Posts Tagged ‘Photography’
Christmas in Maryland
We have delayed far too long in posting pics from our Christmas visit to Maryland. After waiting out one of this year’s infamous snow storms, J.P. and I finally made it to the home of my big sis, bro-in-law, and favorite kids. Get ready for the cuteness!
Meet Ethan. Ethan loves to read and play, and he insists on giving you a full tour of the toy box as soon as you walk through the door.
I love this next picture Loren took of Ethan watching J.P. juggle some blocks. At the time, I was helping my mom prepare for our family photo. Just look at those bright eyes and that smile!
Here he is opening up some cardboard blocks that took the adults about half an hour to assemble (actually, I’m not sure how long it took us, but those blocks are not coming apart again for some time… too many little cardboard teeth).
Ethan wasn’t as excited about the shark poncho we picked out as he was the blocks, books and puzzles. I can’t blame the kid, but I sure am glad we got this picture out of it.
This is Brooke, Ethan’s beautiful baby sister. She is sweet and sociable and thinks Ethan is the funniest thing around. Brooke’s laugh alone is enough to make my day (this is what I’m talking about).
Here’s Poppy snoozing with little Brooke…
…and Pop holding Brooke after her nap.
Ethan is a wonderful big brother who will frequently bring his little sis toys to hold and even try to make sure she’s present for story time. But even the best older siblings will sometimes compete for attention…
The trip was awesome! Mainly, we lounged around, played with the kids, hung out with Betsy and Loren, and ate their food. My mom and dad were there, too, so we had some bonus family time consisting of caroling, continued eating, and of course a family photo shoot.
Betsy and Loren are amazing parents and, honestly, first class human beings. They are family and friends we continue to look up to.
Currently, Loren, Betsy, Ethan and Brooke are reunited after Loren’s recent trip to help out in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. You can view some of his pictures from the trip here. Welcome home, Loren! We love you!
Melissa: Bridal
Welcome to the newly redesigned blog! Now with 46% more picture-y goodness! (Seriously, I did the math.) If you haven’t dropped by our homepage lately, that’s also gotten a facelift, so you might want to check it out.
It’s pretty exciting to have two brides to share with you in two weeks. Melissa also got married last Saturday, but since Wendy and I were in Greenwood photographing Leah and Greg’s wedding and Melissa was down in Florida, getting hitched to Jon, we didn’t get to spend the day with her. Fortunately, she asked us to photograph her for her bridal portrait, so we got a sneak peek at just how beautiful she was going to be on her wedding day.
Melissa told me that she and Jon were getting married in a swamp in Florida. I’m still not sure how literally to take that, but nonetheless we figured it would be a good idea to reflect the outdoors in Melissa’s bridal shoot, so we headed down to Sesquicentennial State Park, where there was still some beautiful fall foliage on the trees.
Of course, we didn’t just stick this bride out in the woodsand make her stand around –we also gave her a chance to sit down…
…and generally be gorgeous while the sun set behind her.
Yup. She’s barefoot. We seem to attract that kind of bride. Thank goodness!
Finally, as the sun went down, we decided to have a little more fun with a bunch of balloons we brought along just for the occasion. They didn’t carry Melissa away cartoon-fashion which was, on the one hand, a bit of a disappointment, but on the other, kept me from having to explain to Jon why his finacée was floating over the city of Columbia in her wedding dress.
Jon and Melissa, we hope marriage is as magnificent for you as it has been for us. You’ve both found someone very special!
To everybody else, check back later in the week for adorable children and next week for Leah and Greg’s teasers!
Leah: Bridal
One of the hardest things about wedding photography is taking bridal photos, being really delighted with them, and then not being able to share them until the wedding. Well, we can finally share with you Leah’s bridal portraits. She and Greg were married Saturday in Greenwood and Wendy and I (and everybody else, as far as I can tell) had a fantastic time.
Way back in September, though, Leah came down to Columbia and we got to capture these lovely images of her in her wedding gown.
Since she was a little girl, Leah had wanted to have her bridal photo taken at the South Carolina State House. We certainly weren’t going to argue with a little girl’s dreams.
Wendy got this picture of Leah that really shows off her amazing blue eyes. Greg’s eyes are almost as bright as you can see from their engagement photos. Their kids’ eyes are going to be gorgeous! (Not that we’re rushing you, guys.)
We had so much fun with Leah that we wound up shooting until the sun went down. Even though there wasn’t much light to work with, we decided to get in a few more shots featuring the lights of Columbia. This was one of our favorites.
We have a lot of pictures to go through, but we’ll be sharing a few quick teasers from Leah and Greg’s wedding next week. Be sure to come back and check them out!
