Vendor Spotlight - Brovado Weddings

Hello everyone!

It's May! It's May! Finally, wedding season is kicking off! To celebrate the start of my busy-bee period, I wanted to share a little about a preferred vendor of mine, Brovado Weddings. They do amazing wedding photography here in the Twin Cities and in Hawaii!

I had the pleasure of working with Preston during my favorite season, autumn, and at one of my preferred venues, MN Boat Club. Of course, my clients, Chris & Kathleen were also an absolute dream to work with so this is the perfect time to share the timeless images of their big day captured by Brovado Weddings.

I had the opportunity to ask Preston and Elizabeth some key questions about Brovado Weddings, in hopes of shedding some light on what makes them so successful in our industry. Many of these questions I ask when searching for a photographer with clients. It really helps them to connect with the right person(s) for the job.

Here is great spot-light on one of my preferred Photography vendors. Enjoy!

1) Why did you decide to start Brovado Wedding and what services do you provide?  Preston created Brovado Weddings after returning home from several years of international photojournalism. He realized the skills he learned overseas translated well to wedding photography, and after seeing what was offered locally at the time, he knew he could provide an excellent quality wedding photography service.  We offer full-service wedding photography, wedding videography, professional luxury wedding albums, custom Save the Dates, wedding invitations, and Thank You cards, and the Antibooth photo station. 

2) What would you say best describes your style of photography? High-contrast, romantic, moody, unique

3) What mediums do you use for editing and what style of camera do you use and why? We primarily use Adobe Lightroom for editing – it’s a powerful piece of software that’s great for large volumes of photos.  We also use Adobe Photoshop.  Since we’re Adobe creative cloud members, we always have access to the most current versions of both programs.  Preston shoots with several different Cannon DSLR camera bodies and lenses, mainly the 5D Mark III, and he always shoots in RAW format. He prefers Cannon simply because that’s what he’s always used. He finds there to be no big difference in the quality of images between any of the high-end DSLR camera brands. 

4) Brovado does photography in both Hawaii and MN. Can you tell us how each place influences your photography? We do most of our work in Minnesota. On the mainland, weddings tend to be bigger full-day events, and this is great for our photojournalistic style! Preston and his second shooters make the most of every minute of the day and get plenty of bride and groom shots and detail shots, so we can assemble a grand photographic story later in the clients' wedding album and on our blog.  In Hawaii, the weddings are shorter and more casual, and we focus on getting more little intimate moments between the bride and groom, and the few family members who have traveled to be with them, and also big, wide angle shots of the gorgeous Hawaiian landscape. And, of course, sunset photos!

5) How much of your business is dedicated to doing weddings? Wedding photography makes up almost 100% of our business. We will occasionally shoot other events, such as maternity, children's or family photos, or even boudoir sessions, but we generally only do those types of sessions for previous wedding clients. 


6) What are your favorite things about being a photographer? I LOVE the wedding day! I have a knack for working with a crowd, and I like the hustle and bustle of a busy wedding day… It keeps me sharp, and I feel good when I can help out with things that make the day go smoothly. I love that I can provide clients with beautiful memories and capture the little things they might have missed on the big day.  It’s a big responsibility, and I’m good at what I do! 

7) What are your plans for Brovado Photography? For 2014, we are including a luxury Italian wedding album with every package. (In the past, clients could choose between an album or their images on disk.) We have found over the years that when clients simply have a disk of images, they rarely make anything of them. While they are well-meaning and do plan to get prints or albums made at some point, what usually ends up happening is a few photos make it to Facebook and then the photo disk sits in a desk drawer for years to come. With our new packages, we’re essentially forcing you to get a huge, beautiful, custom designed album to show all of your friends and family, household visitors, the neighbors, your future children, the mailman, the cable guy… The list goes on and on. People are happier when they have a physical way to enjoy their photos on a daily basis!
 
8) Are there any photographers that have influenced your style of photography? Why them?   I’m a big fan of Jim Garner out in Washington state. His moody and dramatic wedding images have been a big inspiration to my own style.  9) How do you capture the important candid moments at a wedding? I’m very sneaky… I also have the ability to be 3 places at once. It’s a quantum mechanics thing. 


10) How do you direct the wedding party to maximize your time shooting? Ah, I’m glad you asked. This is very organized, and I go to great lengths to work out a functional wedding day schedule with my clients far before the wedding day.  Group photos are always planned in advance, with a shot list containing full names, and even an assigned “helper” (usually someone who knows the family but won’t be in the photo) to track people down if needed. Group photo sessions are planned in a way that makes the most efficient use of the time available. We can usually get large group photo sessions done in less than 30 minutes. 

11) Is there any advice you can offer to couples? When it comes to your wedding day schedule, consult your wedding photographer! They have seen hundreds of weddings and they know how long things take. They are the only vendor that sees a wedding day from beginning to end from the bride and groom’s point of view, and they will have LOTS of advice!


12) What is Brovado's development process and how soon can cleint's expect their photos? We try to maintain a turnaround time of less than 3 weeks. Clients will get an online sneak peek within a day or two, and Thank You card designs within a couple days. 


13) Where are your favorite locations to shoot in MN? I love shooting on the Stone Arch Bridge, the Walker Art Center Sculpture Gardens (and the famous Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge), the Minnehaha Dog Park, the Nicollet Island area, Lake Harriet, the Lyndale Park Peace Garden, the Mill City Ruins, Rice Park,  and Minnehaha Falls.    

14) What types of weddings have you had the opportunity to shoot? I have photographed traditional non-denominational American weddings, Catholic weddings, Jewish weddings, Indian weddings, weddings in Mexico, Hawaii and the Bahamas, religious weddings, non-religious weddings, same-sex weddings, beach weddings, mountain weddings, backyard weddings, and one wedding officiated by a full grown man in a deer costume. 

15) What has been your most memorable wedding? The one with the guy in the deer costume.

I sincerely hope that I've inspired you to consider Preston Palmer of Brovado Weddings if you're looking for an accomplished, dynamic photographer for your big day! Brightest blessings to you all.


Happy planning!