Lauren and Andrew: Fearless!
I'm about to blow my whole "gonna keep these posts short in order to catch up" promise right out of the water. I'm so excited about these pictures and just couldn't narrow down the ones I wanted to share on the blog. Lauren and Andrew are just too gorgeous and too in love, not to mention one of my favorite couples ever, to cut it short. You may remember a few posts back my offer of a free "Fearless Bridal" session to the first three brides who responded. (The Fearless Bridal concept is less extreme than "trashing the dress.") Lauren was one of the first brides to call, much to my delight -- she is so much fun and so easy to photograph! On the day of the session, we met first in downtown Apex, just wandering around looking for great places to shoot. I found this wall in a back alley, really liked the blue and thought it would make a great background. Typically I try to stay out of back alleys, but sometimes it's worth it! :)
Lauren and Andrew had already done some location scouting for me, so next we headed to the Historic Society building to use the cool red caboose that sits next to the railroad tracks. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers and I love to use them in sessions. I really like how they pop off the red of the caboose.
There was no way I could be so close to the railroad tracks and not make use of them, so we ventured out for some shots. After a bit, we heard the train whistle way off in the distance. The whistle kept getting closer and closer, but a by-passer assured us the train was still a way off, so I kept shooting. Soon we noticed people pulling up to the railroad crossing and getting out of their cars. Apparently, watching the train go by is a big night out in Apex! I fired off one last shot:
And then we saw this:
Did I mention I call this "Fearless Bridal"? Well, there's why.
Next to the railroad tracks, we found some great locations behind the businesses lining Main Street.
You can tell a lot about how comfortable someone is by what they're doing with their hands. And I love the hot pink nails!
Recipe for a cool image: Take a brick building with teal trim and burgundy railings (nicely run-down), lots of cool lines, add in great light bouncing up off the pavement and a couple of gorgeous newlyweds. Don't forget the sunflowers. Love it!
Now for my favorite part of the shoot. Andrew found this awesome open field of green grass that was the perfect height. The field was slated to be plowed over in a few weeks to make way for a subdivision (if you live in Wake County, this will come as no surprise to you.) The light was perfect, soft and golden:
Check it out. I can never remember if this baby is an H1 or an H2. Somebody help me out. And yes, I caught a ride. Quite a different experience from my little Forrester.
The image below is one of my all-time favorites. Definitely in my top ten. Thank you, Lauren and Andrew!
Just a little sun-flare...
One of the sunflowers bit the dust, so we used it to show off the rings:
I use Doug Boutwell's Totally Rad Photoshop actions quite a bit when I'm processing and love the look they give to my images. Some of my favorites are "Antique Tone", "Technicolor Dream World" and "Warm It Up Kris." I used "Prettyizer" on the following image. Doug must have fun coming up with names for his actions.
The light was fading very quickly, but we were able to grab a few more shots before it was completely gone. I processed the great majority of the images in the field in color just because of all the variations in green, yellow and brown in the grass, but I also really like the monochromatic feel of the next one and the black and white below it.
Lauren was so patient with me while I worked on these images in between all the weddings, engagement sessions and bridal portraits I've done this Spring. Here's what she wrote when I sent her the link to the slide show:
"You HAVE to know I woke up, was 1/2 asleep, checked my email and literally bounced up and down when I got your email and made Andrew wake up an HOUR early (trust me, that's hard to do) to view the images with me! I am so excited!! I love them ALL! Awesome job!" Happily, she reports that her dress wasn't too dirty -- definitely not trashed. Mission accomplished.
To have the luxury of time -- which is what it takes to get images like this -- on the wedding day is rare. It's a good day if I get 10 minutes of 'couple time' between the ceremony and reception. Lauren, Andrew and I spent over two hours on this session. That's why I'm hoping more couples will consider a Fearless Bridal session after the wedding. Lauren said, "I was able to feel the excitement of wearing my wedding dress again but in a less paranoid sense. It was actually fun getting it a little dirty! The pictures capture our delight in being carefree and the love that we have for one another. It was so relaxed...I feel like it shows in our pictures. We were just us."
To see more images from Lauren and Andrew's Fearless Bridal session, click here.
Happy Birthday, Frank!
Today's is Frank's birthday! I won't tell you how old he is on the grounds that I might age myself by association, although he is several years older than I am. Six to be exact. When we were dating, I promised myself that if things didn't work out with him, I would only date older men from then on. He spoiled me for life.
Frank deserves so much sympathy...he works all week long for Oracle, then works for me just about every Saturday. Not only is he a fabulous photographer in his own right, he carries all my stuff. Reason enough to love him right there, not to mention all his other wonderful qualities. He has a great sense of the absurd, loves me even on bad hair days and is the best father for our children. Plus, he can fix just about anything, including my computer.
Tonight, we'll go to our favorite Greek restaurant in Raleigh, Taverna Agora, followed by presents, ice cream, a luscious Red Velvet cake from Blue Moon Bakery (if you're looking for a wedding cake, check them out -- so good!). It will be an early night, since we're shooting the fabulous wedding of Patricia and Jeff tomorrow at Highgrove.
Anyway, happy birthday to my best friend, my partner, my soulmate, my...everything. I love you.
Vision Dance
Some of you may remember Mariah from her fabulous wedding celebrating her marriage to Robert last November. Mariah contacted me recently to ask if I would consider donating some time to photograph her with her friends and business partners Amy and Angela for their website promoting their new passion: Vision Dance. These ladies formed Vision Dance to promote the love of dance on a community level by offering a weekend of dance classes for dancers of all ages. Proceeds from the weekend-long event go to benefit a great cause: the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Raleigh. Since Mariah was one of my favorite brides ever, it took me about three seconds to say yes. The ladies needed head shots for their website bios, plus some images of the three of them together just hanging out. So we met up a few weeks ago in downtown Raleigh for a really fun session, wandering around City Market and Moore Square, finding some really creative places to shoot. I'm loving urban shoots more and more. Here's a sample of what we got.