Merry Christmas!
‘Twas the night before Christmas
And strange as it seems
J.P. and Wendy were relaxing
Their apartment was clean!
They’d watched Lost off of Netflix,
Ten episodes or more,
Odd since they’d just started
Watching two days before.
They’d sung ‘long with Sufjan,
Read some Lord of the Rings,
Watched Peanuts and Garfield
From Bittorrent streams.
And soon they’d be dreaming
Of lenses and lights,
Softboxes and snoots
To make portraits look right.
But first to their blog
They posted scenes of cheer
To thank friends and clients
For a wonderful year!
Wendy and I are celebrating our third Christmas together as husband and wife and, if you’ll pardon a little bit of bragging, I’m reminded that I am the luckiest man on earth. Seriously, how many guys have a wife who can decorate cookies like this?
I’m guessing very, very few.
I’d also expect that there aren’t too many wives who would indulge their husbands in decorating their gingerbread men to resemble web comic characters.
Meet Faye and Marten…
…and Winslow and Pintsize.
Now say goodbye to Pintsize.
Besides decorating cookies, we got ready for Christmas by going to “The Lights Before Christmas” at Riverbanks Zoo.
(I think Wendy looks good in red, don’t you?)
I don’t know if the fish were in the Christmas spirit or not. Some of them were kind of sparkly, though.
Meanwhile the Lizards were decked out in their best Christmas green.
Wendy and I wish you a very merry Christmas and suggest that you put a star on your tree…
(Not this one)
…snuggle up with someone you love…
…or in my case…
…and have a happy New Year!
Dog Portrait: Sir Chubbs II
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!
Snuggie: The Blanket With Sleeves (That Solves All Life’s Problems)
This post comes with a story, so please bear with me.
Among other things I do, I (J.P.) teach Rhetoric. Rhetoric, simply, is the art of persuasive speech. In my class, the students primarily study Aristotle’s aptly-named Rhetoric, but sometimes I want to share with them something a little more contemporary, something that truly speaks to their generation. I think that infomercials are one of the best modern examples of persuasive communication and it’s for this reason I introduced them to the Snuggie™: the blanket with sleeves.
The students seemed to appreciate the simple structure of the commercial:
1) Present a problem: “You want to stay warm without raising your heating bill and you are incapable of performing mundane tasks like answering the phone while entombed in the shroud-like confines of a blanket. Also, for some reason, everything is in black and white.”
2) Offer a solution while footage switches to color and peppy music begins: “Now, you can own a Snuggie! You’ll be able to stay warm while enjoying a wide range of activities!”
3) Show how the benefits of the solution makes life amazing!
Little did I know how much they had appreciated it…
Two days after my birthday, just as I was getting ready to begin Rhetoric, our headmaster called me down to his office to help him with a computer problem. I asked a student to tell the rest of the class what the day’s assignment was and to have them begin on it, and followed the headmaster. After talking with me for a few minutes, the headmaster walked with me back to my classroom so I could retrieve a USB drive that contained some diagnostic utilities. When I got back to the room, the lights were off, the kids had their heads down on their desks and I was led by the headmaster to the far side of the room.
What followed was nothing less than amazing. My students has remixed and personalized the Snuggie commercial for me: “Mr. Stephens, do you find it miserable teaching in a freezing cold classroom? Do you find it difficult to write on the board when your hands have frostbite on them?” After presenting the problem, the lights came on, the music started (“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls), and the dancing and singing began. Oh yeah, and one student burst from the closet skating on a scooter while wearing a leopard-print Snuggie.
They didn’t skimp on the benefits of the solution, either. “Mr. Stephens, with your new Snuggie, you’ll be healthier, taller, stronger, more athletic, smarter…your hands will be nice and warm and you’ll be able to give us all A’s!” “You could even make it the official costume of Lunch Money!” At this point the students all dropped to their knees (approximating Lunch Money fan height) and waved their hands in the air while screaming “I love Lunch Money!”
In the end, I was presented with an awesome card, my new Snuggie…
…a DVD copy of The Iron Giant (they may have felt sorry for me after I showed them my copy on VHS)…
…a handmade Snuggie user’s guide…
(Note the chart.)
…and a cookie as big as my head!
At this point, it’s probably gratuitous to say that I have the greatest Rhetoric class ever. That’s one thing about Rhetoric, if the suck up this well, then they’re obviously getting the idea! As a small thank you to them, I will now conclude with a photo that I hope captures the magnificence of my birthday celebration, my students, and of course, my Snuggie.
P.S.- If any potential clients are reading this and you’re interested in a Snuggie-themed engagement shoot please contact us–we are definitely the photographers for you!
