Just a few weeks ago, we shot another June wedding. Katie Vance married Patrick Carlson at Leatherwood Mountain Resort. We photographed Katie’s bridal portraits on November 4, 2016 at this very same spot. Katie wanted photos at Leatherwood both in the fall as well as in the summer to show off the various scenic views. Leatherwood – a place we love and have shot many times for brides and grooms – is a favorite for its bucolic setting and rustic atmosphere. Katie chose it to showcase the opposite. She is more princess than country bride and loves to sparkle. Even the Vans she wore with her gown had purple glitter on them. Katie grew up in Boone and loved being in the glorious mountain views that surrounded her all year. She loved how the mountains could be so massive and still be charming in the details. Her challenge to us was not to photograph the farm’s rustic style but instead to capture the more elegant natural surroundings. We were happy to oblige. Wedding photos are coming soon! If you’re interested in Leatherwood, here’s more about this venue from us.
Ever heard of a June wedding? Me, either, but apparently they are really popular.
Pixels very first wedding was a June wedding – that of Sandy & Mark Sherill on June 18th 2005. That’s where it all began.
So now to Sandy and Mark – our very first wedding shoot. Sandy and I were middle school youth group leaders together as well as friends. She watched for a few years when Ryan and I would take candid photos whenever we were with the youth group. When it came time for her own wedding she asked us a few times if we’d photograph her wedding. We kept saying “no way.” She finally put her foot down after asking four or so times. “You two are going to shoot my wedding.” She was sweet and we caved and it was on. The only complication is that her wedding was at the end of a week that we were chaperones for our youth group’s annual mission trip to the Pittsburgh Project. We left PA early to head to the wedding in Norfolk, VA with a car full of middle school girls who were also attendants in their wedding. YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! With equipment that was far from professional, packed in suitcases with our mission clothing, we made it and photographed our very first wedding together. 12 years later Sandy and Mark (just below) still love their photos and we’re still friends. Sandy even hired us to photograph her oldest daughter’s wedding years later.
Looking through these June weddings makes me smile. Each one represents a day that changed the trajectory of that couple’s lives forever and there we were, pulling those indelible moments out of the air and making sure they made it on film. So many stories!
By my count, that is 22 and we added new ones to the list this year. Happy Anniversary to each one of you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives and keep celebrating! We love you!
The wedding, on April 22nd at The Inn at Crestwood Resort in Blowing Rock NC, between Lance and Fiona Martin was the perfect springtime event: kilt, weather, laid-back bride and all. The couple had a small and intimate gathering of friends and family from all over the country and different parts of the world, including friends from Switzerland and Scotland. Only one bridesmaid and one groomsmen were in the wedding party. Each detail was well planned, but when it came to the day, they just trusted everything to go smoothly and as planned. And it did, including the brief arrival of sunshine for a period.
Weather can be dodgy in April, so Fiona wisely chose to have the event indoors. Good thing too, because the Scottish inspired clouds were out and it did rain. Fortunately, it cleared long enough for photos. Even during the ceremony and reception though, the views from the windows were spectacular with Grandfather Mountain in the distance. They could not have chosen a more fitting spot for a groom in Scottish attire and a bride who looked like a Celtic Fairy.Even though the couple are from South Carolina, they are serious cyclists and choose the Inn at Crestwood because of their love for the area. They’ve cycled in this area many, many times and so it was no surprise that they towed their bikes with them for their wedding weekend. The day before the ceremony, they went for a long road ride together along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But I wasn’t kidding about how serious they are as cyclists. To share their love of it with everyone, the couple gave water bottles and bicycle bottle openers as favors to guests.Brides come in all types and temperaments, and Fiona is easily one of the most laid-back relaxed brides we have ever worked with. Her trust in all of her chosen vendors allowed everyone to be relaxed; each of us, from photographers to caterers, were able to take care of them and provide the best service. It’s refreshing when clients have complete trust in your work and don’t give you a list of specifics that sometimes hamper creativity.Lance and Fiona shared that a few of the highlights were when Lance choked up during the ceremony, that they were able to chat with guests out on the patio before the reception started and when the dance floor flooded with ALL the guests who wanted to dance to a song by Average White Band. The reception was a real party!Congrats to these two! We look forward to wishing them a Happy Anniversary this time next year.
If you’re interested in the vendors, Fiona and Lance chose for their wedding, have a look!
Wedding gown: London & Lace, Columbia, SC
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful Bride On Location
Wedding coordinator /planner: Vanessa Hensley at the Inn at Crestwood
Wedding and reception venue: Inn at Crestwood
Flowers: Park Place Florists, Blowing Rock, NC
DJ or band: Mountain Peak Sound
Caterer: Inn at Crestwood
Cake/deserts: Ugga Mugga Bakery
Toward the end of March, I struck out on my own and took a leap outside of my comfort zone to attend a photography workshop and retreat. I love perfecting my craft, learning new techniques, comparing notes, etc., and we all need professional renewal, regardless of what we do. The invitation promised a focus on wedding photography, mastering and using lighting and exposure, and connecting with both your clients and your own desires in life. Tricks of the trade meets self-help meets community and introspection. I’d made excuses for not going in the past and this had an extra element of trepidation – spending 4 days in a house with 9 other women, all strangers. But what’s growth without a bit of surrendering to the unknown?This retreat was hosted by Elly’s Photography and I’ve been a fan of her work for years… another incentive: meet a fellow traveler, working photographer, wife, business woman. As it turns out, Elly’s really a life coach in addition to wonderful photographer and I found that my need to stretch was more important than my fears of hanging with strangers – without Ryan – in a house for 4 days. I needed it more than I knew. Both before and during the retreat, Elly and I spoke for hours so that I’d get the most out of my retreat. She asked questions about what I wanted to learn, what I wanted to see change in our business, how I wanted to connect with our clients. But then there were even harder questions. What are you really passionate about, what drives you, where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years, what is your impact? I did work in “Clearing,” “Dream Casting,” and communication exercises. Photography is easy for me, the personal stuff can be really hard and at times very emotional.
I needed someone to ask me the hard questions. I needed my creativity to be reawakened, to have a new perspective. I needed to have more tools in my tool box to offer our clients. I needed to be surrounded by 9 other creative people that felt the same as me. I ended up having a blast and learning a lot about myself.The best part is that, through all of the personal aspects of the retreat, it was mixed with learning new ways of using my camera and seeing both natural and artificial light differently. Over the past 8 years I’ve become very comfortable with using artificial lighting for photography. I can manipulate light to be what I need it to be in almost any situation. This is a good thing. In fact, Ryan often jokes that I always wish I had one more light to add to the scene no matter how many I have. But what I found during the first half of our workshop is that I had stopped looking at natural light the same way. Natural light can be manipulated. It can be found in sources and locations I have ignored. All of the portrait photos in this blog use natural light and it’s not necessarily sunlight. The dark dramatic head shot photos for example were taken in a bathroom stall with a single overhead light on. The photos are not altered or changed in Photoshop at all. They’re straight out of my camera. I am newly empowered and so excited about using what I’ve learned during portrait photography, weddings, events, day in the life shoots and elsewhere. The next blog will be a continuance of this one, so stay tuned!