There’s a reason I start most wedding blog posts off by talking about the elements. If you live in Colorado, you know it already....we get some crazy weather! Looking back on the warm winter we had and witnessing this spring’s thundersnow has got me thinking about all the different weather conditions we’ve experienced while photographing.
Up until last October, we had a perfect record of weddings without rain during the ceremony. And though we were sad to break our record, we were able to capture some beautiful photos of Megan and Henry in the rain at Della Terra.
Our six-year no-rain streak was surprising, because many of the wedding days had threatened to rain through the ceremony, including Sharon and Kylie’s wedding at the Sunrsie Amphitheater. Five minutes before the ceremony began, a cold wind was whipping around the mountain and rain started falling. Even though the wind didn’t calm down much, the rain stopped as the ceremony commenced and held off for the rest of the day’s photos.
As Josh and his groomsmen were setting up the chupa for his and Michelle’s Maroon Bells wedding, the rain came down. Luckily, they had planned ahead and brought enough umbrellas for all their guests. What they didn’t predict was that the clouds would clear and the guests would all end up using the umbrellas to protect themselves from the intense Colorado sun.
The rain returned, however, during Michelle and Josh’s first dance, resulting in one of my all-time favorite photos.
Jen and Holly dealt with the ultimate rain event. Their wedding, originally planned to be held at the Stanley Hotel, was displaced due to the 100-year-flood in 2013. The Boulderado graciously gave them a space and the party continued!
Raina and Eric, too, were left without a venue due to the flood. But the weather for their Chautauqua Park wedding cooperated perfectly.
Rain’s not all bad, though. It gave us a beautiful rainbow for Jessica and Ryan’s Red Rocks engagement shoot.
And then there was Kendra and Heath, whose mid-December wedding took place on an almost-60 degree day with not a lick of snow on the ground.
All-in-all, Colorado’s weather, whether it cooperates or not, makes for some beautiful photos!
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
(by Denver Boulder wedding photographer, Jesse La Plante)
In each installment of our new educational blog series, “Anatomy of a Photograph,” I’ll be analyzing one of our wedding photos by its individual narrative, aesthetic and technical components.
For this week’s installment, I’d like to change up the formula a bit and take a look at a wedding photo without a person as the primary focal point.
Camera Data:
Exposure Program: Manual
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 0.6 sec
ISO: 250
White Balance: 2,940 K
Focal Length: 35mm
This is the Dunafon Castle in Idledale, Colorado. It’s one of my favorite wedding venues for many reasons, not the least of which being that it’s super photogenic. And it has a (usually) perfectly still reflecting pond on the grounds that is a photographer’s dream.
Nailing this shot was simpler than many of the other photos I’ve discussed in this blog series, mainly due to the fact that it didn’t require any off-camera lighting. But there were still a few technical wrinkles that needed to be ironed out in order create the image that I saw in my mind’s eye and to do the scene some justice.
First and foremost, it was nighttime, which meant I needed a relatively wide aperture and/or long shutter speed. As such, I opened my 24-70mm as far as it would go to f/2.8 and dialed in my shutter to 3/5 of a second to get a decent exposure. The trick here was to drag the shutter just long enough to capture the scant ambient light, but not long enough to allow the wedding guests in the background to blur in the frame. This required a bit of creative anticipation (i.e. waiting for the song to end). Alternatively, I could have bumped up my ISO to allow for a faster shutter, but for nighttime photography, my personal preference is to keep my ISO around 200-320 whenever possible. If you get too much higher than that, you’ll start to see some noise in the shadow areas, which, to me, detracts from the quality of the image.
Next, I had to figure out the best white balance for this particular scene. None of my camera’s presets would have sufficed because of the range of different color temperatures affecting the scene. I could have run over to the tent and taken a manual reading, but in this case it was easier to dial in my kelvins until I reached a suitable white balance. By trial and error, I quickly landed on 2,940 K, which is just a bit cooler than incandescent lighting.
Finally, and this probably goes without saying, I used a sturdy tripod and a shutter release cable for this shot to reduce camera shake. This is absolutely crucial for long exposure photography.
This photo was taken in June of 2014, but it was actually a reprise of a shot that I took in the same location almost three years earlier.
To be honest, I think I like the older version a bit better, mainly because they added a handful of flood lights to the grounds, which brightens up the frame significantly. The older shot seems a bit more moody and dramatic, which I like in this case.
So there you have it: a nighttime wedding photo that doesn’t involve people as the primary subject. I like to do at least a handful of these scene-setting shots at every wedding, just to make the shoot feel a bit more well-rounded. This type of photo also pairs nicely with detail shots, which, together, showcase the venue from both ends of the micro/macro spectrum.
Thanks for reading. Until next time…
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Wedding Photographer
(by Denver Boulder wedding photographer, Jesse La Plante)
Wedding photographers are a resourceful bunch. They’re problem solvers. If the bride is nervous on her wedding day, they put her at ease and make sure she’ll be comfortable in front of the camera. If four of the five groomsmen are inexplicably missing during the bridal party shoot, they rearrange the timeline to make sure those images will be captured later on. If it’s raining during the couples’ portraits, they use it to their advantage and make a cool photo incorporating the weather. They go into a vast array of different shooting situations and, regardless of an infinite number of variables, they make art that will be treasured by the bride and groom for years to come.