P.P.S.- After lecturing my students about copyright, I should probably mention that the first, second, and fourth pictures were taken by students and they retain all rights to them.
Baby Pictures: Isaiah
Meet Isaiah. His beautiful mother Kim appeared on the blog about four months ago when Isaiah was just a bump in her belly. Now he’s here! And let me tell you, this little one is a serious cutie. Get ready. Here he is…
…getting a sneak kiss attack from Mom.
Isaiah’s hands and feet are so small and perfect. They won’t be this tiny for long, though. He’s growing so fast! J.P. was amazed at how much he had plumped up since the first time they met two weeks or so prior to this shoot.
Here’s J.P.’s shot.
And here’s mine from two weeks later.
Here are a few more.
And finally, here is Isaiah with his favorite buddy Mr. Giraffe. Isaiah held his own for a long time during this staring contest.
We had a great time hanging out with Kim, Matt and Isaiah! Check back later this week for some rockin’ shots from the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) and a debonair pug in black tie attire.
Me Ra Koh Confidence Workshop: Washington, D.C.
A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending an amazing women’s photography workshop by day and visiting Betsy, Loren, Ethan and Brooke by night. It was such an incredible time – even the trip home!
For those of you who don’t know about Me Ra Koh, you need to check out her blog! Me Ra and her awesome husband Brian do stunning work that will leave you smitten and speechless. Being quite a fan myself, I was so, SO excited to get to participate in their (appropriately named) Confidence Workshop for women in D.C.. It was great to get to meet them, learn from them, hear their stories, and laugh and cry with the other amazing women who traveled from near and far for this experience of a lifetime!
Here’s Me Ra demonstrating for us with some kids. Watching her engage the models was a valuable lesson by itself!
Here’s Brian talking to us about light metering. There were some fun demonstration photos involved. :)
We ladies had plenty of opportunities to try out what we had learned! Kudos to the models who cheerfully endured swarms of women wielding lenses!
Let me say that my dad was the best!
He was already in D.C. visiting Betsy, Loren and the kids, and offered to stay a few more days to chauffeur me downtown and back Saturday and Sunday. Thank you, Dad (and thank you Mom for doing without him for a few more days)!
The first day, our models were beautiful mothers and their beautiful babies. Here are a few of my favorite shots.
I just loved how this baby squealed when her mom came in for another kiss!!
The second day, three wonderful families let us crowd around them with our cameras.
Of course, this trip was all the more exciting due to the most recent addition to our family! Welcome to the world Brooke! Each evening after the workshop, I was so pumped that I couldn’t help but take some pictures of my precious new niece Brooke and adorable nephew Ethan. These kids have my heart! Betsy and Loren, I just don’t know how you two handle this much cuteness on a regular basis.
Here’s Brooke dreaming sweetly…
and Ethan playing with dad.
He was all about these new boots.
It was so hard to leave!
When I thought the trip was almost over and couldn’t get any better, I had this heart-melting experience in the Washington airport on the way home. Having just returned to the gate after getting some food, I noticed a mother with her two children waiting eagerly for dad to get off the plane (I later learned he was returning from Iraq). Sure enough, he came walking through the gate, dressed in uniform and locking eyes immediately with his wife. The family came together in a powerful moment that hit me so hard, I nearly started crying as their energy spread from where they stood and held each other to everyone who was blessed to catch a glimpse of them. When I showed this next photo to J.P., we were struck by the strength and sacrifices made by military families. Monica, thank you so much! Here they are.
Finally, I made it home to my beloved husband who encourages me in so many ways. Without a doubt, I left the Confidence Workshop with increased knowledge, vision and excitement, and J.P. has done nothing but help to keep the passion going!
Lollapalooza 2009: Day 1
Lollapalooza 2009 was a three-day music festival held August 7-9 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Lunch Money got to be a part of this extravaganza of awesomeness, playing two shows on the Kidzapalooza stage. What follows is a brief photographic journey through our first day, with posts for days 2 and 3 to come.
We (maybe I should say Jay) drove into Chicago at around 12:30am on Friday morning.
Chicago’s finest came out to greet the crowd.
Although Lollapalooza is pretty much packed with music fans of every age, Kidzapalooza aims at a decidedly younger (and more adorable) demographic.
Yeah, I know. I’m pushing into Cute Overload territory.
That’s Henry rocking out as he plays his part in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!”, a short interactive play put on by The Cool Table, a Chicago improv comedy troupe. Henry was the guitarist in “Sponge Blue Square Blue”, the greatest rock band the world has ever known.
The little guy above didn’t have a role in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!”, but he played his part by watching from the sidelines and having excellent hair.
