Please allow me to introduce you to Allison Prenger, editor and creative mind behind The Style Pundit.

(thee) (stahyl) (puhn-dit): noun. One who is an expert and commentator on a quality of imagination, individuality and style.

Allison, based out of Atlanta, has held nearly every position in the fashion industry. She has worked in New York for powerhouses such as Tory Burch and Giorgio Armani, but has also helped start up widely followed blogs- VenzEdits and Sweet Lemon Mag. From PR, to marketing, to social media maven, this girl has done it all!

After years of styling women and men, helping others start their blogs, and perfecting her own personal style, Allison decided to launch her personal style blog in December of 2011. Her visions are simple and clean, but always have a playful edge or something unexpected.

Her fashion rules are as follows:

1. Never wear anything once.

2. Just because it is in the magazines doesn’t mean that you should wear it.

3. Fit can make or break a look.

4. Staples build a closet, and trendy additions are enhancers and the proverbial cherry on top.

5. Never dress for anyone but yourself.

6. The older the better.

7. Frequently “steal” pieces from your boyfriend’s closet.

8. Do not take getting dressed too seriously.

9. Style comes in all forms, shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.

10. Develop your own style.

Allison wanted her first shoot with me to be based around her top trends to keep for 2012. From leopard, to bright colors, to menswear inspired items- Allison has it covered.

That being said, Allison’s purpose for this series of looks, (over the next few weeks) are to build your wardrobe, while staying trendy, frugal, fashion forward, and unique.

For more information about setting up your fashion shoot, please contact me at karen@nickelweddings.com or call @ 678.773.2562. If you would like more information about Allison or The Style Pundit please email thestylepundit@gmail.com or check out her website at the style pundit.

You’ve chosen your wedding date, you found the guy, and you’re looking for the best wedding photographer in the world. So, you stumble on our site and say ” These kick-ass photographers are the bomb!” It happens all the time. No you’re not alone and no you don’t need a support group.

We’re available (hopefully!) and now, we can put a quote and contract together for you to look at online. Along with your electronic signatures and quote approval, you pay a retainer payment equal to half of the total quoted. After receipt of your check or online payment, you are officially booked! The next step is to set a date for your engagement shoot.

Best dang wedding photographs

For Nickel Weddings, most of our couples chose to see each other before the wedding ceremony, which in my opinion is the best way to go. Let me tell you why: Seeing each other before the wedding allows us to the time to get those vogue-chic-posh shots you’ve been drooling over. The more time you give us the more amazing your wedding photos will be.

The key we have learned is dedicated time =  the most amazing and artistic images this side of Jupiter. If the couple is rushed between the wedding and the reception they don’t have the time to relax and just be.

Wedding photograph realism

All brides and grooms need to be prepared to set time aside for those kick-ass photos. More times than not, things get moved around a little on the day of the wedding so a big buffer slot gives you wiggle room. Sometimes getting dressed takes a bit longer or Aunt Mabel is running late,  the best man left the rings 15 miles away, etc.

If you are ready for these shifts, than you will be fine. Going with the flow of things, makes for a much smoother day, and the more relaxed the couple the better the shots.

Typical wedding photo schedule:

Pre-ceremony and wedding ceremony shots are the MOST important images of the day

1) Make sure you have looked over the ‘wedding day outline’ so you are aware of what time you need to be ready for pictures.

2) Have all your details (rings, shoes, dress, any sentimental items you would like photographed) ready in one area,  so when your photographers arrive, they can get started. It may be several hours before the ceremony. Detail shots typically take 1 hour.

3) Get your wedding dress on! Be sure to allow at least 30-45 minutes for this,  just in case you need to reapply your lipstick/gloss or do any last minute preparations. If you have asked the photographers to join you for make-up and hair, that would most likely happen prior to the detail shots. At this time, the second photographer can go get a few shots of the guys getting ready, as well.

4) The most exciting part of the day for ‘the photographers’ (me) is the first meeting of the bride and groom….the couples session!!! This will last between 1 to 2 hours.

5) Next is the ‘wedding party shots’. Usually lasting an hour or so. If the bride and groom have chosen to get family pictures done prior to the wedding, this is the time to do it (30 minutes or so). Let your bridal party and family members know IN ADVANCE that formal pictures will be taken immediately after the ceremony, if it is not done before.

