Model Search

It happened, life got away from us once again. Those of you who have been following our Inspiration Session project have probably noticed our lack of activity in that department lately. The fall was, as always, an extremely busy time, but we are getting back on track and are re-dedicating ourselves to the professional and personal growth that this project brings... but maybe at a slightly more realistic pace. 

During this time of thanksgiving and family, we want to celebrate the lasting, mature love and beauty that comes with age.  Our culture puts an amazing amount of emphasis on being young and most people only get professional photographs taken when they are young – engagements, marriage, new babies, growing children. 

At Wink, we are passionate about documenting families and relationships, but we rarely see an older couple coming into our studio to document their life and love.  We want to use this Inspiration Session to capture what, we hope, everyone would like to have in their own life: a solid, lasting, affectionate relationship.  There is so much experience, knowledge, wisdom and love held behind those eyes and those smiles and we can't wait to photograph it!

For this Inspiration Session, we would like to honor one special couple for their commitment to each other and say “Thanks” for being a stunning example of love and marriage.  Who will the lucky couple be? This is where you come in.... we would like YOU, our followers, families, and friends to send us nominations for the Wink Timeless Couple. It could be your parents, grandparents, friends, or just a lovely couple down the street. 

Our couple should be a minimum of 60 years old and be comfortable being affectionate (holding hands, talking, laughing, kissing, etc.) in public and in front of our camera. .  We would like to have a couple who hasn’t been photographed in a while, preferably a couple who has been married at least 25 years (this session would be perfect for a couple who is celebrating a big anniversary!). 

If you know a couple that you would like to nominate, send us an email at info@winkphotomn.com with your nomination, a short paragraph explaining why they should be our Timeless Couple, a recent photo of them, and their contact information (used only for scheduling purposes). We will choose a couple based on information from the nominations and announce the winner on Monday, December 3rd. Nominees should be within a 30 mile radius of the Twin Cities at the time of the scheduled session.  Session is complementary (a print credit will be included).

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Miho and Gregory

At the wedding I photographed at St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in July, Miho approached me and asked me about my photography.  I told her that I work with Wink Photography and Gretchen and, on the side, have started learning photography as a hobby.  I explained that I was a novice looking for some practice.  To my delight, she told me she was interested in having some portraits done with her husband.  Sadly, they did not get photos taken on their wedding day, but now, wanted to have some nice photos of themselves. 

To my surprise, Miho and Gregory showed up at Nicollet Island Pavilion dressed in full wedding attire!  It was a beautiful evening, with such magical light.  We had so much fun reliving their wedding day and capturing their love!  They were the perfect couple to help with our August Inspiration Session - a session where I could get some "in the field" training with Gretchen.  Thanks Miho and Gregory for being such lovely models! 

~sarah

 

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How does your garden grow?

I have wanted to have a big garden to grow my own fruits and vegetables as long as I can remember. Everything smells, feels, and tastes better when it is fresh from the garden. When we moved into our new house we finally had backyard room enough for a nice sized plot and my father offered to get one set up for us. "Okay", I said, "but don't go crazy with planting because I'm not going to be able to take care of it this year (with 2.5 year old twins, a newborn, and a small business to take care of)."

Well... he went crazy. He can't help himself. He's a farm boy at heart. He loves digging in the dirt and planting seeds (not too keen on weeding though...). Anyway, he vowed to take care of everything he planted and he has, so far, made good on his promise. We have zucchini and cucumbers coming out of our ears, radishes and green onions in abundance, potatoes and tomatoes well on their way, and squash and melons coming soon.

I love this season, food-wise. Everything is so fresh and beautiful that I decided food photography would be a perfect Inspiration session for July. I really don't have a lot of experience photographing food (outside of shooting photos of tea for TeaSource) and I've been wanting some nice images of food for the walls in my kitchen, so I went for it. It was a fun, refreshing, and delicious change of pace. :)

Enjoy the season of abundance!
Gretchen

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Happy Mother's Day!

This month’s Inspiration Session was actually a surprise for Mom for Mother’s Day!  We “advertised” that we were in search of a family with 2-4 children between the ages of 3-10 years old.  We really lucked out when the Vajda family volunteered!