Meanwhile, the child below practiced for a life of indie rock shows by looking vaguely put-upon by the whole affair.
In addition to the adorableness, though, there was also awesome kids music to be heard.
There was Frances England, who I got to meet for the first time (she’s awesome!):
…and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo always gets the crowd on its feet…
At the end of the day, Lunch Money played, and it was every bit as warm and toasty as it looks.
But fortunately Lucy figured out the key to a good first day at Lollapalooza–a good umbrella.
By the time we finished playing at the end of day 1, we were all pretty worn out, so that’s about it for pictures from that day. Come back soon, though, for pictures from the second and third days of Lollapalooza, including more kiddie cuteness and even a band or two.
Lauren: Bridal
I’m fairly certain that we’ve never included military hardware in a bridal shoot. Today we remedy that.
Lauren started off her bridal shoot at our place with some shots on a simple gray background.
One of the wonderful things about photographing Lauren, though, is that the shots didn’t stay simple for long.
After breaking out the cowboy hat, Lauren showed off her United States Air Force garter. (If I were single I would have actually tried to catch this one.)
We didn’t stay in one place for too long on this shoot, though. Next we headed over to the South Carolina State House where we took this shot on the gorgeous marble floor. (Doesn’t her dress look like something Marilyn Monroe might have worn?)
By this point, we’d been shooting for a couple of hours, so we thought Lauren deserved a break.
Don’t you love the boots? You’d think that would be enough, wouldn’t you?
Not Lauren!
Why settle for just cowboy boots in your bridal shoot when you can also also have combat boots? (Answer: no reason at all.)
Lauren, you see, served for several years in the Air Force Reserve as a bomb loader or, as she affectionately called the position, a “load toad”. I’d love to show you tons and tons of pictures of Lauren with the F-16, but frankly, the guys at McEntire Joint National Guard Base scared me silly that I’d accidentally post something that gave away national secrets. (You might note that this F-16 has no weapons whatsoever on it.) The bicycles (they’re actually tricycles) in the background are apparently not weaponized…yet.
Despite my fear of being whisked away by armed men in a camouflage jeep, here’s one more picture of the beautiful bride and one serious flying machine.
Lauren: Wedding Dress Fitting
Today’s post is in honor of some pretty amazing women, and one of them in particular – Lauren. In fact, these are some of the most incredible women I know. They weren’t aware that I was going to be stealing these shots, either, so you have to give them credit for being such good sports about it (we women like to be ready for photos, am I right girls?). Thank you so much, ladies. I hope you’ve forgiven me for surprising you.
New voice on the blog, by the way. This is Wendy. Don’t worry, you’ll have J.P. back soon enough presenting you with photos of Lauren (the same beautiful girl you’ll see below) posing in front of an F-16. You know, the kind of run-of-the-mill bridal shots you see all the time. Seriously – an F-16! Yes, we had fun that day.
These shots are special because, well, they’re girl time shots. So scroll on down to take a peek into the awesomeness that is the wedding dress fitting experience.
That’s Lauren. She’s ready to do this thing. Isn’t she glowing?
We weren’t about to let Lauren try on her perfected bridal gown without having a look ourselves, so Brandi, Natalie, Ashley and I came along for the adventure. Even though the four of us had already walked down the aisle, we couldn’t help but peruse the colorful bridesmaids’ dresses and delicate white veils.
Finally, Lauren emerged from the dressing room in a gorgeous, silky gown that made me think of something Marilyn Monroe might wear. And there was even more glowing!
The wonderfully helpful and sweet women at David’s Bridal helped us understand the workings of Lauren’s bustle.
That part took a while.
Lauren didn’t seem to mind.
After that, she tried on her air force garter (check back for a close-up of this baby – it so, so rocks!)…
…and we all enjoyed some just-us-girls conversation with the bride-to-be.
Group shot? Why not?
Wedding dresses are so much fun! Writing this post makes me want to go put mine on again and just laze around in it.
Thanks for stickin’ with the post. Check back to see a bride wearing combat boots and standing next to a very impressive-looking airplane.
Tamy’s Grandbabies
I know, I know, I promised pictures of six adorable kids almost two weeks ago. Well, I’m finally following through. Sorry to keep you waiting.
These are some photos of the youngest generation of one of the coolest families I’ve ever known. I grew up with the kids and now they’ve gone and had kids of their own. Their mom asked Wendy and me to get some family photos of the lot of them, and I can’t say no to Tamy. The result was an absolute blast, but it definitely increased my respect for my buddy Rebekah and other photographers who are especially adept at kids and families. Did you know, for instance, that infants will not necessarily look at the camera when you ask them to? I mean, what are these kids thinking? They’re grandmother is paying good money for these pictures and they’re more interested in the dog than they are in looking good in their family portrait.
