Thank you, Charlie & Kristin for allowing me the great honor of photographing your wedding. May your new life together be filled to the brim with all of the Lord's richest blessings.
Showing posts with label Weddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weddings. Show all posts
Saturday, November 3
[Teaser] Kristin + Charlie :: Maryland Wedding Photography
I guarantee you have never met a couple like the new Mr. & Mrs. Charlie Hudson. They are truly two people who are one of a kind and because of that they definitely may as well be two peas in a pod. I was blessed to photograph them take their vows just yesterday followed but a serious party with dancing like you have never seen it before.
Thank you, Charlie & Kristin for allowing me the great honor of photographing your wedding. May your new life together be filled to the brim with all of the Lord's richest blessings.
Thank you, Charlie & Kristin for allowing me the great honor of photographing your wedding. May your new life together be filled to the brim with all of the Lord's richest blessings.
Friday, November 2
Happy two weeks, Nicole + Adam :: St. Michael's Wedding Photography
It is so hard for me to come up with something to say about Nicole and Adam and their wedding. Why? Because I absolutely adore them so much that everything that I come up to say about them that seems like is more than adequate turns out to be anything but. I type, I stop, I look at what I just typed. I stare at the blinking cursor. And then I delete everything.
(This sounds like such a lame excuse for why I have not posted anything for them/of them on here so far but it really is the truth.)
There are photographers who specialize in weddings and engagements but I am actually not one of them. Why? Well... because, honestly? When I do them the only way I know how to do them is to really invest myself personally and emotionally in them with the couple. I spend a lot of time with them before I take their pictures (engagement and/or wedding) and then I spend a lot more time with them when I photograph. This time is something I need to be able to get to know them and so they can get to know me. It helps me to establish a connection with them so that when the camera has to come into play, it is mostly a non-entity and pretty unobtrusive.
With the camera playing a role that is so inconspicuous - all while I am getting to know the folks I am photographing - I am able to use my camera to document people at their most authentic. I (and the camera) are able to see the purest essence of who, what, how, and where they are in the moments that I am sharing with them. And it's for all of these reasons that I can't and I don't just do every wedding or engagement presented to me. Photographing weddings is so much more than me taking pictures of someone's big day. For me it's an honor and blessing that I am permitted to have because I know that I am being allowed to be a part of something sacred and monumental for a person and the rest of the story of their love and life.
By the time Nicole and Adam's wedding day arrived, I had already spent enough time with them and come to know them such that I felt like I belonged there and not just that I was being paid to be there and do a job. That's how I feel at most all weddings I photograph but it only happens like that because of my personal commitment, responsibility, and investment to being right there with them.
I just adore Nicole and Adam. They are two of the most lovely and loving and fun and kind and unconditionally caring people I might ever know for the rest of my life. Seriously! I know I am gushing but that's just how it's going to have to be because unlike everything else I have tried to right about and for them, I don't want to delete any of the gushing.
As of tomorrow, they will have been married for two weeks! Here are just a few of the amazingness that was their perfect wedding day. There's so much more to come but this will have to do for now because I certainly need more time to be able to come up with a much more descriptive posting of their day that isn't just me talking about how awesome they are.
(This sounds like such a lame excuse for why I have not posted anything for them/of them on here so far but it really is the truth.)
There are photographers who specialize in weddings and engagements but I am actually not one of them. Why? Well... because, honestly? When I do them the only way I know how to do them is to really invest myself personally and emotionally in them with the couple. I spend a lot of time with them before I take their pictures (engagement and/or wedding) and then I spend a lot more time with them when I photograph. This time is something I need to be able to get to know them and so they can get to know me. It helps me to establish a connection with them so that when the camera has to come into play, it is mostly a non-entity and pretty unobtrusive.
With the camera playing a role that is so inconspicuous - all while I am getting to know the folks I am photographing - I am able to use my camera to document people at their most authentic. I (and the camera) are able to see the purest essence of who, what, how, and where they are in the moments that I am sharing with them. And it's for all of these reasons that I can't and I don't just do every wedding or engagement presented to me. Photographing weddings is so much more than me taking pictures of someone's big day. For me it's an honor and blessing that I am permitted to have because I know that I am being allowed to be a part of something sacred and monumental for a person and the rest of the story of their love and life.
By the time Nicole and Adam's wedding day arrived, I had already spent enough time with them and come to know them such that I felt like I belonged there and not just that I was being paid to be there and do a job. That's how I feel at most all weddings I photograph but it only happens like that because of my personal commitment, responsibility, and investment to being right there with them.
