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

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:

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!We 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:Carissa has incredible eyes! She’s so beautiful!There’s something about these yellow chairs that draws me to them…not sure what…but I really like them!One 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:This 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: This 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. Carissa does the best serious look of anyone I  know!The 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:Before 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!For 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! =)When 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:The Architectural Salvage is complete with a t-shirt shop! I loved the light streaming in from the window here:Ben & 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

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:

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

If you are planning a wedding that is more than 4-5 months out, save-the-date cards are a perfect way to announce your wedding plans to friends and family. They can either be ordered as 4×6 thick cards, or as magnets. Allison & Brandon ordered these cards, and I love how they turned out!

Posted by Allison Marie, Des Moines Iowa wedding and portrait photographer

This was the cooooldest engagement session I have done yet! Brrr! Brandon and Amanda are a super sweet couple, and I have the privilege of photographing their wedding next year. I love the winter-y look of their photos, and it sure was easy for them to get close to each other in front of the camera…they had to keep each other warm!  We began our session at the Garden Barn near Indianola. It is one of my favorite spots in the area. When I set foot into this gorgeous old barn, I cannot help but long to spend hours inside! It is shop  full of  unique rustic-style  garden and home decor with rich ambiance. I could spend a few thousand dollars there in a hurry! Next to the barn there is a large garden with all sorts of grasses, used to create neat decorative grass arrangements. If you haven’t been there, you should check it out, especially during this Christmas season!

I love this first one, as Brandon was whispering something sweet in Amanda’s ear!

This would be a great place for small weddings! So beautiful!

We wrapped up our session at Simpson College:

Posted by Allison Marie, Des Moines Iowa wedding and portrait photographer

Wow.

That’s all I could say after this shoot. Tom and Kenna are gorgeous people and we had such a fun time together! They both have a silly, yet sophisticated spunk for life that’s so contagious!Mmmm, scrumptious light in this one!Kenna’s unique ring was her grandmother’s. So special!Kenna is Gorgeous! She has the most perfect, porcelain skin ever!Another favorite!

I knew from the moment Brandon & Allison stepped into my studio for a wedding consultation that I would love working with them! Allison and I seem to have so much in common, which makes working with them so fun. They have known each other for many, many years, and have been dating the past 6 years!!! Wow! They have a crazy amount of joy being together; it’s obvious that they are a perfect fit for each other. Enjoy their photos!I love this - Allison cannot contain the love she has for her honey, as it’s written all over her face!Talk about a classy couple! Oh, and have I mentioned that they are TALL?!My fave:

I met Justin & Meghan  a couple months ago when they booked me for a wedding, and from the first few minutes of meeting them, I knew I would love working with them! They are an adorable couple, and they’re also so goofy together! Justin had the perfect plan of proposing to Meghan at Cordova Park at Lake Red Rock, but he learned too late that the park closes at 8pm…and they got there too late!  How sad! So we went to that spot to take their engagement photos, and it was INCREDIBLY beautiful! I had no idea such beauty existed in Iowa!

This first photo is my favorite from the shoot. It looks like this dip was rehearsed, but it was totally spontaneous!    

Another fave. This is one is so sweet, as if I just snuck up on a natural moment!

Meghan is so full of joy with Justin!

Justin & Meghan, I am so thrilled to get to know you and I can’t wait for your wedding next year!

Adam and Dayna are one of the sweetest couples I’ve worked with! I met them through some friends at Valley Church in Des Moines, and they are getting married on November 7th - coming right up! Dayna has a smile that is so contagious! Here are some of my favorites:

So sweet. I love these. Not a hard task for them to “get close” on this day as it was COLD!!

I love how they can’t seem to contain the joy of their love for each other!

Adam’s dog is Lincoln and Dayna’s dog is Artemus. They were so fun!

“Artemus, stike a pose!” This is where Adam proposed to Dayna! He made her a photo album that incorporated a poem he wrote her, and the poem ended with his proposal! How sweet is that?!

Adam & Dayna, you are a beautiful couple!

Meet Adam & Jen! They are a really sweet, down-to-earth  couple who have a love for the simple things of life. They value relationships over “things”, they love being outdoors,  and love riding Adam’s motorcycle together! I’m eager for their wedding in November!

Jen has such a full-of-life, contagious smile!