Divided by Friday: Santa ain’t the only one who flies
In May of 2009, I photographed a young band from North Carolina called Divided by Friday. They were on a tight schedule and I was in the middle of a very busy week, so they skipped class (shhhh!) and I came straight from school (still wearing a button-up shirt and khakis) and we had a shoot that I blogged about last year. Well, 2010 has brought great things for the guys in Divided by Friday. Earlier this year they released their first video and in November they announced that they’d signed with Hopeless Records. With the signing came the need for new pictures, and we were thrilled that they called us up.
Shooting a band is oh-so-slightly different than shooting a wedding, and it gives us a chance to play in ways we normally don’t. We love the playful aspect of shooting musicians, but the other side is that there are a lot of clichés to avoid (think railroad tracks and brick walls). For this shot, we decided to draw inspiration from the same source that the band did. The title of Divided by Friday’s new EP, The Constant, is a reference to Lost–specifically the fact that Penny (the one whose boat it isn’t) is Desmond’s constant–the thing that keeps him anchored in time/reality/whatever was going on. If you haven’t seen Lost, go ahead and watch all seven seasons. The rest of us will wait.
Okay, I guess you’re back. Wasn’t that great? Well, yeah, maybe not the last episode, but otherwise, awesome!
Anyway, Wendy and I were discussing the idea of a constant–something that draws you back to a central point, like home. We decided that food is something that draws people together (think holidays like Thanksgiving), and it could be cool to see the guys drifting away, yet pulled back together by the fellowship of a shared meal. Admittedly, I also liked the idea of putting a rock band in my mom’s kitchen (thanks, Mom!). This is what we got:
If you have some free time, feel free to use this like a Highlights magazine and circle all the floating food in the image.
If you prefer your band pictures with more gravity and fewer calories, here’s another from the shoot:
Now, the event that actually inspired this post is the release of Divided by Friday’s latest video, their version of “O Holy Night”. Are you looking forward to Christmas? Do you like to rock? Yes? Then check it out!
After that, go check out the rest of their music on Myspace.
Stephanie + Matt: Columbia, SC Wedding
You may want to go ahead and fix yourself a beverage, because this is a long one…
The alternate title for this post was: “Our Svelte, Stylish Greek wedding”, but since anybody can just wander in here from Google, I opted for the less challenging title from a vocabulary point of view.
You will no doubt remember Stephanie from her bridal post a couple of weeks ago. Well, here are some images from her wedding to Matt.
Matt is an artist and Stephanie is a total style-monger, and so Wendy and I knew that the two of them were going to have a very cool wedding, and as you’ll see, we were spot-on. First off, take a look at their wedding favors. Matt hand-made these. Unfortunately, the word for them escapes me right night, but you may have seen them before in the film Sleepy Hollow. You spin the disc using the strings on either side and, through persistence of vision, you see the images on both sides overlaid on one another. That should give you some idea who you’re dealing with.
Here’s Stephanie’s lovely wedding dress.
Groom and groomsmen: powered by sugar.
Puppy: powered by cute-fusion.
And what kind of shoes does a bride like Stephanie wear under her gown? These, of course.
Matt and his groomsmen watched USC take on Tennessee until it was time to get ready. Note that there are four visible clocks in the background. I’m thinking this may be part of the reason this location was chosen for them to get ready.Â
So you’ve seen Matt now. Big, burly dude, covered in ink, probably a real tough guy, right? (Okay, maybe scratching the puppy undermines that image a little.) Truth be told, Matt is romantic to the bone. This is his wedding gift to Stephanie–it’s a scrapbook commemorating their entire relationship through photographs, notes, and memorabilia. This page contains a ticket stub from every movie they’ve ever seen together. Ladies, if you’d like to take a moment to get a tissue, feel free.
Guys, it’s time to step up your game.
At this point, the girls were mostly ready, though Steph was still getting her hair done. The guys were, well, still watching the USC-Tennessee game.