I just adore Nicole and Adam. They are two of the most lovely and loving and fun and kind and unconditionally caring people I might ever know for the rest of my life. Seriously! I know I am gushing but that's just how it's going to have to be because unlike everything else I have tried to right about and for them, I don't want to delete any of the gushing.
As of tomorrow, they will have been married for two weeks! Here are just a few of the amazingness that was their perfect wedding day. There's so much more to come but this will have to do for now because I certainly need more time to be able to come up with a much more descriptive posting of their day that isn't just me talking about how awesome they are.
Thursday, October 27
Tovah + Dean :: Silver Spring Wedding Photographer
Tovah and Dean are two of the most in love people I believe I have ever photographed and I was so honored to witness them take their vows at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland just outside of DC. This isn't to say that other brides and grooms aren't in love but more that Tovah and Dean have a love that is nothing less than palpable. You can absolutely feel it when you are around them and you can definitely see it in the way they look at one another. What is even more amazing than all of this is that what they've got? It's nonstop. Seriously. I bet if the world just started crumbling around them they would hardly notice. Also? It wouldn't matter since, truly, they are all that matter to each other in the world anyway. There's really something to be said about unabashed love like that. There really is.
Thank you, Tovah and Dean for being a TRUE picture of love. There needs to be more love in this world like what you two have together! Perhaps you will inspire others and they will take notes from you.
Thank you, Tovah and Dean for being a TRUE picture of love. There needs to be more love in this world like what you two have together! Perhaps you will inspire others and they will take notes from you.
Sunday, June 19
Daddy's little girl :: Maryland Wedding Photography
Will be delivering the final print wedding package of over 400 images to Chelsea and Brendan within the next couple of days. God bless them for being so patient!! And God bless Chelsea and her wonderful father, Larry. Here is one of my absolute favorite images I turned out of the whole wedding. I snapped this during the traditional father-daughter dance...
And also, I have a bit of a father's day story of my own to go along with it.
I didn't broadcast this before but on the night of Chelsea and Brendan's wedding, after I had taken my last shots and I was leaving, I ended up getting a flat tire on probably one of the most deserted country roads that might be. Because I'm a take charge type, I don't flinch at things like flat tires so I immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and began to change out the flat myself - just the way my dad taught me how(!) - with only the light of the moon and the screen of my blackberry to help me see in the dark. Even when it started to pour down rain, I kept at it because I knew it would only take me a couple of minutes to just finish and be back in the car for the hours of driving I had ahead of me. When I got to the last lug nut I hit a wall. The nut was just about completely stripped (cheap scrap metal nuts!!) and the tire iron I had wasn't coming even close to being able to get it off the bolt. The only thing that would get it off would be pliers at this point.
In the midst of me figuring out what my options were, I tried to flag down the few cars that were traveling the road I was pulled over on. Each one stopped but didn't have any assistance to offer me in the way that I really needed. It continued to rain and despite the fact that I could have gotten very mad and discouraged, I didn't. Number one: I'm not the type who gets easily mad or discouraged AT ALL and number two: I've always been taught (by my dad, no less) to always be prepared and aware of the resources you do have even before you need to employ them.
As it happened, Chelsea's dad, Larry, ended up pulling over to assist me. He determined the same thing I did - I had a VERY stripped cheap scrap metal lug nut that just wasn't coming off even with brute force and I needed some decent pliers instead of the tire iron. He, being the man of slightly greater and more immediate resources than I, called in some help in the way of a very experienced wedding guest who was an Eagle scout. Fifteen minutes later, the lug nut was off, the spare was put on, and I was adhering to the 50 mph/50 miles to go in the direction of home.
Y'know? Even though I was there getting things done and working things out, I cannot tell you how good it felt being in the situation that was completely under control from the beginning. Yeah, I'm a real can-do type but ultimately? I know that the situation worked out the way it did because of the dads - my dad and Chelsea's dad, Larry. Had my dad never taken all the time to patiently teach me how to change flat tires "just in case," I would have easily freaked out standing there in the dark on that country road while the rain just poured down on me. And had Chelsea's dad Larry never pulled over? Well, I suppose I could have been OK but really? It was just so nice to have him there being the dad he is and in the way I know my dad would have been as well in just that situation. If you ask me, dads are the greatest. And I thank God every day for a heavenly father who knew from the beginning what an essential blessing they are in this life.
Happy Father's day, to YOU! Hope you're spending the day celebrating not just your dad, but ALL of the dads out there who are nothing less than awesome.
