black and white

Wedding Contest Winning Image For World's Best Wedding Photos "Memorable Moments" / July 2, 2024 by Bradley Hanson

This photo of mine was just featured as a winning image in The World's Best Wedding Photos for their contest on "Memorable Moments" from over 7000 entries. It's an honor. To see more photographs from the article, you can click below. This photograph was from the St. Wencelaus church in rural Minnesota.

Behind the scenes, I was walking around the wedding venue before the ceremony. I was watching the bride walking around the entryway, the doors open to let in the breeze. I held the camera up to my eye, waiting for that magic moment when the wind happened to blow her veil up as she went in to kiss her grandfather in his wheelchair.

You can see the image, along with all of the winning entries, here:

https://www.worldsbestweddingphotos.com/photography-contest-memorable-moments-awards

If you want to follow me on Instagram, I have two accounts: @bradleyhanson is my personal one, all square images from my iPhone since 2008. @bradleyhansonphotography is my professional portfolio, a mix of weddings, family and portraits, as well as black and white and color landscape images. If you are still reading this far, you’ve already figured out how to find my website…

I am a Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my wedding work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading. To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right above this paragraph).

Meghan And Brian's Elegant Black And White Downtown Saint Paul MN Wedding At The Lowlands / January 17, 2024 by Bradley Hanson

I’m caught up with 2023, my busiest year in a decade, and finally able to share one of the best weddings of the year. The groom, Brian, is a well-known photographer in Atlanta, specializing in head shots. The bride, Meghan, is a talented makeup artist in Atlanta. We met for coffee before the wedding while they were in the Minneapolis area and clicked immediately, no pun intended.

Their wedding was unique in a number of ways, but most notably, all of the decor, from the tables to the walls, invites, clothing and details, was black and white. Normally wearing one of my many blue suits, I got a black suit specific to this wedding so I could remain as inconspicuous as a 6’2” photographer can be.

Coordination and design was done by the talented Heidi Almendinger of Jenna Culley Events, and hair was by the always stellar Hair By Sitha, who I’ve had the good fortune of working with probably a dozen times over the past couple years alone.

Everything took place at a new, modern and minimalist wedding venue right on the Mississippi River on the outskirts of downtown Saint Paul, MN. I really loved the venue and can’t wait to photograph there again. The only bump in the road was torrential rain akin to what one might expect in Florida that scuttled my grandiose plans for photographs of the couple during the cocktail hour, but the timing was nearly perfect as it occurred after photographing the family, moments before the start of the ceremony, which took place indoors anyway.

The gallery images below were chosen not only from the pool of favorites, but to give a sense of what it was like to be at The Lowlands on that day. In the spirit of their chiaroscuro contrasty design intentions, I’ve chosen to only share B&W images.

Vendors from Meghan and Brian’s wedding:

Venue: The Lowlands

Beauty: Lady Vamp Artistry - Sitha Kim (hair), Laura Seaboy (makeup), Rob Hinderstein (tattoo cover)

Bridal Fashion: White Magnolia Bridal Collection

Cake: Queen of Cake

Catering: Green Mangos

Entertainment: Rock With U (Band) & Jennifer Marlin Illustration (Fashion Artist)

Floral: Wilderland Floral (Jamie Spellerberg)

Groom's Attire: Red Label Bespoke

Officiant: Melinda Guess

Photography: Bradley Hanson Photography

Rentals & Decor: Linen Effects, Collected & Co, AVEX & Girl Friday

Stationery: Minted

Transportation: Renee's Limousine & Unparalleled Parking

Travel & Accommodations: The St. Paul Hotel, Hyatt Place St. Paul/Downtown, Loews Minneapolis

Videographer: Cooper Films & Love Stream (live streaming)

Wedding Planner & Event Design: Jenna Culley Events (Heidi Almendinger)

I am a Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota based wedding photographer, specializing in documentary style weddings, elopements, and Indian/Hindu weddings all over the world. To see more of my wedding work, click the wedding galleries under the portfolio heading.

To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right of the page).

Abbey And Mitchell's North Loop / Northeast Minneapolis Minnesota Wedding at Hewing Hotel And Bauhaus Brew Labs / November 23, 2023 by Bradley Hanson

Abbey and Mitchell started their day near their Mississippi River apartment at the lovely Hewing Hotel in North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis, with their wedding ceremony and reception at Bauhaus Brew Labs in Northeast Minneapolis. They were very sweet and obviously very connected to each other. Abbey’s dress was one the best I had seen in a while.

According to Abbey: “The North Loop and northeast being near and dear to us. We’ve lived in North Loop the entirety of our relationship and spend a lot of time making memories with friends in NE (Bauhaus in particular being our favorite spot), so incorporating those spots was important to us. We wanted our wedding to be authentically us, and laid back in a way that made our guests feel they could be themselves.”

“After meticulously researching wedding photographers, we landed on Bradley given his documentary style, natural editing, and his professional training and experience. Unlike many photographers we considered, Bradley is a true student of photography and a master of his craft. He was a pleasure to work with, making sure to understand our vision, needs, and plan for our wedding day. We adore our photos, received them (over 1,000 of them) within one month. Our guests continue to comment on how impressed they were by Bradley and that our photos are the best wedding photos they’ve ever seen. We don’t disagree.”

