the blog

Sara & RJ’s magical wedding day couldn’t have been any more perfect!! We had a little bit of rain and a little bit of fog, but for anyone who knows me, we ALWAYS take advantage of the magic mother nature gives us! 

The day started out at Preemption Methodist Church and ended at the Establishment Theatre in downtown Rock Island. Please enjoy Sara and RJ’s Quad Cities Wedding Story!

Beautiful flowers by: Mary at Forest of Flowers

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A Quad Cities night engagement session is something that I’ve had in my head for quite awhile. As many of you know, I strive to tell my clients’ stories in the best manner possible, but also create images that really stand out. I love engagement sessions so much, as it’s the one time before the wedding that I really get to connect with my clients. I am a firm believer that I need to know as much as I can about my clients before the big day . . . Of course, in this case, Emily is someone that I’ve known since she was born.

Emily and I grew up across the street from one another and spent many summer days getting into whatever trouble you can get into in Preemption, IL. Emily and her three brothers were the siblings I never had, and to this day, we are all still great friends. Like most “big sisters” I was always a bit suspicious when my neighborhood “family members” started dating people . . . but when I met Austin, I knew Emily had found a great guy!

Downtown Davenport and the riverfront set the scene for this magical engagement session. A night engagement session is perfect for couples who want to step outside the box and do something totally different. Please enjoy Emily and Austin’s beautiful photos!! 

If there was one great way to kick off the spring season, it was with this engagement shoot featuring Kayla & Shaun! The Bettendorf Fire House set the scene for this unique engagement session. 

Kayla and I have been speaking via e-mail since the QC Bridal Fair and had been talking about ideas and outfits for this shoot for awhile. Needless to say, these two nailed this session! Kayla totally rocked her cute navy blue dress, even though it was just a little bit cold!! Shaun also looked awesome of course, I mean seriously, who can beat a dude in uniform?

The couple also made sure their furry friend came along, which as you all know, I’m a total sucker for dogs! Much thanks goes out to Kayla’s sister who helped “dog sit” during our shoot! 

Please enjoy this great session! Kayla & Shaun will be tying the knot this fall & I’m incredibly excited to see what magical images we capture!

After being in the wedding industry for a few years now, I have seen it all (well, maybe). 

Part of the reason my clients recommend me, is that I’m not *just* your photographer. I have been through dozens of Quad Cities weddings and can quickly offer advice on timelines, vendors and many other aspects of your day. I also don’t just deliver your images and say “see ya.” 

Recently, one of my brides asked me: “Kelly, what is your best advice for my wedding day? I don’t want to screw this up.”

My immediate answer is:

1. Have a solid timeline
2. Hire professionals ONLY . . . (even if this means spending more)
3. Remember, you can’t do this over. You don’t want to have regrets. TRUST ME!

Unless you are working with a planner, my top priority as your wedding photographer is to be sure your timeline is solid. It may seem that the most obvious reason for this is to be sure I have enough time to capture the epic photos you see in my portfolio . . . however . . . YOUR wedding isn’t just about ME. 

For most couples, their weddings have been in the works for many months or even years. It’s a big deal and being prepared is vital for your sanity. On a wedding day, the most stressful moments happen because of a badly planned timeline or poor vendor choices. This is almost always the case when things go wrong and a bride or groom (or momma) starts freaking out. Unless you’ve been married before, you don’t know how to budget your time, or know what “most people” are doing.

Perfect example: One of the first weddings I shot, a bride severely underestimated the time needed for one hair and makeup artist to work on seven bridesmaids. (The hair/makeup artist was also inexperienced and did good work, but did not do well under pressure). Needless to say, the timeline ran really behind and everyone was legit freaking out.

Another time, a bride chose a very inexperienced videographer. Not only was he rude, but he slowed down the timeline in a huge way. His inexperience and lack of “people skills” left many people in the bridal party stressed and annoyed. That is definitely not the experience anyone wants to have on their wedding day.

That saying “you get what you pay for” isn’t always just about the quality. You are also paying for the experience and a professional who knows how to deal with the challenges and time constraints of a wedding day. As a photographer, I know I must be able to work quickly. This is true for your other vendors as well. Remember that you aren’t just paying for a service, you are paying someone who you get along with, who cares about you, and is experienced in the wedding industry. 

After learning quickly about the wedding industry, the timeline is now something I cover with my brides . . . and you know what? I almost ALWAYS find mistakes in the initial timeline. There are so many little tidbits of time people can’t account for, because, well, they just don’t know!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve suggested to a bride that she move her wedding ceremony to an earlier time, or start the reception a bit later. You would be amazed at how an extra 30mins here, or an extra hour there can make a WORLD of difference in how your wedding flows. At the end of the day, YOU are in charge. I can only suggest what works, what doesn’t usually work, and how to be as stress-free as possible. 

My other piece of advice? Only hire professionals for all of your vendors. Any professional who has been in business for awhile will know the wedding drill and you shouldn’t have to worry about them messing with your timeline. It may seem tempting when you run across a vendor with “too good to be true” rates, but remember, you may not be hiring a professional or someone who deals with weddings. Nowadays, all someone needs is a Facebook page and they have an insta-business. Cheap rates are a dead giveaway that they probably aren’t paying taxes, probably aren’t licensed, and definitely not insured with liability. That’s scary.

