StaJa Blog

an event worth getting excited for!

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:58:06 -0600

The countdown to WPPI 2010 has officially begun. Stacey and I, along with a whole host of other Minneapolis wedding photographers, not to mention those from other parts of the country and world will soon be descending upon Las Vegas to partake in learning, friendship, and a wee bit of partying. WPPI has become the biggest annual event for wedding and portrait photographers. This year is a bit extra special for us, as I had a front row seat in the making of one of the major platform events during the convention. Mike Colon and Jim Davis Hicks are presenting on Tuesday night in a platform titled The Marriage of Profit and Purpose. They will be going over the Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot to Tanzania (to see some of my images, click HERE), and the impact it had emotionally. In addition to how creating cause driven partnerships has been mutually beneficial. Since, I recently gave a speech for the Association of Bridal Consultants, I was able to lend a hand with some of the information gathering. I strongly encourage anyone at WPPI to come see this event. It will certainly be memorable and informative. For a trailer of what to expect, watch below!

Thirst Relief Promo Video for WPPI from ben harrison on Vimeo.

As a side project, all of us on the trip gave up some of our time to offer some advice on what we have earned from our time as photographers. Some of it is business oriented and some of it is photography oriented. I am so excited to see the whole thing because I know the quality of the people that were involved. My guess is that there will be something for everyone to get out of this video. I have also included a trailer for that below.

Thirst Relief & Grace Ormonde Tanzania Benefit Shoot Instructional DVD from ben harrison on Vimeo.

For any photographers there, if you see either Stacey or I on the trade-show floor or at an event, please make sure to stop us and say hello. We hope to see you there!

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staja studios featured on grey likes weddings!

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:34:27 -0600

Wow, what a fun way to start off this week. We got notified from the fabulous Summer, from Grey Likes Weddings, that Laura and Brett's engagement session is featured on her blog. This blog is a great resource for wedding trends, inspiration, and all things "grey likes"! Considering she is on the west coast, we were very honored as Minneapolis wedding photographers to be featured! Be sure to go check out a few of the highlights she posted here!

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Modern Elegance - The New stajastudios.com

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:58:19 -0600

Stacey and I are so excited to announce our new website! As time has moved on and we got our new blog designed, our old site just wasn't fitting the feel of Staja Studios anymore. We needed something really clean with big images to match what our visitors are used to seeing here. With that said, we would like to reveal our take on modern elegance and present the new stajastudios.com! We hope you like it and would be thrilled if you passed this on to anyone you think might enjoy it.

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Please Help Me Save A Life!

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:47:41 -0600

Get mentored by Jason

in the 2010 ThirstRelief Mentor Auction!

Click the images to open them in new windows.

Grow as a photographer while saving lives!

I'm participating in the 2010 ThirstRelief Mentor Auction. Our mission is to save lives by tapping into the incredible talent and generosity of the photo industry.

Did you know that every 15 seconds someone dies of a waterborne illness? That's 5,760 people every day! You can help. Bid on a mentoring session with your favorite photographer!

100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief. Add to that the incredible wisdom and talent that is being shared in the one-on-one mentor sessions and you have better and more successful photographers! It's truly a win win for everyone involved!

About me and my mentor auction

'm Jason Thon, also known as the Ja in Staja Studios. Together with my wife, Stacey, we have built a wedding photography studio in Minneapolis, MN. Our focus is on providing a high quality experience for our clients. In addition, I have recently been inspired to begin helping educate and motivate others within the photography community and wedding industry. To date, the most memorable moment of my career was being invited to participate in the Grace Ormonde Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot in Tanzania, Africa. Although I don't have any new workshop, action set, or DVD to offer with this mentor session, what I do have is my experience and the valuable information I have learned and been taught along the way. I don't have any pre-determined agenda, but am available to talk about photography itself: technical skills, finding photography influences, and developing a style. More importantly I am open to the photography business: my thoughts on marketing, the "branding" process and working to develop an identity, and particularly the quirks and advantages/potential pitfalls of working with a business partner and/or spouse. I will be available at WPPI, in Minneapolis, or via telephone to hold this mentor session. I look forward to meeting and helping make your time as valuable as possible.

My mentor session can take place at WPPI 2010 (Las Vegas), in my hometown of Minneapolis, MN, USA OR on the phone.

For more information, please visit thirstrelief.shootq.com!

