Lumos Studio » Engagement

Sarah & Kyle: Engagement Portraits

J.P. — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:48:11 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Wendy and I headed up to Spartanburg to photograph Kyle and Sarah’s engagement session. Though we know Sarah’s brother, Matt (Isaiah’s dad), it was our first time meeting her and Kyle. As it happens, it was also our last chance to meet Kyle before the wedding, since he was flying back to his home in California the following day and wouldn’t be back until the wedding.

Now, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be away from your fiancee for more than a month immediately before your wedding, but I think when you see the energy between these two, you’ll get some idea of how they feel about each other, and how much they are already looking forward to being reunited.

I swear at no point did we ask them to look like J. Crew models. They did that on their own.

Oh yeah, apparently looking spookily like Scarlett Johansson also comes naturally to Sarah.

Do you think they’ve gotten used to the camera? Maybe?

It’s always good, when shooting an engagement session, to elicit the occasional “Woo-hoo!” from passers-by.

Kyle and Sarah, it was great meeting you two, and we cannot wait to photograph your wedding!

P.S.- We’ve just added Facebook commenting to the blog, so feel free to tell Sarah and Kyle how attractive they are or just generally say nice things using the power of words.

Professional Photographers of South Carolina: February Midlands meet-up

J.P. — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:26:42 +0000

A few weeks ago Wendy and I went out to 701 Whaley here in Columbia for a meeting of the Professional Photographers of South Carolina Midlands chapter. The get together was a “show up and shoot”, meaning that we, well, showed up and shot…pictures (I feel that I should clarify that for my hunting relatives and friends in law enforcement). Lee Bradshaw of One 27 Media (and one of our amazing wedding photographers) set up the meeting, so a couple of weeks before hand I emailed him and asked if they could use any models. He said that some additional models would be appreciated, so I got in touch with Michael and Katie who had recently gotten engaged and who are a stunningly beautiful couple, inside and out. Wendy and I probably hogged them for way more of the night than we should have, and I hope the other photographers there (like the talented and very sweet Stephanie Seay who we met there) didn’t mind too much.

Anyway, we put together a slide show of some of the photos we took. We hope you like it!

At one point, while I was either hogging Michael and Katie or looking over Lee’s shoulder, Wendy grabbed Megan, who also graciously agreed to pose for us that night, and got these glamorous shots…in the bathroom. Yup, for some reason that’s where they keep the really cool furniture at 701 Whaley.

Thanks to the PPofSC and to Lee for putting this together, to 701 Whaley for having us and providing a great backdrop and to our lovely models Katie, Michael, and Megan. You guys rock!

Amie & Chris: Engaged

J.P. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:46:31 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Sir Chubbs II, the pug. Chubbs was all decked out for the wedding of Chris and Amie, his awesome owners. We’re going to be photographing Chris and Amie’s wedding next year, but in the meantime, we got some photos of them to help them celebrate their engagement.

Amie and Chris were an absolute blast to work with. First off, a mutual friend told them about our pet allergies so Amie cleaned the apartment where we took Chubbs’s picture to the point that you’d never know an animal (let alone three) lived there…you know, apart from the animals that were there. Even then, she kept checking with us to make sure that we weren’t having any trouble. She is an absolute sweetie!

Chris is actually the one who, when we first met, let us know that the photograph he had to come away with was Chubbs in a tuxedo. Based on the way Chubbs did (almost) exactly what he said during the photo shoot, he’s clearly spent a lot of time with that dog and the affection runs both ways. (Amie seems to like him pretty well, too.)

After shooting Chubbs, we just went downtown and hung around with these two, who made photographing them wonderfully easy. There’s nothing, as far as I can tell, that makes for better engagement or wedding photographs than a couple who are seriously into one another and these two are seriously into one another. They flirt and play and smile and laugh and generally make getting adorable pictures of them a breeze.

I love this shot. Dancing in a parking lot?

