Boy oh boy did we have our hands full with the crew from Saturday! All I know is that Courtney and John’s bridal party had one mission and that was to party. Seriously, these guys brought it! Shoot, so did the parents! Anyway Saturday April 21st was a fun day for sure. We showed up at the Courtney’s parents home where, Jennifer McCarthy Norton of True Grace Makeup was on the scene. The music was LOUD and there was no doubt that Courtney was completed relaxed and ready to hop into her gown. Once dressed, Courtney was handed her stunning flowers from Fleurtacious Designs and we headed outside. Now it was time for a wedding and the church was filling with guests. Courtney then arrived in that monster limo and the music was still bumping! After they tied the knot we did some quick family photos in the church and made the mad dash to downtown Troy for our fun photos. We managed to dodge most of the rain although it did sprinkle a little bit. Did that stop Courtney and John? Nope! I love couples that just go for it! Once we wrapped up we all headed to the Franklin Plaza where DJ Jeffrey Scott was all types of amped up to begin playing his tunes. We also had the chance to work along side the film crew from Niki Rossi. It was a crazy fun day and I can’t thank Courtney and John enough for having us! These guys have been a pleasure all along to work with and I wish them nothing but the very best! Congrats!

Peace,
JP

I’ll set this blog off with one from their engagement session last fall.

April 21., 2012… it was fun trying to get this shot and not let the horse eat her shoes..

getting ready.

Love her amazing blue eyes..

Local wedding professional and Courtney’s bridesmaid, Erin Dewey helping our girl with the final details..

The ladies..

Something pretty from Fleurtacious Designs

Straight up stunning!

The church..

Dad and daughter on deck..

They’re married!

this image sums up the whole day for me. laughter.

See what we were working with? Haha!

The bridal party..

Something thru the lens of my 200mm 1.8L. yes please!

Troy, NY.

See the rain beginning to fall?

So we grabbed an umbrella. Or John did at least ;)

A little configuration I like..

My facebook teaser. I do love everything about this one right here!

When in Franklin Plaza one must grab an “alley shot” ;)

The Franklin Plaza ballroom..

First dance..

We’ll wrap it up with some Elario Photo Booth fun..

Head waiter, Dom.

A few ladies..

Cute.

This is just funny. Thanks so much again guys and congrats!!!

Ok lets keep this blog rolling here with Carolyn and Dan’s wedding! These guys were wedding 2 of 2 for us that weekend and in the beautiful Saratoga Springs is where we’d find ourselves yet again. In fact, of all the weddings we’re shooting this season, 27 of them will happen in Saratoga Springs and of those 27 weddings 13 are at Saratoga National Golf Club! Cray! More than half of our weddings are in Saratoga Springs, a brother should get a time share or something huh? I really love shooting in Saratoga though! Back to April 14, 2012. It was all familiar faces at this wedding from their coordinator, Katie O’ to my lovely and talented wife Kris Ann of Fleurtacious Designs. When I hear those two names I know two things. We’re going to run smoothly and on time and the decor is going to be stunning as well.

We set things off at the Gideon Putnam where the ladies we’re finishing getting “fabulous” by the ladies of Make Me Fabulous. We headed outdoors and the photos began! After the first look and all the formal family photos took place we headed to our ceremony location. On our way there we stopped off on the Avenue of the Pines for a couple shots. I love this location! Carolyn and Dan’s ceremony took place at the Dance Museum which is just one stunning little room. It’s a great location for a ceremony! Their ceremony was officiated by Jessica Rowell, of Carissa Ceremonies. If you’re looking for an officiant check her out. After they tied the knot we headed to Saratoga National Golf club (for the first of 13 times this season). DJ Music Man Mike Garrasi,was all setup and ready for this party. What a great guy! This was a fun wedding for sure and I enjoyed so much working with Carolyn and Dan. I wish you guys years of good health and happiness. Thanks for letting us capture your big day!

Peace,
JP

We’ll set it off with some details..

Love it when a bride wears her hair down!

Our bride, Carolyn. Lovin this gown..

Some Fleurtacious Designs for you!

The green was so awesome..

The fella’s in their blue suits complimented the ladies so well.. I do love the suit look!

A little slice of their first look..

The shadows are awesome here.

a different look in b&w.

He was smiling like that because behind me someone was behind me..

Their son, Hunter. How handsome is he with his green bow tie?

Love this..

A quick stop off at the most beautiful street in Saratoga. This was also was my facebook teaser but you knew that because we’re friends right?

