Since I'm lazy on this snow day, I'll recycle the explanation.
"Most of my top ten are not what you would expect a wedding photographer to pick. They aren't the gorgeous portraits of brides looking like Vogue models with dramatic lighting. Most of them don't showcase any kind of technical prowess. They aren't even photos that you would typically see pinned on every bride's 'I Do' Pinterest board. These are photos of moments that moved me. Moments that made these weddings stand out in my mind and made me proud of myself as a photographer for capturing them. I experience moments like this in each wedding, and when I manage to capture them well, that is when I feel like I've done my job."
These are in no particular order
Kathleen & Michael - Malesus Baptist Church and Aeneas Building
This was the first wedding that I shot after my dad passed away (when will it not feel weird to say/type that?). I gave myself about 1000 pep talks before and during this wedding, and I felt good about my work at the end of the day. Kathleen and Michael are both wonderful, and luckily their wedding was a stress-free, fun celebration of a long relationship. As much as I try not to let my personal life affect my work, I couldn't help being extra sensitive to father/daughter moments during my December weddings (that's not a bad thing of course). It was toward the end of the evening, and I noticed Kathleen dancing with her father across the room. Usually at a certain point, I slow way down on dance photos because I only deliver so many, and they get repetitive. Luckily, I saw these two having the grandest time and got over there to capture it! Their smiles are so genuine, and hopefully this is a moment they'll both remember fondly.
Amy was one of the spunkiest, most charming brides I've ever worked with! I got tons of lovely portraits of her and Andrew, including some with their super adorable dog, but my absolute favorite shot of the day is this cute little fist-bump after their bubbles exit. It just perfectly illustrates why Amy is so great.
Clare & Gray - Fellowship Bible Church
I don't even know where to start with these two. They exemplify all the best qualities in a couple! They are sentimental, loving, emotive, genuine and just generally wonderful. This was my last wedding of the year, and I couldn't have ended on a higher note. For some reason, this shot of the flower girl and ring bearer (the children of some friends of mine) just stands out to me. This is another wedding where I had tons of beautiful portraits of this incredibly photogenic couple, but this sweet moment trumps those portraits for me. I just love seeing these huge, natural smiles in photographs!
Jacob & Laura - Twin Oaks
These two were SO MUCH FUN! Can't you tell? Laura has amazing style, and her wedding was beautiful in every way. Her dress, her makeup, the decor, the cakes...everything was impeccable. All of those things together make for a pretty awesome photo story, but the standout image of the day is this dancing photo from the very end of the night. There are actually three in a row that I love, but Jacob's face in this one makes me laugh every time I look at it. It's just too funny! You can tell these two have a great time together.
Chelsea & Darren - Crown Winery
Well, here's an odd choice...one where the bride and groom aren't even in it! Make sure to check out the whole wedding (their names are a link) to see how beautiful this whole day was. I just loved this shot that I got of these bridesmaids as Chelsea was about to come down the aisle. I don't know what possessed me to turn around and get this, since I am usually concentrating on the groom, but I'm glad I did! This bridal party was one of my favorites of the year. Almost all of them have been friends forever, so they were having a great time all day.
Ruthie & Caleb - Englewood Baptist Church
Ruthie wanted to have a "first look" with her bridesmaids after she got her dress on. I've had several brides do this, and it's always really cute. The pictures are usually not my favorites because it's difficult to get that many faces in, especially if they're spread out. I absolutely loved this shot of Ruthie's bridesmaids all coming in for a group hug though! If you can't tell already, I love photographs with lots of emotion (mostly joy).
Bri & Andrew - Peaceful Oaks Bed & Breakfast
Best. Dance. Shot. Ever. Of mine anyway! I love this picture so much. I wish you could see Bri in that mass of her friends, but that's the only thing I would change. I just love how into it everyone is, and the guy that popped out in front and danced across the frame just made me laugh so hard.
Corey & Ali - Meadow Hill Farm
Picking one image from this day was difficult, but this one sticks out in my mind. Corey & Ali are one of those couples that just makes you feel all warm and mushy inside. So this picture...the ceremony is always a blur to me. Everything happens so fast, and I just want to catch the moments. I am always crouching at the end of the aisle as the bride processes, and I contort around to catch the groom's face then swing back to get the bride. I did all this in a matter of a few seconds, then retreated to the back to shoot the rest. It wasn't until I was going through the images later that I noticed the single tear running down Corey's cheek as he watched his beautiful bride walking down the aisle. The tear plus his grin just melted my heart.
Stephan & Christy - Nelson Barn
This was my second wedding of last year. It was in February, so everything was mostly indoors. After the ceremony wrapped up, the bridal party all processed out the back door at the end of the aisle. There were lots of hugs and congratulations, and I caught this hug between Stephan and his oldest son. Stephan & Christy have four kids between then, and they are all a hoot! They were so sweet with their kids, making sure to pay special attention to each of them throughout the day. This shot is one of my favorites for the relationship that it displays, even though the color is weird and it's grainy.
Kayla & Daniel - The Barn at Snider Farms
Ok this might seem like a weird selection for top 10, but I can explain! Kayla is a good friend of mine. She's been a support for me during several challenging events (triathalon, obstacle races, etc.) and she's just kind of one of the best people I know. I could have picked any of the images I captured from her day, but I love this one so much! Kayla does this little hand under the chin pose all the time in pictures, so it's kind of her signature thing. As I was shooting the bridesmaid group, I figured it would be cute to have them all do that. They all nailed it! Even the littles! This illustrates my love of capturing my couples' personalities in their images.
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I hope guys enjoyed these! I know I practically wrote a book here, but I like to brag on my awesome couples and their weddings. 2016 was truly an amazing year!
