It’s morning, and I am meeting my friend Benoit, a French interior designer.

We are meeting at Bab al Khemis, which means Thursday’s Door in Arabic. All around Marrakech’s old city, known as the medina, there are babs, or huge carved entryways. Each bab has its own name, and Bab al Khemis it is the entryway to the city’s equivalent of the flea market. Outside the bab, vendors are beginning to throng, displaying broken bits and bobs, as well as an occasional gem or two.

Benoit arrives, and we kiss, French-style, on both cheeks. For a number of years, Benoit designed interiors for the King of Morocco. Now he and his young family have moved to Marrakech and recently have bought a piece of land. Close friends of ours, Benoit and his charming wife Zoo, also a designer, are giving us a helping hand with our guest house interiors.

In T-shirts and cargo pants, we are ready for action. Today we are looking for antique doors and other architectural remnants that will help give our guest houses some character. We have brought along with
us one of Chris’s employees, Khalid, who can be counted on to negotiate in Moroccan dialect so fast that it makes your heads spin.

We venture through the bab and down the narrow streets of the medina. Old furniture spills out of shop fronts. We stop briefly to look at a huge and somewhat battered birdhouse but the owner wants too much for it. We then gaze wonderingly at a 15 foot high metal silhouette of a man playing tennis – he must have adorned a tennis club in the 1940s.
An antique door is examined but it is meant for an outside gate. We continue to work our way into the medina, checking prices, snapping pictures, and taking measurements. As I turn the corner, I spy something out of the corner of my eye: two coffered ceiling panels from the Glaoui period.

The Glaouis ruled over a sweep of southern Morocco from the 18th century until Morocco’s independence in 1956. About the Glaouis, The Rough Guide writes:

“El Glaoui , the famous pasha of Marrakech during the French
rule…was a personal friend of Winston Churchill. Cruel and
magnificent in equal measure, he was also one of the most spectacular
party-givers …. At the extraordinary difas (banquets) held in his
Marrakech palace, nothing was impossible– hashish and opium were freely
available for the Europeans and Americans to experiment with, and to
his guest [he] gave, literally, whatever they wanted, whether it might
be a diamond ring, a present of money in gold, or a Berber girl… from
the High Atlas.”

Hmm… Berber girls from the High Atlas aside, these old coffered ceilings have real potential. They are almost 9 feet tall, matching, and have just arrived in the shop from an estate. Entirely hand painted in dark reds and deep golds with flower motifs, they are in very good condition for their age. Khalid moves in for the negotiations. He wheedles, cajoles and pleads with the store owner. I stand nearby, saying nothing but offering my bag of peanuts purchased from the peanut-selling-man, just outside. The shop owner chews and argues with Khalid, his hands gesticulating. The price slowly begins to drop. Phone numbers are exchanged.

Back in the car, Benoit and I discuss how the coffered ceilings might be installed, if I were to purchase them — perhaps suspended from the ceiling with a drop of a foot or so, or perhaps deeply inset into a recessed ceiling. I can tell Benoit likes them. I like them, too. A lot. I imagine guests lying on their beds and looking up.

Would they appreciate this expensive feature, I wonder. My brain whirs. Hours later, Khalid takes the crumpled slip of paper from his pocket. He deciphers the strange handwriting. He makes the call.

The ceilings are mine.

Editor’s Pick from Velma of A Smeddling Kiss: Maryam is an American living with her family in Morocco, who blogs about her design-filled life at My Marrakesh. She and her husband have been building a guesthouse for the last several years and the Peacock Pavillions will be opening next spring. And after cruising through her archives and all the luscious design featured there, I now have a new ultimate dream vacation. (Sorry, Venice, you’ll have to wait.) Maryam is also publishing a book, so be sure to head over to My Marrakesh and treat yourself to a virtual Moroccan holiday, then subscribe to recieve updates via e-mail from her site.

I was recently chatting with some friends at a party, and I was asked if I knew what my favorite wedding image was. I laughed at the notion that I could ever narrow it down to a single frame, but it did get me thinking of some of the more memorable images I’ve captured over the years, and today I’d like to share with you 20 of my all time favorite wedding photographs. Of course, if you ask me tomorrow, I may have a completely different set of images. I am always striving to create better images that capture moments in time that the subjects will cherish forever.

