Posts Tagged ‘USC’
Engagement Session: Brian and Sara
When I moved back to Columbia for my Master’s, Brian was one of the first new friends I made. That’s probably because he was one of the few people who spent as much time in Cool Beans as I did. It’s also because we fall easily into lengthy conversations that span topics ranging from literature to educational theory to whether the latest superhero movie is likely to be any good. I didn’t meet Sara until much later, but I taught with her (awesome) mom for several years. In fact, after Brian and Sara had been dating a while, her mom asked my opinion on Brian. (Don’t worry, Brian, I gave you a good review!)
Let’s talk about the lovely couple, though. First off, I think that they may have the best jobs of any couple we’ve photographed so far. Brian is a writer/professor. No, really, a real writer. He’s on Amazon and everything. (By the way, that link leads to his novel Through a Pale Door. The protagonist’s name in that novel? Sarah. Yeah, there’s an ‘h’ at the end, but I’m assuming that’s a typesetting error. Did I mention that he wrote Through a Pale Door a few years before he met Sara? Or that the protagonist of the first novel of his that I ever read was named Sarah? I’m not saying Brian is prescient or anything, but…) Anyway, I’m kind of disappointed that he didn’t show up for the engagement session in a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches, but it was a good reminder to me to always consult on wardrobe.
Sara, on the other hand, works with monkeys, apes, and small mammals, which you’ll know, if you’ve ever taught, is pretty much just like teaching. Hah! I kid! (Not really.)
But yeah, I definitely picture the two of them teaming up, getting some grant money, and finally finding out just how many monkeys typing it takes to produce the Twilight series*.
We finished up the shoot in Cool Beans, because love goes better with coffee…
…and Battlestar Galactica reenactments.
*(I’m kidding, of course. Everyone knows the answer is three monkeys, plus a bottle of cheap gin.)
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Engagement Session: Brian and Sara
When I moved back to Columbia for my Master’s, Brian was one of the first new friends I made. That’s probably because he was one of the few people who spent as much time in Cool Beans as I did. It’s also because we fall easily into lengthy conversations that span topics ranging from literature to educational theory to whether the latest superhero movie is likely to be any good. I didn’t meet Sara until much later, but I taught with her (awesome) mom for several years. In fact, after Brian and Sara had been dating a while, her mom asked my opinion on Brian. (Don’t worry, Brian, I gave you a good review!)
Let’s talk about the lovely couple, though. First off, I think that they may have the best jobs of any couple we’ve photographed so far. Brian is a writer/professor. No, really, a real writer. He’s on Amazon and everything. (By the way, that link leads to his novel Through a Pale Door. The protagonist’s name in that novel? Sarah. Yeah, there’s an ‘h’ at the end, but I’m assuming that’s a typesetting error. Did I mention that he wrote Through a Pale Door a few years before he met Sara? Or that the protagonist of the first novel of his that I ever read was named Sarah? I’m not saying Brian is prescient or anything, but…) Anyway, I’m kind of disappointed that he didn’t show up for the engagement session in a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches, but it was a good reminder to me to always consult on wardrobe.
Sara, on the other hand, works with monkeys, apes, and small mammals, which you’ll know, if you’ve ever taught, is pretty much just like teaching. Hah! I kid! (Not really.)
But yeah, I definitely picture the two of them teaming up, getting some grant money, and finally finding out just how many monkeys typing it takes to produce the Twilight series*.
We finished up the shoot in Cool Beans, because love goes better with coffee…
…and Battlestar Galactica reenactments.
*(I’m kidding, of course. Everyone knows the answer is three monkeys, plus a bottle of cheap gin.)
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Kendra – Bridal Portraits
Happy new year!
The Lumos Studio blog has languished for far too long, and so, as a new year dawns, we’re returning to the web with a vengeance. We have a year’s worth of beautiful brides, cute couples, bouncing babies, wonderful weddings, and annoying alliteration to share with you, dear reader. But it’s not just photographs we have to share. Oh no! There will be glimpses behind the curtain at Lumos Studio, tips and tricks, and perhaps the occasional philosophical musing. So, as you plan for this new year, ripe with possibilities, we hope that you’ll include coming along with us on our journey and saying “hi” from time to time.
The first stop on our adventure takes us back to March, when we took these photos of Kendra around the campus of the University of South Carolina. I’ve known Kendra’s family since high school and even taught with her mom for a time. They’re a great family that turns out beautiful, sweet daughters like it’s their job.
I have a confession to make about this next photo: I didn’t think we could pull it off. My lovely wife Wendy, though, was more confident in my abilities than I was and gracefully persuaded me to keep working with it until we captured this frame. I suspect the little jig I danced when I looked at the back of the camera suggested to her that she was right all along, but a little public validation never hurts, does it?
Kendra had a long and gorgeous veil that I think gave an air of mystery to these photos.
It always feels good to repose after a long shoot in a fairly heavy dress. The Inn at USC is one great place in Columbia to find that.
Wendy and I hope that your new year is filled with joy and beauty that is uninterrupted by the Mayan calendar. There’s lots more coming up, so please join us on Wednesday for our next post!
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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!
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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!
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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!
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