If you're looking for the wedding and engagement photography of Paul Grupp and Brenda Tompkins, we've moved!
You can now find us here:
http://upstatephotographers.com/blog
Please update your bookmarks and links. . . .see you there!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
We've moved!
If you're looking for the wedding and engagement photography of Paul Grupp and Brenda Tompkins, we've moved!
You can now find us here:
http://upstatephotographers.com/blog
Please update your bookmarks and links. . . .see you there!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Blast From the Past
The other day I was organizing some files on my hard drives, and I realized that I have a huge library of thousands of images I have made over the years that never see the light of day any more.
This is drummer David Sedaris of Korn. I was standing in the photo pit at SPAC, talking trash with the security crew before the show started, when David stepped out to look out over the crowd. I literally had two seconds to pull my camera up and get the shot before he stepped back and disappeared backstage. Photo Copyright © Paul Grupp. All rights reserved.
So I decided that every few days, I'm going to post a "Blast From the Past" photo on our blog.
This is drummer David Sedaris of Korn. I was standing in the photo pit at SPAC, talking trash with the security crew before the show started, when David stepped out to look out over the crowd. I literally had two seconds to pull my camera up and get the shot before he stepped back and disappeared backstage. Photo Copyright © Paul Grupp. All rights reserved.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Portfolio Update!
While Paul has been burning the midnight oil putting together some fabulous coffeetable books and slideshows, Brenda has spent some time updating our online portfolios.
If you'd like to see more of our work from the 2008 wedding season, follow these links:
Wedding Portfolio: Girls Getting Ready
Wedding Portfolio: Guys Getting Ready
Wedding Portfolio: Details
Wedding Portfolio: The Ceremony
Wedding Portfolio: Reception
Wedding Portfolio: Portraits and Groups
We've added some new work to our engagement portfolio as well.
A lot of people don't realize that a major part of our business is headshot photography. We do headshots for actors as well as acting students at local colleges and universities; we also do business and corporate headshots, and as promo pix and concert photography for musicians, websites and newspapers. Lately, we've been shooting some family portraits -- both in the studio and on location. We love portrait and headshot work!
Finally, this fall and winter our b-pix and glamour sessions have become very popular as gifts for fiances and boyfriends, and model portfolios. Since many of these sessions are meant as a surprise gift, we don't post them on our website, but we do have a few examples you can see here.
Paul and Brenda
Friday, January 9, 2009
Updated Price List
Today we have published an updated price list. Most of our existing products and services are basically unchanged, but we have added some additional information on turn-around times for 2009 weddings, as well as a bunch of exciting new book options!
You can see the new price list here: http://upstatephotographers.com/pricing.pdf
New "Bride's Choice" Album
If you've been following our work for long, you know we try really hard to be responsive to our client's ideas and needs.
One thing we heard from a few clients in 2008 was, "is there any way I can choose all the pictures that go into my book"
Another was, "I know it takes a lot of time to design a custom book, but is there anything you can do to let me get a book faster?"
We thought long and hard about these two requests, and came up with a completely new kind of album! It's not for everybody, but it might be perfect for you.
The "Bride's Choice" Album is a gorgeous 13 x 11-in hardcover book with premium matte paper and a custom-designed dust jacket -- the pages are HUGE! The book layout is simple and elegant -- just one image per page/side, and you get to pick all the photos, including the front and back cover.
If a picture can be run "full-bleed" with no borders, we'll do that, as shown on the left of the two-page spread above. If it needs to be printed with borders to keep from losing important parts of the picture, we'll do that, as shown on the right above.
One thing we heard from a few clients in 2008 was, "is there any way I can choose all the pictures that go into my book"
Another was, "I know it takes a lot of time to design a custom book, but is there anything you can do to let me get a book faster?"
We thought long and hard about these two requests, and came up with a completely new kind of album! It's not for everybody, but it might be perfect for you.
The "Bride's Choice" Album is a gorgeous 13 x 11-in hardcover book with premium matte paper and a custom-designed dust jacket -- the pages are HUGE! The book layout is simple and elegant -- just one image per page/side, and you get to pick all the photos, including the front and back cover.
If a picture can be run "full-bleed" with no borders, we'll do that, as shown on the left of the two-page spread above. If it needs to be printed with borders to keep from losing important parts of the picture, we'll do that, as shown on the right above.
To keep turn-around time ultra-fast, we have selected a high-quality printer who can get it back in our hands just over a week after we place our order. And since you are picking the pictures and the order they appear in yourself, there is no need for a time-consuming approval cycle. So, after factoring in our layout time, shipping, and a little extra time for when we're really busy, we are offering the Bride's Choice album with a typical three-week turn-around time after we get your picture choices and the order you want them in. "Typical" means we usually meet or beat the turn-around time, but there is no guarantee that we can in every circumstance.