I define my style of photography, as capturing relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments. I feel these images do a good job representing my abilities in doing just that.

These first few images are scans from back in the film days… the 90′s!

I absolutely still love this portraits of a bride from July of 1999. Her expression was real, and she was just a gorgeous person inside and out.

This shot hung as a 30×40 print in my gallery for years (until I got a plasma television). It was taken the weekend after the image above and the cool thing about it, I took it with just one hand on the camera. We were walking up towards that fence on the left of the frame and I was pulling my rolling camera bag with one hand, holding the camera in the other, and I just saw the sun peaking through the trees and had time to focus and fire one frame before the sun came out and ruined the exposure.

This kid was classic. Also taken in July of 1999. His expression and hair sticking up made this one of my favorite relaxed portraits of all time.

Ah, from 1997. The first time I ever used the now infamous “[ b ] squat”.

It was a super hot day in August near Lake Arrowhead (over 100 degrees). There weren’t any good spots to shoot and I didn’t want the bride to melt. We found a little patch of shade so I just had her squat down, let the dress poof up around her, I focused on her face with my rented 85mm/1.8 lens and let the rest blow out. (sorry for the scratch in the scan).

Back to the modern era of digital. I’ve gotten as much response over this image from just about any image I’ve ever taken. We were shooting all the portraits before the ceremony, and this is reaction from when the groom first saw his lovely bride.

This was one of my favorite images of 2004. It had rained all day and we didn’t get to shoot outdoors during the “good light”. The rain finally let up after the reception and we took a few images on our way out. I just liked the color and light, and didn’t mind the motion blur and slight miss on the focus.

I always try to capture the amazing details of the day. This Reem Acre gown was lit beautifully through the window light at the Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica last May.

Ah, relaxed portraits 1.2 style. This was the first wedding with my 85mm/1.2 Canon lens. I shot this wide open and I love the look that the lens produces and I just loved that the groom thought I was hysterical!

This shot was taken after I shot the wedding at the Vatican. We were in a cab on the way to the reception. I literally just turned around, fired one frame and loved the real moment that I captured. I love this sweet moment between these two souls. I don’t even mind that it isn’t ‘good” light… the moment was just so perfect.

I love this shot of my photographer friends Jim Kennedy and Stephanie Brockman. They eloped up near Sonoma and I ended up signing their marriage license. This is the light I love and we got lucky because it poured for days and days before the ceremony and the blue skies came out just hours before the wedding.

Also up in Napa Valley, I love this because she just bit him without any prompting from me. I just shoot what happens. i don’t ask questions. There’s another shot from this wedding that was taken after the reception and the bride ditched her dress and just went skinny dipping with the bridal party, but that wouldn’t be right to show it here!

Can’t really beat shooting at the Vatican. St. John’s Lateran.

More details! Linda from the Cake Studio is the best! Her cakes both look and taste amazing. This cake is long gone, but the photos will last forever!

I love this moment during the blessing of the meal.

One of my recent favorite relaxed bridal portraits. I love the light, the expression and everything about this image.

This was an unforgettable moment during a reception a few years back. Something the couple will never forget. The shot taken right after this one showed the bride’s dad licking the frosting off of his fingers.

Just seconds before the dad walked his youngest daughter down the aisle. I literally try to be a fly on the wall when shooting and wouldn’t dream of interrupting a moment like this by asking them to pose for the camera.

This could be one of my favorite relaxed portraits ever. I just love this couple, and I love the fact they weren’t aware I was shooting. I also love the flip flops… my kind of groom!

Ok, I could have picked any of a million beautiful brides and placed it below… I have shot more stunning brides than anyone I know. I chose this shot of my sister on her wedding day in 2001, because it was the first time I really ever saw my sister as a beautiful young woman. Of course you never want to think of your sister as hot, because that’s gross right? But on August 12, 2001, I was floored by how stunning my sister looked and she is just a gorgeous person inside and out.

Lastly, this shot has to be one of the most commented on images I’ve ever taken. We were shooting near Cancun, shortly after the sun set, and I was racing the light to finish up the portraits. When all of a sudden, along come this dude in his Speedo, walking through the background. Of course I kept shooting because that’s what I do and got the best smiles out of the couple during those few seconds. Good times!