And also, I have a bit of a father's day story of my own to go along with it.
I didn't broadcast this before but on the night of Chelsea and Brendan's wedding, after I had taken my last shots and I was leaving, I ended up getting a flat tire on probably one of the most deserted country roads that might be. Because I'm a take charge type, I don't flinch at things like flat tires so I immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and began to change out the flat myself - just the way my dad taught me how(!) - with only the light of the moon and the screen of my blackberry to help me see in the dark. Even when it started to pour down rain, I kept at it because I knew it would only take me a couple of minutes to just finish and be back in the car for the hours of driving I had ahead of me. When I got to the last lug nut I hit a wall. The nut was just about completely stripped (cheap scrap metal nuts!!) and the tire iron I had wasn't coming even close to being able to get it off the bolt. The only thing that would get it off would be pliers at this point.
In the midst of me figuring out what my options were, I tried to flag down the few cars that were traveling the road I was pulled over on. Each one stopped but didn't have any assistance to offer me in the way that I really needed. It continued to rain and despite the fact that I could have gotten very mad and discouraged, I didn't. Number one: I'm not the type who gets easily mad or discouraged AT ALL and number two: I've always been taught (by my dad, no less) to always be prepared and aware of the resources you do have even before you need to employ them.
As it happened, Chelsea's dad, Larry, ended up pulling over to assist me. He determined the same thing I did - I had a VERY stripped cheap scrap metal lug nut that just wasn't coming off even with brute force and I needed some decent pliers instead of the tire iron. He, being the man of slightly greater and more immediate resources than I, called in some help in the way of a very experienced wedding guest who was an Eagle scout. Fifteen minutes later, the lug nut was off, the spare was put on, and I was adhering to the 50 mph/50 miles to go in the direction of home.
Y'know? Even though I was there getting things done and working things out, I cannot tell you how good it felt being in the situation that was completely under control from the beginning. Yeah, I'm a real can-do type but ultimately? I know that the situation worked out the way it did because of the dads - my dad and Chelsea's dad, Larry. Had my dad never taken all the time to patiently teach me how to change flat tires "just in case," I would have easily freaked out standing there in the dark on that country road while the rain just poured down on me. And had Chelsea's dad Larry never pulled over? Well, I suppose I could have been OK but really? It was just so nice to have him there being the dad he is and in the way I know my dad would have been as well in just that situation. If you ask me, dads are the greatest. And I thank God every day for a heavenly father who knew from the beginning what an essential blessing they are in this life.
Happy Father's day, to YOU! Hope you're spending the day celebrating not just your dad, but ALL of the dads out there who are nothing less than awesome.
Monday, June 13
Still at it! :: Eastern Shore Wedding Photographer
I'm just about halfway done with this wedding because it might be one of the most total images I've ever tried to turn out. I shared this teaser on my FB fan page and both the bride and groom offered a lot of praise for it so thought I'd share it here as well. They are almost to their one month anniversary and I confirm that they are indeed still just this much in love...
Sunday, June 12
Always camera ready :: Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer
Between yesterday and today, I have spent more time in the car driving across state lines than I have been doing anything else. It was all for a wedding but this time around it was because I am a guest and NOT the photographer. Still? I will always be armed with my trusty camera.
And even when I break a lens (let's NOT even talk about this and focus on the fact that I am finally being forced to upgrade a lens) and there is strobe lighting changing constantly in a venue that has super high ceilings because what it really is is a converted barn and if I really want to get the shot that I want I have to climb from my comfortable and safe seat in the loft out onto the rafters and I also refuse to use any flash because I don't want to destroy the gorgeous ambiance created by the crystal chandeliers *catching my breath*... well? I can still turn out a shot like this and that makes me SO happy!
People? People, people, PEOPLE! I will not go to a wedding and NOT try to snag at least one amazing shot of the bride and groom even if I am supposed to be just a guest AND all of the aforementioned stuff happens. It's just not gonna happen. I will always ALWAYS be there with camera at the ready.
Congrats to you, Mary Rae and Derek! I had a marvelous time at your wedding and wish you a lifetime of wedded bliss filled with only the richest of the Lord's blessings.
And even when I break a lens (let's NOT even talk about this and focus on the fact that I am finally being forced to upgrade a lens) and there is strobe lighting changing constantly in a venue that has super high ceilings because what it really is is a converted barn and if I really want to get the shot that I want I have to climb from my comfortable and safe seat in the loft out onto the rafters and I also refuse to use any flash because I don't want to destroy the gorgeous ambiance created by the crystal chandeliers *catching my breath*... well? I can still turn out a shot like this and that makes me SO happy!
