Imagen Photography Blog

New Imagen Photography Blog!

2009-11-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

Our blog has officially moved!! Check out our new blog location at http://www.imagenphotographyblog.com/

This blog will stay up, but all new posts will be at the new address. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Wedding Video: Union Club in Cleveland

2009-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we shot wedding video for Katie & Joe. What an honor it was to be a part of this couples wedding. First off, they were just two of the kindest, most laid-back people I have ever met. From my initial meeting with them I could tell they were going to be a great couple to work with. The wedding ceremony took place at Saint Albert the Great in Broadview Heights. Then we headed down to the Rock Hall for a photo shoot. Valerie Kirkbride was the event planner for the day, and she did an amazing job! Everything went so smoothly from start to finish. Click here to see Valerie's post on the event.

The reception was held at the Union Club Downtown. I love working at the Union Club, the building just has so much character and the light-up dance floor gets the crowd every time!

We also had the opportunity that day to work with the always fabulous Genevieve and James Nisly. Genevieve and James have recently become good friends of mine and it was a blessing to work along side of them that day. They did an awesome job with the photography, click here to see their blog post.

All in all it was a great day, and the video came out awesome! Check out their highlight reel below!

Katie & Joe from Nathan Migal on Vimeo.

Back to blogging...

2009-09-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since my last post... I have really been slacking on the blogging. So to get back in the swing of things here are a few images from my past couple shoots... Enjoy!

Collages.net Website of Week

2009-08-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see that one of my engagement shoots was selected as the "Website of the Week" by Collages.net this week! I shot Shelly and Scott's Engagement Photos over in University Circle on the campus of Case Western. Check out the blog post if you get a chance! Click Here.

Wedding: Sarah/Corey, Warren, Oh.

2009-08-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Click Here to see the Higlight Montage from this Wedding on Imagen Photography's New Blog!

Good times with the Family...

2009-07-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my family got together... It's not very often we get all 5 siblings in one house so I snapped a few photos. I don't think I have ever blogged my family so here goes!

This is my brother from another mother, Daniel... Dan is one of the funniest guys I know. We don't get to spend too much time together, but it's always a good time when Dan is around. This guy will give you a run for your money in Boggle and he holds his own in HORSE on his home court... That's my bro Dan.

Next is my sister from another mister, Emily...and of course... her baby-daddy/husband, Paul. Emily is 26 weeks pregnant and due the first week in November!! They already have their daughters name picked out... it's Anabel.. with 1 L and 1 E, get it right.

Paul is a professional Rock Star drummer. Okay, not really. But he could be. He plays on expert. It's pretty sick.

Emily, she's a whiz kid that will dominate you in just about any board game. Especially one's that involve acting and charades. Her and Paul are pretty dang good.

This is Paul combining his talents to act out the clue Rock Star in Charades... I told you he was good!

Next is my big sis, Sarah. I don't think she will like this picture too much so I put up a second to show you guys just how beautiful she really is! Sarah has son, my nephew Xavier... the frickin' cutest kid ever... Sarah has done a wonderful job raising her son into the little man he has become at age 6. I am very proud of both of them and I love them both very much! Marisa is photographing Xavier tomorrow so I will wait till then to post him!

Then you have my not-so-little, little bro Matthew. Actually he is huge! He's like 6'7. Don't let him fool you though, he is a big softy. To be honest, I can still whoop-up on him when I have to... Matthew is finishing up college at BG. When he finishes up he will officially be the first Migal to earn a college degree! Go Matt! Matt also has a ridiculous fast ball. Last year he played the Fast Pitch game at the Indian's Home Opener. He threw 89 mph, and no one has beat it since. This is Matthew.

Here is my Mom, Terry. Terry is a great Mom. She makes a mean meatloaf, the best fudge ever, and knows how to fold your clothes just right so they are never wrinkled! She is pretty good at Scrabble, but you have to watch her... she always tries to make up her own words! Love you Mom!

And here is John, my step-father. John is a true outdoorsman. Recently John has taken up a new hobby... He has been treasure hunting with the metal-detector he got for Christmas. He actually has a whole collection of treasures he has found... including some nuts and bolts, some scrap metal, and a door knob. Its pretty exciting stuff! Here's John.

So that's 1/2 of my family! At the next holiday I will get some photos of my Dad's side... Until then, here is my Dad, Rick.

My dad is a pretty tall guy himself.. although my brother and I have both passed him up! He loves golf, tennis, fishing, and Chicago food. For some reason when I think about my dad, I am reminded of the movie "What About Bob?" Its a great movie and I can remember growing up, we watched that movie almost every time I saw him. We would sit around wondering what we should do next until someone would say... "What About Bob?" How could you turn it down? So, here is my dad. Love you dad.

Favorites...

2009-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of my favorite images from my last couple weddings... Some of these are from our Cleveland weddings and some are from a Youngstown wedding. I also threw in a few engagement photos from last nights shoot as a sneak-peek. I had a great time last night with Monica and Jason doing their Engagement Photos, downtown Cleveland. We got some great shots over on E. 4th and then found some side streets and back-alleys with great light! Hope you enjoy these photos!

And a few more...

2009-07-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

And here are a few more...

Catching Up.

2009-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite moments from some recent weddings. Enjoy!

More Recent Engagement Photos

2009-07-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more recent engagement photos. More wedding stuff will up soon!

Recent Weddings

2009-07-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of my favorites from our last couple of weddings.

Recent Stuff

2009-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Its been almost 2 months since my last blog post and I have way more stuff to blog then I will actually have time for! So, here are a few of my favorites from our last few engagement shoots.

