Vintage Glam Barn Wedding

   This wedding is way back from 2012. Way back then, I didn’t even have a blog, so it really didn’t get the beautiful coverage it deserved, so I’m breathing new life into it and re-telling the story for all of you. Plus it’s one of our most popular weddings we’ve ever done. SO many brides have came to us saying, “Oh yeah, you shot Steven and Caitlyn’s wedding, I loved their photos.” So now you can see what all the buzz is about.
   I can see why so many people fell in love with this wedding. It was gorgeous. All the details were planned out perfectly. It had just the right amount of country, rustic, vintage, and glam all rolled in to one.
   There were handmade bottles of wine, custom beer mugs, sparkly lights, burlap, and love, so so so much love in the air.
   It was a HOT June day and their church was tiny! But the whole family and very close friends packed in for an intimate and emotional ceremony. Right afterwards Dad had lined up for a bucket truck to come for me to hop into, lift myself up, and photograph EVERYONE in a HUGE heart about 40 feet below. I hate the word epic, but… that’s pretty epic.
   We took the whole bridal party over to Goodells Park and grabbed some shots just as the sun was coming down. Again, perfection.
   The reception was just as emotional and over flowing with love as the ceremony, from the speeches, to the first dances. The rest of the night stayed warm, and things got pretty sweaty. We spared you those images. haha But what we did show you looks straight out of the pages of a magazine. 

Port Huron , Michigan Wedding Photographer

Steampunk Carnival Wedding in Savannah, Georgia

   12 years ago in high school I had a Newspaper class with a fabulous and unique girl named Blair. Always funny, always confident, and always naturally stunning. After school she followed her dreams and moved to the amazing town of Savannah, Georgia.
   Fast forward to about 2010 and I began a project called a 365, where you photograph yourself every single day for a full year. I did this to gain knowledge of photography and off camera lighting , practicing on myself before I started booking clients.
   One day Blair commented on one of those photos saying if she ever got married she was having me do her wedding. A lot of people say things like that, which I love, but most of the time it's just fluffy words, but Blair, she kept her promise, and I am SO beyond happy she did!
   3 years later in 2013 Blair sent me an email saying, if we were interested (ha! yeah, like who wouldn’t be interested in this!) she would love to talk to me about having us come down and photograph their wedding. It would be in Savannah and they already knew the theme- steampunk meets carnival.
   A couple of years before that we had visited Savannah on 2 different occasions for a vacation. The town is full of history and preserved beauty. I mean, again, come on! Who says no to that? ALL THAT!? I immediately said yes, looked up plane tickets, hotel rooms, and the rest is history.
   We got to meet Troy for the first time through a FaceTime meeting held in their living room. They “walked” us around showing us some of the pieces they had hand made for the reception and told us details about the day. They were keeping everything extremely easy going, yet at the same time, so over the top! I can't express what an amazing combo that is!
   The gear list we wanted to bring was pretty intense, so we opted to drive instead of fly. 14 hours and many miles later we made it to Savannah. We spent 1 day cruising around town with them fitting in an “engagement” session so they had some stellar shots of them as they usually are, and not in full blown wedding attire.
   I’ve never been to so many cool places in such a short about of time. And seeing the two of them in action together was awesome. Blair drove while Troy read off the list of places they thought about going. If we didn't have time the decision was made we would skip it in less than 10 seconds and they moved on. I'm the most indecisive person over, so I was overly impressed. haha
   The next day was the big day! We arrived to their historic home where they were both finishing getting ready. There was no big first look, or presentation of the bride. Blair is the last person to be over dramatic or look for special attention, and when someone made mention of seeing each other before the big moment her response was, “Eh. That shipped has sailed.” God, I love it. 
   We gathered up the family for “formal” shots, as “traditional” as you can make a plum wedding dress with fabulous fishnet gloves and masquerade masks, I suppose.
   The ceremony- breathtaking. The bridal party pictures- so fun. And the reception- one hell of a good time.
   Amazing people, amazing time, in an amazing city. Please, see for yourself. It’s totally, totally worth it.

Savannah, Georgia Wedding and Engagement Photographer

Floating through the Veil- An Endless Performance

The stage was lit and the crowd was quiet. 
She sat watching them, taking in the silence. 

