Natalie's Bridal Portraits

I might be a contender for most impatient person on the planet. These gorgeous pictures...it was everything I could do not to post at least one on Friday right after we took them. But I couldn't, because we can't have everyone seeing the bride before her wedding, now can we?

This is a Southern tradition that we Northerners should definitely consider adopting. Having the time to make some amazing portraits of the bride in all her wedding day finery on a day other than the wedding is truly a luxury that I'm not often afforded, but I could absolutely get used to it. And, not often do I get a girl who can do what I tell her before I say it, a gorgeous location, and the best light of the day, all at once, so this one is really, and truly, special.

The Experience: PASS

My husband, the master web programmer, does not understand my love of things that are magic.

I love things that just work, and I don't have to think about it. Like the internet and its latest trick, the cloud. I like to imagine that all of my electronic stuff is just floating up above me in a big white fluffy castle, waiting for me to call it down and never be lost again. Because it has happened before, and it wasn't pretty, that day that I lost everything due to harddrive failure.

After college, I conveniently stored my portable backup hard drive in my purse, because that was how I carried everything I needed on a daily basis. I have since upgraded my purse for an iPhone, but back in the day, the big giant purse that held everything-but-the-kitchen-sink was how all the cool kids toted around their life. However, hard drives are delicate creatures and living in my purse, getting jostled around for multiple hours a day, caused mine to have an early death. But I did not fear, because my backup had a backup. Until the backup died, too, during a move. And then all of my files, papers and pictures and mp3s, were lost to the black hole of dead technology, relegating all of my young adulthood memories to Facebook, which I'm sure will come back to haunt me later.

Which is why I'm now a huge fan of the cloud. And why I'm making sure that all of my photographs that I take for my clients have a home there in a little castle of their own called PASS.

//WHAT IS PASS?// PASS looks like an ordinary online gallery, but it has superpowers. After a photo session, the easiest way for people to see their photos is to have a nice little webpage where all of the images are laid out for viewing. You can provide a link so that family and friends can go there too, to see how beautiful and amazing everyone looks. But with most online galleries, that's where the interaction ends...you can click through the pictures when you're sitting at your computer and maybe order some printed copies.

With PASS, you can enter in the gallery url to see the online gallery whenever you are on the internet, and you can also download the PASS app for your computer and iPhone to take your images with you where ever you go. Pretty soon you'll also be able to order prints directly from the PASS app as well. There's also a direct link to Facebook so that you can put your favorites into a Facebook album without having to wait for all those photos to upload. But my favorite feature is this: PASS eliminates the need for a DVD, flash drive, or hard drive for delivery of your pictures. If you have included the option, PASS allows you to download all of your images right away, no waiting to receive the files in the mail. How's that for instant gratification???

AND...the best part - you don't have to worry about misplacing your DVD or flash drive, or worse, hard drive failure. The images are stored in your gallery forever. A year of access is included with all of my photography packages, which is plenty of time to download the gallery, but if something happens to your images after a year, the gallery can be reinstated at any point in time so that you can have access to  your pictures again. All you have to do is ask!

Oh, and by the way, PASS is a service I love because they make it easier for me to do my job, they love photographers, and they have amazing customer support. They have no idea I wrote this post, but I wanted to share my love for PASS because how you get your images is an important part of any conversation about doing a photo session. So now you know :0).

The Experience: Portraits

Portraits...I loooove them. Family portraits, headshots, just because sessions, boudoir, I adore it all.

Granted, those are all very different types of photo sessions, I know. But at their hearts, they are all the same. They are all about telling your story. And finding the love and beauty in every person in everyday stories.

Mood:

Every portrait session is going to be different, depending on the purpose and style of the shoot. I love anything and everything DIY, so I am always up for working on this with you, whether it be through props, styling, location, or all of the above. No matter what, the shoot should be a reflection of you, and your story will be the center of attention at all points of the planning and execution. And on the day of the photo session, it is ALL about having fun. You just be yourself and I'll make sure everything falls into place.

Before the session:

Most people let me know that they are interested in a session by email. It's always great if you include in your initial inquiry what the session is for/about. We'll chat about a few details, and I'll send a questionnaire to get you thinking about the specifics. (It's okay if you don't know a lot of the answers at the beginning. We'll chat and it will come. I'm here to help!) If we decide that props should be part of the session (totally optional!) you'll want to grab them before we meet. It's also good to pick out your clothing ahead of time, and make any appointments for hair and makeup in advance (highly recommended for headshots and boudoir...and if you want to splurge for any type of session, it is always wonderful to be pampered!).

During the session:

Again, each session will be unique, but in some ways they are all similar. Most sessions take place outdoors, about an hour or so before sunset. All sessions involve a mix of posed and candid photo opportunities. Some lean more heavily toward posed (headshots, boudoir) and others are much more candid (family, just because). It takes most people a little while to loosen up for candid photos (I remember my engagement session, at first it feels like you're being followed by the paparazzi), so we usually start by posing until everyone gets comfortable with the camera and individual personalities shine through. When children are involved in the session, I let them lead and simply follow however they want to engage. It makes them feel important and keeps them happy and adorable. Regardless of whether a photo is candid or posed, I like to keep people in motion throughout the shoot so that the photos ultimately look natural and free, never stiff or awkward. Most sessions last an hour to an hour and a half.

After the session:

After we say goodbye, I'll add special sauce/fairy dust to the pictures to make them extra awesome, and, within 1-2 weeks, put them in an online gallery for you to share on facebook // send to friends and family // and order prints. You also have the option to download the images directly onto your computer - no more waiting for a DVD to arrive in the mail. Yay!