In the meanwhile, it has been an exciting couple months for us! Just a couple days ago our very first magazine ad came out! We were pretty stoked to see ourselves on the front inside cover of the Today's Bride Magazine!! Also, we had the opportunity last month to shoot a couple destination weddings which was pretty exciting as well! Marisa and I spent 8 days in Punta Cana with two awesome brides, Kim and Keisha! We already put up some of their photos on our main site in the our wedding galleries. The photos came out awesome!

Well, here are a few new pics, sorry again about the delay in posting this stuff! There is more to come tomorrow!

Wedding: Sarah/Patrick

2009-05-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Click here to see their slideshow!

Here are a few of the shots from the day. I love photographing weddings at Pine Ridge in Willoughby, Ohio. We had an especially great time with Patrick and Sarah!

Click here to see their slideshow!

Destination Wedding; Peek'n Peak, New York

2009-05-27T20:17:00.001-07:00

Last week I traveled out to New York for an awesome wedding at Peek'n Peak. The resort was an awesome location for wedding photos. We started out the day at a small church about 45 min away from the resort. Billie, the bride, wanted to married in the same church as her parents, which I thought was pretty sweet. (It made it worth the 45 min drive!) After the ceremony the bridal party piled into their stretch hummer and rolled back over to Peek'n Peek for an awesome reception.

Anyways, Billie and Jimmy, we had a great time working with you this weekend! Thanks again for everything! Next season I will definitely have to road trip out to NYC to see you guys and watch LeBron light up the Gardens again!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR SLIDESHOW.

Engagement: Kristen/Mike

2009-05-07T09:36:00.001-07:00

A couple nights ago I met up with Kristen and Mike for Happy Hour at Bice's. Let me tell you, this Happy Hour is LEGIT! We got these Thai Lettuce Wraps... so good! I used to think P.F. Changs had the best lettuce wraps, then I really got hooked on Cheesecake Factory's.... but now, there is a new sherriff in town. Bice's has got it goin' on.

Anyways, after dinner we took a few pictures at the mall. It wasn't really a full engagement shoot. We only spent like 10 min, but I thought the pics came out good. Check 'em out!

Married with grandchildren!

2009-05-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

I just got back last night from my trip to Florida. I had an awesome time hanging out with my grandparents for the last few weeks. Thanks again for everything guys! I love you both!

While I was in Florida, I had some really great opportunities... some photo-related, some not.

First and foremost, I got to witness my grandparents get baptized! That was truly an amazing experience. This sounds weird to say, but I was so proud of them both! They have truly been an inspiration to me.

My last night in Florida, we went over to Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs for some pictures. It was so freakin' cute, I just had to share the pictures with everyone. So, here are my grandparents!

One things for sure, we don't get sunsets like this in Cleveland!

Anytime Photos: Tarpon Springs, Fl

2009-05-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

I met Ashlynn and Donny a couple weeks ago at a wedding I shot in the Orlando area. Ashlynn is a photographer as well, so we had a lot to talk about at the wedding. It's always refreshing to meet people who share your passion for something. Ashlynn asked if I would do a shoot of her and her husband, no real occasion... she just wanted some nice pictures! Here are a few shots from the day.

Engagement: Siesta Key; Diane/Tiho

2009-05-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from Diane and Tiho's E-shoot!

Engagement: Naples, Fl; Leigh/Brian

2009-05-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of night ago I met up with Leigh and Brian in Naples. We had an amazing dinner at this little French Restaurant in town. Brian ate sweetbread, which I think is like cow brain stem!! Kinda, weird right? It was actually really good! After we snapped a few photos, here's a couple of my favorites!

Wedding: Bella Collina; Montverde, Florida

2009-04-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I shot one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen! The location: Bella Collina; Monteverde, Florida. Bella Collina is a gorgeous, private Tuscan Village, that recently opened it's doors to the public for weddings! The grounds of Bella Collina were absolutely amazing for the wedding pictures, I have never seen anything like it. I truly felt like I was in Italy! Here are a few pictures from the day. You may notice some desaturation and color tinting... I wanted to give the photos an Old World, vintage feel.

I had a great time working with Sharon and Andrew, and really all of their guests as well! They were such an easygoing, fun crowd. I also had a chance to work with some really great vendors as well. Amy Koehler, who is the dining room manager for Bella Collina, was very hospitible and provided me with a great meal! Ricky Vazquez set the mood for the evening with an awesome playlist that the bride and groom put together. I personally liked the playlist so much that I asked him for an extra copy... the put some songs on there that I hadn't heard in years! And they had some funny songs as well. Andrew and Sharon cut their cake to the song Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore(also known as Julia Gulia!LOL!) on the airplane at the end of Wedding Singer. Great movie by the way... I threw that song in their slideshow. I also had a chance to work along side of Matthew Pezzula of Storyboard Weddings. I can't wait to see the footage he captured, I am sure it will be amazing! Also, Matthew provided some great light for some of my shots with his video light! I love working with a videographer and their video lights! It always makes my job that much easier!

Andrew and Sharon, thanks again for everything last weekend! You guys are a beautiful couple and I wish you nothing but the best! It was a great pleasure to photograph your perfect wedding, and it couldn't have been more perfect!

Here are some of the photos from the day. Also here is a link to their slideshow:

Click Here To View The Slideshow!

Click Here To View The Slideshow!

Destination Engagement: Kristen/Pat

2009-04-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I spent the day in Clearwater, Florida with a really fun couple, Kristen/Pat. It was everyone's first time in Clearwater, but we found some great spots for photos! Here are a few shots from the day!

Engagement: Megan/Jim

2009-04-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

I went downtown Cleveland again for another E-Shoot last week. Here a few shots from the day.

