Braun Photography

Rachel + Mark :: Columbus Wedding Photography

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:03:49 -0400

Sometimes things just work out perfectly. Rain was in the forecast for Rachel and Mark’s wedding, and that can always throw everyone into a little bit of a panic. And it did rain. But miraculously only when we weren’t doing photos. The overcast skies gave us some great light, and we managed to get all of the photos we needed without getting too wet. God rarely works on our schedule, but He was gracious enough to give us some windows throughout the day.

It helps that Rachel and Mark are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and they’re comfortable in front of a camera (thanks in part to shooting their engagement session last fall). Their bridal party was hilarious, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day (well, besides some sun).

Make sure you check out Rachel’s little surprise for Mark… those shiny white cowboy boots!

P.S. How do you like the new larger blog photos?

Ceremony: Linworth Methodist Church

Reception: The Conference Center at Northpointe

Aimee + Ryan :: Dayton Wedding Photography

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:41:00 -0400

Let’s be real here. Cameron is a shoe nut. A sneaker freak. A man that loves shoes. I know, I know. (I can say, I still have way more shoes than him!) Now Converse Chuck Taylors are actually not our favorite shoes. Sure, we both own a pair, but I’d much rather wear my flip-flops, and Cameron has a mild obsession with Vans right now. BUT, I think Chucks might just be the greatest wedding shoe ever.

Ryan and his guys were kitted out with Chucks, and Ryan totally pulled off the all white.

And then there’s the pink Cadillac. If shoes aren’t a bit of an obsession for Cameron, cars most definitely are. Aimee mentioned that they’d be having a pink Caddy convertible a few weeks before the wedding, and from that moment we started brainstorming how we could use it for some great photos.

We have to give a big thanks to the bridal party for being very cooperative all day. We pushed the limits of our time, but everyone was very pleasant and you guys were all so fun to work with!

-Mindy

Cherilyn + Ben :: Cincinnati Wedding Photography

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:27:30 -0400

Downtown Cincinnati. Need I say more?

Cherie and Ben had a fantastic idea. They drove around downtown and mapped out a “photo adventure” for their wedding day. They picked some of their favorite spots around the city and came up with a plan ahead of time. It worked out great (as you would expect), and we were able to shoot in some really unique locations with a wide variety of textures and colors.

We love it when couples are excited about their photos! One of the most important services your photographer can offer is the ability to help you plan your wedding day schedule. That’s why we take time to work together with our couples to make sure their ideas and our expertise mesh. It not only helps things flow smoothly, but it lowers your stress level and allows us to take the great photos that you expect!

Oh, and we’d be silly if we didn’t mention her amazing CHEESECAKE wedding cake. Umm… delicious.

Donna + Chris :: Dayton Wedding Photography

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:27:00 -0400

Some of you may remember Donna and Chris from back this spring when we shot their engagement photos. We got a huge compliment from Chris’s aunt who asked Donna, “Where did you find such awesome photographers? They captured your personalities perfectly!” I think it’s a testament to the fact that we work hard to build real relationships with our clients. It’s so important to us to work with people that we would otherwise call our friends. The chemistry between you and your photographer is extremely important, and even more so on your wedding day!

Now I can say with absolute certainty, I have NEVER seen what’s in these next two photos. These are from the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.

That’s right. Belly dancers. Dayton is full of surprises, and the Oregon District is no exception. They held their rehearsal dinner at the Boulevard Haus, and outside there were some guys drumming and these ladies showed up. Obviously Chris’s brothers (a.k.a. groomsmen) had to get them in to show him a good time. Needless to say Chris was a little embarrased, but Donna was eating it up!

Their wedding was downtown at Holy Angels church. Chris’s groomsmen consisted of his brothers and Paul Rudd. No seriously, look at that guy! (Okay, the only non-brother was his cousin Joe, but he could’ve passed for Paul Rudd on the red carpet.) The reception was at the Hilton Garden Inn in Beavercreek. Make sure you check out Donna in her purple Chuck Taylors!

In between Mindy and I followed the group around as they went bar hopping through the Oregon District. We really had fun just enjoying our time with the bridal party. It was laid back, and everyone just had a great time. Every wedding has something unique, but shooting real photos of people spending time together is definitely one of our favorites so far.

