Creative Photography in Minnesota

Honey Honey

2011-08-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

There was a great deal of serious adorableness going on Monday night when I hung out with Rin S and Elise K. I had a lot of fun and it was great to just bum around taking fun photos without any real theme or concept in mind. Nothing but cute portraits and time to kill pretty much describes a great night for PhotoSynthetique. ;)

More to come!

Javan - Preview

2011-08-08T08:05:00.001-07:00

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Did you know that in addition to fashion and weddings, I also shoot senior photos?

I approach taking photos of seniors very much like my fashion work. I think it's important to show the personality of the individual as well as taking full advantage of both clothing and environment. In this particular case, I was lucky to work with Javan. He is a natural model and required no direction at all from me to find all these fun and interesting poses and he seemed completely at ease in front of the camera! We wandered around Lowertown and got some great portraits both there and the plain old yearbook stuff in the studio.

Are you a senior? Or do you have a senior who is going to need photos soon? I have extremely affordable packages starting at just $250! Email drayke@photosynthetique.com or call 612-424-9760 for more information.

::Drayke

Raven Claws

2011-08-07T21:11:00.001-07:00

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These are way later than they should be, but here is a few selected images from another awesome shoot I had with the always fun Raven Danzig two weeks ago!

Hooks Family - Preview

2011-08-01T08:09:00.001-07:00

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This week I got the chance to meet the Hooks family, and they are super fun! How many family portraits end up involving a police squad car? (Thank you to the really cool Minneapolis police officers who were totally willing to let us use their cruiser for this great set!)

Plenty more to come and I'm excited to share some of the other fun ones!

Pool Time

2011-07-28T15:02:00.001-07:00

Trash the Dress - Carla

2011-07-06T13:26:00.001-07:00

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Read on for how you can get a "Trash the Dress" shoot of your own!

Hey everyone! Here are some photos from a "Trash the Dress" shoot that I captured with Carla (of Fairshadow Photography). She was kind enough to be my first real test of this particular genre of images. It's something that I've been wanting to add to my wedding packages for some time but I need examples! Now, "Trash the Dress" does not necessarily indicate that you would have to actually in any way damage or risk your wedding dress, it simply refers to wedding photography taken outside of the normal confines of a wedding. This is something I really enjoy doing and would love to have more of in my portfolio!

Which brings me to my request: Are/were you married and still have the dress? Would you like to get beautiful images of yourself in a beautiful dress you probably paid top dollar for and only wore once? If so, please contact me! You don't have to jump in mud or anything of the sort with your dress (although things like that certainly make for more dramatic photos!), Alternative dresses (non-white) are welcome as well, so don't let that stop you! I'm just looking to capture photos of brides in a low-stress, fun setting that will show your personality, celebrate your marriage and create art pieces that you would be proud to hang in your home! You can send an email to drayke@photosynthetique.com or call 612-424-9760, I would love to hear from you and work with you to create gorgeous imagery! :D

PhotoSynthetique and Drayke Larson Weddings are GLBT friendly companies.

Twin Cities Pride 2011

2011-06-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

Photos taken at the Twin Cities Gay Pride 2011 event in Minneapolis, a yearly tradition for my family! The vast majority are from the Parade on Sunday, but there were a few taken at the festival grounds on Saturday, and you can see my aunt Lorin riding the fire truck at the end of the images!

Missing Inspiration

2011-06-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

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What if instead of seeing nothing but advertising and the heartbreaking signs of the homeless and downtrodden, every once in a while you saw signs along the road with no other purpose than to uplift your spirit? Would the world be a different place? Would it make a difference? This is something I plan on exploring for the rest of this year.

Thank you to Rin S. for the original idea!

Nazara and Javier - Selected Images

2011-06-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

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Nazara and her husband Javier are just absolutely fabulous. The camera loves the both of them. I barely even need to be there, or do any post-production, whatever the shutter captures is gold. You can see here that Nazara is extremely pregnant, yet still manages to make modeling look easy. Whether that baby is a boy or a girl, you know it is going to be simply beautiful.

Raych in Hell's Kitchen - Selected Images

2011-06-24T15:23:00.001-07:00

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Here are selected images from my fantastic shoot with the lovely Raych DeRusha in Hell's Kitchen - Downtown Minneapolis. This was a really fun shoot and I'm hoping that we'll be working again very soon!

Cody Webb - Preview

2011-06-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

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A few shots taken today with actor Cody Webb at the Huge Theater!

Having shakes at Burger Jones!