Engagement: Billy/Jimmy

2009-04-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of shots from Billy/Jimmy's Engagement shoot in Cleveland.

Lebron James and Cavs Game

2009-04-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, Marisa and I went down to see the Cavs play the Spurs at the Q. We had some amazing seats, just a couple of rows back from the Cavs bench. I didn't bring my camera yesterday but I brought to the Cav/Lakers game a few weeks ago and had the same seats!...(p.s. we got stomped!) Anyways, I thought I would throw up a couple of the shots I took from our seats. I can not wait for playoffs! Go Cavs!

Oh yeah! Randy Moss was sitting like 6 seats away from us! I paparazzied a few shots of him... he he he..

Travis Abbott Interiors

2009-03-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I went down to Little Italy to do some photos our friend Travis, of Travis Abbott Interiors. Travis needed some headshots, so we went down and set up our portable studio, and ended up doing a little 20 minute photo shoot outside in his neighborhood as well. It was a little chilly, but we managed to stay warm long enough to get some great photos. Here are a couple of the shots we got.

First Engagement Shoot of Spring!

2009-03-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got out and shot the first engagement shoot of the spring! We had a great time shooting, the weather was fantastic, and the pictures came out beautiful. If you haven't scheduled your engagement shoot yet, now is the time!

Mike & Lauren

2009-02-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I had an awesome time at an even awesomer couple's wedding! A good friend of mine, Mikey, finally tied the knot with the woman of his dreams, Lauren!! Marisa and I had a great time shooting, we brought one of our associates, McKinley, along to take some of the load off. It was great shooting with 3 photographers... overkill for sure, but still great! We had a ton of photos after the day was over. It was awesome for me to be able to do what I love for Mike and Lauren, and still be a part of their wedding day! Later in the evening Marisa and I were able to put down the camera's and get down on the dance floor. I definately will not be posting any of McKinley's shots of that!

Here are a few photos from the day and a slideshow! Enjoy!

Special Event!

2009-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I shot a pretty sweet event out in Youngstown, Oh. The decorating was pretty awesome, so I wanted to post a couple shots! It was very pink and blue!

Wedding Sneak Peek!

2009-01-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here a couple shots from the wedding on Saturday! I will have a slideshow up on Wednesday!

Pre-wedding preparations!

2009-01-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today was a quite an onerous day for Mark and I. We had a lot of things to take care of before the wedding tomorrow.... We woke up this morning and took a relaxing walk around the city. It was amazing just being outside in flip-flops and a t-shirt. We had lunch and dinner at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen), two separate meals... both times we both ate the Cobb salad! It really is THAT GOOD!

The best part of the day came this afternoon. Just after lunch we walked down the Miracle Mile here in Coconut Grove. We came across this little store called Spy World. Mark insisted we go inside! So I was on the phone when we walked into the store, so Mark and I went our separate ways. Like 2 minutes later I overhear Mark talking with one of the sales clerks in the store and almost died laughing! Mark told the clerk that he was suspicious that his girlfriend had been cheating...(keep in mind, Mark doesn't have a girlfriend). He told the guy he has been looking for some kind of spying equipment to catch her in the act. I never knew Mark was such a great actor! The clerk totally bought it, suggesting the latest and greatest in spy technology. In a matter of 5 minutes this guy had Mark a system that would tap his "girlfriends" phones, track any computer activity she does, including all her MySpace, Facebook, and email passwords and bug her car so he could hear her conversations! It was ridiculous! It made me wonder, are there are really people out there like that??

Then tonight we chilled out on our rooftop patio. I took a couple shots of the pool and the view from the pool. It's really a nice setup here.

Now i'm about to go grab some sushi with some new friends that are here from New York. Check back Sunday for some shots from the wedding tomorrow!

A shot of our hotel suite! We got a free upgrade!!! Not bad at all.

The most amazing dessert ever! Red Velvet Cake from CPK.

The pool.

The view from the pool.

The other view from the pool.

Marky Mark in the hot tub.

Destination Wedding: Miami, Florida

2009-01-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well, the contest has been a huge hit so far! And the response to our booth has been great! Everyone seems to love the fact that our booth isn't just pipes and drapes... we have an ACTUAL VINTAGE PHOTOBOOTH!!

Anyways, Photobooths aside, today I left -2 degree Cleveland for an awesome wedding in beautiful Miami. A great friend of mine, Mark Davidson, booked a wedding down there and asked if I could come along and 2nd shoot for him! What an awesome opportunity for any photographer!

Marisa and I have been truly blessed here in Cleveland to find ourselves in a market where there is such unity amongst our competing vendors! Mark and I were good buddies years before either of us were interested in photographing weddings, but since Imagen's start we have really found great friendships in some of our best competition. For example, Linczak Photography, Easywind Studios, and Sam Carrington, just to name a few, are all great photographers that have been so kind and open with Marisa and I. It's great to see young studios banding together to stay afloat, especially when the economy is down. It's such a shame to see studios out there that aren't connecting with the other photographers in the area! We have such an advantage in the industry when we work together, bouncing ideas off one another and critiquing each other's work.

Yesterday I met with Valarie Kirkbride, an amazing wedding planner in Northeast Ohio. We sat at Starbuck's and just chatted for a while about how we got started in our industries. Valarie got started planning weddings in Southern California. Her portfolio contains some amazing weddings at huge mansions and private estates like what you see on MTV Cribs! I walked away from our meeting realizing how much I could really learn from a planner like Val. She has since had amazing success here in Cleveland, recently winning the Best Wedding Planner in Cleveland award, amongst many other accomplishments. These kinds of relationships coupled with top notch products and excellent customer service are what I believe will keep Imagen at the top of its class.

