Wow, last weeks Top 10 contest was the biggest ever. There were over 4,400 votes cast. (You people have a lot of friends.) The bridal category had close to 600 votes and was decided by only 1 vote. Anyway, here are the winners for this past year. Be sure and shake hands and say good game before you walk off the field. You couples that won, you can go to bed tonight knowing you are champions. You couples that lost…. you can go to bed tonight complain about the officials.
Engagement: Band
Marriage is tough.
Balancing marriage and work is tougher.
Balancing marriage and work when you work at the same high school is tougher-er.
Balancing marriage and work when you work at the same high school and both your jobs depending on how well the halftime performance goes is the toughest.
So glad that Katie & Joe trusted me to pull of this shot. I love it.
Rings: Tweet
Nicole and Tyson met on Twitter. Yeah. Twitter. 140 characters at a time they fell in love. I would love to be there when one day they have to explain to their grandkids what Twitter was.
Brides: Emily
I’m sure many an Aggie bride has dreamed of drinking a pitcher of beer at the Dixi Chicken in a wedding dress. Emily actually pulled it off.
Mug Machine: Hair
Amanda and her friend had a KILLER wedding reception. It only makes sense that one of their Mug Machine images won.
Random: Flower
This may honestly be my favorite “lucky” photo I’ve taken this past year. You can never predict what little kids will do. I never expected her to jump in the air as she tossed petals left and right.
Wedding: Hug
It’s a bit ironic, but last year’s winning wedding image was also a hug that took place shortly after the ceremony. That’s such an unscripted time. It’s always full of so much emotion. I saw this moment unfolding and was so so glad that I was able to do it justice. Anytime part of your day involves the rebuilding of a family, I’m all in. Thank you Caleb & Sarah for trusting me with your wedding.
Thanks again to everyone who voted. It was fun. Let’s do it again next year.
It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2014. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till midnight and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.
Today’s category: Weddings
Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.
One of my favorite things about my job is how unique each of my couples are, even though I’m basically shooting the same event every weekend. They all vary so much from each other due to the personalities and stories that are unfolding each day. The reasons I love these images are not because they are the most technically “correct” or most beautiful image. It’s because I feel like they nail who each of these couples are in one single image.
1. Prayer: Megan & Stephen’s faith plays a huge role in their life. (They were married at a Biblical Arts Museum for crying out loud.) Anyway, this shot of them praying together right after their First Look, just nailed them and their day.
2. Field: Amanda & Dale were planning on getting married back in 2013. Illness and other issues forced them to have to postpone their day. When April 2014 finally rolled around, you could tell they didn’t care about anything related to fancy wedding, appetizers, or linens.
They didn’t care if there were 500 guests or 5 guests. They just wanted to be married to each other.
3. Horse: Katelyn & Chris know what they want; especially Katelyn. I love brides who know what they want. Katelyn wanted a few shots at the stock yards on her way to the ceremony. We literally stopped traffic to get some shots of her and her wedding party.
4. Century Tree: If you know anything about Aggies you know they love their traditions. (Sometimes a bit too much.) Anyway, Emily & Lucas wanted to get married under the Century Tree. It’s a rare sort of deal and a bit of a guerrilla operation to make it happen. So this little moment where they were able to stand under the tree and look out at all of their friends and family that were their to support them, just made my day.
5. Hug: I’m a sucker for families. I’m a super duper sucker for families coming together. So this shot of Caleb and his daughter hugging their new bride/mom five minutes after the ceremony, melted every part of my heart.
6. Squish: Dani & Joey are super smart. As in doctor smart. As in MIT smart. Yeah. That smart. Their wedding party was full of doctor smart, MIT smart people. Doctor smart, MIT smart people are really good at being funny.
7. Shadow: Beth & Tim may have been the most “present” couple I have ever photographed. They were so aware of their day, the beginning of their marriage, the start of their life together. The reason I love this image is because of how tender it is. It’s exactly the way Tim treated and acted towards Beth all day.
