I photographed Stephanie’s sister’s wedding several years ago, and her mom called me as soon as Justin popped the question to Stephanie. Unfortunately I was already booked – actually, overbooked! – for June. After a little discussion, Stephanie and her mom decided to CHANGE THE DATE so that I could be there to photograph it! I was thrilled to get the chance to do this wedding, because I knew it would be fun and beautiful, just like the couple (see their engagement session here ). We had a little difficulty coming up with a location for some wedding party shots between the ceremony & reception, but luckily Jason spotted a beautiful field along the side of the road – unluckily, no pedestrian traffic was allowed. We, umm, worked with it.

(Highlands, NC wedding photographer, western Pennsylvania photographer, Olney MD family photographer)

You may remember this family from last year …one of my favorite sessions from 2009. This year we were at Mingo Park  for photographs, and once again I was reminded how much I love that location. Deep red bridges, blue eyed family, and yellow blonde curls make for fabulous images!

(family photography on location in the upstate South Carolina region, as well as the Pittsburgh, PA  and Olney, MD areas)

We seriously did Katy’s senior photography session on THE most hot, humid day of the summer. It was miserable everywhere we went, but she just serenely went with the flow like it was nothing – makeup perfect, hair loose and lovely, beautiful smile intact. This girl is definitely special, and I hope I captured even a little of her sweet spirit in these gorgeous images:

( Anderson and Clemson SC photography specializing in high school seniors from the upstate area, Lake Keowee photographs, Westminster SC high school senior photography)

We did Pat’s senior pictures while he was here visiting Clemson as a possible college choice. This kid is bleeding ORANGE! We shall see what happens, but I’m sure he will do just fine wherever he lands. A few of my favorites:

Two weeks ago when Gavin, Genna, and Samantha visited they spent a lot of time in the pool. The little kids were just to the point where they would jump in the pool and go underwater (with goggles on!). Gavin still is wearing floats, but Genna is swimming underwater for short bursts.  Samantha wanted to try water-skiing,  so we headed out on the boat. To our huge surprise, Genevieve and Gavin wanted to try too! Samantha ALMOST got up -

Jessica went in the water with the kids to help them. Look at that determination!

Next year I’m sure they will do it. Oh, and here’s what they caught when Tom let them fish in front of our house:

I was not about to tackle turtle soup, so this big guy was safely returned to the water. I’ll post some more family photos soon!

If I wasn’t buried in work, I would SO take a road trip to the Wisconsin State Fair and get this:

A cheeseburger on a KrispyKreme donut, served with a stick of chocolate covered bacon.  Only $5 and 1000 calories. Might have to try this at home, just for the fun factor (as soon as I lose the weight I gained from eating my friend Cathi’s homemade southern biscuits every morning last week!).  Apparently it is a big attraction at the fair: KrispyKreme Cheeseburger

As a photographer running a business, I realize that lots of people have lots of ideas & opinions about photography – what it involves, what it costs (or should cost), and what it should produce. I’m well aware that there is a wide variety of opinion out there, which is fine, but what bothers me is that a lot of it is based on preconceptions that are not accurate. Or at the very least, based on a lack of information or even misinformation. One of my roles as a custom photographer is to help give you the information you need to make well-informed choices about your photography needs, so I’ve decided to address some of the most common questions and misconceptions on my Blog over the next several months. The first one is quite common, and it addresses the fact that my wedding pricing is based on the event…and I only have one, all inclusive package regardless of the size of the wedding.

On first glance, it appears completely logical and reasonable to expect that a small intimate outdoor wedding with only 30 guests should cost much less than a full blown church wedding and country club reception with 250 guests.

But let’s think about this for a bit. First of all, I can only shoot one wedding a day; most of course are on Saturdays in the summer, so there are a limited number of dates. If I accept a small wedding with a smaller cost, I lose the chance to book a larger, more profitable one. I also lose the chance to shoot several regular portrait sessions on that Saturday, which are far less stress and just as (or even more) profitable.  Also, I typically book my weddings one year or 18 months ahead of time. That means I HAVE to be there, no matter what comes up for me at the last moment; illness, family event like weddings of relatives, vacations, birth or death.  BUT, you say, IT WILL BE MUCH LESS WORK! Less guests, shorter ceremony and all that.