Well, Marky Mark and I need to jump on this flight.. I will be posting some shots from Miami tomorrow, so check back for those and keep up the voting!

Photobooth Contest

2009-01-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

So on Sunday we did our first Bridal Show ever!!! It was a very exciting day for Imagen Photography. Not only was it the first time we had ever officially marketed ourselves, it was also the first time showing off the new Imagen Photobooth. Seeing our brand new photobooth in action was so much fun for us, as both Marisa and I have been dreaming of getting a photobooth for so long. I think our favorite part of the day was seeing and hearing our guests laughing hysterically as they came piling out of our booth! Brides would come down the aisle... (pun intended)... see our display and drag whoever it was they suckered into going to the show with them right into our booth. It was non-stop photos all afternoon and every single bride was after the same thing... a free photobooth at their wedding!! The rules of the contest were simple... the best of the best photostrips (funniest, most original, weirdest, cutest, etc.) would be posted online for a contest. Whichever Bride recieves the most votes gets a free Imagen Photobooth at their wedding! At the end of the show we had hundreds of entries for our contest. We came home and sorted them all out and narrowed it down to the top 20. Now it's your turn to decide our winner! Take a look through our top 20, find your friends, co-worker, boss, employee, Grandma!!(that one is hilarious), and vote them into victory!

The contest goes until Friday, January 23rd. Our winner will be announced on Monday, January 26th!

Good luck to all!!!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!!!

Photobooth Fun!

2009-01-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Before Nathan and I even had a name for our company, we knew one thing for sure... we wanted a photobooth! It's been awhile coming, but like they say "Good things come to those who wait!"... and plan, I might add. So, we are proud and pleased to announce the arrival of the Imagen Photobooth! I am so excited to be able to offer this to our clients! It's impossible to go into a photobooth and not have a good time! The photobooth is awesome in and of itself, but we also have some amazing people working along side us. Our friends Mike, Micah, and Lindsey are all part of the Imagen Photoboth crew, and I truly could not be happier to be working with them. Here's a pic of the booth and the inside of our stylin' new cards ;)

(Lindsey's pic still to come)

New Website for the New Year!

2009-01-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

In keeping with tradition, I’ve made my New Years resolutions for '09. While I would love to sit here and write all of them down for you, let’s be honest, some of them are a little embarrassing! But one that made the list this year is to be better about blogging. And by “better” I mean “start”. I have to admit, that Nathan has definitely been doing all the blogging around here. So here I am, starting off the New Year with my first blog. But besides me and my blogging, we have some actual exciting news. We just launched our new website!! It’s still a little bit of a work in progress, but we think it’s a drastic improvement from our old site! We’ll be adding a few more photos and other fun things on there in the next couple weeks. If you get the chance to check it out, let us know what you think, we’d love some feedback!

And because pictures always make blogs more fun…

This pic is from our friends Stacy and Dom’s wedding that we shot a couple months ago. Good times had by all!!! ☺

p.s. Since this is a shared blog, we thought it would be a good idea to have different color fonts so you could tell who's writing. I'm this lovely shade of blue. We'll see how it goes...

Elsie & Nathan

2009-01-04T17:53:00.001-08:00

Christmas Pics

2008-12-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Last week my buddy Ed asked me to come over and take some photos for him for Christmas, here are a couple of my favorites!

Bat Mitzvah

2008-12-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I took some some photos at a Bat Mitzvah, it was insane! The event was at Landerhaven in Beechwood, but the event planner did such an amazing job decorating that you would never even recognize the place! Each table in the room was decorated differently to match the model that posed as a centerpiece. It was pretty awesome. Here are a few pics from the night!

Laguna Beach Slideshow

2008-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

So this Thanksgiving was a little different for me. Now I don't know about you, but I don't eat to live, I Live to Eat!! So as you can probably imagine Thanksgiving is usually a pretty exciting day for me. Usually there's a nice subtle dusting of snow on the ground. Mom's mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce (usually my brother polishes that stuff off before anyone else can get their hands on it), fresh baked rolls right out of the oven (my mom covers 'em up with a little blanket so by time they get around to you the butter still melts right on), and turkey.... Aahhh, I am truly thankful for days like Thanksgiving!

This year was a little different. This year instead of snow I had sand (not a shabby trade). This Thanksgiving even though I was clear across the country in beautiful Laguna Beach, California, I couldn't have felt more at home.

Jill and Jon were an awesome couple to work with and they had an absolutely gorgeous wedding! The Ceremony and Reception were both held at 7 degrees, a sick venue in downtown Laguna. We did an engagement shoot on Wednesday at the beach, Thursday we ate turkey at the rehersal/Thanksgiving dinner, then on Friday Jill walked down the aisle. Here are a few pics from the weekend, there is a slideshow at the bottom you can click the link to watch.

Check it out!!

Laguna Wedding

2008-11-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

I am out in Laguna Beach right now, about to shoot a sweet wedding on Friday... Here's a little sneak peek.

There will be a few more tonight, we did an e-shoot at the beach today... Came out awesome!!!

Happy Thanksgiving... check back tomorrow for the e-shoot!

Vanessa & Jon

2008-11-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I went out and shot 2nd camera again with my buddy Scott from Easywind Studios. It was really an awesome wedding. Valarie Kirkbride of Kirkbride's Wedding Planning & Design put together a truly incredible day. We started off at St. John's downtown on E. 9th Street. The church was unbelievable. The voices of Cleveland's own Singing Angels filled St. John's, giving Vanessa's ceremony the perfect touch. After the ceremony the guest headed over to the Silver Grille in Tower City. The room looked amazing! Valarie brought in special lighting for the event that really gave this wedding a L.A. feel. It was a great surprise running into some old friends at the reception. All in all, Vanessa and Jon were a pleasure to work with. I hope you guys love your photos!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR SLIDESHOW!