Time to get married.

The ceremony space by, Fleurtacious Designs

I love dad’s expression here as they’re about to walk down the aisle.

This place is amazing. How cool would a candle lit ceremony be at like dusk? thats the photographer in me saying the back light can get a bit intense in here ;)

Mr & Mrs..

Before cocktail hour was over we snuck out in some carts to capture these..

So nice..

The Elario configuration.

Saratoga National…

Making an entrance..

the first dance..

Cheers!

I’ll end with this one.. congrats you two!

Good morning Elario blog readers, I hope you are ready for a fashionable day because I’m taking over today! Before I divide and conquer, let me re-introduce myself for those who don’t know me, my name is Tiffany Piñero, “Elario Bride” Class of June 2011, and New York City based fashion stylist and blogger. I am dropping by to dish some tips on how to be “photo shoot fresh” for the marathon day of shoots JP has ahead of him next weekend and for e-shoots in general. However, I scrolled through this arsenal of images, Elario clientele are not novices. These people bring their A-game, it’s impressive.

When it comes to portraits, you want your style to be as timeless as possible. Obviously JP is going to take care of making you look your best from his angle, and clearly his skills go beyond that. So, all you have to do is show up looking fabulous… here are a few handy notes, along with some great visuals to help you achieve that easily.

Feel confident, be yourself. This sounds like a given but it has to be said. Some of the best shots are when you let you hair loose and start spinning around in a field as if everyone on the Hoboken Pier isn’t watching, wink.

Follow the two C’s for success, which also has two c’s! Coordinate and Compliment. Prints can be tricky, but if you balance them with solids they can look effortless, like Melanie and Chris.

As far as coordinating and complimenting goes, it really doesn’t get much better than this! The girls dresses are so lively and Dania’s easy style in the middle is perfect symmetry.

Jeans are an everyday staple, perfect for e-shoots. Love the outerwear in this one and the neutral colors, gives off an air of sophistication.

Flouncy fabrics with a little bit of movement like jersey, chiffon and silk are great if you want to add an element of drama. The good kind. Mona’s drape-y sweater over her striped top is the perfect showcase for her beautiful bump.

This photo is amazingly stylish and Jamie’s look takes it to another level. Between its grand color and the movement in that fabric, the dress makes her personality come alive.

Establishing some sort of a color story can be challenging because you want to look natural and not too “matchy”. Playing with a family of colors like earthtones or neutrals can look really chic like this beautiful little family.

The soft, pastel-like tones in Jamie and Eamon’s photo work so well, especially in that butter light! I love the little extra “umph” the scarf gives to her look.

Meghan and Curtis had a great composition in this photo, but I really enjoyed the way the worked those blues. From navy to that bright baby blue, these colors look so fresh together and on them.

How amazing is this green on green?! Amazing. Love the mixing of the solid and the print in the same hue, and I love how Sonia’s look is so bold while Carlos’ is casual but not competitive.

Add in a hint of personality, or as my husband likes to call it, my pop of flair. “What pop of flair are you wearing today?” This photo style wise couldn’t be more true to our personality’s, George in a neatly ironed mellow yellow button down, and me with one of my favorite accessories, a flower in the hair and some fun and flirty oversized polkadots.

The flair is all over this picture for Stella, the cowgirl in training. Little pink western boots, hat and that touch of eyelet in the skirt, the personality is in all the little details.

If the dressed up route is the look you are going with, a solid colored, structured dress speaks volumes.There is a great quote for the ladies from designer Bill Blass “When in doubt wear red”. See what I mean, absolutely stunning, commanding attention.

I think Mr Blass would agree Purple also works well in this case….

And of course, the classic LBD, Little Black Dress! That neckline is just gorgeous on Jenny.

Let’s hear it for the boy. Not that Stacey doesn’t look amazing in her dress and {fabulous!} shoes, but I have to hand it to her man Matt, he had me at that perfect pocket square. As JP would say, he then “hit it out of the park” with his tan suit that was tailored to a T! Nice work.

Prepare for the worst, because those are the best photos. If the forecast looks like rain, have a coordinating, solid or vibrant umbrella on hand. That utilitarian prop can make a portrait so real, and so iconic in one fell swoop. This photo of Keather and Brad embodies all of that.

Another rainy day tip if you are working with kids, pull out the rain gear, their fun and fantastic wellies and have them splash in some puddles. I’ve done a couple catalogs with children and the best photos come from them having good old fashioned fun. Could it be any more exciting then your parents allowing you to walk in a lake in your stylish little outfits? That short tie is priceless.

