Yet again so behind on blogging. At least it is for good reason. I have been completely immersed in photography this year and in love with the weddings I have shot. I have met incredible families and been a part of some amazing experiences. Jamie and Chris are no exception. They were so easy to get along with and really enjoyed their day. They cherished their time together and simply rolled with the punches. Congratulations to Jamie and Chris! Please enjoy a sneak peek into their day!
I knew that I would not be the greatest, most life changing blogger when I made the decision to start a blog. I read so many tips and tricks to succeed as a blogger and decided to throw them out the window and do what felt right to me. While I have several weddings I still cannot wait to blog about I am going to go very out of order and fast forward to a shoot I did last month.
Lauren and John are truly two of the most wonderful people I know. Have you ever met really awesome people and then magic happens and they become even more amazing TOGETHER? That is Lauren and John in a nutshell. Both incredible but when you put them together they get even more awesome, if that is even possible. So my mind is blown by the fact that they are creating a life. Can anymore awesome fit into this world?
Their sweet baby boy will be very blessed to have such amazing parents. I am so so honored to share a few moments of this hilarious, loving couples journey to parenthood. Congratulations again Lauren and John you will be amazing!!
I am not a consistent and frequent blogger but it feels so good to sit here and get back into the swing of things. My last post was written in the small corn field town of Parsonsburg and now I write from Crofton, right outside of Annapolis. No corn but still a small town. While my life takes a bit of a change something I remind myself of almost daily is that life is still going on no matter where I am. Weddings are still happening. Babies have been born, loved ones have passed, but life doesn’t stop for either extreme. Maybe that sounds strange and a little morbid for a Monday…. but I need to keep a bigger and broader perspective on life as I make this transition. I spoke on that a bit in my last blog. Something cool I have found is that my bride and grooms have continued to remind me of the fact that life is bigger than my time transitioning from a relocation.
This is how: One of the beautiful things about marriage is that it marks a new moment in life. Two lives becoming one. Selflessness and consideration merge (hopefully). Seeing my brides and grooms display that kind of love and perspective, to say I put something, rather someone’s needs above mine, is really a great reminder. That kind of love is what I want at the forefront of my life and each wedding reminds me of that. Love transcends boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses. It’s loving your neighbor, that stranger that may be having a hard day, and that less than lovable person in your life.
I am thankful for my clients who have allowed me to document their love. They continue to teach me more than they will ever know! Please enjoy some photos from one of my latest weddings. Tammy and Joe were such a fun and loving couple. Here is a peek into their special day.
I have not given an official announcment so here it is, I am moving. While running out of things to do to help the movers I thought “what an appropriate time to blog while I kill time”. The movers are literally boxing up my things while I sit here typing. I can hear the sound of crumpled paper as they wrap my belonging in the living room. I also here the footsteps upstairs packing up my bedroom. Life has been a bit of a blur this summer. I take every day one day at a time, sometimes hour by hour. Don’t get me wrong I do not want anyone feeling sorry for me, there are much larger matters in this life than moving but this change has not come without it’s trials.
The company I work for, South Moon Under, is relocating their corporate office to Annapolis MD. We are currently located in Berlin MD. It’s only a 2 hour hop across the bay bridge. The move is not drastic and I think the change is exciting. However, this has been a bit of a scary plunge. This change comes with risk. But you know what? Staying here comfortably has it’s risks too.
There has been what seems to be a very concentrated amount of tragedy going on in our world lately. That has kept my perspective grounded when I want to pout about a sudden move. Yes I have to uproot quickly and it has been physically, mentally, and financially trying but at the end of the day what is the worst outcome? That I do not like Annapolis? That I do not like my job anymore? Some things in life are not fixable, fortunately for me this move at worst is still easily fixable.
When I start feeling sorry for myself I try to remember to pray about it. To give my cares to God and then I see just how small my concerns are. Don’t get me wrong I am so far from perfect at it. Sometimes my pride gets in the way and I decide I want to stew in a bad attitude instead. But when my mind is in the right place I often think of these verses “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life.” Matthew 6:26-28. Those words hit my like a ton of bricks sometimes. God is good, He cares for me. I stand reassured in His promises and His love for me.
I will put an end to this rambling but I wanted to share my thoughts and what is going on in my life currently. If you have a moment when you just feel out of control of your life know that it is because you are not in control. But rest assured in the fact that God will care for you if you allow Him to.
When speaking with Michelle prior to the wedding she was comically honest about pictures. She said that her groom to be, Nick, was NOT photogenic so candid shots were the best bet. That was it. The only specifics she had for shooting her wedding day. Shooting candidly is always my favorite. There is something so real about those shots that are not planned or expected because… well they are just that. Real moments. But man was I expecting the worst then what was her only direction. Nick must take terrible pictures if thats all I’m being directed on. Turns out that they both photograph quite, well I would say. Please enjoy a few snaps from this amazing, hilarious, loving couples special day.
I have always found vow renewals beautiful. Just the idea of two people taking the time to reconfirm their love and commitment to each other feels really special. It’s confirming commitment after the honeymoon phase is over. When you learn each others quirks for good or bad and say “Hey I like you, lets continue to spend the rest of our lives with each other”.
Beminet and Seth were my first vow renewal. They were so down to earth and relaxed. They have the most adorable little girl, Abigail. Think precision moments doll in real life. I continually had to remind myself that this was not their wedding. When Seth saw Beminet in her dress it was as though it was for the first time. When they said their vows to one another, again it was as though it was for the first time.
