Jamie and Spencer

I met Jamie a couple of years ago through a friend at work. I was a reporter at the time and Jamie worked as an advertising rep for the News and Observer in Raleigh. We'd sit and laugh about work and life. I was starting to get serious about my wedding photography business and I remember teasing Jamie about hiring me if she ever got married.

Well, I'm glad I planted that seed. Jamie has been such an awesome client. And her wedding was fantastic. She got ready at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh, married at Jones Chapel on the Meredith College campus, and had her reception at the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.

And my new officemate, the mighty Joe Bunn of Joe Bunn DJ Company in Raleigh, got the dancefloor shaking.

Anyway, thanks for hiring me, Jamie. You and Spencer are sure to have an amazing life together.

Brooks Ann and Charles and their AMC Eagle

I really love it when people are into older things. I've never been much of an antiques collector, but I could see myself easily getting obsessed with unique items from the past.

Brooks Ann and Charles love taking their hound for rides in their classic AMC Eagle. It's the kind of car that rumbles down the road, proudly announcing its presence and persistance. Charles explained, "With this car, it's all about torque." That made me think about life in general. You can ride through life nice and smooth, like in a brand new car. Or, you can appreciate the bumps and imperfections. Sometimes, the little struggles are worth appreciating too.

For me, life is all about the torque.

For this couple's engagement session, I tried a new approach learned at the Jose Villa Workshop in Mexico last month. (I'll have a separate post on that later). Jose was wise enough to bring along Jesh De Rox, who is perhaps the most intriquing photographer to hit the wedding scene in a long, long time. One of the big reasons I decided to make the journey to Mexico for the workshop (aside from being a longtime Jose Villa fan) was that I wanted to hear how exactly Jesh gets great real emotions out of portrait sessions.

I've always hunted for emotions and moments during my wedding coverage. During portrait sessions, I focused on fun compositions. I figured there was no way to get a real moment out of a posed situation. Jesh proved me wrong. Brooks Ann and Charles were my guinea pigs. I couldn't be happier with the results. Enjoy.























You can view the slideshow here.

Jennie and Rebekah

I felt truly blessed to be a part of Jennie and Rebekah's wedding. The amazing ceremony was coordinated by the one and only Grace L. P. Beason of Grace Leisure Events. It was held on the banks of the Eno River in Durham and the reception was held at Bay 7 in the American Tobacco Historic District.

You could really tell these two beautiful people were in love.

Take a look at the slideshow here.

Here are some of my favorites:

































Jennie and Rebekah: Thank you for letting me be a part of your amazing day!

BRIDES MAGAZINE!

As a burly, beer-drinking guy, I never thought I would be so excited about an upcoming issue of Brides Magazine. But this is different!

I won first place in the dancing category for a competition held by Brides and WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association). An all-Pulitzer-winning panel of judges picked the winning images. I took the photograph on New Year's Eve last year during the wedding reception of Peta and Brian Williams. I saw some amazing moments going on, but I had a dilemma: There was a big mirror in the background and I couldn't keep my big butt out of it to get the shot. So, I held the camera over my head and hoped for the best.

The result:



The image will be featured in the November/December print edition of Brides. I feel all giddy now. I need to go do some man things.

I'm King of the World!!!!

I got a bit of exciting news a couple of weeks ago that I've neglected to share. I won first place in the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalism Association's lastest quarterly contest. I also ranked sixth (IN THE WORLD!) for the quarter. It wasn't first place, but you know what they say: Coming in sixth place is better than stepping in number two.


Here's the winning photo:



And here's the proof that I'm not lying:

Where I've been...

I've spent the last week or so increasing my skillz by hosting two major workshops with two of the best photographers in the world: David Beckstead and Zack Arias. I really believe in continuing education and shooting with these two guys was an awesome and humbling experience. I'm doing all this to make myself a better photographer for my brides.

The first workshop, Arias's OneLight workshop was held in Raleigh. I had an awesome time hosting and throwing the mixer for a dozen fantastic photographers from Raleigh and beyond.

Here are a few of the shots from the first workshop:








Gorgeous ladies, huh? They are both clients of mine. (Pats self on back).

A couple of days later, I had to scoot down to Wilmington, NC to host Shoot with Beckstead with my good friend and mentor, Matt McGraw. This was a completely different, but equally amazing experience. Beckstead is a master of composition, finding light and lines that enhance images and make you look like 4 billion dollars.

Here are a couple of shots from that workshop:















In short, hosting and attending these workshops ultimately adds value to my work and I feel blessed to have held these events. Now, I need a nap.