Rising Stars Combine Forces, Dream Shoot Rentals Expands Reach and More

Logan Cole and Tyler Branch. Photo © Kate Hueftle

Stars Rise Together
Two former Rf Rising Stars of Wedding Photography are putting the final touches on a new powerhouse agency: Branch & Cole Wedding House. Tyler Branch and Logan Cole (Rising Stars in 2014 and 2013, respectively), who first met at WPPI a few years ago, have teamed up with a group of ten planners, designers, photographers and videographers who all possess similar styles and tastes to work together under one roof.

“The idea of working with vendors that all have the same taste and esthetic is a dream,” say Branch and Cole. “We know how hard it can be working with vendors who clash with your taste and overall vision, and we also feel like the client feels this way as well, so we wanted to create a place where the client can find a house that best represents what they’re wanting from all their vendors, rather than having to search around for a ton of different voices and styles. That being said, clients can just book one of our artists without booking the whole team as well.”

Top photos © Tyler Branch Photo | Bottom photos © Logan Cole Photography

All future wedding requests made to Branch or Cole will now be funneled into this joint venture, though they will be keeping their respective businesses for their portrait and lifestyle work. They plan to be completely launched, website and all, by the end of this month.

Photo © Lindsay Adler

Dream Shoot Rentals Expands Reach
Many photographers’ wishes were granted when Dream Shoot Rentals—launched by fashion photographer Lindsay Adler—went live last year. The service that rents out couture dresses and gowns, classy and quirky headpieces, collars and other accessories for photo shoots, is testing to make items available to Canadian-based shooters (provided there are no issues with customs or shipping times). The expansion is a move to give more photographers the ability to incorporate pieces into their shoots that might otherwise be unaffordable or impossible to obtain. All rentals, ranging from $15 to $200 (depending on the item), last four days.

Julius Motal. Photo © Alex Wroblewski

The Phoblographer Diversifies
A new platform for discussion has joined The Phoblographer: a podcast called ISO 400. So far, it’s featured sit-down conversations with studio shooter David Brommer and South African filmmaker, photographer and avid Instagrammer Gareth Pon, among others. ISO 400 expands the blog to talks about “the art, craft and story of each photographer,” according to Julius Motal (pictured), the podcast’s host. “I’m approaching this as a young photographer eager to learn from those who have been in the field across genres far longer than I have,” he says. “For the rest of us, it sheds light on the context and subtext of their work, and it’s always great to hear stories.” Motal adds that he hopes ISO 400’s weekly episodes operate as “springboards for conversation.”

The promotional materials company MOO adds the squircle (or rounded edge square cards) to its  business card line, shown here.

Rounding Off with the “Squircle”
No two business cards are quite alike, and with MOO’s latest line of square cards, this couldn’t be truer. The online printing company (of custom business cards, flyers, stationery, and other promotional materials) has added to its collection of business cards a new shape: rounded-corner square cards, or squircles. Made with heavy paper stock in both matte and gloss options, these cards are especially convenient for photographers wanting to feature Instagram shots. 

MOO still offers its regular square cards, which are just as Instagram-friendly, albeit a little sharper on the edges. The cards come in Card size (2.56 x 2.56 inches) and Artwork size (2.71 x 2.71 inches).

Prices: Vary by quantity ($27.99 for 50; $55.99 for 100; $94.99 for 200; $161.99 for 400)

Getting a Little More Exposure
Landing somewhere between Squarespace and Instagram is Exposure, a platform to organize, categorize and share photos as “narratives.” Created by the San Francisco-based startup Elepath, Exposure’s design is clean and simple, and the drag-and-drop tools for photographers to upload their stories into categories like Wedding, Personal, Lifestyle, Adventure and Lookbook make it one of the more straightforward sharing platforms out there. Free members get three Exposure posts pro bono; check online for more on the paid features (and enter the discount code “rangefinder” for 30 percent off a subscription).

Prices: free; plus account, $5/month or $49/year; pro account, $9/month or $99/year

Photo © Nathan Peel Photography

Granting Wedding Wishes
Since its launch in 2010, the nationwide nonprofit Wish Upon a Wedding has been helping couples facing terminal illnesses or other serious, life-changing events by granting them with the weddings or vow renewals they can’t otherwise afford. Participating photographers, planners, caterers, florists, makeup artists and others come together to help out couples like Jeremy and Jenifer (above), who met shortly after Jenifer had medical complications with a kidney transplant. She eventually lost her job because of her illness and had spent her wedding funds on medical bills. The Indianapolis chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding however, gave the couple their big day earlier this spring. Founded by wedding planner Liz Guthrie, Wish Upon a Wedding is currently accepting volunteers (who can also choose how often they’d like to help). 

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