CLIENT INTERVIEW - THE REASON

I have the pleasure of working with some of the most amazing people. Chris & Allie Bartelski of The Reason are no exception to that, so I'm so glad to be able to feature them on my blog again as part of my client interview series. The timing of this feature could not be more perfect, either. Tomorrow, I'm flying down to Atlanta to shoot a wedding with Chris on Saturday.. Look for my favorites from the session next week!

On with the questions!

(1) What is your brand all about?

the reason is all about being professional, current, and fun. We are big fans of Apple and the way they run their business. There is no computer company out there that does their job better, and no computer company that takes as much joy in pleasing their customers.

Professional - With our brand we want to reach a level of professionalism where it seems that what we do comes naturally and that we take great pleasure doing it.

Current - We want to stay current, and one of the most recognizable icons from a any time period is its music. Allie and I both love music, and had a career either playing in a band or following around the lead singer (allie). We wanted a photography brand that we could market as a band, and hopefully gain some life long groupies.

Fun - We wanted a brand and logo that reflected the kind of fun people have while dancing in the iPod commercials. We want people to know they can have fun and cut loose, being confident that we will capture everything with the eye of a seasoned professional and the respect of a trusted friend.


(2) How do you see your logo working into your whole brand?

We believe it's iconic and easy to recognize. Something that's easy to slather over telephone poles and grungy venue bathroom stalls... It does work just like a band logo. It's also simple and slick, and that really reflects our love for Apple.

(3) What was your favorite part of the branding process?

I loved the brainstorming, but "the reason" was the very first name Allie and I came up with, so that didn't take very long. Once we had the idea everything else just came pouring through the flood gates. Our favorite part of the branding process was getting to talk and chat with Cailyn all the time. With her amazing skills, we were able to go from brainstorming an idea to completed website over a weekend. Yeah... She's got mad skills.


(4) What was your least favorite part of the branding process?

I guess it would have to be the fact that we waited 4 weeks to launch our brand. Cailyn's awesome logo was burning a hole our pocket.


(5) Do you have any advice for people who are just beginning to brand their businesses?

Get a big huge whiteboard or paper and really draw, write and sculpt your ideas. Oh, yeah... Be yourself, you're good at that... People will appreciate that.

I am so lucky to know such awesome photographers and friends. Chris & Allie: Thanks for answering the questions, and for being so awesome to work with! I can't wait to see you both this weekend.

VANESSA & GREG - ONE YEAR!

Vanessa and Greg were married one year ago today, in a wonderful ceremony here in Lexington, KY. This is the first in a series of posts in which I'm going to ask some of my clients to answer a couple questions about their photography sessions or graphic design projects I've done for them. I'm so glad that Vanessa and Greg get to be the first!

(1) What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
Vanessa: Wow, this is a tough question. We had to go back and watch our video. Probably my favorite thing about the ceremony is that all the prelude tunes were Disney love songs, and our unity candle-lighting music was also Disney: "[I'll Be Your] Candle On the Water" from Pete's Dragon (a childhood favorite for both of us). We didn't make programs for the ceremony, so only people familiar with the movie would understand the meaning behind the song at the lighting of the unity candle. I consider it my subtle little touch that is meaningful to us, whether anyone else recognized it or not. My other favorite thing about our wedding is that our reception was at an art gallery. I loved that.

Greg: My favorite part of the wedding was during the reception, when we cut our cake together and drank champagne. It was the first time after the wedding when we actually got to relax a little and start taking it all in. And, the cake was really good!


(2) What is your favorite wedding photo? Why is it your favorite?

Vanessa: I love everything about this photo; it was posed, but it was one of those "reality" moments as well, where you can see the passion (especially his) in the kiss. I especially love the way my dress curves outward and you get to see the profile of some of the buttons that lined the back of my dress and my train.

Greg: I feel that this image captures us as a couple. No cheesy smiles or "will she push the shutter button already?" faces. We're both content and happy: we're married!!! The best part of the picture is, of course, Vanessa. Her eyes, her smile, her features,everything about her comes together into this "WOW!", which I think you can see on my face.


3) How are you celebrating your first year of married bliss?
Well, I'll be honest: sticking within our budget has been one of our biggest priorities since we got married; we have a lot of debt from putting ourselves through college and paying for our own wedding. Our goal is to get out of debt for good! So, to celebrate our 1 year anniversary, we'll be going on a "stay-cation." Greg, who currently works 7 days a week, has the entire weekend of our anniversary off. We'll be taking advantage of all that time together to get out and explore, taste, and experience parts of the bluegrass we haven't experienced before. We've learned that life isn't about the money we spend or the grand places we go (though we both love to travel!) -- it's about cherishing and relishing every moment we have together.


(4) What's the biggest piece of advice you can give a future bride?
Enjoy your wedding. Go with your heart; don't be afraid to bend the rules a little to do things the way you want to. Don't forget to look into his eyes and remember what it's all about :)


(5) How has life changed since you've been married?
The biggest thing we've discovered is that things often don't go the way we plan, even when we think we've got it figured out! But, our relationship is always growing and deepening; our communication with and understanding of each other is always reaching for the next level. It's good. We recently moved to a larger, nicer apartment in a quiet, beautiful community where we really feel like it's HOME. New friends have come into our life and old friends have become more special. We're looking forward to the changes the next year of our marriage has in store for us!

Vanessa and Greg: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a couple questions. I hope that you are having a wonderful anniversary, and I can't wait to hear more about the ways your lives are progressing together in the future. You two were simply wonderful wedding clients from beginning to end.

I can't leave this post without giving you my favorite image from their wedding, can I? Most of you know this, but I absolutely love this image of Vanessa getting her make-up done before the ceremony. Also: I absolutely love that they got married on 06.07.08.. Cute and easy to remember!