People? People, people, PEOPLE! I will not go to a wedding and NOT try to snag at least one amazing shot of the bride and groom even if I am supposed to be just a guest AND all of the aforementioned stuff happens. It's just not gonna happen. I will always ALWAYS be there with camera at the ready.
Congrats to you, Mary Rae and Derek! I had a marvelous time at your wedding and wish you a lifetime of wedded bliss filled with only the richest of the Lord's blessings.
Friday, June 10
I should be sleeping
I'm in the throws of multiple wedding edits and after that I have some major marketing leg work that needs to be attended to - for a new photography venture I'm taking on as well as for my other business that I'm trying to formally lift off the ground (now, a decade after the idea was hatched *sigh*) (It's called Make and Take Masterpieces if you were wondering.) Earlier today I was ordering copious amounts of art supplies and studio furniture, closing my school studio/classroom for the summer, and "producing" my now three year old daughter's "Ocean" birthday party. Truth be told, I'm not a happy camper unless I'm working, working, and working. And now when I really and truly should be sleeping because I've got another big day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm still awake, I mean I'm just barely awake and I could probably fall asleep while typing this up but still? I'm fighting it. Because in the midst of my wedding edits I churned out the image you see below. And now I cannot stop sitting here, fighting my fatigue, just to look at it for a little bit longer.
It's certainly not the most ideal or classic or traditional shot from a wedding but I'm not concerned with that. I think it's beautiful. I love the visual texture and the values and the contrasts and the composition and they way it looks like a place that just couldn't really exist - but it does indeed because I was there and I took the picture to prove it!!!
Other photographers might pride themselves on taking good pictures but I'm here to tell you that too many of them have to stop there. A good photographer, a real ARTIST won't take anything - they will CREATE something out of what could otherwise be completely insignificant or even nothing at all.
Know this: when YOU team up with me and I've got my camera in hand. We're going to do more than just get a good shot. We're going to create beauty. And it's going to come in the way of elements of art and design that go far beyond a picture. I promise you that. I absolutely pledge that to you with the highest level of confidence.
It's certainly not the most ideal or classic or traditional shot from a wedding but I'm not concerned with that. I think it's beautiful. I love the visual texture and the values and the contrasts and the composition and they way it looks like a place that just couldn't really exist - but it does indeed because I was there and I took the picture to prove it!!!
Other photographers might pride themselves on taking good pictures but I'm here to tell you that too many of them have to stop there. A good photographer, a real ARTIST won't take anything - they will CREATE something out of what could otherwise be completely insignificant or even nothing at all.
Know this: when YOU team up with me and I've got my camera in hand. We're going to do more than just get a good shot. We're going to create beauty. And it's going to come in the way of elements of art and design that go far beyond a picture. I promise you that. I absolutely pledge that to you with the highest level of confidence.
Tuesday, May 31
So much sparkle! :: Gaithersburg Wedding Photographer
This past weekend I had the extreme honor of witnessing a long awaited celebration for a very special bride and groom. They married each other abroad and then had a reception locally for their family and friends. The amazing thing is that despite the fact that there was no ceremony for me to photograph, that didn't mean that the event was any less special or festive. This event had more sparkle, shine, and fancy elements than most any I have had the honor to behold with my camera. I mean, just check out the bride's shoes...
And this image is the only one that I will be sharing of the event. Why? Well, per special request, images will be shared only directly between me and the lovely Mr. & Mrs. and their family and friends. And though this is different for me, I have a great deal of respect for their intent of doing things this way. For as much as I really like to share the amazing images I get to capture with my camera, I have a great deal of respect for those who choose to keep their likenesses off of the web. In a world like now when we are wired by connections that barely give us a moment to breathe, it's always refreshing to me to meet folks who do things differently and spend their lives unplugged a lot more often than I do.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one shot of such fancy and pretty shoes. I've got to get back to editing. I'm working on two weddings right now! No rest for the weary.
And this image is the only one that I will be sharing of the event. Why? Well, per special request, images will be shared only directly between me and the lovely Mr. & Mrs. and their family and friends. And though this is different for me, I have a great deal of respect for their intent of doing things this way. For as much as I really like to share the amazing images I get to capture with my camera, I have a great deal of respect for those who choose to keep their likenesses off of the web. In a world like now when we are wired by connections that barely give us a moment to breathe, it's always refreshing to me to meet folks who do things differently and spend their lives unplugged a lot more often than I do.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one shot of such fancy and pretty shoes. I've got to get back to editing. I'm working on two weddings right now! No rest for the weary.