In conclusion, I take my weddings very seriously and treat my wedding couples how I would want to be treated. Plus, I firmly believe that the better working relationship we have, the better your day and photos will be. 

After all of your planning, you 100% deserve the best. It’s time to have fun! Let’s get you on my calendar.

In a few short months, it will be engagement season again and I look forward to working with new clients! In 2016 I had a lot of great engagement sessions and I thought I would share some of my favorites from last year. 

From gorgeous rings to awesome bottles of wine . . . fall leaves and beautiful sunsets . . . tons of smiles . . . and one really big dog! So many great moments and a whole lot of love!! I’m not entirely sure it would be possible for me to pick a favorite, but I do really love the first and last image!!

For anyone who has worked with me, you know that nothing stops me from getting the shot. My main goal on a wedding day is to always provide epic images for my clients, but more importantly, I want to be sure that I’m properly telling the story of the day. A wedding day can’t be redone, plus it goes by in an absolute flash! It is also filled with fleeting moments that are otherwise missed.

Candid images are always my favorite. To me, they are the shooting stars in the photography world. Those instances where you have a millisecond to capture the moment before it’s gone forever.

I always feel that being able to capture awesome candid moments says a lot about a photographer . . . because if you are only a second late, you will miss the shot. I’m always challenging myself in new ways, but in 2016 one of my goals was to listen more closely to my intuition and use it to predict moments before they happen.

Please enjoy some of favorite candid images from 2016: 

Andy + Maureen’s bus got a little wild (probably my favorite 2016 candid image!!)

When the ice cream truck shows up to your wedding . . . 

Ceremony goodness . . . 

Reception moments . . . 

And then there’s that one time when Grandpa said something somewhat inappropriate . . . 

Cadenza Photo Imaging – Quad Cities Wedding Photographer –

A little while back, Terry and Mike tied the knot! They had a very small gathering with family and friends at Mary’s on 2nd. Please enjoy their awesome little weekday wedding!

Quad Cities Wedding Photographer 

Hello everyone!

I’m editing away over here tonight, so tonight’s blog is a short little ditty on lighting and why it matters.

On your wedding day, the light will change drastically throughout the day. Maybe you are getting married in a dimly lit church, maybe your reception venue has dramatic uplighting, or maybe you have an outside wedding at noon with full sun . . . Whatever your situation, how your photographer uses light will have a huge impact on your final images.

As a photographer, I need to be prepared for any lighting situation. It’s not just something that can be fixed later in photoshop, so I always come prepared with extra lights & the knowledge from the dozens of classes and trainings I’ve attended.

Let’s take the bottom before & after as an example:

The first photo is shot with available or “natural” light. It’s a nice shot, but it’s beginning to get darker and my subjects eyes are in shadows. It just didn’t have the “pop” I was looking for.

The next image, taken just seconds after, is a great example of using light in a creative manner. An additional light source is added to add drama & depth to an otherwise “natural light” image.

This is also another great example on why hiring a professional for your big day is key. By doing so, you can ensure that you will receive a wide range of creative photographs utilizing various lighting techniques . . . These are the epic images that will have everyone raving on social media after your wedding day!

Seattle Vacation – Quad Cities Wedding Photographer – Cadenza Photo Imaging

This past summer my family and I vacationed in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My husband’s sister and her husband live on the beautiful Bainbridge Island and they are always the best hosts!

Kelly & Daniel – Quad Cities Wedding Photographer – Cadenza Photo Imaging

Kelly first became my photography client when I took photos of her senior dog. It was then that I realized that I actually had known Kelly a lot longer because she used to take ice-skating lessons from my mom several years ago! Kelly has been one of those clients that has become an awesome friend, which is yet another amazing perk of this totally rad career. Not only is she an awesome photographer herself, but she’s literally screamed my business name from the rooftops. I can’t even tell you the amount of bookings I’ve probably gotten from this girl! As a small business owner, this is BY FAR the most amazing marketing tool. So, since I know you are reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH KELLY! I’m so happy we’ve become friends!

Obviously, I was super excited when Kelly asked me to be her wedding photographer! When I met Daniel, I instantly liked him and it was ridiculously obvious that they were meant for one another! They also had one of the most epic engagement sessions, which ended in an epic downpour . . . (which you can see here), so I knew the wedding was going to be a ton of fun, too!

Their wedding day was nothing short of amazing. Kelly was insistent on having awesome photography, with full-day coverage and two shooters. Needless to say, we captured a TON of amazing candid moments and many epic images that challenged the artist in me.

There is nothing that I love more than capturing amazing images on someone’s wedding day. These are images that I know will last a lifetime and several generations . . . and this is why I do what I do.

Please enjoy their beautiful wedding-story! Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to see their “starry night” image!

Quad Cities Wedding Photography – Cadenza Photo Imaging

Ceremony: Sacred Heart, Rock Island

Reception: Black Hawk Lodge

Quad Cities Wedding Photography – Who will tell your wedding-story? Now Booking 2017 dates!