So my lovely friend Kathryn told me she wanted to have me shoot some still photographs at her wedding and put them together in a stop motion format for a little wedding video fun... and a month later I did it!!! I'm no video wizard for sure but I do enjoy doing these because anytime you put music to pictures and see people's emotions it's just good times all around. Love you guys and I've loved re-living your day through this!!!
new site. new post. beautiful people.
ZAC + LAUREN = MODEL COUPLE EXTRAORDINAIRE!
So many new things happening here... and it's only fitting that my first post is of this awesome couple. I asked Zac and Lauren if they would be up for taking some engagement pictures styled like a Gap ad in terms of a simple backdrop and a more classic look for photos.
... and I was so excited that they were not only up for it but fit the part so incredibly well. I mean look at these models!!
So I have this UBER love for clean backgrounds. I know most people don't love studio looks and it is rare person that asks to have engagement or portrait sessions done with grey or white backdrops, but when I walk into Gap or JCrew and see the awesome photos or read TIME magazine and see black and white portraits of celebrities, I am a looking at people art. People photography crack. Here's why I like it: I love that it draws attention to the person. The person's face and hands and wrinkles, sometimes. I love the simplicity of it (I could say that a million times and still not really get to how MUCH i love that). I like that it takes some of the trendiness out of photographs in terms of locations (don't get me wrong, I love me some fields and sun flare but sometimes it feels like everyone's looking for the next great prop or Pinterest idea and it's exhausting to keep up with!). That being said, I did think it would be fun to get Zac and Lauren to bring something that is significant to them as a couple to add a personal element to the shoot. They love reading and spend lots of time at Barnes and Noble, so they brought some books and we incorporated them into their pictures.
Originally I had intended all of these pictures to be black and white, but then after looking at them in color I decided the colors were so vibrant that I had to mix it up. The next series of shots were meant to be more intimate and sweet. I did throw in the idea of a pillow fight, but then came to realize my pillows happen to be the cheap kind not filled with feathers but stuffing... But just for fun Zac and Lauren had a pillow stuffing fight and then made some fun faces with the remnants. They are a fun couple so I felt like it captured their personality while the others showed more of their awesomeness as a artistic people. Side note: Zac is a musician and Lauren is a photographer. And they both could be models!
so basically I love these shots. I love the movement and simplicity and the attention it draws to the relationship. We did take some pictures in a nearby field (I know, right after I said how fields are done all the time- but they are used so much because they are beautiful)- and the lighting was magic. I want to post a separate entry with those to not mix up the aesthetics of the two types of pictures. You guys are the cutest, and I think Gap should call you and give you free clothes to wear around town to advertise for them. And maybe I can convince people to try a different type of engagement shoot option through your pictures! Thank you guys for being awesome to photograph- and for being really good people, too:) A field and sun flare to come!!!
Mr. + Mrs. Boyd//Cotton Warehouse Wedding
Brent and Rachael's day was LOVELY in every way. Rachael's friend and bridesmaid Britney Ray offered to style the wedding and do the flower bouquets (with Britney's super talented mom) and they did an AMAZING job. Britney made everything for her wedding and it was incredible so I knew Rachael's wedding would be quality style, too. Brent and Rachael are avid readers and as a couple they read together, so books played a unique role in the decor. Along with their love for reading both Brent and Rachael love music, so guests were given sheet music to write notes on for the couple. One of my favorite unique elements of the wedding was the table numbers- each table in the reception was given a number that had special significance to Brent and Rachael. One table had the number of days they would spend in Jamaica for their honeymoon, another had #88 for the number of keys on a piano (one of the favorite instruments), and other significant numbers like their birthdays and their first date. Each table also had a list of conversation questions for guests to ask each other during dinner. I LOVE these types of questions and thought that it was such a good idea to do! I know I've been at weddings where we awkwardly sit at tables and don't know what to talk about so I thought this was such a creative and fun little help for guests to enjoy each other more. The wedding was at the Cotton Warehouse in Monroe, GA (about 30 minutes outside of Athens), and this venue had so much charm. It is located in a long series of warehouses that are now mostly vintage stores selling all sort of treasures, so we made sure to get some quick pictures in one of the stores with some of their old cameras and lovely decor (if you are looking for some awesome finds you definitely need to check this place out! it's right next to the Cotton Warehouse). The wedding ceremony was especially beautiful since Rachael's dad officiated it along with a close pastor friend of Brent's from UNC. I was thinking about this on Saturday- that no matter how many weddings I photograph I still cry at ALL of them! At the risk of sounding totally sappy (which is ok because I am) I think I find it even more emotional because I'm a mom and I am always thinking what it must be like to watch your child get married. The mother-son dance makes me ugly cry sometimes because I just think that would be so sweet and surreal to love a child from birth, help them eat and grow and play and then see them grow up and fall in love- I think it must be one of the greatest joys of being a parent. My dad has always been so sweet with us kids and can tear up pretty quickly when he hugs us, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... I just think that (God willing) if my boys get married some day I will ugly cry all day with tears of joy. That being said you can imagine how special it must have been for Rachael's dad to officiate his daughter's wedding. Usually I post some pictures of all the details of the wedding, including the bride's shoes but you won't see any shoes pictures here because Rachael went barefoot, which is her preferred mode at all times if she could! The reception was a huge party with lots of dancing and some awesome dance off's (I almost thought a flash mob was forming a few times). I feel it almost necessary to talk about the mad skills of one guest- Kay Mallet. One of Brent's groomsmen (Bernard) was tearing the floor up until Kay walked up and busted some moves that made the ground smoke. I'll have to post a picture so you can see how everyone's faces were just in awe of Kay! It really was such a good time for all. I think I may need to hire Kay to teach me some of her moves for future weddings. When Brent and Rachael left the wedding there were still soooo many guests which is a good sign that everyone had a blast. Brent and Rachael, I can't wait to see how God uses you guys as a couple and know that you both are people of such quality character- I wish I could do follow up pictures on a 30th anniversary to tell the rest of your story! Thanks also to my friend Alyssa Alig for second shooting the wedding with me- she is uber talented and about to go to Africa to document the lives of children with AIDS to help raise support and awareness back in the states (and is still raising support through kickstarter so definitely check out her site here and know that even a $5 donation makes a difference!) . Alyssa you are awesome my friend. So many cool people in one place- I love my job!!
a few funny notes about the following pictures... the first one was a total photo bomb by John and Anna kissing in the background of this "quick smile!" picture (love it)... the next is the series of the dance off between Kay and Bernard. You'll see the picture of the crowds' reaction to Kay's killa moves. I thought those expressions were pretty priceless!