Everyone loves a fruity martini during cocktail hour.

Bubbles!

It was almost impossible to take a picture where Vanessa wasn't smiling.

These chocolate milkshakes were delish!

Kyle & Jess Highlights

2008-11-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Marisa and I shot Jessica & Kyle's wedding. We brought my brother Adam along to get some video footage of the day. I put together a little highlight reel with some photos and some video. Check it out and let me know what you think! Jess and Kyle, you guys were awesome! Jessica you looked absolutely gorgeous and Kyle you didn't look too shabby yourself. The pictures came out great! I can't wait to share them with you both. Check back next week, they will be on here. Congrats!

The quality above sucks... if you have high speed internet click here to view a much better quality version.

The Senior Trio

2008-11-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today I went out and shot some senior portraits of a couple of close friends of mine. I used to be a small group leader at Cuyahoga Valley Church; Jordan, Nick and Brian were all in my small group. I led their group from the time they were in 7th grade all the way through their Junior year of High School. We have a ton of great memories together growing up and it's truly amazing to see the kind of men these boys have grown into. Even though I was their leader, these guys, as well the other few guys in our group have really been a huge influence and inspiration in my life. Guys, you are such an encouragement to me! I love you all and I am excited to see what God has in store for each of you! You each have so much potential, follow your dreams guys! Hope you like the pics.

To see a slideshow with a few more from the day click here.

2008-11-04T16:00:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago I went out and shot with my buddy Scott from Easywind Studios. Scott's wife is prego so I told him I would tag along with him to give her a break that day since I wasn't booked. It was really nice to be the 2nd shooter all day. I got a chance to relax and just capture the day as it was without any pressure. Here is a slidshow of some of the shots.

To view the slideshow click here.

My Super Costume!

2008-10-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Halloween once again. It's crazy how fast this years gone by! See the thing is, for me, Halloween is a pretty big deal. It's not that I love vampires and haunted houses (to be honest they kinda scare me), tricks and treats aren't really my thing either. Still however, each October I look forward to this one night, the only time all year when the more ridiculous you look, the cooler you are. And believe me... I am pretty cool tonight. In fact, I have a history of being really really freakin' cool on this particular day. In high school I dressed up as Waldo from Where's Waldo? Amazing! Ya, I was awesome... at least for that one day. The year before Waldo I was the Pokemon kid... ya, that's right. I told you I was really cool. Actually, now that I think about it I even had 2 live Pokemon. I actually convinced two almost grown men to get into these hilarious childrens costumes. Cliffy was Jigglypuff, the big round pink thing and Freddy was Marill, the blue mouse thingy. The fact that they only could find children's medium costums only made these guys look cooler!

This year, I wanted to throw it back a little bit. After much thought I decided to I wanted to be a little more Super this year. Not that Waldo and Ash (the Pokemon dude) aren't super.. they just aren't as super as the one and only QUAIL MAN!!!! That's right, Quail Man, underwear and all! For those of you who are confused about the idenity of Quail Man... you need to watch some Doug.

Anyways, here are a couple pics... hope you get a laugh!

This is Cliff, my roomate... he is dressed as Billy Madison. He would be a lot cooler if he would have wrote Frank the right way. Retard! j/k Cliff.

Onyx String Quartet

2008-10-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went downtown to meet up with a new friend of mine, Alexandra Early. Alex is a violinist who played at a wedding I was at a few weeks ago. I have to admit I was quite impressed with Alex's playing. Growing up I took viola lessons... for those of you who don't know, a viola is like a big violin. Much more manly than a violin, or maybe that's just what I told myself. Anyways, if you are looking for a string quartet or even just a solo violinist, you need to check out Alex's site. She has some samples on there, but take it from me.. she is VERY GOOD! Her website is http://onyxquartet.org/
Here are a few of the shots we got last weekend.

Holly & Adam

2008-10-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

To see my favorites from Holly & Adam's shoot click here.

Above was probably my favorite image of the day.

Kate & Mark

2008-10-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Just a couple days ago I went out to Youngstown to meet up with Kate and Mark. We took a photo walk through the woods out by their house, it was beautiful! The trees were painted with the most beautiful colors of Autumn. The sky, blue. It was the perfect temperature for jeans and a t-shirt... which always feel great! The light was slightly harsh that day but we stayed in the woods so the pictures came out awesome. After our shoot we went over to the local hot-dog shop... Classic! It was goooood. And as if a chili dog and some wedding soup isn't inspiring enough.. they even put a little positive message out on their front sign! I love these kinds of places!

Jess & Kyle

2008-10-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the leaves are changing colors... finally. So, now is the time that everybody wants to go out and do an engagement shoot! Last week I did 4 different couples and Jess & Kyle were the first of the bunch. We decided to start down at the Cultural Gardens for their engagement session. Jessica and Kyle were in the bridal party at wedding I had shot a couple weeks before. Dom and Stacy had all their wedding photography done there and Jessica really liked the location. We were bummed when we got to the Italian Garden and the fountain was off... but that didn't stop us from getting some great photos!

Once we were finished in the Gardens we went over to Ohio City to get a few more shots and grab some dinner. We found a couple colorful walls and pretty cool reflection... I had a great time with Jess and Kyle and I am really looking forward to their wedding!!! They are just a really fun couple that love to smile!! Couples like them make my job so easy!

If you want to see some more photos from the shoot, click here!