That said, there are several simple steps that you, the bride and groom, can take to make sure your photographer gets all of the great photos that you want.
1) Tidy up your hotel room.
If you have Starbucks cups and food wrappers scattered about the room while you’re getting ready, you’re probably going to have Starbucks cups and food wrappers in your photos.
Of course, your photographer can do some creative in-camera cropping to minimize the damage, but you really don’t want to limit his options. Moments are fleeting, and when he sees a nice photo op, he wants to nail it right then. A fraction of a second to realign and crop out unwanted background debris could be all it takes to ruin that perfect shot.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Can’t you just Photoshop it?” Well, yes and no. Photoshop is a powerful tool, but it isn’t magic. It takes a lot of time and hard work to remove multiple elements from a digital photograph (if you want it to look good, that is). And when you’re delivering 600-800 images every weekend, there just isn’t enough time to do that kind of work to every image.
On a similar note, it will be easier for your photographer to do his best work if the room you’re getting ready in isn’t overcrowded with people. If he’s stepping over bridesmaids and turning around to say “excuse me” every two seconds, he’ll inevitably miss important shots. Make sure your room is large enough to comfortably accommodate everyone you want present for this portion of the day. And if it’s not, then consider making some roster cuts.
2) Hold the kiss.
Just for a second or two. Or kiss once and then kiss again. Whatever feels natural, but don’t rush it. Professional wedding photographers are masters of anticipation, but the more time they have during those important moments, the better your photos will be. For example, I usually like to nail at least one good close-up of the kiss and then, if there’s time, zoom out for a wide shot that also shows the wedding guests and surrounding environs. This provides a nice contrast and contributes to a well-rounded wedding shoot.
While on the topic of the kiss, here’s a little bonus item that most people don’t think about. Your kiss photos will be a lot better if your officiant steps out of the way after saying, “You may kiss the bride.”
Some officiants already know to do this, but many do not. Clearing this up ahead of time is the best course of action, and it’s the kind of request that holds significantly more weight coming from the bride and groom than it does coming from the photographer. Just a step or two in either direction will suffice. You’ll thank yourself later.
3) Tell important guests to stick around after the ceremony.
I know that sprinting to the bar is a tempting proposition at this point in the wedding day, but if you want family members and close friends included in your formal portraits, you should tell them ahead of time that they’ll need to hang out for a bit after your ceremony has ended. This goes for the bridal party, too. Wedding photographers are proficient cat-herders, but 1) if they’re running around the venue grounds, trying to round people up, you’re going to lose valuable shooting time and 2) you’d really rather have your photographer(s) using this time to concentrate on lighting and composition.
On the flip side of this coin, explicitly directing your other guests to the cocktail hour after the ceremony helps with the herding. Otherwise, you’ll lose more valuable photo time, particularly if your photographer has to wait until each one of these individuals has taken their own picture of each group with their smart phones, iPads, etc. This is definitely another request that has more weight coming from the newlyweds than from the photographer.
4) Be willing to collaborate.
Your photographer is an idea-generating machine. It’s what he does for a living. But everybody’s taste is different and a great photo to one person might not be for another. For example, the infamous “jumping” photo is an absolutely polarizing proposition at a wedding.
Some people love it, some people hate it. And that’s okay, but let us know your feelings before the day of the wedding. Likewise, if there are any specific locations/angles at your venue that you think would be great, feel free to let your photographer know. It might be something that he wouldn’t have thought of himself. Being willing to collaborate will make for a more unique and personalized shoot.
And as long as we’re on the topic of communication…
5) Call out any special details.
I know what you’re thinking here, too. “Shouldn’t you be doing this without me having to tell you?” Absolutely. However, the hustle and bustle of a busy wedding day combined with scheduling constraints can be prohibitive and there will inevitably be times when your photographer has to perform triage on his subjects. So if your fiancé spent a year of his life folding 1,000 origami cranes for an awesome reception centerpiece, why not tell your photographer about it ahead of time?
This concept doesn’t just apply to detail photos. Maybe all of your college roommates will be together for the first time since you graduated ten years ago. Maybe five generations of your family are on the dance floor rocking out to the same song. Whatever it is, it couldn’t hurt to let your photographer know. Will he capture it anyway? Probably. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.
6) Relax and enjoy yourselves.
A happy bride and groom make for good pictures.
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
About a year ago, Jesse wrote a blog post that included five unique songs he'd like to see couples play during their first dance. While I love all the songs he selected, it got me thinking about which songs I'd like to hear during a first dance.
So, without further ado, here are my selections:
1. "Hey Daydreamer" by Neil Halstead
This song feels both uptempo and relaxed at the same time, so it works for those who want to show off some fancy dance moves and those who prefer to just stand and sway. Plus, it's got lovely lyrics sung in an equally lovely voice.
