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Allison Marie Photography Blog by Allison Roen, Des Moines area wedding photographer bio picture

Welcome to my Blog!

I'm so excited that you have stopped by! I am a wedding & portrait photographer in the Des Moines, Iowa area.  If you are planning your wedding and searching for a photographer, simply send me a message in the contact section of this blog and I would love to get together with you to talk about your big day.

Leave me a comment on anything you like, agree with, have questions about, or things that resonate with you - I love hearing from you!

Enjoy!

-Allison

Booked Dates for 2010

If you are looking for a wedding photographer, I am currently booked on these 2010 dates:

May 8

June 5, 19, 26

July 10, 17, 24, 31

Aug 28

Sept 4

Oct 9


A Vintage Shoot

Get ready for an over-abundance of photos! I did a vintage photo shoot with my dear friend Kimberly and her friend, Alicia. Kimber loves anything vintage, so we thought it would be fun to incorporate some vintage themes in our shoot! She was given a sweet record player for Christmas, and recently bought a bright yellow schwinn bike! After the shoot, we told some people about how much fun we had, and learned that the term “vintage” is unfamiliar to some people. So I did a little research on dictionary.com to provide an accurate definition:

Vintage:  (noun or adjective)  -the class of a dated object with reference to era of production or use: a hat of last year’s vintage.

-representing the high quality of a past time: vintage cars; vintage movies.

-old-fashioned or obsolete: vintage jokes.

-being the best of its kind

I found it interesting that the first 5 definitions have to do with producing a crop of wine! I learned something new today!

Since I couldn’t narrow down the photos to just a few of my favorites, leave me a comment and let me know which one is your favorite! Also, leave a comment if you own a favorite vintage item!

Allison-Marie-Photography-Vingage-Albuquerque-Portraitsdsc_3316Allison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueI love the beautiful contrast of these two women!Allison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueKim’s suitcase may look like just a cool suitcase…but look what’s inside! How fun is that?! I learned that I love the sound of music from a record player!Allison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueCheck out this beautiful lady!dsc_3449Allison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueStunning.Allison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-AlbuquerqueAllison-Marie-Photography-Vintage-Albuquerque

So, which one is your favorite and why?!

What is your loved vintage possession?!

March 9, 2010 - 7:28 pm Kimber - I love them all and had SO much fun being photographed as well as shooting the few hott pics of you!!! One of my favorites is the one of you on the road with your elbow on the record player and I also really love the ones of Alicia and I on the my bike 'Jenny'! And since my bike and record player aren't truly vintage I would have to say my favorite vintage items are my records!!! Love them.

March 9, 2010 - 5:18 pm Stacy Frazer - Sorry can't pick...I love them all! Especially Kim sitting on the record player (when she is not smiling) and I love the pic of you sitting on the record player, and I love the pick of Clint and Leigh Ann, and....I LOVE THEM ALL!

March 9, 2010 - 10:23 am Leigh Ann - BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! I think one of my faves is when Kimber is walking away with the record player. So fun! And the close up of her and Alicia when you said look at the contrast of these two... So fun Allison!!!! :-)

March 9, 2010 - 9:01 am Cindy - How on earth do I pick a favorite??? Such a fantastic photo shoot, and how fun!! Seriously, beautiful beautiful pictures. My favorite vintage item would be our dining room table. It's beautiful, solid and such a family heirloom.

Getaway to the Land of Enchantment!

I have spent the past week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment! It has been an enchanting break from the snow, with sunny 60 degree days! Ah, refreshing! I will share more details of the trip once am back at home, but here are a couple sneak peak photos for now! I did two shoots; one was a fun vintage-style shoot with a couple friends and one a bridal shoot at a gorgeous winery. Here are a few of my favorites: dsc_3556webdsc_3570wdsc_3618web

Calling All Models!!

Or, more accurately - Calling All Couples Who Love Each Other and Enjoy Having Their Photo Taken!!

I am looking for young couples to model for me as I experiment with new techniques and locations, as well as create new images to be featured on my (shhhh, top secret! Don’t tell!) new website!! I prefer to have married couples so the wife can wear her wedding dress in the photos. Each couple I choose will receive a DVD of all their edited images for FREE after the shoot, and the wife will also be treated to complimentary make-up and hairstyle at a salon in preparation for the shoot! If you are not married but are interested in modeling for me, I am open to that as well.

If you know of any couples who might be interested, feel free to spread the word!

Email me me at allison@allison-mariephotography.com for more information.

A fun photo for the day as I begin packing my bags to head to one of my favorite places:

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Bella Babies

I am so thankful for a day to catch-up on work while the sun is streaming in through the windows! That’s a rare sight these days!

I want to share with you my favorite photos taken at the hospital with Bella Baby Photography this past month.  Looking back over the few months since I began this job, I had no idea how much creativity could really happen in a hospital room! I LOVE it when parents are eager to get in the photos; capturing the relationship between the parents and their new little baby is priceless! Enjoy these photos!