Her red dress freshly washed from the performance before. 
Her hair let down and her bare feet on the floor.

Her talent was enough but her beauty was greater. 
She was a burning star, but she wouldn't realize until later.

Later did come, yet time no longer passed.
She stayed in that theatre now reciting the past.

No tickets were purchased and the front door was locked. 
The dust sat beautifully on top of what others had forgot. 

She floated above the scuffed and tattered floor. 
Her dress never dirty, her burning, no more.

Days were nights and nights were days.
Her piano rotted on top of the stage.

Now her skin was washing thin.
Transparent was her beauty.
Either this was her chance
Or a pure game of cruelty.

Days had been years and years had been days.
But today the sun was actually burning through the haze.

Oh to return for one more night! 
Just to touch the keys and caress the light. 

She called out with hope, raspy was her voice.
She began to levitate as if by choice.

Colors began to rush back in. 
Her star back to burning, the show to begin.

And there she saw it, her piano, her friend. 
Where she could play for one more night, while the veil was thin again.

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Behind the Scenes:
I've never done levitation photography before, so that was the driving force behind this shoot. 
We were lucky enough to be able to shoot in the second and third floor of the Old Town Hall Winery in Lexington, Michigan.
It wasn't until I entered the space that I switched my thinking from a glamorous "floating" shoot to a haunted levitation shoot. 

It's told the Winery is said to be haunted, really haunted, by adults and children. Even tv crews have came to check the place out and left because it was that haunted.
Not sure where I stand on this... I can at least say I was happy to be photographing there in the daylight.

We did have a few happenings with lights and our fog machine, and our model, with no clue how it happened, did look down to see her big toe cut and bleeding. She later lost her toenail, so, take that how you wish (extra props to her for working through the shoot the WHOLE time like that!). Maybe the ghosts were not happy with our presence, or we just had bad luck. 

As gloomy as the day looks here we shot this in August (I think) on what had to be the HOTTEST day of the year. Only a few minutes in and we were literally stripping off our clothes and shoes to continue working. Not to mention what we hauled up 2 flights of tall stairs:
fog machine, a gallon of fog juice, loaded camera backpack, loaded trolly with light stands, lights, reflector, extra fabric, cords, battery pack, and god only knows what else. Oh, and a ladder. A 6 ft tall metal ladder. Oh, and a small, heavy ass trampoline we found in the garbage a week before. Call us crazy, but... Ok, no, no excuses, we're crazy.  

After 3 hours I got what I wanted and we hauled all of our stuff back out and celebrated with lunch and a cold beer. 

When editing, this effect is created by layering images, removing unneeded things, adding in shadows, and a lot of blending. 
Here's a look at what an image looks like BEFORE and AFTER I mess with it. 

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Check out the full beauty gallery here!

If you have a thing for hauntingly beautiful girls in red dresses (or black dresses!) I suggest you click those links! 

And if you're in to Dark Beauty see what we shot in the woods at dusk!

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Photographing my Grandfather as he truly is

I want to share with you what I think, to date, may be my favorite image I have EVER taken. Let me tell you why. 

Last Sunday my husband and I had to do a commercial shoot for a rope manufacturer. We decided my grandparent's wide spread sycamore would be perfect for the job so we headed out to their place. 
We set up our ropes and got up in the tree. About 20 minutes in to the process I see my grandpa walking down the driveway and I gave him a wave. 
We continued to move around and shoot. A few minutes later I look down and I see this- my grandpa lounging under a large pine tree, in the middle of all the dried needles that had fallen, hands behind his head, watching us. I immediately stopped working and moved the camera to him and took a couple of frames.
I've never been able to capture my grandpa in his true element before. He takes horrible pictures. His grin is always ridiculous and we always laugh about it. 
But he's truly one of the most amazing men I know. 
To start, he's 87 years old. 
87 years old and still walking outside on a brisk day to lay under a tree. 
I really don't feel like I need to say much more. 
We got home and I browsed through everything I got that day. 
Out of all the shots we planned, swinging from branches at great heights, images that would make us money and get us published, none of them compared to the one I got of my grandpa. I saw it and was instantly filled with joy and pride. 
That awesome man, looking like a total bad ass in the photo was my grandpa, and I now had a moment that I could look at forever that truly reflected him and his whole life in one photo.