2. "The Book of Love" - Peter Gabriel (The Magnetic Fields cover)
I've always enjoyed this song for its tribute to the dichotomies of love. Some love songs are transcendental, while some are definitely really dumb.
3. "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young
I remember being little and watching my parents dancing together to this song in the living room after dinner. I always thought it was so romantic that after three children and so many years together, they could still steal a moment that was just for the two of them. Plus, check out the awesome early 90s fashion in the video!
4. "Bermuda Highway" by My Morning Jacket
For this one, you're gonna have to ignore the lyrics. It's not about love, but it's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. This song is purely about the music. Of course, I prefer the live version, so one million Internet Points if you get Jim Jones to play at your wedding.*
5. "To Build a Home" by the Cinematic Orchestra
Another amazing song that is just perfectly crafted. Schweppes used this in an award-winning ad campaign a few years back, but I think it would work equally well at a wedding reception.
*Internet Points are not a real thing and have no monetary value. I just made them up.
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
(by Denver Boulder wedding photographer, Jesse La Plante)
In each installment of our educational blog series, “Anatomy of a Photograph,” I’ll be analyzing one of our wedding photos by its individual narrative, aesthetic and technical components.
For this first installment of 2015, I’d like to take a look at a photo that I had wanted to capture for nearly seven years before actually making it happen.
Ever since I drove up into the mountains on I-70 for the first time in 2008, I’ve been enamored by the view at the Genesee Park Bridge. In the years since, I’ve traveled all over Colorado photographing weddings and, to this day, it remains one of my favorite views in all of the state (which is saying a lot).
I’ve always thought to myself, “It sure would be cool to bring a bride and groom up there for a photo shoot.” So when Kendra and Heath hired me for their wedding at The Pines at Genesee, I knew we had to make it happen.
A few days before the wedding, Moira and I took a drive up to the Pines (it’s only about 10 miles from the edge of the city) to scout the location and quickly realized that doing a photo on the bridge would present a few logistical hurdles. For one, it’s not a pedestrian bridge, so there was no sidewalk and not much of a shoulder to stand on. Two, there was a lot of traffic on the bridge itself. Finally, the guard rail only came up to my lower thigh, and with the plethora of ski traffic below, I knew this could be a potential liability issue (i.e. it seemed super dangerous).
Even so, Kendra and Heath were game, so just before they were due at the reception, we grabbed the newlyweds and drove them down to the location a few hundred yards away. We waited for a break in the traffic and hustled out the center of the bridge.
Here’s a quick snapshot of us hustling.
To my delight, the vehicles trying to cross the bridge were more than happy to wait the minute or two it took us to nail the shot (in my seven years as a wedding photographer, I’ve learned that a bride in a white dress gives you carte blanche to do just about anything).
I knew that my lighting had to be dramatic for this one, so I set Moira up with a remote strobe behind Kendra and Heath to create a “rim” light, separating the couple from the background. This goes a long way toward making a photo seem more three-dimensional. And when done at night (or in this case, at sunset) it will turn the subject into a sort of silhouette, which can be an interesting alternative to a more traditionally-lit portrait.
I exposed for the sunset, of course, and adjusted the strobe output accordingly. To pop a strobe in a situation like this, a set of remote triggers is the only option. A tethered approach would have been out of the question, since a cord running through the frame would ruin the photo (or present me with unwanted man hours in Photoshop) and since the couple is blocking the line of sight from camera to strobe, Nikon’s proprietary “CLS” (Creative Lighting System) would be fickle at best.
The white balance was set to flash to account for the light falling on the couple. Flash is just a bit cooler, Kelvin-wise, than sunlight, so this served to warm the background a tad. I had a 2.8 lens on my camera, but I shot this at f5 because I wanted greater depth of field to see the mountains. And at 70mm handheld, I generally don’t like to go slower than 1/125, so I had to bump my ISO up to 500 to get a good exposure.
After I got a handful of shots I liked, we hurried back off the bridge to a cacophony of congratulatory honks from the vehicles on the interstate below.
As we made our way back to the car and I reviewed the reel on my camera’s LCD, I immediately knew that I had a new portfolio image (and, as it turned out, a new background for the website’s gallery page).
And only seven years in the making!
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
I swear I must have checked the weather at least fifty times on Friday and Saturday. We had an engagement shoot planned with Ashley and Tim for Saturday evening at sunset and Colorado had decided it was going to have one of its few cloudy days. I was completely convinced that we would be shooting with flat light and no view of the mountains. However, we lucked out, because on our drive to Cheesman Park, the clouds over the mountains inexplicably cleared enough for us to see the sun but not so much as to rob us of the dramatic sunset.
Despite the chilly weather, Ashley and Tim were game for whatever we suggested, including starting out with a lift!
After the sun went behind the mountains, we headed downtown to the newly renovated Union Station. If you haven't had a chance to check it out since it opened up, I highly recommend a visit. We warmed up over some tasty beverages from the Terminal Bar before heading back outside to take more photos featuring the eclectic architecture of the station.