Read more about Bella on my blog here and here.

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dsc_2200dsc_2199dsc_2184dsc_2140dsc_2059dsc_2069This next one is so fun; the mom’s friend made her this really neat knitted bag to put the baby in! What a great baby accessory! =)dsc_2033dsc_1640dsc_1636dsc_1425dsc_1400bwHere is a sample of one of the popular birth announcements (names and info changed for protection of the baby):birth-announcementAnd the final image I’ll share with you is a WINNER! Each month, all Bella Baby Photographers enter one photo into a contest, and first and second place winners are chosen. I had the honor of winning first place for January with this beautiful photo! To see the write-up as well as past month winners, go to the Bella Baby Photography blog here.

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March 1, 2010 - 9:31 am jennifer marinangeli - simply beautiful - great work!

February 24, 2010 - 4:22 pm ashley - So beautiful, Allison!

Jackpot!

I hit the jackpot today! One thing I love is fresh fruit…especially in the winter. It’s like a little glimmer of summer in the midst of all this snow! This strawberry tasted better than ever; it was a jackpot find!dsc_1246Also, there will be some exciting changes and updates coming soon!! Here is a mini peek of one of the fun projects I’ve been working on. Any guesses?!

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February 16, 2010 - 6:18 pm ashley - oh, that looks delicious! I'm ready for some fresh produce that isn't an apple, orange, or banana!

#60…Check!

Number 60 on my 101 in 1001 goal list…Check! It was my goal to create some sort of art photo book with some of my favorite images from my year in Albuquerque, and it turned out to be a gorgeous 14×11in. book! It a book I will always treasure because it is filled with so many memories from the year. It has more than 70 photographs that depict the beauty of New Mexico, and each time I flip through this book, I am so thankful I had the opportunity to spend a year there. I am excited to announce to those of you in Albuquerque that I am heading your direction in less than a month! =)

If you have interest in purchasing this Art Book, email me at allison@allison-mariephotography.com and we can discuss the details.

allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100101allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100102allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100103A few of my favorite spreads:

allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100104allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100105allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100106allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100107allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100108allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100109allison-marie-photography-des-moines-photographer-albuquerque-art-book-101-in-100110

See more of Allison’s work at www.allison-mariephotography.com |  Friend Allison on Facebook |  Follow Allison on Twitter

February 12, 2010 - 6:21 pm ashley - What gorgeous color! Did you make the book through Blurb?

February 10, 2010 - 10:22 pm Britney Hudson - Wow this is so awesome!!!

Textures

I’ve been attending the Professional Photographers of Iowa Winter Convention all weekend, and it’s been incredible! I”ve taken more notes than I ever thought I could in only a few days, and have learned so many great ideas and inspiration! I will share more specific things after I go through my notes again, but for now I’ll show you what I’ve been playing around with tonight: textures. They are way fun..but they’re not really my style. I think I’ll always prefer the natural, classy and clean look!  But, these will be a really fun to add to senior photos & senior albums.

What do you think?

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See more of Allison’s work at www.allison-mariephotography.com |  Friend Allison on Facebook |  Follow Allison on Twitter

February 7, 2010 - 10:38 pm ashley - I think the textures are really interesting! Used sparingly they could make quite a statement. I love looking at your photos! I also live in Iowa and really enjoy seeing what you can do with the scenery. It's inspiring!

Sweet Spot

I received the sweetest email a couple weeks ago from a close friend who I lived with in college. I love how she described me as having found my “sweet spot.” After all those years of wondering what career would be a good fit for me, I am so grateful to have discovered it! It’s so funny to look back and think that when I was in high school, I thought for sure I was meant to be a high school English teacher…then I thought an art teacher…then a graphic designer…then a counselor…and I ended up with a degree in psychology and now I’m a professional photographer! Funny how life changes like that!

Here’s the email:

It has been a joy to walk with you a bit in your journey to launch your own photography business. It is encouraging and inspiring to see your work and to know that you have found a glimpse of God’s “sweet spot” for you. As I read your update on your new DVD packaging with all the details you’ve considered and the personal note you include, I was once again reminded how right you are for this job and how much the Lord is using you to touch lives. I hope that those of us who are not in that place yet will be diligent enough to find that “sweet spot” that God has created us for and have the courage to jump into the unknown opportunities that that “sweet spot” holds.

Thank you, dear friend, for speaking truth and encouragement into my life! I can’t wait to see what sort of “sweet spot” God has planned for you!!

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See more of Allison’s work at www.allison-mariephotography.com |  Friend Allison on Facebook |  Follow Allison on Twitter

February 25, 2010 - 9:48 am mindy myers - i love the idea that God has a sweet spot for us. i read this a couple of days ago and it keeps coming back to me. very dear. :)

Ben & Carissa

One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is that I get to hear the coolest stories about how couples met. Ben & Carissa have a very unique story: they met during boxing practice! They both went to Iowa State, and Ben was on the boxing team. Carissa went to practice with the group and introduced herself to Ben. Each week, she talked to him a little more, and Ben told me that after practice one week, as he pulled off his boxing gloves, he thought, “Ok, back to real life here…I think she likes me!” And the rest is history!

