Monthly Archives: June 2009

Some papparazzi photos surfaced of Todd & Candrea…

But I have those for ransom in a secret location b/c of these ‘tough economic times’. Let’s just say a crutch to fall back on. But In the meantime we have LOADS of photos from the wedding.  I am prob going to post too many images.. but Candrea’s friends and family have been so nice to send me comments and ask me to post more so I wanted to post a few more than usual… Just like any good puppy, if you get praise.. you do the good deeds.

Couple things first.  I want to tell you about LinkedIn . It’s a networking community to connect and get/give recommendations. I am there so come and link in to me. If I’ve shot your wedding and have been happy w your results, give me a recommendation. If you hated the job I did at your wedding.. well, you can just send me a nastygram instead. OUCH!

You can also find me on facebook.  I have a fan page where I post tips and information daily.   Any advice or recommendations you want to throw my way, you are welcome to add to my wall.  Ideas are communal. You guys are very resourceful so throw whatever you come across my way for another bride to benefit from or spawn another idea. 

And Mark Sanford. Sigh! Come on already!

/end of that rant before it begins.

Now, YAY! Candrea and Todd and some background info. 

I used to work with Candrea a long time ago, back in the day! I was thrilled she asked me to do her wedding.  I really had an advantage with her b/c I knew her so well. I knew what she liked and didn’t, and we could be open with each other about many things. At first she wasn’t sure about her engagement images b/c her nor Todd had really never had photos taken before.. so it was tough for them to see themselves in the images.  Here’s one on flickr .  And, I prob. shocked the stuffing out of her when I had them HORIZONTAL in the sand rolling around. Listen, that’s my goal ALL the time. The words I hear w my work.. Romantic, Sexy, Inspiring… I have a rep to live up to!!

I love how Erica was fanning out her dress and I got the movement. I love movement in photos, whereas some people thing they are flawed.. I actually do it intentionally most of the time. I love the human element of being moving it gives to the images.

 

If you’ve been on FB lately.. this is all redundant and you’ve seen some of these. But these are some of my favs.  The wedding was held at Dunes West . I had shot there once before but I quickly recalled why it was one of my favorite places to shoot. The sun goes down over the water behind this amazing oak tree with spanish moss being a careful attendant applauding in the wind.. it is really a majestic location….

They have this amazing window there and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I love this one of her…

Candrea’s G’ma and her reaction to seeing her in the dress. How cute is that?

I love Todd’s laugh. He is such a gentle kind BIG HUGE guy! He has a sincere warmth to him and I love that we caught this laugh of his. I couldn’t be happier for Candrea that she finally found the Ball to her Goof. I totally stole that from e harmony.

I had my wonderful second shooter, Virgil Bunao available to help who went to school with Todd so it was kind of fun for him and felt like a reunion of sorts. And Jim is of course sweating like a mad man with me, but there by my side the whole time. Thanks to the both of you. 

And, I just couldn’t get over how Candrea eagerly shared the stage w so many GORGEOUS bridesmaids. Holy SCHNIKES!!! Look how beautiful these girls are… 

I always ask my brides if we run short on time – what images are MOST important to them. Candrea has always had so many friends that I knew her answer would be her bms and gm, which have been good friends of them both for several years. So although they are time consuming, esp with large groups…. they are worth it. These are some of the favorited images.

I just can’t get over the wisp of flying hair on the far left corner of this image. Cracks me up!!

Candrea was telling me over one of our business meetings over margaritas (ahem) that her colors were apple green and yellow. I really wasn’t sure at the time how that would look together, I wasn’t reserving judgement but it just sounded unusual. But lo and behold. The colors were fresh and cheery and I love the girls dresses AND that she let them choose either strapless or straps. I really think she did a great job of visualizing her colors and making it all come together!!

Me and this lighting!! Which is new for me…….so I can’t get enuf of it. I love how dramatic and hollywood it looks. I usually don’t do much glam unless we are doing boudoirs… so this is my homage to glam photos.  What do you guys think? Do you like it?

Todd and his mom. I love how big and happy her smile is. ;)

Candrea and her pops minus the fab lighting. ( you miss it don’t you? ) see.

The END.  

 

Congrats Todd and Candrea. I love you both. And I will certainly, absolutely take you up on the offer to go boating!! As soon as I get some weekend time.

Don’t forget to come see me on my fb page and LinkedIn. Even better, write a testimonial and let other brides know I do ‘meh, okay work’.  I was shocked to find out how many people check out reviews and testimonials before they hire wedding professionals, but it makes perfect sense and I would do the same.

Well, this blog has taken me a mere 6 hours so I’m outta here for tonight and will be back next Wednesday for another……..

HUMPDATE!!!! MUAH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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September 9, 2009 - 1:17 pm

Bill Bartmann - Great site…keep up the good work.

