Happy Halloween everyone!  

I know its been crickets here on the blog lately despite a record number of great fall shoots to share with everyone, its been killer!  That’s the downside to so much shooting: we haven’t been able to sit in front a computer long enough to edit so the sessions are piling up like the leaves outside.  If you are waiting to see Jessica’s bridals, Baby Madeline, Baby Alannah, Laura & Tom’s esesh, Baby Amelia Cate or Baby Anna & Lauren, hang in with us just a little bit longer… we’ll get there!  And there’s even more great stuff to shoot and share next week so stay tuned.  Thanks to everyone for such fun, fall ideas and excursions… In the past two weeks I’ve shot at a pony ranch, a pumpkin patch, an old movie theater, a college campus and many welcoming homes as far as Palmyra and as close around the corner.  Its been amazing.  

While we are usually so good about getting each wedding we shoot posted within a week, I decided that Amy and Jack’s fall wedding in the mountains of Crozet last Saturday was WAY too good for a quick and dirty edit (all this afternoon would allow) so I’m going to keep working on it until the trick or treaters pound the pavement so we can share it with you properly early next week.  If you’re tuning in to check it out we thank you for stopping by and thank you for your patience, please come back and check in with us again on Monday!

And a quick bit of exciting news, we just learned that Megan and Tom’s wedding at Berkeley plantation will be featured in the Spring ‘09 edition of Washington Bride Magazine, a regional of Modern Bride Magazine.   Congrats, M&T!

Posted by Mel @ 9:13 pm, in News | No comments | Permalink

As someone who loathes Christmas stores and all they stand for it pains me to bring this to your attention before Halloween has even arrived but alas, ’tis the season.  In fact, given our upcoming travel plans, press orders are all the more pressing: we will be leaving for Japan on November 18th so we would like to start working on your cards as soon as we can.

We’re pleased to announce that we’re offering an exclusive line of holiday cards for 2008.  All designs are customizable and print into 5×7 folded cards with both a front and interior design.  We really dig this collection because, while there’s some cool yule to choose from, there’s also plenty of designs that don’t scream Christmas and are suitable for New Years wishes.  Not only that but we can print your cards on 4 different paper media this year including semi-gloss, pearl finish, linen finish and watercolor paper.  We’re happy to make paper recommendations based on the design you choose.

I’m posting a few below but here’s the complete line up available this season.  Contact us directly for details, a package of 25 custom cards and envelopes starts at $70 plus shipping.  All orders must be received by November 15th if you would like to have them in time for Christmas mailings, December 9th if you’re targeting New Years.   And first things first: Happy Halloween!

Posted by Mel @ 12:34 am, in Cool Stuff, News, Portraits | No comments | Permalink

Jolene and Eric are dear former students of ours and we couldn’t be more pleased to be a part of their wedding next June.  We took their engagement photos at the historic Byrd Theatre in Carytown, a fondly familiar spot for any Richmonder.  In fact, I’m not sure you’re allowed to live here without seeing at least one, two buck flick there.  And if you are really from Richmond, you can (and will) recite all the lines of the opening anti-trash infomercial filmed circa 1983 aloud with the rest of the theatre.  Its a performance phenomenon.

 J&E went to the Byrd for their very first date where they sat in the balcony and watched The Neverending Story.  A little foreshadowing, perhaps?  Not to mention that Eric and Jolene were both film majors while studying at VCU so we really couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate location to celebrate both their past and future together.  We’re super grateful to the good folks at the Byrd for opening their doors to us.  

Not knowing what to expect, we arrived with strobes in tow.  But when it came down to it, the KISS rule (keep it simple, stupid) applied as it usually does.  We did some simple light painting using long exposures on a tripod and a flashlight to make Eric and Jolene pop out of the dark, no fancy flashes or transmitters necessary.

J&E brought popcorn along just to make it even more realistic…

I know that antique washes are insanely popular with wedding photographs these days but how about taking a pic by the light of an antique window instead?  The top floor to the Byrd is bathed in a yellow green glow late in the afternoon as the result of colored glass:

Here’s a slideshow with our favs from the session set to, you guessed it, the theme song for The Neverending Story.  Because hey, it works.  To view the entire session, click here.  Congrats J&E, we’re already looking forward to June ‘09.

Posted by Mel @ 9:51 pm, in Engagement Portraits, Portraits | 2 Comments | Permalink

Karina and Allan drove all the way from North Carolina to take pictures on the campus of their alma mater, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Its a significant place: its where they first met, where they began dating and where they got engaged.  Because they met at a campus event where they decorated cups, Allan made cups to help him propose:

Cups weren’t the only props they brought along for pics.  Ahhhh, the surge protector.  We learned that this little item has been the source of much laughter at Allan’s expense.  As the story goes, Karina was plugging her computer into the same outlet as the fridge in her dorm room so her computer kept shorting out.  So Allan bought her a surge protector… for Valentine’s Day.  By the time he figured out that his gift wasn’t likely to create sparks (go figure, its purpose is to stop them), it was too late to get something more romantic so he gave it to her anyway.  She found it sweet while the rest of their friends made him the poster child for the anti-Cupid.  So we took pics in front of their dorm that we know family and friends will get a kick out of…

Karina and Allan wanted photo booth style pictures for their save the date cards so we pulled out a fun lighting trick, would you ever guess that they are standing outdoors in front of a bunch of trees when we took these?  

According to conventional wisdom in the world of portrait photography, a height difference between a couple should be minimalized visually by taking seated shots, shooting from above, etc.  Sam saw this shot while we were faking the photo booth and used their height difference to make a quirky-fun portrait, I love it:

Karina and Allen, we’re looking forward to more photo booth fun at the wedding next May.  Thanks for making the drive, for all the great stories and for being so much fun to photograph!   Here’s a slideshow of the session or go here to see more in the online gallery.

Posted by Mel @ 8:43 pm, in Engagement Portraits, Portraits | 2 Comments | Permalink