We met in the studio at the end of April to produce a really touching, fun and thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the extraordinary women who call themselves "Mom," especially our own mothers who have loved, supported and encouraged us then, now and for years to come.  We love you!

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Isaac

Steph and her family became our first family to participate in our Inspiration Sessions!  During March, we were looking for an adorable child about to turn one to celebrate in our studio with balloons, props and a full-sized birthday cake! 

I can’t tell you how much fun we had photographing Isaac.  He was so well behaved and playful.  The much anticipated cake smashing was a riot to watch.  He was very cautious and relatively clean when exploring the frosting.  The messiest he got was when he spotted something across the room and crawled OVER the cake! 

Isaac was having his birthday party the next day with his family and friends and was able to take home his mostly intact cake and all the birthday balloons home with him.

What a fun, fun session!  Thanks Steph for sharing your family with us! 

Happy 1^st Birthday Isaac!

 

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May Model Search

Mother’s Day Photo/Video Session 

The Ultimate Mother’s Day gift! This is a secret session in which Dad brings the children in for a photo/video session to surprise mom this Mother’s Day. We will conduct a simultaneous photography and videography session.

The final product of this session will be group and individual images of each child and a professionally shot and edited two minute video, containing video footage, short interviews, and still photos. The client will receive a complimentary copy of the video and a 5x7 print of their choice to present to Mom this Mother’s Day. 

Models:  We are looking for a family with 2-4 children, ages 3-10 years old. 

Dates:  Session must occur between April 1st-27^th.

Details:  Session will take place at our studio in NE Minneapolis.  All participants must sign model releases giving Wink Photography rights to all videography and photography created.

Cost: $100.  This includes session fee and complimentary video and 5 x 7 print.  (Price subject to tax.)

Contact: Send us an email at info@winkphotomn.com  for more details or to sign up.

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Inspiration Sessions

At Wink, we LOVE what we do and we are always trying to do it better. We keep up with the industry by reading, attending workshops, analyzing other artists’ work, practicing, and trying new things. In this spirit, we are dedicating ourselves to doing what we are calling “Inspiration Sessions” once a month. These are meant to be fun sessions that challenge our skills and creativity while providing one-of-a-kind experiences for our clients/models. 

While we are using this as a professional development tool (and basically an excuse to play around with our cameras), the good news for everyone else is that we will be posting our plans for upcoming Inspiration Sessions and offering them to interested new or existing clients at substantial discounts. Each month will have a different theme and will therefore require different types of groups or models. Keep an eye out for one that might work for you and contact us asap if you are interested in participating. Here are the Inspiration Sessions that are coming up:

March - Smash Cake Session

Celebrate baby’s 1st birthday with a fun, unique photo session. We will conduct a full session, including family and individual portraits and end the session by letting the birthday boy/girl dig into a full-sized birthday cake. We provide props, birthday cake, balloons, and clean-up supplies for this entertaining (and messy) session. 

BOOKED

April - Boudoir Session

This full-day boudoir session is meant to pamper and empower. It is open for a group of 3-5 women who are interested in creating some beautiful, sensual images. Hair and makeup services will be included and snacks/beverages will be provided. Each participant will be photographed in various set-ups/backgrounds throughout the session and will receive their choice of digital files or a proof book of their final images. 

BOOKED

May - Mother’s Day Photo/Video Session 

The Ultimate Mother’s Day gift! This is a secret session in which Dad brings the children in for a photo/video session to surprise mom this Mother’s Day. We are looking for a family with 2-4 children, ages 3-10 years old. We will conduct a simultaneous photography and videography session. The final product of this session will be group and individual images of each child and a professionally shot and edited 2-minute video, containing video footage, short interviews, and still photos. The client will receive a complimentary copy of the video and a 5x7 print of their choice to present to Mom this Mother’s Day. 

Contact info@winkphotomn.com  for more details or to sign up.

We are extremely excited to shoot these sessions and offer them to our clients. We can't wait to share them with you!
Watch our blog and Facebook page for more information on our Inspiration Session opportunities.

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