Sweet Pea Events

By Kelly Simants

Amy Karp is one of those people who genuinely lights up a room…with her bright smile and positive energy, her joie de vivre is contagious! One thing I love most about Amy is her willingness to help others. She is constantly volunteering to lend a hand, especially with her incredible photography skills. A few weeks ago on Twitter, I announced plans to host an informal networking group I kicked-off here in Dallas called “Thursday Therapy”. It’s a place for all Wedding Pros to get together for happy hour to talk shop, meet new vendors, and come together as a wedding community and collaborate. Amy immediately offered to bring her camera and capture some images for our group so we could blog about it and spread the word so other vendors can find out about it. This month we met at the new Nylo Hotel in Las Colinas and it was so much fun! Lauren Fouke is their wonderful Catering Manager who hosted the space for us. If you’re looking for a hip and swanky venue, definitely check out Nylo! Following are Amy’s images she graciously took for us (be sure to scroll down after the Thursday Therapy images to read more about Amy and see a few of her favorite pics)!

Top left: Stacy Reeves of Stacy Reeves Photography and Jason Gulledge/Top Right: Catie Ronquillo of Catie Ronquillo Photography and Deanie Yuska of Deanie Michele Events/Middle: Deanie Tuska, Kelly Simants of Sweet Pea Events and Celina Gomez of Captivating Simplicity/Bottom Row: Stacy Reeves, Kelly Simants, and Lottie of Couture Events by Lottie (Stacy just gave Lottie one of her ridiculously cute and clever handkerchief business cards and Amy captured Lottie’s reaction perfectly!) :)

Top Row: Natalia Zamarippa of Natalia Z Photography and Sheila Hannus of Sheila Hannus Photography Bottom Row: Jason Gulledge and Jared Rey of Jared Rey Photography

The section of the Nylo’s lounge we were in was called “The Library” – highly recommend it for a fun group setting! They had tons of games including classics like Connect 4, Rubik’s Cube, and even a sweet pool table.

Ryan Li Jeff Langhammer of DFW Wedding Videographer and Celina Gomez

The yummy cheese station that Nylo so generously provided for us…yuuumm!

Looking forward to seeing you all next month! Date and place TBD but will send out the invite soon! Please let me know if you’re a DFW Wedding Pro and would like to be added to the distribution list for future Thursday Therapy get togethers!

Now, let’s turn back to Amy and learn a little bit more about her from a few questions I asked her…

1. How did you get started in the Photography business, and specifically with weddings?

I have been shooting for the past 12 years (eek!), but leading up to my own wedding in 2007 I started specializing in weddings. I often tell other photographers I shoot weddings and they applaud because they know how different it is from standard portraits or other forms for photography.

2. What is your typical day like as a Wedding Photographer on the day of the wedding, and also on a non-wedding day?

My wedding day rituals start way before the actual wedding day. On a typical wedding weekend it is all about checklists! They are crucial for me in order to make sure things run smoothly…batteries charged, cards formatted, bags packed with all the gear, copies of contracts, and venue locations just name a few things on my checklists. After shooting a few weddings in the beginning, I started to work my system and I still find things to tweak after each wedding.

Non-wedding days are filled with balancing being a Stay-at-Home Mom, Wife, and Photographer. I love being social so any chance I have to network with other people in the industry, I am all over it!

3. What would you say makes your style or personality unique from other Photographers?

I have a very wacky personality. I tend to bring that out in my clients. I can also bring the heat when saucy shots are needed. I love it when brides come to me and say they saw my images and saw something REAL in them. Being real is who I am. I am ME from the moment a bride meets me until I deliver her images.

4. Favorite tips or advice for the bride and grooms to be?

Choose your photographer wisely. Choose someone that best represents your style and desired images.

Have someone at your wedding to help you plan and keep things running smoothly (day-of planning is AVAILABLE!). When you don’t have someone to help with that, we have to do it. Let us focus on what we do best; getting you FABULOUS IMAGES!

Book your photographer well in advance. I am about to shoot a wedding for a bride that booked me a year and a half ago! There are only so many Saturdays in a year and they fill up quickly.

6. When you aren’t working, what are some of your favorite things to do?

I love spending time with my guys; Sammy, my 18month old and my husband, Jon. I have a busy workload, so when things slow down for a minute to take life in, I enjoy being with them. Jon will also tell you I have a love affair with my iPhone. It’s my portal to social networking!

7. What are some of your favorite venues in the DFW area, and why?

Favorite, favorite, favorite is the Dallas Museum of Art! I shot a wedding there and fell in love. I have been a member there for several years, but this year was the first time I was able to work a wedding there.

I love Party Off the Grid. It is a historic Dallas Power and Light Substation. It used to power the city streetlights. I was able to shoot there for the first time a few weeks ago and it is currently my favorite! It has rooftop access and overlooks the Dallas skyline. The different levels (3) allow you to get really creative with angles.

The McKinney Cotton Mill is also a fun favorite. I just love all the natural light streaming through the old rustic windows. They restored the building but left several wonderful details as they were.

Do you see a trend here? I love history!!

Thanks so much, Amy! Loved learning more about you! Now here are some of Amy’s favorites from her portfolio.