Dan and Laura were married on August 20th, in front of family and friends, at a lovely ceremony at Island Park in Tilton, NH. The park is, in fact, an island in the Winnepesaukee River.
The day was just beautiful, free of the buckets of rain that have marked this summer.
I must say that Dan and Laura are, without question, one of the loveliest couples to do bridal portraits with – just a blast. Some favorites from the day:
Photographing high school seniors is a nice departure from the faster pace of shooting a wedding. The slower pace allows you to take some time and get to know your subject.
I photographed Katie at her family home in nearby Hopkinton in June. What I found striking in her personality was a great sense of self-confidence that you almost never see in people at this age and sometimes not at any age.
After speaking with Katie on the day of the shoot and corresponding with her Mom later I was able to see where some of that confidence was planted and nurtured.
After three years of school she was able to be home schooled for her senior year. This enabled her to feed her life-long love of horses, while also setting the stage for the future. She will be attending school in the south this Fall at a school that is first rate in both riding and the business of horses.
How fortunate is she to have parents who support and encourage her to live her dreams; how fortunate are they to have a daughter who knows the hard physical work of mucking stalls to the hard mental work that allows her to attend such a fine school in support of these dreams.
How fortunate am I to have the privilege to record her at this moment in time.
Some favorites from the day:
I have been fortunate to document other moments in the lives of Anna Bluhm’s family, most notably the wedding of Anna’s granddaughter, Ellen, several Mays ago
It was my great privilege to be asked to do some family portraits as her extended family gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday
Some favorites from the day:
Well, June 11th dawned cloudy and dark and went downhill from there in the weather department.
Everywhere else at the Reed house, love was in the air.
With lots of help from family and friends, John and Allison began their new life as husband and wife amidst good food and good cheer.
The wedding took place in Salem in Allison’s childhood home, far from her and John’s current home in Alaska, John’s native state.
Surrounded by those they love and who love them, they celebrated their own version of the perfect wedding day.
Some favorites from the day:
I just had to add – one of the loveliest moments I have ever had as a wedding photographer happened when I rounded the corner and Karen (Allison’s Mom) had this expression – just so full of the joy of the day.
Weddings can be times of high anxiety for those participating. For the participating males, no time more so than pinning boutonnieres on you.
This ballet of sorts is a source of comic relief with a dash of drama.
From the Father of the Bride wondering how the heck we are going to get these on…
To figuring which way is up…
To getting help from the Mother of the Bride…
I still don’t get it…
Finding people you just met to help…
Or your friends…
While hoping you don’t get stabbed…
Even doing it “off the body”
To just putting the darn thing on yourself…
Getting it mounted correctly is… Priceless
Just a short post -
We were in the market for a wedding photographer and while speaking with her via Skype the other day, Cheryl writes the following:
It’s nice to be on the same page – literally and figuratively.
We ended up doing what I counsel others not to – picking the first person we talked to.
This was for a variety of reasons, but most of all because we felt so comfortable, like she was an old friend.
For us this will be so important for our wedding day.
We selected Leah Haydock of Leah Haydock Photography
She is easily the best wedding photographer I have ever seen. This may not be wise to post on my own wedding photography blog, but so be it.
I am pleased to announce that West Coast Albums will be the exclusive album supplier for our Leather Bound Albums
Jack Hudkins and the fine staff at West Coast are unmatched in their attention to detail, including the use of quality materials and processes, as well as a tremendous level of care for their final product.
In the sometimes “fast food” atmosphere of our world today, it is reassuring to know that there are still people that take pride to provide the very best for their clients, something that I do my very best to emulate.
These albums are available in Leatherette, Fabric, and Leather
These albums are true works of art.
With the weddings and portraits and personal stuff last year, I probably took over 10,000 images last year. Yet this is one of the most memorable.
This was taken on Christmas Day 2010.
Shaun McGaughey was my brother in law and died a little over five weeks ago. He died in my parents driveway, while helping them shovel snow. He was 43 years old.
He was a wonderful human being and many things have been said about his goodness and child-like enthusiasm. His death left many with a deep and profound void and the grief is still raw.
This post, however, is a departure from that. It is about how you never know when an image that you take will have great impact.
The image was a quick grab while we were opening presents, yet in many ways it captures the sparkle that made Shaun special to his legions of friends and family.
We take many similar pictures in our lives as photographers, during weddings or portrait sessions. Often, after they have been delivered to our clients we do not give them much additional thought. Some are fortunate to make it into our advertising, but many become just a memory.
We never know if an image is one that a grieving wife or father looks to when they know there is no time to be had with the person they miss so deeply. We never know if it is the one you grab when you can grab only one thing when leaving a home in crisis.
We do know that when we engage our subjects as people and get to know them on some deeper level that they are willing to show who they are to us and to our mind’s eye. It is only for us to trip the shutter and to commit the image to the future.
We never know.
A cloudy, almost misty day in NH is not good for some things, but wonderful for portrait photography. The light was simply beautiful.
It was refreshing to meet Brinkley. She was a natural with a lovely spirit about her, a quick wit, a pleasure.
Some favorites:
Sometimes a wedding is perfect from the very first meeting with the bride right on through the end of the wedding day…
Graham and Kristen were married at Steele Hill Resorts in Sanbornton, NH. Steele Hill is blessed with magnificent views and the staff is top notch.
Kristen, Graham and their family and friends are some of the most wonderful, laid back people in the world.
Some favorites from the day:
