WNC Magazine Bridal Show - February 5th, 2010

I am excited to be a part of the the WNC Magazine Bridal Show coming up on February 5th. This is an exclusive event limited to only 5 participants per category. I have worked with WNC Magazine in the past and I know they know how to throw a party, and this is no exception. There will be a fashion show for gowns and tuxedos and to top it off, each guest gets a bottomless martini, sponsored by Absolut Vodka. 
So, if you are engaged, know someone who is thinking about tying the knot in the mountains, or want to check out all the wonderful possibilities for a mountain wedding, grab a $20 ticket and come on down. Be sure to stop by and say hello!
Hope to see you there.. cheers!
For more information... click on this link...

 

Chambers Transportation

Greetings from the winter wonderland of Asheville!  I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this winter.
Back in July, I was contacted by Chambers Transportation in Charlotte, N.C. to capture images of their big rigs on the road here in the mountains. Ryan Chambers wanted to update his website and marketing materials with more stylish images of his new rigs. I posted some of the images from that shoot on my blog in July (here is the link).
Ryan contacted me yesterday, the proud parent of a new website with the images from our shoot. Please take a moment to visit ChambersTransport.com to see the images and view what I think is one of the coolest trucking websites I have seen.
Congratulations Ryan on your new site! I am glad to have been a part of this makeover for you and your company.
More posts coming soon!

Happy New Year!

Greetings everyone!  I hope all of you are off to a beautiful start to your new year. I am excited about 2010! There are so many wonderful things going on in my life both personally and professionally that I know 2010 is going to be my best year yet! 
In addition to all the positive aspects of my life and business, I got the wonderful opportunity to spend New Year's eve with my extended chosen family in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I was in Florida for a family wedding on the 2nd and we went down early to spend some time with  everyone and to enjoy the sunny warm weather. The weather didn't quite cooperate, it was sunny, but not nearly as warm as I was hoping with the temperature only getting into the 60's once while we were there. Despite the chilly temperatures, the celebration was warm and the connections with family were a welcome start to the new year and decade.
The wedding I attended was one of the most beautiful, loving and largest weddings I have been to. This experience was unique in that I was there as a guest and not as the hired photographer. I hope you can imagine what a different feeling it was to not be running around, chasing shots, lugging gear and organizing people. I must admit that it was extremely challenging for me not to be doing those things! I often found myself seeing a beautiful moment and wanting to run over and grab the shot, only to remind myself that I was not there to do that, but to enjoy myself and celebrate the love of Antigone and Nikita. That being said, I did offer myself to the brides parents, telling them that it would be my pleasure to take some family shots as I saw them come up, both during the new years eve celebration and during the pre-wedding and reception. (its hard not do be what you are). So, I did that. I casually grabbed candid shots of the family and the bride and groom and didn't worry myself with all the other concerns I usually have during a wedding shoot. And I must admit, that was pretty nice!
Anitgone and Nikita's wedding followed many of the Greek wedding traditions. They were married in a beautiful orthodox church in Tarpon Springs and the ceremony was mostly sung by the Papa's (priests) and the male accompaniment. For those of you who may not have experienced this before, it is truly graceful and elegant. The way that the Greek language was mixed with English during the blessings and prayers was a sonorous gift to the ears. During the service, the bride and groom were blessed many times by family. This was done by the switching of the crowns from head to head in addition to the switching of the rings from hand to hand. This gesture truly resonated with me as these two are about to live a life that is shared while maintaining their individuality, and I felt that the swapping of the rings and crowns exemplified that. 
The reception was held at Innisbrook, which is a 900+ acre resort and golf club in Tarpon Springs. This is where I witnessed some of the most alluring dancing and community blessings I have ever had the pleasure of being part of. As the bride and groom dance, the MC called the parents, then grand parents then wedding party to join them. As each couple joined the bride and groom on the floor they showered them with paper money as a blessing for their prosperity in their new life together, then kissed each on the cheek and joined the line dance. I could not interpret a single word that the band sung, and I understood every one. Watching the children collecting the money after the 3rd song I was told that the new couple was now blessed to have children and that the collection of the money ensured their children's prosperity as well. 
As the night went on, the dancing got more lively as the tempo increased. I tried to keep up with some of the movements while holding hands with various people in a line that circled the dance floor several times but I was not doing that well. :) It was at that point I decided to grab the camera and capture some of the energy and joy that was exemplified by the men dancing together in the traditional Greek dances. 
The night went on until the wee hours of the morning, closing out with a gorgeous serenade by a family member to the new couple. I went home with my heart open and full of joy for Antigone and Nikita and for the new year ahead.
Here are some of the pictures from new years eve, the pre wedding festivities and the reception... hope you enjoy them. 
Blessings again to Antigone and Nikita... may you have a life full of love and joy together. 

The Happy couple share a new year kiss.


2 of the cutest cousins ever!