2011-06-16T18:35:00.001-07:00

Crystal and Murphy

2011-06-14T20:01:00.001-07:00

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I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon with these two lovely ladies on one of the very first nice days of 2011! It was seriously just a perfect day and both Crystal and Murphy were ready to take full advantage of it! I'm given to understand that Murphy has done very little modeling, but I think she was fantastic and helped me create some beautiful images!

I hope you enjoy the images too! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Day WayBehindOnThis/365 - Cricket

2011-06-11T15:54:00.001-07:00

I want to learn how to play, it looks like fun!

Parseltongue - Preview + Crew Thanks

2011-06-11T08:04:00.001-07:00

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I don't have the words for how in love I am with this set and I can't even begin to give it the time and attention it deserves tonight. Absolutely everything turned out far beyond what I had hoped for. This had almost absolutely nothing to do with me and my planning and everything to do with the amazing team I had for this shoot. So I'm going to do something I don't normally do and give individual props to my fantastic helpers (as well as some images that I hope don't embarrass any of them!)

First off is the amazing Carla Haglund who, in addition to modeling and providing the studio space for the shoot, also did all of the styling! The end result was completely brilliant. It constantly astounds me how many arts she shows incredible talent in.

Also on hand was her fantastic husband Brian, who acted as both an invaluable assistant on lighting and setup as well as taking a large number of photos that I'm sure we'll see Carla editing up for us all to see soon!

This shoot would not have even been possible without the assistance of our snake breeder/wrangler April Homich! This is the first time that I've worked with her, but you can count on the fact that this will not be the last time. She made everyone feel very comfortable and safe around animals that many people would ordinarily be very nervous about holding.

And last, but certainly not least, is my beautiful fianceé Michelle Kurnava who not only conceived the initial shoot concept but provided some brilliant direction to the models, assisted with snake handling and generally made everyone feel fabulous!

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to finish editing this set so that I can share the whole thing with the world! :D

Kaitlyn is such a rock star!

2011-06-11T02:03:00.001-07:00

And that's all I'm posting from last night's shoot until the preview drops this morning at 10am, because otherwise I'll just lose my mind editing and uploading from this *amazing* set.

Engagement Special

2011-06-09T08:16:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

As most of you know, I've recently become engaged to the love of my life, Michelle. She has truly been the partner that I have always dreamed of, and I honestly could not ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with. I've never been happier and I want to share that with the entire world!

Now, since obviously I can't share my relationship with everyone, this is where you all come in! I can't take my own engagement photos, so I want to take yours! (although, stay tuned for our engagement photos, they are going to be AMAZING. Big things in the works!) I want to share the love that you and your partner have for each other with your family, your friends, and hopefully everyone who reads my blog! To this end, I am offering my engagement photo session at a deep discount. I've had a lot of people ask recently, so I know there is interest, and I'm curious to see exactly how much there is!

What this includes: an engagement photo session with you and yours, at a location of your choosing, with me (Drayke Larson, professional photographer), up to six hours of editing to ensure that you're getting the most amazing images anywhere, two DVD copies of the high resolution edited images, and the license to ensure that you can make as many copies of the images as you like, make a bazillion prints, put them on Facebook and email them to your Auntie Em in Florida! The average session is between one and two hours, but I don't like to set limits. We shoot until both you (the happy couple) and I are satisfied that we caught the magic that exists only between the two of you!

You can see examples of my wedding photography here on draykelarsonweddings.com.

Ordinarily, my engagement sessions are booked as part of the wedding package, and are available for $300 as an add-on. For the first time, to celebrate my own joyous engagement, I am offering the engagement as its own bookable session for only $100.

I am also offering big discounts on any wedding packages booked this summer! You can see my standard prices on my website, but I have always viewed those more as guidelines than set rates. I hate to see anyone end up going the "student photographer I found on Craigslist" or "My Uncle Frank who has a nice camera, I think" route of wedding photography. I always tell everyone that I consult with about their wedding that although I would love to be your photographer, if you choose not to go with me, please shop around and go with a professional. This is one of the most momentous occasions of your life, and you do not want to leave the capturing of those amazing memories to an amateur. To this end, I am always willing to work with couples to find a package that will fit their budget. I have no hidden fees, everything is very upfront, taxes are included in package prices, and your complete satisfaction is my absolute #1 priority. I do what I do because I absolutely love it, and when someone is dissatisfied with my work, I take it personally and will do what I can to make it right. So please don't hesitate to call or email with questions or for further details, and I would love to meet you in person to discuss what my camera and I can do for you!