I thought long and hard about a location for their engagement session that would fit them as a couple. One of my friends had her wedding reception at the West End Architectural Salvage, and it ended up to be the perfect location for Carissa & Ben! Have you been to this place? It’s a new favorite of mine; this place is a treasure chest! It’s a 4-story brick building downtown Des Moines filled with all sorts of unique refurbished furniture and architectural findings. I could easily spend a few hours (and a few thousands) there in one afternoon! They’ve got a great coffee shop with a full menu of drinks and baked goods, and a large room for parties that holds well over 500 guests. Don, the owner, told me they have all sorts of parties there, from wedding receptions to birthday & Christmas parties. If you haven’t been there, go check it out!dsc_0015We began their session in my favorite room in the whole building: the room of mirrors! I’ve never seen so many eclectic mirrors! The photo opportunities here were endless. Here are a couple of my favorites:dsc_9759Carissa has incredible eyes! She’s so beautiful!untitled-1dsc_9766There’s something about these yellow chairs that draws me to them…not sure what…but I really like them!dsc_9769dsc_9787dsc_9835One challenge about being a photographer is that the sweetest/silliest moments happen right when I finish one shot and put my camera down. That’s when my second photographer at weddings comes in handy! I was able to capture some of their cute moments of silliness:untitled-2This was my first full indoor session this season, and I found lighting to be quite the challenge. It definitely stretched my thinking as a photographer, as I had to really hunt for flattering light. There were many times when I pictured exactly how I wanted a shot to turn out, but there was no way to create that kind of light with what was available to me. This was an extra push to invest in some quality off-camera lighting.

For this next image, I was searching for the best angle to place Ben & Carissa to capture the best light. It amazes me how shots at the exact same location, but taken from different angles, can be totally different. When I took this next image, I looked at the LCD on my camera, and didn’t love what I saw, so I didn’t take any more shots from this angle. But once I saw it on my computer, I wish I would have worked with this light a little more; I love the dramatic/romantic  feel that the window light from the side created here: dsc_9838This next image was taken in the same spot, I just moved so that my back was to the camera, which lit Ben & Carissa uniformly from the front. Certainly a beautiful quality of light, but not nearly as enticing as what was captured in the image above. dsc_9847dsc_9861Carissa does the best serious look of anyone I  know!dsc_9865The fourth floor of the building is filled with all sorts of headboards/posts/wooden doors. It is truly a treasure chests for the artsy types - endless creative possibilities here! I love all directional lines in this next image:dsc_9891dsc_9892bwBefore we wrapped up this part of the session, I just couldn’t resist getting one more shot with the mirrors! I absolutely love this eclectic,  green metal-framed mirror. The only thing that would make it better is if it were decorated in a big SOLD sign with my name on it! Ha! I would need a bigger home to house that gorgeous piece of art!dsc_9918For our last few photos, Ben & Carissa pulled out their boxing gear! Yea! It was fun to see them “in their element”, doing what they love to do! Carissa told me the story of the time they were practicing, and Ben hit her in the face…and what was his response? He laughed! Poor Carissa! I guess it must not’ve been too painful, as she still enjoys boxing with him! =)dsc_9939When we first started exploring the building, I quickly learned that Ben has a sweet spot for stained glass windows. I love the contrast of the boxing gear with Carissa’s incredible eyes and the beautiful stained glass behind her:dsc_9941dsc_9968The Architectural Salvage is complete with a t-shirt shop! I loved the light streaming in from the window here:dsc_9999dsc_9988Ben & Carissa, thanks for a fun afternoon! I can’t wait for your wedding; it’s going to be a great celebration!

And a special thank you to Don: Thank you for allowing us to take photos in your beautiful place! It was a joy to meet you and you can be sure to see me again soon! Who knows, maybe you’ll even see my name on one of those mirrors… =)

See more of Allison’s work at www.allison-mariephotography.com |  Friend Allison on Facebook |  Follow Allison on Twitter

February 5, 2010 - 4:27 pm Jen Hart - What a creative setting! I love the pictures!

February 2, 2010 - 10:53 pm Carrie Ostreko - How fun that they let you use that store! I wish!!! I would love an opportunity like that! very very fun and pretty couple! I love bald heads! haha

Ben & Carissa: Sneak Peak!

I got to spend this afternoon with this really great couple for their engagement session. We had a blast together and I can’t wait to tell you about it and show you more photos! Here is one of my favorites from the shoot:

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See more of Allison’s work at www.allison-mariephotography.com |  Friend Allison on Facebook |  Follow Allison on Twitter