I blame television.
All kidding aside, bask in the adorableness that is Tamy’s family. First off, the twins.
Can you guess which is the boy and which is the girl?
(Insert Dora the Explorer pause)
You’re right! Was it the haircuts that gave it away?
This little guy wanted to show his cousin some affection. After all, doesn’t everybody love a kiss?
Admittedly, this may have been excessive.
Even he seems to agree.
(Chalk it up to a life lesson, kid.)
Do you think this photo presages their future relationship?
Argh! Can’t make…snarky…comment…baby feet…too…cute!
While we were shooting, Tamy quoted these lyrics from the musical Annie to me and I thought they’d go nicely here:
Some women are dripping with diamonds,
Some women are dripping with pearls.
Lucky me! Lucky me!
Look at what I’m dripping with:
Little girls!
Loren: Uniform at Night
If you’ve read this blog more than once, you’ve probably encountered a reference to Loren, our photographically-gifted, adorable-nephew-making brother-in-law. What you might not know, though, is that in addition to his aforementioned talents, Loren is also a lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. If I try to explain exactly what that is I’ll fail miserably, so I’ll simply call it the “meditary” and assure you that he’s working to protect us all from the Swine Flu.
Ever since Loren took his position with the Commissioned Corps I’ve had the photographs below in mind. When Wendy and I visited with Loren, Betsy, and Ethan in Hilton Head back in June I finally got a chance to actually take the pictures. Big thanks to Loren for dressing up in his uniform, going out on a hot South Carolina night, and getting eaten by mosquitoes while while we took these photos in the dark next to a graveyard.
Don’t worry, those six adorable kids will be showing up later this week. Check back soon.
Danielle Howle
I can’t begin to guess at the reasons, but South Carolina is home to more amazingly talented (and frequently underrated) musicians than it has any right to. In particular, three of the most talented songwriters that I have ever encountered currently call the Palmetto State home. Now, I’m in a band with one of them, so to gush about how preposterously gifted she is might seem immodest. Therefore, I simply won’t mention how astounding Molly Ledford is, or even bring up her hibernating adult project The Verna Cannon. Instead, I’ll start with Jay Clifford, a long-time resident of Charleston and former frontman of Jump, Little Children. I’m afraid words will fail me if I try to describe Jump, so I’ll stick with letting you know that I saw them perform live around fifty times during high school and college, maybe more. I like ‘em a lot.
That leaves Danielle Howle.
Capturing life as it is experienced by a diverse array of characters, she explores topics as wide-ranging as the loss of a mother, being the wife of a philandering husband, and being a teenager who doesn’t fit in with the girls who have “big puffy girl handwriting”.
But I’m not writing an album review.
Danielle, on top of her amazing talent, is also just a great person. Wendy and I asked her to perform at our wedding and she graciously agreed. I suspect that many of our guests didn’t fully appreciate just what a treat they were getting, but we did get quite a few comments that, “That girl who sang at your wedding–she was really good.”
Apparently Bob Dylan, The Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco thought so, too, since she’s opened for all of them.
Danielle is currently an artist in residence at Awendaw Green, a new music venue in Awendaw, South Carolina. (If you knew that there was a place called ‘Awendaw’ in South Carolina, please give yourself a pat on the back; it was news to me.) Wendy and I drove down to Awendaw last Friday to get some pictures with Danielle, and the following are a few we particularly like. We hope you’ll like them, too.
We hung out at the home of a friend of Danielle’s who lives on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Danielle kept pointing schools of fish out to us and suggested that they might even attract dolphins. I think I have a somewhat idealized view of dolphins as a result of their portrayal in movies and on television because my first thought was that they’d like to play with the fish…
…then I realized fish don’t like to play the games dolphins play with fish.
Danielle decided to play with the fish as well, and her game was no more fish-friendly than what the dolphins had in mind.
(No fish were harmed in the making of this blog. Seriously, she didn’t catch anything.)
For this next photo, I feel it’s important to note that neither Wendy nor I suggested that Danielle climb this tree. It was totally her idea. If you decide you’d like us to photograph you, it’s far more likely we’ll instruct you to recline languidly on a couch.
What can I say? Danielle likes trees.
Well, now you’ve seen her, it’s time to go listen to her music. Her website is currently under construction, but you can hear some songs on her MySpace page and then go become her fan on Facebook. You’ll be glad you did.
We hung out at the home of one of Danielle’s friends who lives on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Britt & Jason: Wedding Slideshow
If you’ve looked at this blog for any length of time you’re familiar with Jason and Britt by now. They’re awesome, they’re hot, they’re married.