6) Now it’s time for the bride and groom to go freshen up, 30-45 minutes before the wedding ceremony. This is to make sure NO one sees the couple before the wedding. During this time one photographer will get detail shots of the ceremony area and the other will stay with the bride.

7) The wedding ceremony…time to get hitched!!!!

Directly after the ceremony the bride, groom, and family will meet at a previously chosen location for family pictures (30-45 minutes if not taken before the ceremony). At this time, usually there is a cocktail hour or something to keep your guests happy.

9) Party Time!!!! That’s right The bride and the groom are announced as Mr. and Mrs.

10) Dinner. Please feed your photographers! We’re working hard out here.  Cake cutting (a time I look forward to too, I love cake ), first ‘bride and groom’ dance, father daughter dance, mother son dance, open dance floor for a time, personal toasts, and the finally…the bride and groom exit off to their honeymoon, or at least a hotel

So that’s a wedding day, from beginning to end. If you have more questions, please make sure to ask your photographers or if you want to talk to me…give me a call, I’d love to talk with you.

I want to be your wedding photographer and have future brides gasp “I want to be her!!”

Here’s a sneak peek of another one of my amazing couples, Josh and Lee Anne. You would never know it by looking at their images, but these two were not very fond of being the center of attention and having two photographers follow them around all day. We took our time, allowing Josh and Lee Anne  to relax and enjoy each other, while we captured their beautiful day. I hope you are mumbling to yourself, “these images are off the hook!”

Things are starting to pick up this week… I’ve been enjoying my free weekends lately; hanging out with my family, doing some rock climbing, having bbqs before fall arrives. This weekend I’m off to The Atlanta Bridal Show, and next weekend starts another round of weddings! Yay! I’m looking forward to the fall colors and the cool days… and, of course, sweaters. What is it about sweaters anyways? All I know is that I look forward to wearing them!  Anyways, today’s pictures were already featured on the blog last week, but, I wanted to show you the final artistic product. Matt added textures to them, and I think they look amazing. Here are the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos!

How To Add Textures To Your Own Photos

A great way to add more depth and interest on an image you take is applying textures to the photo.  Karen Nickel Photography uses this texture technique on many of our photos. You’ve probably seen it on images we’ve posted on our blog and wondered how we created that effect.

Since we love sharing how we do things and offering tips as often as possible, we thought we’d focus on how you can add great effects to your own images.

Note that our editing is done within Adobe Photoshop, but don’t be intimidated. What’s great about this technique is it only has a few steps. We’ll show several examples, and example 2 has only one step!

So if you have a few minutes and have been interested in how we create our textured images, run through these samples and see what you think!

We have attached 10 FREE textures for you to try out on your own. Simply click on the links below, download the files and use them to add texture to any of your images. We love hearing your feedback.

[download id="1"]                            [download id="2"]                             [download id="3"]

Applying Textures on Photos

(all photo editing done in Photoshop CS4)

Example One Above:

1. First step would be warming up your image, giving it more of a ‘vintage/70s’ color to the overall image. An easy way to apply a soft warm color would be to make a layer over your original image and filling it will orange. Make the orange layer mode “screen” and bring down the opacity till it’s to your liking.

2. Place a texture image in your image photoshop file. Make sure your texture image is the top layer. For my sample image, I made my texture layer mode “hard light” giving the texture a rich contrasting effect over the original image.

3. The last touch to my image is simply taking the burn tool and brushing it over the edges of the image. I brushed the burn tool on the texture layer and also the original/background image as well.

Next example of photo textures

Example Two Above:

1. Once your image is open in photoshop, simply place the texture (brown_paper.psd) over top of the original/background image.

2. Change the layer mode of the textures to “vivid light.”

Last Example of photo textures

Example Three Above:

1. Again, I would warm up the image some. And also lighten it up, since the effect wanted is an airy feel to the overall image.

2. Place your texture over top, use the layer mode “overlay” to give it a light effect

3. Final touch would be to make sure the faces of the couple do not have any distracting textures on their skin. If so, simply use the mask tool and brush out the texture from their faces and arms. But keep in mind you want to it look natural so use a soft edge brush and turn the opacity down so it’s not so noticeable you are taking the texture away from an area.