Also there were so many babies at the ceremony. Don’t get me started. I swear all attendants were prime baby makers because they had the cutest kids I have every seen. During my swooning over the couple I barely realized that all the sweet little children at the ceremony were crying. It’s like they planned it. It was synchronized. Nearly all of the guests including Seth and Beminent were parents so nobody thought twice about it and it ended up being quite comical. So please enjoy the lovely couple…. and also the babies*.
*I use the term babies interchangeable for any child under the age of 12
You know what I am coming to realize about photography? Having a good relationship with the people you work with is just as important as the actual pictures taken. This may seem obvious to you but it’s something I never had to think about prior to being a photographer. I would see someones style I like and assume that they were the photographer I needed. But no matter how beautiful someones photographic styling is if you don’t mesh well it’s not worth it. Being mindful of whether or not you feel comfortable and if there is a natural flow will more than likely give you an idea of how you will feel the day of shooting.
This family portrait session is one of those comfortable moments. Kristen approached me about doing family portraits as a Mother’s day gift. Seriously how sweet of an idea is that? Luckily we work together to a degree with beach weddings so we already knew each other. Her family was so down to earth and relaxed and it made what could have been a somewhat stagnant portrait session really fun. They were funny and didn’t take the portraits too seriously. There was even some sarcasm thrown around…. a match made in heaven in my opinion. Hopefully you can see the tone of how we were all feeling in the photos. Enjoy ❤
Documenting important moments will always be a great privilege for me, but it’s even more special when you are close with the person on the other side of the lens. I had the honor of shooting Adwoa’s graduation photos. We have been friends for several years now and even worked together as bridal consultants.
Shooting her graduation photos really turned my wheels about post graduation. I started thinking about things I would have loved for someone to tell me post grad. It’s such a transition that I feel few people talk about. Recent grads this one is for you. I NEED to tell you something.
You will more than likely NOT have it all together right out of college. There is so much pressure to know exactly what you want to do and to have a 5 year plan to achieve it. If you think about the pressure that entails, it’s quite silly. If you know at the tender age of 20-21 what you want to do with the rest of your life that is awesome. If not, don’t be discouraged. Don’t rush your life, savor this time. Work a crap job just to save up to travel, take up a new hobby to get those creative juices flowing, start a pet rock collection… I don’t care what you do but don’t forget to do something that is fulfilling. You should be working hard to achieve your goals but taking time to simply enjoy life is also just as important. You may even find some of those life goals by taking time to marvel and explore.
So if I could give you one piece of advice that is it. Believe me I could give you more but I decided against ranting. This transition can be stressful but take time to enjoy the journey. Yuck, I hope that doesn’t sound too cheesy.
Adwoa is a good example of this. She will be pounding the pavement working on job hunting, but is first packing her bags and heading to Europe for two weeks. You go girl! Congratulations Adwoa and congratulations to all recent grads!!
I still have yet to figure out if I am wearing too many hats. I remember a time in college when I was speaking with a department store buyer telling her how I loved the idea of pretty much any career in the fashion industry. She suggested I really nail down exactly what I want to do instead of being so broad (which I found completely understandable). Forward a few years and I am doing wardrobe styling, hair, makeup, and now photography. Clearly I have yet to take her advice.
I have concluded that for now I really like wearing more than one hat. I feel like it keeps creativity alive and evolving. Am I hurting anyone by doing hair, makeup, wardrobe styling, photography, and dog walking? Ok so maybe I’m not a dog walker but that could be fun too. A few weeks ago I worked with my talented photographer friend Alex, some really great models, and the lovely girls from Hitched Bridal. The hat of choice for this shoot was hair and makeup. I can’t wait to see the finalized images Alex took. I highly suggest you check out Hitched Bridal Salon in Georgetown if you are looking for a beautiful and unique dress. I die for their dresses. Don’t get me started on the two piece sets and there was even an ostrich feather skirt… yes you heard me right. Anyways below are some sneak peak snaps I took on set of the girls hair and makeup.
So here is the scenario. One of my best friends, Vickie, was VERY pregnant and had barely taken any photos to document that time. She eventually asked me to take maternity pictures for her. Mind you she is awkward in front of a camera, doesn’t like her picture taken, and is also not very photogenic (it’s ok people she is beautiful in real life and this isn’t groundbreaking news). This would be my first time shooting anyone and I also proclaimed that I would never shoot maternity because i think it can get weird pretty quickly. Has anyone seen the horendis yet hilarious articles of such maternity pictures?
It is very like Vickie to throw me a curve ball so I was not surprised when we ended up in this scenario. We started with the basics in front of a window and then a studio set up. Then I wanted to make her a hippy pregnant lady so we threw her in a skirt put a shawl on her and a headband, all things she usually wears anyways. Then something magical happened. She opened her arm, backlit from the window lighting, and shadows from the shawl fell onto her belly and that is when the creative juices started flowing. I inaudibly told her to hold that position while we shot with what little sunlight was left. When the sun was gone we rigged her shawl onto a studio light like madwomen thus creative some shadows on herself and the background. She has since had her baby boy, Henry, and everyone is happy and healthy. Great endings all around. Also did I mention her water broke when I was sending her her pictures?