To bid on me, please go HERE!

I wanted to post this today and encourage everyone to please help spread the word about the Thirst Relief Mentor Auction. This is my first year as a mentor and I am really excited and honored to be among the list of amazing photographers who are donating their time. This is Thirst Relief's biggest fundraiser of the year and such an inspiring event. 90 different people have donated their time and are serving as mentors this year. They each deserve a big round of applause for their selfless contributions. As some of you may know, I was invited to go over to Tanzania and be part of a benefit shoot for Thirst Relief. Through this trip, I got to see first hand what this money is going towards. I can honestly say, that your help is needed. The drinking water is a serious problem in underdeveloped parts of the world and Thirst Relief is doing it's part to help alleviate the situation.

I would be so honored if you would consider bidding on me as a mentor for this auction. I will do what ever I can to provide as much knowledge as possible and try to help your business. It is primarily for photographers but should another wedding professional be interested, I am all yours. Thank you for the consideration, and your bid is deeply appreciated!

The auction is only live Feb 16th and 17th, so please bid early and bid often! To bid on me, please go HERE!

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Happy Valentines Day From The Staja Studios Family

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:03:28 -0600

Stacey and I (and the wee ones) wanted to take a moment out of our day and wish you all a Happy Valentines Day. As you can see, we spent some time on the slopes sledding as a family. It's too bad we didn't have the camera out for Lauren catching some serious air, but she is proud to report that she has now graduated to the "big hill". We hope you were able to spend the day with your special loved one/ones!

I forgot how tough it was going up, while Stacey forgot how tough it can be going down

We are going to have to watch Ian, he likes SPEED

"The Graduate"

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Happy Birthday Stay-Bird!

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:36:34 -0600

Hey everyone, please join me in wishing my lovely wife and uber-mom a Happy Birthday! If you want to know what b-day she is celebrating, you will have to ask her. I have learned a few things as a husband, and this is one of them :). For those of you who know Stacey, you already know what makes her great, but for those of you who don't, here is what makes her who she is.

To start with, Stacey is fiercely loyal to those who she likes, loves, and trusts! She will do whatever she can for those who fall into this category. Family means everything to her. She loves family more than anything, and this is what makes her such a great mother. She would do anything for our kids and literally aches inside when they do. She can be firm, yet has that mothers touch and soothing aura that the kids love. It is truly a blessing being able to watch her with the kids on a daily basis.

What do I love about her? She really is the yin to my yang. My head is typically in the clouds and dreaming about "the next idea" and she helps keep keeps my feet on the ground, yet still lets me float around. She can finish my sentences, and knows my quirks. Above all though, she has sacrificed her personal gain for that of our family. She lets me run sometimes even if it means she has had to walk! What more can someone ask for in their spouse?

I love you bird, and hope you have a great birthday!

P.S. Here are a couple of images our wonderful assistant, Chelsea, took this past summer!

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Staja Studios Featured on MN Bride

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:20:27 -0600

It always helps to have a little something nice to cushion the blow of snow when just a few hours earlier your toes were snuggled into the sand of the Atlantic Ocean. Considering we had just left the sun and sand of Florida our spirits after a difficult plane ride were beginning to match the MN weather; however, we received a quick boost the next morning by receiving an e-mail that one of our images was featured along with a quote for a story on MN Bride''s website. A fellow friend and photographer Katie Raivala had set up a shoot a while back and asked if we would join. One of her friends wanted to conduct a "trash the dress" session and write a story about it. Katie was curious if we had any ideas and wanted to participate. I always love the opportunity to get creative so I was definitely on board. Plus I think you can learn a lot by shooting with others. Sometimes it is a new approach or looking at things a new way. It had been a while since the shoot so I thought nothing had come of it, but imagine our surprise when I found out it was published online and they chose one of my images to feature. You can read the story on MN Bride's site and view some of the additional images I took here.

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The Florida Tour!

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:21:52 -0600

So I figured it was about time that I try to post a few images while we are on our family vacation in Florida. It all started a few months back when Stacey's sister was wanting us to go with her on a Disney Cruise. She had just been through a very difficult year and wanted as much of her family to join her as possible. After some very strong persuasion and an "offer we couldn't refuse", we decided to join her family. Since we were going to be in Florida, we made plans to also spend some time with Stacey's parents in Naples and check in on some photographers we know in Miami.