The thing about a portrait session is that it is actually an intimate experience. Regardless of the type. We get to know each other in a very personal way and many times without much talking. And I love this...and I love you. I sincerely heart the people who are willing to make themselves vulnerable in front of my lens and share themselves completely for a priceless image. I treasure the time we spend imagining the outcome and capturing that most authentic and beautiful version of yourself and the ones you love.

The Experience

Between the ages of 7-12, I was the proud owner of several velvet Christmas dresses. It was the 90s. Velvet was hot. And it was really hot when worn in the summer.

No sane person would wear a long sleeved velvet dress in the summer – unless they were my mother’s child and they were getting their not-quite-annual portrait taken. Trust me when I tell you that every single one of those pictures belongs on the awkward family photo website. I repeat, we were wearing velvet. Christmas. dresses.

And yet, in spite of the cringe-worthy awkward poses and contrived smiles that hid our dislike of wearing velvet in the summer, those photos are still proudly on display at my mom’s house. They are the pictures of our childhood, and they showcase the dresses my mom always, very lovingly, made a size too big so that we could wear them for several years before outgrowing them at which point she’d have to make new ones and it would be time for another formal portrait. However, aside from the handmade velvet dresses, they don’t say volumes about who we were in those days. They are mostly snapshots that catalog how we looked and grew from year to year.

And that is what I love about what I do…it’s not about getting just a pretty picture, it’s about who you are, letting your personality shine through. It’s about showing how you love. And remembering how it felt.

I put the photos that I love from weddings and portrait sessions up here, but I haven’t said much about what goes on behind the scenes to make them happen. So I’m changing that. Every Monday, from now until I run out of things to say, I want to tell you what to expect. I want you to know what you’re going to get out of a portrait session or from your wedding photography. Because this might not be what you’re used to. But there are a few things you should know up front, before I tell you anything else:

1. I strive to create images that are imaginative, authentic, and/or cheerful. In order to do that, I need you to be you. That’s all. I'll make sure the rest falls into place.
2. I will be your guide. You’re not in this alone. I will talk you through every step of the process and make sure you are comfortable. 
3. At the end of the day, I want the act of making the pictures to be as memorable for you as the images you get. It’s about playing a family game of tag, kissing in the rain, spending beautiful moments with the people you love the most. 

And along the way, there might be a few (happy) surprises. 

I want to show you how this will be different from your local department store portrait studio. Because I am so not a fan of wearing velvet in the summer.

Bobby's Groomsmen

I'm a bad blogger.

Back in September (when I wasn't blogging) I was shooting. Pictures. Of a friend's wedding. Oh yeah, and planning my own. That might have something to do with the not blogging thing.

Bobby is a really really really good friend from high school. Krista is the love of his life. Bobby can talk to anyone about almost anything. He's getting his graduate degree at John's Hopkins. We took calculus together. And algebra before that, where we would get in trouble for talking/singing in class. He also loves photography and people have seen his pictures hanging in his apartment and asked if they are Ansel Adams. Yep, he's good at everything. And Krista is super sweet and the perfect match for Bobby.

Ben and I drove up for the wedding and Bobby was so kind to invite us to spend some time with him and his groomsmen the morning before all of the festivities began. You know how on the day of a wedding you sometimes never get to see your friend, but it's all okay because you're just so happy for them? This wasn't one of those times. It meant SO MUCH to Ben and me to be able to have a few hours with our friend that were relaxed, with a mix of nerves and anticipation like a spice in the air, before everything got crazy.

When we arrived to the house where the boys had spent the weekend leading up to the big day, they were just finishing getting ready. The house was right on the beach, and the upper decks looked out upon the sand and the ocean. I had my cameras with me and Bobby got the boys together to get a few photos of just them - his closest bros, the ones who had been there since elementary school and the ones who were there when he met his future bride in college. The way they joked and played water bottle football across the kitchen table, you never would have known that they hadn't all been together for their whole lives.

But that's the kind of friend that Bobby is. He treats you like family, greeting you with a hug and never fails to show interest in the current events in your life. He's warm and welcoming, and to see him surrounded by his family and friends with a huge smile attached to his face the whole day - nobody could be more deserving. It was such an honor to capture him with his boys.

A few refreshments hanging around the house...Mike's Hard Lemonade and Margarita Cupcakes. Oh so tasty!

So very glamorous of him.

Happy Wednesday!

The Grubb Family!

I used to think it was impossible to get teenage girls ready to go. I had no idea that teenage boys were worse:

It's 2:45. Why aren't you dressed?

What should I wear?

The iron broke. How am I supposed to iron my shirt?

I thought we were going to the park.

Okay, let's go to the park.

Why do you have a bucket?

Nose goes.

It's too cold. Can you take these any faster?

Look at the camera.

Smack.

Owww.

I never grew up with brothers. I've heard that they get physical, that knocking each other around is just part of the deal. But I wouldn't know. I have to assume that a punch here and there is really a symbol of the brotherly love I know these three share.

Maybe roughing them up a little bit would be the best way to display the adoration I have for them, my might-as-well-be brothers. But I'm just as happy to avoid the inevitable backlash and tell them with words that they are my favorite boys in the whole world.

I'm floored that Adam is leaving high school in June to head off to a world that holds so much promise for him. College visits have been an adventure for him and his parents, and I know he is immensely excited about pursuing lacrosse and engineering. Can't wait to find out where!

As a special treat, we added senior pictures to the annual family holiday photo. And to make it less painful, we included Adam's best friend J.R. and got his senior pictures out of the way too. Having a friend along definitely makes every photo shoot instantly more fun.

Last year's family photos produced some of my favorite family portraits so far (the boys have grown up so much since then...crazy!)...and my most favoritest family BROUGHT IT again this year! I'm dying to see what the next year brings for them and to continue to document their yearly family photo!