Well, that was a fun little trip down memory lane for me, thanks for indulging me. And if you know anyone who is getting married and looking for my style of capturing relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments… please use the “send to friend” link below and I promise I’ll take good care of them.

Editor’s Pick by Angella from Dutch Blitz: Becker is a new find for me, and I do not know HOW I LIVED WITHOUT HIM. He sent me a more than one link when I approached him for Blog Nosh. I chose the wedding one, as that is what I have been doing (photography-wise) lately, but here are a few more that you should check out. Sweet baby photos, a New Year’s Eve wedding shoot, the [b]urning man experience,

Read more of the [b] School Blog and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any of Becker’s (and his peeps’) photography tips. THEY WILL CHANGE YOUR (Photography) LIFE.

Read the original post, as well the rest of his site. I dare you to not spend DAYS perusing his archives. The dude is not only generous, he is a GENIUS.

{Originally posted at Beyond Megapixels.}

***
One of the most important things your photo should have is an ability to hold your viewers attention. There are a lot of techniques that can be used to help you compose your shot so that people will spend more than a second looking at it. Besides keeping your viewers focused on your photo, the techniques below can also help emphasis your main subject.

There are many ways to hold your viewer’s attention. Here are five that you can easily start off with:

1. VIGNETTE

A vignette is a gradual loss of light and picture quality towards the
edge of the photo due to poor lens construction. Although it is
considered a lens aberration, a vignette is helpful in drawing the
viewer’s attention towards the center of the photo. It also adds
character to a photo since it makes it look like it was taken with an
old camera.

CC Photo by australian overanalyzer

To add a vignette to an existing photo with Adobe Photoshop, refer to our previous article found here.

***

2. SHOOT THROUGH A FRAME

This is probably one of the oldest tricks in the book. You simply choose an
object you can shoot through that frames your main subject.

CC Photo by Jakeliefer

***

3. LEADING LINES

Lines can also help draw your viewer in since the tendency of the eye is to
follow the direction of prominent lines that it sees.

CC Photo by mugley

***

4. FILL THE FRAME

Don’t be afraid to get close. Sometimes a few steps forward is all it takes
to make a good picture great. If the subject is interesting then show
your viewers why by filling your frame with it.

CC photo by Sukanto Debnath

***

5. BREAK A PATTERN

The human eye is always drawn to patterns and whatever breaks a pattern
will automatically stand out. Place your subject against a pattern and
see how much the subject stands out and how the surrounding pattern
holds everything together.

***

Editor’s Pick by Angella from Dutch Blitz:
Lisa and her husband Jeff are not only Canon aficionados such as I, they have a way of teaching people how to take better photos without coming off as condescending.  They are both smart and savvy, and share what they are learning in a way that inspires you to take better photos.

Read more of Beyond Megapixels and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any of their sweet photography tips.

Read the original post, as well the rest of their site.  You will not be disappointed.  I promise.

~

As I reach my hand into the bottom drawer of my desk I pull this out:

rice candy
sun room
honey bear
autumn spirit
october leaves
fall song

and this:

blue overtones
a few brave men
movie star
stonewashed
independence day
ozone

Paint chips are some of my favorite little objects in the world. I love the matte, powdery feel of the sample. Like just-sanded pine. Soft and smooth, their bookmark shape fits comfortably in the palm. The one (and I have many) labeled with names such as submarine, swamp fog, and fizzle has maroon crayon marks all over it. I can close my eyes and feel the transition from chalky pigment to waxy, bumpy lines. I can sit for hours running my fingers over these bits of color that please not only my eyes, but my fingers, too.

In this same drawer I have a small wallpaper sample book from 1978. Like the paint chips, the pages are not just food for the eyes. These sheets are rich with texture. The page called Williamsburg Fruit is durable and thick. They even suggest taking a hard brush to the orange and green fruits “It’s Scrubbable!”

Some are so heavy and the designs raised so much that they actually feel like linoleum rather than wall paper. Maria is a favorite of mine with big pink and yellow posies that look like they are made of tissue paper on a creamy background. The texture is not of embossed flowers, though, but of raised little goose pimples all over the page. The kind you can’t help but run your fingers over again and again.