Marisa & Mike

2008-10-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks back we shot the wedding of Marisa and Mike. What a day! It was a little bit overcast, but the rain held off all day for them. Some changing in plans forced M&M to bump their wedding they had planned for late December to September last minute. I really have to say, Marisa did a fine job putting together her day. They had their reception in her mom's backyard and it came out beautiful! Congratulations Marisa and Mike! Best of luck to the both of you!

If you want to see their slideshow... Click Here!

These were my favorite shots of Cliff's that day.

Allison & Andy

2008-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the slide show from the last wedding, check it out!

This was the first time Andy saw Allison that day.

This one is for you Allison!

And here's the bridge that Allison has always wanted to have in her wedding photos.

Not your typical walk down the aisle, but it made for a beautiful picture!

Green cake to match the green candy, green dress, green shoes....

Allison's knottie friends... the knot is out of control!

These guys dominated the Anniversary Dance that night... probably the cutest couple alive!

Allison & Andy getting "a little bit softer now" during Shout.

Graham & Kristin

2008-09-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went down to Akron for Graham & Kristin's wedding. What a great couple! In fact, their whole wedding was great! Their bridal party was a blast, and they were all such beautiful people! Graham & Kristin had to plan their special day long distance, as they live out in San Fran, CA... I have to say they did a fine job. They had DJ Scott Jones of Jerry Bruno Productions spin the tracks that night.. Scott is an awesome DJ and a really great guy! It's always a pleasure to work with Scott.

Anyways, I put a little slideshow together from the wedding.... Click here to check it out!

The groom, Graham, painted one of these for every table that night... On the back was a small story about why each place was special to them!

Mike & Brittan

2008-09-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Check out the photos from my last wedding... Brittan & Mike were a blast!!! Congrats guys and best of luck!!!! Click Here.

Xaviers first day of school... ever!

2008-08-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my nephews first day of Kindergarten!! I stopped by his day-care to see him get off the bus and snap a couple shots of the guy... He was so dang cute! The daycare took a photo of each child getting on the bus that morning, then gave each parent a little keepsake. I can't believe how fast this kid is growing up!

Natalie & Kevin

2008-08-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot for an old friend of mine. Natalie and I attended Nordonia High School together, she graduated the year after I did. It was such a pleasure to catch up with her and get to know Kevin! These two are really a great match... and they're both so photogenic!! Here are a few of the photos from today, you can watch their slideshow by clicking here!

Corey & Sarah E-Shoot

2008-08-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight I shot Corey & Sarah's engagement photos... Take a look!

Dom & Stacy

2008-08-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Marisa and I went down to Chagrin Falls for an engagement shoot with Dom and Stacy. It was a little muggy that evening, but we got some iced coffee's to cut the heat for our shoot! Here are a few of the photos from their shoot!

Good times with good friends...

2008-08-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago we headed to Chicago for the weekend, a little work mixed with lots of fun! My awesome friend Emily and her sweetheart, Aaron, were so gracious and opened their doors to us. We had such a great time! On our way down the street to this amazing little restaurant, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, we snapped a few photos of them! Here are some of the shots from Nathan's camera...

Tom & Elizabeth

2008-08-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Check out the slideshow from our last wedding! Click Here!

Kev & Meg

2008-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

We recently had the opportunity to shoot Meg & Kev's wedding, and it was awesome!! We shot their wedding video as well and it came out great! I put together a photo/video montage for them, so if you want to check it out, Click Here! Hope you enjoy!

The lightning at the end is the best part! What a lucky shot!

The Pappin's!

2008-07-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

Check out the slideshow from the wedding we did last weekend!
Click Here!

Molly & Ryan

2008-07-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to work with an awesome couple, Molly and Ryan! I met up with Ryan and the guys before the ceremony. What a crew! I had such a good time working with these guys. We sat around watching tennis and listening to Master P's Ghetto D cd! Priceless. After that we headed over to St. Mary's of the Falls. I remembered the church from a wedding I did there last year... great light for pictures!After the ceremony we headed over to Lake Erie for a photoshoot. We found this awesome little spot for pictures... here are a couple shots we got.We had the opportunity to work with Scott and Carla from Moonstruck Productions. They really did an awesome job with the videography. Scott brought along an old Super 8 camera and got some really cool footage. Here is a shot of the Molly and Ryan taking turns video taping eachother. I can't wait to see how the video comes out!
After the park we went over to Silver Lake Country Club for the reception. As the sun set on Molly and Ryan's wedding streaks of light bled through the windows of the reception hall giving their party a magical glow. Here are a few pics from the reception!
Yup... That's a self portrait I took in the chandelier! Check out their highlight slideshow by clicking here!

Gina & Jim

2008-07-03T16:21:00.001-07:00

Last Friday we had the opportunity to photograph an amazing wedding, the wedding of Gina & Jim!! They had the ceremony in Gina's backyard in Brecksville, Ohio and it was beautiful. After the ceremony we all jumped aboard Lolly the Trolley and rode over to the G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula. Gina and Jim, you were truly a pleasure to work with! Gina you were an absolutely beautiful bride and you couldn't have picked a more perfect groom! Congratulations to the both of you and the best of luck in years to come!!!!

Meg & Kev's Engagement!

2008-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate Grad Party!

2008-06-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Earl & Janet

2008-06-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Earl and Janet... What an amazing couple you two make! You guys truly threw one heck of a party! It really was a great pleasure to work with you both this weekend. Brides with smiles like Janet's make my job so much easier as a photographer. Every picture just comes out more beautiful than the last! Thank you guys so much for trusting in us to capture these special moments on your wedding day! Best of luck to you both!!!

Always "Something New"

2008-06-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

David Jay speaks at Alive!

