Blog | Milestones Photography: Wedding Photojournalism, Fargo & West Fargo, North Dakota; Moorhead, Minnesota; South Dakota » Milestoners

Top Ten in the World

dave — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:00:16 +0000

The results from the first Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) contest of 2010 were announced recently and I was lucky enough to take fourth in the Creative Portrait category with a photo of Mikaela and Olnick in the fog on their March wedding day in Langdon, N.D. The judges said, “The best portraits incorporate creativity with an accurate portrayal of the subjects. This image does this beautifully, and simply.”

We love when the weather or a location gives us the opportunity to make images that are truly unique to one couple and their day.

The WPJA is made up of wedding photojournalists from around the globe and it’s an elite group. Photogs must apply and have their work approved before gaining entry. The quarterly contests are judged by some of the finest working photojournalists and editors in the country, including Pulizer Prize winners. Only the top 20 images are recognized, so it’s a great compliment to have one of your photos rise to the top.

While this WPJA award is our most recent, it’s definitely not our first. Britta has had more photos place than I have, and among active WPJA members she has more overall wins than any photographer in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming … you get the picture. Of the hundreds of WPJA members in the country only 12 have had more contest wins than Britta.

Twelve. That’s 1-2. (12.)

And the rest of the world? Oh, well only four photographers outside the U.S. have topped Britta for wins.

That’s some big talent in our humble state, folks.

And as a studio? There are only five studios in the country with more WPJA wins than us and only two in the rest of the world.

England, Italy, New York and West Fargo, N.D. Sounds good, eh?

Milestones Photography is one of the top-ten award-winning WPJA studios in the world and we got here by telling couples’ stories with honesty, clarity, humor and grace. Wouldn’t you like us to tell the story of your wedding day too?

Change is Good

britta — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:50:39 +0000

We’re pumped up over here at Milestones, and here’s why. We’ve made some big changes that we think you’ll like. We’re simplifying your experience from start to end.

For the past five years we’ve offered our wedding services in five packages… you started out with the basics and if you wanted more time you got more products too. But we decided a more customized approach would serve you better. It’s simple: You choose how long you want us there and then pick one of four product bundles. The world is getting increasingly tech savvy and we’ve noticed a demand for digital files. Starting now, all our wedding packages include all of the edited, high resolution digital images, giving you more freedom to do what you will with them. Likewise, we’ve made digital images available for our portrait and graduate clients as well.

We’re still offering all of the same great products we did before… high quality prints, canvas wraps, albums and more. But now you get to choose exactly what you want and what you don’t. It’s a simpler way to make your budget meet your dreams.

You can now find wedding and all our pricing right on our redesigned web site. We’ve made it more fun to view, easier to navigate and added more information to help answer any of your questions.

Are you one of the growing number of people with a smart phone or Internet-capable device like an iPod Touch? The new site detects when you’re using a mobile browser and automatically reformats the entire site for better viewing on a smaller screen – we love technology! Don’t have a device that supports Flash? (*ahem* iPhone *ahem*) You can still view all the photos on our site in non-Flash versions so you won’t miss a thing.

We hope these and more upcoming changes improve your experience with Milestones Photography and keep you coming back again and again.

And now a new picture of Dave and Britta by the very talented Shawna Widdel of Shawna Noel Photography. We have to give credit to her super-duper side kick Kory Wallen too. He’s the best reflector holder this side of the Red River.

Best of Wedding Photography

dave — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:01 +0000

We are so excited to announce that Milestones Photography is a founding member of Best of Wedding Photography – an invitation-only association of the world’s top wedding photographers. Only 350 photographers in the entire world were invited to be a part of this and we’re extremely honored to be keeping company with such high caliber photographers.

Visit the site and check out the blog to see some of the finest photographers and most artistic wedding images you’ll ever see.

The Photography of Wayne Gudmundson

dave — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:47:35 +0000

MSUM photo professor Wayne Gudmundson has photographed the beauty of North Dakota for years and taught students about the art of photography even longer. In the photo above he is surrounded by just a few of the many students he’s sent off into the world.

Tonight (Tuesday, February 16) at 7:00pm Central Prairie Public Television is airing a biography about Wayne and his work – A Considered View: The Photography of Wayne Gudmundson. Be sure to tune in and learn about what he photographs and why he does it. (Dave was lucky enough to be interviewed for the documentary!)

It’s beautifully shot in HD and well worth 30 minutes of your time. Be sure to keep watching and see a re-airing of A Photographer’s View of Iceland which follows Wayne as he photographs his ancestral homeland.

Tuesday Sundogs

dave — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:37:15 +0000

See Dave notice sundogs on cold morning.
See Dave drive outside of town to get better foreground in photo.
See Dave pull car over.
See Dave get stuck.
See Dave take the dang photo.
See Dave wait for his brother in his large pickup to tow him out.

Just a Little Renovation

britta — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:00:57 +0000

We have been little busy bees over here in West Fargo the last couple weeks. After three years of yellow walls, we decided the studio needed a change. Our intention was to make our space more modern, calming and fresh. So, we put a little paint on the walls, changed some photos around and did a few other changes here and there. The result was something quite different than we had before, and we love it!

I didn’t think of taking pictures of the space until after we had moved our furniture (and, oddly, can’t find any we’ve taken in the past either). So, those of you who have seen our space in the past, even the ‘before’ pictures might look different from the space you remember.

Senior Luncheon Photoventure

dave — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:47:52 +0000

It’s Winter Days in these parts and our second photoventure this week was to the senior luncheon at the Speedway Events Center sponsored by the West Fargo Park District. While the crowd enjoyed a chicken dinner they were entertained by Glenn Douglas on the keyboard and then a rousing game of bingo. Britta and I made a bunch of new friends and really enjoyed ourselves.

If you are viewing this on Facebook or an RSS feed click here to see the slide show properly.

Fog & Frost Photoventure

dave — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:37:51 +0000

I went out on a one hour photoventure this morning to make some images of the fog and hoar frost. Little excursions like this really get creative juices going and are just plain fun.

If you’re reading this post on Facebook, click here to see the slideshow properly on our blog.

Don’t Forget Facebook

dave — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:46:14 +0000

If you’re an avid reader of our blog or if we’re just one of your many RSS feeds, be sure to become at fan of Milestones Photography on Facebook too. We post sneak peaks of recent weddings and photo shoots that you won’t see here and you’ll also find out about mini-promotions and contests. It’s also a great place to learn more about us and what we do here at the studio.

Want a free Milestones Photography t-shirt? Then you better become a Facebook fan because that’s where we hold those contests!

Happy Veterans Day

dave — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:21:13 +0000

In honor of Veterans Day Ann and Britta had a photo adventure this morning to photograph some of the flags on display here in West Fargo. Enjoy the slideshow.