Matt’s sunglasses are my favorite.
While Stephanie finished up with hair and makeup, Wendy took the bridesmaids outside at the gorgeous Millstone at Adams Pond for a few group poses.
Once Stephanie was ready, she joined in, too.
The wedding was held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church.
Here’s Steph with the book Matt made for her. Stephanie is such a magnificent fit for Matt! She attempts to fight her romanticism tooth and nail, but it’s a losing battle. She kept cursing Matt, saying he was going to screw up her makeup by making her cry.
Matt and Stephanie didn’t want to see each other before the wedding, but they did want the chance to talk, so we put a door between them.
Engagement Session: Melissa and Brandon
First off, we’d like to wish a very happy Thanksgiving to all our visitors. We have had an amazing 2010, and have more to be thankful for than we can possibly recount here. Leaving aside family, friends, health, safety, awesome television shows, peppermint milkshakes, Snuggies, and pre-cooked, pre-sliced ham, we have the absolute most wonderful, most beautiful clients we could ask for. Furthermore, we have folks like you, who visit us here and who share our photos with your friends. It’s tremendously encouraging that people are visiting our site and enjoying what we do and love. Thank you for being a part of that.
Now on to the photos!
We first met Brandon and Melissa a couple of years ago and, I’ll be perfectly honest here, started thinking about how to get them as clients. True, they weren’t engaged yet, but they were so cute together and so clearly in love that we were pretty sure which way they were headed. Turns out we were right!
The two of them drove down to Columbia on a beautiful and mercifully cool day in October and we got to hang out and photograph them. The clouds were gorgeous, so we tried to make the most of it, as you’ll see below.
We also decided to use the river as a backdrop for a bit, which was great, until a small fleet (fleetlet?) of brightly-colored kayaks came floating by. Well, most of them came floating by; one got stuck immediately behind Brandon and Melissa for a couple of minutes. I’ll spare you the photos.
A kiss to celebrate the kayaker getting un-stuck!
We decided one side of the river wasn’t enough, so we went to the other side.
The sky continued to cooperate nicely.
It was really hard choosing photos for this post because these two have so many wonderful expressions.
Like this laugh!
This next one is one of my favorite shots of the day. I think a bug may have flown into Brandon’s mouth, but he handled it with aplomb.
So there you have it!
We’re looking forward to Melissa and Brandon’s wedding, as well as all our other 2011 weddings! In the meantime, though, we hope that you have a restful, thankful holiday surrounded by lots of delicious food (like sweet potato casserole with pecan, not marshmallow topping), and, of course, the ones you love.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stephanie: Charleston Bridal Portraits
Stephanie got married to Matt last Saturday night, and you know what that means… bridal portraits!!!
Wendy and I have been waiting since July to show you these. Now, some of you may wisely be thinking, “July? In Charleston? In a wedding dress? That can’t be a good idea,” and you, my friend, would be correct. Stephanie, though, is a smart cookie, and one thing she was absolutely clear on was that this shoot would be exclusively indoors. Yes, it’s true that natural light can make for beautiful portraits, but the South Carolina sun is not your friend when you’re wearing 25 pounds of satin. Remember, the air conditioner is your friend.
Our quest for indoor locations led us to the John Rutledge House Inn in downtown Charleston. The home was built in 1763 for John Rutledge, one of the fifty-five signers of the U.S. Constitution. Historical value aside, though, the Inn is beautiful and the staff is absolutely delightful.
Check that eyebrow.
The outside of the inn is covered in gorgeous iron work. As we were exiting, a horse-drawn carriage tour was passing by and the tour guide complimented Stephanie on her gown. She also got some bonus photography at that point, but I haven’t seen how those pictures turned out.