2008-06-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

So after the Ward 9 concert, Mark, Marisa and I walked over to the other side of the festival where Photographer/Speaker David Jay was speaking. We missed the first half of his presentation, so we decided to stick around and hear it the second time around. I think all of us were glad we stayed, because DJ's message was truly inspiring.

Later that night we went out with DJ and Photographer Brian McGuckin. It was really great to sit and talk with these two guys, both amazing photographers. Here's a couple shots of DJ and a couple goofy shots of us!

Ward 9 at Alive Festival

2008-06-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last week Marisa, Marky Mark, and I went down the Alive Festival to see our friends in the band Ward 9 play out. We had a blast camping out on Wednesday night at the campground. We arrived to the festival just in time to get our tent set up and get over to see the David Crowder Band headline. They put on an awesome show!! After the concert we went back to the tent and snuggled up through what turned out to be a pretty chilly night. In the morning we woke up to the sound of Ward 9 sound checking for their big show. Here are a few pics from the show. Check it out!

Ward 9

2008-06-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

I went out with my buddies from Ward 9 a few nights ago to do some photos of the band. We went down to the flats around 9:30pm and did a small photo shoot. I decided they needed a new logo so I designed one for them in photoshop. Let me know what you think!

These guys will be playing this week at Alive Festival. Alive is a Christian Music Festival that happens every year here in Ohio. Bands from all over the country come and rock out in front of audiences of thousands. We will be down there Wednesday and Thursday to get some shots of them in action! Also, while we are there, we will be meeting up with another photographer, David Jay. This guy is good! Check out his site... he is definitely one of my biggest inspirations. My buddy Mark Davidson, another wedding photojournalist introduced me to him.

It should be an awesome trip... I'll try to take a lot of pictures to share with you guys!

Matt and Toyomi

2008-06-10T08:42:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics from our last engagement shoot. We went down to University Circle, Matt and Toyomi wanted to do some photos in the library. I decided to do this whole shoot with my 50mm 1.8 Nikkor lens. It's such a fun lens to shoot with. If you don't have a fixed 50mm I would highly recommend buying one. Whether you shoot Nikon or Canon, you can get one for less than $150! With a 1.8 aperture you will be able to shoot using only natural light in places you never thought possible.

Squire's Castle

2008-06-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Friday night we headed over to Squire's Castle for an engagement shoot. It was the first time I ever shot over there and I really liked it. The heat was pretty intense, but Chris and Kristen didn't let that get in the way of taking some great pictures. They were an awesome couple to work with; easy-going and fun. After we finished up we were able to hang out and grab a bite to eat. We got to know Chris and Kristen a little better. It was a good time, and we can't wait for their wedding in September! Check out their slideshow!!

Little kids are so darn cute!

2008-06-07T22:04:00.001-07:00

Aren't kids just the cutest?? Maybe I am biased about these particular kids, as they are all relatives of mine, but I think these are the cutest kids in the whole world! I was at my cousins wedding last weekend and I got some pretty cute shots of all my new little cousins and my nephew playing at the wedding.

The little boy with the disposable camera is my nephew Xavier. When he grows up he wants to be just like his Uncle Nathan... J/K. But he was so cute with his little camera. During the ceremony I was in the aisle shooting the ring exchange and he got out of his seat and ran over next to me to see what I was doing. I love this little boy! The only problem is, Xavier has more of an interest in Marisa than he does in me:( Whenever he sees me the first thing out of his little mouth is "Where's Marisa?" Drives me crazy, but she loves it!

I got to be in a couple pics with my cousins... these guys are kinda like the big brothers I never had. I wish I got to see these guys more often.

Kris & Nate

2008-06-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went out to Indianapolis to shoot my cousin Kris' wedding. Weddings in my family are a pretty big deal. Because we all live so far apart from each other we hardly get to see one another. Every couple years another one of the cousins gets married and its a big family reunion. This year it was Kris' turn.

It was really nice to get to know my new cousin Nate! He seems to fit in pretty well with our family. I am really happy for them both, they are a super cute couple.

Matt & Gina

2008-06-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love most about my job as a wedding photojournalist is getting to know my clients. Every couple is so unique, they all have such exciting stories of how they first met, or how he asked her out.... I love hearing these stories, because then on their wedding day I feel like I can truly connect with each couple.

Once I have the opportunity to get to know the couple, I am no longer just an awkward guy with a camera taking pictures of complete strangers. Instead, there is a certain level of comfort, trust. They know me and I know them. This relationship, for me at least, gives the pictures a whole new meaning. Think about it... we see pictures all the time in magazines, or online of couples that we don't know, total strangers. We don't even look twice at these pictures unless we have some sort of history relationship with the people in it. It's so important to me to really get to know the couples I shoot.

Matt and Gina were such an awesome couple to get to know. We did their engagement photos just a few days before their wedding and afterwards we all went out and got some Mexican food. I love Mexican restaurants, I mean, it doesn't get much better than free chips and salsa! That night Marisa and I walked away from there feeling like we just made two new friends!(if only they didn't live in Florida)

We had such a great time on their wedding day and their pictures came out awesome. Take a look at their pictures in this slideshow I made for them. What a great couple!

City Shots

2008-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

I went downtown Cleveland a couple nights ago and took some pics of the city. I wanted to test out the D3 in some seriously low light situations. I shot most of the pics that night at 3200 ISO, and the images came out awesome!! I didn't use a tripod in any of these, in fact, they were all shot at 1/60 or higher. As a wedding photojournalist, it's such a comfort to know that I can shoot at a high iso and get images with virtually no grain. I love to use natural light whenever possible so now with some fast glass and ISO 3200 there is almost no lighting situation that I can't handle.

