So you guys remember my post a while back about the crazy engagement session in Emporia, VA where a bee flew up my pants and stung me?  Or where the couple being photographed fell in the water just a few minutes into it?  Or where we topped all the madness off with a crazy hail storm?  If not, then please refer to this post ( http://www.tiffanisunshinephotography.com/blog/2008/07/08/if-i-didnt-know-better/) to fill you in on the absolute chaos that accompanied our engagement session.  It was an adventure for sure, but well worth it because we got some amazing images that day!  Well, let me tell you, their wedding day couldn’t have been any more opposite of the engagement session.  The day was GORGEOUS, the bride was incredibly stunning, the groom was handsome as ever and the location of the reception could not be any more perfect.  Everything went off without a hitch.  It was perfect.

Lexi spent A LOT of time planning out all of the details of the day and it showed.  The bouquets were amazing and vibrant.  The mustang they rode in to the reception was way cool.  The actual claw foot tub that held all of the beverages was such a creative touch.  And the table centerpieces that included different images from their engagement session were awesome!  She had all the details covered. 

I’m not quite finished editing all of the images from the wedding yet, but Lexi asked for a sneak peek, so that’s what she will get.;-)  There are far too many to choose from, and I’m not very good at narrowing down so I think I’ll close my eyes and point to images to include in this post.;-)  Ok, well I’m kidding….but I did have a super difficult time deciding what images to post.  Hope you enjoy these!

Once again, many thanks to the very talented Tisha McCuiston (www.tishamccuiston.com) for being my guest photographer for the day! 

The bridesmaid’s bouquets….

Lexi waiting to enter the church…

And I’ve seen this done before and have always wanted to try this….so fun.

I had fun playing with different treatmenst and textures on this one.;-)  And yes, that is the moon behind them. 

And last one for now….this was the end of the night and there was this amazing fog that lined the field out by the reception.  While the fog doesn’t show up in the images, I still think these shots turned out amazing and am so glad we ventured over that way for some more fun.

Thanks so much Lexi and Andy!  You guys are so awesome and we had a blast at your wedding!

 

 

 

 

 

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When I spoke with mom to be about doing maternity portraits for her I knew we had to do them quickly as she was very near her due date.  So after talking and realizing we needed to make it happen….and soon, we got together the following week for her session.  So I arrive at their house, and we do the session.  All goes well…she’s gorgeous…hubby got involved in some shots…lighting was fabulous….everything was perfect.  So I go on my way.  Come to find out, just TWO hours after I left our session she went into labor!  I could not believe it!  She was so poised,  so relaxed and just so at ease, who would’ve known that not only that very day, but in two short hours she would be giving birth?   Crazy how that works.  Anyways….when mom wrote and told me about it, she said she couldn’t wait to see what she looked like just “two hours before giving birth”.  Well….here it is.  She looks AMAZING.

Uh…..my blog has a mind of it’s own again!  Sorry for all the spacing between images!   Just keep scrollin’.;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course I had to get one the cutest little dogs.;-)

 

 

 

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Prepare yourself for this little guy…he’s a cutie for sure!  I was so excited for his session as mom had contacted me months before his arrival to schedule a newborn session.  She called me shortly after he was born and I got over there as quickly as I could…just a few days after birth.   He was perfect in so many ways.  He couldn’t be any cuter, he couldn’t have been any sleepier, and amazingly enough he didn’t have ONE accident!  That’s pretty much unheard of for a newborn session.  So I’ve gotta give this little guy tons of credit for being such a great little model.  He knew what he was doing.;-)  Or maybe it was the bean bag worked wonders on him….either way, he was a dream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love that little peek.;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is so cute to me b/c of his little fingers.  “Technically” he was 4 days old in this shot (if we’re going by hours in the day and not actual days…ha!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gotta love the fingers on this one too….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last one…I could go on and on posting this little guy, but I’ll stop here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just want to remind everyone too, there is a very limited number of sessions available until the Holiday cut off. ;-)

Until next time…..

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Yep…that’s right, it’s time for Lorin and Jeremy’s wedding and I could not be more excited!  They invited me out to the rehearsal dinner tonight and the location is beautiful!  I cannot wait to shoot there tomorrow…their wedding is going to be so amazing.;-)  Of course I’ll share images, don’t you worry!;-)

We’re also back from a much needed family vacation at the beach my friends and I’m ready to roll.  Relaxing was good and it was much needed, that’s for sure.  But of course it’s back to work and as a result of taking a few days off, I’ll definitely be working overtime to finish editing all of the sessions I packed in prior to vacation. 