Barkley is the absolute best, though. It is a traditional decorative floral pattern that is almost Victorian in its ornate quality. With a milky background the pattern itself is a greenish gold. Every time I touch it, though, I am a little sad. It looks so much like a wallpaper that hung in our hallway when we were children. But the wallpaper of my childhood was velvety to the touch. Remember those funky types of papers? I loved, loved, loved this paper and to me it just felt rich in the way pure cream is rich. Or decadent the way strawberries are in January. Completely too much and out of place, but also very, very right. And fun. I look at Barkley and I want to feel that richness again. I want to run down the hall with my hand trailing the walls behind me.

—————

Editor’s Pick by Jenny Motley, Crash Test Mommy.  Christine Green, a stay-at-home mother of two, writes on her blog, Grown Ups Are Like That. Her posts are an entertaining combination of personal stories and memories, writing exercises, artsy inspirational pieces, and yummy recipes. Definitely a good read. Please go check out Christine’s original post, and be sure to subscribe to her feed.

Leah Giberson’s paintings are beautiful, and how I wish I could see them in person! I’d love to hop over to Boston and have a studio visit, but for the time being I’ll have to be happy with the possibilities the Internet offers us.  Leah is not only a gifted artist herself, she is also one of those artists who encourages others.  It’s been great to get to know her online this year, so I am especially happy to have her as a guest this week. Leah sells top quality archival prints of her work, as well as a selection of originals in her Etsy shop. She has a blog, and posts frequently on flickr. Enjoy, and please don’t miss my questions for you, dear readers, at the end of the interview

Why did you decide to start a blog?

To tell you the truth I really hadn’t paid much attention to blogs up until last March when I opened my Etsy shop. Not only did I soon discover a world of other artists selling their work online, but I also found a seemingly endless world of inspiration on their blogs. I’ve had never had any interest in public journaling about my personal family life or reading about others quite frankly, but when I discovered how artists were using their blogs to share artistic inspiration, new work and news, I was thrilled. Then when I started getting visitors to my own blog with their clicks, views and comments I was hooked.

I should give a bit of a disclaimer at this point. I’m not a great blogger. By that I mostly mean I’m not a frequent blogger – at least not on my blog site. I struggle to maintain momentum with my postings. Over the past few months, however, flickr has become a kind of blog alternative for me. I started using it on a daily basis when I was commissioned to make a large painting this past September and wanted to be able to post images of my progress for my client to see. Before I knew it, there were lots of other people leaving comments as well and some very interesting dialogs began. I discovered that I was reaching a MUCH larger and rapidly expanding audience than I had been with my real blog. I also realized that I was accomplishing what I had set out to do with my blog in the first place – to connect with other artists by sharing what I do in my studio and getting to see what they’re up to as well.

How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

To begin with, it’s amazing to be able to post my work in progress or finished pieces and moments later start getting feedback. I admit that I’m an instant gratification addict, so (blogging on flickr) is a perfect fit for me. And while I usually love working from home, I can also feel isolated here in my tiny studio – especially this time of year when the sun sets so early. It really brightens my day to have these kinds of mini studio visits with other artists from all around the world.

In addition and in an unexpected way it’s also led to a new series of somewhat collaborative work. As an artist, I fall somewhere between a photographer and painter. All my paintings begin with photographs printed out onto photo rag paper. I adhere the prints to pieces of canvas and then begin painting directly on this surface. Up until this past summer, I had only used my own photographs to begin paintings. Then last July I came across a photo on flickr that completely captivated me.

{Originally published on Three by Sea}

This simple little sign hangs inside the armoire in my studio.  And by studio, I mean the dining room that I’ve taken over as my studio!  That same sentiment is also next to my computer and inside my notebook.  I read it somewhere a few months back and it resonated within me.  It reminded me that life is what you do, not what you plan. Sitting there pondering, and wondering, and thinking, and surfing the internet, and reading about things you would like to do is not the same as doing them.

Holly at Decor8 wrote a great blog post as part of her Creativity Series about “Analysis Paralysis”, whereby one is so overwhelmed with information that they are unable to make a decision.  It seems to be a common affliction among creative types.  Holly goes on to give advice for moving from inaction to action. The post is well worth reading.  Having gone through this myself, I thought I talk about the things that help keep me from getting side-tracked during my journey of starting a business from home.