A blessing kiss from Mom for the crowns


The rings and the ring pillow


A Daughter honors her Father


The beautiful bride moments before going to the church


The best man with the ladies...


The cake!


A niece gets to grab some money for the piggy bank


Nikita the Groom showing his moves...


Antigone's turn to show her husband her moves...


The proud Father strutting his stuff... I absolutely loved watching this!


The bride's brother Lefty, kicking it up for the new couple.


The final serenade and the close to a magical evening...

       

Sabrina and Rob

It is a real blessing in my line of work to be able to shoot someone's wedding then have the gift of being able to shoot images of them during pregnancy and on to pictures of their children. I shot Sabrina and Rob's wedding in June of 2008 and now, here we are closing out 2009 and Sabrina contacted me to do a maternity shoot and I was thrilled. 
I spent some time talking with Rob and Sabrina about what they were looking for in the way of images before they came to the studio. They expressed to me that they wanted classic black and whites with simple poses, something understated that displayed their love and showed Sabrina in her beauty as a pregnant woman. 
The soon to be parents came by my studio after their work day last week and we started shooting. During the shoot, we laughed a lot and saw the baby moving around and we concluded that the baby was having as much fun as we were. Rob and Sabrina are so wonderfully in love with one another, they are a joy to be around. Their love shines so brightly that it infects all those around them.
Here are some of the images from their shoot. I think Sabrina is radiating as many pregnant women do this close to the birth...
Thanks so much Sabrina and Rob for including me in this wonderful time in your lives... I can't wait to meet the little person in a couple of weeks!
 

Katelyn

Katelyn is a young woman making her way into the modeling industry. She contacted me because she had done several shoots with other photographers and was not getting the resluts she wanted. She felt the images that she had received from her earlier shoots lacked depth and emotion, so she and I had a cup of coffee a week before our shoot and talked about what she is looking to add to her portfolio.
We decided to do a couple of different looks, including some black and white more traditional looks, to some more adventurous looks including some formal dresses and added a little fun with a blue wig she had.
Katelyn and I are going to shoot again after the holidays, concentrating on a "grunge" look that she wishes to add to her portfolio. She was a lot of fun to work with, having a playfulness that was balanced with a serious work ethic in front of the camera. I am looking forward to working with her again. 
Working with models is always a wonderful learning experience for me. The connections I make with the model, the creativity that this type of shoot allows plus the technical aspects of the lighting provide a challenge and great rewards at the end of the shoot. 
Here are a couple of images form our shoot last week...

 

The Lee Family

As a photographer in Asheville, and as a resident of the Asheville community I offer my gifts of photography to local charities and local institutions. Last year I was asked by the Carolina Day School if I would be willing to donate my servies to their bi-yearly auction to raise money for their school and I said I would be honored to. I put together a package that included a family portrait session and a large 20x30 inch Mantle Giclee Print. The winning family was the Lee family of Fletcher. Mrs. Lee contacted me and we had set a date a while back to do the shoot, but then their son (a HS quarterback) injured his shoulder and Mr. Lee had some knee surgery and we had to postpone the shoot. Recently, Mrs. Lee contacted me and said her family was healthy again and wanted to get t he shoot done in time for them to order prints to go along with their holiday mailings. It was short notice and I had some other things on my plate but I wanted to make sure the Lee's got to use their generous gift, so I made the shoot happen this past Sunday. 
I was tired from being part of a weekend with my mentoring group, Journeymen, and I was slightly concerned if I was going to have the energy I needed to do the shoot in a good way. Once I arrived at the Lee house, all my concerns were assuaged. The Lee's had the Panther's football game on and Mr. Lee and I hit it off instantly, talking about our favorite teams and how difficult it can be sometimes to be a Panthers fan. :) The energy and love in their house was palpable. This family is so much fun to be around! Mrs. Lee's Mom was there and we started taking pictures with the 2 boys and Grandma. I knew once the eldest son gave Grandma a nuggie and picked her up in his arms that I was going to have a lot of fun shooting images of this family. 
We took some shots in the house, then moved outside to their yard and got some shots with a beautiful Japanese Maple in the background that was in full autumn brilliance. The boys put on their jerseys and we shot a couple of shots of them playing football in the yard. One of my favorite shots is of Caleb and Andrew.. the look on Andrew's face as he is next to his older brother is one of true love, very sweet. 
I am really thankful that I was able to make this shoot happen for this wonderful family.  Hanging out with them for the hour and a half I was there, filled my heart. Seeing Grandma with her boys, Dad with his sons, and Mom with her gang brought a big smile to my face. 
Thanks so much Lee family for inviting me into your home and supporting your local school!


Here are some images from the shoot...

How great is the look on Grandma's face!


I think this is my favorite. Brotherly love...


The wonderful family.


Grandma and her boys.


The matriarchs of a great family.


The boys lookin' tough.

Sunset in Asheville

If you are lucky enough to live in the mountains...
You are lucky enough!