DAVE

This past weekend, Brian's best man came to town. Dave and Brian have been friends for.. 15 years? 16 years? ...a while. Brian was so excited for Dave to come down from Toronto for an entire weekend. We've been a little bit stressed trying to move into our new apartment, wrap up little things for the wedding, and maintain a somewhat regular sleep schedule so we can still make it to work that we didn't really know if we'd been too fried to show Dave a good time in Lexington. I hope Dave thinks we pulled it together well enough!

Before Dave left, I shot a few frames of him in our new apartment. First of all, I loooove that we have a million windows. Second, Dave was the easiest photography subject of ALL TIME. Brian will vouch for me here, but I didn't open my mouth once to give him any guidance/instruction/suggestion. (By the way, I love my 85mm f/1.2.. LOVE.)

Enough talk. Meet Dave.

Brian is so lucky to have such a wonderful friend.

No lie. One of my friends said, "Ooo. So GQ!" to this last one.

Sorry you're such a fox, Dave. Thank you for spending the weekend in Lexington. I'm fairly sure that your visit made Brian's whole summer, and we absolutely can not wait to see you in October.

P.S.

Can you believe these were shot in our LIVING ROOM? I love how many windows we have!

LAUREN & JOHN-MORGAN - THE SLIDESHOW

The title of this entry says it all! I'd like to give a special shout-out to Lauren Chitwood of L.C.Events. She really made everything come together in an incredible way on Lauren & John-Morgan's big day. Check her out if you're getting married and need a wedding planner/detail diva/magician. :)

On with the show!

CHRISTIN & DANIEL - WEDDING IN GEORGIA

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. I don't know where to start.

Remember Chris and Allie from The Reason? Well, a while ago, Chris asked me to come down to Atlanta to shoot a wedding with him. At the time, Chris was pumping me up about the wedding by telling me about their awesome upcoming engagement shoot which would partly take place in the air.. I had no idea the level of amazement I would experience on Christin & Daniel's wedding day.

Christin and Daniel got ready at the church. It was gorgeous (although very, very, very, very hot) Atlanta day.If you look carefully, you might even see Chris in this photo taking pictures of their get away car.

I love when the girls get their make-up done. I think it's something about all the stuff spread out combined with everyone's anticipation.

A shot of the rings on the seat of their car.

The guys got ready in the kids' section of the church, and of course they were playing with Legos while they got dressed. They made a little man out of Legos that they wanted to put into the pictures. Luckily, Chris said that he could only be in a few. And then.. Chris decided to move the Lego man. And it fell apart.

And then Chris went back to work as if the Lego man never existed. What a pro.

Here are a few of Daniel before the ceremony. He was a pro in front of the camera.

Christin, you are gorgeous. How am I lucky enough to shoot all these beautiful people?!

Christin designed all of the jewelry for the wedding. Are you kidding me with the talent?

Her bridesmaids were amazing all day. Supportive and loving never looked so good.

A few portraits after the ceremony.

After we took come portraits, it was time to drive to the reception site. This is the result of Chris shooting out the sunroof of his car, and me shooting from the steering wheel while keeping my eyes on the road and driving safely. (Don't worry, Mom, I was wearing my seatbelt, too!)

You know that Daniel did a "good job" feeding Christin cake when she has to clean off her glasses!

Jump shot! No wonder she caught the bouquet!!

This father-daughter moment is what receptions are all about. Oh. My. Gosh.

Ready for their get away vehicle?

Didn't think it could look cooler? Just add Christin. This is my absolute favorite.

And.. There they go. I'm so blown away.

Christin & Daniel, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day.

Chris & Allie, thank you for welcoming me into your home for the weekend, and showing me a good time in Atanta. I hope you'll agree that Chris and I totally rocked this wedding. You should check out the blog over at The Reason to see some more photos.

On a more personal note, Brian and I are going crazy packing this week for a move. There are big things on the horizon!

CLIENT INTERVIEW - THE REASON

I have the pleasure of working with some of the most amazing people. Chris & Allie Bartelski of The Reason are no exception to that, so I'm so glad to be able to feature them on my blog again as part of my client interview series. The timing of this feature could not be more perfect, either. Tomorrow, I'm flying down to Atlanta to shoot a wedding with Chris on Saturday.. Look for my favorites from the session next week!

On with the questions!

(1) What is your brand all about?

the reason is all about being professional, current, and fun. We are big fans of Apple and the way they run their business. There is no computer company out there that does their job better, and no computer company that takes as much joy in pleasing their customers.

Professional - With our brand we want to reach a level of professionalism where it seems that what we do comes naturally and that we take great pleasure doing it.

Current - We want to stay current, and one of the most recognizable icons from a any time period is its music. Allie and I both love music, and had a career either playing in a band or following around the lead singer (allie). We wanted a photography brand that we could market as a band, and hopefully gain some life long groupies.

Fun - We wanted a brand and logo that reflected the kind of fun people have while dancing in the iPod commercials. We want people to know they can have fun and cut loose, being confident that we will capture everything with the eye of a seasoned professional and the respect of a trusted friend.


(2) How do you see your logo working into your whole brand?

