Family Photos at Home

Have you ever looked through your grandparents old photo albums?  I have recently and it was special for me to see them photographed where they lived and what they wore.  It was like a glimpse at what their lives were like.  These days, it is often hard to get the whole family to step out of their routine and away from work together long enough for pictures.  Some of the best pictures can come from home where you are the most comfortable.  Just like the good old days.  I recently visited "the farm" to take some family portraits for a client.  I love photographing in rustic settings.  There are many colorful and interesting things to shoot or use for a backdrops and with a little love, they just might grow into a wonderful shot.  These are some of my favorites from the day!

 

This was only a portion of the pedal tractors this grandfather had collected over the years.   He has crafted some of tractors and implements himself.  This set of photographs also made for an excellent series of black and whites.

We moved to the front of an old weathered barn that has seen many years for these next few photos.  This was one of the few locations I had scouted where we could escape the glare of the sun overhead.  The knots and separating grain of the wood made for an excellent backdrop here as I snapped this shot of the youngest member of the family.

I changed the angle here to accent the contrasting planks of wood.  As you can see, those old boards look as fantastic in Black and White as they do in color.  

 

A change of angle again gives us part of the old barn door as a backdrop for father and daughter.  

 

Taking a lower stance, I was able to shoot upwards for this shot and show the open loft door and the undersides of the eaves which made for an interesting composition.  This particular image was partially converted to black and white and the shirts were left in color to draw your attention to father and son.

For this photo of mother and son, I had this young man stand on and old timber that lay at the base of the barn.  This brought them to more of an equal height for a better portrait. 

 

We switched directions and crossed the driveway into the sunlight for this group shot with the trees in the background for something a little more vibrant.  

 

Next, we moved back into the shade to take some portraits on this restored tractor.  I love to shoot machinery as well and took some close ups while the family changed into their work and everyday cloths for a few more photographs.

 

This is a black and white showing a little more of the mechanics of the tractor.

 We took many photos with the tractor.  This is one of the few I got with the father by himself.  The sun was getting pretty low on the horizon at this point and I used this angle to stay in the shade of the covered building  to keep from shooting directly into the sun.

This was one of the last photos of the day and came by chance.  The daughter had taken a break to lay in the grass while I prepared to photograph her parents.  Realizing that you can never really escape the camera, she gave this smile as I laid down in the grass as well to snap a photo of her in her straw hat.

All of this smiling makes for a long afternoon.  This photo in a seated position allowed me to use the holly bushes in front of their home for a backdrop.   So the next time you are thinking about family portraits, consider your own back yard.  They are a timeless snapshot of who you are for generations to come.

May 5, 2012 Wedding Shots

These are some shots from a Wedding I shot on May 5th, 2012 at the Golden Horseshoe Inn in Stanardsville, Va.  The day was rainy and overcast but the weather did break for the Ceremony and some posed photography on the Grounds of this beautiful Venue.

This is a close up shot of the wedding cake.  The bottom layer is a "Reveal" Cake hiding the Gender of their baby from the guests whom are evenly split between Team Blue and Team Pink.  Like the Guests, you are going to have to wait until the end of this post before the color is revealed.

 The tables of the reception area featured submerged faux orchids in glass vases at different levels.  I actually thought they were real at first until I started taking close up shots.  These made for very colorful centerpieces at an affordable price.  

The Bride's bouquet was very colorful and featured roses and lilies.  This photo was taken in the window of the Bridal Changing Suite.  I used natural light from the window to accentuate the colors in the arrangement.

I have always loved windows and flowing curtains.  They always add a nice touch of architecture and fabric to any shot.  I really wanted to feature the brides profile in this shot.

We used the door to screen the Bride and Groom, who hadn't seen each other yet, for this shot.  We made sure to move the full length mirror to prevent the Groom from sneaking a peak at his Bride to Be.

This was a sweet candid moment with the Bride and her Son at the window.  I love the way her curl was hanging down at the side of her face silhouetted by the outside light.

 

The rain did subside for the Ceremony and the overcast conditions actually worked to soften the green of the trees in the background.  I was lucky to be in the right position for this shot of the bride as she turned her face and looked at her family sitting nearby.  It has a very genuine feel to it.

I had a very good angle of the Groom from the deck shown here as his hands were joined with his Bride.  Once again the foliage was a very subtle shade of green.

The Kiss captured here in black and white.  I kept the wedding celebrant in frame for this shot who had actually taken a step back to be out of the way.  His smile as he looked on at the newly wedded couple added an element of happiness to the photo.

I love shooting brides against these white columns.  They add a touch of architecture to the photo.

 

I grabbed this candid shot of the Groom leaning on a column as I was photographing the Bride and her family at the edge of the Gardens.  My wife is the Wedding Coordinator for this Venue and my eyes when I am shooting.  When she whispers "Turn around." I know I've got a good candid shot nearby and this was one of them.  Thank you Heather!

 

This is another photo planned by my wife.  We had used these curtains for an outdoor woodland birthday party and thought they would make an interesting composition for this wedding.  The curtains are strung between two trees in the gardens where this bench sits overlooking the pond.

The Bride really wanted a photo beside this stone sculpture.  These "Standing Stones"  have an English feel to them and make an interesting backdrop for photography.  

And it's time now to return to the cake as promised.  The happy couple cut the cake to reveal the color blue.  Congratulations to Team Blue.

This was my first "Reveal Cake".  I really liked the way the Ribbon fell downward for this shot. 

Getting up close to find "Beauty in the Details"

 When you make a point to shoot close up, you see things in an entirely different perspective.  There is a beauty in the details that often goes un-noticed on the day of your wedding.  Weddings are a busy event.  Guests and Family are focused on the Bride and Groom.  They are enjoying the food and drink.  They are connecting or re-connecting with friends they haven't seen in a while.  Focus is often taken away from the details.  Brides put a lot of thought into their wedding day.  They want everything to be perfect and it is important that you capture the sentimental value of the little things that may be forgotten over time.

Here is a piece of lace and pin from a loved one added to the Bride's bouquet.

Lovely detail in the Bridal Gown and Jacket.

Details of a well thought out table arrangement and place setting.

A simple center piece and table number.

Custom details on a well prepared candy buffet.

An outdoor table display welcoming guests to the wedding.

The Brides Dress, Shoes, and Veil carefully laid out before the wedding.

Beautiful cut flowers added to the Wedding Cake and displayed on a wooden pedestal.

An up close and personal view of the wedding bands, laid out on a bible.

The delicate petals of a white rose boutenir.

Often, it is not until we go back to our wedding album that we remember how special these little details are and what they mean to us.  It is the job of the wedding photographer to make sure they are remembered for years to come.  We love the small things.  I challenge you to pull out your wedding album and take a moment to remember what the little details meant to you.  We are lucky to have those memories.