Good old fashioned fun, pint-sized princess style! Tutus and oversized flowers, the amount of endless fun you can have with textures in a little girl’s shoot is adorable.

Boys can have a little fun with textures too! This herringbone vest is classic, but I think my favorite texture on this little guy is by far, those curls!

I will leave you with my two most valuable tips. To put it bluntly it’s not magic, it’s professional. I’m talking about having flawless hair and makeup for photos.(And this tip is obviously for the guys) I work on photo shoots all the time and there is always, a photographer, wardrobe stylist and hair and makeup professionals. If one of these people are missing, the show can’t really go on. In my own engagement photos I had my hair blown out professionally before hand and it was the best money ever spent. Hair can be unruly so having someone professionally tame it before hand is a good idea and a real stress reliever.

And my final tip, something straight from the style trenches…When working on location for shoots I have to bring a style kit, it is a basically a briefcase to cure anything tangible that can ruin a photo op. Kind of like the tool belts you see wedding planners sporting. I won’t list my whole kit because it’s extreme and varies per shoot, but these are a few that I feel you’d be happy to have on hand to avoid any camera ready casualties:
-Lint roller
-Tide on the go stick
-Safety pins
-Bobbi pins
-Hair ties
-Hairspray
-Static Guard -Hand mirror
-Mini- comb

Okay, I feel like I’ve successfully equipped you with more than enough info to have you looking like the next celebrity couple or family.
Hope you found these tips and tricks helpful. I can’t wait to see the next crop of stylish Elario E-shoots!

Ciao!
Tiffany

My friends, the season is officially underway! Thats right! It’s time for non stop weddings from now till mid November (then one more in December). I’m super excited to share this one because Meghan and Curtis are just great people, plus its at my favorite wedding venue! The day couldn’t have been more perfect, the weather was all you could ever ask for. We set things off right in Saratoga. Meghan’s bridal suite was full of energetic bridesmaids and the Jay Z pandora station. What more could I ask for? Once everyone was dressed we headed to our home base for the day, Congress Park. This couple opted for a first look which is so important when your wedding is all at one venue. Then it was ceremony time and the room looked fantastic. The decor for this one was provided by Surroundings Floral Studio. After they tied the knot the light got softer outside and we went out and did our thang! The ballroom filled up and it was officially party time! DJ Nate, from Conway Entertainment did his thing and our girl Hayden was non stop at the Elario Photo Booth. I must say this was a great one to set off the season with. I can’t thank Meghan, Curtis, their family and friends enough! We’re honored to have been part of your day! Congrats to you both!

Peace
JP

You probably remember their engagement session right?

The rings…

A little help from her sisters..

Meghan has some incredible eyes which is why I picked this image..

Something blue..

Each girl had a different bouquet. I particularly liked these 3..

Always laughing it up..

Our beautiful bride, Meghan.

The fellas.

A little first look series… I love how excited they were.

This one’s fun!

If you’re familiar with their engagement session you might remember their bridal party gave that to them as a gift. Not only that but they also paid for a chunk of this couples photography which I think is awesome and amazing. Such great friends!

After that we wondered around the park.

Ah the color in this is beautiful.

an easy favorite right here.

Only fitting since we’re in the Casino on the 13th.

Gotta love the sideways setup ;)

Mr & Mrs..

The light outside after the ceremony was just perfect.

my favorite time of day..

I’ve shot at this venue for years however I’ve never seen this vantage point. So glad I found it because I love everything about this image which is why it was my facebook teaser.

You might be looking at this Elario configuration and wondering where Meghan’s wedding ring is.. They were too. It did make it into Congress Park, just not to their ceremony…

No worries because it was found by a guest. It was on the floor in the room this image was taken in. I’m not sure how it got lost but thank God it was found. Let this be a lesson to the person in charge of wedding rings for all weddings. Not sure if they were loose in the best mans pocket but those tuxes always have holes. I suggest keeping in the box or a jewelry pouch. Again, I don’t know how it was lost but the important thing is it was found!

How fun are these?

The ballroom at the Canfield Casino.

From the second they entered the room it was party time..

Then everyone cleared a circle and this couple had their official “first dance”.

The Elario Photo Booth was in full swing!

Hopefully someday we’ll see Josh and Jenny on this blog again. (no pressure, Josh)

Speaking of people we’ve seen on this blog. Remember them? They also stared in my bio video.

Pretty ladies..

Congrats to you guys!!