We have just printed our first sample Bride's Choice book, and the quality is stunning. So whether you have booked us for 2009/2010, or we shot your wedding in the past, keep this gorgeous, fast-turn-around book in mind -- either in addition to a traditional coffee-table book, as a great option for a parent's book, or as a great keepsake if you just purchased your pictures on DVD, and didn't order any books with your package. Finally, it's worth noting that we are happy to create a Bride's Choice book from any set of photographs -- even if we didn't take them ourselves! The only restriction is that you need to have a usage license from your photographer allowing you to have a book made from your picture files.
Prices range from $399 for a 40-page book, to $599 for a 100 page, to $699 for a huge 160-page book (Fed Ex Express shipping and handling included, please add 8% NY State Sales Tax).
We will continue to offer our gorgeous, custom-designed coffee-table books, but this is a great option for a couple who wants something a little different, and wants it FAST!
All the best,
Brenda and Paul
We have just printed our first sample Bride's Choice book, and the quality is stunning. So whether you have booked us for 2009/2010, or we shot your wedding in the past, keep this gorgeous, fast-turn-around book in mind -- either in addition to a traditional coffee-table book, as a great option for a parent's book, or as a great keepsake if you just purchased your pictures on DVD, and didn't order any books with your package. Finally, it's worth noting that we are happy to create a Bride's Choice book from any set of photographs -- even if we didn't take them ourselves! The only restriction is that you need to have a usage license from your photographer allowing you to have a book made from your picture files.
Prices range from $399 for a 40-page book, to $599 for a 100 page, to $699 for a huge 160-page book (Fed Ex Express shipping and handling included, please add 8% NY State Sales Tax).
We will continue to offer our gorgeous, custom-designed coffee-table books, but this is a great option for a couple who wants something a little different, and wants it FAST!
All the best,
Brenda and Paul
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Brenda and I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who chose us to be their photographers in 2008. It was a great year for us -- we're still spending 16-hour days finishing up books from the wedding season! But we enjoyed every minute of it -- particularly getting to know so many new friends!
Lots of new things are coming in 2009 -- we're set up with FedEX now, so CDs, DVDs, and prints are now shipped Fed Ex Express 2-day or overnite. And speaking of prints, we have added many new products, including Canvas Wrap prints, greeting cards, calendars, and more to our galleries. Many people are unaware that the photos we post online are actually at full, hi-resolution, and you can order prints directly from our website. It's fast, convenient, and the quality is exceptional. Our photo books are shipped by UPS or Fed Ex.
From now on, whenever we ship anything to our clients, we are emailing you a tracking number and tracking updates so you are kept informed of the status of your photo shipments.
The amount and complexity of the work you brought to us in 2008 overwhelmed our old-fashioned file-folder/file cabinet system, so we have just installed and begun using a state-of-the-art database/project management system that helps us keep track of the smallest detail for every job -- we can instantly see the status of every task associated with your job on a single screen now. Overall, we've spent a lot of time and money on equipment and software, and processes dramatically improve our turn-around time in 2009!
To make sure our quality remains the very best possible, we have purchased new, state-of-the-art full-frame cameras for this year's weddings. Paul is shooting mostly with a Nikon D700, and Brenda is shooting mostly with a Canon 5DMkII. Both offer exceptional quality. We both are using Canon 40D's for backup cameras.
Finally, we are adding some new book options and other new services to our price list. The one we're most excited about is the new 11x12.5" Asuka Book - they look absolutely gorgeous. We spent a day in October at a photo show in New York comparing coffeetable book printers, and we still feel that Asuka Book provides the best quality -- the difference is obvious. More to come soon!
Anyway, that's just a bit about what is happening at your photographers! We wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year, and look forward to continue serving you with wedding, engagement, portraits, b-pix, glamour, headshots, and commercial photography! And for the many new friends who have booked us for their 2009 weddings, we can't wait for the season to start again -- we LOVE shooting your weddings!
All the best,
Paul and Brenda
Lots of new things are coming in 2009 -- we're set up with FedEX now, so CDs, DVDs, and prints are now shipped Fed Ex Express 2-day or overnite. And speaking of prints, we have added many new products, including Canvas Wrap prints, greeting cards, calendars, and more to our galleries. Many people are unaware that the photos we post online are actually at full, hi-resolution, and you can order prints directly from our website. It's fast, convenient, and the quality is exceptional. Our photo books are shipped by UPS or Fed Ex.