Denver has no shortage of interesting spots downtown and we could have easily spent the whole night taking photos, but it was getting cold, so we wrapped the shoot at an outdoor bar area outside the Tattered Cover Bookstore.
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
One of the most common questions we get from couples is, “How much time do we need for photography?” This question can have a lot of different answers depending on a lot of different factors. Some people want only candid photos, while others have large families and a lot of posed photo requests. Some couples enjoy spending a longer time with us doing creative portraits, while others are eager to party with their guests. Because they can vary so much, we include a timeline consultation for all our couples so that we can talk about the timing of the wedding day and what their particular photo priorities are.
Nonetheless, it’s helpful to have a basic idea of how a wedding will flow. Below, I’ve included what I consider to be an “average” wedding timeline. Almost every wedding deviates from this, but it’s close enough to most weddings to give you an idea of the pacing. (This timeline is from a photography perspective using 0:00 as the start time for your ceremony.)
(1:30) Photos begin
We most commonly begin photographing 1.5 – 2 hours ahead of the ceremony start time, depending on whether or not the couple wants to do a First Look. If you decide to do a First Look, you’ll obviously need more time up front.
We use this time to do detail photos of the dress, shoes, rings, flowers, etc., and “finishing touches” during the getting ready process. One of the benefits of having two photographers is that Jesse can take photos of the guys while I hang out with the girls. (Stay tuned for a blog post that will elaborate more about what to expect during getting ready photos.)
(0:30) Guests start arriving
If we do any sort of posed photos ahead of time, we aim to wrap up 30 minutes before the ceremony so you can retouch your makeup and hide out from your guests (and take a deep breath!).
0:00 Ceremony begins
0:30 Ceremony ends
Most ceremonies are 15-20 minutes long. We generally add extra time in case the ceremony starts late. Religious ceremonies tend to take longer, so be sure to talk to your officiant about how much time they need. Believe me, you don’t want to rush this very important part.
Be sure to decide if you want to have a receiving line or not. Spontaneous receiving lines are notorious for causing weddings to run behind; depending on how many guests you have, they can take up to 45 unplanned minutes. If you don’t want to have a receiving line, have a hideout where you can go after your ceremony as guests exit.
0:45 – 1:30 Family [30 min.] and wedding party photos [15 min.]
If you did a First Look, you probably took wedding party photos before the ceremony and don’t need as much time. If you have a large and/or boistrous family, you may need to plan for more family photo time. The extra 15 minutes between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of these photos is for family wrangling.
This is also the beginning of the cocktail “hour” for the rest of your guests. I put hour in quotes because there’s no need for it to be kept to just an hour if you want more time for photos. I’ve never heard a guest complain that cocktails lasted more than an hour as long as the bar was open and food was available.
1:30 – 2:15 Bride and Groom portraits [45 min.]
These are our favorites to do, so we like to have ample time to craft the kinds of photos you’ll print out and hang on the wall. If you do a First Look, we’ll usually still take a handful of photos after the ceremony, but the majority will be done ahead of time.
2:15 Bride and Groom are announced
2:30 – 3:30 Dinner
From here on out, we like to leave the exact timing up to your caterers and DJ, because this part is their forte. During the reception, we take candid photos and record everything as it unfolds.
However, we do like to sneak you out at some point to do a sunset/dusk photo. We stay in communication with your caterers and DJ to make sure we don’t steal you away from something important, but we can pretty easily find the 5-10 minutes we need for some photos with dramatic lighting.
3:30 – 3:45 Toasts
(If your family is anything like mine, this might take longer!)
3:45 Cake cutting
4:00 First dance, Father-of-Bride and Mother-of-Groom dances
4:20 Dance floor is open to everyone, party on!
Your DJ should help you MC any other events, like bouquet and garter tossing, and make sure your guests are engaged and having fun.
6:30 Photographers depart
For our typical eight-hour wedding, we’ll usually depart after capturing all the important events, as well as your guests dancing and having a good time. We’ll always check in 20-30 minutes before our time is up to see if there’s anything else you want us to photograph before we head out.
A final note: never forget to pad your timeline. Weddings always run late, so any extra time you allow will either help you catch up if you’re behind or give you a chance to catch your breath. Either way, you’ll appreciate it on your big day.
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
(by Denver Boulder wedding photographer, Jesse La Plante)
Over the years, we’ve received a plethora of letters, emails, texts and online reviews from our clients telling us how much they enjoyed their photos. Now that we’re in the middle of our off season, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my favorite bits of feedback. Here they are, in reverse chronological order.
“We absolutely loved having Moira and Jesse photograph our wedding. Not only were they professional and extremely good at what they do, they were also fun to hang out with and a pleasure to have around the day of our wedding. We chose them after seeing a friend’s wedding photos on Facebook. We got married at sunset on November 22nd and I wanted someone who had experience photographing sunset or night shots and Jesse La Plante Photography absolutely did. Our photos turned out beautiful and even better than we thought considering the weather was not cooperating with us. What Jesse and Moira captured with the wind and clouds was spectacular and we fell in love with the photos the minute we saw them. They also did a panoramic of the city scape view from our venue and included it in our photo album. We will definitely be calling them again for family photos and baby photos when our little bundle of joy arrives in May. Thanks Jesse and Moira for being a part of our wedding day and capturing the memories so beautifully.”