Their custom tux shirts read, “If everyone liked the same thing, they’d all be after my woman.” It was a quote from their grandfather. You could tell both sides of this wedding were really tight. We’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of great families, but these families are some of the best we’ve met!

Emily + Bob :: Dayton Wedding Photography

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:47:21 -0400

I met Emily last year when I sat down with her and her mom to show them some of our albums. I’ve been looking forward to their wedding since then, because you could tell they were both so excited. They had plans in place, they had a great venue, and they were pumped about our photos.

Emily has a very simple, classic elegance about her. Beautiful without being over the top. I mean come on, just look at that portrait on the porch. Stunning. She’s the perfect match for Bob too. He’s simply one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and when I met up with him in the morning he was finishing polishing his truck and applying some tire-shine. My kinda guy.

Their wedding was at the beautiful Patterson Homestead, with a reception following at the Schindler Banquet Center in Xenia. I don’t know if you can tell, but this was our first outdoor wedding with rain. It was amazing how things worked out though, it didn’t rain while we were doing any of the photos before or after, but only during the ceremony. Everyone in the bridal party were real troopers, and you could tell the rain didn’t get anyone down. It was such a joyous day, you could just see it in everyone’s eyes.

We also had the amazing privilege of having our friend Katie assist us during this wedding. She was a huge help, so much fun to work with, and as it turns out I really enjoy teaching people. A few of these shots are hers (I’m curious if you can pick them out?)

Clare + Geoff :: Columbus Wedding Photography

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:29:59 -0400

Feeling short on words and short on time today, so I’ll keep this brief. Last weekend we had the joy of spending Saturday with Clare and Geoff in Columbus. The ceremony was held at a little old catholic church in Victorian Village, and the reception was at the Ohio State University Faculty Club. Enjoy!

Lauren + Rob :: Indianapolis Wedding Photography

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:21:01 -0400

Here’s a little preview of wedding numero deuce from the craziest weekend we’ve ever had. Anderson, Indiana is 6 hours driving time from Cleveland. Not too bad unless you consider that it would be nice to sleep a little too :)

I met Lauren and Rob last year, and we pretty much hit it off right away. I mean come on, Rob’s from St. Louis and he showed up to our meeting in a Cardinals hat. You could say he had me before hello. I can’t say I’ve ever met another Cards fan I didn’t like, and these two were no exception. Then Lauren told me she got her dress on Etsy,and that they were planning on hand making a lot of the wedding decorations. A match made in heaven!

Their wedding was on the campus of Anderson University, followed by a reception down town at the Center for the Arts, which is an old restored library with some pretty rad architecture. They also had the best wedding meal ever… A TACO BAR. Followed by individual homemade cakes at each table. Both genius and delicious!

These are their programs, which doubled as fans since the wedding was outside, and tripled as entertainment for the guests while they were waiting. One side has a crossword puzzle and the other side a mad-lib. Very clever.

Check out that ceiling!

Sarah + Joe :: Cleveland Wedding Photography

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:40:00 -0400

Last weekend was kind of our weekend from hades. We booked a wedding in Cleveland on Friday, and a wedding Indianapolis on Saturday. Whoops. {BRAIN FAIL}

Lucky for us, both weddings were great, so other than the insane amount of driving and serious lack of sleep, the weekend definitely didn’t suck. We got to spend Friday up on Lake Erie with our fiends Sarah and Joe and Saturday with Lauren and Rob.

Please enjoy a sample of Sarah + Joe’s wedding and stay tuned for part 2 of our crazy weekend later this week!

(Check out Sarah + Joe’s Engagement Session too!)

Brittany + Kipp :: Ohio Wedding Photography

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:44:33 -0400

Wow. What can I say about Brittany and Kipp’s wedding? It was glamorous, emotional, and bright. Brittany is stunning. Kipp just might be the white version of the Old Spice guy. And they had the killer idea to go to Kingwood Center for photos, which is one of the most beautiful places this side of the Mississippi.

We had the privilage of shooting their engagement photos last fall, and you can just see how much they’ve grown more in love since then. I gotta give a shout out to Mindy’s mom, who works with Kipp and put us in contact. Thanks Dolly!

