







Erin and Allen were married November 12, 2011 in Tomah, Wisconsin. The following are a few pictures from their wedding.
Erin with her beautiful dress. The gorgeous sanctuary of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church is in the background. See their web site here: http://stpaultomah.org/

Groom and best man posing for the photographer.

This was their best effort at the combined effort of muscleman pose.

I love to get the wedding dress tie-the-backup-shot from a high squewed angle. I love this shot.

Erin was great the whole day. She was having fun.

Here is one of the pictures of the first look in the sanctuary.

A nice shot of the bride and groom after they had some time to talk with each other.

I use a studio strobe and another off camera light to get this nicely lit image of the wedding party.

I was using my fisheye lens for a variety of shots from the balcony.

This candid shot was during the ring exchange.

It was another beautiful day in Wisconsin on September 10, 2011. The temperature was warm, about 85 degrees but for Eric and Nikki things went by like a fresh cool breeze.
This picture below shows Eric getting his shirt buttoned with his brother, the best man, in the background.

Nikki’s beautiful dress was photographed in a tree. I used an electrical wire slung around a tree limb to provide the right height for the dress.
In this photo not only do your see a nice close up of the dress’s intricate design you can also see the James Studio custom hanger. It makes sense to have a beautiful hanger to help show off the dress. Cheap hangers look out of place and just don’t do justice for photographing of the dress.

Nikki looks radiant in her dress. She was a happy bride and easy to work with.

They elected to do the first look which we did in the sanctuary. Shea, my assistant, focused on Eric as he was coming in while I focused on Nikki and her reactions. Nikki and Eric were really moved emotionally as they focused on each other for the first time in the day. After they regained composer I had them get together for some staged romantic shots.

I appreciate good detail shots. Holding hands, hugs and kisses. The closeups tell a story too.

I love the color blue and I love a blue sky that matches blue eyes and happy smiles.
Nikki is with her flower girl in the photo. That is a corn field in the background.

The bridesmaids are showing some leg. Or is it tattoos they are showing off?

Below is a picture of Eric with his mother.

The flower girl and the ring bearer seemed to be very much into the moment. Unfortunately, the girl forgot to throw out her flowers from the basket. The adult participants seemed to thouroughly enjoy the moment. I heard people say, “they were sooo cute.”

With friends and family looking on, Nikki was beautiful as she came down the aisle with her father.

More pictures will be coming soon.
If you are looking for a photographer for your wedding give Jim a call at 233-5556.
Jake Smetana and Brande Jocobson’s were married at the Windsor Country Club August 13, 2011. I love the pictures I was able to get here. The trees and grass make a wonderful backdrop for outdoor wedding photos. The bridesmaids dress colors and flowers all work well in this environment.
This video is a highlights of the day.
If you would like to check out all the pictures you can see them on line at Pictage HERE. The pictures are arranged in categories and you can set up your own selection of favorites. This is also the place to have prints made.
I always look for a nice shaded area so my subjects are not squinting and I use my wonderful Paul C. Buff White Lightning off camera studio strobe with the portable Vagabond battery providing all the juice I need to get great pictures. This first picture provides a layered look with Brade primarily in focus and next the bridesmaids and then the trees.

Here the bridesmaids are much more casual. The black and white provides a different look than my usual intense colors.


I purposely cropped this picture to make it look like a panoramic. The key is the focus on the subjects with their flowers.

I love this shot with the focus on Brande’s deep brown eyes. The bridesmaids look lovely as they gradually go out of fucus.

Here Brande is obviously on a golf couse as you see the flag in the background. It would be easy enough to remove the flag in Photoshop but I kind of like it there.

The following picture is of Brands’s bouquet behind her back. It is a good closeup of both the flowers and the beautiful detail in her dress.

What is a bride-and-groom shoot? Well, instead of an engagement shoot or a bridal shoot, we did a bride-and-groom shoot at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Christina & David were married on July 2, 2011; you can see the post for their wedding pictures HERE. These pictures were taken after their honeymoon when they were relaxed and in perfect peace. The following are some samples of the pictures I took.
This first picture was taken at the reflecting pond on a bright, sunny day. We got some great reflection in the water.

I joked with them about taking a swim in the pond. Nevertheless, they did take a “dip,” as shown in the picture below.

I like to shoot in shady areas. With all that sun the bride & groom need the shade to show their expressions.
With this shot I asked them to act naturally as they walk toward me. I think they did a great job of “acting”. That is not so easy to do with all kinds of people watching you, including Christina’s parents (who also attended the shoot).