We believe it's iconic and easy to recognize. Something that's easy to slather over telephone poles and grungy venue bathroom stalls... It does work just like a band logo. It's also simple and slick, and that really reflects our love for Apple.

(3) What was your favorite part of the branding process?

I loved the brainstorming, but "the reason" was the very first name Allie and I came up with, so that didn't take very long. Once we had the idea everything else just came pouring through the flood gates. Our favorite part of the branding process was getting to talk and chat with Cailyn all the time. With her amazing skills, we were able to go from brainstorming an idea to completed website over a weekend. Yeah... She's got mad skills.


(4) What was your least favorite part of the branding process?

I guess it would have to be the fact that we waited 4 weeks to launch our brand. Cailyn's awesome logo was burning a hole our pocket.


(5) Do you have any advice for people who are just beginning to brand their businesses?

Get a big huge whiteboard or paper and really draw, write and sculpt your ideas. Oh, yeah... Be yourself, you're good at that... People will appreciate that.

I am so lucky to know such awesome photographers and friends. Chris & Allie: Thanks for answering the questions, and for being so awesome to work with! I can't wait to see you both this weekend.

LAUREN & JOHN-MORGAN - PART TWO, THE WEDDING

Oh, wow. I'm not even sure where to start. Lauren and John-Morgan had one of the most amazing wedding days I have ever seen. They had their touch on absolutely everything. They had me in tears during the ceremony, and they were just the most relaxed and wonderful couple.

I started the day with the girls while they had their hair and make-up done. This is Lauren, and you'll see the hands of Chris, their hair stylist. He was absolutely amazing.

I love best friends. This is Lauren with her maid of honor, Meaghan.

Lauren getting her make-up done at Posh Salon & Spa in Lexington.

More laughter.

Meaghan reviewing her maid of honor speech. Girl, you did a fabulous job.

You might not believe me when I tell you this, but Lauren was so relaxed that she was actually balancing her checkbook before the wedding. Crazy, right? I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I took a picture.

I took this next picture in a really selfish moment. I'm absolutely in love with Project Runway, and I could have spotted this bag from Mood from a mile away. Lauren and John-Morgan are moving to New York City later this summer, and I'm so jealous that they will be closer to Mood!

Could these girls BE any more gorgeous?! How lucky am I?

Lauren's g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s dress.

The shoes. Lauren is a girl after my own heart.

The bling.

The bouquet.

Lauren insisted on helping each of the girls with their dresses as a way to have a quiet, meaningful moment with each of them. Quiet? Maybe not. Meaningful, definitely. This is one of my favorites.

Here's Lauren getting into her dress with the help of her mom.

The Carrick House was an absolutely wonderful backdrop for the day. Lauren and John-Morgan had a clear vision for their wedding, and it was just so wonderful to see it all come together. Here's a portrait of Lauren in one of the many awesome areas of the house.

Lauren... You are drop dead gorgeous, girl.

While I was hanging out with the girls, Kevin was kind enough to catch a few of John-Morgan getting ready. In this first one, he's putting on cufflinks from Lauren with his initials and a picture of the two of them inside.

Downtown for some portraits.

Lauren & John-Morgan opted to see each other for pictures before the ceremony, but they had to exchange some gifts first. You may remember from a few posts ago that Lauren gave John-Morgan an album of boudoir photos as a present. She also got him a new briefcase.

Lauren received some custom designed earrings, and, to her delight, a clock. A clock that will measure all of their years together... I almost cried.

Here's John-Morgan waiting for Lauren for their first look.

A sweet moment under the Carrick House's porthole window.

And then it was time for Lauren to put her veil on. I absolutely love bridecage veils. This is another favorite of mine.

The grounds of the Carrick House are absolutely stunning. Lauren and John-Morgan chose to decorate their ceremony site with magnolia cut directly from John-Morgan's family farm, and it could not have been more perfect.

The programs were hung over the decorations on the ceremony chairs.

I love that you can see the late afternoon moon in this shot. I'm pretty sure I was crying during this shot. Their vows were ridiculously emotional, and some of the best I've ever heard.

The first kiss!

After the wedding, I hopped into a horse-drawn carriage with Lauren and John-Morgan to take some portraits after the wedding. I have WAY too many favorites, so I had to narrow it down.

Ah! They are SO happy, I can hardly stand it. I'm pretty sure I asked for serious faces during this shot, guys.

Holy cow. I'm in love with this shot.

Can you say canvas? Big, big, big canvas? I can!

Last, but not least... A sweet kiss on the way back to the Carrick House. I love it.

Lauren & John-Morgan, thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a wonderful day. Your wedding was exactly what a wedding should be.. Relaxed, fun, meaningful, and filled with people that you love.

Finally, when I sent the proofs to them, I got an e-mail back from Lauren containing some of the most wonderful things I've heard about my photography. She said this:

I can only say one thing. If I were you, I would be pissed that I couldn't do my own wedding photos. You will be famous one day and I'm thankful that we were able to get you while we could afford you. I think you are wonderful. You make the mundane seem magical. Thank you so much! Lauren

Lauren, you are so sweet. Thank you, again.