To get the rest of the story, visit their personal page where you’ll find a link to their complete wedding gallery as well as a link to Britt’s bridal photos. Before you do that, though, enjoy the slideshow!
(The lovely music in the first half of the slideshow is “Movie Star Faces” from the album of the same title by The Verna Cannon.)
Come back soon. There are new photos already waiting in the wings: a magnificent musician and six, count ‘em, six adorable kids!
Wendy: Maternity
Perhaps I should specify at the outset of this post, this is not my Wendy… this is Wendy who I’ve known at least since we were in middle school together. Wendy and her husband Anthony are expecting their first child in August, and Wendy decided to have maternity photos made as a first Father’s Day present for Anthony. My Wendy and I were more than happy to oblige and, apart from the requisite name confusion (is it bad form to ask your subject to move a light while you photograph them?) we had a great time. Since Wendy and Wendy were both dancers, there was fantastic communication between the two of them about finding graceful poses and lines to help accentuate the beauty of motherhood. Also, Wendy has a well-defined and daring aesthetic sense which challenges us as photographers in the best possible way. Add it all up, and we had a blast. Anthony is a lucky guy.
Although this next photo is probably technically better…
It’s this one that I think captures Wendy’s personality.
his last photo was one of our favorites from the shoot and, as it happens, it’s also one that Wendy chose to have blown up to 16×20. It’s pretty encouraging when that happens.
We’re so excited for Anthony and Wendy and look forward to meeting their little girl in a few months. Also, it’s a little late, but it’s probably a good time to say a Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Without you, there would be no maternity photos. ;-)
And with that, TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING draws to a close. We hope you’ve enjoyed it, and that you’ll keep checking back to see what we’re up to. Have a great and restful weekend!
Jason & Britt: Married
Today’s post is absolutely packed with photography goodness. Wendy and I have a lot of photos from Britt and Jason’s wedding to edit, so we haven’t had a chance to assemble the slideshow yet. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are a ton of photos in this post, so without further ado, let’s get started.
Jason and Britt have been two of my favorite subjects since over a year ago when I shot their engagement session. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
Aw, just look at them. So young. So in love. And now, more than a year later, they’re…well, still so young and so in love, so let’s get to the marrying.
Wendy started out with the girls as they did all the things women do to prepare for an event as important as a wedding.
So while the ladies were getting dressed, making themselves even more beautiful, and seeking God’s favor on the marriage, the guys were…
…playing Rock Band.
You have to understand, ladies, mental preparation is necessary for an event as significant as a wedding.
Wendy rode with Britt over to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, the site of the ceremony and snapped this lovely picture of her in the car.
…and also got this shot of Britt’s awesome bracelet.
Once we all arrived at the church, Wendy and I grabbed shots of some of the other details of the wedding, like the bridesmaids shoes…
…and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres (have to look up the spelling on that one every time).
The flower girls, per regulation, were adorable.
At long last the church was ready…
…Jason was ready…
…and Britt was ready.
…so they got started.
(Jess, when you get married, we hope you’ll either hire us to photograph your wedding or just let us assemble an album from all the pictures we already have of you. We can Photoshop you into a white dress if you want.)
Britt and Jason decided, after they got engaged, to forego kissing until they were married. I’m totally blown away by that. What kind of longing do you think that must create in a couple who obviously love each other as much as these two?
My guess? A lot of longing.
From the church, we all went over to the Westin Poinsett Hotel where Britt and Jason had their reception. Check out this reception hall:
…and this awesome cake:
From there, it was pretty much one amazing party.
Britt, of course, tossed the bouquet…
…but Jason was in for a surprise with the garter toss.
Wendy assures me those are not Britt’s actual underwear.
After that there was still more dancing…
…and still more adorable children.
Before the night was over, we slipped Jason and Britt outside to get a shot of them with the Poinsett in the background. If you saw a guy with a camera lying in a hotel driveway in Greenville that night, thanks for not running me over.
Wendy and I had an amazing time photographing Jason and Britt’s wedding and, while we’re going to miss having them here in Columbia, we’re glad they’re off to a fantastic start to their marriage.
Come back tomorrow for the final day of TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING!
Shayne: Trash the Dress
Two weeks ago Wendy and I went down to Hilton Head to visit with Ethan’s parents, Loren and Betsy. Despite that, there are no pictures of Ethan in this post. I have some self-control.
