Documentary

Farmington Sports Photographer | Lacrosse Senior Night

There's so much more to creating the portrait of a high school senior than traditional senior pictures. Friends, jobs and activities play such an important role of shaping who students are at this age and who they will become in the future. I was fortunate enough this spring to document two lacrosse games for Alex, a senior at Farmington High School. The games were late in the season and illustrate how special (and fleeting) the moments are leading up to graduation. Within a few short weeks of making these photos commencement was underway and many of the boys were headed their separate ways. Being on hand to see some of the last huddles, introductions on the field and celebrations among friends was quite special.

The first game went into double overtime (with Farmington coming out victorious), and, as I think these pictures show, as much of the story is told off the field as in the heart of the action.

photocrati gallery

 

St. Paul Wedding Photojournalism: Stacy and Miguel

blog_6179Editor's note: Anthologie preserves couples' love stories through interviews and written stories in addition to documentary photography and archival book publishing. Contact us today at 952-232-5830 if you want to share your story with your children's children.

Miguel stays the course and lands the love of his life — Stacy

By Emily Zimmer  |  Photos by Dan Iverson  |  Anthologie

Location: The Gardens of Castle Rock

Miguel and Stacy met in the fall of 2006 at Winona State University. Miguel was doing homework in his dorm room when Stacy came bursting in. Stacy said friends had suggested she meet Miguel so she decided to drop in.

“I was being a good college student and studying,” Miguel said. “Stacy came back from a party and burst in my room and started bothering me.”

At Winona, Stacy worked as a resident advisor and Miguel has friends who were also RAs. Sharing a group of friends, Miguel and Stacy started to see each other often. Overtime the two found that they shared a similar sense of humor.

“Miguel’s infectious laugh, really drew me to him,” said Stacy.blog_6230

Over the next three years, their friendship grew and the two started spending more time together, just the two of them.

Early on, Miguel said he was interested in being more than friends but Stacy didn’t want a boyfriend.

“I was the girl who never wanted to get married,” Stacy said.

Every now and again, Miguel would suggest they start dating but Stacy kept declining.

“It was a cat-and-mouse game. I was very hard to get,” Stacy explained.

Then one night, while out at for drinks, Stacy and Miguel kissed. While talking about the night makes them both blush, that kiss would lead to the start of their romance.

The kiss occurred shortly before summer break. That summer Stacy moved back to the Twin Cities to do her student teaching and Miguel traveled to visit her.

“When he came to visit, I realized he really did like me,” Stacy said.

After the kiss and his visit, Miguel said he felt like his persistence was paying off.

So one more time, Miguel asked Stacy if she wanted to start dating. This time Stacy said “maybe.”

For Miguel that maybe was as good as a yes.

“Her maybe was an ‘OK, I’m in,’” said Miguel.

After that the two became inseparable.

 

Travel Buddies

blog_6209One thing Miguel and Stacy share in common is an adventurous spirit. Both like to travel and so it’s become part of their connection.

“We travel well together,” Stacy said.

Specifically, Miguel and Stacy enjoy taking road trips together.

“I used to hate road trips but with Miguel it’s different. I really love taking road trips with him,” said Stacy.

They like seeing the sites, listening to music and having the chance to enjoy each other’s company, Stacy said.

Not all their travels have gone smoothly, though. A few years back, the couple took a trip to the Grand Canyon over a long holiday weekend. Specifically, the couple wanted to drive Route 66.

“It’s so iconic, we just felt like we had to see it,” said Stacy.

Not sure how far they would get, the couple decided to wing it instead of making hotel reservations. That turned out to be a bad decision.

Finding a room in Flagstaff, Ariz., the town nearest the Grand Canyon, proved to be difficult and very expensive. The couple ended up paying more than $300 for a trashy room.

“We just both sat and cried and then we got a pizza and laughed about it,” Miguel said.

While the experience was stressful, Miguel said the trip proved to be a good bonding moment for he and Stacy. Specifically, he said being able to find humor in less-than-desirable situations is what makes them work as a couple.

 

A life-changing trip

blog_6130Stacy and Miguel’s travels have brought them closer together throughout their years of courtship and it is central to their engagement story.

For the couple’s four-year anniversary, Miguel surprised Stacy with a trip to Chicago. Little did Stacy know, Miguel had also asked for her parents’ blessing to propose.

“Miguel asked for my dad’s blessing. That was a big deal for my mom and dad,” said Stacy.

On the plane ride to Chicago, Stacy said Miguel seemed out of sorts but she didn’t give it much thought because they had experienced some bad flights recently. The first night in Chicago, Stacy and Miguel did some sightseeing and called it an early night.

The next morning, Miguel gave Stacy a gift. It was a small picture book with photographs of the two throughout their relationship and little written messages.

After Stacy finished reading the book, Miguel asked her to go back to each page and read the first letter. When put together the letters spelled out ‘Marry Me.’

Miguel then got down on one knee and formally proposed. Obviously, Stacy said “yes” and the couple called their families to announce the good news.

The book itself has become a treasure for the couple. The idea for the picture book organically came to Miguel. He had been researching ways to propose and didn’t see anything he thought was fitting. Then one day, the idea to do the picture book just came to him. Down the road, Stacy said it’s something they will show to their kids.

blog_6276-2

Lakeville MN Documentary Photographer: Little Adventure Photos

photocrati gallery

50 little adventures all children should experience before they grow up

Do you remember dancing in the rain, building forts in the woods, swimming with your clothes on or catching snowflakes on your tongue with your best friend? Do you remember waking up and running to your best friend’s house to discuss what you want to do that day ... almost like checking items off your childhood bucket list? Our childhood memories may fade as we get older, but they never leave us! When reflecting on these memories it often brings a smile to our face and a wistful feeling in our hearts.