So far we have been blessed by wonderful weather and a great time. We got to meet up with four of the people I went to Tanzania, Africa with and met some new friends. My friends Ray Santana and Kenny Kim were holding the portfolio plus workshop at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, and while doing so, Laura Parker, Phillip Glickman, and David Burke were all coming in to attend or help. We all share a unique bond by going to Tanzania on the behalf of Thirst Relief. The next day we had plans to meet up with another photographer I met a few years ago at WPPI by the name of Carlos Baez. When I told him we were going to be in town, he and his lovely wife invited us over for lunch. They have the two cutest boys and were such gracious hosts. We had Cuban sandwiches (which I have grown to love) followed by the best Cuban coffee, and a wonderful conversation. Carlos has been working in photography for over 20 years and has so much great information to share.

We have one day left at Stacey's parents and then are on our way to the boat! If all goes according to schedule I heard there will be a shuttle launch the morning we get back to dock. If so, we should be able to watch it from the boat. How cool is that! We have been having a great time and will try to bring some of the Florida sun back with us! Here are just a few odd and end pictures that we grabbed so far while on vacation.

Visiting the Polynesian at Disney World where Stacey's sister and her family are staying

Lauren waiting for Tinker Bell to open up the fireworks (which she did if you look at the far right :)

Disney from across the bay at night

South Beach

The "house" that Versace built

This guy would sing on the side of Collins Avenue both days we were there

Starting Lauren off on the right foot!

At Naples chilling out with Stacey's parents

P.S. If anyone has tried calling me, my phone went out of commission and we haven't been able to get it fixed. Please either try Stacey or e-mail us!

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Bad Bloggers Explained.

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:16:24 -0600

Ok, I'll just come out and say it, we have been bad bloggers lately! With that said, I'll do my best to explain why. I flew out of town unexpectedly on January 10th for a week and Stacey had single mom duty with Lauren and Ian, "the tiny tornado", while I was gone. We got a call that my dad was in the hospital in Lake Havasu, AZ with some heart issues. I am happy to report that he didn't have a heart attack, but his heart wasn't "in rhythm". The top of his heart was beating at a different rate than the bottom. The good news is that they got it back into rhythm and I was able to take him back to his place. The Doctors are keeping close tabs on him, but he is out! In addition, I am very proud of him for taking on some changes he needs to make head first. He told me that he lost 14lbs since leaving the hospital on the 13th.

To make things a little more exciting, I flew home on the 17th, gave a speech for the local ABC chapter (Association of Bridal Consultants) on the 19th, and we left for a family vacation the morning of the 20th. Needless to say it has been a bit chaotic at the Thon house! Despite all the chaos, it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I got to spend a week with my Dad (and a lot of different Dr's and nurses :), which was nice. Plus, I had the chance to catch up with some old and new friends. Roger and I were in each others wedding and have been friends since 4th grade. He was kind enough to offer me a place to crash before I flew home from Phoenix, where I ended up spending the evening with his family. To top things off, I was able to have lunch with Melissa Jill, a great photographer and friend from the Tanzania trip. It was so good to spend a little time with them both!

In closing I am going to leave you with an image of a sunset taken in front of where my Dad is staying this winter. It was the best one of the week and I was so happy to be able grab a quick shot. Check back later for my thoughts on the ABC speech and hopefully we can post some pictures while on vacation!

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Staja Studios to speak for the Association of Bridal Consultants

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:07:23 -0600

Wow, I am honored to be the feature speaker on Tuesday, January 19th for the Minneapolis Association of Bridal Consultants. If anyone in the wedding industry is interested in coming, here is a link to the Evite.

I have posted the Title and small outline of the presentation below:

"Is cause related marketing currently a part of your business, and if not, should it be?"

Jason Thon of Staja Studios will be discussing the background, fundamentals, and direction of cause related marketing, and how it can play a role in your life and business. Included in his presentation, he will give an example of a current campaign he has been involved with that has resulted in a National Publication and platform at a major industry event.

I hope to see you there!

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Staja Studios published in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style!

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:56:31 -0600

Wow, what a fun way to start off the first Tanzania Thursday of the new year! For this edition, I have some exciting news to share. One of my favorite images from the trip was chosen for the article on the Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot.

