Megan & Eric Engagement

When Megan emailed me and told me about how she & Eric were childhood friends who grew apart, met other people, and then found their way back to each other via an Indie-rock radio station (WOXY.com), I just knew they were going to be stinkin' cool people. Their story is amazing... full of coincidence, happenstance, and incredible fate. I get chills every time I think about how the world has insisted that these two reunite their lives. If you're a sucker for love stories, you have to read their story as posted on their wedding website. (Thanks for sharing Meg!) How many other couples have pictures of themselves together as children??



Megan is a fabulous illustrator, so I knew she really valued art for art's sake and what it takes to be a working artist. Eric will hesitantly admit that he's a writer, but will passionately devour a piece of great pizza. They picked an awesome location for their engagement shoot, The Majestic Theatre in downtown Detroit - very fitting for their love and dedication to underground music. Most of our shooting was actually done outside around the Majestic in highly unlikely places, but there's unexpected beauty to be found everwhere.



I have to give Megan & Eric a huge thanks for enduring the Detroit steam heat that I had been wanting to capture in a picture for so long. Poor Megan was in for a burning surprise when she stepped on the sewer cover and got a shot of steam heat right up the leg of her pants! After seeing how painful it was for Megan, Eric then had to test the theory in man-fashion and proved that it was not that hot if you have thick soles on your shoes and no access to your sensitive skin. I didn't want to conduct a self-test, so I just played the part of the photographer. :o) Children, don't try this at home.



The Garden Bowl is a Detroit legend and allegedly America's oldest active bowling alley. Even though Megan & Eric's bowling scores made more impressive golf scores, I was able to capture some real moments and even some pretty good bowling!! My favorite moment however, was when the bowling alley went almost completely dark, except for the black lighting... now how awesome is this? Click any image to see more pics from their engagement session. Caution: sweetness follows. ;-)



Oh! I almost forgot to mention!! There was a recent informal contest among the photographers on pictage.com. The theme was color and my image above was chosen by majority vote as the best!! There were about 30 images total and I totally didn't think I was going win the vote - so it was very flattering to be chosen by my peers! I wish I could show you the site, but it's a super secret message board where only pictage photographers can share all of their juicy gossip and inside tips.

Jen & Chuck's Wedding

When I first met Jen & Chuck, I could feel a passion and connection between them that went far beyond anything words can describe. Their love and appreciation for life, family, and each other is truly inspirational, and I think that everyone could feel that love on their wedding day.



This is one of my favorite pictures... I almost didn't recognize that the picture on the wall was a picture of Jen! I love how it captures her as a teenager, and then now as a woman getting ready for marriage...


I love it when I can capture candid images like the one below. It looks and almost feels as if it was posed, but in reality Jen was just looking down at her dress... isn't she stunning?


The church, Historic Trinity Lutheran, in downtown Detroit, was absolutely gorgeous. There were so many beautiful details that I could go back and do an entire artistic study in just the Sanctuary alone! But what made the church even more beautiful was that Chuck's family had been attending the church for a few generations and yet he was the first one to be married in the church. When I finally found Chuck locked away in a small conference room in the basement, he was reading none other than the "good book", which he said gave him a sense of peace and helped him stay calm...


This little girl was absolutely adorable and made the cutest faces all day long...


Isn't that altar amazing? I think someone mentioned that parts of it are from the Notre Dame in Paris! Such a beautiful backdrop for a first kiss as husband and wife.


Their reception site, the Indianwood Golf & Country Club, was just as historic and beautiful as the church...




We even had a very short opportunity before the reception officially started to take advantage of some of the beautiful scenery outdoors...


... and then it started raining again...


.. but no one cared when they were inside, because they were stylin' in their awesome sunglasses...


Jen & Chuck set the tone for their guests by letting go and partying all night long on the dancefloor. But I also have to give huge props to their DJs, Music Box Productions, who were the best DJs I've EVER heard at a wedding. Sherman was a fabulous emcee and I'm so sorry that I don't remember the name of the person with him.. but seriously.. if you want to have a real party.. these guys are the best. They actually did live mixing, which unfortunately a lot of wedding DJs don't do, and they were soooo good, sooo flawless with their mixing that they were able to keep an improptu limbo line going for at least 20 minutes! I've heard a LOT of DJs.. and I don't think I've met one yet that can hold a candle to these guys. FABULOUS choice, Jen & Chuck! Click on any image to view more previews of their wedding day.

The Nicest Photographers You'll Ever Meet

I wish I had a picture of Joel & Kate Hernandez, so that if you ever see them you could just walk up to them and give them the biggest hug ever! This week they hosted the local Detroit PUG (Pictage User Group) meeting at their Eclipse Studios in Wyandotte, and they were incredibly gracious beyond words. In a time when many photographers seem to be cut-throat about getting business, these two greeted everyone with open arms in the spirit of sharing.

They have a gorgeous studio, full of beautiful work, and priceless memories. What really seperates them apart from other photographers is the level of service that they provide their clients. They shared so many amazing stories about how they went above and beyond for their clients... even I was sold. ;-) What impressed me even more was how much they were willing to share with other photographers. There's no personal gain in sharing all of your secrets, but yet they stayed with me until the wee hours of the morning, just sharing story after story about their experiences. I don't think there's anything I can do to repay them for their amazing graciousness, so I only hope that I can pay it forward.

