Monday 31 October 2011

Smile Like You Mean It.....

We spent such a great afternoon with Chris and Claire during their Engagement shoot. Despite Chris' highest hopes to have the shoot done at Villa Park (home to his beloved Aston Villa), we decided on a beautiful park here in Cheshire. I think Claire was slightly relieved...

These two are so in love, and you can see it in their eyes, and hear it in their laughter. Try not to smile while you watch - it's impossible.

We can't wait to shoot their wedding next year!



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xx Maria

Thursday 27 October 2011

How Sweet It Is...

It is always so flattering to have our work featured by amazing bloggers around the world! Today, we wanted to share that Danny and Miriam's wedding trailer was featured on Bridal Musings - one of our favorite wedding blogs here in the UK.

Check it out Here and peep the screen shot below!

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xx
Maria

Saturday 22 October 2011

Grab Somebody Sexy Tell Em.... HEY!

We always like to try to go the extra mile for our clients, and help them out wherever we can.  Despite having a fantastic live band, Danny and Miriam were struggling for some tracks to fill her 'dance party' section of her evening.  So we offered to create her very own 'jersey turnpike' fist pumping, floor crushing, body moving mix instead of our usual custom composed track.  She picked her favorite songs, and we did the rest! It definitely proved a hit as both young and old made their way onto the dancefloor to throw some serious shapes.  There is always just something so beautiful about seeing the brides mother shouting Shot! Shot! Shot! along with Lil Jon.

So, because we want everyone to have the chance to dance… both we (and the lovely couple) are sharing the wealth and letting you download their mix.

So put those hands in the air and get ready to shuffle...

coz. its. about. to. go. down!

click here to download the mix!

Thursday 20 October 2011

The Kiss

Now, it's not often that when we are working on a wedding shoot, people think you have set up an art installation.  But that was exactly what happened when we decided to shoot Danny and Miriam's trailer in Grand Central Station.  Passers by were asking if they were actors or even wax models and telling us how amazing it was.  It was incredibly flattering, especially for what we thought was a pretty normal idea!

I just casually suggested that I would like to do some time-lapse work with the bride and groom, if they were up for it.  Their wedding was actually in Long Island, but as they met right in the heart of New York City, I felt it was important to document that true love can be found in the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan city.  So, I came up with "The Kiss".

After 30 minutes, we had gathered such a crowd of people, security had to move people on, as it was getting difficult for people to pass!  I guess a bride and groom stood in the middle of one of the busiest places in the world, un-moving with eyes closed and lips locked for an hour, was a pretty strange sight.  I had never really thought of it that way...  I love the idea of getting lost in a kiss, where else nothing around you matters.   A moment that is probably quite rare, but you never forget it when it happens!

So, enjoy the short trailer for Danny and Miriam (who may I say are absolute champions for kissing for so long!!)

Enjoy x



And here is a gorgeous still Maria shot of the two of them also...
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N x

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Tag Team, Back Again….

The first wedding we actually shot as 'STUDIO 12O8', was for Bryan and Kimberly.  We had both worked separately on weddings and engagements, but never tag-teamed one.  So it was pretty amazing that our first wedding was in Puerto Rico, and pretty lucky that this creative couple had designed such an incredible wedding!  Kim is the Executive Director of International Fashion at InStyle Magazine, so was always going to have her finger on the pulse of her own big day. With a host of beautiful details created and planned by Amy Nichols, coupled with a dreamy and very exclusive resort, The Horned Dorset, we knew their wedding was going to be a special one.

What we were not prepared for, was the love shown for our work afterwards!  The film and images were posted and re-posted by numerous blogs, and we were particularly honored to be featured on the impeccable wedding bible that is Style Me Pretty….. FOR OUR FIRST WEDDING!  We also have the rehearsal dinner being featured on Martha Stewart Weddings blog soon, and most recently, the kindest words from Elizabeth at Bridal Musings, a fabulous wedding blog in the UK.   Thank you to everyone who loved our work enough to feature us!

As if it could not get any better, we just found out this last week that we are also being featured in Brides Magazine, only the biggest wedding magazine in the UK!  We can't wait to see our work in print - it is a real dream come true for any photographer.  The January / February issue hits news stands in November, so look out for it!  Anyway, check out the images from Kim and Bryan's big day below, and let us know what you think!

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And again, a massive thanks to Bryan and Kim for having us be a part of their beautiful wedding. They are such a great team, and have the best family and friends. We are lucky to have clients like them, and even luckier to call them our friends.

N xx

Monday 10 October 2011

Allow me to re-introduce myself…..

Welcome to our blog!  I know it is a little late in coming, but I think traveling countries, getting married, having a baby and launching a company all in the space of a year is excuse enough to fall behind on a few things….

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So, we are Nick and Maria - aka STUDIO 12O8.   A musician and a fashion photographer that met in a bar in Hollywood, fell in love and never looked back.  In a nutshell, we got married, got a crazy Shiba Inu called Luda and shortly after that, introduced the world to a little bundle of trouble called Jackson. We packed up our belongings, waved goodbye to LaLa Land and hightailed it to the burbs.  Slower life?  Yes.  But we love it.   After two non-stop years of LA living, photo shoots, gigs and fashion we just wanted to go back to shooting things that were real.  We still love to shoot fashion because it is where we both started - but honestly, nothing beats taking photos and film of people on the happiest day of their lives.   We get to be witness to moments that you could never recreate in a million fashion shoots, real moments.   Little looks between people.  Smiles and winks and momentary glances that say a thousand words.   It's truly incredible.

So how did we come up with STUDIO 12O8?  One sleepless night in February (thanks Jackson) through zombie, 'my baby is a month old' looking eyes, I told Maria we should start a company together. I don't know if she thought I had finally lost my mind, or if it was the smell of the stinky diaper on the side.   But she just kind of looked at me with that official Tyra Banks 'whopoopoo' face she does so well and went to bed.   Good start.   But in the morning, she turned to me and said "Would you really want to work with me? I'm kind of annoying"   As tempting as it was to say "Well, I married you, so I guess I am stuck with you anyway..."   I really didn't fancy a swift kick to the head, so I said "Yeah, and we should tell love stories through pictures and film".  That was it.   She was in!  It was really that simple.

I think it was so easy because we both love and respect each other's ability and creativity.  I am honestly blown away by some of the images Maria shows me.  I thought it from the moment I saw her work, and she still surprises me daily.  I feel honored that she is my partner and I hope she feels the same.  So that's basically us and STUDIO 12O8.   Everything that happens from here on in, we can show you in pictures and way less rambling paragraphs.  So, if you promise to keep reading, I promise to keep it shorter :)

N x