Studio Noveau Blog

It’s that time of year again. That glorious, much-celebrated time called… my birthday!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but community giving is VERY important to me, and volunteering/charitable giving ranks up there in my list of priorities. With that in mind, I know that our food pantries struggle with keeping their shelves stocked. To go a step further, I have a huge soft spot for kids and it occurs to me that kids of families that frequent food pantries may not always have a birthday cake or fresh fruit (my personal favorite!) When the typical donations are canned or boxed foods, there seems to be a lack of both birthday cake mixes and fresh food given out at a typical food pantry.

So, I’d like to announce Cake For Comments!

Please leave a comment on THIS blog post, telling me something you appreciate about my business, a memory you have of me, or even a favorite picture. Basically, make me smile!

For every comment I receive, I’ll donate a cake mix, frosting, OR $1 towards the Crawford County Markets Care program. (This program allows local food pantry customers to obtain fresh goods from the local farmers market. For more information on how YOU can contribute to this extremely important non-profit endeavor covering many counties in southern Wisconsin, please click HERE or contact me.)

So… please help me help the local food pantry… leave comments!

I’m a bad blogger. Well, maybe not a BAD blogger. What I should say is that I get SO busy from all these fabulous weddings and sessions that I don’t always keep up with my blog like I should! So please accept my apologies that May and June have been so busy that I can’t keep up on posting.

So, I’d like to assure you that there is lots of blog awesomeness on the way, including four weddings, several engagement sessions, and one Rock The Dress session. Whew! If you’d like to see a little bit of what’s been going on, please make sure to swing by the Studio Noveau Facebook page where I post sneak peaks of every wedding/session I shoot. You can check that page out by clicking HERE. The fan page is almost to 600 fans, and when we hit 600 I’ll be doing another giveaway!

Lastly, more big news. Did you see the new Studio Noveau website? It was launched yesterday and is SO great that you MUST check it out. Right now. You can view it at www.studionoveau.com.

Check back soon for the latest and greatest… and have a great day!

-Rebecca

Thanks to ALL of you who entered the contest for two copies of the Offbeat Bride book.  I had a blast reading about your ideas for your offbeat weddings.  LOVED IT!  I wish you could all get a copy of the book, but unfortunately I’m limited to choosing only two winners.  Thanks again to Offbeat Bride for offering this promotion.  :)

The winners are…

(generated randomly by the number generator at www.random.org)

Drumroll please….

Kristin and Stacie!

#4 , Kristin

Our save the dates are decoders and our reception will be pretty close to a carnival.  I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time!

And #28, Stacie

Our wedding is over a year away, but as English majors we’re going to be incorporating books into the centerpieces (instead of flowers), and authors’ names at our into a backyard Montana wedding with a vintage vibe. I am currently on the fence about acquiring a vintage pink dress from the 40’s for my wedding dress. I tried it on while playing dress up in a costume shop last summer and commented that it was the perfect style for my some-day wedding dress (this was before I was even dating the some-day groom).

Stacie and Kristin, please email me at rebecca (at) studionoveau.com with your addresses so we can get your book sent out to you!

(And don’t forget to become a fan of Studio Noveau photography on Facebook… I LOVE Offbeat weddings and I LOVE to travel!!)

I’ve never really been a gambler. But in spite of that, I find myself in Vegas for the third time ever this week… attending the Wedding and Portrait Photographer International (WPPI) conference. This is the mac-daddy of photography conferences, jam-packed with a solid week of trade show, seminars, meet-and-greets, and more. This year I’ll be taking three MasterClasses, attending some fun photoshoots and workshops, and even taking some time to explore some of Vegas’ finest. I’m stoked!

I’m here with my good friend Mandie of Red Gecko Studio in Madison.  (Shot above is us in action at a wedding.)  You may remember Mandie joining me in Mexico last August for Ashley and Jon’s wedding in the Riviera Maya, as well as in Green Bay for Jen and Tim’s wedding, Melanie and Joe’s wedding in Madison, … and at the more recent wedding of Beth and Dan. We love traveling and shooting together (and our poor husbands get left at home!) so stay tuned for a few fun ideas we’re hoping to bring to fruition here in Vegas. I won’t give any hints now, but we are SUPER excited to work on this project!