From the John Rutledge House Inn, we moved on to one of my favorite places in Charleston, The Dock Street Theatre. When I was in high school and college, the band Jump, Little Children would end each year by playing (mostly) acoustic shows at the Dock Street accompanied by fantastic guest musicians. Those shows stand out in my memory as some of the greatest art I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing…but I digress.
Here’s the bride:
So, do you think Steph likes Audrey Hepburn?
I love these next two shots that Wendy grabbed while Stephanie sat in the window.
And one more Audrey shot, just for good measure.
As you can see, Stephanie knows how to work the camera. Check back next week when we should have pictures of Steph with her new husband, Matt at their (almost) Halloween wedding. See you soon!
P.S.- If you like the photos, please let us know in the Facebook comment box below. We’re suckers for flattery. :-)
Brian + Raquel: Highlands, NC Wedding
The high in Columbia yesterday was 87Â degrees. Halloween is this Sunday and it’s shorts weather. That’s one reason Wendy and I were delighted to get to go to Highlands, NC and photograph Raquel and Brian’s wedding. It was gloriously cool up in the mountains and the leaves were changing beautifully. I’m hoping it was a sneak peek of the fall weather that will eventually reach us down here in our “famously hot” capital.
Meteorology aside, though, this intimate wedding in the mountains was an absolute delight. Brian and Raquel are the first couple we hadn’t met face to face before photographing their wedding. Sure, we’d talked by phone and email, but it’s tough to feel like you know somebody until you’ve talked with them in person. Well, we quickly learned that they’re a fantastic couple who are nuts about each other and whose love has already proved itself stronger than flames. (More on that later.)
Wendy got these gorgeous detail shots while Raquel was getting ready at the Old Edwards Inn & Spa. The Old Edwards was a fantastic location–between the stonework, the cool antique furniture, and the library that looks like it came straight from Clue, not to mention the ready availability of massages–we were in photography heaven.
Raquel is super relaxed. To be so generally is a blessing, but to be so on one’s wedding day–that’s no small feat.
When I first met Brian, he was checking over his list of things to do to prepare for the wedding. Sparklers needed to be acquired from adjoining counties and just one more name tag needed to be printed for the reception. Nonetheless, he maintained his cool. It was clear, though, that he wanted this day to be perfect for his bride.
That guy behind Brian? I have no idea who he is.
Here’s Raquel getting ready to leave the Inn to go to The Farm for the ceremony.
I loved this stonework. I’m still not sure why an inn & spa needs a parapet, but I suppose in case of a zombie apocalypse, they’ll be better prepared than your average Holiday Inn.
After everybody was ready, we headed over to The Farm for the ceremony and reception. The Farm is, well, a farm I suppose, but less in the sense of “productive of crops” and more in the sense of “productive of excellent backdrops for photos”.
Here are Raquel’s sisters entering the ceremony.
And here’s Raquel’s little sister/flower girl. She loves the camera, and he camera loves her right back.
And here are the bride and groom:
Silliness…we appreciate that.
Did I mention that this was an intimate wedding? This is the first time we’ve managed to get the entire wedding party plus all the guests into one photo.
I love it when the color palette even extends to the drink choices.
I don’t know if this photo gets it across, but the upper layers of the cake are hollow, as in, you can see through the holes right to the other side. I’d never seen anything like it, but I love it.
These next two shots remind me of why I love shooting with my wife. This is my shot…
…and this is hers. The same moment, but two totally different perspectives.
Here, again, is Raquel’s little sister. The room was lit with candles, and I couldn’t help playing with the light a little bit while she danced.
And to close, more colorful drinks.
Oh yeah, I promised more about how Brian and Raquel’s love could withstand flames. Well, there were tea lights sitting on several of the tables, including the one where their marriage license was signed. Apparently the license ended up a little too close to one of the candles because it caught ablaze. Wendy saw this and (and this is just how cool my wife is) put the fire out with her bare hands. The document was singed, but all the important information was still there. Just remember kids, no matter how bright your love burns, be careful around open flames!
