The tent is so romantic and cozy and they seemed so at ease together, it just fit perfectly into plan. If I had to camp, this is the way I’d want to go – Chandelier, Russian Christmas Ornaments, Moroccan tapestries, soft pink touches, and a few vintage items from this couple’s family to make it their own. Camping USED to be a man’s world, but somehow I feminized it with soft hues and pastels, now the girls want to just hang out there. I LOVE THE TENT!! Whenever I put it up, each time it’s just a little different than the last, I keep saying to myself – give me a space heater and I may never go back into the house again!

I’m always willing to do more tent sessions, for some reason, right now – they are my favorite thing to be shooting. I enjoy doing the set design & watching it unfold, then toss in a GORGEOUS couple and WHAaaaaatTT? You’ve got a magazine ad in the making!

Take a look and leave the couple some comments and love!

Until next time! xoblog bloga blogb blogd blogdd blogddd blogdddd bloge blogf blogg bogc DSC_9164mm DSC_9181m DSC_9207m DSC_9273m DSC_9296m DSC_9329m DSC_9337m DSC_9371m DSC_9421m DSC_9438m DSC_9463m DSC_9485n DSC_9490m DSC_9587m DSC_9610m DSC_9629m DSC_9636m

I personally had a REALLY hard time picking photos for this blog. EVERY photo I took was A W E S O M E !! And while this is good for you,  the client, it’s an editing nightmare for me and Erica! I guess I won’t say nightmare, but when you have sometimes a thousand or more images to wade through and they are all GOOD (You can’t BEAR to hit the delete button on any of them) – it gets tedious,  your eyes begin to cross,  you need more coffee refills,  your cat decides to sit on your laptop and interrupt your flow……and…..and soon you find yourself hitting your head against the wall nearest to you. Needless to say – I gave myself a high five for all the good images that came from our evening together.

Cheryl wrote up a little quip about her and Josh and this is what she wanted to share.

Josh and I crossed paths many times in our lives, We use to have a running joke that one of us was indeed following the other.  As a teenager I started working at a local restaurant and was shocked when once again Josh came walking through the door looking for a summer job. For the next two years we worked together side by side and our friendship slowly turned into more. On our first date we went to the beach and ended up staying the entire night talking about our past and what we wanted for the future. In such a short period of time we made  such a strong unbreakable bond. I felt like I truly found my best friend and soul mate that night and for the next 6 years we’ve shared our love of travel and he has encouraged me to follow my dreams of opening the business I fantasized about since childhood. On January 23rd 2010 on vacation at the beautiful 7 mile beach in Grand Cayman, Josh got down on one knee and proposed! As soon as we returned home I immediately knew Charleston was where I wanted our day to be captured. It was a place we’ve spent so many Sundays just strolling the streets and building unforgettable memories and it truly proved to be the right choice. Thank you Tomme for making photos we will cherish for a lifetime. aq asmall asmall1 asmall2 asmall3 asmall4 asmall5 asmall6 asmall7 asmall8 asmall9 asmall10 asmall11 asmall13 asmall14 asmall15 asmall16 asmall17 asmall18 asmall19 asmall20 asmall21 asmall22 asmall23 asmall24 asmall25 asmall26 asmall27 asmall28 ay azx b bc bd be bf bg ca cb cc ce cf cs cx da db dd We wish you the best! Thank you for choosing THG, it was so memorable to meet you both and can’t wait to watch your family grow! – Love, Tomme

*email us at gallery.tommehilton@gmail.com for more information.

…

Having planned the wedding on my own, I was very conscious of what I could spend my money on and what I needed to cut back on:  The dress (a must!), the food (of course), drinks (a given) and location, décor, flowers…it all adds up.  Photography ranked up there in the top 5 must haves but as a young girl I never dreamt of what I wanted out of my wedding pictures…until I saw Tomme Hilton’s work.  I fell in love with the photography at first sight.  She has a touch of class, a bit of edginess and an artsy feel to her pictures that I did not see in other photographers.  I had no hesitation in hiring her.

Having been only an attendee at weddings a handful of times over the years, I had no idea what I was in for when I decided to plan this wedding on my own.  EVERYTHING went wrong.  The dress didn’t fit, the caterers cancelled, my flowers were the wrong color AND…the limo broke down.  Everything that could go wrong…did.  Except for the photography.   Tomme was on time…and prepared.  She had hangers and backdrops, lighting, everything ready to go.  I didn’t realize how much I would appreciate this except that everything else was wrong…she was the one thing I did not have to micromanage and ‘fix’ that night.

I remember when first meeting Tomme, her words were “We will spend a lot of time together on that day, you need to make sure you like me because I will be in your face all day”.  Of course I liked Tomme immediately, her bubbly personality and persona are so charismatic, you can’t help but feel at ease.  And as for the day of the event… she was right, she was following me all day!  To this day I cannot thank her more!  Tomme and her team worked hard.  My wedding was on a hot, balmy June evening and Tomme worked her butt off.  She was covered in sweat and still had the ability to catch the scenery of the event and angles in the evening light.  The pictures are gorgeous and will live forever.  She captured scenes throughout the night that show the elegance, the romance and the love that is so often felt, but rarely seen in the pictures.  The photography is GORGEOUS.  She captured the details of the wedding day, but more importantly, she captured the romance around it.  I will continue to recommend her to my newly engaged friends and to rehire her when the time comes.

