This shoot was one of the happiest accidents from the end of 2020!  We had a senior sessions scheduled with a member of our Influencer Team, but the day before the session she informed us that she had tested positive for Covid and had to reschedule.  Obviously the safety of of our crew and clients comes first, so of course we rescheduled, but now we had an opening in our schedule.  We had some GORGEOUS dresses on hand, location picked out, permits, and even a babysitter.  We were not going to waste a chance to shoot.

Brandy and I looked at each other and said, let's see if we can find a dancer.  It's been a long time since we've been able to shoot a dancer who could go en pointe and had a dress we REALLY wanted to a photograph a ballerina in, so Brandy put out a post on our social media asking if anyone know of a teen ballet dancer who could go en pointe.  A friend of a friend reached out and tagged Emily and her mom.  We talked to them and found out Emily was an amazing dancer who is a part of Expressenz Dance Studio.  If you don't know, Expressenz is the TOP dance studio in central Indiana as far as we know.  Emily's mom was super excited to work with us so we booked it!

Luckily the day of the shoot it was actually fairly warm and only partly cloudy (which we actually prefer most times to give the sky some contrast).  We started out in some casual clothes and got some super cool shots.  Something about watching a ballerina do her thing in jeans is just so cool!  Then was the fun part!  We had this AMAZING designer Sheri Hill, high low, gown that we knew, as soon as we got it from Ivry Lane Formal in Brownsburg, that we HAD to have a ballerina in!  It actually had a LOT of fabric in it so it took a few arabesques before Emily knew how much power she needed to get the skirt of that dress all the way up and as soon as I clicked the shutter I KNEW that was gonna be the absolute shot of the night!

We love how much our clients completely transform as soon as they put on one of our designer dresses!  Emily was really getting into out now and it showed in each shot and each location we moved to.  We had another dress for her to change into for in front of the historic mansion at Cox Hall Gardens.  We were happy we also got to take some pictures in the homecoming dress she didn't get to wear because homecoming was cancelled.  And then ended the night in some of her dance wear.  

It actually got pretty cold after the sun set, but Emily was an absolute professional and didn't want to stop shooting!  We had an absolute blast and were so happy that Emily had a great time shooting and got some of our favorite images of the whole year!  What an AMAZING way to end 2020 for us!  

Enjoy the photos and leave a comment on your favorite!

(Brownsburg, IN, 5/23/2019) – Christopher Gronde, CPP of Gronde Photography has earned the Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) designation from Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Gronde earned this designation after completing an intensive program that measures his artistic and technical competence. Professional Photographers of America currently recognizes fewer than 2,500 CPPs Nationally (less than 3% of registered photographers, only 20 in Indiana, and he is now the only CPP in Brownsburg.

"Being certified means a lot to me.  Coming from an IT background, I always had to have several certifications proving my proficiency in my craft, just as doctors, lawyers, and mechanics do.  The CPP process was strenuous.  Passing a technical knowledge exam and having my professional work reviewed by a panel of long time veteran photographers was nerve racking, but knowing they feel our studios work is up to par with some of the best photographers in the country means that our clients can know we don't just take pictures, but that they can count on us to provide consistently stellar art work for their homes no matter the situation.  We our proud of our studio and want to show the public our qualifications to be the best photographers possible for our clients."

Professional Photographers of America (PPA.com/CPP) is the leading body for certifying imaging professionals. CPPs must complete a written examination, finish an image evaluation and adhere to a strict code of conduct. Certification must be renewed on a periodic basis, ensuring continued confidence in the professionalism of Certified Professional Photographers. For more information on certification, visit PPA.com/CPP. Go to GrondePhotography.com for booking information for Christopher Gronde, CPP. 

Life doesn't just happen in the areas where we live.  Everyone gets that bug in them every so often that tells them that they NEED to travel.  Trust me, it's even worse for a photographer.  I get super jealous of photographers that live in areas with crazy architecture, open oceans with pristine beaches, or amazing white capped mountain ranges.  I love Indianapolis, but there are definitely times I want a change of scenery.  With Alegiant Air now offering SUPER CHEAP flights from Indianapolis to Las Vegas, it was the prefect chance to go do some sessions out in the City That Never Sleeps!

Speaking of never sleeping, Maddie, Tony, and I went out to take on the Vegas Strip pretty late at night actually.  I met Maddie and Tony out there in Vegas and they couldn't wait to go out and take some photos.  We were going from spot to spot down the strip and I was trying to travel fairly lightly.  I had only a single light stand and my shoulder bag because every bit of the strip is private property owned by the casinos and resorts, but as long as you aren't impeding traffic you are pretty free to do what you want, so I wanted to make sure we could get a few shots and then move along quickly.