From now on, whenever we ship anything to our clients, we are emailing you a tracking number and tracking updates so you are kept informed of the status of your photo shipments.
The amount and complexity of the work you brought to us in 2008 overwhelmed our old-fashioned file-folder/file cabinet system, so we have just installed and begun using a state-of-the-art database/project management system that helps us keep track of the smallest detail for every job -- we can instantly see the status of every task associated with your job on a single screen now. Overall, we've spent a lot of time and money on equipment and software, and processes dramatically improve our turn-around time in 2009!
To make sure our quality remains the very best possible, we have purchased new, state-of-the-art full-frame cameras for this year's weddings. Paul is shooting mostly with a Nikon D700, and Brenda is shooting mostly with a Canon 5DMkII. Both offer exceptional quality. We both are using Canon 40D's for backup cameras.
Finally, we are adding some new book options and other new services to our price list. The one we're most excited about is the new 11x12.5" Asuka Book - they look absolutely gorgeous. We spent a day in October at a photo show in New York comparing coffeetable book printers, and we still feel that Asuka Book provides the best quality -- the difference is obvious. More to come soon!
Anyway, that's just a bit about what is happening at your photographers! We wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year, and look forward to continue serving you with wedding, engagement, portraits, b-pix, glamour, headshots, and commercial photography! And for the many new friends who have booked us for their 2009 weddings, we can't wait for the season to start again -- we LOVE shooting your weddings!
All the best,
Paul and Brenda
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Anna and Scott Get Married!
Anna and Scott were married on a beautiful fall day at St. Alphonsus Church in Glens Falls, followed by a reception at the Queensbury hotel. The fall colors were near their peak, and the time they set aside for photography gave us great light to work with. We love fall weddings!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Michelle and Bill's Celebration
Michelle and Bill got married just around the corner from us; which is to say, it was a country wedding. But if we just left it at that, you'd have the wrong idea. The truth is, Michelle and Bill put together a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that we won't soon forget. With Deryck de Matas bringing his expertise in all things wedding in general, and all things beautiful in particular, it was obvious that this was going to be a visual delight!
So as the day got rolling, we settled into photographing the beautiful surroundings and events. What we didn't expect was the amazing music at the reception. Michelle and Bill brought in Jonny Rosch, Soozie Tyrell and friends to play. Without turning this into a music review, let me just say this; if you ever get an opportunity to see Jonny perform, drop everything, and do whatever it takes to get there. Seriously.
In the end, it wasn't about the great celebration or the great music, it was about Michelle and Bill. Their joy and love was the most beautiful thing we saw all day. We hope that through our pictures, you can see it too.
In the end, it wasn't about the great celebration or the great music, it was about Michelle and Bill. Their joy and love was the most beautiful thing we saw all day. We hope that through our pictures, you can see it too.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Cassandra and Vikram's Engagement Session
Scheduling an outdoor engagement session in late fall in upstate New York can be tricky; the weather can be uncooperative, and finding a time of day with really great light can be a challenge.
But Cassandra and Vikram picked perfectly, and we ended up at their parents house on the Mohawk River at the perfect time of day, with perfect weather. You can see some highlights below. If you want to see more, click here:
But Cassandra and Vikram picked perfectly, and we ended up at their parents house on the Mohawk River at the perfect time of day, with perfect weather. You can see some highlights below. If you want to see more, click here:
Gina and Reid: An Adirondacks Fall Wedding
When it can be freezing cold drizzle one moment, and sunny and warm the next; when the leaves are vivid orange, red and brown, and piled high on still-green grass -- when the air is crisp and thoughts turn to pumpkin pie, and apple cider mixed with a generous shot of Jameson's Irish Whiskey and a cinnamon stick for good measure , you know it's autumn in upstate New York!
Gina and Reid's wedding turned out to be smack-dab in the middle of peak fall color -- the perfect time for an upstate wedding. The ceremony was at St. Clements in Saratoga Springs; the Reception at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, and just enough time in between to stop at some of our favorite places for photography.
Here are a few highlights from Gina and Reid's beautiful wedding day. If you'd like to see more, including their romantic and fun engagement session, click here:
Gina and Reid's wedding turned out to be smack-dab in the middle of peak fall color -- the perfect time for an upstate wedding. The ceremony was at St. Clements in Saratoga Springs; the Reception at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, and just enough time in between to stop at some of our favorite places for photography.
Here are a few highlights from Gina and Reid's beautiful wedding day. If you'd like to see more, including their romantic and fun engagement session, click here:
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