Ultimately, the wedding dress was custom altered and delivered to me the day before the wedding,  a friend recommended Iverson catering who worked their schedule to fit me in on a busy Saturday in June (did I mention ONE week before the event!! – and the food was wonderful!) and the limo service ultimately had a similar car they offered for a portion of the night.

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In looking back at all of the stress and commotion of the day…I can only remember the words of one of my friends when reminiscing of the pictures.  To quote “ She captured the moment of the wedding, not just the pictures”.

…

We are so thankful to have had such a wonderful daring couple! After a little over 5 years in the business, I finally got to see a couple JUMP into a pool at the end of the night! I must say, it was HOT and a wonderful way to cool down!

Thanks Kelly and Jay! We cannot wait to see you two grow as a couple! Hope to see you again down the road!

xo,

tomme and erica.

STAY TUNED for more weddings!

If you have not entered for the FREE wedding package, do so now!!

But I’m facing dilemmas I want to try to change. I feel myself most drawn to the personal blogs where the writers speak candidly and freely about their lives.  So in the same ways those writers are able to pull me into their world and embody me with interest – I want to allow myself to be more personalized, which is hard for me. I’ve had to be the strong, silent stable figure for much of my life but this is something that needs to change. I just visited a shaman, of sorts who told me I needed to live an authentic life and this is where I intend to start. Letting some of my fearful walls down. Boy, aren’t you in for a treat?

These writers I love -their words flow freely without fear – for they are who they are, they know themselves — never flinching in the shadows.  They make no excuses – I find that is so refreshing in a world saturated with political correctness and those whom find power sitting behind their computers.  One of the biggest inspirations was a friend I had met on Flickr, Jessica Weiser (http://www.fideliophotography.com/). She used to post these really amazing photographs and then have amazing stories to coincide with them. Which for me, not being as great with the word ADORED the fact that she felt so at ease to write about her life and her hardships throughout her life. I instantly liked and connected with her.  I don’t even think I’ve ever even told her that, but this is a great example in life that you may not ever have any idea that you have an impact on someone – when in all actuality you do. Do you know that person who has inspired you or gave you insight? Do you have that person or one of many people that have shaped you or continue to mold you?  I have many people but Jessica is certainly one of them.  Which this in turn leads me to Ashley.

I will be shooting a wedding with an upcoming photographer, who had some really amazing friends that thought *SO* highly of her – they bought her ME. Ok, let me back that up a bit – that sounds ODD… Ashley loves photography and her friends love HER so much, they wanted to push her and have her learn. She was turned onto my work through a friend of a friend kind of thing and I think she found an affinity and kinship  in my work. They wrote me and hired me to mentor Ashley. When I first met Ashley, we spoke briefly at LaHacienda over a couple margaritas (I instantly liked a fellow margarita lover) and I decided that instead of being much of an instructor in life. I’m a do-er.  I tend to be the verb instead of the noun. So she had her own wedding coming up to shoot. Tomorrow actually that I will be helping with.

It’s always fun to second shoot a wedding and get to tap into your creative self when you find yourself getting stale. I try to get as creative as possible in most situations, but when you get 15 minutes to do photos at a wedding,  you end up pulling out the traditional gotta- haves. That’s not inspiring, but actually stifling to a creative mind wanting to expand and <CREATE>.  So while second shooting, you get to do NOTHING but be CREATIVE. AAaaaah, music to my ears. I do tend to get many brides that will factor in lots of photo time, but there are some weddings that photos get rushed and it makes a world of difference. I will be posting some of these wedding images on here soon.

In trying to figure out what images to blog, I thought I might choose the prom images I did recently. They are fun, and fresh and youthful and it’s that season so here is Vince and Ally’s prom shoot.

In my efforts of tearing down the walls that defined me, I hope not to bore you to tears about my uneventful life. I am pretty sure I had such a traumatic childhood that God & the Angels decided my adulthood should be very mundane. And depending on who you are, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.

a a1 a2 a4 a5 a6 a7 a8 b b1 b3 b4 b5 b6 Enjoy! I think my A.D.D. is kicking up — Oh look, something shiny…

XO

It was a really icky day here in Charleston and luckily everyone else thought so too. We basically had the USS Yorktown to ourselves to complete the feel for the shoot.

Next time your couple session seems humdrum or if your fiancee is dreading it, let him have fun planning the shoot to his liking. This will get him involved and actually look forward to it.

a a0 a1 a2 a6 a8u aa asmall8 asmalljj asmall3 asmall7 asmallk asmall6y Until next time. XO

We’ll see more of Melissa and Davey in October for the BIG DAY!

{Stage 1} engaged.

I got engaged in August of 2007. I had seen Tomme’s work before hand and set her website aside for when I become engaged. Photography was the only thing I wanted to spend money on. It is my most important feature of my life. Not as a skill. No No… That, I am still learning. But more because of the moment each photograph holds. Photographs are irreplaceable.  And I LOVE to look back on moments and remember that ‘special day’.