OK, let’s think about that one. My typical image making sequence starts several hours before the wedding, with the bride getting her hair & makeup done and the groom getting ready. I try to get all of the family shots at this time, bride and groom individually with their parents and close wedding party, shots of bride alone, groom alone, details of the dress and shoes, etc. Then we move on to the ceremony – down the aisle, vows, kiss, etc. Then romantic shots of the bride and groom, attendants, then cake cutting, detail shots of the reception such as place settings, and of course first dance and toasts.  My focus is on the bride and groom and their day, and it doesn’t matter at all if there are 20 or 250 guests, because THAT’S NOT WHO I’M TAKING PICTURES OF! In fact, in a smaller shorter time frame, I’m taking just as many shots as in a big wedding ; actually more pressure for me. I presented 450 images of my last wedding to the bride and groom – two were shots of all of the guests posed on the dance floor (used a fisheye lens to fit them all in – very cool btw), and about fifty were of various shots of guests…the rest were all about the bride and groom.

Something else you may not realize – all of those images have to be processed. Most of the wedding work happens AFTER the big day. The image files have to be sorted, archived, processed, cropped, and printed; slideshow has to be made; album has to be designed. Again, since I literally have almost the same number of images from a small wedding as a large one, I put in the same amount of time . I simply can’t do it for less money, or I can’t stay in business. BUT, you say, WE DON’T NEED AN ALBUM RIGHT NOW. WE DON”T NEED ALL OF THOSE SHOTS OF US!

And here’s where I have my own opinion. There are three kinds of wedding couples in my experience:

One, those whose priority is to have a ceremony where their primary objective is to provide a wonderful experience for their guests and loved ones. These are the people who don’t want to spend time away from their guests taking photos, and just sort of want someone to document the events of the day.

Two, those whose primary objective is to have a ceremony that is all about the romance and love between them, and the invited guests are there as treasured observers of their special moments. These are the people who make time to steal away in private for those romantic shots.

Three, those who want both and realize that it requires time, planning, and expense to do both well.

A less experienced photographer or even a family friend with a “really good camera” may be more than capable of  capturing regular images for couples in the first category. But they will seldom produce the kind of magazine-quality romantic images that you see on The Knot. There’s nothing at all wrong with that kind of coverage, especially if you would rather spend time with your guests than being photographed. I offer an alternative for these couples – a “trash-the-dress” or day-after session (see my wedding website).  It’s a way to get those romantic images without taking time away from the Big Day itself.

I structure my standard wedding coverage to meet the needs of the second and third types.  My passion and focus lies in getting the romantic, artful  images that will only ever happen once! I believe that the best weddings are love stories, and that’s what I want to capture. You will never be as beautiful, happy, and glowing as a couple again. After all, the images are the only thing after the wedding is over that lasts forever…even the memories fade. And this is where my age maturity kicks in, because I am here to tell you that after all of the time and attention and planning and expense of the wedding, it only makes sense to complete it with a beautiful album that you can keep and look at over and over forever. You will never regret doing it – but you will almost certainly regret NOT doing it.

This was our third wedding in 5 weeks ( !)  but I am always amazed at how different they all are, despite the same type of sequence of events. Part of that is because of the care that the couples take to add their personalized touches to the details, and part of it is because each relationship is unique. Lauren and Chris are such a fun couple, always up for anything we suggest, and they definitely win the prize for the biggest wedding party this year! Lauren’s Mom and I have been friends for a long time as nurses at Washington Hospital, and I remember when Lauren was born. It was so fun for me to shoot her wedding – I couldn’t believe how fast time has flown by. Thanks for trusting me with your Big Day – it was my pleasure all the way!

Tina has been planning for her high school senior pictures here on Lake Keowee ever since we did her sister Katie’s portraits here two years ago. At that time I was still new to the area, but ever since I found the nearby waterfalls Tina has been anxious to do some of her shots there. And, of course, some shots using my famous traveling  red settee! I ended up with a crazy amount of great images, but here are some I just love:

(high school senior portraits in the upstate sc area, Walhalla HS senior portraits, senior pictures in Westminster SC, Seneca High School seniors, Anderson SC high School senior pictures, Clemson senior portraits)

I know all of you are going to accuse me of being a tease, but I swear I’m not doing it on purpose! I have a lot of sessions to edit,  as well as getting ready for my family to arrive for a week of vacation tomorrow (can’t wait!). So I’m juggling a lot but making slow progress! This is one that I just had to share with you, from Lauren & Chris’s wedding  two weeks ago. LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that she didn’t even hesitate swinging on the hammock in her wedding dress – and how fun and beautiful she looks!

(Lake Keowee wedding photography, Upstate SC family photographer, Clemson SC photographer)