Monday, May 16
[Teaser] Chelsea + Brendan :: Easton Wedding Photographer
As I post this, Chelsea and Brendan are "leaving on a jet plane" to their honeymoon in Hawaii. Their wedding at Wye Island National Park on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was one of the most romantic I have ever had the honor of witnessing and photographing. Here are just a few teasers of what I captured of their amazing day.
Thursday, March 24
Shhhhh! Don't tell ANYONE.
Technically I shouldn't even be showing these to you. Why? Well, because I wasn't supposed to take them in the first place because I was asked to be at this wedding as a bridesmaid and NOT the photographer. But, well... you can't tell me not to take pictures! Telling a visual artist/professional wedding photographer "Don't take pictures" is like saying to a fish, "Please. Try NOT to swim!" I gotta get some shots in. I HAVE TO capture and preserve the moments that are placed before me. It's what I do!
Still, as God insisted and he knows best, after I took these pictures, my memory card filled itself to max capacity and I had to stop. *shrug* Good thing because I would easily have ended up trying to stuff my full-frame into a little evening bag for the rest of the festivities. Little black bridesmaid dress and awkwardly stuffed purse? Uh... NO. Well, at least I got some of the lovely details...
Congratulations, Alyson! The "Once upon a time..." you wished for on stars and the "Happily Ever after" you've dreamed of all of your life has finally arrived. May the Lord bless you and your holy covenant with Jorge with only the richest life has to offer.
Still, as God insisted and he knows best, after I took these pictures, my memory card filled itself to max capacity and I had to stop. *shrug* Good thing because I would easily have ended up trying to stuff my full-frame into a little evening bag for the rest of the festivities. Little black bridesmaid dress and awkwardly stuffed purse? Uh... NO. Well, at least I got some of the lovely details...
Congratulations, Alyson! The "Once upon a time..." you wished for on stars and the "Happily Ever after" you've dreamed of all of your life has finally arrived. May the Lord bless you and your holy covenant with Jorge with only the richest life has to offer.
Friday, January 23
DO judge a book by its cover!
The creation of a wedding album is a creatively exhaustive and tedious process IF you do it right! A wedding album should never be just a photo album. It should have the ability to take you back to your wedding day with all of the anticipation, excitement, and bliss that comes with that magical day where you merge your life with your beloved's.
The cover of your album is one of the most important elements of your book. Why? Because it should provide a sampling of the beautiful imagery that's inside. Would you be compelled to open this album?
The cover of your album is one of the most important elements of your book. Why? Because it should provide a sampling of the beautiful imagery that's inside. Would you be compelled to open this album?
Yvonne and Chris's album is my current album design project! Not a bad "Once upon a time" for a wedding story, eh?
Thursday, January 8
[Teaser] "With this ring... I thee wed... :: Kent Island Wedding Photographer
Saturday, December 27
[Teaser] Yvonne + Chris :: Kent Island Wedding Photographer
Tonight I had the incredible honor to be a part of the most extraordinary wedding. It was easily the most romantic one that I have ever shot!
Congratulations, Yvonne and Chris! Enjoy your honeymoon with all of it's newlywedded bliss!
Yvonne and Chris were married earlier this evening on Kent Island. Their ceremony was woven with beautiful personal details and their reception afterwards was so much more like a grand ole party. Still, nothing outshined the love that they have found in one another. It's folks like Yvonne and Chris of which love stories are written...
Congratulations, Yvonne and Chris! Enjoy your honeymoon with all of it's newlywedded bliss!Sunday, November 16
Lonnie + David :: Bethesda Jewish Wedding Photographer
It is rare that I am able to work with a bride like Lonnie who has such amazing presence in front of a camera. Lonnie has professional training in the dramatic arts and it sure does show. Lonnie and David are quite the gorgeous pair for sure...
Saturday, November 15
Wedding Portfolio Slideshow :: DC, Maryland, Virginia Wedding Photographer
This is a compilation of recent weddings and some of my favorites from the past. Turn your speakers up for a lovely accompaniment of one of my most favorite songs in the world.
Wedding portfolio slide show from Andrea Ream on Vimeo.
Music credit: Ella Fitzgerald - Cheek to cheek, and David Gray
Sunday, September 16
Alicia + Todd :: New England Wedding Photographer
What a great day for a wedding! It wasn't too cold, not too hot, and there were plenty of drinks and LOBSTERS to go around for everyone. I was even lucky enough to get one for myself! Thanks for a great time, Alicia and Todd!
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