Hope everyone had an awesome summer and is now enjoying their FALL!!!

 

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Just wanted to hop on really quickly and let everyone know my schedule for this Holiday season.  Yes…it’s approaching rapidly!  And yes, it can be chaotic if not planned properly, so this year I will have a definite deadline for sessions.  If you are wanting portraits from your session as gifts or if you would like to send out Holiday cards, the absolute very latest date that you can book a session to ensure you receive these items in time is November 9th.   So be sure to contact me as soon as possible to book your session date!

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Yes, I just had to do it.  As soon as I realized that today was Nikki and Jeff’s one month anniversary from their wedding day, I just had to post about their wedding.  And wow, what a beautiful wedding it was.  I was so excited when I first spoke with Nikki about shooting her wedding because all of her plans for the day sounded incredible.  She is a beach lover so it’s only appropriate that she get married in that type of setting.  The location was breathtaking…they were married in a waterfront ceremony on the beach of the river about an hour outside of Richmond.  Gorgeous.  And I’m convinced that the day could not have been any more beautiful.  All of the guests stood nearby while watching the ceremony, and then near the end, each guest took a shell (that had Nikki and Jeff’s initials and the date written on them) and tossed them into the water so that days, months, and even years from now they would wash back ashore.   Of course after the ceremony the reception took place, and while Tisha (my guest photographer…www.tishamccuiston.com) and I stayed for most of it I’m sure the wedding party and guests “celebrated” long after we were there.;-) 

I have yet to finish proofing all of the images from the day so I quickly pulled just a few of my favorites that I love.  There will be more to come when the editing is finished.  But for now, check these out!

Her bouquet kept with the “beach” theme by including some starfish tucked inside.

A detail shot of her dress…

The shells that were thrown in by the wedding party and guests…

You may remember that Jeff is a firefighter.  The day of their engagement session I saw his tattoo and had big plans for the wedding day to incorporate it into the portraits.  I love it…not only is it awesome, the meaning behind it is what makes it really special.  It reads, “Resurrected from the ashes to protect the brotherhood”.  Way cool…

And as Tisha will tell you, I’m a sucker for the detail shots…especially the ring shots!  I had this idea way before the wedding and could NOT wait to try it.  I love how it not only incorporates the rings, but the date and the setting as well.

And while I had the idea above for a while, it’s sometimes the unexpected things that turn up at weddings that work together for awesome images.  On the way to do the shot above, I noticed the lock below and knew immediately that I had to incorporate it into a shot.  I love the symbolization involved…to me, the lock represents the commitment that they each had just made to each other through marriage.

As mentioned previously, there are many more posts ahead, so keep checking back or even subscribe in the right hand column of the blog to receive email notifications each time I post!  Thanks for stopping by!

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i have to apologize for the long stretch inbetween posts here!  I’ve been so busy between work, traveling and every day life that I haven’t posted, but at least that means there’s much to see coming up here in the near future!  So stay tuned faithful viewers…I won’t leave ya hangin’.;-)

I’m going to start out by posting images from an incredible family session I did not too long ago.  These guys were AWESOME and then some.   They were such a genuinely sweet family and it was truly a joy to be able to spend the short time with them that I did during their session.  We met at a beautiful location in Ashland that mom had been raving about since we first discussed locations, and as soon as I arrived I totally saw why.  This place was so perfect for a family session.  There were so many interesting surroundings that made for gorgeous and interesting backdrops.  Of course I WISH I could show you all of the portraits from the session that boast the amazing surroundings, but I can’t…..I CAN however show you a lot of them!

His expression says it all.;-)

This one I fell in love with the second I snapped the shutter.   I adore her precious face!

The entire session, he was so entertained by these little things he called “pigs noses”.  It’s amazing how much they actually did resemble a pigs nose.  I love being able to see the world through kids eyes…if only through their thoughts.

There was so much history surrounding this house.  This was on the front porch so we used it for a few pics.  I can’t recall what this is used for back in the day…Marcy or Becca, you’ll have to refresh my memory!  I just thought it was so cool looking.

