Posts Tagged ‘South Carolina’
Sarah & Kyle: Engagement Portraits
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.
Amie: Bridal Portraits
Amie is one of our beautiful brides who was married in June at the Corley Mill House. You might remember her from her engagement session with Chris, or perhaps as mamma of Sir Chubbs II. When we met Amie, we were overcome by her energy and enthusiasm–you simply cannot hang around her long without starting to feel like life is pretty awesome. As it happens, she’s also a great model, as you can see from her bridal portraits.
Amie is about to finish her Master’s degree in library science from USC. Given that Wendy and I are bibliophiles, it didn’t take us long to come up with the idea of photographing Amie in Thomas Cooper Library. Fortunately, both Amie and the staff there were amenable to it. If you happened to be studying the day we were there and were distracted by a lovely bride striking poses while we whispered direction to her, you’re welcome.
Books are fun!
The image below is one of our absolute favorites! Amie was so patient with us while we took her from pose to pose.
(Please note that we don’t generally advocate stepping on books, but this was a special occasion and Amie is dainty.)
Yup, we’re still in the library.
And now just outside the library.
Finally, we capped off the shoot by visiting the beautiful Inn at Claussen’s. The Inn has a special place in our hearts because it’s where Wendy and I spent our wedding night. The rooms are gorgeous and the folks who work there are great. If you want a place to get away while you’re in Columbia we highly recommend a stay there.
We had tons of fun capturing Amie’s bridal portraits! Be sure to come back soon to see images from her wedding, as well as more brides, babies, and other photogenic things!
Photo Booth: Alison & Hugo’s Wedding
At Alison and Hugo’s wedding, we set up a photo booth so that guests could take pictures of themselves for the newlyweds, and even add a message to them if they wanted. Since Wendy and I weren’t behind the camera for these, when we got home and loaded them on the computer most of the images were totally new to us. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!
Alison & Hugo: Charleston Wedding
Hugo and Alison were married on Father’s Day at Founders Hall at Charles Towne Landing which is an absolutely gorgeous venue in Charleston, SC. They planned an outdoor ceremony, so, predictably, it rained buckets roughly 45 minutes before the service, then the sun came out and dried everything up just in time for them to get started.
Wendy, as usual, started her day off with the girls…
…while I went over to Alison’s house where the guys were getting ready.
Hugo gave his groomsmen one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever seen: real books that had been hollowed out to contain a flask and a cup.
Wendy took this next photo so that Alison could see what the back of her hair looked like and whether there was enough baby’s breath in it. And you thought wedding photographers were just good for taking pictures!
I love this picture below on the right that Wendy got of Alison shortly after the rain ended. I think she captured the thankfulness that Alison was no doubt feeling beautifully.
So the guys packed up and headed to Founders Hall, which, have I mentioned, is gorgeous? Here’s the room where the girls were getting ready:
And here are the ladies, all ready to go.
Joie & Chris: Married
Summer is finally here, and you know what that means: a flood of blog posts from Lumos Studio! I’m not sure whether there will be another TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING, but it seems like a possibility right now.
To start with, we’re going to celebrate the wedding of Chris and Joie. These two were married on a beautiful (if famously hot) South Carolina day at the Seibels House and Garden. Chris and Joie are a fantastic couple and obviously overwhelmingly in love. Wendy and I both love the way they look out for each other, even if it meant Chris shooing us away so that he could have some alone with Joie before the wedding. And Joie–when she looks at Chris, you can just tell she has his back and that she knows that he has hers. They’re a beautiful pair.
Anyway, enough of my blathering. Here are the pictures!
(Don’t forget about the guys.)
I swear we did not set up these next two photos.
Chris and Joie opted to have a “first look” before the ceremony. That gave them a chance to spend a few moments alone together and gave us a chance to get these uninterrupted photos of the two of them seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day.
The party next moved on to the Columbia Museum of Art…
We don’t know exactly what was hanging from the ceiling, but it looked dangerous!
[Update: The chandelier is by artist Dale Chihuly, who looks fairly dangerous, himself.]
Chris dancing for joy at his good fortune in marrying Joie.
Chris and Joie, it was wonderful celebrating with you and your delightful family and friends. May you continue to delight and delight in one another for many, many years to come!
