Alaska Workshop – Bride & Groom Photoshoot
Alaska is big and far away. That did not stop us from heading north and putting on our teacher’s hat and hosting one of our No Rules Workshops in Anchorage, Alaska! We had just finished up our Aruba weddings so we criss-crossed our great land and landed at Nordby Photography where they hosted us for a few days of shooting and instructing. A totally different backdrop from our usual beaches and parks gave way to mountains and the great Alaska outback. This will go down as a most unique location with sunset around midnight and mountains and forests that only Alaska could offer. Here’s a few pics of our bride & groom shoot on the rocky coast of Alaska (more to come!) :
Westin Virginia Beach Wedding – Tom and Angie
A class act is what I would call it. A very classy but unique wedding at the Westin Virginia Beach is what Angie & tom had on order a few week ago. Antonia Christianson events made sure that the guests were treated to some local treats including Doumar’s ice cream, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and gourmet popcorn. A truly delicious combination! The flowers by Daevid’s Bridal Flowers were stunning along with the awesome lighting by Pike Media. I say all that to say this – you missed out on a whole lotta fun but we’ll try to take you on a quick tour of the day via slideshow. Enjoy!
Musician Portfolio Shoot – Shannon!
Shannon sings. Shannon dances. Shannon plays. I shoot. What a fine combination. I get to photograph a most awesome singer/songwriter and she gets to look good and have fun doing it! We had a fab time putting together a few shots for her upcoming CD and portfolio. I kinda like it. You? Watch out world – Shannon is comin’ for ya……
Band Photoshoot – The Difference
We are always on the lookout for up and coming artists so we can create some unique photographs for their CD’s and portfolio. “The Difference” is certainly one of those groups! They just returned from Nashville where they were recording their latest album. These guys not only look good but they are just as genuine as they appear. We had a killer time photographing them in our studio along with shooting on the beach and came up with a great look for them. Keep an eye out for “The Difference” and if you are one of those unique artists looking for a fresh look – we’d love to chat!
We are in American Photo Magazine!
Hey, get outta bed and head for the bookstore! We’re in the American Photo magazine – how cool is that? American Photo seeks out the cutting edge trends and photography that inspires us all. We are so honored to have the centerfold of their senior photography article, “Coming of Age”. Chris & Tammy Billey of Largo photography and Huy Ngyuen from f8 studio contributed a well so we are in great company! We’ve been published before in many magazines but American Photo? C’mon, that just blows my mind. Wait, I’ve gotta go look at it again. Yup, still there….thought I was dreaming for a sec. It’s never good to blog about a dream. Whew! Here’s a few shots –
Aruba Destination Beach Wedding at Manchebo Beach – Norm and Oksana
Aruba seems to love us lately and we sure love that island! Norm & Oksana had us join them on that fabulous island for their intimate wedding at the Manchebo Beach Resort. We also spent the day with them prior to the wedding exploring the many unique locations for their pre-shoot. With 4-wheel drives we headed out to Bushiribana Gold ruins, Guadirikiri & Fontein Caves, the always amazing wild Windward side of the island along with the peaceful white sands of Eagle Beach. The wedding was right at sunset over the Caribbean Sea at Manchebo Beach where the palms waved and the sand slipped between our toes as we photographed this gorgeous couple. It was an international affair with family and guests from Ukraine, Australia, Vietnam and of course the USA (CA & VA)! It was a time we will never forget with Norm & Oksana and we wish them the very best on their new journey! Here they are:
Trash the Prom Dress! Meredith Style….
Another Trash the Prom Dress for you from the most fabulous Meredith! With the heat lately it was kinda nice to jump in the water and get some great shots of Meredith in her pink prom dress….in the sand and water of the Chesapeake Bay. Here she is!
Trash the Formal at the Beach!
Off to the beach for another gorgeous shoot with a few of our favorite senior high school gals – but with a twist! Not your normal frolic in the water, instead we left the formal gowns on and dove in head first! Alex, Olivia, and Sarah were real troopers as they did an amazing job looking beautiful while completely trashing their prom dresses. Not easy to do but from the looks of it they were having the time of their lives! The sunset was perfect we came up with a “few” good shots….okay more than a “few”. Here’s some of my fav’s from the sunset photo shoot on the beach with the girls and their prom gowns!
Aruba Wedding Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa – Norm & Oksana
An intimate wedding was on hand at the Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa in Aruba with a few friends and family of Norm & Oksana. There was an international flair to the entire event with guests from around the globe. The Aruba westerly breeze was blowing as usual but it made for a wonderful beach wedding and reception. Eagle Beach with it’s white sands and turquoise waters provided an awesome backdrop for their beach wedding. We were anxious to meet Norm & Oksana for the first time since they are one of our many destination wedding clients that we have only Skyped with prior to meeting them in Aruba. They were even more cool in person than via the internet! The staff at Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa were wonderful and the night went off without a hitch. Congratulations Norm & Oksana and we look forward to seeing what is in store for you guys!