This upcoming week I may take a little longer than normal to respond to calls and emails, but I’ll be checking both regularly so I will definitely get back to you as soon as possible. Have a WONDERFUL week, everyone!

*Photo of Mandie and I was obviously not taken by me!  :)  Thanks, Anda.

I’m pleased to announce that Studio Noveau has just received word that we’ve received the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award for 2010!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. Studio Noveau is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

Thanks to all of my clients who left reviews and feedback on my services! This is the second year Studio Noveau has been given this honor, and I’m flattered!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m pleased to announce a fun and exciting event….

A Sassy Boudoir Marathon Event!

If you aren’t familiar with boudoir photography, imagine tasteful, artistic portraiture that shows off the beauty of your body.  You can view examples on my boudoir website, a join venture with friend and fellow wedding photographer, Mandie.  Our website can be found at www.sassyboudoir.com, or by clicking here.  A boudoir photo session makes a great gift for your groom on your wedding day, celebrating an anniversary or milestone, or just because.

Choose from TWO great dates/locations.

1. Join Mandie on January 16th at her new studio near Madison or
2. Join Rebecca on January 23 in downtown La Crosse.

Your mini session includes 30 minutes of shooting, a private online gallery to view your images, and a 5×7 folio with your two favorite images to give that special guy.  This Valentine’s special is all yours for only $100!  A very limited number of sessions will be booked, so book now!

SPECIAL: refer a friend for the La Crosse date and you’ll both save $20 on your session fee!

For only $75, upgrade your two-image folio to a 10-page mini album! Show off up to 20 of your lovely images in this portable little album that he can carry in a suitcase or stash in his nightstand drawer.

To confirm your session or get more details, contact Rebecca (rebecca@studionoveau.com)!

Happy 2010, Everyone!  If you’ve been a loyal blog or Facebook follower of Studio Noveau for any amount of time, you may have learned a few things about me.

1. My husband just got back from Iraq on December 23.  (Yay for fun surprise Christmas presents!) The photo below is my hubby during his 2005 deployment.



2. I’m actually a U.S. Navy veteran myself, as I mentioned a few posts ago.  (I get seasick.  Blech.) The photo below is me and some of my Navy buddies almost 8 years ago.  Can you pick me out?



3. One of my volunteer activities is working for Operation Love Reunited as a volunteer photographer for deploying or returning military and their families. You can view a sample session by clicking here.

So… this leads me to the purpose of this post.  :)  Several of my clients have been or are currently in the military, and I pride myself on trying to be as military-friendly as possible.  So because of that, I’ve decided to make one very important change, starting in 2010.  Studio Noveau now offers a military discount!  After speaking with a new client a few days ago and learning that many photographers don’t offer military discounts, I’ve decided to make my discount public!  :)  After all, I truly believe that our military and their families are truly sacrificing themselves and years of their lives for us, the American public.

Here are the details:

• This discount is good for 10% off any session.  Yes, this even applies to wedding packages!  And to go a step further, you may qualify for a FREE Op:Love portrait session.  (Please contact me for more details to see if you qualify for the free session.)
• There are NO blackout dates.  The only restrictions on dates are if I am already booked or simply cannot fit your session into my schedule.  Typically, I book weddings and portrait sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.
• This discount doesn’t apply to prints, albums, or canvases.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.  It’s nice to be able to show appreciation for something so important!  Have a great day!

Let me tell you something you may not know about me.  I’m a veteran.  Yup, I spent 5 years in the good ol’ US Navy and it was a fantastic time of my life.  I met some wonderful people and saw a lot of the world.  During that time, I spent months and years at a time away from family and friends,  so I relied on pictures to help get me through those lonely stretches of time.

