Portraits in Shenendoah National Park

I scouted a new location for possible photography sessions I'd heard about in Shenendoah National Park last September.  I took my "Little Helper" with me and stopped off at Big Meadows afterwards for a snack, lunch, and a promised souvenir for being my photographic subject.  Seizing another opportunity to pull out the camera, I took these pictures of some of the different backdrops you can achieve at the meadow. 

If you know where along the trail this spot is located and don't mind a short hike to get there, this "Door in the Mountain" can be an interesting backdrop for Portraits.  It looks even better in black and white.

Photography at the Peak of Fall Color

This year, the peak of Fall Color in the Blue Ridge Mountains along Swift Run Gap fell on the Weekend of October 20, 2012.  The Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful place for an Intimate Wedding Ceremony or Elopement and Fall is even more special.  You can see in the photo above that some trees have started to lose their foliage in the higher elevations of the foreground, but you still see a wide variety of colors including green, yellow, orange, red, and bronze.  In one week, all of this will have changed.  I shot this Skyline Drive Elopement for the Golden Horseshoe Inn, here on this day and then headed back to the Venue to shoot a wedding.  These are some of my favorite shots from the Elopement.

The World as your Wedding Chapel.  I love shooting this location and you will see the symbolism in each of the following shots of the elements Land and Sky, Heaven and Earth.

 

Suitable shoes are required to get to this location, although once you're there, you can change into what you like.  This bride's shoes coordinated with a lovely rose bouquet.  

An exchange of rings.

The Wind was pretty strong at times and the shadows of clouds were rolling along the landscape like waves.

A couple at the edge of a new life together. 

This was a fun variation on a color photo converted to black and white.  I just wanted to accentuate the shoes and bouquet as the were a simple but important part of their ceremony.

A colorful shot of the bride. Notice the wide range of blues in the sky.  I was able to turn the bride toward the sun, shooting North for this shot capturing her skin tone and the pure colors of the background. 

A profile shot of the Groom in black and white. 

Posing in wide open spaces can be a challenge especially with no cover.  Here, I had the groom face away from the sun to avoid direct light into his eyes.  

This was a nice seated portrait.  The clouds were beginning to soften the light.  I wanted to leave a little negative space to the bride's left to allow you to still see the landscape.

The timing for this Elopement couldn't have been more perfect for this particular day.  The variety of color and the angle of Sunlight were about the best you could ask for. It was the perfect mix of Cloud and Sky.  I highly recommend this Experience if you are considering an elopement.  It is so much more intimate and personal than a courthouse or small chapel ceremony. The Golden Horseshoe Inn 
offers many alternatives to a traditional wedding and is well worth checking out.

Fall Weekday Wedding October 18, 2012

The Fall is very popular for Outdoor Weddings in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Sometimes finding a venue that isn't booked can be a challenge.  Planning your wedding ceremony during the week can offer more flexibility in your schedule and allow you choose a time when the foliage will be at its best.  I had the privilege of photographing a Weekday Wedding on Thursday October 18th at the Golden Horseshoe Inn in Stanardsville, Va.  The Bronze Color was just starting to show on the trees this year and the Sunlight came out on this overcast day just about the time the ceremony started.  These are some of my favorite shots of the day.  

 I loved the way the natural light was coming in through the window illuminating the veil and highlighting the Brides Curls.  I softened this photo with a white vignette.  

Pink shoes have been very popular for the last couple of years.  They make for a great accent.  I always try and get a shot of the brides shoes and something complimentary like the Wedding Bouquet. 

This was a nice close up of the Groom.  The ambient light from the window was really soft on this overcast day providing a very natural skin tone.

I brought in white mini pumpkins to shoot the wedding rings on.  They make for an elegant and unique Fall wedding statement.

Once the ceremony started, the sun popped out of the clouds as it seems to do for all of my brides this year. Only 5 days since my last wedding and I can really start to see change in the foliage.  The Hydrangea in the Brides Bouquet was a perfect match to the Fall Color of the Trees in the background.

The sun really softens and illuminates the Grooms hair in this shot.

This was a nice companion shot to the previous one of the Groom.  The veil looks beautiful providing another layer to this gorgeous picture.

The first kiss as Bride and Groom hold hands on this lovely day.

This photo has some lovely yellows in it and I used the sun as a soft back light for this shot taken immediately following the ceremony.

Seated photos can add an entirely different contour to the composition of a photograph.  We wanted to capture the natural beauty of the day for this wedding so we remained outside on the Wedding Deck and in the Gardens for many of our shots.

For this shot, we pulled the veil back over the Brides face and had her tuck her bouquet underneath to lift it off of her face and soften the lines.  Her smile says it all.  Beautiful Photo.

Family and Friends gathered at the edge of the deck for this group shot.  We spent a lot of time afterwards on many more family and bridal party configurations throughout the property.  Weekday weddings have a completely different feel and are a lot more laid back.  If you are planning a wedding during a busy time of year and are having a difficult time in scheduling either your venue or specific time frame, I highly recommend considering an weekday.