Aruba Destination Wedding Slideshow
The best way to enjoy Aruba is obviously to go there…. Since it is a few thousand miles away we figured we would bring a little bit of the Caribbean island to you! Jeff & Jing’s wedding at the Aruba Westin hotel will provide the backdrop for a slideshow of their wedding. We also threw in a few more shots of their tour of Aruba with us as we photographed them in some of the iconic locations around Aruba including, Bushiribana Ruins, Natural Bridge, Alto Vista Chapel and of course the amazing white sands of Eagle Beach. So many more places to see on this tiny island but for now come along on the magical mystery tour that is Jeff & Jing’s Aruba Wedding!
Renaissance Hotel Aruba – Oksana’s Bridal Shoot
We knew we had a home run wedding when we saw Oksana for the first time in Aruba! She was one of our 4 brides we photographed on our recent Aruba destination wedding flurry but she was special because we had never met her before – just via Skype. Seeing her gorgeous dress and her amazing flowers – we just had to take a few moments with her at the Aruba Renaissance Hotel and do some shooting with her around their immaculate grounds. The wind was a bit stiff but it just made her gown do the coolest things! The Renaissance hotel is right on the beach in Aruba so we had the beautiful panoramas of that along with their tropical gardens and pools surrounded by palm trees. Just 15 minutes with an amazing bride and magic happens! Here’s Oksana:
Aruba Westin Destination Wedding – Jeff & Jing
A marathon of weddings in Aruba started with this fab couple, Jeff & Jing! We were so stoked to be a part of their amazing Westin Destination wedding in Aruba. A simply amazing group of family and friends joined them for a sunset wedding right on Palm Beach. Despite the power going out for a few hours nothing could stop the outdoor reception with the cool Caribbean breezes winding it’s way through the crowd. The Westin is the crown jewel of the high rise district of Aruba with amazing views of the beaches and sea in all directions. Jeff & Jing were real pro’s since we shot their e-session and pre-shoot …the wedding was a breeze! Sand between your toes with shutters clicking. Word.
Trash the Formal! Say what?
Yeah, I see all the Moms out there saying that! A dip into the ocean on a gorgeous day….in your formal gown. Call it odd or weird – I call it a ton of fun and I think our models would too! Alex, Ashley, Caroline, Michelle, and Sara did their model thing with the waves crashing around them and we came up with some really unique shots. We provided the gowns and they provided the “glam”. Summer is a great time to do this with the water warm and the sun setting is just the right spot for some killer shots. Thanks to our models for really getting into it and putting their makeup on and promptly getting it all washed off…
Norm & Oksana – Aruba Destination Wedding Pre-Shoot
Have Jeep, cameras, awesome looking couple and will travel! That’s all I really need. That and a Caribbean island kinda like, say Aruba maybe? Oh yeah, throw some caves and white sandy beaches. I’m not asking for too much am I? Well, we had all that and more on our recent travels to the fine island of Aruba. Norm & Oksana joined us there for their wedding but before we shot their wedding we jumped in our Jeeps and found a few hidden gems around the island. It’s only 19 mile long but it is just packed with the coolest places! Our first stop was the Alto Vista Chapel which is an icon of the island along with the cactus and rocks (did I say Caribbean?). We hopped back in our Jeeps and bumped our way down the windward coast to the Natural Bridge and the Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins. Aruba managed to squeeze in a national park (Arikok) onto their island so we headed off in that direction to find the Guadiriki caves and they did not disappoint! Guadiriki and Fontein caves are fabulous spots for photography alone but add Norm & Oksana and you get something really special. We ended up back at Eagle Beach for a roll in the white sands and blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Aruba just keeps coming up with the most amazing locations for photography so we can’t wait for our next trip back! Stay tuned for a couple of more weddings that we shot there recently along with Norm & Oksana’s fabulous Manchebo Beach Resort wedding.
Meredith – Senior Photography for the Vintage at Heart…..
A 2011 Senior model that is a photographers dream. Need I say more? She’s just that good! She had a vintage vibe to her so we worked that into our shoot with a 1920’s Amelia Earhart kinda look. It was a surprise to all of our models when we arrived at our various locations but when we ended up at the Military Aviation Museum she was thrilled. But wait there’s more – Out came the 1941 Stearman and it was a little bit of heaven for Meredith. We splurge a bit on our senior models but it’s so worth it since they are our ambassadors in all the local high schools. We are always on the look out for unique and exciting locations for our photo shoots and this was a homerun for both us and for Meredith! Check her out for yourselves!