While we were there, Wendy, Loren and I did a Trash the Dress shoot with Loren’s sister Shayne. In general, a Trash the Dress shoot is where a bride, recognizing that she will in all likelihood never wear her wedding dress again, goes out and gets photographed doing all kinds of things one ought not do in a wedding dress. This wasn’t quite like that. Shayne decided not to trash her wedding dress, but instead to trash a dress she bought specifically for this purpose and on which she got a great deal. I’m absolutely fine with that, and we hope you will be, too.
We played for a while on the playground and let me tell you, Shayne is no slouch on the swings. I would have posted a picture of her in action but somebody would have accused me of doctoring the photo. She’s a daredevil. This shot doesn’t really capture that.
Later on we moved on to more traditional Trash the Dress fare.
Apparently tule lacks the aqua-dynamic properties of say, a wetsuit, so big props to Shayne for not drowning (a big plus for any shoot) and for managing to find a dress that pink.
We kind of fought with the sun for a lot of the shoot, but when it worked with us, it was good.
Loren is a much braver guy than I am when it comes to his gear.
I liked this last shot so much that I slapped our studio name on it. All the cool photographers are doing it.
Thanks for following the TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING. If you’ve stuck with us for the past eight days, tomorrow ought to be one of the big payoffs (assuming Wendy and I can get it ready in time). Remember, comments on posts are always appreciated (as long as they’re glowing praise). See you tomorrow!
Zuleika: Maternity
Zuleika, a friend and colleague of Wendy, is, along with her husband Jose, expecting her second child…right about now, actually. Jose, Zulieka, and their son Maxi came over to document Zuleika’s pregnancy and get a couple of family photos. Here are a few of our favorites:
The affection between Jose and Zuleika was apparent, as was the love they have for their coming daughter.
I know this next shot may be a little cliche, but I don’t care, dogonnit! I like it!
Ladies, if you are thinking about having maternity photos made, may I please humbly suggest a pink tiara? Don’t get me wrong, you have to have the mom-chops to pull it off, but I don’t think there’s any question about that with Zuleika.
Initially, Maxi was absolutely sure that he wanted nothing to do with this whole photography thing. Eventually, though, and after a few minutes of my (awful) juggling, Maxi agreed to get into the frame with his mom. He may not like the camera, but the camera likes him.
You can’t see them, but Maxi is holding my juggling beanbags in this photo. Does it look to you like he’s daring me to come and get them?
This looks like one proud mama to me.
Come back tomorrow as TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING continues with…well, I’m not entirely sure how to tease you with this one. Let’s put it this way: pink taffeta and a swimming pool are involved.
Gabe & Lydia: Married
A few months ago I was talking to my friend Rebekah who is an amazing photographer currently living in Virginia when she told me she was going to be coming down to Greenville in a few months to shoot a wedding. I hadn’t seen her in years, so I asked if she needed any help. I’m guessing she didn’t really need it, but she graciously invited me to second-shoot. This gave me the opportunity to see Rebekah and also to get to meet Gabe and Lydia, both of whom are really cool people, and whose family and friends were delightful to spend time with.
When I arrived at Gabe’s parents’ house, he and the groomsmen hadn’t yet shown up, so I walked around greeting the dogs and the goats (yes, goats) and generally getting a sense of the place. Very shortly though, the guys arrived in this:
I mean, as a photographer can you ask for more than that? Well, I did.
See, there was this trampoline…
Lydia, if your husband was smelly on his wedding night I am really, really sorry. It’s my fault.
One thing that you might notice is that Gabe and his groomsmen are wearing brown patent leather shoes. I’d never seen those before and commented on it. Gabe quickly gave the credit to Lydia for finding them, which I think gives a pretty good indication that they’re going to do very well at this marriage business.
If the Volkswagen hadn’t been enough, it turns out that Gabe’s dad also has a classic Shelby Cobra. Despite the fact that Gabe was angry with the car (it had burned Lydia recently with its exhaust pipe) he agreed to be photographed with it. Let me make this clear, Gabe was angry with the car for harming his bride. Like I said, I think they’re off on the right foot.
Gabe and Lydia opted to see each other before the wedding, so Rebekah went ahead and got a lot of the ‘formals’ out of the way. I snapped this one quickly in order to prove that I could get six children out of a group of seven to completely ignore me.
Mission accomplished.
Do you see what the flower girls are wearing? That’s right. Green tutus. Come on, it’s like they did the work for me!
After the ceremony, Rebekah got the wedding party to traipse out into a field with us for a few more photos. Please note the pink Gerbera daisies that the bridesmaids carried and that made up Lydia’s bouquet. This girl has style.
From the field we all went to the reception which was lovely and where they were serving very good coffee (important when driving home to Columbia after a long day of shooting). The usual festivities ensued, including, of course, the garter toss.
