I recently had the privilege to witness and document the birth of Grace.  I absolutely love photographing births.  Being able to be trusted and invited into such an intimate event in a couples life and to provide a record of what the first day of a little ones live was is a responsibility I gladly accept.  Some births, however, are more challenging than others.  Danielle and Chris found out a few weeks prior to the due date they were going to have to have a planned c-section and I was not going to be allowed in the operating room.  That of course provides a challenge in me telling a birth story visually if I cannot be present for the actual birth.  Thankfully there was another wonderful story to be told.  When I got there that morning I was greeted by Danielle, Chris and their parents.  The soon to be grandparents had traveled from Georgia to be there to meet the first grandchild of the family.  I was stuck by how close Chris’ parents and Danielle’s were.  Turns out Chris and Danielle are high school sweethearts and both of their families pretty much grew up with each other in small town Georgia.  They spent the years going to sporting events together, having dinners and even taking trips together.  So it was a joy to be able to not only tell the story of the birth of Grace but also be able to show the dynamic of the two families.  The joy I witnessed was some of the most pure I have seen.

Getting ready to head into surgery.  Danielle said at the viewing she loves this … Read the rest

I had the opportunity on Saturday to witness a very special wedding.  Brooke and Jason’s wedding at Mission Hills country club was packed full of meaning and emotion.  Faith is an integral part of not only Brooke and Jason’s lives but their relationship as well.  What I found amazing about this wedding was the overwhelming support for Brooke and Jason by their friends and family.  That support was shown in many was including two prayers that happened right before the ceremony.  The first was with Jason and his groomsmen.  Jason was sitting in a chair with the hands of each person there on this shoulders while they anointed and  prayed for him and Brooke.  Brooke then had her prayer with family and friends there arm in arm asking for guidance for the couple in their life together.  Very powerful.  So today is another Teaser Twosday with two images from those prayers.  I feel these two moments were the core of what this day was all about.  Love and support.

Here is Brooke during her prayer.

Jason during his prayer.

 … Read the rest

Kristiana and Matt’s wedding toward the end of last season was a joy to be a part of.  Being able to dig beyond the wedding and tell stories visually is the sole purpose of why I am a wedding photographer.  Having the trust given to me by my clients helps me to really search for those images that not only tell a story but also tell who people truly are.  Kristiana and Matt gave me that trust.  It started with Kristiana telling me of how close she was to her brother and how he is was going to be the one walking her down the aisle as a stand in for their father who was no longer living.  It was the kind of side story that I look for at each and every event I document.  I loved how cool and comfortable the couple was all day.  It really was a testament to their relationship as well as their personalities making it a joy to photograph.

The details-

Ceremony- Our Lady of Sorrows Church

Reception- Mission Hills Country Club

Band- The Boulevard Band

Video- Wirken Films

The photos-

The dress shot through some holiday decorations.

Love this shot of Kristiana and her mom.

Matt hanging out with his groomsmen.  Photo by Tori.

Kristiana’s mom applying her finishing touch.

One of my favorite images I shot all year.  This is why being present when brides get dressed pays off.  Tells a lot about Kristiana’s personality.

Leaving for the ceremony.

On the bus almost to the church. 

Groomsmen waiting for the ceremony to start.

Matt escorting his parents down the aisle.            

Love this image of Kristiana hugging … Read the rest

I am breaking the rules today for Teaser Tuesday.  Usually I pick one image from my most recent wedding but Saturday’s wedding gets two.

This past weekend I had the honor of traveling to Leesburg, Virginia to document the wedding of good friend and fellow wedding photographer Eric Laurits to Emily Spero Smith.  Getting the call to photograph the wedding of a fellow photographer is always exciting as well as intimidating but I love a challenge so I was thrilled to be asked.

I will elaborate more on this unique wedding that included lawn darts, dogs, wood-fired pizza, a 5K, and organic donuts at a later date but for now here are two images that in my opinion sum up the story of the weekend.  They wanted their wedding to be meaningful and fun and they got just that.

The first is Emily and Eric during the ceremony.  I love this image as it really captures these two perfectly.  Their ceremony was packed full of meaningful things including the lighting of four sparklers as a symbolic homage to Eric’s time as a camp counselor.  What they did not expect was the smoke and which direction the wind was blowing.  I love how they both found themselves gagging and laughing at not only the smoke but how hard it was to light each one.  These two are perfect for each other in their ability to be both deep and silly at the same time.  This photo embodies those traits perfectly in my opinion.

The other aspect of their lives that is very important to both Eric and Emily is family.  It was wonderful to be … Read the rest

Teaser Tuesday is back!

I am so excited to be able to do Teaser Tuesdays again.  I had my first wedding of the season on Saturday and it was wonderful.  Megan and Larry’s wedding was wonderfully designed by Trapp and Co. as well as coordinated by Kelly Ruff.

The day was great with so many moments it was hard to choose just one for Teaser Tuesday.  In the end I was so impressed with Megan and her relationship with dad that I had to use one of my favorite moments of the day.  Megan had just finished getting dressed and was waiting for her dad to come up the Staircase at Mission Hills Country club.  You could hear his voice as he made his way up the stairs to see his daughter dressed for her ceremony.  As he rounded the corner and saw her his knees literally buckled.  It was such a great moment.  I love this moment as he puts his hand to his face in amazement at the beauty of his daughter on her wedding day.

… Read the rest