The sprinkler fountain is one of several water scenes at Olbrich. This is a favorite for many people, as it has gorgeous colors in the background.
Christina and David are celebrating their new marriage.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Christina looks so angelic with the veil and beautiful smile.
In the background is one of several waterfalls in the park. Christina is standing beneath a footbridge, which provides some nice shade. I use a studio strobe to bring in soft light. The background is lit by the sun, while Christina is lit by my strobe.

Below is a thinly veiled kiss and an awful pun. But it is a beautiful picture.

I love to focus on flowers and have the bridal party–or in this case the bride and groom–out of focus in the background.

Another one of my favorite shots is to focus on the couple’s rings.

I took lots of shots while they were sitting on a bench. The flowers and other foliage are so beautiful that they can be distracting and become the focus instead of the couple.

This is an example of what you can get with great natural-looking light and close-up shots. Christina and David have great smiles.

I like how Christina has her elbow on David. She looks comfortable, and the image reflects how they are best friends and that they enjoy each other.

I was told that they wanted this picture because Christina’s grandmother and mother wore this veil (different from the veil in the other pictures). The picture is of Christina’s grandparents.

Welcome to James Studio, known for its artistic yet classic style, directing subjects to look their best without over posing them. Jim is passionate about capturing new and exciting looks that bring out the fun and joy already built into each subject or couple. It is Jim's job to help bring out the emotion and then capture the moment and the emotion it contains in vivid color.
James Studio shoots with some of the best camera equipment available. Really good cameras and lenses help a lot.
What distinguishes James Studio is Jim is not afraid to shoot something different, whether its a pose, an angle or lighting setup. He comes up with new ideas for great looks with every shoot. As you look around the James Studio site notice that the images are new and fresh with each subject.
With months, if not years in preparation and dreaming about your wedding day, when your special day comes it happens in a blur. There are so many good times, wonderful moments, and comments made; you wont be able to remember them all. James Studio also provides professional video services to creatively preserve the day. We will capture the day to allow you to re-live the precious moments again and again.
It is Jim's philosophy that whether it is a wedding, HS Senior shoot, or other portrait shoot, his aim is to make it a refreshing and positive experience for the client. Thus Jim is well organized and confident to provide advice and direction to keep everyone moving and on time so the wedding day or portrait shoot goes smoothly.
With the right blend of artistry, equipment, leadership and organization the shoot will be a day to remember with lots of fun along the way. One of the most common remarks Jims gets after an engagement shoot is, "that was really fun!" That is how we want you to feel every time your picture is taken.
What's more we want you to look great. Jim is a pro at touching up photographs so the subject is proud of their pictures. Jim will provide images to show on Facebook free of charge. As the person looks his or her best they are excited to show off their pictures and then get lots of glowing remarks.
Review this site and then call 233-5556 to schedule a portrait session or a time to meet with Jim regarding your wedding. James Studio is centrally located in Madison at 2611 University Ave. You can also contact James Studio by email by going HERE.
by James Bendewald
Not everyone is looking for the same products, services, style of photography, personality of photographer or even quality of pictures. But I would bet that the majority of people reading this article are looking for the "Biggest Bang for Their Buck" when it comes to their photography.
What customers look for?
The search for the right photographer can be a daunting task. To think that one could get the same quality of products and services from any photographer charging $2000 would certainly be naïve. Suppose a couple has determined that they have a $2,000 budget for a wedding photographer. A few of the items most couples consider when hiring a photographer are:
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Wedding
Candid & Detail Photos
We received our photo album and LOVE it! I love the shiny gloss and having everything completely put together for us is amazing! When I’ve shown it to people they love the book and have even said it makes them feel as though they are looking through one of those gorgeous wedding magazines because of all the beautiful photos. My mom says she loves looking through the photos because she can see the emotions on our faces and the photos actually show exactly how we were feeling that day. My favorite photos are definitely the action shots where people are not exactly posing but rather just “in the moment.” I also love how you and your assistance caught so many details, such as the birds on our wedding cake, and photos of my grandma’s cake topper (which we had displayed at the wedding). There are so many photos that will be wonderful decorations for our home forever, and will always remind us of that special day. Also some of the photos are beautiful gifts for our family and friends. Another thing I LOVE that you did is give us all of the photos on a disk. This allows us to choose our favorites at our own pace and have the freedom to do whatever we would like with them. Last, our slideshow was probably one of my favorite moments of the entire day, because we got to see the happiness of our families and the excitement when friends would see pictures of themselves. I thought your work was wonderful and everything I received from you and your team is absolutely beautiful and worth every penny. I love your assistants and our videos are fun to watch time and time again. — Gina
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