ILLUMINARE | photography + cinematography » Bret

Kay + Family Video

Bret — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:17:54 +0000

And here is their family video!

Stephanie + Dan – A Glimpse

Bret — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:15:56 +0000

As a companion to Stephanie and Dan’s wedding photography we also shot a highlight video, that I really think of more as “a glimpse” into all the little bits and pieces that made that day theirs. This is my favorite video that I have done to date. There was just this raw feeling to the whole thing as I put it all together; it was so real that it was surreal. And whatever that means exactly, I tried to focus on it. I hope that it comes across well, because Stephanie and Dan are an amazingly beautiful couple.

Stephanie + Dan Highlights from illuminare on Vimeo.

Jillian – 1 year

Bret — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:00:26 +0000

At the rate this little cutie grows, she’s already outgrown the video that we shot a few months ago when doing her 1 year pictures. So put yourself in a time machine and check out Jillian + family at 1 year old.

Jillian – 1 Year from illuminare on Vimeo.

Karen’s Senior Video

Bret — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:00:05 +0000

And as a follow up to yesterday’s post, here’s Karen’s companion video to her senior photos!

Karen – Senior Shoot from illuminare on Vimeo.

The Blue Angels

Bret — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:19:19 +0000

Alright, this is a huge post but the topic requires it, it was all just too cool. Since Pensacola, FL was only about a 45 minute drive from Gulf Shores, Ann’s cousin David set up a group trip out there to catch one of the bi-weekly public practices that the Blue Angels hold at their base there. It was super cool. Then immediately following the show/practice, we spent a few hours exploring the aviation museum there, and still probably only saw 15% of what they had. Nevertheless, it was all totally awesome, check it out:

Gulf Shores: The Beach

Bret — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:00:59 +0000

Here’s an all encompassing view of our typical day on the beach. It was almost as if there was a rotation or a schedule because you’d be hard pressed to find the beach out front of the house lacking some of the family at any time during the day. Can’t blame us, right?

It was a gorgeous week with something for everyone going on.

This is a textbook scene from the week. Ryan: beer within reach, fishing pole set and ready…and his bird friend nearby. No idea why, but they were buds.

And for many, chilling out was all that they wanted to do:

But I can’t sit still, so luckily there was a group willing to go all out with the Frisbee. I’ve got to admit, I arrived with my Frisbee skills severely lacking. I haven’t been practicing enough I guess… but we fixed that. We were ready to go pro by the end of it all. Ann got some stink’n awesome photos of the action:

This is the “Yeah man, I totally caught that” look.

And then…by wondrous achievement, celestial alignment brought the entire group together for several group photos. I’m still amazed that it even happened. How do you submit stuff to the national archive?

And then there was this… that instantly made the hot tub seem a little less appealing. Good thing he was just kidding.

Gulf Shores: That First Night

Bret — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:48:16 +0000

Day 1, Gulf Shores, lots…and lots..of family. I gotta say, when this family gets together, it’s an unbelievably good time. There was great food, some intense poker playing (which I came out of unscathed, miraculously) and of course, the karaoke/rock band set-up.

Well, as you can see from the picture above, as the night wore on the karaoke got..well…old. Now I thought they did pretty good, but none the less, we all took the hint and hit up the hot tub on the balcony. It was the first of many nights that ended with everyone hanging out there. What a wonderful invention.

Road Trip: Destination Gulf Shores

Bret — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:59:44 +0000

So just this last week Ann and I took a week off to head out to Gulf Shores, Alabama with a bunch of family. We’re big fans of road trips, so we opted to drive out there. The first day was mostly done late at night and in rainy weather, but the second day allowed us the freedom to stop and enjoy some things we normally wouldn’t. We got a bit of down home relaxing in a small town just outside of Dauphin Island (the place that a week later would be in the news with reports of tar balls washing up on shore, allegedly from the oil spill making its way inland). We saw a bunch of prep for a parade and a festival going on near a little harbor, so we decided to pull of the road and check it out. There was a ton of stuff going on with most of the locals getting together to bless the ships, have some great seafood, and compete in a gumbo cook-off.

Heading out from there, we made the short 20min or so drive to Dauphin Island to catch the Ferry across the bay. Along the way, Ann got this awesome photo of a flock of birds as it passed over an oncoming car. Almost freaky, huh?

Getting to drive up and ride the Ferry across was a great way to wind down from all of the driving, giving us a chance to get out, stretch our legs and of course take some pictures!

(Don’t get your panties in a bundle, this is a natural gas rig, no oil spill from here!!)

The guy in the photo above worked on the ferry we took. We talked to him for the whole ride across, and he really become the personification of the whole area for us. He had just come down from Minnesota to work on the ferry a few weeks prior, but now due to the oil spill heading this way he was expecting to be layed off and jobless within a month or so, as passenger ships cannot continue operating in it. We never exchanged names, but just by hearing about how this situation has impacted his corner of the world really gave us a personal connection to it all.

Alicia + Dan Highlight Video

Bret — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:45:04 +0000

A few days after Alicia & Dan’s wedding we headed back out to the park where they were married and made good use of an awesome field there. We also went over to the coolest little town, a favorite of theirs called Wentzville . As is the norm when out with a bride in groom in full attire, people driving by honked, hooped and hollered to show their support. But this time we even had a few people who called them out by name as they drove past! Yup, mini-celebs, right here.

Congratulations you two, it was great to be a part of!

Alicia + Dan Highlights from illuminare on Vimeo.

logan and mommy

Bret — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:58:57 +0000

As a follow up to their pictures, here’s the video of Katie and her new baby, Logan.

logan and mommy from illuminare on Vimeo.