~ Jamie & Mike
“Jesse and Moira did such an amazing job photographing my wedding. They were so blended into everything at the reception and the only time I noticed them was when a flash would go off at perfect moments. I can't wait to see what they captured! These two know how to flow around each other so well, and they have such a knack for being one step, or one idea ahead, and I'm glad I didn't choose anyone else for my wedding photography. They are super down to earth, funny, and 100% professional when it comes down to getting key shots, making sure I had everything I wanted. I can't thank them enough. I highly recommend Jesse La Plante Photography.”
~ Megan & Henry
“Working with Jesse and Moira was an absolute pleasure from beginning to end. After meeting them at a wedding expo and chatting with them, we decided to meet at a coffee shop to get a closer look at his work and talk about what we were looking for - they drove down from Boulder to Denver to meet us near our home. My then fiance-now-life-partner and I (we are two women) were instantly at ease with Jesse and Moira both - they complement each other's personalities well - Jesse is more the quiet and brilliant artist who prefers to focus on the work as much as possible. Moira is the public relations part of the team - she always knew just what to say and is a superb listener, even mind-reader at times! The fact that we are a same-sex couple was truly a non-issue for these two; they could not have been more authentically supportive, congratulatory and gracious. On the wedding day itself, it was actually kind of FUN walking around, talking with both of them while Jesse snapped shots and Moira kept us smiling and relaxed! Both of them are wonderfully laid back and unflustered by wedding stressors; they kept a sense of humor throughout and did a great job politely corralling the family members for the group shots. And, of course, the most amazing part of the entire experience working with Jesse and Moira was seeing the photos just a few days after the wedding... We were blown away, no joke. Our photos are out of this world, and we could not be happier with them. This was the most worthwhile expenditure of our entire wedding budget - and even though Jesse gave us a fantastic deal since our wedding was actually on a Monday - knowing what we know now after working with him, we would be willing to pay much more!! You would not be disappointed working with JLP - we are so grateful for his skill and artistry in capturing our most-important day. Thank you Jesse and Moira!!”
~ Julie & Kim
“We truly enjoyed working with Jesse La Plante Photography for our wedding! Jesse and Moira were fun and easy to work with, and we couldn't be happier with our photos! They were very helpful in making our photos an enjoyable part of our day, and captured some beautiful moments of us and our guests!”
~ Lizzie & Zach
“We had a blast taking photos- I didn't realize it would be so much fun! The images you took are amazing and breathtaking. Thanks for capturing the moment for us. It's great to be able to relive it via the images.”
~ Stacy & Mike
“Wow, amazing, phenomenal, wonderful, stunning, and beautiful are all words that come to my mind when I look at our pictures. You are beyond talented - holy cow! Over and over we have heard, 'wow, your photographer is amazing!' And I must say, we agree times 100. Working with you and Moira definitely was a breath of fresh air and we would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Thank you again very much for everything, from your kindness to your incomparable work!”
~ Seanee & Jeremy
“Jesse and Moira were so easy to work with. I did a ton of photographer research ahead of time and felt they offered the best quality for the money and their style was in line with what we were looking for. We met ahead of time and they listened and remembered months later what type of shots we were after. They blended in easily with the activities and many of our guests commented on how nice they were. They quietly and subtly worked their magic and made it fun. They also came to the wedding location a day ahead of time to scope out spots, which helped make the day go smoothly. Overall, we loved them, love our photos and definitely recommend them for your wedding!”
~ Lorena & Drew
“Thanks so much!! Those are awesome!! Can't wait to see the rest!! We had so much fun with you guys and can't thank you enough for making our wedding day so fun and relaxed!! We love you guys!”
~ Maricarmen & Landon
“Jesse and Moira are awesome! We chose them to photograph our wedding at Dunafon Castle and I could not be happier. My mom said, 'I didn't even know they were there, and the pictures turned out so well!'" I get really nervous when I get my picture taken, but they both have such great personalities, and they really put you at ease during your wedding. If you are looking for a photographer, you can't go wrong with Jesse La Plante. Thank you for capturing such amazing memories!”
~ Ashley & Nick
“I am sooo in LOVE with the pictures from my wedding!! I absolutely could not have been happier with how they turned out! Jesse and Moira traveled all the way to Michigan for our wedding and were so wonderful! They were professional but really fun and flexible too! They do their very best to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for! When I saw my photos for the first time, it actually brought tears to my eyes....they were absolutely perfect! There is just something about Jesse's photography that is so unique, amazing and beautiful! We are so lucky to have such fantastic photos to help us remember our big day for years to come! I can PROMISE you will not be disappointed with Jesse's one-of-a-kind photography!!”
