karen and rich: durham engagement photographer

this is my friend karen and her fiance rich. I've known karen for...let's see...well, I guess we met four years ago. we bonded over graduate thermodynamics taught by a man who was, literally, from transylvania. and had a dracula accent. it was excruciating--we cried together and laughed together (at tests. while taking them!) and celebrated the final by enjoying both icecream and beer. it was THAT bad.

anyway, after that horrible shared experience we talked sometimes and tried to get together, but nothing ever ended up working out, really. but then she was leaving for england to go to grad school for a year and I *had* to attend her going away party.

and during the year she was across the pond we emailed and talked more than we had in the previous three years! (not counting all things thermo) and then one day I got the BEST email! rich had proposed, they were getting married in the states and she wanted ME to do the honor of photographing her wedding!! and, could they please please get some engagement pictures while rich was visiting?

um, YES, of course!

so (and sorry for the all the words, I promise there will be pictures in just a sec!) when talking locations, with karen and rich half a world away, I asked where they met and if there was anything special to them. they said that they met for the first time at a train station: this train station...



so we went to the new amtrak station in downtown durham!



this is my favorite from the whole session--just look how happy they are!


we tried to kind of re-create their real life meeting--rich saw karen before karen saw rich--see?


see that rock in their hand (I mean the one in their hands, not the one on her finger!!)? on the day rich proposed he saw the rock on the ground right near where he asked her--and it looks kind of like a heart. SO sweet!


and I LOVE how sweet they are--and check out those chuck taylors!


doesn't the bus station bench look awesome in this one?


so precious. so romantic. so THEM. :)


karen and rich, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and for asking me to be a part of your big day! and rich I am so excited for you to move here SOON! I look forward to sharing many beers and dinners out with you two! and I can't wait for your wedding in april!!

[and, fun fact? karen and rich are getting married the week after I am! matt and I have set a date!! can I TELL you how excited I am about how fantastic april 2010 is going to be? I can't believe it's only 5 months away!]

jo and ed: raleigh wedding photographer

weddings and couples are my favorite type of sessions to shoot--there's something about the LOVE that makes my heart smile, you know? it's even better when I get to shoot for someone who I know and whose company I enjoy--and such was the case for this wedding. Along with the pastor and many of the guests, Jo, Ed and I all attend the same church, so it was really fantastic to get to be a part of their special day.

I co-shot this wedding with my friend and fellow photographer, the fabulously talented Nicole Faby, and we had a blast! There were so many beautiful details and lovely touches and WOW! The day started out at Jo's gorgeous house in the more historic area of Glenwood, just north of five-points. It was an intimate ceremony and just so touching!

the flowers were by The English Garden--check out the breathtaking bride's bouquet!

Nicole got this one of Jo making her entrance

and here are two from the ceremony--floor level by me, bird's eye by nicole. that's a HUGE plus of having two photographers at your wedding--you get multiple viewpoints!

and the kiss, captured by nicole!


even jo's doggies dressed up for the occasion! I'd never been to a wedding with dogs before, but it was a hoot! they were so adorable and very well behaved--and pets are part of the family, so it was great they could be a part of the day! I couldn't resist getting pictures of the cuteness!




nicole got this hilarious one of jo and ed with their kiddos--too funny!


and here are two of the beautiful couple! this first one is by nicole--ooh la la!

and then here's one I took of the duo at the front of their home!

the details were just gorgeous too! check out the rings (rings and flower by nicole, the other two rings by me)-just amazing!





and last but not least: seeing this written on an envelope brings a smile to my face! glad nicole got this one!


Nicole and I really enjoyed working with y'all! Keep an eye out for more images SOON! :) Nicole will be blogging some of our images too, so I'll link to it when it's up!

julie and justin: asheville wedding photographer

I knew this wedding was going to be amazing from the moment I stepped into the Party Barn--and it wasn't the location or the beautiful table arrangements or the horses or the perfect weather. No, it was that I walked up to Julie, introduced myself (we'd only talked on the phone and via email) and she said "no handshakes, friends hug, and we're gonna be friends by the end of today!"

she was right :)

this wedding was held in candler, nc, and wow, wow, WOW! eye candy everywhere, a super-fun bride and groom, and fantastic weather--I couldn't have asked for more.

let's start with the dress: geeeeee-orgeous!


and a touching ceremony--justin's dad officiated.


and so many details--burlap, logs, candles, handmade soap, bird's nest--just made everything gel!


and see that dress-worn by justin's grandmother.



the grandparents? they were PRECIOUS! and grandpa was persnickety in a very awesome way :)go check out the cream-of-the-crop album on my site and you'll see what I mean!

can't you just see how much they love each other? so touching, so adorable!


julie and justin allowed a lot of time for pictures between the ceremony and the reception--it helped a lot that everything was in the same place--and I know they are so thankful they did! check it out...

our own special take on "American Gothic"--SO appropriate for a barn wedding.


and this is the bride's (and my) favorite couple shot of the day!


and I LOVE this ring shot!

their flowergirl was a doll!




their programs were beautiful in their simplicity--and Julie and Justin learned something special for their first dance--the guests LOVED it! I did too! :)







the party barn at night!

a preview of what's up next!

I'm still playing catch-up! I am richly blessed by all of the amazing photography opportunities that keep coming my way! Weddings, families, newborns, corporate headshots and even a corporate event, wow!

I have five sessions this weekend, so I'm not sure when I'll get to blog the full version of each of these, but here's a taste...

t, e and n visited duke gardens with me--look how much little N has grown!


love is in the air! these two lovebirds are living across the pond from each other--she's here, he's there, but when he came to visit they made sure to book a shoot. I am really looking forward to their wedding in april!


leah and jeff got married in durham. holy moly, was the light perfect all day or what??? more from their wedding soon...


this is brandon. he's a rock star, a sweetheart and best friends with my little brother, which basically makes him my other little brother. :) he's also a SENIOR.


and this is harvey, my littlest brother. he is also known as hamster or harvard avenue, and he's probably going to be mad at me for telling you that :) he's also a big bad SENIOR, and of course he had me do his pics. he plays FOUR instruments and couldn't decide which to bring. some day, I think I will have to refer to him as my "famous brother harvey" :)



these fine folks are julie and justin--they got married at the farm in western north carolina. wow, wow, WOW!

sydney and thomas - tulsa wedding photographer

some of my facebook friends may have seen images from this AMAZING wedding, but I wanted to share them on here too. Syd and I have been friends for AGES. We've known each other since we were in, oh, 4th grade or so, and our paths continue to cross. She is one of my very best friends and I was honored to be her bridesmaid! I also couldn't resist snapping some pictures of the gorgeousness!

the flowers were done by her mother, Jan. She will be doing my flowers in April! She also makes awesome jewelry, check her out.


I LOVE this. these armadillos make me smile. :)


and when we saw this while we were getting ready I knew I had to capture it!


beautiful. just beautiful. radiant too, yes?


and check out her dress!



this wedding had SO MANY fun details! programs that doubled as fans, paper lanterns, and color EVERYWHERE. wow!


and then the reception fun really began!




and I love this one of their first dance.


They are such sweethearts! I am so glad I got to be in your wedding, and it warms my heart to know how much they love all these photos! If you want to see more, I've added them to the "cream of the crop" album on my site!