Confessions of a sports photographer
I can't say I "jumped
for joy" when Elizabeth and I decided to focus our photography business
on weddings. As a long-time freelance sports photographer my male
prejudice was that weddings would not be as challenging or fun to shoot
as a ball going into or through a net or flying over a wall.
Well,
I was wrong. While they require a different approach, weddings have
plenty of action and can be very challenging given the venues, tricky
lighting situations and various activities involved. I am still
required to get certain moments, like the kiss, that only happen once. 
The
photo in this entry is one of my favorites from a recent wedding and
reflects one of those once and only once moments, sort of like the
winning goal!
Kristen and Shane
I had the privilege of photographing Kristen and Shane Friday night at the Rose Garden in Raleigh. I did their wedding in November, just a few days before Shane was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. I remember marveling at what a happy wedding it was, considering that the groom would be departing for a war zone in a few short days. Yet another example of the awe-inspiring dedication of our service men and women and their families. We owe them all our thanks and respect.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when Kristen contacted me to tell me that Shane was on his way home for an extended leave and asked if I would do some pictures of them. There hadn't been time to do an engagement shoot before the wedding, so we decided to use this opportunity to take some post-wedding "engagement" shots! Even after fighting the Friday-afternoon I-40 traffic on the drive in and having to work around a late-afternoon thunderstorm, they were still good-natured and ready for me to order them around (kiss her, soldier!) as we sped around the Rose Garden ahead of the fading light. Kristen and Shane, it was fun and I wish you all the best, now and always.
Amber and Nathan
I have had the great good fortune of assisting several awesome North Carolina photographers at weddings recently. We call it "second shooting" in the wedding photography business. I just call it "fun" because that's what it is...no stress, just photographing what I want to and generally having a ball with the couples getting married and their families. Just last week I helped out my good friend Rick Ward (www.rickwardphotography.com ) at Amber and Nathan's wedding. I enjoy working with Rick because he basically gives me "just the facts" then turns me loose to shoot whatever I want to. I love being with the bride and her bridesmaids as they're dressing for the wedding. It's like girlhood on steroids in those dressing rooms -- hair's fixed, make-up applied, shoes exclaimed over, jewelry admired, flowers everywhere -- and always that great moment when the bride puts on her gown. Amber looked absolutely breath-taking in her wedding gown. Brides look so much more elegant these days -- no huge pouffy sleeves or enormous, butt-spanning bows (like I wore). I love the beauty and drama of the gown and the entire day and feel so privileged to be a part of it all. I should mention that these beautiful stained-glass windows can be found throughout their wedding site, the Long View Center in downtown Raleigh, NC (www.longviewcenter.com). If you're looking for a wedding venue in Raleigh, this is a great place to check out.
Sweet Caroline
By virtue of marrying a man older than me who's the youngest of three siblings, I'm actually a great-aunt. And yes, it makes me feel old. But I'm not. Really. Almost halfway through 2007, our family has been blessed with two new additions and are looking forward to a third when my neice and her husband have their first child in November. Here's a shot of Caroline, who was born in February. We got to meet her when she and her mom came to NC for a visit this month. They'll be back later this summer and I hope to get to do a full-fledged portrait session of her then. To quote Stevie Wonder, "Isn't she lovely?"
Kristen & Matthew’s Engagement Session
I love my job. One of the best parts of this job is all the great couples that I am lucky enough to get to work with. I especially love engagement sessions and include them with every package I offer. It's a great time for the three of us to get comfortable with each other behind and in front of the camera before the wedding. It also gives me a chance to get to know the groom, since I often consult first with the bride and her family. Most of the time, it doesn't even feel like work, just fun! This was definitely the case for Matthew and Kristen's engagement session. We met out at the farm of friends of the bride's family, a gorgeous swath of country in the middle of the craziness that is Wake County in 2007. You turn off a busy, busy road and soon find yourself surrounded by beautiful, peaceful countryside. Kristen and Matthew visited the farm not long after they started dating and had a picture taken on the dock by the lake. They wanted to re-visit the site for their engagement pictures. We spent a lovely morning just having fun and taking lots of photos! Kristen and Matthew were great to work with, completely natural in front of the camera and up for anything I suggested. What better clients can you ask for? I'm so excited about their wedding in October and will be sure to post lots of images from what I know will be an amazing day. Click here to see additional photos from Kristen & Matthew's session.
Kicking and Screaming Into the Blogosphere
Ok, I'm serious this time. I've played around with this blog stuff a while since we went live with the new website earlier this year. My friend and colleague Regina Holder convinced me to start a blog as a way to instantly update the website while my live-in IT guru was out of town. (At the risk of losing potential customers to her, go check out Regina's website www.reginaholder.com -- she's an amazing photographer and a constant source of inspiration.) We got the blog, got it configured, then I promptly forgot all about it. I'd go look at the website (love your Flash skills, honey!), see the blog link and go, "Oh yeah...I should write something." Then life would intervene and I'd forget. I did eventually make a few posts, but blogging has never been as urgent as say, editing 800 jpgs from a recent wedding down to 200 or designing an album. My attitude is changing though, thanks in part to Andy Wibbels' book Blog Wild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging. It was the lure of uncovering Andy's "10 Ways to Boost Your Business with Blogs" that led me to pick up the book at the local library and after finishing it, I'm sold. So here goes a second attempt to become an active participant in the blogosphere. I'm planning to post photos from recent weddings (and maybe a few good stories too), slideshows and yes, pictures of the kids and maybe, the dog. Maybe the second time's the charm?
