Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winners, Renee and Joe Powers!

Photography is so much more than f-stops, shutter speed and white balance. It’s about documenting your feelings, your relationships and your true selves at a given stage in your life. It’s about capturing what’s real, so that 10, 20, 50, 100 years from now, you and your family will have insight into who you really were at that time (side note—I just discovered a photo of my great, great grandfather from 1866. It’s such a treasure for our family. Just imagine how amazing it would have been if we could get more insight into his personality and relationships).

In my search to unlock honest, real moments with my couples and families, I’ve been taking a class on the Beloved concept by Jesh de Rox out of Canada. I’m working to adapt his concepts and field guide into my own approach, and I’m excited to start integrating it into my own work. Here’s how Jesh describes the concept:

“A beloved portrait session is not just a photo shoot, it’s a celebration of love and genuine communication. As beloved photographers, we want to make honest images that move people, that document these small moments that you cherish but perhaps sometimes forget. These images serve as a doorway to bring two people back to the beginning of their journey together. We invite couples to share a piece of themselves and capture valuable moments through the art of photography.”

In honor of Beloved, I’m giving away a complimentary session and framed 8×10 print to one couple. Any couple. Maybe you’ve been married for two years. Maybe you’ve been married for fifty.

To enter, just like Allie Siarto Photography on Facebook and post any photo of the two of you. Every additional “like” your image receives on Facebook gives you another entry into the random drawing. I’ll announce the winning couple on May 3.

Because my business is based in East Lansing, the winning shoot will take place in the Greater Lansing area.

 

Remember when I told you that I was going to make an effort to take more self portraits? I’m finally trying to do just that. The more I can become familiar with the vulnerability of being in front of the camera, the better I connect from behind the camera. And ultimately, I’m learning that there’s a great power in vulnerability. In fact, if you can find 20 minutes to spare, I highly recommend this TED talk called The Power of Vulnerability. I find it absolutely fascinating.

During my initial consultation with my couples, I always make a point to ask them what their goals are for their photos. After the wedding is over, how do you want to look back and remember your day? For us, it was important to have the digital images from our wedding day, but it was even more critical that we have physical images that we can hold, share and admire on a more regular basis. We’ve framed some of our favorites to look at every day, but there’s something even more special about having an album that tells the whole story—the sentimental details, the emotion and the quirky moments that made our day so uniquely us.

It’s even more special knowing that our children will look through this very album—that they’ll see the whole story of our family and friends coming together in Mexico for a day filled with joy, happy tears and plenty of embarrassing dancing (those amazing photos that would never end up on our living room walls, but make me smile every time I see them). I can’t say enough good things about having a custom wedding album—I’m absolutely giddy.

Our photographs were taken by Stephanie Reeder out of Nashville.

This series from our first look and private vows are the perfect example of photos that I absolutely love to see again and again, but I would never put up on our walls for all to see. They feel more special inside the overall story in our book.