My notebook-
This is my one catchall place for the ideas, designs, lists, questions, interests, concerns, etc. that are whirling through my brain night and day.  Just as freeing up memory on your computer allows it to run more efficiently, writing things down allows you to free up space in your mind and move on to other things rather than get slowed down by your thoughts.  Think of it as moving the data to an external hard drive!

I put the “one” above in bold because I used to have a notepad by the computer, a notebook for work, a little notebook in my bookbag, etc. My thoughts were as scattered as the places I wrote them down. No more. Now I use one notebook which I keep close at all times.  It can be as fancy or as utilitarian as you prefer.  I use Moleskine cahiers and jot notes on Post Its that I can then stick in my notebook wherever I want.  The only exception I make is my sketchbook for drawing and working on designs, due to the fact I like big surfaces when drawing or doodling.

My Daily 10-
The number of things you want to accomplish can feel overwhelming at times.  I had so many things that I not only needed to do, but wanted to do, and all while taking care of my number one priority, my 13-month-old son.  I felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting anything accomplished.  Finally I made a list of things I wanted to get done and ended up with my Daily 10-

Putting it on paper made me realize how intertwined many of the things were.  Sewing, Printing and Blog are work-related, so they count as ‘needs.’ Drawing was a ‘want’, but I realized that it would help my work in Illustrator, which is also a work-related ‘need’.  Same with Photo Stuff.  I have so many photo files I need to tag and organize, as well as photos to take for listing stuff, posting to my blog, personal stuff, etc. I also want to improve my lighting skills, which will help business and personal picture taking.  Connect was a reminder to make sure I keep contact with others in the real world, as it’s very easy to become a hermit staying/working at home.  Exercise and Clean- not my favorite things, but still need regular attention. Read is for actual books, not computer stuff.  I have so many books waiting for my attention.

Ten items may seem daunting, but I decided I’d give each item 30 minutes of my attention each day.  It may not be a lot of time for some of them, but it serves a couple of purposes- 1) 30 minutes chunks make most anything seem feasible. 2) Short amounts of time still add up to progress vs. not doing it all.  I keep my list in the back of my notebook and I refer to it often.  It keeps me focused on my priorities (besides my son), and I’ll make a note in my notebook as I accomplish them each day.  I’d be lying if I said I went 10 for 10 each day. I probably average a 7 or 8 each day because I end up spending more than 30 minutes on something.  However, if I don’t get to something on the list today, I try to make it a priority for the next day, so that it doesn’t go ignored for an extended period.  And writing down what you accomplished serves as a reminder that you are getting things done, even on those days when it seems like you’re not!

Inspiration Online-
I highly recommend Leo Babauta’s blog, Zen Habits.  Time magazine named it one the Top 25 Blogs for 2009, and rightly so.  His posts cover: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits. (list taken straight from his site).  It is one of my daily ‘must read’ blogs that motivates me to be a more productive and overall better person.

Twitter- I might be addicted to this social media site.  MySpace never thrilled me and Facebook is okay, but Twitter is where it’s at for networking with others quickly and easily.  I’ve come across some great people on this site- nice, funny, friendly, smart people. People who are starting or have their own businesses; are into design, art, or crafts; stay home with their kids; know a lot about marketing, social media and branding.  The collective knowledge of people on Twitter is stunning, and I love the instant communication aspect of Twitter.  To chat with and see what others are doing provides a lot of motivation, inspiration, and, some days, reassurance.

So take from this post those things you find helpful, and get going!  Unless you have suggestions for getting unstuck/moving forward with ideas, then I’d love for you to share!

Editors Pick by Amy from Doobleh-vay: Nic is awesome! She is a cool Etsy artist with an amazing blog that inspires me! I love her life by the ocean and her style! The original post and comments can be found here. Don’t forget to subscribe. You can also check her out on twitter!

I start teaching Book Design again next week and have been searching for interesting images to show my students. Libby recently posted these typographic tree columns by why not associates. They’re being made in collaboration with Gordon Young at Crawley Library (UK) and reminded me of the floors at The Seattle Public Library designed by Ann Hamilton.