I met Tomme and knew right away that I wanted to sign her. I didn’t even have to meet with any other photographer… just her. So, I signed with her and Tomme did my engagement photos that November.

{Stage 2} bridals.

I had thoroughly analyzed her work before I chose her… knowing she would produce wonderful unique images. BUT, in order for them to be as AWESOME as I wanted… I knew I had to get dirty… And I did.

For my bridals, I was in a field with grass, crickets, spiders (yuck) and mesquites (i think i ended up with 14 bites)… then I rolled around in the middle of a road… Dont worry ladies… the dirt comes out!

{Stage 3} the wedding.

Once your wedding day arrives, there is nothing to do but put your faith in your photographer. It is ALL in their hands. Because THEY ARE THE REASON YOU REMEMBER YOUR WEDDING.

{Stage 4} maternity.

My husband and I found out shortly after our wedding that we were expecting. SURPRISE to us! And of course the first thing I did was contact Tomme. DUH! Its another big moment in my life. You think I dont want me captured when I am 30+ lbs over weight! Many think not… but to be honest… Tomme made me feel like a SEXY pregnant woman. Let’s just say I walked away from this shoot feeling more confident than I did the entire pregnancy! Come on, any woman who gains 30+ lbs doesn’t feel ‘sexy’ or ‘pretty’… EVEN IF THEY ARE PREGNANT! I walked away feeling like a MODEL!

{Stage 5} baby.

And then came baby… HOUSTON! A couple weeks ago Tomme and I scheduled for her to come and shoot my baby, Houston‘s newborn photos. Sigh. Didn’t work as planned. Let’s just say Newborn photography has a different skill… PATIENCE! and more PATIENCE! and then waiting. This was our first attempt at ‘Newborn’ photography. And well… ahem, yea.

Although, I wouldn’t say it was a complete failure. Our first mistake was trying to shoot his photos during the main time Matt and I keep him awake… Oh well… But, as always, Tomme still got some great shots in between the crying…

Tomme and I called it a night. So the next day I started thinking… since I had started shooting with Tomme in October (2009), my confidence was not quite up there… I still get a little jittery before I shoot. So, I knew I had to grow a pair of… you know… and try to shoot on my own. SO, I tackled this shoot myself. AHHH. Dont worry, I did good! So good, I impressed myself! And Tomme!

{Stage 6} Family

My family (entire family) is having a photos session with Tomme this spring! So, I will be sure to post them soon!

Thanks for staying with me and reading my chronicles of life. I think its very important to develop a relationship with your photographer. Because, they are the ones that help you remember the important moments in your life. Before I was Tomme’s assistant, I told myself I would use her for every important moment in my life. Because the first time I met her, she was not just a photographer, she became a friend.

There are some rules! *YAWN* They aren’t crazy rules tho. These are easy rules to ensure that everyone gets the best possible shot at a win.  There are no rules for the stories you submit, but for the sake of internet space please keep it concise instead of a timeless classic novel. Your stories will be posted so make sure you edit correctly. Spelling and grammar should be legible and correct. Your stories will be posted as-is.

But let’s look at the ways you become eligible to WIN!!

Submit all stories to: gallery.tommehilton@gmail.com. Entry deadline is February 28, 2010 at midnight.

All entries will be posted and voted on by your friends/family and anyone exposed to this contest. Start spreading your VD germs!

Good luck, writers! xo

Meet ROBYN & MATT:

Matt had his bachelor party the night before our engagement shoot.. for you future couples…. this is not the best time to decide to walk around Charleston in the elements if you aren’t quite feeling up to par.  But he cheesed it up for me quite well… and nearly got attacked by a pigeon but was all worth the while.

OH, the things you do for love!

Now, take a look at this couple-in-love before they TIED THE KNOT!

Had a whole lotta love the past few weeks, so much love I’m having trouble keeping up with it all. But I’m gonna start with Morgan and Michael.   Here’s their facebook image. I met Morgan when I met Brice and Kim one evening {{ Everyone know Kim and Brice? May 2 yrs ago they tied the knot! }}. She was introduced to me as the ‘artist sister’ of Brice. My ears perked up right away. An artiste? EXCITING! Her artwork is fabulous! And if I had her link I would include it.. but for now, I’m just going to tell you… she’s fantabulous good!

Flowy dress + Windy = YUMMY

I love her skirt.. she wore flowy, feminine clothes… and that seemed to photograph VERY well. It fit her eclectic, romantic whimsical nature. She has the fashion sense I always wished I could adopt.

That’s a GREAT looking couple. Magazine worthy.

One of my newest ventures is lighting. I couldn’t get enough of that skyline and how warm it was. This was prob about 830 in the evening and I picked up just the slightest warm light on the horizon and thought it looked so beautiful. I love how Morgan is just illuminated with some backlighting. SEXY.

Sigh. There it is again. I love these shots. Can’t deny.

Good night — please don’t forget to do a nice thing for one of our couples and lend them your vote!

Until next time

xoxoxo