~ Courtney & Bret
“Fantastic. Very professional and organized. He and his crew were like 'flies on a wall'. They did their job and stayed out of the way and didn't try to run the event. Great photographers. Beautiful pictures. We were on a budget and he is one of the most reasonably priced photographers that I came across, but the quality was not reduced.”
~ Cheryl & John
“Jesse was willing to travel to our wedding location in the mountains at no extra cost. He stayed two hours later for us when we needed him to and allowed us to settle up the bill after our honeymoon, at which point we were already able to get DVDs of our photos. He and his partner Moira were very professional, while still remaining friendly and enthusiastic.”
~ Holly & Jen
“Love love love them!!!!!!!!! They made me cry, but in a good way! Thank you for letting us see some photos in less than 24 hours, that is amazingly fast.”
~ Raina & Eric
“Wedding photography is so tricky. For our wedding, I wanted to make sure we had photos with our family and friends, but I had basically resigned myself to thinking that the pictures would be cheesy and posed regardless of who I hired as my photographer. I can't overstate how very pleased I am to be totally wrong. Jesse and Moira are a warm, friendly and professional team. They responded to all of my emails promptly, and when I was flaky about sending in signed contracts, they gently reminded me to do it. Well before my wedding day they compiled a list of my family members and bridal party and talked to me about how I envisioned the day going. By the week of my wedding I could happily forget about everything photography related and focus on everything else. I don't remember a lot about taking photographs the day of the wedding except that Jesse and Moira had everything figured out. They showed up early to scout locations for the posed photos, they made an order, and they were totally in charge. I also remember that after posed photos were finished, Jesse and Moira stealthily photographed the reception. They never disrupted the celebration, but I was vaguely aware of them always being there. My wedding day was a blur. What I like most about my photographs is that they put everything in context. I can identify the exact moment every photo was taken, and they really capture the spirit of the day. I especially love the pictures of Ken from before the ceremony. I wasn't with him, but I can feel his nervousness and excitement through the images. I also love how quickly I had my photographs. I know people sometimes wait months. I had mine in a couple of weeks.”
~ Anne & Ken
“From the very moment that I spoke to Jesse and Moira at their photo booth at a bridal show I immediately knew they would be the perfect photographers for our Aspen, Colorado, wedding. They both have a positive energy, a great vibe and both were truly artistic. Throughout the entire process of scheduling photo shoots, making payments and finalizing details, they were both very professional and immediately responsive to calls, texts and emails. The day of the wedding, they were professionally dressed, blended in with our guests and in all honesty, I think they had as much fun as us and the guests! After receiving our digital photos we found that they were able to capture some of the most amazing moments of our sweet dog, and the entire wedding event. I would highly recommend Jesse La Plante Photography to anyone seeking a photographer for all life's important moments.”
~ Michelle & Josh
“We got our package. All we have to say is WOW, everything turned out so phenomenal. We are so pleased with everything. You guys did an extraordinary job. We can't even begin to thank you, and tell you what a great job you guys did. If you ever need a recommendation please let us know. And we will be sure to recommend you guys to our friends and family. And we will definitely be writing outstanding reviews for you!”
~ Diane & Rob
“I highly recommend Jesse La Plante Photography. All of their pictures turned out great, they were both very professional, and having the rights to the photos afterward is wonderful. They are very reasonably priced for a very high quality product. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!”
~ Brie & Chris
“We used Jesse (and Moira) for our engagement photos as well as for the wedding. Great photos from each. Made great suggestions, but never bossy or pushy. A wonderful team! Highly recommended!”
~ Kristen & Taylor
“Thank you! You guys were amazing! Our pictures are wonderful. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. You were always up for any crazy thing we threw at you! Thank you for being a part of our wedding.”
~ Jennifer & Brent
“Best wedding photos ever.”
~ Jenny & Ben
“Jesse was great. We had an initial meeting and went over what we needed. He was willing to travel all the way out to Steamboat for our wedding and took photos of the entire day. Most of the day we didn't notice that he and Moira were darting in and out snapping shots. If you want a personal photojournalist to capture your wedding as it unfolds I would highly recommend Jesse.”
~ Dave & Rachel
“Jesse and his assistant Moira are a pleasure to work with. As a photojournalist, he has a very neat approach to photographing the wedding day. He is flexible in poses--if you have specific shots, you can have them, or you can have him wing it, which produced some incredible shots for us. He is priced very well and offers a good range of packages to fit your wedding needs.”
~ Catherine & Greg
“Thank you for your amazing work on our wedding. We still are getting compliments on the gorgeous photography. It really helps to remember the day in such vivid colors and meaningful moments captured.”
~ Tabitha & Christian
“Photography was very important to me and I searched through many portfolios before finding a photographer who had a style that I liked for my wedding. Jesse has a background in photojournalism and I found the artistic approach he took with candid photographs the perfect way to document our wedding day. He did not disappoint us and provided a beautiful collection of photographs of the wedding that we love. He was great and friendly and I would definitely choose him as my photographer again.”
~ Stacy & Tim
“Thank you so much for everything! You were perfect for our wedding—young and vibrant, not to mention your artistic flair! Thank you!”