No problem.

(I told you they’re fun.)

(I have no idea what Amie is thinking here but I like that Chris is apparently A-OK with it.)

We wrapped things up on USC’s Horseshoe, with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…

*ahem*

…with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…

(That’s better.)

…on this lovely couple.

Photographing Chris and Amie was way more fun than it ought to be and we can’t wait to shoot Amie’s bridals and their wedding!

We hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Dog Portrait: Sir Chubbs II

J.P. — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:24:39 +0000

Amie and Chris are an absolutely awesome couple whose wedding we’ll be photographing next May. When Wendy and I sat down with them to talk about their photos, we asked if there were any specific photos they felt they absolutely had to have. It turns out there was only one: a photo of their pug, Sir Chubbs II, wearing a tuxedo.

(Is there really any need for more introduction than that?)

Because Chris and Amie’s wedding is outdoors, Chubbs won’t be able to be in attendance. We learned from them that due to pugs’ shortened breathing passages, they can’t really stand to be out in the heat for extended periods. So, since Chubbs couldn’t be a member of the wedding party, Amie and Chris dressed this precious pooch up in tails and a bow tie for his own pre-wedding portrait just before their engagement session.

Meet Sir Chubbs:

After a few casual poses on the pillow, Chubbs changed into his formal attire.

(Wendy’s mother said she thinks he looks like Winston Churchill in this picture.)

(Yup, his tail is sticking out from between his tails.)

(If they ever make an all-dog version of Oceans 11, Chubbs is a shoo-in.)

I have never seriously tried to photograph dogs before, figuring that it would be too hard to pose them and that the noise of the camera and the light from the flashes would spook them. Chubbs, though, was a real trooper, and Chris and Amie were terrific at keeping him where he should be and looking in the right direction. Still, after hundreds of shots and two different outfits, Chubbs had pretty much had it…

(Don’t feel too bad for him. That expression could be exhaustion or the look a dog gets when he has been stuffed to the brim with doggie treats.)

We actually did photograph Chris and Amie, but we figured Chubbs deserved his own post. Nonetheless, here’s Chubbs with his mom and dad, of whom you’ll be seeing more soon.

Remember, sharing is caring, so if you’d like to share Sir Chubbs II with your friends, you can do so easily by clicking on the links below for Facebook, Twitter, or the social whosamawhatsie of your choice. I’m not saying the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future are going to visit you if you don’t share, but why take the risk?

More to come!

Leah & Greg: Engaged

J.P. — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:57:39 +0000

This is an especially exciting post for me because the lovely young lady featured in it was my student the first year I taught high school. Leah and Greg met later, though, while they were both attending Lander University. It’s there that Greg, the big romantic, asked Leah out for the first time via AOL Instant Messenger. (Even now, some of you are reminiscing: “Aw, I remember AOL IM!”) Technological nostalgia aside, however, Leah eventually agreed to go on a date with Greg and it must have gone pretty well, because they’re getting married in Greenwood in January.

Greg and Leah decided to have both their engagement photos and Leah’s bridal photos taken on the same day, and Leah was an absolute trooper posing for us for hours on end. She had a fantastic attitude toward it, though, and it shows in her pictures. (You’ll have to wait for the bridal portraits, but take my word for it, Greg, you’re going to be blown away!)

We started out with some photos on the Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina.

Leah hopped on Greg’s back in front of the McKissick Museum…

…Wendy and I both thought it was a great idea.

After a while, we moved down to the Vista and found this fantastic wall.

I like that Greg cracks Leah up.

I don’t recall the exact instructions we gave Greg and Leah here, but I think they involved the words, “like a model.” They nailed it.

Greg and Leah, thanks for a wonderful day. We’re looking forward to celebrating and capturing your wedding day.

Everybody else, it’s no TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING, but there are adorable baby photos, some unofficial wedding photos, and possibly a Snuggie photo coming up in the next few days. Check back soon!