Click here to view our list

Now you can remember these simple joys always with Anthologie’s Childhood Bucket List photography collections. These collections are created to chronicle a year in the life of your little ones at a fantastic value.

So, how does it work? Simple. We want to capture all of the simple joys of childhood for you and your family. We've even made this handy list (at right) that you can use as inspiration. Think about 4 times of the year you'd love to have professional photos of your kids, and (gasp!) not have to worry about taking the photos yourself.

That right. Finally, you, the busy parent trying to wield a camera while feeding a newborn and disciplining a toddler with boundless energy can finally be in the pictures, too! We specialize in letting you naturally interact with a fun activity while we create stunning pictures of those meaningful moments together.

That’s it! We’ll do the work while you have the fun! Call us today at 952-232-5830 and simply let us know what four little adventures you’d like to capture over the next year so you can always remember this special time for your family.

Included in  your Childhood Bucket List Photography Collection:

• (4) 1-hour documentary style photography sessions on location • A creative post processing of all of your best pictures • Password-protected proofing website for photo sharing and convenient online ordering • 5x7 copyright release to all photos from the year

Session: $175 each

Why your digital photos aren't as safe as you think

It will never happen to me. That's what I thought. I had heard anecdotes through social media about parents loosing pictures of their young children — some times even their entire libraries of baby photos gone with one fell swoop of a ticking hard drive. As a photographer, and someone who makes a living selling and preserving my work I figured I would never experience such a calamity. I was wrong. Well, at least partly wrong.

My wakeup call came a few months back when I went to retrieve one of my favorite photos of my son. I photographed him just before the Fourth of July holiday last year dashing from the beach and into an area lake without a care in the world for the summer wardrobe he was wearing. To me it's perfect. It exemplifies childhood. And best of all, he's completely unaware of the camera (a rarity in our household). As I searched through my external hard drive my finder window revealed the unmistakeable sight of a once perfect photo now rendered useless as a few fragmented strips of pixels. The digital file was corrupt. My heart sank.

The queasiness factor jumped to earthquake proportions when the reality of the situation sunk in. As a professional photographer I create 10s of thousands of photos for my clients each year. I take pride in protecting those memories and take all of the necessary steps to ensure this doesn't happen. Right? And yet there I sat, staring at my laptop knowing I couldn't even keep safe one of my favorite photos from my own family. So, was I faced with the hard truth that my precious memory was gone forever? No. And here's why: I print my photos. Yep, I know it sounds strange in the digital age of 64GB memory cards and 40 mega-pixel camera phones, but making high-quality, physical copies of your favorite pictures is still one of the easiest ways to safeguard against bit rot and file corruption. So, safe in my living room was a beautiful 24x36-inch wall portrait of my son's little adventure at the beach.anthologie_data_info2

OK, the business owner in me needs to tell you that I actually did have this photo backed up in a redundant archive, so I was also able to find a "safe" version of the digital file in question. But there's always room for improvement to the way I do things and this situation did force me to review the entire way I approach backing up data and my photography workflow as a whole. I even consulted with a computer security systems expert who was baffled by the amount of data I'm tasked with protecting. To paraphrase him: "Hard drives are like good steaks in the freezer. It's not a matter of if they'll go bad but when." 50,000 images could disappear in an instant. Gulp.

In an effort to help bring some of this unsettling information to light, and to show you it doesn't have to be so scary (or daunting) to protect your photos, I've created this handy infographic (on the right). I mainly hope it illustrates that while the specific data on hardware failure rates is widely varied (it often comes down to what different manufacturers say about their own products), the threat of loosing digital photos forever is very real. But don't worry. We can help.

We can create fantastic photo gifts, print archival photographs and produce gorgeous books that will last for hundreds of years. I'll be making some changes at Anthologie, too.

Digital photo retirement schedule: Most people are shocked to learn how long I really do hold on to digital photos for my clients. However, the review of my workflow has made me realize it's not feasible or secure to continue preserving 40,000 to 70,000 new photographs each year in redundant archives. While digital storage continues to get more affordable, each frame I produce is more than 100MB. Do the math : ) New schedules will be in place to permanently remove photos from my archives. Existing clients can expect to be contacted by me for larger projects, such as weddings or a child's first year, before the images are purged. You will have the opportunity to purchase full-resolution printing rights at greatly reduced rates before the photos are deleted. If you have specific questions about your project, please feel free to contact me at info (at) theanthologie.com or by calling 952-232-5830.

Photo sessions with more options for copyright releases and digital files: While I have always offered the ability to purchase full-resolution printing rights, most people tend to opt for what's already included in their photography collection simply due to the cost savings. However, I will be creating more collections with a "middle ground" so that clients can back up and preserve their own digital photos right away.

Please feel free to share this information with others, and let me know what you think. Thanks for viewing!

Owatonna MN wedding photo newspaper | Ben and Deven

Preserve your wedding story today

What did you do on your first date? When is the first time you said "I love you to one another?" Do you know the answer? Will you in ten years? How about in 30? It's OK to admit some of these cherished memories that are focused in your mind today might fade over time. So why not preserve your story today?

At Anthologie, we offer a truly unique product that will not only record and archive the story of how your two lives became one, but will set your wedding apart from the rest. Our wedding newspapers feature an engaging story on the two of you written by talented writers (just read Suzanne Rook's story above), and insightful biographical information to share with future generations.

Once put into a clean design, your story and photos become a creative takeaway for your wedding guests. Use them as table favors and your guests will be entertained during cocktail hour, and may even provide a way to break the ice for those seated together that might not be well acquainted.

Contact us at info(at)theanthologie.com, or 952-232-5830 and preserve your story today!