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Downtown Imagery : Austin Wedding Photography bio picture

Welcome to Downtown Imagery!

 

Ciao Everyone!


My name is Eric Kotara. Welcome to my little corner of the Austin wedding photography world.  I am happy you're here!  Make yourself comfy, kick off your shoes, and have a look around.  It's a fun place for fun photography.  


I have been photographing weddings for several years now and grow happier with my job with each one I photograph. My approach to my work is a stylish blend of photojournalism and classy portraiture with a crisp contemporary feel.  


There's plenty to see here so have a good look around.  You can find pricing information and more about me and my business in the menu bar up top.  The best way to get a feel for my work is to make your way thru the posts to see a handful of portrait sessions and weddings.  If you want something more specific, hit up the categories on the menu bar.  

 

Silhouettes for Wedding and Portrait Photography

As with most art forms, there are always good times to break rules. Whether it be lighting, composition, focus, movement, etc., it is sometimes a good idea to do something out of the ordinary to produce a photograph that is extraordinary. One of the tools in my bag is the silhouette and when the lighting allows for it, I do my best to use it. Silhouette photographs are strongly backlit with very little front lighting. The irony here is that this situation is typically considered problematic for photographers. Indeed, I long considered it the same until I had a personal breakthrough and began to use this “apparent” disadvantage to make an image that proved far more engaging and appealing than had I otherwise tried to shoehorn the scene into something that didn’t fit. What comes out of this approach is generally very artistic and interesting; not to mention that I absolutely LOVE turning a problem into its own solution :)

I don’t do it all the time as that would diminish the effect. But when given a strongly backlit environment that works in this manner, I find it to be icing on the cake of already enjoyable photography. Not to mention I love the “ooo’s” and “ahhh’s” I get from my clients when I show them a wonderfully artsy silhouette shot when they weren’t expecting it.

With this in mind I think brides should pay as much attention as possible to how their event location will be lit if they are able. By bringing in colored wall lighting, you can change the entire look of a room. In some cases we will even use gel colored flashes to create this effect if desired. This will let the photographer work with the walls rather than fight them (nobody likes ugly walls) and the effect is fabulous:

Thanks for looking everybody.

Ciao!

Your friendly Austin wedding photographer – Eric Kotara

March 9, 2010 - 10:38 am Austin Wedding Blog - Love it! The hot pink background on that last pic is oh so chic!

March 9, 2010 - 10:44 am Austin Wedding Photographer - Thanks!!!! I can't begin to describe how happy I was when I first walked into their venue. The accent wall light added sooooo much to the equation and the clients were very pleased that we made a point of using that light creatively. It's amazing what a bit of strong color can do to a room :)

March 9, 2010 - 1:32 pm Francis Joseph - Very well said...and with lovely images to back it up.

March 9, 2010 - 6:10 pm Austin Wedding Photographer - Thanks a bunch Francis; that means a lot coming from you!!! -Eric-

March 9, 2010 - 7:19 pm Stefano Choi - Great post Eric and I love your perspective on turning problems into their own solutions. This post made me think about all these situations we encounter and have to deal with. Thanks for sharing.

March 10, 2010 - 11:08 am Lesley Pattinson - What fantastic images; I found this post from your tweet and really glad I took a look. Love the post and the images work so well, thanks for sharing!

March 10, 2010 - 12:31 pm ruslan - Indah di pandang mata!!!good good..

March 10, 2010 - 1:03 pm Austin Wedding Photographer - Stefano, thanks for stopping by and glad you like it! Let's do coffee next time you decide to head south again :) Lesley, thanks for looking and commenting. Ruslan, terima kasih!!! (I hope google translate got that right) -eric-

Album Love

I recently decided to spruce up my package offerings and add some goodies to the mix. Starting this year I will be offering KISS Flush Mount Albums to Brides that opt for the Gold and Platinum packages. I will also be upgrading the coffee table books to a much better product offered by KISS, their linen soft books. In all, these new offerings will really add value to the packages in which they are included.

The flush mount albums are absolutely beautiful. They are covered in supple leather with back padding and bound very well. Each album is delivered in a floral print cloth slip cover. The pages are made by mounting professionally printed images onto boards. The image is trimmed to the edge of the board, hence the name flush mount. Each album is designed as spreads; that is, if you lay open the book the two visible pages facing up will be one single spread. This is in contrast to the more traditional albums of old where individual prints were placed into pre-cut mattes. This gives continuity to the album, helping us tell the story of your wedding day in a way that flows easily from page to page. It will be less about looking at pictures and much more about experiencing the day all over again.

Also upgraded are the coffee table books. In the past we had used many of the standard press printers out there and we were never really all that impressed with the products, no matter the vendor. Press printing can create problems when you are printing large images and I find it much nicer to use actual light-sensitive printed photographs as the quality is so much better. This is where KISS shines. Their soft cover linen books offer the same photo quality printing as their flush mount hard albums without the boards for pages. They are covered in a stain resistant linen available in the same select colors as the leather albums offered. It feels good to say goodbye to press printing, and once you see the results, I am sure you will agree.

So without further adieu, here is some album love :)

These are the color choices available for both the Leather hard albums and the linen soft books.

Why do I like KISS? Easy. They make life simple for me. Rather than drown a client in options, many that never get selected, KISS prides itself on simplicity and ease of use. They only offer two styles, in 4 sizes, with 7 color choices. It really can’t get any simpler than that. The company was also founded by a former wedding photographer, so I can trust that the direction they follow will be with the bride and groom in mind. This gives me peace of mind knowing my clients and I are in good, trustworthy hands.

See you all soon for some more wedding photography fun!

Ciao!

Your Austin Wedding Photographer – Eric Kotara

March 3, 2010 - 1:30 pm YoYo - Those look really neat! Plus having the cover would keep you from having to "dust" off the wedding album when you pull it out for company.

March 9, 2010 - 10:19 am Austin Wedding Photographer - Thanks YoYo, I agree. Looking forward to seeing you guys again once you take delivery of the rugrat :) Eric

Meiling and Paul :: Wedding :: Austin

There is an old saying that in Texas if you don’t like the weather just wait 20 minutes. It’s not a lie.

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Meiling and Paul’s wedding at their Austin home on one of the loveliest days that could grace a February. Their wedding day originally had rain in the forecast. It was cloudy and wet leading up to Sunday. It was even rainy Sunday morning. And then, just like that, the clouds broke and the day truly became the perfect day for a wedding. Two days later, it was frozen and snowing :) How’s that for a window of opportunity?

It was a very relaxed and comfortable wedding and party. Everyone was in great spirits and happy the sun was out. Good drinks, good friends, and some delicious pastries made for a fabulous time.

Enjoy the pictures. And special thanks to my second photographer for the day, Kristi Wright!

They topped their cupcakes with custom screen printed cookies! Really neat.

These were Delicious!!!!

And you know how I love ring photographs.

Ciao!