Some of you know that my husband is currently in Iraq and has been there since May.  When I met him, he was home on leave from his first Iraq deployment.  We kept in touch with emails, phone calls, letters, and photos.  It’s safe to say that we fell in love during that deployment.

So, long story short, when I first heard of a volunteer organization called OpLove, or Operation Love Reunited, I knew I had to take part with this group as a veteran, a military wife, and someone who feels that family is such an important part of anyone’s life, especially those service members that  sacrifice so much.  What is OpLove, you ask?  Basically, volunteer photographers donate their time to give a deploying or deployed service member a free photo session.  It can be taken of the entire family prior to departure, of the family while their service member is deployed (and a copy of the photos are sent to the deployed person right away), or the photographer can capture the highly emotional homecoming when the family sees their soldier for the first time in months or even years.

When Stephanie contacted me, I instantly knew I wanted to work with her and Brian.  Their story was so much like mine and Ben’s.  They had been married a year (exactly) by the time our session rolled around, and they’d been apart for most of that year.  It’s safe to say this was a very emotional session for me: I got a little weepy just taking their pictures.  When I started editing them, I definitely had tears in my eyes!  Part of the reason this affected me so much is that Brian’s leave coincided very closely with Ben’s first visit home in months, so we knew we had to make this session happen in our one day window or it wouldn’t happen.  One thing she said that I absolutely relate to is “Our vacation is most peoples’ every day life”.  That is such a profound statement as most of us take so many things for granted.  Stephanie and Brian have both made so many sacrifices in their short married life.

Stephanie and Brian, I hope these last few months fly by for you!  Thank you for letting me share such a precious time during your vacation together.

Wow.  When I announced the photo session giveaway contest, I didn’t expect that choosing a winner would be so difficult!  Thank you to everyone who entered.  There were 22 comments entered, and it was difficult narrow it down to even the top five entries!  But… I did it.  Drumroll, please!

The winner is… Angela and Ben!  Here is Angela’s entry:

• I think it could be awesome to do a high fashion photo shoot at a Christmas tree farm.  Ben in a full Tuxedo (along with bow tie) carrying an axe and chopping down a tree. I would be in a formal evening gown… I’m thinking black satin and lots of sparkles! I’d wear a lot of over the top accessories and jewelry, a faux fur coat, and faux fur boots. We’d bring our dogs, and we’d stomp around in such a juxtaposition that I think the pictures could be awesome! I keep thinking this could be great for our Christmas card this year! And we’d probably get some really awkward looks romping around in formal attire, followed by a photographer, and chopping down a tree.

As I was reading her entry, I kept thinking how fun this particular session sounded, and getting all these great visuals in my mind of what the pictures would look like.  Congratulations, guys!

Because there were so many great entries, I decided I couldn’t give away just one session.  Though it was hard, I narrowed down the list to four additional sessions that really showed some creativity.  This is where you all enter the picture.  Please vote on the “People’s Choice” award by leaving a comment below.  The entry with the most comments below will win a free session as well!

So?  What do YOU all think?  Please comment below with the name of the girl you think should win the People’s Choice session!

Thanks again to everyone who entered. This was an extremely difficult decision and so many of you had wonderful ideas!

With wedding season winding down for the year, I’m looking for a unique portrait session idea.  Hoping to get an engagement session scheduled?  Want to put on your dress for a Trash the Dress session?  Want to get a little Sassy Boudoir?  Looking for an updated family portrait? Need a photo for your website/promotional materials?

To enter the contest: Leave a comment below.  That’s it!  You must comment on an idea you have for a fun, unique portrait session. The sky is the limit… get creative! I’ll choose the winner based on the awesomeness of the idea.  :)

Two rules:
1) Must take place between November and April

2) Location should be in Wisconsin or Eastern Iowa

If you don’t want to enter the contest, but have a great idea for a session, feel free to add your comment and note that you aren’t entering the contest.

Madison Wisconsin Dells Wedding Photographer