What I did NOT expect at all was that as we were making our way down the Las Vegas strip and stopping to pose and take some shots, passersby were noticing the flashes going off and me taking photos.  At one point some other random person started taking photos next to me.  I have no idea who they were but we needed the shot so I just kept shooting.  While I was checking the shot on the back of my camera a person, who had obviously had a few drinks before this point, leaned over and whispered to me, "ummmm, who are they?"  Without missing a beat I replied, "You don't know Tony and Maddie?!"  Just after I took one more shot and then packed up to move out I heard him say to the woman with him. "I told you that was Tony and Maddie...you know from that thing" 

We had a blast and I had managed to turn Tony and Maddie into Celebrities, at least for one night.  The only thing that could have made it better was if people had started asking for autographs!  Never a dull moment on one of our shoots!

Tell us in the comments, If you could do a photoshoot anywhere in the country (or the world) where would you want to go? 

You too can have images that make you feel like a celebrity, tell the story of your relationship, and give you timeless artwork for your walls. 

We LOVE styled shoots!  We love the ability to just be as creative as we possibly can be.  We had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with the fantastic Denver Wedding Photography Jewels Gray while we were in St. Louis!  Magical things happen when you get more than one wedding photographer together!  It's always great to look back at history and think about famous or legendary couples of the past.  During the Great Depression one of the couples in American history was Bonnie and Clyde.  Jewels became pretty obsessed with the legend and love story of Bonnie and Clyde and imagined "what if they got married?"  What would it look like? 

Fun Fact: Many people are unaware that Bonnie and Clyde were never actually married.  Bonnie actually married at 16 to a boy named Roy Thornton.  She eventually left him before going on her crime spree with Clyde but never actually divorced Thornton.

With us being from Washington, DC, at the time, and Jewels being from Denver we obviously couldn't fly with an entire table setting, so Jewels found the lovely ladies from An Affair to Remember to help us with a place setting. 

So take a look through the past and get lost in the 1930's made possible by the wonderful history at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel and imagine the marriage of Bonnie and Clyde!

What famous couple in history would YOU like to be a guest at their wedding?  Or even emulate in your own wedding?  Leave us a comment!  Maybe that will be our next styled shoot!

Venue:  Union Station Hotel  |  Models:  Joshua Brett Adams & Monica Grewell  |  Hair & Makeup:  Jewels Gray  |  Dress, hairpiece, & bracelet:  d’Anelli Bridal  |  Other jewelry:  Jewels Gray & Chris’s own rings |  Formalwear:  Jos A. Bank, Cherry Creek  |  Invitations, printed:  Jewels Gray  |  Flowers, rentals, &table scape design:  An Affair to Remember |  Prop Guns:  30 Black, LLC. 

If you've been paying close attention to our website and social media pages, you may have seen information starting to change.  It's time to finally and officially announce that we are moving to Indianapolis!  The very first thing we'd like to say is how thankful we are to have had the absolute most AMAZING Washington, DC clients that any photographer could ever ask for!  You all have been so gracious and kind to us in our time here in DC and we wouldn't be close to where we have come in the past six years without you.

With that being said, we've had our struggles here with finding our place in the absolute sea of photographers in the DC area and we have hit a plateau with our business.  Sometimes when you need to take your career, your business, your relationship, your life to that next level, you have to do something drastic!  And by that I mean, Brandy is going to dye her hair pink!  Because when life gets tough it's time to do some crazy stuff to your hair!  J/k :D  (but seriously how amazing would Brandy look with Pink hair?!... comment below)  In all seriousness, it was time to move and Brandy and I looked at several options: Texas, South Carolina, Missouri, but it ended up coming down to moving back to my hometown of Indianapolis!

The cost of doing business in DC is high and with 2 kids, having a babysitter for 8-12 hours for a wedding is a large part of our expenses which means we had to charge more to cover that.  Here in Indy we have family nearby (yay Grandma!), which means we can do long weddings without hundreds of dollars going to childcare.  We might even be able to do destination weddings now!  We can do shoots, meet with clients, and plan styled shoots during the week now, which previously we only did on weekends.  The population of photographers out here is not nearly as dense as it is in the DC area where we basically compete with three states (DC, MD, and VA) worth of photographers all competing against each other.  There are a few really good heavy hitter photographers here in Indy already which we hope to meet with, network with, and hopefully become friends with in the coming months!  We have huge plans for this fall and winter and hopefully can fill our 2017 calendar before Jan 1!  We still only want to do 12-15 weddings a
year just so we can continue to give the well-deserved attention to each and every one of our brides need!  What does this mean for all our faithful clients in DC?  Fear not!  There's still plenty of business for us to do in DC, so if you're a fan and you're in DC and you still want to have photos done please don't hesitate to still contact us and let us know!  As long as we have some time in advance to plan we can still make it out to DC for photos!  Again, we can't thank all you enough and hope you'll stick around our social media pages to see what Indy has in store for us and the amazing things WE have in store for Indy!

To Celebrate our new life here in Indy we are giving $500 off all wedding packages for 2017 Brides!  How exciting is that?!?  If you know someone in Indy please share this post with them!  We'd to start meeting new people and building some great relationships with new clients!

Go Colts!