Lis and Gene

Happy Humpdate to all.  What a whirlwind June will have been. It’s so amazing how fast time goes by when you are busy.  I have had some amazing weddings! AMAZING. What makes a wedding Amazing? The people. The atmosphere, the flow of the day. Cake. Great shots. Time. Great shoes. Fun, Funky things to keep me from taking the same shots. Stimulation. Tequila. 

Now, no joke. It’s been hot as hades – I have one coming up Saturday the forecast says it is supposed to be 99 degrees and that’s w/o the heat index. {{ smile }} – darn good thing that Charleston is a beautiful city b/c summer is hell!

So let’s talk about Lis and Gene’s wedding:

First of all vendors involved -

Cake:

http://www.rococogermanbakery.com/

Flowers:

http://www.framptonsflowers.com/

Reception Location:

Doubletree Charleston 

 

First of all, let me reminisce of what I remember most. Flowers – I thought her flowers looked so pretty and delicate that they belonged on a cloud with angels. I also remember the warmth of her family. Her dad was beaming every time I saw him. I remember LOTS and LOTS of smiles at this wedding. Sometimes I know people can get stressed  over the festivities –  but I think it was well known throughout what a wonderful gathering of people they love instead of worry about the minor details. There wasn’t one time that Lis wasn’t aware of it being a wonderfully great day.

 

They had a bag piper that led all the guests to the reception. How freaking cool is that? I mean, WOW! What a way to announce your love to the city of Charleston!

This was my favorite shot of the day.  A carriage? A bagpiper? It was such a fairytale.  I couldn’t resist this shot. And as many times as I got up and down in the carriage.. I should have quads of steel. I saw this wonderfully warm orange light peering around the buildings and knew I had to get this.

I also love this shot. This church is a great church to shoot at. It’s really gothic and has this eerie ethereal feel to it.  First Scots on Meeting Street in Charleston. 

What was exceptional about Lis is she was always aware of the camera. I loved it how she peeked over at me right before walking down the aisle. How cute is this shot?

I love to second shoot and I love having second shooters to help each other out. It’s fun working with new people and seeing how they work and learning from each other. For this wedding, I had 

Gwyneth Colleen  from New Hampshire come down and shoot with me. She is a really great photographer and I was really happy to have her come down for Lis’s wedding. 

Gorgeous bridesmaids.

The guys were kind of in a hurry. To get to the beer. 

I know you are seeing a trend… but I really like playing with light.. I love how it burst between them and highlights their silhouette. This lighting is really cool and it’s not the lighting you see run of the mill. This is hollywood glam effect. 

 

And b/c I have a MILLION grand images. I have to keep them/you wanting more so for tonight I shall sleep.

Congrats Lis and Gene. I hope you had fun in the Dominican. You are certainly friends of mine and I wish you the best of luck. Jim told me to tell you Lis that there wasn’t one time he put the camera on you that you weren’t glistening with delight. What a thrill for us to witness! xoxo

Until next week.

 

 

 

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June 22, 2009 - 5:37 pm

Curtis Copeland - Nice wedding photos. Very creative. Love the starburst background. Thanks for sharing!

Wendi and Tom Got Married~~~

This past Saturday at Magnolia Plantation . They were calling for Rain, and earlier that day.. it came down pretty heavy.. but sticking with normal Charleston standards, it came and went in Godspeed. We slushed around and though my pants were covered in mud, it was a great wedding and we had lots of fun, oh and we happened to get a few good pics as well.

 

 

Flowers are by Bloom . And I thought they did a fabulous job with the flower arrangements. Cake is from Publix. And once again. I didn’t get to taste it. It was beautiful.   Catering was furnished by Carolina Caterers.

Magnolia has a Bridal Cottage that is newly renovated and really warm and cozy. I usually don’t prefer shooting indoors b/c of all the distractions, but this one and only time.. the room was an accessory and not a distraction! Hallelujah. Most bridal dressing rooms aren’t so great. So I have to give props, this was def the BEST I’ve ever seen. ;)

The mirrors were all around for added light and kept getting great shots everywhere I turned. 

Tom getting his GQ on.

And Wendi getting hers on. Ok, so I will be HONEST here. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her hair piece which were delicate white flowers. I don’t know what kind of flowers, but they were simply pristine. AND, I’m a fan of her gown, it is cut so beautifully on her and on a personal level I really love classic designs and her gown is very classic. Good pick, Wendi. Looked amazing on you. 

I got to spend some extra time w the boys and I love doing groom and groomal party shots. The guys are there to party. And they bring the entertainment every time!

They both are super good looking and photograph so well. Oh, lucky me!! ;)

Tom and Wendi met ahead of time to conserve time and I love when I get to be that up close and personal to their reactions to each other. That really is an emotional moment to witness. My heart always smiles really big although I’m clicking away!