Joel & Kate... thank you, thank you, thank you.

Out of Town

I'll be shooting an out of town wedding this weekend, so I look forward to returning your calls and emails on Monday. ;-) In the meantime.. enjoy the sunshine!!! (Thank goodness for weddings, or I'd never get out from behind the computer!)



What do you think of this logo? I'm trying to decide which style fits me best.. I'm too chameleon to decide!

LOVE IT: Wordplay

I wanted to make sure I mention an awesome movie that will probably go unnoticed by most moviegoers. In fact, it's incredibly difficult to even FIND a theatre playing this movie!! The only one we could find locally was the Landmark Maple Art Cinema III in Bloomfield Hills (which I didn't even know about until I wanted to find this movie!) The movie is titled Wordplay, and is a documentary about NY Times Crossword Puzzle addicts. If Akeelah and the Bee made you want to expand your vocabulary, than Wordplay will make you want to start doing crossword puzzles. Even I, who gets incredibly frustrated by crossword puzzles, identified with the themes and found myself chuckling through most of the movie. If you are someone who has any kind of geeky hobby, or facination with words, you will absolutely love this movie. Will Shortz has made an impressive, heart warming, gut wrenching tale, about the people who find theirselves obsessed with the crossword puzzle. ;-)

The easiest way to look up showtimes is to use Google, and type in "movies: City, ST" (replacing City, ST with your City and State) and usually the first link is Google's Showtime Listings. ;-)


Actually, I was reminded about this movie because of something my husband sent me. It really is the ridiculously simple things that make me so happy. Alex just sent me this link on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexruthmann/sets/72157594196899150/ Isn't he the Most Awesomest Husband in the World? ;-)

He got a new camera before he left for his two week trip because he thought all of my cameras were too "bulky". He doesn't know a ton about photography, but it looks like he's getting into some advanced techniques with his new digicam! Maybe he'll leave a comment about the camera and settings he used. (hint!)

Maybe this should be my new logo...

Kasey & Chris' Wedding

I think the greatest pictures are ones that are full of emotion. Kasey & Chris were so fun to photograph because they had no problems wearing their emotions on their sleeves. They also love to have a ton of fun and act like total goofballs around their friends, which gave everyone else the freedom to let loose and have a good time! I just love how excited Kasey looked when she saw her flowers for the first time! I'm so glad I picked the perfect spot to see her expression. ;-)





I photographed Kasey's brother's (pictured above) wedding last year and had almost forgotten how silly their family can be! It was a total blast to see everyone again, and to document more of this family's history. You have no idea how honored I feel to be a part of these special family moments. Kasey & Chris' son, Aiden, was just so cute in his little ring bearer tux that I could just eat him up! Of course, when you look at his parents you can totally see why he's so adorable. Look how intruiged he was with Kasey putting lip liner on her maid of honor!!





Kasey & Chris were married at the St John Vianney Church in Saginaw, MI with their reception following at the Freeland Banquet Center in Midland, MI. Even though it rained most of the day, it didn't put any damper on the party happening inside!







There were also very touching moments as well, many of which were perfectly captured on black & white film. I don't know what it is, but I feel like there's still something magical about black & white film that digital just can't compare too. In any case, many of my favorite images end up being the ones captured on film. Click any image to see more previews from Kasey & Chris' wedding day!





(I think I like single images more than the collage. My favorite photos just don't have the same impact when they are itty bitty. What do you think?! ;-)

I'm so jealous!

Alex (my hubby) left for Conneticut today to teach a week long class titled "Podcasts, Wikis, and Blogs.. Oh My!" which will be followed by several presentations at the International Society of Music Educators conference in Kuala Lulmpur, Malaysia. I wanted to go with him so badly to Malaysia, but it came down to being here for the clients who put so much trust in me to cover their wedding day.

In the meantime, I reserve the right to be crazy jealous that he's going there without me and that he's going to take pictures which will only make me think... "Oh man.. I could have taken a better picture of that!!" or "You didn't take enough pictures!" LOL!! Of course, both statements are ample justification for us to go back together at some point to experience the city again together. The "get out of jail free card" is the chance that we'll be going to England together in the spring, and then to Italy next year. As long as we can plan our trips about a year in advance, I can make sure I don't have any future scheduling conflicts with weddings. ;-)

The last time we were in the Detroit airport together, we went through the new McNamara Terminal Tunnel which has this really awesome light and sound art installation. Because I think the installation is so neat, I asked Alex to take some video on his digicam of what it's like to go through the tunnel. He actually uploaded it to You Tube so I can broadcast it on the net! Click on the image below to check out the full trip through the tunnel.. ;-) (yes, I get excited about the little things in life!)

Happy Independence Day!

July Desktop Image

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a recent photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. (I cheated by posting a little late this month!) Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.




This particular sunset grabbed me because of the colors and the way that the cloud patterns seemed to stem from a center point as if they were rays of the sun, or perhaps extensions of the earth. With just a touch of horizon at the bottom, you get a better representation of the actual size and expanse of this particular skyscape. I love this one for my July desktop because I find myself trapped behind the computer editing photo after photo in this busy wedding season, and it's a great reminder to get out and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us everyday.