I have seen a lot of fun and unique wedding processionals in the nearly 200 weddings I’ve attended. Some of the most memorable include one that used the song off my old website and another that used the Star Wars theme! It was pretty cute them kissing to that. I recently stubled across a blog post on http://www.soundtracktoido.com and I thought I would share their list here. Their website has lots of ideas for wedding music. Definately go check it out.

And, in saying that, I want to give a shout out to my favorite DJ’s… Chris, Jer, and Jason. These guys know their stuff. Call them if you don’t have a DJ yet. Be sure to tell them I sent ya.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Bridal March or Trumpet Voluntary, but here’s the list of contemporary processional song ideas in case you want to shake it up a little.

Source… soundtrackido.com

Today I have some fantastic processional songs for your lovely bridesmaids (and strapping groomsmen, if you so choose) to saunter down the aisle to. If you are more the classical type, check out some options here. But if you plan to use more contemporary music in your ceremony, these songs are for you.

Love – Matt White

Don’t Let Me Fall – Lenka

Everyday – Rogue Wave

Arms – Christina Perri

Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop – Landon Pigg

Marry You – Bruno Mars

Hoppipolla – Sigur Ros

All I Want Is You – Barry Louis Polisar

1234 – Feist

Heartbeats – Jose Gonzales

Think Of Me – Rosi Golan

Oh, Is It Love – Hellogoodbye

First Day Of My Life – Bright Eyes

Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

I Love NYE – Badly Drawn Boy

Rhythm Of Love – Plain White T’s

Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit

Us – Regina Spektor

I Will – The Beatles

Marry Me – Train

Only You – Joshua Radin

Stolen – Dashboard Confessional

Just Say Yes – Snow Patrol

Yellow – Alex Parks

Best Days – Matt White

Don’t Worry Baby – The Beach Boys

Let Me Tell You About My Boat – Mark Mothersbaugh

Sea Of Love- Cat Power

Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap

The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaleson

Love & Some Verses – Iron & Wine

Dream – Priscilla Ahn

Can’t Tell You – Vetiver

Sunshine Goodtime – Minuttes

You Remind Me Of Home – Benjamin Gibbard

Come On, Come Out – A Fine Frenzy

Just You And Me – Zee Avi

No One’s Gonna Love You – Band Of Horses

Everyday Feels Like Sunday – Vitamin String Quartet

Take Care – Beach House

The Dress Looks Nice On You – Sufjan Stevens

Nothing Fancy – Dave Barnes

Northern Sky – Nick Drake

Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads – Pompeii

This Is Beautiful – Tyrone Wells

Til Kingdom Come – Coldplay

Enjoy <3

We are currently looking for one student representative from each of the following schools to be Senior Representatives for Shalista Photography.

• Tea Area
• Harrisburg
• Lennox
• Canton
• Roosevelt
• O’Gorman
• Washington
• Lincoln
• Garretson
• Dell Rapids
• Parker
• Hurley
• Monroe
• Beresford
• Alcester-Hudson
• Irene
• Mitchell
• Madison
• Brookings
• Colton
• Tri-Valley
• Brandon

and anywhere and everywhere in between!

What does being a representative for Shalista Photography mean exactly?

Being a senior rep means you are a spokesperson for Shalista Photography’s senior sessions. All you have to do is show off your awesome pictures to your friends! It’s true! You’ll be supplied with referral cards and with each referral you’ll earn opportunities for special bonuses.

Do I have to pay regular prices for my session?

Absolutely not! One of the perks of being a senior rep is special senior rep pricing. You’ll enjoy:

• Free Session ($150 Value)
• 50 Referral Cards
• 5 Watermarked Images to use on Facebook
• Accordion Brag Album for showing photos to friends in person

What’s required of me?

• Signed model release
• Leave any of the pictures from your gallery as your Facebook profile picture through graduation
• Pass out your referral cards to any seniors you think would be interested. Remember, you are our spokesperson!
• Minimum $200 purchase

Ok, cut to the chase. You mentioned special bonuses?

Right! Earn bonuses by referring your friends! With every booked referral you get one credit. Cash in your referral credits for any of the following, or save them up to increase the value of your bonus!

1 referral – $40 print credit

3 referrals – $25 Gift card to Sioux Empire Mall or ITunes

5 referrals – $50 Gift card to Sioux Empire Mall or ITunes

8 referrals – $75 Gift card to Sioux Empire Mall or ITunes

10 referrals – $100 Gift card to Sioux Empire Mall or ITunes

15 referrals – 8GB Ipod Touch

To earn your credit, you friend must let us know you referred them at time of booking. Your friends will enjoy an additional $40 print credit with your referral card.

Get Mom and Dad Involved!

Before you can become an official Senior Rep, you must have permission from your parent or legal guardian. Once you’ve filled out the application and if you are selected as a representative, a phone or in person consultation with at least one of your parents or guardians is a must! As a parent herself, Shalista knows how important it is for your folks to know what you’ll be getting for participating, what is expected of you, and that you are all generally on the same page. Informed parents are happy parents!

Alright, alright! I’m sold! What next?

So are you ready for your session? If you think this program is for you, please fill out the Senior Rep Application ASAP. Spots are filling up quickly!

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS MARCH 1ST. WE WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHING SESSIONS IN MARCH FOR REP CARDS!

Ahh… well, new posts are coming. Stay tuned!

Taking a photo of your tree is pretty easy if you follow a few simple steps:

You need an SLR camera, and preferably a tripod, but it’s not necessary. I was too lazy to use one, so I rested my camera on the coffee table for this shot.

1. Set your ISO setting as low as possible to get the cleanest image and best color saturation. Mine is set to 50 in this photo.

ISO is how sensitive your camera will be to light. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive the camera will be, requiring a longer exposure.

2. Set your F stop, or aperture, to a higher number. This image was taken at f14. This will create a large DOF, or Depth of Field. This will also give you the star points on the lights by way of diffraction based how how much the shutter opens when you take the shot.

DOF is the the amount of focal plane that is in focus. The higher this number, the larger the focal plane. The smaller the number, the smaller the plane and the less amount of your image that will be in focus.

3. You need to set your shutter speed enough to expose the lights just enough without making them too bright. You might have to play around with a few shutter speeds to get the right one. This image was a 15 second exposure. You probably want to use a tripod or something else to steady your camera. Its a great idea to even use the timer to avoid shaking the camera at all when you press the shutter.
So, there you go! I would love to see your Christmas Tree photos! Feel free to post them up on my Facebook page to share or send me a link!

The CONTEST is not live on Facebook. And it’s super easy to take part in the fun. All you have to do is upload a snapshot of you, tell a bit about yourselves and then share, share, share! The couple with the most votes at the end of the contest will win a prize package that includes…

A two hour photo shoot with me.  -   A High resolution disc of all images.  – A 16×20 Gallery Wrap Canvas

This is a package worth $1595!

Everyone is eligible too. If you are married, single, in love, whatever… I want you all to enter!

So here’s how…

1. Go to Facebook and submit your entry by uploading your photo and telling your story.

2. Share your entry with your friends and family and have them Vote on your photo! You can vote once per day, so they can come back daily to vote!

Voting is live the minute you submit your entry, so the quicker you enter, the more time you have to get votes! The contest is going to run until Midnight on February 14th, 2012. I will send lots of reminders, but get your entry in as soon as possible to maximize your voting time!

Have fun! Be creative! and Good luck!!