And I can’t ever get over grandparents getting down and shaking loose. I love how much fun she is having.. look at her face. I happen to love my older folks and love getting the pictures of them having the time of their life. 

That’s how photojournalism works. You make great animated expressions. I catch them. 

I’m always trying to use the ring for as many variables as I can. I love her reflection. ;)

Jim is an official hand model. Or thumb model. 

And nothing beats good old cigars for the boys. I love the smokyness and how it holds the light around it. Pretty cool. Well, I could go on and on, as I got lots of good images from the day. Tom and Wendi, best of luck to you. I feel damn lucky to know and to have met you and I hope we continue to stay in touch. Have fun in Cancun and I’m sorry we weren’t able to stuff me in the suitcase like we planned. Next time. ;)

Until next week’s humpdates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hump Dates

Well, color me pink and call me consistent. I’m on time with my humpdate.  Woo hoo.

 First, I will yawn you to death with some boring whatevers about the newest and the latests in the life of…… you guessed it.

I am bringing on an assistant to help my already crazy life. I hope this person will be able to keep up with the quirks that I don’t want to have to keep up with.  I want them to be all around Wonderful, Truthful, Honest, have Integrity and Loyalty to the business I’ve created. That’s primarily important to me.  My work is trainable but I can’t train someone to be a good person and that is a MUST for my business. So, keep sending those vibes my way !!! Can you just keep including me in your prayers constantly? I’m sure there will always be something I can use a talk to the Angels about. Just make yourself a default prayer.. ‘God, I know that Tomme is out there somewhere and she is sure to need something or the other.. do you mind helping her out a little?’ I thank you kindly in advance. 

I also wanted to let you know that most bridal publications won’t accept work submitted BY photographers to publish. They will only accept submissions by brides. Hint, Hint. Free advertising! And would be cool to put magazine postings in all your neighbors mailboxes.. I’m sure they had no ideal how cool you really were. 

Por ejemplo: The Knot, Modern Bride, Charleston Weddings, Offbeat Brides, and the list goes on and on…

And now, today’s post  is brought to you by the ‘Can’t wait to play with more of my lighting photography sensei’…… and let’s showcase Emily and Ben. Who’s wedding was at Folly Beach, SC. 

Once again, Emily and Ben gave me so much time to do photos of them and were so patient, that I have Sooo many photos that are AWESOME, that this isn’t even a small percentage of them… woot, woot. I got to play and use some different lighting to shake things up for myself.. and in the process, I hope they love their story retold through my eyes. xoxo

 

Shoes !!!!!  Whether it’s rhinestones, or a broach, or just ANY kind of flair. I’ve always thought accessories add such a punch, so don’t forget your shoes!  Emily and Ben’s saying to one another is they love each other to the moon…  How touching is it they have this saying together? Love that. 

These are the details from the day. I was in rush mode and forgot to taste the cake. But it looked good!

We decided to meet beforehand to utilize time.  

The sun was going down and I was running out of time fast!!! … I don’t often get rings that have a shiny surface, most are a brushed metal, so I had to go with this one even tho there was almost zero lighting left. I had to get Emily reflected in the ring. Valiant effort!

Let’s not be naive. Group shots can be tough. They really used to be MY LEAST favorite part of a wedding.. groups can be hard and that’s no secret – people wander off, they aren’t happy about taking pics in the first place, but I made a pact w myself LONG ago that I wouldn’t let it defeat me and I’d  try to make it fun for everyone — I know it’s the least favorite part of the wedding– having to cheese for the cam. Why not make it as fun as we can. So, make sure your family is wanting to have a little fun and if they are stiff and squeeze their buttcheeks together too tight all too often then let me know and we will olan mills them… ;)

Me, playing with light. In the dark. And you thought there were only a few crazy things to do in the dark, you pervert! 

They rented and stayed at the coolest beach house. It really had great lighting. Look how soft and warm it looks.. good job, guys. I’m sure when you were renting beach houses, you were thinking about me and the great lighting and that’s why you chose the house you did. I really appreciate that. 

And this was the last shot I got of the night. I was playing w my remote lights and it was PITCH black – I was trying to set up poses in the complete dark… so until the image was captured I had no idea how this looked. I was amazed. I LOVE this shot. I have SEVERAL, SEVERAL favorites of the night.. but this was a happy accident. 

Love you guys Ben and Emily. I am so glad I got to spend your day with you and our relationship is by far from over… thank goodness, generally I get all choked up when it’s a done deal w my brides. 

As for me… I will see you next week. 

xoxoxo

 

 

 

 

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June 3, 2009 - 10:51 pm

natalie - oh oh oh! Her bouquet has branches!!!! So happy to see another bride doing this.

T w e e t
F a c e b o o k
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