Ann Hamilton is definitely an artist I’d like to know! According to the library’s website: “The floor mimics the appearance of a raised bed of wooden type and is intended to immerse library visitors in the artwork much as readers are immersed in the material they read…The floor includes 556 lines of text, in reverse, in 11 languages and alphabets, and consists of the first sentences of books found in the collection.”
I’d also like to know the folks behind the typographic tree project…I think both projects are pretty amazing.

Editors pick from Velma of A Smeddling Kiss: After reading through this post, I hope you’ll take the time to click through to Abbey Hendrickson’s blog, Aesthetic Outburst, which is a treasure trove of interesting and beautiful design.  Her “I’d Like to Know…” series of posts highlight cool artists who work in all kinds of mediums.  While there are a ton of design blogs out there, this one is a gem thanks to Abbey’s knack for picking vintage-y items that still look fresh and unique.  Check it out!

In just about any wedding publication you are bound to run across the article titled “How to Pick Your Wedding Photographer”. They contain important information and can help you avoid choosing someone with little experience or professionalism. Boudoir photography is gaining a lot of popularity and you should look for the same thing when picking a photographer to take you personal photos. Here is my list of the 5 most important things a boudoir photographer should have/do/be:

1. Someone you can trust: While many male photographers do fabulous work, I still think it’s important to have a female photographer. She will understand that you, like all women, will have insecurities and will help you not only look your best but FEEL your best too. Regardless of what gender your photographer is make sure you are comfortable with them. Trust is very important in boudoir photography.

2. Posing Experience: Make sure your boudoir photographer has done this sort of work before. It is so much different than any other type of portraiture out there. Special skills, training, and education are necessary. Posing is critical to how you look, the camera only adds pounds if you are posed incorrectly. A good photographer will know how to bring out your best features and make you look your sexiest.

3. Lighting Experience: Studio lights are a must!!! I can’t stress this enough. Window light can only do so much. Your photographer may be able to work with natural light but they will be limited. Different looks, poses, body types, and moods all call for different lighting. Make sure your boudoir photographer is well educated about lighting. Anyone can run out and drop a few grand on studio lights, but that doesn’t mean they can use them effectively. Glamour lighting is the key to gorgeous images.

4. Photo Editing Experience: Editing images is an art! There are powerful editing tools out there than can do amazing things. Make sure your photographer knows how to use this technology. You don’t want raw unedited images. Boudoir photography is all about looking your best and subtle editing will aid in that. On the flip side you don’t want someone that edits with a heavy hand. You don’t want to look plastic and fake. Obvious photo editing is the absolute worst kind!!!

5. Portfolio: You should ask to see your photographers work. Make sure the quality is high and the style fits what you are hoping for. You should be welcomed to view samples from several different sessions. You want to make sure the quality is consistant and that they aren’t showing you a few lucky shots. On the same subject – Make sure your photographer will keep your images private if you wish. Your photographer MUST obtain written permission to show your images to other people.

Boudoir photography is becoming more popular in Utah and more photographers are starting to offer it. I hope this list helps you choose who to go with. The most important thing is that you are happy with your experience and the images.

Editor’s Pick by Angella from Dutch Blitz:  This post was submitted to my channel and I thought that it was a post worth sharing with the rest of you.  I have often thought of getting some (tasteful) photos done for my husband and these tips are great for anyone wishing to do the same.  Susie is a professional and has a great site dedicated to boudoir photography.  You can see the rest of her posts here.

Read the original post and then check out her professional site.

Here is Joie Studio’s first anatomy lesson, where I’ll take you through the making of a custom letterpress baby shower invitation from start to finish. Here at Joie Studio, we meld old and new letterpress techniques to get our desired results, and this baby shower invitation, more than many other projects here at the studio, showcases the different techniques we use, making it a great project to use for our anatomy lesson.

Concept
This project is actually for a very dear friend of mine, so Rebecca, the host of the baby shower, gave me a free rein to do whatever I wanted. I knew that the couple were decorating the nursery with a hippo theme, and as there is a hippo in Joie Studio’s upcoming baby line, I decided that it would be the perfect design.

