Virginia Beach Wedding: Sara + Daniel

Incredible.  Every wedding I do I love more and more.  Maybe over time I’m learning to savor these special days more fully, maybe I am just the luckiest photographer in the world, but whichever it is–each wedding knocks it out of the park!  Sara and Daniel’s wedding day was a whole happy bundle of loving perfect-ness (you can check out their rainy-day engagement session here).  Sara spent part of her childhood living across the street from my childhood home in Norfolk, Virginia but moved away early to a country setting with a little more breathing room.  Not that I blame them, but my brothers and I did lose nine amazing playmates on that day  The reunion to photograph Sara’s wedding was SO much fun!  Sara and her siblings have grown into beautiful and handsome young men and women whose camaraderie made the wedding glow with unity and encouragement.  I loved watching them interact, meeting their spouses, and reliving awkward moments in growing-up years.

The wedding was set up with so much style and grace I kept squealing… sometimes inwardly… sometimes not so inwardly!  Inundation of inspiration here!  The antique pink dresses, cowboy boots, and wildflower bouquets definitely fit Sara’s laid-back style so perfectly.  I hope you enjoy this preview of their sweet day!

A special thank you to second shooter Jennifer Buehrer!  She was such an amazing creative support throughout the day–I couldn’t have done it without her!

Megan and Elijah: Preview

This wedding had so much JOY!  Megan and Elijah’s wedding was a true celebration full of laughter, friendship, fun, and tons of lime green!  Congratulations, E & M, and enjoy the Bahamas!

Photograph-Share-Discover

Photography is one of those professions that, if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.  For one, there is so much change in the industry that it is easy to become outdated in very little time if you’re not pursuing the cutting edge.  Another huge reason to avoid stagnancy like the plague is that the creative energy that drives our business is not exactly something you buy in a bottle!  It is essential to cultivate that creativity in many purposeful ways in order to consistently give my very best creative work to my clients.  I have a little soapbox and it goes like this:  As photographers, we must meet together and share ideas and strategies freely with other photographers to inspire creativity, keep moving forward and loving what we do!  Otherwise we turn into stagnant, stinky, grumpy photographers who lack success and enjoyment of what we do.  Okay, soapbox over.

In April of 2011 I had a great opportunity to do just that at the Photograph-Share-Discover (PSD) Experience in Norfolk VA (my hometown!).  I know, I know–you’re probably like man, Diana, you took forever to blog this! but honestly, wedding season kicked into high gear as soon as I returned and somehow the images faded into the recesses of my Lightroom library.  Anyway, in April hundreds of photographers and industry leaders got together for a four-day event of shooting, idea-swapping, industry and craft education, product review and just general geeky pow-wowing with people who snort with excitement over things like bokeh, glossy album pages, and ring lights.  Crews of models were provided–everything from fuzzy hamsters to two-day-old babies to runway-modelesque brides and grooms and everything in between–and a slew of makeup and hair professionals.  Picture hundreds of geeky camera lovers like myself meeting 15 indoor studio setups and multiple outdoor sessions, then being taken by the hand by incredible industry-leading photographers to train and inspire collaboration and creativity.  Pet photography with baby porcupines! Pin-up girls with 2011 Dodge Vipers!  Wee babies in baskets!  Midnight boudoir sessions going on in the hotel room upstairs! Brides on a battleship! You get the idea… After an early-morning shooting session to get the creativity flowing, we sat at the feet of the best-of-the-best in the industry and had gab sessions on everything from blogging for your business to the importance of “playing” on the day of the wedding instead of freezing and “shooting safe.”  It was like drinking from firehose, yes, but it officially blew my mind and rocketed me off into an amazing spring, summer, fall, and even winter of giving my creative best to my clients.  Below are a few of the images.  Though there was plenty of variety, I geared my session choices toward the specific types of clients I cater to–wedding, graduating seniors, engagement, etc.  I hope you enjoy a little sneak preview of my weeklong investment to continue moving forward in the amazing and creative industry of photography!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovebirds I Love: A Year in Review

I just experienced a pump-me-up thrill digging through the archives of this year and unearthing some of my favorite photos of what have become some of my favorite people.  You see, I get to know people pretty closely when I work with them.  In what other job can you meet strangers at a historic train station you’ve both never been to, and in about seven minutes ask them to lay on the ground together and cuddle?  Scoot around on your behind to get the best angle and then get all up in their grill (to get her eyelashes all beautifully defined, but they don’t know that yet)?  Hmm… no other job like that comes to mind.  I get to know these people really well, and consequently, love them really muchly.  Add to that coffee shop meetings, phone conversations, emails, finally sharing a wedding together where my purpose is to stick by their side all day and capture the emotional highs and lows of a wedding? Yeah, I feel pretty connected to these “clients” by the end of it all.  And so… what could be better than re-visiting all those sweet moments scampering around with them in [barns, aquariums, train stations, fields, hay lofts, forests, beaches, overpasses, underpasses], laughing together as I capture their love.  Can. you. see. why. I. LOVE. my. job!?