Call 612-424-9760 or email drayke@photosynthetique.com today!

For more information, please visit Drayke Larson Weddings

[[posterous-content:nkgyqtlyltJdIgiiEGop]]Photo of my and my fiancee's hands by Carla Haglund of Fairshadow Photography

Water Balloon Fight

2011-06-08T08:03:00.001-07:00

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So much fun!

An Afternoon in Hell's Kitchen - Preview

2011-06-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

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Starring the beautiful Raych DeRusha. One of the outfits provided by Blasphemina's Closet.

Crystal and Murphy - Preview

2011-06-05T17:35:00.001-07:00

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A few preview images of the photos I captured while hanging out with Crystal and Murphy yesterday at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.

Northern Spark Festival

2011-06-05T17:11:00.001-07:00

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The Northern Spark Festival, a takeoff of the International "Nuit Blanche" festival, is an all-night celebration of the arts across Minneapolis. It had some issues such as poor indications of where buses would be stopping, some events cancelled, very little helpful signage, and things were so spread out that many people who did not have the entire night to spend riding buses around the city ended up only seeing a small portion of the festival. I think if things were more centralized next year (I didn't really see anything that couldn't be hosted within a three block radius of the Stone Arch Bridge, for example), it could be something fun and interesting that many people would enjoy. I only took a few photos, myself, as we spent a vast majority of the night trying to get from one event to another.

Day 25/365 - Inara's New Dress

2011-05-31T07:56:00.001-07:00

Thanks to @danicatalyst for the super adorable new clothes! <3

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Ben and Shannon

2011-05-30T08:52:00.001-07:00

Photos taken of Ben and Shannon Culbert on their wedding day in Nordeast Minneapolis! :D

Engagement Night

2011-05-30T07:47:00.001-07:00

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I took a few pictures the night Michelle proposed to me, because of course I can't help myself. Sadly, because it was me shooting, I don't have any of the two of us! Thankfully, my lovely sister Carla (and awesome hubby Brian!) was on-hand to take photos of us! We did a small set of photos with her, which I'm sure she'll have up when she has the chance, but these are by no means our "engagement photos". We have some *really* big ideas for those that I can not wait to make happen!

Accept or Ignore?

2011-05-29T16:06:00.001-07:00

I accepted, of course. :D

OMG

2011-05-28T18:09:00.001-07:00

Yes, that is my hand. And OMG!

Blauer Family - Selected Images

2011-05-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

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Day 22/365 - Lonely Umbrella

2011-05-26T08:14:00.001-07:00

<3

2011-05-26T00:12:00.001-07:00

Lily and Chris - Small Preview

2011-05-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

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Here's a small sampling of the second wedding that I photographed this weekend, this time for the wonderful couple Lily and Chris! :D

Day 21/365 - Family Day takes us to the craft store!

2011-05-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

Ben and Shannon "BANNON" - Small Preview

2011-05-23T11:26:00.001-07:00

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So many more awesome photos coming from this incredibly fun night! Stay tuned.

The Now - Plummer House

2011-05-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

Day whatever I'm on/365 - Lego pile

2011-05-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

Holy moly, it's a Lego pile!

Day whatever I'm on - The Now

2011-05-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

You may now kiss the bride's moustache.

A Complete Guide to Adding Music to your Blog!

2011-05-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

I thought I would create a blog entry that helps everyone with this particular issue. Have you ever thought about adding autoplaying music to your blog/tumblr/Facebook/MySpace/Friendface/FaceSpace/JDate? Well, here is everything you need to know when considering doing so:

Step 1: Don't.

Step 2: See Step 1.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about having music on your blog!

It's Family Day for the Larsons!

2011-05-16T14:46:00.001-07:00

Day 16/365 - KMK Designs preview

2011-05-16T01:18:00.001-07:00

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Day 15/365 - Family

2011-05-14T15:59:00.001-07:00

Day 13/365 - Lost Finale

2011-05-10T00:23:00.001-07:00

Found on a board at a children's playground.

Amy K - Preview

2011-05-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

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Day 12/365 - Inara and Bella

2011-05-08T00:40:00.001-07:00

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Day 11

2011-05-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

Carla's Dress - Preview 2

2011-05-06T07:09:00.001-07:00

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I've been meaning to get back to this personal project for weeks but just haven't had the time. Here's a few more preview images, I hope to have the whole set up soon! :D

Day 10/365 - "Hanging Style"

2011-05-05T23:21:00.001-07:00

Part of artist Teresa's Audet's senior project at MCAD. She contracted me to shoot her project gallery and it was very impressive. I will probably post more in the near future. :D

-NSFW- "Wigged Out" - Preview

2011-05-05T00:14:00.001-07:00

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]

Another concept shoot. Getting down to editing the images WAY later than I intended, but they're a lot of fun so I hope they were worth the wait. More to come soon!