On a personal note, I really feel like Mindy and I are hitting our stride as professional wedding photographers, and as a team. This was our twentieth wedding since we started our business. We’ve always been confident in our work and do the best job that we can, but these last few weddings have just felt different. We can move slower and still get all of the images we need, and as a result spend more time on each photo making sure it’s perfect. We see locations differently, we use light better. I know we will continue to learn and grow and become better photographers. But for the first time, I feel like we’re really starting to nail it. And it’s exciting.

Thanks for reading, please leave us some comments so we know who’s visiting!

This is probably my favorite photo I’ve ever taken:

The Perlows :: Dayton Anytime Session

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:24:00 -0400

David and Shannon are the masterminds behind Locke Innovations. We met them about 4 years ago during a consultation for our own wedding. They photographed our wedding back in 2006, and we’ve managed to keep in touch since then. They were an integral part of helping us form our business early last year, and they’ve continued to be a great support for us.

So needless to say, it was pretty cool when they asked us to take some portraits of them for their new website. We spent an evening in Yellow Springs talking, posing, experimenting, and just hanging out.

This first shot is pretty unique for us. It’s the first real successful attempt at “free lensing,” which creates the unique effect you see. I’m pretty excited to try this more often in the future!

Julie + Haddon :: Chicago Wedding Photography

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:35:00 -0400

Okay… maybe Chicago is a bit of a stretch. We had the privilage of photographing Julie and Haddon’s wedding at the County Line Orchard in Valparaiso, Indiana. It’s about an hour outside of the city. Close enough for me :)

Julie is a friend of ours from Cedarville, Haddon went there too, but we’d actually not met him while we were there. Knowing Julie, we had some pretty high expectations. When Julie got to college, she predicted, “I’m not going to find a husband while I’m here.” Apparently Haddon had other plans. And I can say with certainty, Haddon exceeded our expectations.

They’re one of the couples that people just gravitate to. Mindy and I were driving back to our hotel room and both realized that we were sad the wedding was over, just because we didn’t feel like we were finished hanging out. The bridal party was excellent, the family was easy going. Overall, just one of the best weddings we’ve been a part of.

In his toast, Matt (the best man) described the couple best, “You can tell a lot about the character of a person by the company they keep.” Truer words were never spoken.

Basics of Digital SLR Photography Class

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:43:30 -0400

Braun Photography is excited to offer an afternoon class on the Basics of Digital SLR Photography! This a class for beginners covering things like exposure, aperture, and shutter speed as well as simple concepts like focal length and depth of field. We will have a time of teaching followed by a hands-on shoot where you’ll have the opportunity to use your cameras to photograph real-world subjects. We’ll help you understand what the camera is doing and how to take control to capture the photos you want.

This is a basic level class designed for people interested in photography such as students and parents covering the essential functions of modern DSLR cameras in way that’s easy to understand.

The class will be held at our house here in Dayton, and the hands-on shooting will take place a short drive away in downtown.

The class has a fee of $150 per person.

You must bring along your own DSLR camera and at least one lens. Make and model don’t matter at all. If you happen to own a Canon camera, we will have our selection of various lenses available for you to use and try. If not, we’ll help you learn to use whatever you already own.

For more information, and to sign up, click on the image below!

Aimee + Jordan :: Columbus Wedding Photography

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:11:11 -0400

Aimee and I have known each other since birth. Our parents have been good friends forever and her grandparents are the ones that introduced my parents. For as long as I can remember Aimee has been in my life. We have had some great times together!

When Aimee announced she was marrying her high school sweatheart, Jordan, I knew I wanted to be the one to photograph their wedding. Lucky for me, Aimee wanted us just as much.

The wedding was in our home town of Marion, which is just north of Columbus. It was such an amazing wedding. Aimee was looking fabulous, the bridal party were rockstars and the weather was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day!

Congrats to you both! Thank you for letting us capture your day, we can’t wait to show you the rest of the photos!