Lunch Money at RCPL
Last weekend, I joined the groupies of the coolest kids’ rock band around at one of the hippest locations in town. I’m talkin’ about Lunch Money, and I’m talkin’ about the Richland County Public Library. Seriously, how many single locations can you think of where your kid can (1) get story and sing-a-long time, (2) watch a play put on by local actors, and (3) hear an indie-rock concert all in one morning before you pick up your favorite brain candy on the way out? Oh yeah – and all of this is essentially for free, not to mention the bonus of a child ready for nap time once the excitement has come to an end. J.P. and I don’t have kids yet, but I’m taking notes.
Here’s Lunch Money. They will rock your socks off!
Senior Photos: Christy
Given that Wendy and I are both high school teachers, it’ might seem a little odd that we’d never done any senior photos before now. Maybe it’s because, for me, senior portraits always conjured up images of heading down to Olan Mills, putting on a dickie and tuxedo jacket several dozen guys had worn before me then tilting my head at an uncomfortable angle while trying to look natural.
That was not for us.
We decided that if we were going to take senior photos, we were going to make images that our clients could actually get excited about. We were going to make images that we could get excited about. As such, Christy was a wonderful first subject.
Apart from her other wonderful qualities, Christy has an awesome sense of style. It’s a good thing, because she’s looking at studying fashion marketing in college. Taking that into account, it only made sense to take her shoot in a fashion-y direction. I even asked her to practice making the faces that models do in fashion ads. I think she pulled it off magnificently!
So that’s senior session #1 from Lumos Studio. If you’re getting ready to be a senior and want something that’s a little more you than a black wrap and a canned smile drop us a line at info@lumosstudio.com and set up your session for this summer before your hair turns gray from filling out college and scholarship applications.
Our Anniversary/Wendy’s Birthday
You’re going to have to bear with me on this post, because it’s not a whole lot more than bragging. You see, I’m married to the most awesome woman on the face of the planet. Please don’t get me wrong–there are many awesome women on this planet–I just happen to be married to the most awesome of them all.
This past week, I got to celebrate this amazing woman and our marriage to one another. See, our anniversary was on Wednesday and Wendy’s birthday was on Thursday, meaning that, should I ever forget these dates, I am totally and completely doomed. No, I’m kidding, I have an amazingly patient and forgiving wife but I plan to never test her forgiveness that hard.
Anyway, we started out our anniversary in full wedding mode, with a bridal shoot with the lovely Joie (who you’ll meet next week) at the historic Seibels House and Garden. It’s a gorgeous site, which you can see from this quick snap I took of Wendy while testing light.
After our shoot, we were trying to decide on a place to eat our anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, we were both pretty stuffed up (pollen, anyone?) and didn’t really want to splurge on a fancy meal that we might or might not be able to taste. What to do? Eat at Blue Cactus, of course! Let me be clear–we chose Blue Cactus not because they’re not delicious, but because the way they cook, we knew we’d be able to taste it.
So yeah, in short, there were photos, there were gifts, there was food. It was a good day.
Thursday was set aside for us to celebrate, so there were…more gifts, more photos, and more food. This is Wendy in her new camera t-shirt:
In the photo we’re on our way to the McCutchen House for lunch. If you’ve never eaten there, you must remedy that soon. The food is delicious and the restaurant is staffed by USC students from the School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management who must be getting graded on their performance because the service is excellent. The McCutchen House is also where Wendy and I had our wedding reception. This visit wasn’t quite as exciting as that one, but we did actually get to eat this time.
There is no explanation for these next photos except that my wife is beautiful and we were messing around:
(I wish Wendy had told me how flat my hair was.)
(Did I mention that the McCutchen House has some great light?)
“Ooh! A brick wall!”
So, after eating and playing around USC, we went shopping so that Wendy could spend a little of her birthday money. I know you’re dying to know what she bought, but hang on!
Finally, we wrapped up our celebration of our anniversary and Wendy’s birthday by treating ourselves to…another photoshoot! This one was at The Inn at Claussen’s–the place we spent our wedding night–and Wendy busted our her birthday purchases:
And if you think blondes have more fun, you haven’t seen anything yet:
So yeah, that’s my wife.