That first image is of Kyri and Rin, looking at the most recent image I had taken, which was of them looking at the previous image, which was of them looking at the image taken previous to that. So, some meta stuff going on there. Good times.

For fairly obvious reasons, this post will not be autoposted in the usual places and you must view the images on my photoblog. By viewing these images, you are agreeing that you are 18 years or age, or whatever age is appropriate in your community to view images of a sexual nature. Etcetera.

Day 9/365 - Raven in Acacia - Preview

2011-05-04T22:43:00.001-07:00

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I don't normally do the selective colour thing, but I just loved how this looked with Raven's glasses and couldn't pass up the opportunity. Raven and I had a fun little trek through Acacia Cemetary in Mendota Heights. Sadly, upon arriving, we realized that it was a Mason cemetary, so there are no upright headstones and only one statue. What was worse is that I took a wrong turn while leaving and realized that there was a super awesome old cemetary just across the highway! D'oh! I'll have to keep that in mind for next time.

Sugar High - Preview

2011-05-04T07:48:00.001-07:00

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Day 8/365 - In The Shower

2011-05-04T00:17:00.001-07:00

Today's 365 image is a couple of hours late, it's a preview of the "Sugar High" concept shoot with the beautiful Kay. Stay tuned for more!

Scoundrelle's Keep + KMK

2011-05-03T00:54:00.001-07:00

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Christina Peterson

Clothing by: Scoundrelle's Keep

Makeup by: Christina Peterson

Amanda Hecksel-Read

Clothing by: KMK Designs

Makeup by: Casey Sievert

Casey Sievert

Clothing by: KMK Designs

Makeup by: Casey Sievert

Day 7 (I think)/365 - Game time

2011-05-02T18:01:00.001-07:00

Chelsea B. - Preview

2011-04-30T23:55:00.001-07:00

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It's strange, I feel as though Chelsea and I have worked together so many times, but the reality is that we've never actually had a shoot together. She has assisted, or been an extra model, in so many projects. I'm glad we finally got the chance to do so though, I had a fantastic time and we're already planning more projects for this year!

Day 6/365 - Eatin' like a Squirrel

2011-04-30T21:28:00.001-07:00

Day 5/365 - Chelsea

2011-04-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

Missed day 4. Have an image for it, but no net anywhere but my phone. That will be rectified soon!

Day 3/365 - Excedrin Migraine

2011-04-27T00:02:00.001-07:00

Between car troubles and last minute homework tweaking, I needed several of these today. This was taken for a class project.

Day 2/365 - Auto Woes

2011-04-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

Sadly, my car's machine spirit has decided that I have not been kind enough to him, thus it is no longer starting. Having him towed home now so I can tinker before having to shell out for a mechanic.

Day 1/365 - Easter Tacos

2011-04-24T17:05:00.001-07:00

Im starting my 365 project over and going to stick to it this time!

Day 1/365 - Easter Tacos

2011-04-24T16:10:00.001-07:00

Starting my 365 project over. Gonna stick to it this time!

Preview of Today

2011-04-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

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Here's a couple of shots from my shoot today with Cristina Peterson, Casey Sievert, and Amanda Hecksel-Read. Just wanted to share as I was editing.

The Now

2011-04-20T15:53:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Brewster

2011-04-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

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Lindsay and I have been trying to get together for a shoot for well over a year, and I'm glad that we finally connected. She is an extremely talented belly dancer who never fails to deliver an amazing performance! She also tells me that she will hopefully be teaching some classes soon, so if you're interested in learning from one of the best you should look her up on Facebook! That can be found right here.

I've had a few people ask me in the last day, so yes I have extended my fashion week special to this week. If you book a portrait shoot with me this week, (it doesn't have to take place this week, but must be booked before the end of day Sunday) you can still take advantage of the $40 session that includes a CD of the edited, hi-rez images and an 8x10 print!

Alina Rae

2011-04-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

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Even I'm a little surprised that I finished this set within 24 hours, but there we go! I can't wait to work with Alina again, she's a beautiful model and is very fun to be around. Not to mention a whiz with makeup and costuming!

Spring hasn't even really sprung yet, and already my schedule is filling up! I'm excited to see what other amazing projects are coming my way. ::Drayke