Some iPhonearoids from my bike rides around the great City of Lakes!

I am so excited about this cool new product I am so proud to offer! I understand that most couples today want their digital files from their weddings and sessions so they can archive the photos, create prints and display images online, but there’s something to be said about a tangible print. After all, photographs are meant to be printed and held, not viewed on a backlit computer screen. With this principle in mind, I wanted to offer my clients an archival quality product to display prints that could be beautifully displayed in their home. I searched high and low for proof box options and wanted something elegant and timeless. I finally found these beautiful, handmade silk boxes and I know my clients will love them too.

Proof boxes include a complete set of 4×6 prints from your wedding day or session with elegant white borders. Prints are processed at a professional lab and printed on high-quality paper with archival quality inks, just like all of the prints and products I offer. Prints are also numbered on the back, so ordering reprints (if desired) is super easy.

The wedding day proof box holds images upright like a recipe box. The box will accommodate 700-900 prints (every image from your wedding!). This beautiful product is included with some of my photography collections or is always available as an a la carte item.

The session proof box is available for any type of photography- engagement, boudoir, Just Married sessions. With this type of box, the images lay flat. Both type of boxes include a decorative satin ribbon and close magnetically.

Proof boxes are available in a variety of beautiful silks and coordinating satin ribbons. Both of the samples pictured above and swatch books are available in my studio for viewing. Please contact me if you’d like to stop by and see them or for pricing.

If you haven’t been in to see my new studio, you haven’t seen my beautiful new canvases. Just in case you didn’t know, I offer these gorgeous, ready-to-hang wall canvases in a variety of sizes, from 8″x12″ to 40″x40!” Custom sizes are available. Please contact me for pricing. Canvases are thick (1.5″) and don’t need to be framed. They can be printed with black or white edges, or with the image wrapped around the edge. Canvases are a modern, clean and simple solution for decorating your home.

In my studio, I have a cluster of 5 canvases in various sizes hanging to create one gorgeous six foot display above my couch. If you need help determining what would work for your home, I am happy to provide assistance.

Canvases can also stand alone, as pictured on the left. This canvas is 30″x40″ with a black edge.

Hey all! I am headed out of town to the biggest and best photography convention in the country… nay, IN THE WORLD. WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Convention in Las Vegas. This convention attracts thousands and thousands of photographers from all over the world and I’m so excited to meet up with all my friends and colleagues! It’ll be a whirlwind trip filled with shoots, trade shows, networking, parties and lots of learning so I’m leaving my computer at home and disconnecting for the next 4 days to focus on everything going on around me.

Feel free to email me, but please be aware that I won’t be able to respond until Friday, March 12th. If you need to get a hold of me, I’ll be accessible by cell (612) 205-9319. Photographers, if you want to meet up, shoot me a text! I’m also going to be at the Airhorns and Lasers Party on Sunday, March 7, the Pictage Party on Tuesday, March 9- the other nights are TBD.

I’ll leave you with some photobooth pics from last year’s convention. Have a fabulous week! :-)
~Laura

Hopefully, you’ve noticed, or maybe you’re new around here, but back in December, I launched the new look of Laura Ivanova Photography. You can click here to read all about it. Now that the process is nearing completion (really, will it ever be complete!?) I just wanted to talk a little bit more about my rebranding. My brand is so much more than a logo. Branding is so big right now, but rightfully so! Branding encompasses my web presence, my studio, my facebook fanpage, my tweets, my clothing, my business cards, the way I communicate, my email signature, my style…pretty much everything about me. This especially rings true in this industry, because photography is so personal, and it doesn’t get much more intimate than being with a couple on their wedding day. I can’t put into words how grateful I am to be welcomed into the lives of my clients; to document such a momentous day.

I’m writing this, because over the years, I’ve realized that working with the right clients is very important.  It’s mutually beneficial for my clients and myself. I want the couples who hire me to look at my work and know without a doubt, that my photographic style is perfectly in line with the images they envision. They should feel like they can trust me to capture their big day. They should feel like I’m a friend; like they can be themselves around me. And, I too want to work with couples I love. I want to work with couples that inspire me to give 110% percent each and every time. I know every photographer says this, but I think my clients are pretty damn awesome! It makes sense that every photographer would say this though, because their branding should be attracting the right kind of client. Everything should just click.

Since I already had amazing clients, why rebrand? I feel like the last few months have been a pivotal point in my life and business (perhaps one of many to come, but a pivotal time nonetheless). I feel like I finally know my style; where it is and where I want it to go. For a long time, it was hard for me to describe my style. It was hard for me to grasp where I fit in. When I realized my old brand and my photographic vision didn’t work together, there was a feeling of uneasiness and I knew it would hinder me in driving my business in the direction I wanted to go. So, with all that being said, my rebranding was an investment in my growth. It was a considerable investment; worth every penny. Aurora of Red Organic is the mastermind behind my new look and I couldn’t be happier with her work or the results. It feels so good to have a brand that I love 100%. Nay, 200%. (That’s saying a lot for me, because I am a perfectionist to the core.) Something that represents me and the kind of bride I want to attract. I know a lot of photographers read my blog, so my advice to you is this: do not skimp on your branding! But also, don’t brand before you’re ready. Don’t do it because it’s the cool thing to do. Of course, It would be naive of me to think that this brand will be my brand forever, but a year ago or even 6 months ago, things would’ve looked completely different. I feel like this brand represents my future. And, that is a good thing.

(On a sidenote, I credit a lot of my new outlook on business to the Jose Villa workshop I attended in Italy in October. Jose is so open and giving, and his credo really rung true to me. He is an artist in every sense of the word, an extremely talented, yet humble person. An absolute inspiration to me and so many others. I was so inspired by Jose that I’m attending his workshop again this year in Mexico. It’s already sold out, but if you ever get a chance, attending one of Jose’s workshop is an experience I would highly, highly recommend.)

Anyway! That was a mouthful! If you have any questions about the rebranding process, please feel free to contact me and ask away! Or leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Here’s a glimpse at the amazing new printed collateral that I love so much!

My gorgeous new letterpress business cards. Swoon!

The lovely trifold brochure:



The new disc holders. Plain old jewel cases just won’t do! I love these letterpress holders tied with a pretty pink ribbon!



All the letterpress goodness: my business card, my envelope and disc holder. Have I mentioned I love letterpress?