Houston Wedding Photographer / Aric C Hoek

The Yentzen Wedding

The Yentzen Wedding

Last weekend we shot two weddings, and as promised here are the images. I say we, because as you may or may not know there are now two full time photographers here to serve our clients. So, from now on I am going to try and separate my blog entries into two sections, each section representing the work of one artist.

I will start with images from Liz, and then myself. This should be interesting.

Enjoy!

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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Photography by Elizabeth Bandy

A Quick Report...

It’s a long night for me. Just got home from a wedding and it is 12:55 am. Before I go to bed I have to get my images downloaded and backed up. My rechargeable camera and flash batteries need to be recharged as Liz and I have to be back at the studio at 11:30 tomorrow morning to shoot another wedding. Actually, I can’t really say tomorrow, as the wedding is today. Hmmm.

Tonight’s wedding had some great vendors there that you should know about. The first is Schwartz Woodward. They are one of the best wedding planners in Houston and they were recently featured on Platinum Weddings. Very cool stuff. Look them up if you are in need of a planner for your wedding or event. You will be in good hands.

The second really cool feature to tonight’s wedding was the band. Fried Ice Cream. I can't seem to find a link to their site at the moment, however they really are fantastic! If you are looking for a good band, they book them as fast as you can. They really are very good. A photographer should know. After all, we see everything. I will try and post a link to them later.

Next week is going to be a long week. Beth, Liz and I will need to get two weddings edited and online by Thursday so our clients can see their images while on their honeymoons. Secondly, we have a large wedding scheduled for next weekend that we need to get ready for. This will be the second event to the Hartman wedding, which was my recent trip to Banff. The couple is having a second event in Houston to make everything official. They have rented out the Museum of Natural Science and are having their second ceremony in The Gem Exhibit! Needless to say, this is a high stress shoot for me and I want everything to go perfectly.

I will be posting images from both weddings later in the week. Until then.....

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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Studio Engagement Session

What will be on display at the entrance of your reception?

If you have been deciding between an engagement session or a bridal session, then I would suggest an engagement session. This will give you both time in front of the camera before the wedding day, along with giving both of you and your family future enjoyment.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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Stikeleather Weddding

Here are a few images from a recent event. Thank goodness I make it a point to show up to my events 1.5 hours before they begin, I got held up in some serious traffic, but I still had an hour to spare.

Enjoy.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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How to get me excited about photographing your wedding.

You would be surprised how often the following happens. Often enought that I am writing this post.

Two people contact the studio via our contact page on the same day, and both inquiries are requesting our services on the same wedding date. Yikes! Who do I reply to first?

The first email reads something like this, “Packages and prices please.” That’s it. Nothing else. Or, “pricing please.” You can just tell that they are quite possibly copying and pasting the same request to a list of photographers they have found.

I understand that people are on a budget when they are planning a wedding, and that some budgets are larger than others. And I understand that the planning of a wedding can just wear you out. However I will be more receptive to a request that shows some excitement about our services. Wouldn't you?

Later that same day, lets say I receive and email that reads something to the effect of, “We love your work and we have read your blog. (I added the, "we have read your blog" bit. Couldn't help it.) We can see that you are passionate about what you do and we would love to have you at our wedding. Could you please tell us the next available time that we can meet with you to discuss our needs? Hope to hear back from you soon!”

Who do you think I am going to contact first? Am I going to contact both inquiries? You bet I am going to contact both inquiries! I am a father of twins! However I am going to ask Beth to schedule one consultation before the other.

Past Post in 2006.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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The Norman Wedding

The Norman Wedding

Today I would like to share some images that I recently took at Butlers Courtyard during the Norman wedding. A very nice couple, and a great facility. I have also included a few of her bridal portraits at the end of the post.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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You have to be kidding! Honeymoon Photography?

Laughter and snickering is normally the first response I get when I tell my perspective clients that we offer professional photography during their honeymoon. The laughing suddenly subsides once they have seen the images though.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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Meet Elizabeth Bandy

It is important that I surround myself with good people as my business grows. Liz Bandy is the latest example of that rule. As the popularity of the studio grows, so do the number of wedding inquiries. Keeping as busy as I do, I find that I must refer out many inquiries as I am already booked and no longer available on the date in question. And while referring out good leads to other photographers normally guarantees referrals heading my way in the future, as a responsible business owner I must try to retain the business myself.

Enter Liz.

Some studios contract out help on the weekends in order to retain a higher number of their wedding inquires. As usual, I plan on doing things a bit differently. Liz is a full time employee of the studio. The weddings she books will be hand held by her personally through each step of the process. Her past experience as a wedding photographer and her full time status is an asset to the studio, and to the vendors that refer our services.

Recently we photographed a wedding together at Moody Gardens in Galveston…

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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The Koehl Wedding. A great party!

Normally the images I like to display online are dramatic and moody. But today I will be giving you a bit more fun. There is still some drama at the brides house, and at the church during the ceremony, but mostly the entire day of shooting was one long party.

Enjoy.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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Premier Bride Magazine - Part 2

Well, I haven’t made an entry in a few days as we have been really busy here. I think I have enough entries to do one a day now for about three weeks though. So let the writing begin!

I figure it will be best to continue where I left off, and that is with the commercial shoot for Premier Bride Magazine done at Eden Studio. The following are just a few of my favorites from the shoot. There are so many more to show, but these are my favorites. With any luck they will use one for the cover of their magazine which will surely give the studio a nice boost.

It is important to keep in mind that these images were taken to show off the clothing of the models, and were not taken as a portrait session. Because of this some of the images have the subjects faces darkend (by shadows) in order to draw attention to the clothing.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

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