I am more grateful than I can express to have had the joy of spending the last three years of my life with her. She is my constant inspiration and the love of my life. Thank you for three amazing years, Baby, and happy birthday!
Ashley + Blake: Wedding Teasers
This Saturday, Wendy and I got to photograph the wedding of Ashley and Blake. Ashley found out about us from Tracie, whose wedding to Phil was the very first post on this blog. To really bring things full circle, Ashley’s dad performed Tracie and Phil’s ceremony, but this time he stuck to giving away his daughter.
There’s more to come, but here are a few teasers from the wedding.
Family Photography: David & Susan Faith
This is an especially special post for me because I absolutely adore the people and the story behind it. OK, so take a look at David and it’s pretty clear that he’s adorable:
Yeah, I told ya’.
What’s not readily apparent is that David was born with a large ventricular septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus–congenital heart defects that kept his blood from circulating properly and, thus, kept his body from getting the oxygen it needed. This was keeping him from growing the way he ought to. Fortunately, at the end of October, David went down to the Medical University of South Carolina where they were able to surgically repair the problems with his heart. This little guy was bathed in a lot of prayer and, as you can see, he’s coming along quite nicely now.
While recovering from his surgery, David wasn’t able to go out in public, and as I followed his story I kept wanting to see better pictures of him, so I got in touch with his mom, Melissa, a friend of mine from back when I was in high school, and asked if she’d like Wendy and I to get some pictures of David and his big sister, Susan Faith. She liked the idea, and so here are the photos!
This is Susan Faith with her mom. She has the cutest little nose!
Susan Faith and her dad.
Boys + bonnets = unhappiness
Finally, I thought I’d close with a shot of what David’s parents call his “zipper”, the scar from the surgery that has allowed him to grow and develop those adorable rolls you see over the top of his diaper.
To learn more about David’s story and the wonderful people at MUSC who helped to make it one with a very happy ending, I suggest you check out his Caring Bridge site. His mom also has a new blog about children, books, and children’s books called Growing Up Reading. (Susan Faith taught herself to read before she was twenty-one months old, so I’d say Melissa is someone’s advice you might want to consider when it comes to children’s literacy.)
Wendy and I are so thankful to have gotten to play a tiny part in David’s story and we look forward to seeing the wonderful young man he’s going to become.
Thanks for hanging out with us for this week of blogging! There are some cool photos in the pipeline and two shoots coming up this month we’re really excited about, so check back soon!
Snow in Columbia!
We got snow! Snow!
Yes, on Tuesday night a tiny dusting of snow fell on us here in Columbia, SC. Many of us stayed up late constantly refreshing the school closings page on WISTV.com, only to be met with sadness and frustration. Still, it was a nice reminder of the snow we had in February, and so I thought today I’d post a few pictures Wendy and I took back then.
There aren’t a whole lot of pictures because (1) while I can handle the cold and wet it doesn’t seem ideal for cameras and (2) it’s all well and good to take pictures, but when you get snow in Columbia it’s important to put the camera down and play in it, so that’s what we did.
Since most of us in South Carolina aren’t very familiar with snow, I’ve prepared a brief primer on proper snow behavior. Let’s start with Snow 101: Snowflake catching.
Next, stand in awe upon realizing that it’s actually snowing.
Next, simply delight in the snow.
After that, realize you’re freezing because you have no clothing appropriate for snow and go inside.
Finally, after you’ve had a chance to warm up, forget that you have no appropriate clothing, raid your kitchen, and go outside and build a snowman.
Our snowman featured a real corn-cob pipe (well, a real corn-cob left over from Chili’s, anyway), a cucumber nose, and two eyes (and a mouth) made out of coffee beans. We felt he represented us well.
We hope our fellow South Carolinians enjoyed the snow and that you’ll all come back tomorrow for the Friday edition of FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING.
Candide
Friday before last Wendy and I had the pleasure of attending a production of Candide put on by the Alliance Française de Columbia. From their web page:
The Alliance Française is a worldwide non-profit organization founded in Paris in 1883. It is part of a network of over 1,000 chapters in 133 countries. In the United States, the Alliance Française counts more than 140 locations…The mission of The Alliance is to encourage the study of the French language and the various cultures of French-speaking countries and, more specifically, to foster friendly relations between the French-speaking and American peoples.