Example Four Above:

1. Turn your original image into a black and white photo. If you want, make the contrast a little more rich so the image pops some.

2. Place the texture (Beach_Sand.psd) Over the origianl/background image and turn your texture layer mode to “screen.” Turn the opacity down a little until it’s to your liking.

Christmas photo cards

Christmas photo cards

Every year we team up with this great company, Carta Bella, and offer our family photo session paired up with Carta Bella’s holiday cards.

At Karen Nickel Photography, we understand the importance of sharing your warmest greetings and biggest occasions in a unique and truly personalized way. That’s why we pair our top designs with your favorite pictures to create photo cards that are filled with your style and personality. Carta Bellas photo cards are sure to impress your friends and family. And to top it off, we’ve made the style and quality of our photo cards affordable.  Christmas is just around the corner.

Fresh, affordable, and uniquely you. Why compare apples and oranges, when you can have a Pear?

Call to get pricing for your Christmas photo cards.

Atlanta Senior Portrait Session

Creative Senior Portrait Session

School is in full swing and so are Senior Portrait Sessions. Since a lot of Seniors come to us asking how to prepare for their session, we thought it would be helpful to guide you on how to get ready for your unique shoot.

First is finding the location that suits you best. We love new places and are willing to travel to fun areas, cool sceneries, and are thrilled to find places that truly reflect your personality. Whether it’s the urban feel your going for or a beautiful country scene, we have you covered.

Second is wardrobe. Wear what YOU like. It needs to be clothes that make you feel good. Remember, these are your senior photos, when looking back years later it will mean more to you in the photos that you have your lucky hat or your favorite jeans.

Wear something that holds great memories like the worn-in Converse kicks you sported everyday in high school. Of course we like changing things up too. So bring another outfit or two that expresses your style.

Lastly: bring a personal piece that means something to you. Is it that old Polaroid camera that you carried around all the time taking photos of your friends? Or maybe it’s that funky chair in your room that you love to sit in while you chat on the phone.

Hey, want to go crazy? That family piano where you learned all those school recitals lug it out into a beautiful field. Why not? You’ll only graduate from high school one time and the pictures should take you right back to that time in your life.

Remember that this personal piece is to add to your photos and give them a sense of uniqueness that only you can bring to the photo session. The more real and authentic you are, the more in love with these photos you’ll be.

Fall in love with your senior portrait

Let us help you fall in love with your senior photos. Stand out from the crowd and show who you really are to the world. We’re excited to get started…

Give us a call to get your senior Portrait session scheduled today.

Atlanta wedding photographers holding a picture

Not long ago, I met photographer Jesh de Rox in Santa Barbara California and he had a philosophy I admired. His philosophy was that creative artists (photographers, poets, painters, musicians, est..) should do and share life together. The more he invested and mingled with these other artists the better he was as an individual and as an artist.

He was always helping out with artwork for singers, he had a houseful of photographers that worked with him, poets gave him words for his website and the circle went round and round.

Atlanta wedding photographers I have met are talented artists all of whom keep their cards close to their chest. This reminds me of kids fighting over a sliver of pie. Jesh’s theory would equate to those crazy kids running amuck giving their pie away…

Is this revolutionary, crazy or brilliant?

I thought it sounded brilliant–but then I thought about my own chosen field of wedding photography and how this theory would apply. Should I just start sharing ideas, shooting locations, or information about my vendors to every Tom, Dick and Harry? Perhaps…but the interaction and investment would be missing.

Is it multiplying or subtracting?

One wild hair and a year later we are investing in our second wedding photography couple. These budding photographers work with us on a regular basis, share ideas and have free reign to my studio, camera equipment, computers, lights, est..

I can’t explain to you how it happened but somehow these couples have given me more than I ever could have given them. They have stretched my ability and I have become a better individual and artist through this process.  The masses are wrong and Jesh de Rox is brilliant.

I’m curious if any other Atlanta wedding photographers or artists of any walk of life have stumbled upon this nugget of wisdom. Drop me a line.. I would love to hear from you.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain

Note: Photo Above and Below are sneek peeks to an amazing project I’ve been a part of with another local artist, Mandy Gawley. A wonderful singer/song writer that is starting her exciting new venture. I’m so honored to have been able to collaborate with Mandy to create her musical identity through photography and design.