I bought a ticket off a street vendor for $6 and went into the tribe game that night and snapped some shots. I snuck right down behind the dugout and got a couple cool shots of Slider! Then the camera guy came by and I got up on the Jumbo-Tron... I actually got a picture of the Jumbo-Tron with me on it!! It was a well spent $6 until I spent another $20 on some dogs and brew.

Good times!

Creative Portraiture

2008-06-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

We all have them... You know, the albums stored away in the closet at mom’s house, packed full with humiliating images of ourselves. What were our parents thinking when they bought those ridiculous outfits?? The florescent colors and the bow-ties!? I don’t know about you but anytime I brought a girl over to mom’s house, I absolutely dreaded the thought of looking at my childhood portraits.

So recently I decided I wanted to make a change. I am tired of portraits that make every single child look exactly the same. I am tired of the ordinary!

Come on! It’s such a tragedy that kids are so unique and so full of personality; and so much of that uniqueness and personality is lost in their portraits.

So starting this month, Imagen Photography will be offering a new line of Creative Portraiture. No more carpet boxes, no more blue jeans with white shirts, and most of all, no more cookie cutter children.

Let’s start capturing our children in their environment, the way they really are. Imagen Photography now offers “in-home” portrait sessions. We will come to your home and photograph your children in their own element. Or, if you prefer, we’ll go outside to a park or maybe their school playground and capture the true personality of your child. Let’s break away from the ordinary… Let’s get creative!

I did these photos of my nephew in his grandmother's basement. No studio lights, no fancy equiptment, just me and Xavier and a couple house lamps for light. I think because he was in a familiar place he was able to warm right up to the camera. He is so freakin' cute!

Rockin' Out

2008-06-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I had the opportunity to go photograph the annual fundraiser for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I've never seen the Cleveland Convention Center look more amazing! Joe Mineo, of Something New Florist, outdid himself once again. As you can see in the photos, red was the color of the night. Everything from the larger than life decorations suspended in the air, down to the red candies adorning the centerpieces were all perfectly tied together. After some photos, followed by some tasty treats, the night only got better with some great performances. Nathan was able to get up close and got some awesome shots of some of the performers that night. We had a great time and got some cool shots. If your looking for an awesome event planner, be sure to look up Joe Mineo.

Matt and Katie's Engagement Shoot

2008-06-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

Last week Katie, Matt, and I went out and did an engagement shoot over in the Brecksville Metroparks. We had perfect weather that morning and got some really great stuff. Afterwards we had lunch at this little Irish Pub in Ohio City. It was great to spend some time with. Matt invited me out to play in a golf scramble with him the day before his wedding down at Blue Heron in Medina! Golf should be a lot of fun, but I am really excited about shooting their wedding. Check out their photos at www.imagenphotos.com/KatieandMatt

Matt and Gina

2008-06-03T13:44:00.001-07:00

Just a couple days before their wedding Marisa and I took Matt and Gina out to do some engagement photos. We went over to downtown Hudson, had a couple margaritas then had some fun with this shoot. As a photojournalist I try to do as little posing as possible. So with Matt and Gina I put them on the fire escape and told them to forget I was even there. We got some of the sexiest engagement photos I've seen. Click here to check out the pics! View the Slideshow.

Alex & Jessica

2008-05-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, check out this wedding we did last weekend. Click here to see a slideshow!! We had a blast with Alex and Jessica down at Medina Square. Thank God the weather cleared up for us to get outside and take some fun pictures! If you want to see all the pics, go to our website, www.imagenphotos.com.
Click on "Event Login." Then under "view an event" use the username: Bowers password: 20474

Check it out!!

Website Construction!

2008-03-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

We bought a website! I'm stoked! Let me tell you about a little company called BluDomain. Amazing! If you haven't checked out BluDomain, and you need a website... you have got to take a look at what these guys got goin on. Not only are they extremely sexy, but they are extremely affordable as well. I have just been hangin' out all day today working on our site and it's been a blast. I am actually having fun putting this thing together. I can't wait to get it up online for you all to check out. Hopefully we'll have something by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, I have been a little bit distracted today with the Cleveland Indians home opener on and all. Go Tribe! I'll tell you what, I have a good feeling about this year for the Tribe. Well, I better get back to work over here. As soon as I get some progress I will post a link for you guys to check out!

Here goes!

2008-03-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I am for sure nervous about this. No doubt about it. Blogging is scary. This is my first "official" blog. Not gonna lie, I definitely have made a first blog before, maybe like two or three first blogs before this one. Problem is I would get done writing and start to read over my blog... deleted! This is harder than it looks guys, so bare with me here.

Welcome to my blog! I say "my" blog but really, its not "my" blog. It's "our" blog.

So who are "we?"

Meet Marisa and Nathan. Together, we are Imagen Photography.

Marisa and I, well, we're kind of best friends. Its actually super creepy just how much the two of us have in common. It's almost like we're the same person sometimes. C.S. Lewis once said, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another:'What! You, too? Thought I was the only one.'"

That has essentially been the gist of our friendship thus far and it has just been awesome! Now, we are no longer only best friends, but business partners as well. I can honestly say I have been truly blessed to find someone as amazing as my Marisa; to not only share my business with, but also my blog.

Hopefully if you decide to subscribe to our blog, you will get to know Marisa and I a little bit better every week. We plan on posting as often as interesting things happen to/around us. One of the things Marisa and I have in common is a love for photography and it's that passion that has driven us to start this business. Our goal for this blog, is not to get on here and type long paragraphs about our day, or week, or month. But instead, our goal is to give you just a glimpse, through our images, of our lives and the lives of those around us. So please enjoy, and come back soon!