Winston-Salem Marriott Bridal Shoot

This weekend Scott and I photographed future nurse-extraordinaire Meredith for her bridal portraits. The original plan was to shoot around the grounds of her home, but we found our plans foiled by the rain, and shot at the Marriott and Embassy Suites in downtown Winston-Salem instead. We had a great time!












This shot is directly influenced by Scott's background as a horror film director. He calls this a "monster shot" (i.e.- from the point of view of the monster who is hiding behind the bushes). In this case, monster Scott was hiding behind a flower arrangement.

Thanks to Reida for diligently wrangling the dress and the bouquet. What a trooper!
I can't wait to see which images are your favorites, Meredith! Of course, you made it easy for us :). You are one gorgeous bride!

Fall Wedding Photography in Mocksville, North Carolina

Yay for fall weddings! Last Saturday Scott and I photographed the most perfect outdoor fall wedding ever. Our B&G Abby and Emory are two extremely cool folks who have made their home in Charleston, SC. Luckily for us, they selected the lovely and whimsical grounds of Abby's childhood home in Mocksville for their wedding. The bride's parents spent months preparing the grounds and all the terrific details of the day. You can check out Abby and Emory's engagement shoot highlights here: http://poeticrealityproductions.blogspot.com/2008/08/winston-salem-arts-district-engagement.html.


The groom and his fellas sported boutonnieres fashioned from acorns, an oak leaf, and Fiddlehead ferns. The autumniest!

The dashing Emory...

And his crazy band of brothers:

The elegant Abby...

...surrounded by her fabulous veil.

Look at the ladies!

Scott got this aerial shot from a 2nd floor dormer window. Jean and David, the bride's parents, came up with this idea at our pre-wedding pizza and beer session. I'm thrilled with it!



Jean watching her daughter exchange vows...

And Emory making sure that ring is on tight!


A few post wedding shots:


Thanks to Jean and David for letting us trample the ivy!

One of these wacky folks came up with the idea to make a maypole out of the bride and groom, thanks to Abby's veil.

Wrapped up with love...


In the post for their engagement shoot, I wished David luck in making his outdoor votive creations. I'd say that luck went far, because they made the grounds look absolutely magical...




Love this cake! It's the autumniest too!

A couple of folks from the bride's alma mater, Meredith College, busted out some amazing hula moves during a performance that really was the next level of cool. The hoops are wedding gifts for the bride and groom! Here's wishing them tons of excellent use.



Despite the chilly weather outside, it was warm in the tent, and guests lingered even after the bride and groom left for the evening. Congratulations to Jim and Patricia for having such a fantastic son, to Jean and David for raising the classiest of daughters, to Abby and Emory on their newlywed status, and to all of ya'll for pulling this night off. I'm looking forward to helping you remember it fondly forever!

Album Art for Cameron Marion

Images from this weekend's wedding will be up soon. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the images from Sunday's shoot. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the delightful Cameron Marion, Carolina Music Association's Country Artist of the Year. check her out here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=66270710. Her debut album will be released soon, and yesterday we worked on some album art. The album title is "Ashes and Heartache" after a lyric from the album's first single. We explored that theme, and also took some studio shots for the sake of variety. Cameron is normally an ebullient, happy gal with a gorgeous smile, so the biggest challenge was having her not smile.




Thanks to Cameron's friend Kelly for assisting with the shoot. No one holds a fan like you, Kelly!

Cameron's got quite a few shows coming up, so be sure to check out her Myspace page and get your booty out to see her perform. I know you'll love her as much as we do.

Actor Headshots On Location

The actor's headshot- the primary marketing tool used by actors to book auditions, and one of my favorite photographs to shoot. Most folks going into the business we call show might initially desire a photograph that makes them look their absolute most gorgeous. Sorry all you future actors- those are portfolio shots for models. Any agent or casting director will tell you the number one most important aspect of the headshot is that it look exactly like you. Classically, headshots have been black and white becasue of the prohibitive cost of the reproduction of color photographs. These days, however, many actors are opting for color due to its modern affordability. My preferred method of capturing this image is to spend a couple of hours with the actor, shooting hundreds of frames to capture that one perfect image. While I don't believe that a taking a photograph steals a piece of the subject's soul- I think the best photographs offer a glimpse into the soul. The following photographs were taken under less-than-ideal circumstances. An advanced theater class at a local high school wanted some professional shots for their lobby display and program. I had 2-4 minutes with each subject, shooting 25 students in an hour and fifteen minutes. I only got about thirty frames with each of the students, but I think I got a pretty true shot of each of them. Here are some of my faves:










Good job, ya'll! And good luck with your production. I hope your happy shining faces look beautifully in your playbills!