And this was an old chicken coop.  I don’t usually see too many of those so of course we had to incorporate that into the shoot.

As I said before, I’ve been busy!  My girlfriend Marta (www.martalocklear.com) and I even managed to squeeze in a seminar in D.C. with David Jay featuring Becker as a guest speaker.  It was so much fun and definitely informative as well as motivational.  It was just what I needed right then.   So if you’re a photog and you missed the tour, make sure you pick up the dvd’s.

Alright…I’m off for now….must get back to work.

See ya soon!;-)

 

 

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Ok, so this Saturday these two will be tying the knot in a gorgeous riverside ceremony.  And yes, I am lucky enough to be documenting that day for them.  I cannot wait!!!  Here’s a little background on this gorgeous couple…Nikki is a fellow photographer here in Richmond and Jeff is a local firefighter.  As I said in my previous post (that just so happened to be of another photographer) there is much pressure involved when taking another photographer’s portraits, but it is so absolutely rewarding as well.  I LOVE being able to collaborate and come up with ideas together.  And sometimes they may look at ya like you’re crazy for suggesting a certain something but not often…they usually “get it” and can envision the outcome.   And as much as Nikki said she didn’t know what she was doing on the other side of the lens, I have to beg to differ because she rocked it over there!;-)   Heck, both of them did!  They were totally up for anything that I suggested and even came up with some ideas of their own.  We had such a blast exploring downtown Richmond together.  I’m sure those of you local to Richmond will recognize many of the spots where we were.  I love incorporating different aspects of the city into sessions, since after all, this city is a huge part of all of us!  And yeah, it makes for a pretty good backdrop too! 

We stopped by The Halligan Bar & Grill….a new place right by the Farmer’s Market that is decked out in the firefighters theme.  I mean, they covered every single detail in there and then some.  When you first walk in, you see part of an actual fire truck that was cut down and attached to the wall.  The lights above the bar are firemen’s helmets.  There are just so many cool touches that are most impressive and I certainly have not done it justice in describing the decor so check out the link to a local review here(http://www.richmond.com/restaurants-dining/24395).  You definitely need to go check it out!

Alright…on to the portraits from this awesome engagement session.  Yeah, there are a ton but hey, I just couldn’t help myself…I loved them all!  Hopefully you’ll see why and agree!;-)  Sorry about the crazy spacing between the images….not sure what the deal is, but I’ve just gotta deal with it for now!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve gotta give props to my girl Sandy (http://www.sandylandonphotography.com) for this pose.   Love it so much!  Check out her work…she’s amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped by the local train station for some shots.  It was my first time in there and I have to say I was most impressed with how gorgeous it was!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Nikki came up with this shot…so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one of my faves is this one below.  This was the coolest spot and I had envisioned this image but didn’t know if it was possible as the concrete slabs were so far apart height wise, and they protruded out the same distance.  But of course Jeff was able to scale the wall and get up there.  Hey, being a firefighter has lots of perks, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much Nikki and Jeff! 

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Long time no post, right?  Things have been hectic around here to say the least so I’m a bit behind on posting to the blog.  This baby is long overdue to say the least, so I’ll get straight to it!  A while back I was contacted by a fellow photographer based out of Charlottesville (but serving LOTS of areas even as far down as Charlotte N.C.!) to do her family photos.  Let me just say, that there is absolutely NO greater compliment than to be hired by one of your fellow peers.  It is truly so flattering for someone in your field to like your work enough to want you to be THE one to capture their family and make memories for them in the same way that they do for others.  I was ecstatic.  Now, don’t get me wrong…it’s not all sunflowers and daisies either!  There is a ton of pressure when photographing other photographers.  While they definitely are receptive to your ideas (and even throw in their own) you know that you have got to be “on point”.  But Andrea made me feel COMPLETELY comfortable from the moment I walked in the door.  I felt as though I was at an old friends house just hanging out for the afternoon.    Seriously, they are the cutest and sweetest family ever with the most adorable and well behaved kids to boot!;-)  I so enjoyed them and cannot wait to hang out with them again.  That’s right Andrea…we’re hanging out again whether you like it or not!;-)  Please check out Andrea’s work by clicking on this link in parenthesis (http://www.andreashirey.com).  And now, check out her beautiful fam.  Yeah, lots of pics….you know me.