(He looks delighted with his victory.)
I had a great time at the wedding, so big thanks are due to Rebekah for inviting me and to Lydia, Gabe, and their families and friends for being so cool to hang out with. I have no doubt that Gabe and Lydia are going to have a fantastic marriage and I’m really honored to have been a part of its beginning.
Come back tomorrow as TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING continues…
Divided by Friday
Back in May I got a message from Jason (the awesome/lucky dude who recently married Britt) asking if I was able to photograph a band he manages. Thing is, they needed the pictures by the weekend in order to get them to their web designer. This happened to be during one of the busiest weeks of the year for me, and I honestly didn’t have time, but 1) Jason is a great guy, 2) I have a special place in my heart for bands generally, and especially those made up of high-schoolers, and 3) they play music with Christian themes that is actually really good.
They’re called Divided by Friday and they’re based in North Carolina, but this summer they’ll be playing in Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana as well as at the Cornerstone Festival in Illinois. Shooting them was pretty cool because my first real ‘photo shoot’ was for Luke Marr’s Unemployed Potential, the band of one of my former students. It was exciting to once again come up against the problem of how to shoot ‘a bunch of dudes’ and not fall into one of a half-dozen cliches employed over and over in band press photos but this time to have a lot more tools in my mental arsenal.
In any case, we squeezed the shoot in between school and another event that I had that evening so the band’s big photoshoot was with a guy wearing khakis and a tie. I’m sure that’s the way they pictured it–very rawk. In any case, they’re good guys and they play good music so check them out if they come to your town.
I absolutely love the lens flare in this image.
One of the questions I hear pretty frequently when taking group shots of guys is, “Are we smiling?”
Yup.
You’ve done it! You’ve made it half way through TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING or, if you haven’t read the other four posts, just scroll down or click on the banner up top…and then scroll down…or click on the tag below that says “TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING”. I’m all about options. Come back next week; there are two more weddings, two more moms-to-be, and a girl swimming in a pink ball gown.
I promise I am not making this up.
My favorite model
I had all ten (business) days of blogging planned out then Wendy had to go and get her hair cut and colored. So today we’re taking a break from the more ‘official’ work to show off my wife’s new hairstyle.
Wendy had gathered a few pictures that gave the direction she was looking for and took them to Laura at Urban Nirvana in Columbia. Laura took those different photos and came up with something awesome that Wendy and I love and I think suits her perfectly.
…yeah, she could only hold the serious face for so long.
Come back tomorrow; we’re not done by a long shot.
Danny & Becky: Married
Danny and Becky were married May 25th at the Corley Mill House & Garden in Lexington, South Carolina. Wendy and I photographed their joyous day along with our photographically and personally awesome brother-in-law Loren. (If you’re in the DC area and need a great photographer, he’s your man.)
Wendy started the day early, photographing the girls as they got ready at Becky’s place. Becky not only did her own makeup, but that of several of the bridesmaids as well.
Meanwhile, Loren and I headed to the Corley Mills House to photograph the guys finishing up their preparations and get a few shots of Danny with his groomsmen.
Finally, the big moment arrived. The ceremony was beautiful. Danny and Becky had written their own vows and immediately after exchanging rings they took communion together for the first time as husband and wife. It was absolutely lovely.
The reception was, like the reception of most Shack weddings, raucous and tons of fun. We especially appreciated the enthusiasm of the folks vying for the garter and bouquet.
Though everyone wanted to spend some time with the new couple, we managed to pull them aside for just a couple of minutes to get some shots of the two of them alone. How did they spend that time? Well…
When it was time for them to go, Becky and Danny’s guests sent them off in a hail of bubbles.
Finally, here’s the slideshow I promised yesterday. Give it a little time to buffer and I think you’ll enjoy some fantastic music along with some more of our favorite images from the wedding.
Danny and Becky’s Wedding Slideshow from J.P. Stephens on Vimeo.
Britt: Bridal
Britt married her sweetheart Jason last Friday, but before Jason got to see her walking down the aisle, Wendy and I got to spend a fantastic evening photographing her in all her bridal splendor.
Although we’d initially planned some outdoor shots, the weather didn’t cooperate, so we found ourselves shooting indoors at the gorgeous Inn at USC.
Britt’s dress was modeled after Belle’s from the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. She even had the shoulder straps added custom to complete the look. As awesome as that was, however, I was thrilled by her choice of footwear…
After we’d finished up at the inn, we decided to do a few simple shots, just to round out the night. Britt, though, is not only lovely, but a fantastic model, bringing serious style even to a simple gray backdrop.
Come back tomorrow as the TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING continues with a slideshow-licious treat!