~ Beth & Rick
“Thank you so much for photographing our wedding. We love all the photos! You did a great job of capturing everything that went on while staying in the background. We wanted the wedding to be relaxed and easy and you helped us achieve that goal! You are a very talented photographer and I’m sure you’ll have a long successful career doing what you love. Thanks for all your hard work!”
~ Alicia & Nate
“We hired Jesse La Plante for a destination wedding in 2008. He was flexible with the travel and patient with many last minute changes. It rained the day of our beach wedding which required some frantic (stressful) alterations to the plans and Jesse was calm and patient, despite absolute chaos. What I adore about our wedding pictures as I look back at them is that his candid photos are absolutely stunning as they tell the story of that day in a graceful and authentic visual. Jesse was skilled at moving smoothly and subtly about the festivities, gaining access to photo opportunities I did not even think ahead to ask him for. He was a true professional without being overly obtrusive. We were (and still are) thrilled with the resulting photographs and I receive compliments on the wedding photos that hang in my house to this day.”
~ Anjali & Ryan
Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
(by Denver Boulder wedding photographer, Jesse La Plante)
As we wrap up another calendar year, it's time again to take a look back at some of our favorite wedding (and engagement) photos from the past 12 months. A few highlights included finally capturing our white whale (Della Terra Mountain Chateau), traveling to Mexico for a traditional Mayan ceremony and returning to one of our favorite Colorado venues, the Dunafon Castle.
We hope you enjoy...
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
For our last wedding of the year, we headed up to The Pines at Genesee in unseasonably warm December weather for Kendra and Heath's 12/13/14 wedding. The day was filled with fun, friends, and a few surprises.
We started out at the Sheraton Denver West, where the guys and the girls spent the morning getting ready.
Kendra and Heath had their first look at Genesee Park, where the view was just as stunning as the bride.
Then we wandered around the park, making ample use of the natural setting for some portraits with Kendra and Heath.
Back at The Pines, we took some more photos with the wedding party before the first surprise of the day...
Heath doesn't know he's about to receive the present of a lifetime. Just after they got engaged, he told Kendra that he wanted to (in order): finish his degree, get an awesome job, restore his dad's '69 Mustang, and get married. He had no problem with the first two, but time got away from him on the third. Luckily, Kendra arranged to have the car restored to working condition and surprised Heath with it 30 minutes before their ceremony so he could check everything off his list!
They said their vows in front of their friends and family and an amazing view of the valley below.
Another surprise was more for the drivers of cars coming back to Denver from the mountains that afternoon. Kendra and Heath were adventurous enough to follow us out to the middle of the highway overpass for an unparalleled view of the mountains. There were plenty of honks to cheer them on.
The final surprise of the evening was during Kendra and Heath's first dance. They wowed their guests with a carefully choreographed dance that they had been practicing for months.
Then it was time to party!
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
Shantel and Matt invited us out to their neck of the woods (Alderfer Three Sisters Park in Evergreen, CO) for what turned out to be a perfect afternoon for an engagement shoot. The park was peaceful and the weather was beautiful--even the fickle winter sun cooperated. We wandered around the grounds, climbed some rocks, and even got to hang out with their awesome Corgi, Miles. Check out some of our favorite photos from the Wednesday shoot:
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
This year, we're thankful for all the wonderful couples we've met during the past six wedding seasons. Included in this list are Jamie and Mike, whose wedding we photographed last weekend at the Ranch Country Club in Westminster. Though the day was windy, Colorado didn't fail to give us a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony and party.
The ceremony took place in a sheltered area overlooking the golf course and the breathtaking Flatirons.
Though the weather was a bit chilly and windy the guests stayed warm and we got to make use of the dramatic sky, both during the ceremony and later with the posed portraits.
A big thanks to Jamie for braving the cool weather, although Mike was more than willing to share his jacket to keep her warm!
After photos and dinner, it was time for the real party to begin!
I think this was the most raucous bouquet and garter toss we've ever seen. I wonder who the lucky gal will be for our young winner...
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
With just a few days to shake the sand from Mexico out of our suitcases, we turned right around to photograph Lindsay and Ben's elopement at Cheesman Park in Denver. Just a short distance from their new home, they said their vows in front of their pooch and Lindsay's father before spending some time with us photographing at the park and the Denver Botanic Gardens next door. Check out a handful of our favorite photos below:
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
What do traditional Mayan dancers, a magician named Mago, a groom passed out on the beach, and a newlywed couple jumping in the ocean in their wedding attire have in common? They were all present at Theresa and Bob's wedding last weekend in Mexico.
When Theresa and Bob asked us to travel to beautiful Playa Paraiso in Mexico, we naturally jumped at the chance. After arriving a couple days early to take advantage of the many amenities at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, we met up with Theresa as she was getting ready on Saturday morning.
After a quick change into her dress, Theresa was ready to head down to the beach, where Bob met her, grinning from ear to ear.
This adventurous couple mentioned to us earlier that they had no idea what the traditional Mayan ceremony would entail, but they dove in headfirst and enjoyed every minute of it!