8. Selfie: Shelby & Logan can own any moment they want. She is a lawyer and he is a game warden. That means you can think things are going your way and you are in charge, and suddenly, out of no where, they step in and remind you they were there all along, making sure everything went as they had planned. Right after their ceremony, they were gathered around their family and friends hanging out and talking, and I was just snapping random photos. Logan looked at me and said, “We want to take a selfie.” BOOM. Just like that they owned the moment. Their whole day was full of things like that. I loved them.
9. Shape: Jennifer loves her some architecture. Went to school for it. Knows it. Lives it. Could not stop blabbing about the Parador and how amazing it was. I know she got married because she loves Ryan. But, sometimes, I think she got married because she wanted an excuse to rent the building. ;)
10. Swag: Hilary & Kirk. Few couples intimidate me. Hilary & Kirk were one of those couples. Man, these two are full of such swag, it’s ridiculous. They are so kind and a joy to be around, but at the same time, it’s like they are on a whole other level. 99% of the time when a couple walks over to their cake to be photographed with it, they look right at me and say “What do we do?” Hilary and Kirk walked over to it and did that. Swag.
It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2014. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till midnight and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.
Today’s category: Brides
Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.
It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2014. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till midnight and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.
Today’s category: Wedding Rings
Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.
The day you get married is really unlike any other day of your marriage. It’s packed full of moment after moment after moment of memories. There are huge swings of emotion and sometimes the most unexpected thing will end up being the highlight of your day. I’m often asked “What’s your favorite part of a wedding?” The reality is, I don’t have just one answer for that. It really depends from wedding to wedding. I can say, that having shot over 400 weddings, a few trends have emerged and I’ve seen some patterns bubble up that I always look forward to documenting and being present for. I’ll be writing about one of these per month and I thought I would kick it off with one you might not expect.
My favorite moment of a wedding day is…. Family Photos!
That’s right, baby. I LOVE family formals. (I even wrote about how to have great formals a few years ago.) These are your people. This is your tribe. These images are so full of history and depth it’s impossible to not love them. This is your chance to laugh and cry with those who have known you the longest. It’s the time all your people look their best and these photos are the ones that will be put in frames and looked at for years and years to come. These are the images that end up on the kitchen counter, in the hallway, and above the fireplace. The thing is, sometimes in all of our planning and prepping for the day, they get overlooked. They become an item in your 76-Things-To-Do-On-Your-Wedding-Day-Checklist.
Just realize that that little block of your wedding day is one that many couples are not present for. I mean, they are there. They show up. They smile, pose, and hug. But, really, they are looking towards the next moment. The reception, the ceremony, the alcohol at the reception. :) They are not fully present and aware of how special these moments can be.
Need proof? Take a look.
This is typically what you think of when you hear family photos. Bride with parents. Check. :)
But, you’ll quickly realize there is so much more happening.
1st family photo where all the kids are married.
That super tender moment you have with your dad.
A mother who has raised 4 boys into grown men.
Sometimes things get a bit more fun.
Example: A photo of what this family typically looks like. ;)
Siblings are the best!
Sometimes the photos are not even about you.
That moment when a grandkid spits up on your grandparents.
I LOVE to pull the bride or grooms brother/sister and their family aside. It typically takes about 30 seconds and BAM! They get a new photo to hang on their wall.
How about one of your parents. Who NEVER get dressed up. Who NEVER get photographed. Here they are, looking good and in love.
Or how about that picture with your grandparents who have been married 57 years and you have not even been married 57 minutes?
Let’s fast forward to 2020.
Six years from now when you go home for Christmas and you have a three your old little girl, she will be at PaPa & NaNa’s house looking at the tree. She will stare at all the gifts under it and then she’ll notice a photo hanging on the wall of her mom in a white dress. She will look at it for a while, then she will ask her NaNa about the photo. And then your mother will tell her all about how beautiful her mother was on her wedding and how wonderful the day was.
And THAT moment, in the future, will be magic. And it will all be possible because you took a few moments on your wedding day to be photographed with the people who love you the most.
Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.