The hippo is part of a safari group that was created and illustrated by the ever talented artist Matt Cox. I laid out the shower invite digitally to figure out how the layout and spacing. Here is the digital proof:

The fonts in the proof are Kabel and Liberty. Kabel is the digital version of Sans Serif Light, and Liberty is a variation of Bernhard Cursive. Both these fonts are fonts that I have handset type for.

Setting the Forme
Here at Joie Studio, we use a combination of handset type and magnesium plates to letterpress our projects.

Here is what a case of type looks like:

To set it, you would take each letter out, one by one, and set it on a line. Time consuming, but I think that handset type gives the best result so I keep as many fonts as I can fit into my type cabinet. The case above is pretty empty, but some of the other drawers weigh as much as 50 lbs.

As space is a major consideration and setting type is majorly time consuming, we also use metal plates. The metal plates are etched from digital files that we send to the engraver’s. We used to have our metal plates mounted on wood and we still use a lot of our plates that we had made that way:

I found, however, that I wasn’t happy with the natural variations of the wood mount. As it’s an organic material, wood will expand and contract depending on weather conditions, and with letterpress, even 1/1000 of a difference will translate onto paper. Sometimes it’s ok, sometimes it’s not. So now we order unmounted metal plates with a deeper etch that we mount onto a metal base. The deeper etch also allows us to give a deeper impression to our clients who want to go as deep as possible. Here’s a closeup of an unmounted metal plate:

For this project, we used a combination of handset type for the text and a metal plate for the hippo illustration. Once the type is set, I use wood pieces called furniture to lock the set type into the chase (which is the frame that fits into the press). What is to be printed, once set, is called the forme, shown below:

Most ink colors are handcrafted by yours truly. Sage is a color that I use a lot so whenever I mix sage, I try to make a bunch extra. For letterpress, you don’t use very much ink at all during a run. I store handcrafted inks in little 2oz tins, and as you can tell, I rarely mix that much ink, and this amount will last me through at least 2 more jobs:

Just a couple dabs gets the press to look like:

So after I letterpress printed the forme, the invitations looked like this:

It’s still missing the hippo. The hippo is on an unmounted metal plate. To print the plate, it is first locked into a metal base, also known as a honeycomb or patent base:

The forme is then set into the press to be printed:

Notice the roller bearers on both sides? The bearers keep the rollers inking the forme properly, which is essential for gorgeous letterpress printing.

The Result
Here is the result of all that hard work:

I hope you love the result as much as I did, and I hope you enjoyed a peak at our letterpress process from concept to creation. The LUXE letterpress launch has taken up so much of my time that now that it’s launched, I can turn my attention to debuting these gorgeous letterpress animals. Keep on the lookout for more animals in Joie Studio’s upcoming baby line!

Editor’s pick from Velma at A Smeddling Kiss: Isn’t that a gorgeous invitation?! I love the handcrafted aspect of letterpress printing, and Tina at Jolie Studios is a wonderful designer.  I’m always struck by how simple and clean (yet delicate) her work is.  One of her projects was recently featured in the Home section of the L.A. Times, and I’m sure her work will be popping up in other design-saavy spots in 2009. Don’t wait to run across her designs in a style magazine, though – head over to her blog to check them out yourself!

{Originally published on inside emblem}

Our second time in Canmore and the second time the weather dropped in on us, covered the spectacular mountains, and rained a sad grey rain. But despite the rain, Alissia and Travis kept on with the plan. The ceremony started perfectly but, of course, the rain came and sent the chairs wobbling as everyone raced for umbrellas, brave wedding party and pastor standing strong, unmoved.

The rain continued through the portraits, seemingly spoiling such incredible locations. But Alissia and Travis let it all come, let the day be what it was, it was theirs and they were married. It was difficult but it was beautifully memorable, completely unique. Perfect. You guys are awesome.

Editor’s Pick by Angella from Dutch Blitz:

Dustin and Christy are close personal friends of mine. Christy was the one who first taught me how to use the manual settings on my camera almost two years ago. In the last year and a half these two have built a great reputation for themselves as the go-to wedding photographers in the area they now live in. You can see their talent in all of its glory on their photography site.

Read the original post and then check out their archives.  You can subscribe to their feed here.