The participants in the ceremony wore authentic Mayan clothing and body paint and used traditional Mayan instruments (including a conch shell to call the guests to the ceremony site).
To symbolize their new life that they'll share together, Theresa and Bob combined seeds from different bowls into one before tossing them into the ocean together as an offering.
To wrap up the ceremony, the bride, groom and all the guests gave thanks to the Mayan gods in all the cardinal directions. Then, with an energetic dance, the couple was officially pronounced husband and wife.
Following the ceremony and cocktail reception, we enjoyed the rare luxury of having several hours to wander the beach and resort for a laid-back portrait session with the newlyweds. (Rodolfo, the pool bartender, helped by providing some fancy tropical drinks.) If Jesse and I had our druthers, we could have photographed them all day!
Dinner took place at the steakhouse, where we had a private room for the celebration. Even the waiters got in on the good time!
Mago Danny, a magician, impressed the whole group with his card tricks after a delicious cake provided by the resort.
After dinner, we took a few more photos of Theresa and Bob in the beautifully lit resort walkways of the resort.
Did I mention this couple was adventurous? It took very little convincing to get them to jump into the pool for a Trash the Dress photo shoot.
Bob may have had too good a time.....
We ended the night with a dip in the ocean. What better way to make your wedding unforgettable?
Congratulations to a wonderful couple; we are so honored to have been part of their wedding celebration!
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
Where better to spend the last wedding of our busy part of the season than at Della Terra, a beautiful mountain lodge tucked away near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park? The venue was a perfect complement to Megan and Henry's downtown engagement photo session.
The blue Megan chose for her bridesmaids and to accent her dress popped next to the fall colors that covered Estes Park.
Though the weather held out for most of the day, the rain came out in force for the ceremony. But Megan and Henry (and their friends and family) braved the water and continued with the ceremony.
Their unity ceremony involved planting two aspen trees. Aspens create an interwoven root system that helps keep all the trees healthy; Megan and Henry's aspen trees represented the joining of their families.
Even though the rain continued after the ceremony, the sun came out, and we were able to get this romantic photo before heading in to the reception.
After dinner, Megan and Henry started the party by cutting into the beautiful cake, followed by their first dance.
We stole them away for some nighttime shots beneath the dramatic Colorado night sky.
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
With one day of rest (and football!), we headed into the mountains for Kim and Julie's Monday wedding at the Wild Basin Lodge. We were thrilled to be back at the Lodge for the first time since we photographed Catherine and Greg's wedding almost four years ago; if you've never been, it's worth a stay on your next visit to Rocky Mountain National Park.
While we photographed the brides putting the finishing touches on their wedding attire inside, the rain poured down and we feared our perfect rain-free streak would be ruined.
But true to its reputation, the unpredictable Colorado weather instead gave us dramatic storm clouds in one direction and fluffy white clouds against blue sky with a clear view of Longs Peak in the other. The weather and the aspen leaves made for some beautiful portraits of Julie and Kim as we wandered around the Wild Basin grounds.
The ceremony took place at the amphitheater down by the creek. Nestled among the aspens with the sound of rushing water in the background, Julie and Kim exchanged their vows in a truly unique ceremony that included guided meditation and aptly represented the personalities of both brides.
During the reception, Kim and Julie's guests delivered many poignant toasts that reflected just how much love and support filled the room.
After dinner, it was on to the cake cutting and dancing before Kim and Julie headed off through a shower of aspen leaves to drive their yellow jeep into the night.
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
We had two weddings this weekend, keeping us quite busy--but also resulting in a lot of wonderful photos of happy people! Starting on Saturday, we headed down to Golden for Lizzie and Zach's wedding and began by capturing the finishing touches of the wedding party preparations at the Table Mountain Inn.
Then we took a stroll down the block to Calvary Church so Zach could finally see his bride in her gown. After they had a chance to revel in the moment, we brought the rest of the wedding party over for some fun photos.
And it was on to the ceremony at Bear Creek Lake Park! A plethora of bottles with delicate flowers decorated the altar as Lizzie's father walked her down the aisle. Lizzie and Zach happily exchanged vows in front of their friends and family.
Following the ceremony, Jesse and I stole the elated couple away to take advantage of the late afternoon light and the stunning location.
We traveled back to Calvary Church for our first glimpse at the thousand origami cranes Zach folded for the reception's centerpiece. Japanese legend says that whoever folds one thousand cranes will be granted eternal good luck.
The couple shared their first dance and special dances with their parents before the floor was opened up for all the guests to show off their moves.
Lizzie and Zach's friends and family even coordinated a flash mob dance to Pharrell's Happy.
Surrounded by bubbles, the newlyweds headed off to their hotel for the evening, but not before stopping to take some photos beneath the iconic "Welcome to Golden" sign.
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Jesse La Plante is a Boulder-based wedding photographer, working primarily in the Front Range area and the Rocky Mountains. For more info and photos, or to contact Jesse directly, please visit our Denver Boulder wedding photography website.
Wedding Photography for Denver, Boulder and Beyond @jesselaplante-blog - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