Bride outside of Atlanta

Wedding Photos

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of photographing a great couple celebrating their first month of marriage together. I thought to myself, “what a great idea!”

So many couples fly through their wedding day and never have a chance to do a couples photo session. So why not have try something a little out of the box and have fun getting dressed up again (yes! you can wear your wedding dress one more time) and getting your photos taken with your Honey-Guy (that’s what I call my husband).

No more wedding planning stress, no more worrying if the cake has arrived on time, and no more worrying if your dad is going to embarrass you with his speech during the reception.

Shawn and Stefanie are an amazing couple. They are so light-hearted, laid back, and HILARIOUS. I am not kidding, Shawn kept us all laughing whole photo session. And yet to boot, they were willing to try anything (within reason, of course) so I could get “the shot”.

Couples are truly one of my favorite sessions, and having wedding details made it even more fun for me.  Here is a little sneak peek from the wedding photos we took. Congratulations Stefanie and Shawn!

How to Prepare for a Family Portrait Shoot

If you’re wanting a great family shoot but are asking yourself “What exactly should I be preparing for?” Then you have come to the right place! We want our families to know what to expect when coming to a family shoot and I think the best way for you to understand is to know Karen Nickel Photography’s hope for family shoots.

We truly want to create images that reflect your family, capturing who you are, on a day to day basis. This means ignoring the camera and interacting with your children as you would if we weren’t around.

Laugh, be silly, love on your kids and let them be themselves. When these types of authentic moments happen, the photos taken are so real and some of our favorites. The personalities of you and your children jump out of the photo.

Tips for a Family Portrait Shoot

Now here are some tips on how to make  it happen on your part.

First, pick your location. If you do not have a location in mind, we would be glad to help you with that but this is a great opportunity  to do something as family, that you all enjoy doing  together.

It might be your local park, or an ice cream shop you visit often. Now, there’s a chance that something doesn’t come to mind, so it might not be a location, but something your family does together. Maybe it’s kite flying or that great big bubbler that gets the kids so excited.

Whatever it is, as long as it is a part of your family, we are all about capturing it!

Second: Choose your outfits. Again, this is a time to show who you are.

Now let’s go ahead and get the question of “Should we all match?” out of the way but answering “No!” Unless you match as a family daily…why match in the photos?

Let the kids wear their favorite outfits or even costumes (because one day you’re going to miss your little boy running around in his super man cape). The outfit should be something that shows all the different personalities, but please make sure everyone is comfortable.

Third, speaking of comfort, remember snacks and drinks for the kids. This will make a world of a difference for the kids and the photos.

Fourth step goes out to families with younger children: If your child loves his/her little blanket or your little girl has a favorite doll then bring it along. It could make for some sweet memories.

Fifth and final step is for you and your family to enjoy, relax and be yourselves. If you are still worried we won’t get photos of the family all together smiling, we still make time for some of those too.

Give us a call to set up your next family portrait shoot. We look forward to hearing from you.

For a Family Portrait Shoot, please call Karen Nickel Photography at 678.773.2562

We would be kidding ourselves if everyone was right for us. And it’s important to know what our clients look like before you hire us for your next shoot.

Karen Nickel Photography offers a unique photojournalist style for every photo session. Now if you’re asking yourself…”hmmm, what is that exactly?”…let us explain.

Instead of creating a posed photo, we love to just step into the dynamic relationships we are photographing and capture moments of true authenticity. Real laughs, real smiles, real emotions. We would rather be documenting these real moments then having everyone looking into the camera saying “CHEESE!”

Why take a shot of everyone posing if that’s not who you really are? We strive to photograph the interaction between siblings, couples and families, like dad’s funny face he makes when telling a joke, or your sisters smile when she is being silly. That’s what we want: we want real.

And our clients want real too. We have had the amazing opportunity to photograph clients that are willing to relax and be themselves in front of the camera. When this vulnerability happens, we create our most prized images.

We measure our success when anyone can look at our photos and experience the personality of the people we photograph. Now if you’re saying “Yes! That’s me.” Then call us for your next shoot – we can’t wait to step into your world and capture beautiful moments.