I am super excited to highlight one of my favorite photography duos.. Ann Louise photography. Sisters by blood and photographers by passion, I was lucky enough last year to have 3 brides use them and the images are to die for! From sweet and classic to total movie star.. they capture the complete essence of the bride, wedding, and the entire day. Let's learn more about them!
How did the two of you come up with Photography as a business?
Growing up, we were always doing something creative. When we would have sleepovers with our girlfriends in middle school we would spend the night doing “photo shoots”. We would pour over fashion magazines, do hair and makeup, hang a bed sheet over our closet doors and take hundreds of pictures with a disposable camera. In high school we took as many art classes as we could fit into our schedules. Once we both got engaged, and went through the process of choosing wedding photographers for ourselves, we knew it was time to take the plunge and pursue photography full time. Luckily for us, our husbands were insanely supportive…we both left full time careers to jump into the amazing world of professional wedding photography.
How long have you had your business? Ann Louise Photography turned 4 years old in April.
Did either you go to school or are you self taught? We are both 100% self taught. Jillian has a degree in English, while Jessica has a degree in Elementary & Special Education. What we love so much about this profession is that we are constantly learning, growing, studying, improving…we learn something new every day, which is so amazing.
I am familiar with your engagement and Wedding photography.. do you offer other kinds of sessions?
When we first started our business, we photographed anything and everything: families, seniors, babies, children, engagements, weddings, etc. etc. Looking back on that first year, we literally were shooting 6-7 days a week. We slept with our cameras! We would actually refer to Saturdays and Sundays as Weekend Trifectas because we would sometimes shoot up to 3 sessions on each of those days. Then, in March of 2012, after having a mentoring session with one of our dear friends (and most amazing photogs EVER), we decided it was time to streamline things and focus on what we loved the most. Not only did we adore photographing people in love, we found that it was our strength. From that day on we never looked back. Wedding and Engagement photography is our specialty. Twice a year we offer a one-day mini-session event for a short 20-30 family/child session. These are usually sold out the first day we advertise the event…especially our late fall mini-session day where we also design our clients’ holiday cards. We feel insanely blessed during these events….each day is crazy and insane and a total whirlwind, but we love being able to take two days a year and give families the ALP experience.
What is your most memorable session?
Wow……tough question. Honestly, each session is memorable for different reasons. We literally want each session we shoot to be better than the last. And, we find memorable things occur with each and every couple. Whether it be that we shot on the most vicious 100 degree day of the summer, or we just felt like we had been best friends with each and every member of the bridal party for years, or the bride’s soothing spa like energy made us feel zen while shooting the wedding, or the couple truly looked like they were hollywood royalty, or the bride & groom’s love story and affection toward one another brought tears to our eyes every time we were in their presence, all ALP brides & grooms are unique, special, memorable and hold a special place in our hearts. And…...that is just the truth.
What can clients expect from you?
What we tell our clients is that because we only shoot wedding and engagement photography, and because we only take a select number of weddings per year, they can first and foremost expect a very VIP experience. From the moment they book us we want our couples to feel important and special. We strive to form a bond with them between the booking and their wedding so that when we arrive to hair and makeup on the wedding day, the bride & groom feel like we are old friends. We achieve this by making sure that there is a very good chemistry between us and the couple when we meet for a wedding consultation. If we are a good match, that will radiate in the images. If we don’t feel like our visions are the same or it isn’t a “good fit” we are very honest about that and will not take the booking.
We actually had a bride open the door to her home on her wedding day and say, “Oh my goodness…ever since I woke up I couldn’t wait for you to get here! I feel so much less stressed now that you girls are here!!!” That’s the goal.
In regards to the photography, our clients can expect very editorial, romantic, and timeless engagement and wedding day images. We have a knack for taking the all-american girl, or girl next door, and giving her a supermodel moment. We deliver images that are all artistically edited and perfected in a way so that they are literally magazine worthy. Our clients will look back on their images and feel the emotion and love that they felt for each other on one of the best days of their lives….all while looking like models.
What is the next step for alp?
We are actually at a very amazing, peaceful place. We have hustled like crazy the past few years and are so blessed to finally be doing what we love with clients that we adore. It feels so wonderful to create timeless art for our couples. Our wishes and dreams for the future of Ann Louise photography have no limit, so stay tuned!
Tell me something I do not know about Ann Louise Photography.
Ann Louise photography is named after our middle names - Jessica Ann and Jillian Louise. As sisters, we have such a cool business relationship that we feel makes us so special in the photography market. Our business is a 24/7 endeavor that we juggle between being moms, wives, and sisters. Even though that may seem like a hard task, we feel it makes us who we are. We are creative, thoughtful, and intuitive. While one of us is being the kite, the other is being the anchor. When one of us is dreaming up a new business idea, the other is being rational and level headed. And, these roles change almost daily! We balance each other out in life & work, and together, we have embarked on one of the coolest rides of our lives. Bottom line, we are a cool, creative, well oiled photography machine.
WEBSITE: www.annlouisephotography.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ann.louise.photo
EMAIL: info@annlouisephotography.com
PHONE: 412.655.0980