Digital Wedding Forum - Wedding photography's home on the web.

Location - Lakeville, Minnesota
Business Name - Generation Photography
Years in Business - 6.5
Number of Posts - 650
Website - www.generationphotography.com
Blog - www.generationphotography.typepad.com
PM - Contact Joe

DWF - Let's start off with a little bio, tell us a little bit about yourself.

JOE - I was born and raised in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I have an older brother and a younger sister. We were a lower middle class family. My dad busted his butt to provide for us. He taught me to work hard. I have a Studio Art degree from the University of Minnesota. It took me about 12 years to get it, but there was a ton of life experience mixed into that 12 years. I was a wedding DJ (everybody polka :)), a distribution manager at a blood bank, a club DJ in Minneapolis and a few other odd jobs along the way. I met my wife a little over 11 years ago. I had just finished up a second round of school (design degree) and I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. We married 4 months after we met and she helped my get my life on track. I started a design job in 1996 and worked my way into a Sr. Art Director position a couple years later. We had a batch of kids (3) and moved from the city to the suburbs. My kids are now 7, 9 and 12. We run to soccer, football, hockey and horseback riding 7 days a week. I love life.

DWF - How did you become a wedding photographer?

JOE- I volunteered to shoot my sisters wedding on May 3, 2001. I loved it. I saw it as a chance to combine my people skills with my passion for art. Plus, it beat the hell out of selling velvet Elvis paintings out of the back of a van :)

DWF- Who or what inspires you as an artist?

JOE - My great grandmother was my inspiration. She and my great grandfather built a resort in Northern Minnesota. I spent my childhood at the lake. She had a Brownie camera and she was always taking photos. She had an amazing eye for composition. She never posed anyone, just shot us living life. Our family gathered in the great hall of the resort every couple of weeks to watch slideshows. I have suitcases full of her slides and I look through them from time to time. I see all of the people that have passed on and I realize how short life is and see the importance of what we do.

DWF- If we were getting married why would we book you? What makes you unique?

JOE - This is not a job to me. I have a passion for life and people. I never try to sell anyone on what I do. I try to connect with my couples when I meet with them. I am very sincere when I talk about what my work. My couples can sense it and I believe it has played a huge role in my success. Plus, people tell me I capture some unique images. That brings them in the door.

DWF- If you had to pick a favorite "Tool of the Trade" what would it be? and why?

JOE - That's a tough one. Tools are important, but always changing. I'm finally at the point in my career where the tools are just an extension of my eye. I guess if I had to pick something it would be fast fixed lenses. They force me to move around and compose with my feet.

DWF - Care to share your favorite photograph? and tell us a bit about it?

JOE - This is probably my all time favorite. It was my second year as a wedding photographer. I had strep throat the day of the wedding and my temp was over 103. The couple was an hour late to the wedding and I thought I was going to die when I waited for them to arrive. As soon as the bride drove up I forgot about being sick. The wedding ended up being one of the top weddings of my early years. Nicole and Willie are still one of my all time best clients. They live in Dallas now, but I still hear from Nicole from time to time.

This is one of those photos that might mean more to me than it does to someone that wasn't involved in the wedding. The grooms younger brother died in a car accident a couple months before the wedding. The groom was giving his speech and he started to talk about his brother. I don't think there was a single person at the reception that didn't break down in tears, including myself. I can still feel the moment when I look at the photo.

I love this one. It makes me smile every time I see it. It was shot at my cousins wedding. She's the bride in the background. The woman closest to the camera is my grandmother and the other woman is the other grandmother. I saw them walking towards the door so I crouched down behind it. I jumped up and shot right as my grandma was grabbing for the door handle. Obviously I startled both of them.

This photo was taken in Nye's Polonaise Room. It's a Minneapolis bar that was built in 1949. It's a hole in the wall, but everybody seems to know about it. The wedding was in a church just around the corner from Nye's and the groom decided to take the wedding party out for a drink after the ceremony. This is them just lounging. I love the eclectic look of the place. I think the lighting adds to the look and feel.

This is one of those moments where you know you've captured something of importance. The brides mom died about a year before the wedding. The bride/father dance was late in the evening and nobody seemed to be paying attention during their dance. Dad had his back to the crowd and he looked up to the heavens as if to say "We did it mom". It was a really powerful moment. The fact that he did it when he wasn't facing the crowd made it more real to me.

This one is a little random. It's from a wedding a covered a week ago. I really like the space and the balance in the photo. I pay a lot of attention to composition when I'm shooting. I suspect I'm influenced by my graphic art background. Pulling a half dozen photos that are my all time favorites is a tough task because I seem to have a new favorite every week. I threw this shot in because it's new and I like it a lot... today. Pushing myself to see things differently and capture fresh images every week keeps me excited about what I do.

DWF - How about some final words to live by?

JOE - We are blessed to do what we do. I think about it every morning when I wake up. I have always told myself that I will get out when I stop feeling that way.