For those of you who haven't heard of Wedding Style magazine, within the industry it is considered one of the best magazines out there. Grace Ormonde has staked her name on the visual appearance of this magazine. If you were to look through it, everything is done very classy and pleasing to the eye. The first time I came across the magazine, it instantly became a must read because I was so impressed with the layout, the images, and the style that Grace features. I remember showing Stacey it for the first time and we both said "We want to be in there, how cool would that be". Mark one off the bucket list I guess :). In all actuality, I just feel honored to have my name next to any of the other people who went on the trip.

I encourage anyone who hasn't read Grace's magazine to take a look. I think you would agree that her magazine is top notch! Without further delay, here is the article. My image is of the boy getting a piggy back ride on page 104. We are hoping this is just the first of many future appearances. Thanks Grace!

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Things We Like - COCO Chanel Commercial

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:40:15 -0600

Recently I have been noticing the incredible job (and money) that Chanel puts into it's commercials. I recently saw the commercial for the COCO CHANEL perfume and had to rewind it just for how inspiring it was visually. There was tremendous use of color and light to balance the dark tones, fantastic use of reflections, and some great composition throughout.

One thing that I have noticed more and more is that the longer Stacey and I have been doing photography, the more we see things in a new light and are inspired by things we come across everyday. With all of that said, if you haven't seen it already, here is the commercial.

P.S. For some cool information about Chanel is dubbing an "advertising film", you can go to CHANEL COCO MADEMOISELLE.

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2010 The Dawn Of A New Year

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:12:15 -0600

So Stacey and I will try to put a wrap on 2009 in the next week or two with our thoughts on the year that was. However, in the spirit of looking forward, I wanted to share this image with you. I love what this picture represents to me and our business. The ship feels like life and how it continues to move forward. Continuing with this theme there are shafts of light and a couple of darker streaks. I find it very symbolic and has a calming effect.

In closing, Stacey and I hope that the sun may shine upon you and your loved ones this new year!

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The Nutcracker | Tchaikovsky's Holiday Classic

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:46:13 -0600

Stacey and I have been given the wonderful opportunity to capture "The Nutcracker" as performed by the Wausau Dance Theatre a number of years now. Between photographing it and taking Lauren twice, we have probably seen the live production about 7 - 10 times. Yet, I still look forward to coming back every year. I am continually amazed at the grace and elegance that the dancers have. It always renews an appreciation of a different art-form, and stretches our abilities as photographers. What made this year extra exciting was that it was the 40th Anniversary production by the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet. Needless to say they pulled out all the stops for this special occasion by bringing in international guest dancers Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky.

At this point you may be asking how two Minneapolis wedding photographers end up shooting a ballet in central Wisconsin. Stacey is originally from Wausau and we had shot a wedding there a few years back for Alicia and Mark. Mark runs the lighting for the Grand Theater in Wausau and has worked on the production of the ballet before. Long story short, they saw his wedding pictures and were looking for a similar style of coverage for their next production. We jumped in not knowing what we were getting into, but couldn't have been happier that we did. Since then, we have covered a number of their ballets and have had the privilege of getting to know Madame Karkar (the founder of CWSB), along with her daughter and son who head up WDT. They always treat us so well, and while doing so, Lauren has developed a little crush on Patrik.

Now that you know the back story, why don't we get on to the good part, PICTURES! We have posted a few of our favorites below, and have also put together a SLIDESHOW with some of the highlights of this year's ballet! We would like to thank Annaluna and the rest of Wasuau Dance Theatre for having us capture this special 40th Anniversary production!

P.S. If you want to take a look at some of last year's highlights, you can find them HERE!

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Merry Christmas From Staja Studios

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:27:19 -0600

As I sit here looking out at the snow, the Christmas tree, and take in the smell of the holidays, it makes me pause to think about friends, family, and loved ones both near and far. It makes me think about the fun dinner we just enjoyed with Stacey's family. It makes me think about the joy in our kid's eyes as they wake up in the morning. It brings a smile to my face, and makes me want to do more in life. The one thing I love about this time of year is creating traditions and memories. Some of my favorite Christmas memories growing up were the simplest, but they almost always centered around traditions. I am thankful for so much that sometimes I have to step back and take it all in.

We hope that this Holiday Season has brought happiness and good memories to you all! With that in mind, we at Staja Studios would like to wish all of you, particularly our family, friends, and clients a very Merry Christmas! We are truly blessed for the part all of you have played in our lives!

In closing, here are a few images of some good times we shared this Christmas season!

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