This looks like something my brothers and I would’ve done when we were this age.  I love this so much!

Andrea had this shot envisioned and I LOVED the way it turned out!  That expression is priceless!

Can’t put my finger on what I love so much about this next one…I know I like the flare (of course).  Just love the way it came out.

And a different, more dramatic version of the above.

And a very Happy belated anniversary to you guys!!!  Hope you had a fabulous 14th yesterday!!!

Thanks SO much guys…I had a blast and loved hanging out with you!

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I’d say this engagement session was not supposed to happen!   This seriously has got to be one of the craziest sessions I’ve had in quite some time, hands down.  Yes, yes, of course I’ll ellaborate.  You know me!;-) 

So it starts out like this…we have planned on this session for a while now.  It called for rain, but we still chanced it anyways since the opportunity for us to get together proved a difficult task since these guys live an hour outside of Richmond.  Well, I arrive…we pile into an SUV (which I later learned was an absolute necessity where we were headed!) and we’re on our way.   Soon we arrive at our first stop…an amazingly gorgeous location with a river, a plethora of rocks and a ton of trees surrounding.  We head on down to the river and not even one picture into it, it starts to rain.  So back we climb up the hill and decide to wait it out.  As we’re waiting outside the house (but under cover) I feel a sting on my ankle.  I did a quick kick of my ankle trying to remove whatever it was that had snuck up my pants and then proceeded to wait on the rain to subside.  A few seconds later as I was talking to Lexi, I felt another sting…this time up by my hip.  I reached in my pocket to see if I had something sharp in there, but alas I did not.  So…at this point I realize that this is not a good situation I’ve got on my hands.  I tell Lexi that something is stinging me and I need to try and rid myself of this annoyance that was so far up my pants now that I just wasn’t going to be able to shake it out.  She tells me where the restroom is and quite frankly, I couldn’t get there quick enough.  As soon as I get there, I drop my pants and out flies this enormous scary looking creature.  Thankfully, I had on flip flops so I proceed to try and kill this thing before it gets even more angry about the situation and decides to attack me full force.  Finally I manage to finish the job, compose myself and head back outside.  I just HAD to get Lexi and show her what it was that was making itself at home in my wide legs.  She proceeds to tell me it’s a huge bumble bee.   Scary indeed.

Ok, so moving on…the rain stops and we head back down to the riverside.  Then they decide to find their way out to the river a little further by rock hopping.  We got some awesome shots, so they started to head back.  Well, as luck would have it they hit a slippery rock and soon their legs were immersed in the river water…like, REALLY immersed.  Thankfully though, back at the house there was a dryer…so they throw their jeans in there for a while to make them presentable for more portraits (since we had ONLY just begun the session).  As they sat around in towels waiting for their jeans to dry, we commented on what a funny scene that was.;-)  Jeans were dry and we were back at it again.  We toured the incredible property finding awesome spots for pictures.  This is where the SUV came in handy…we’re talking trails, hills, rocks, the whole shebang.  It was awesome.  So a few more pictures down and it starts to rain again.  We grab an umbrella and figure at worst, I could use it to cover the camera while taking more pictures.  Off to another location, it REALLY starts to rain…in fact, it would be way more accurate for me to use the word “POUR” here.   But even that doesn’t describe the extent of the weather.  Before long it started to hail!  That’s right folks…HAIL!  At this point I cannot believe these guys were such troopers and still ready to stick it out with me…but they were and they did.  Finally all the crazy weather subsides and we’re back in business again.  We hit up a few more locations, visited the church where their wedding will be held and soon were finished with our session as darkness was approaching. 

All that to say that I wanted to share a sneak peek from this session!  I think it’s important though that you have a little background info on it!  Well, maybe not important but at least it’s good for a laugh, right?  I mean a bee?  Up my pants?  Welcome to my world guys…the fun never ends.;-)

I spotted this scene below as we were driving around and immediately fell in love.  Andy thought I was completely off of my rocker for loving this so much…what can I say?   I still think it rocks and I love the way this turned out.;-)

That’s it for now!  There are many, many more to come, but I can only share so many in a sneak peek!  Thanks so much Lexi and Andy for being so awesome!  I can’t wait for your wedding day!

 

 

 

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