-Abbey and Mitchell

bride and groom at hewing hotel in downtown minneapolis minnesota hewing hotel wedding

Preparation Venue: @hewinghotel
Reception Venue + Bar: @bauhausbrewlabs
Coordination: @mavenevents
Hair + Makeup: @ladyvampartistry
Catering - Food Truck: @butchersalt
Catering - Food Truck: @centro_twincities
Entertainment: @transmission_music
Photography: @bradleyhansonphotography
Florals: @notherly.flora
Ice Cream: @lildippersoftserve

To inquire about my rates and availability, call me at 206-393-8292, email me at bradley@bradleyhanson.com or fill out the contact form (click the “contact” link on the top right of the page).

New Senior Portraits Of Eva In Minneapolis, Minnesota / June 5, 2022 by Bradley Hanson

minneapolis st saint paul minnesota portrait wedding photographer minnehaha falls senior photo

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When I’m not photographing weddings, I’m either on my bike or shooting portraits. I’m moving more toward portraits, which is filling up all of my time this summer. Well, I guess it’s technically still spring for a couple more weeks, but you know what I mean. I photograph family portraits, senior portraits, corporate events and even headshots for companies and Linked In profile photos, etc. Contact me at info@bradleyhanson.com or through the contact link of my website above to get a quote.

Another One Of My Wedding Photographs Was Featured On World's Best Wedding Photos / July 7, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

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One of my images was featured by the website World’s Best Wedding Photos, along with other wedding images that are on the theme of sparkler exits and send offs . You can see the entire article by clicking here.

Another One Of My Wedding Photographs From Film Was Just Featured On The World's Best Wedding Photos / March 31, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

minneapolis st saint paul twin cities wedding photographer timeless portrait candid.jpg

One of my images, taken when I was still shooting all film and focusing manually, was featured by the website World’s Best Wedding Photos, along with other wedding images that are classic wedding/bridal portraits. You can see the entire article by clicking here.

One Of My Film Images Featured By World's Best Wedding Photos / January 29, 2021 by Bradley Hanson

One of my images, taken when I was still shooting all film and focusing manually, was featured by the website World’s Best Wedding Photos, along with other wedding images that are on, in, or near cars. You can see the entire article by clicking here.

WPJA Wedding Photography Contest Winning Images / December 19, 2018 by Bradley Hanson

As this will likely be my last blog post of 2018, I should end the year on a high note. These were three winning images in the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) wedding contest. It is open to photographers from all over the world, not just wedding photographers from Minneapolis.

There is some continuity between thematic elements in the photographs in that two of the three are backlit and all three contain scenes that were photographed entirely as found, rather than directing the action, which is my preferred method of working. The color scene was the bride and groom’s first dance, in the unusual twist of being outside at one of my favorite wedding venues near Minneapolis, the Camrose Hill Flower Farm in Stillwater, MN.

You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, VSCO, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn through the links on the upper right.

To see more Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN portraits, wedding photography and weddings all over the world, visit my main portfolio on bradleyhanson.com or email me at info@bradleyhanson.com or call me at 206-393-8292 and we can discuss your wedding plans in detail. My speciality is shooting family portraits in an unposed, natural style and wedding photojournalism. I photograph weddings as they happen rather than direct the action, which is often referred to as documentary style wedding photography. I’ve photographed weddings in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Seattle and many countries around the world.

To listen to the bi-weekly photography podcast I do with UK photographer Ian Weldon, visit https://www.outerfocuspodcast.com or search for Outerfocus on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

New Work From July 2018 / July 30, 2018 by Bradley Hanson

July has been a busy month, including a 4100 mile drive to and from a wedding in Washington State at Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula. My son Miles assisted me at the wedding, and it was a great road trip with some fascinating audiobooks, sightseeing and restaurants. While I'm sorting out what's going in the portfolio and what's going to be featured on the blog and what's going to be submitted to magazines, here is an assortment of 23 random highlights from the month of July.

Clicking any image below will open it up at a larger size.

Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington

You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, VSCO, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn through the links on the upper right.

To listen to the bi-weekly photography podcast I do with UK photographer Ian Weldon, visit https://www.outerfocuspodcast.com or search for Outerfocus on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

Behind The Scenes: The Role of Lighting / April 19, 2018 by Bradley Hanson

In photography, light is everything, even over composition. Light can dictate composition, control mood and determine where the eye is drawn to in any frame. The difference between a memorable image and a forgettable one is usually the role of light in altering how that photograph is perceived.

There are a number of reasons I didn't use flash in this image:

1. It would have destroyed the sense of depth.

2. It would have removed the most important component: the light on the groom's face, projected from the DJ's spinning lights, as well as minimizing the halo of lights from the ceiling.

3. A little movement is more romantic to me than harsh two dimensional lighting, particularly with dancing. In this case, I was handholding 1/15th of a second at f2.

4. Evening out the light with a pop of flash would have made the bride's back white, losing the importance of the eye light on the groom and the contour of her right bicep.

5. Because the groom removed his black jacket and is only wearing a white shirt, flash would have removed the contrast between his shirt and the shadow on his wife's back.

6. Using supplemental light would have also ended my ability to be invisible to the couple in this scene. The darker the room, the wider the pupils. Low light flash, in conjunction with dilated pupils means your bride and groom are seeing stars after only one shot. This is not a recipe for success or getting a good second shot.

While I prefer to work without flash, sometimes it is not only required, but like natural light, well-used flash can make or break an image.

This film image was used by Women's Health Magazine in April of 2009 as a double-page spread about life after marriage. The editor that contacted me about using it specifically cited the light on the groom's face as conveying the mood she was looking for with the text of the article.

You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, VSCO, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn through the links on the upper right.

To listen to the bi-weekly photography podcast I do with UK photographer Ian Weldon, visit https://www.outerfocuspodcast.com or search for Outerfocus on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.