I thought it would be fun to create a Little Brag Book post because, actually, I am proud of these relationships, these images, these memories that I have been able to gift my new-found friends.  ”At the end of your life your relationships are all you’ve got,” says one of my favorite songwriters, Sara Groves.  The ability to capture one of the most precious relationships in life is an aspect that first drew me to this career and keeps me digging it… I love preserving their laughter, their tenderness, their sweet glances, evidence of a lifetime commitment that runs deep.  Big sniff!  Three cheers, sloppy wet kisses, and a huge THANK YOU!  to my incredible clients, these new-found friends whose involvement in my life has encouraged, inspired, and changed who I am.  I love you all!

I hope you enjoy these sweet images!  And stay tuned for a wedding “year in review.”  I will probably need some tissues for that one.

Train Station Rain: Suffolk VA Engagement Photographer

I was sure that Sara wanted to cancel our planned engagement session.  Rain is called “bad weather” in the photography world.  As in, people think you can’t take great photos because it’s not beautiful.  Not only was it predicted to rain allll day, our session location was under a tornado warning. I told my mom, “you know, I would really adore these rainy day engagement photos, but most brides would hold out for a sunny day like they’ve pictured… ” I touched base with Sara heard her say, “hey, is there any way we could do these today, even in the rain?  We kindof like rain, actually.”  I couldn’t say yes fast enough… this was music to my ears!!  I packed up and headed out to a historic train station in Suffolk, VA where we met and I got more giddy than I already was about this sweet couple.  They laughed and kissed in the rain.  Word has it that when the streets flooded one year, Sara hitched a ride to Daniel’s house and they spent hours playing in the rain together.  See why I love them?  It was seriously precious to be around these two; their love for each other and their shared love for Jesus is so obvious.  He is more than a gentleman and she is more than a lady.  Thank you both for the chance to photograph your love!

Check out their sweetness in this video!

Rachelle and Adam

Adam and Rachelle.  What can you say, there are just some weddings that I think will make me smile no matter when I think of them.  Adam and Rachelle’s wedding was so full of tender sweet moments, so laid back and simply lovely.  The main shining beacon through it all is “the thing” that no amazing wedding accessory, no amount of glitter and glam can provide: the tender love of a groom to a bride and the loving response of the bride to her husband.  This wedding was so full of that.  Every time I talked to Rachelle before the wedding, the response to, “so, how are you doing?” was “I’m nervous, but more than nervous, I couldn’t be more excited to marry Adam!”  There is just something about that heart-on-the-sleeve that makes my own heart do somersaults and say, “this is why I love my job!”

They found the perfect wedding band to go along with Rachelle’s art deco engagement ring at an antique boutique in their hometown, Ferndale Michigan.  Inside was inscribed the date “9-27-20,” after the first couple that used it to seal their love.  Rachelle and Adam decided to take that as a sign, and set their wedding for 9-27-11, a Tuesday.  It fit perfectly with their desire to have a simple, small wedding and they chose Jonesville, Michigan as the destination based on their shared love for the Munro House Bed and Breakfast, a beautiful and classic mansion that hosted their wedding.  She had an amazing Gatsby-vibe going on with her floor-length beaded gown, birdcage veil and vintage ruby earrings.  Adam looked sooo handsome in a custom-made suit for the occasion, complete with the date 9-27-11 embroidered on his collar.

From the moment that I first saw Rachelle on the wedding day to the evening when I bid them goodbye, her eyes were shining.  ”I can’t believe this finally here!”  Adam’s whole face beamed for her from the beginning till end as well–yes folks, true love happens.  Thank you, Rachelle and Adam, for including me in your extremely special day.  It was truly an honor!

To see a proofing gallery of all of Adam and Rachelle’s wedding photos, click here.

Virginia Beach Wedding Photographer: Ryan & Sarah

Suuuch a beautiful wedding.  You might remember their story from Ryan and Sarah’s aquarium and beach engagement session.  Remember how I said I couldn’t wait for their wedding?  It. was. amazing.  Awesome bridal party…  Gorgeous blue skies…loving family and supportive friends… Balmy southern (October) temps, and a breeze coming off the water for some veil fashion-fan action.  Millions of details, hours of preparation, and loads of anticipation all building up into one “stress-free” day–Ryan and Sarah’s wedding day seemed effortlessly beautiful (which, I’ve learned, is a sign of a good planner) as they said “I do” at their home church in Virginia Beach.

If you’d like to see all of the photos from the wedding day, click here.

If not, keep scrollin’ and enjoy some wedding day goodness!

Ryan and Sarah’s First Look

Loved these napkins!

Mother and Father of the bride… so sweet.

Bridal Gown: Ava Clara Couture

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Ava Clara Couture

Men’s Tuxes:  Men’s Wearhouse

Hair Artist: Marshall’s Hair Design and Spa

Ceremony: Thalia Lynn Baptist Church

Reception Site: Snug Harbor Officer’s Club at Little Creek

DJ: Astro DJ’s

Cake Artist: Sugar Plum Bakery

Florist:  Flowers by Kings