I kept calling Angela "Melissa" throughout the shoot. I hate it when I do that. Lucky for me, she was great about it. So I've decided her new name is Melissangela. I think it works. She has an amazing smile and the most awesome hair.
What you can't see because I've cropped this photo tight and converted it to black and white is that Angela is lying on the sidewalk in front of a trashcan. Downtown's got some trashcans with really cool graphics on them right now that made a really fun background when shot with a wide-open (1.6) aperture to make it go all blurry and soft. She was such a good sport about stretching out on the sidewalk!
Amy was one of Mariah's bridesmaids and it was great to hang out with her again. One of the things I love about digital is the ability to see what you've done and know if it's working. I knew when I saw her gray-blue shirt that she would look great posed against the white stucco and green doors of the Longview Center across from Moore Square. A few test shots later, we all got really excited when we saw this on the back of the camera:
If there's anyone out there is considering a remake of Heathers, I've got Amy's contact info...can you say Winona Ryder look-alike? Gorgeous!
My girl Mariah. This one's for you, Robert. All I can say is...smokin'!
After we got the head shots finished, we headed back to City Market to use what I call the Great Veggie Mural as a backdrop. I love pictures where people are laughing. Here's one of my new favorites.
A sweet shot of the three friends.
If you love to dance or know someone who does, please check out the Vision Dance website (www.visiondancenc.com) to see what these three talented, energetic and giving young women have planned for the weekend of August 16-17th. Classes in jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop (sign Kat up), musical theater and improvisational dance will be offered and led by some amazing and nationally-recognized choreographers. Proceeds will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Raleigh (for more info, visit the LLS website: www.lls.org). I'm hoping to be able to stop by that weekend and get some shots of the action, so stay tuned. Mariah, Amy and my friend Melissangela, it was a lot of fun! Thanks so much for asking me...you rock!
Adria and Brian: E-Session
I shot Adria and Brian's engagement session at Duke Gardens on a crisp, cool Friday morning in March. Seems like a long time ago, especially now that we're into the dog days of summer. The daffodils were in full bloom. I really like the soft colors in this shot and how how Adria's turquoise sweater and the yellow of the daffodils play off each other. The morning light was just right, too.
North Carolina has been in such a serious drought situation over the past year, so going into the Spring, I was really curious to see how the gardens would fare. Happily, it's still one of the prettiest places in the state. Something different is always in bloom from week to week. The week we shot, the different flowering trees were just amazing.
Adria was a trooper trekking all through the gardens in a skirt and heels. She looked so adorable. She told me Brian had requested specifically that they get a little dressed up for the session -- I love it! These two prove you don't have to dress alike for a session to look amazing! I was really into all the color and the warm light.
But of course, a classic black and white portrait is always in fashion.
Speaking of great light, how sweet is this one?
Adria and Brian were married in June, so stay tuned for the post from their gorgeous wedding and reception at Treyburn Country Club. You can view their slide show here.
Stephanie & Dave
Stephanie and Dave were married March 15, 2008 in Mount Olive, NC. (I jokingly refer to this as our first "destination wedding" of '08.) I'm convinced some of the finest people you will ever meet live in Mount Olive. By the end of the night on Saturday I felt like one of the family. The festivities began Friday in the old sanctuary of Stephanie's church with a casual meal. Besides Stephanie, the other great love in Dave's life is his Jeep, so Stephanie paid tribute to it by having this awesome cake made for him.
I just loved working with Stephanie. She is so much fun and has a great sense of humor. She was not your typical bride: her satin gown featured a stunning red embroidered train that I'm sure the older folks in the church will not forget anytime soon! She joked that Dave, who's a mild-mannered (but very loveable) minister's son who wants to be a minister himself, was marrying his Delilah. Here's a shot of her applying her make-up on the big day.
I love this moment Frank caught of Dave and his mom before the ceremony.
What's a wedding without an adorable flower-girl and ring-bearer? These two are sister and brother -- can you tell? Only a sister could get away with this. I love her little hand on his chin!
Stephanie and Dave agreed to see each other before the ceremony so that we could do all the photos beforehand, allowing them to go straight to their reception immediately after the ceremony. When we photograph a bride and groom seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony, we send everyone else away so they can experience that moment in private -- well, as private as you can be with two photographers firing away. We couldn't go outside for these shots as much of the grounds were still under construction -- the church was so new you could practically smell the paint drying! Luckily, the building committee checked with Stephanie before they installed the carpet and pew cushions -- everything matched her red and black theme! :) This is my favorite of the shots we got of them seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day. I adore the look in Stephanie's eyes.
My favorite from the ceremony, which was performed by Dave's dad -- that's his hand covering theirs. So sweet.
A wedding party close-up that Frank grabbed while I had their attention. I de-saturated the reds a bit to focus on their expressions. Red can sometimes overwhelm an image. The red and black in the wedding was so modern -- and so Stephanie!
The wedding party had barely arrived at the reception before a torrential rain began. It continued on through a very fun night, preventing the newlyweds from having their bubble-send-off -- outside, anyway. When it was time to leave, everyone just pulled out their bubble wands while Stephanie and Dave danced the last dance of the evening. All the bubbles in the air made for really gorgeous images. This one is my favorite.
To see more of the wedding, you can view the slide show here. Stephanie and Dave, it was such a privilege to photograph your wedding. We'll come back to Mount Olive anytime, especially if you promise to feed us so well again!