-Mindy

The Harrs :: Dayton Family Photography

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:48:27 -0400

Laura’s a blogging mom. Rob works at the amazing design studio known as Forge. They have a son names Chris, and we just found out their expecting a second! We wanted to say congratulations an show off a few of the photos from their recent family session. We had a blast following them around Island Metropark on an overcast afternoon filled with geese (and their poop!), bridges, playgrounds and water fountains. Enjoy!

Jared + Julia :: Dayton Anytime Session

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:23:43 -0400

Jared and Julia are good friends of ours from our house church. We did a “going away” photoshoot for them a few weeks before they moved out of Ohio. Jared is on his way to the Northwest for duty in the United States Army. Julia is headed to the Northeast to finish school at Smith. We love them and we’re going to miss them, but we’re happy for this next step in their lives. And as always, I’m very proud to call a serviceman my friend.

Summer Madness & Now Booking for 2011

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:21:00 -0400

The heart of wedding season is upon us. This weekend we’ll be in Marion, Ohio spending the day with Aimee and Jordan, and we’re booked solid for the rest of the summer. We’re excited to spend time in Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Paducah, Kentucky this year. We’re looking forward to the madness ahead.

We’ve started booking for 2011! If you’re engaged and thinking about looking for vendors, consider booking your photographer as soon as possible. Dates will fill up, so don’t wait too long!

We also have a few dates remaining in October, November and early December if you’re still looking. Hit us up for more information!

I leave you with a little sample of our travels ahead this summer. Nuts.

Emily + Joe :: St. Louis Wedding Photography

Fri, 28 May 2010 17:26:00 -0400

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a great city, and I’m still a hardcore Cardinals fan. When Emily called me and asked if I’d be willing to shoot her wedding, I was honored! You see, Emily is the little sister of one of my very best friends (and one of my groomsmen) David. Our families are incredibly close, and I imagine we would have been guests at the wedding had we not been the photographers.

The wedding was at the b-e-a-utiful Botanical Gardens on one of the most perfect spring days you could ask for. It was a late morning wedding (which was something new for us), with a lunch reception at the Randall Gallery. Emily has grown up into a beautiful woman, and Joe is a really lucky guy and has also gained a really wonderful set of in-laws!

It was nice to see old friends, and it was a pleasure having my sister help us out with some detail photos and my mom help us with coordinating. Thanks to both of you!

Erin + Deken :: Dayton Wedding Photography

Mon, 24 May 2010 23:21:00 -0400

Erin and Deken were married right here in sunny Dayton, Ohio. Beavercreek to be precise, which was wonderful because it’s only a few miles away. The weather was perfect, and it was so wonderful to drive 10 minutes and come home to our couch when the reception was over. Local weddings FTW!

The thing that struck us the most about their wedding was the incredible focus on God and his role in marriage. Deken and Erin each wrote their own vows, and the love and respect was tangible. They each spoke of their acute sense that God had brought them together for a reason. They are such a great couple, and we are so excited to see that they’ve put Christ at the center of this new marriage. We’re looking forward to seeing how God blesses them!

Missy + Jason :: Cincinnati Wedding Photography

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:49:00 -0400

Missy and Jason were married on April 24 at the Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio. The week leading up to the wedding was a nail biter, they were calling for thunderstorms Friday evening and all day Saturday. We had planned on taking pictures before the ceremony, outside and around the beautiful golf course.

Lucky for us, we live in Ohio, where not only is the weather unpredictable, but the weathermen…well, they’re kinda terrible. The rain held off until after the ceremony started, and we were indoors the rest of the evening. It worked out brilliantly!

Congratulations to Missy and Jason!

Crystal + Nathan :: Videography

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:11:33 -0400

In December we had the honor of shooting Crystal & Nate’s wedding here in Dayton. During the planning, Crystal asked me if we had any suggestions for videographers. Since we didn’t know any at the time, we enlisted Facebook to help us find a good fit. A friend recommended that we check out Timeless Pictures, the company run by Brett and Drew Varvel.

This is the video they put together for Crystal and Nate. If you ask me, it’s just stunning.

For those of you planning your wedding, these guys are who you need to talk to if you want video. They were great to work with, extremely professional, and they push the limits of how “cinematic” a wedding video can be. We would love to have the opportunity to work with them again!

Nate+Crystal from Brett Varvel on Vimeo.