For those unfamiliar, Candide was written by Voltaire and ridicules the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The play was performed entirely in French, which means that Wendy enjoyed the subtlety of the satire while I laughed when someone died in an especially comic way. All told, though, it was a lot of fun, with flying sheep, horses whose galloping sounded suspiciously like coconuts, and a hero who saves the girl, even though she’s gotten very, very ugly.
If you are a student of French or are simply interested in French culture, get in touch with the Alliance and get involved, and be sure to keep your eyes out for another performance next year!
Here are a few shots we took of the magnificent cast.
At last, we meet our daring hero Candide…and his flying sheep.
And finally, the entire cast of Candide.
Thanks for sticking around for the third day of the FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING. There are two more days to go, and I hope you’ll join us for both of them. See you tomorrow!
Greg and Leah: South Carolina Wedding
We’ve had a really busy couple of months here at Lumos Studio, filled with bridal shows, the Professional Photographers of South Carolina convention, and lots and lots of photography. Unfortunately, that means the blog hasn’t gotten the attention it has deserved. The good news is that this week we’re having FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING! Check back tomorrow and for the next three days after that for a constantly-updated stream of photography.
We’re starting the week off with an awesome wedding from back in January. You should remember Leah and Greg from their engagement session and from Leah’s bridal session. This was an incredibly special wedding for me not only because Leah is a former student of mine, but because not one, not two, but three of her bridesmaids are my former students! Add to that the fact that I teach with both of her parents, and that everybody involved is simply a whole lot of fun, and, well, we had an amazing time. Check it out.
Leah and Greg were married in Greenwood, SC, so Wendy and I started out the day by driving out to the church to get a look around and scout locations. It turns out that Leah was there dropping off her dress, so we also took that time to get a few shots of the dresses and other accoutrements.
After photographing a few of the details, Wendy went to photograph Leah and her bridesmaids getting ready while I got the guys.
I absolutely love this photo of Leah that Wendy grabbed before the ceremony.
Finally, it was time for the ceremony.
Wendy and I think that a wedding ceremony is one of the most beautiful symbols of love that exists. Sadly, not everyone can work up the level of excitement about them that we have.
Next, we moved on to the reception, which was held at the Sundance Gallery which belongs to Jon Holloway, who is not only an amazing photographer, but a very gracious guy.
The food at the reception was not only beautiful…
…it was delicious.
From there on out, everybody pretty much just had an awesome time.
Leah’s brother and sister-in-law apparently thought the whole affair was very romantic.
…fortunately, so did Greg and Leah.
What would a wedding post be without a good sword photo?
…or the grandmother with the beer can pyramid?
…or one last dance with the girls before departing.
And goodnight everybody!
We wish Leah and Greg the absolute best in their new life together!
We’re only on day one of the FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING, so check back all this week for kids, actors, and even…web developers?
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!
Baby Pictures: Sophia
The last time we saw Sophia was in Wendy’s maternity session when she was rounder and not nearly as expressive.
Now Sophia has joined us on the outside and is busy growing, eating, and generally being adorable. Her mom got in touch with us about taking some baby photos of her and we were more than happy to oblige.
Like I said, significantly more expressive.
Sophia is very fond of her changing table. Wendy (my Wendy) and I were very fond of the green wall as a background!
We decided to spend a little time outside since it was a gorgeous, warm, South Carolina November day.
Even Sophia’s canine siblings hung out with us for the shoot.
Then, since the sun was starting to set, we went inside for a few more pictures.
One more change, during which Sophia tried to eat her mom’s ring.
Speaking of eating, I believe the technical term for what’s going on in this next picture is “Nom, nom, nom.”
Now that’s just cute. I don’t care who you are.
We had a great time spending the afternoon with Wendy, Anthony, and Sophia. Apart from just being delightful to hang out with, Anthony shared his recipe for white beans and leeks with me and they were delicious. So, cute baby, cool parents, and yummy soup all add up to a pretty fantastic day. Thanks, guys!
Amie & Chris: Engaged
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
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
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!
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!
