography Kristen bridal session-19

I wanted a few studio portraits as well, and two versions are shown here.  Please leave us a comment on which one of the studio portraits you like better.  They are the same capture, but are processed slightly differently.  Both my bride and I can not decide which one we like better.  Your vote will enter you in a drawing, please continue reading to find out more.

wertman photography Kristen bridal session-21                                wertman photography Kristen bridal session-20

Originally we were going to shoot in fields of grass and tree groves, but with the rain making the earth soft and the grass still holding moisture on the blades, we re-grouped and decided to go to one of the local parks and use the sidewalks in said parks in order to not harm the dress and shoes.  As is often the case, the change in plans led to wonderful opportunities for images we would not have had at the original location and great results.  The only thing we battled the day of Kristen’s bridal session were little tiny flying bugs that found netting on a skirt to be a wonderful place to fly under.  This strange occurrence took also place on Kristen and Brooks’ wedding day when we went outside for our early evening photos.

wertman photography Kristen bridal session-23

Please feel free to explore our other galleries, especially portraits and weddings as we just added new imagery to both.  If a wedding is in your near future, you just got engaged or want to renew your vows, we can help and will be happy to discuss options with you.  Please share this post on Facebook and comment on it when share it by voting on your favorite of the two versions of the studio portrait by commenting either with “black and white” or “sepia”, leaving your email address and name and be entered into a drawing for a 60 minute family session for up to 5 people, a $150 value.  The drawing will be held on June 30, 2015.

Shooting at the Beach

— 06/05/2015 by Monika Wertman —

In the middle of May I had the pleasure to work with some fabulous models in Miami on the beach. It was a very fun experience and very intense. Not only did we have fantastic models to work with, but had a wardrobe stylist from Vogue and a hair and make-up stylist from Vogue as well. We worked in sweltering heat and humidity and did so for 7 plus hours.

 

It was very rewarding in many ways. The exposure to that level of prep work on the part of the behind the scenes stylists and the composure of the set directions lead to some wonderful imagery. It was fun to work with models who did not need much direction and to have the freedom to direct them to do things I do not often get the chance to do with my clients.

wertman photography modeling glamor-1

 

I was exposed to different lighting techniques, like manipulating sunlight instead of overpowering it with strobes, creating shade and bouncing light back onto my subjects, that I have already implemented with one of my brides and intend to use with my seniors this summer. It takes a team of four to accomplish this feat, but is well worth it as you can see from the images within this post.

wertman photography beach seniors-1

 

The take-away is that you may hire me to work with you on any beach of your choice, if travel is required, additional fees apply, but here in Maryland we have a few lakes these techniques can be used at, and in fact, this technique is handy in various situations.

wertman photography beach seniors-5

 

Please feel free to go to some of the galleries such as the portrait/portfolio gallery, new images reside within, the engagement/wedding gallery, new images are present here as well, and check into the boudoir/glamor gallery as well, new images from Miami are in there as well. Please browse our site to your heart’s content, as you never know where new imagery is hiding and may just trigger the need to book a session with us.

wertman photography beach seniors-9

 

Tyler’s Lacrosse Game

— 05/21/2015 by Monika Wertman —

Had someone told me a couple of years ago that I would start shooting sports images and sporting events, I would have laughed, but somehow I started with it sometime last year and rather enjoy it. There is excitement capturing a game as a spectator. My first experience doing just that was earlier this year when I recorded the legends basket ball game between North and South Highschool. It was fast moving and exciting to capture baskets being made and wins being scored. That game will be featured in the new publication of XLSports Magazine in the July issue.

 

I then was asked by one of my favorite clients if I could come and shoot her son’s lacrosse game. We had a somewhat cool, but sunny day for it and it was a lot of fun being close to the game, following her son Tyler around with the lens. Even though this is a middle school team, they played very well, pushed for their scores and even got aggressive enough with each other to make the time fly.lacrosse game hagerstown md             wertman photography tyler lacrosse game-4 lacrosse game hagerstown md

lacrosse game hagerstown md

 

I got some great shots of the action and a few close ups of Tyler during half time, listening to his coaches strategize. Tyler’s mom was thrilled and told me that her son felt like a rock star with me there recording his efforts. He scored several goals during the game, all of which I captured. The images have been compiled into a cool memory book for Tyler that he will be able to look at over and over again and one of the pictures showcased within this blog is on it’s way to my studio printed on metal right now.

lacrosse game hagerstown md

 

Here at Wertman Photography, we will do sports sessions that can be styled as an extreme sports session, a portrait session in all the gear, or like the one I am describing here, as a sporting event. We will work with any age and session fees depend on what you hire us for. In any case, we will have fun recording it all for you.

 

Please feel free to browse our galleries to see some recent additions in the modeling, boudoir and children’s sections.wertman photography tyler lacrosse game-1

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