Posts from the ‘Encore: Trash the Dress’ Category

It’s been just under a year since we shot Christie & Ked’s wedding. And it was a windy day that day too. We met up with them again for an Encore session with a Beloved twist. Beloved style sessions are meant for couples who have been together for a while, at least a year, and are meant to be a time and space where the two can reconnect and remember all the lovely things about each other that made them first fall in love. Beloved sessions are more about emotion and vulnerability than angles and locations. And since it had been about a year since their wedding we figured we’d give their Encore session a Beloved style twist. Christie wanted to wear her wedding dress again and had picked out this lakeside spot in Winter Park for their session. We loved the sleepy spanish moss, the turquoise water, and the windy weather.

About halfway through Ked said how fun it would be to have sessions like this each year. That made me feel so happy because Ked gets exactly what this type of session is about. It’s about being an experience that a couple can look forward to. It’s about reconnecting and having a space where you can allow yourself to feel that overpowering love you may forget to feel during the day to day errands of life. We had such a wonderful time seeing these two again, witnessing the solid strength that their relationship already had to it. Getting to see how confident and secure Christie felt in Ked’s embrace. Getting to see them laugh at (and with) each other, and getting to capture it all for them in our cameras. We left better people than when we arrived. We hope you enjoy these lakeside shots…

If you would like to book a Beloved portrait session, contact us and let us know.

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St. Petersburg, FL | Encore “Day After” Session

Want to know a secret? I actually consider interweb browsing part of my daily work day. It’s completely true. But not just photography related places, all different places that inspire me. I actually have a bookmarks tab on my computers called “Inspiring Blogs” and I check it daily. I keep a series of little folders on my desktop with titles like: Business Ideas, House Ideas, Fashion Ideas and Concept Ideas. In that last one, I drop photos or screenshots that inspire me with ideas for future photoshoots. One of our goals for 2010 is to start to have a concept in mind for every single photoshoot that we do. (So if you’re a 2010 client, be ready for some crazy fun ideas!) The items in that folder are all over the board from food items, to architecture, to a lighting style I want to incorporate. The images are from websites like design blogs, retail shops, and even news streams. I’m telling you, it’s literally inspiration from anywhere. But, the great thing about that is that I don’t forget (because inspiration strikes kind of like lightning-never in the same place twice). And when Heather and Cody’s “encore” session was approaching I knew exactly what idea from the folder I wanted to incorporate. It was white, twinkling Christmas lights. I sent Heather the image to give her an idea of what I was thinking and she loved it! Here is their sneak peek with my favorites from our time using the lights…

Encore sessions are our “day after” and “trash the dress” sessions for brides and grooms that want even more dedicated time for gorgeous portraits in their wedding attire without the pressure of wedding day time restraints or having to stay completely clean. ;)

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I couldn’t wait. I was going to save these until after their wedding post but I just could not wait. Because I love them that much. (And because I have the patience of a 4 year old.) Tim and Sarah were married a few weeks ago up in St. Augustine, Florida at the gorgeous Castle Ottis and spoiled us completely rotten by agreeing to take scissors to Sarah’s dress for this shoot. I know what most of you are thinking… “WHAT? Scissors to a beautiful dress?!” And to you I say, “Why yes. Scissors. But, scissors is toned down from some of the original ideas. Tim, being a firefighter, and Nate were tossing around some spray paint/fire themed ideas but we couldn’t figure out a way to do that without risking Sarah’s life or being arrested. So scissors it was!”

Trash the dress sessions, while on the surface are about getting some really awesome portraits, also represent the bride and groom’s commitment to each other. By “trashing a dress” the couple is saying that they are completely committed to each other and see no need for the bride to ever have the dress again. Sarah and Tim took it to the limit with us and we are so excited by the results.

We found this perfect location with all kinds of lovely little props for us to use, including this old door…

And it started…

Work it out Sarah!

FAVORITE

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