Friday, December 17, 2010

Annapolis, MD Wedding: Justin + Lauren

I closed out the 2010 wedding season with my sweet friend Melissa Manzione in Annapolis, MD.  Lauren and Justin were the absolute best bride and groom to share the day with.  Lauren's smile never faltered, even as she read a sweet note from her groom just before the ceremony, bringing tears to hear eyes.  And though her smiles were for different reasons - excitement, happiness, and true joy - they all stemmed from one place......love. 

And Justin?  The sweet way he looked at Lauren all day long made me know just how much he cherishes and adores her.  There is nothing more beautiful than two people in love, which means Lauren and Justin were the best looking couple in the world on their wedding day. 












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Monday, November 29, 2010

Zack Arias: OneLight Field Guide

I had the pleasure of attending a OneLight Workshop earlier this year, and all I can say is that Zack Arias is the man when it comes to lighting.  He recently released the OneLight Field Guide, which I just received in the mail.  And it's fantastic!  Zack intends this to be used as a quick reference guide on location.  It's straightforward, no fuss, and gives lots of examples with explanations, easy diagrams and images to show the execution of the setup.  If you need comprehensive knowledge on lighting and modifiers, take his workshop.  If you want a "cookbook of scenarios," find out how to get your copy here!  You're going to love it!

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Things I'm Thankful For

I've been trying to make a mental note all week of the things I'm thankful for - so I could blog it today - but I've been so busy I apparently haven't been able to remember it all.  But here are some highlights.  I'm thankful for:

- Sticky notes and note pads.  To help me remember things, clearly.
- Stretchy jeans.  For that second helping of pecan bars after Thanksgiving dinner.
- My friends.  Who I can't devote much time to but love me anyway.
- My husband.  Who has to put up with my stress day after day, and somehow still loves me.  Also, he bakes me chocolate chip cookies.
- My MacBook Pro.  So I don't have to sit on the broken, backless chair at my desktop computer all day and night.
- Restaurants, etc.  Otherwise, I may never get to eat during the day.  And the fact that they don't close during odd lunch and dinner times, like in Europe, where I was pretty sure I was going to starve at one point during our trip in 2008.

So here's to a wonderful Thanksgiving, with lots of turkey.  And pecan bars. Pin It

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Engagement: Maria + Jeremy

She's from Nicaragua.  He's from Okinawa.  But from oceans and countries apart, they found each other here in Virginia.  It was an office romance.  Jeremy thought she was cute, but too quiet as she worked at her desk day after day.  And after several days he couldn't wait any longer and had to talk to her.  And I don't blame him.  If he hadn't snatched up this beautiful girl, then surely someone else would have!  Throughout their years of dating, they knew they were meant to be together, but were in no hurry to get married.

Then one evening, as they were getting ready for bed, Jeremy, wearing his favorite pajamas, kneeled down silently on one knee outside the bathroom door as Maria finished brushing her teeth.  On a quiet night thousands of miles from their home towns, Jeremy proposed to the love of his life.  Suddenly the world was not such a big place, and vast oceans were overshadowed by the enormity of their love for each other.


Jeremy researched and picked out the location for their session at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.  Kudos to him for finding such a beautiful place to shoot!


Maria, you are absolutely divine!


The pagoda couldn't have been more befitting given Jeremy's ancestry....





Hellooooooo handsome!!






Maria and Jeremy, thank you for allowing me the honor of documenting this special time in your lives. It was an absolute pleasure spending time with you both and getting to know you! I wish you the best of luck as you continue planning for your beach wedding in the Outer Banks next year!  Much love, Laurie. Pin It

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Annapolis Wedding: Elisha & Justin

Yesterday I closed out the wedding season by 2nd shooting a wedding with Melissa Manzione.  I love shooting with Melissa - she's an absolute gem - and our shooting styles are quite similar, which makes it so much fun to work together!

So I wanted to blog the rest of the images from a wedding I shot with her earlier this year.  I *loved* the venue.  The Philip Merrill Center on the Chesapeake Bay is one of the world's most energy-efficient buildings.  Not only that, but it has a ton of character.  It's such a fun change to shoot at a venue that has unexpected beauty in it's strong lines and industrial facade, and lots of locations with amazing light for photos.  Lovelovelove! 



Justin and Lish were a dream.  So easygoing and so much fun, and completely and totally in love!



All of the bridesmaids wore these adorable palm tree necklaces.  Perfect for a wedding on the beach!






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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Old Town Alexandria+Mount Vernon+Rock Creek Park Engagement: Kristi + Tim

She was on a bike ride to Mount Vernon with her aunt and uncle, and they had paused for a short rest.  She hadn't noticed him at first, until he ran by and cheered them on with encouragement to keep going.  But it wasn't the cheering that caught her attention.  It was him.  Shirtless.  Kristi is an avid bike rider and didn't need the encouragement to continue riding, but she certainly had a little extra incentive that day. 

They continued to pass each other along a 10-mile stretch of the Mount Vernon Trail.  Tim jogged by her on the hilly ascents, and Kristi whizzed by him on the descents.  They traded conversation along the way, but during the long climb on the final stretch to Mount Vernon, Tim had disappeared ahead.  But then he came back.  He jogged back down the path just to let Kristy know that the water fountain ahead wasn't working.  And before he could even ask, Kristi was handing him an extra bottle of water from her backpack.

They chatted for a while, and then parted ways without even knowing each other's last names.  But Kristi couldn't stop thinking about this charismatic, shirtless guy.  So she put her PhD researching skills to work and did some Google-sleuthing.  After figuring out his last name from a Massachusettes marathon race report, and with the encouragement of her aunt, she Facebooked him.  Their first date was two weeks later. 

On their 11-month anniversary, Tim proposed to Kristi on an unassuming Monday night at one of their favorite local eating spots.  Kristi was concentrating so hard on not passing out during the proposal that she didn't hear a single word he said, and she was so overcome with joy and excitement that she couldn't even eat her dinner afterwards.  And now engaged, neither has to worry about passing the other on the path of life, but rather, they will experience the joy of traveling the journey side by side. 

We started their session in Old Town Alexandria, where Tim used to live, and where he began his run to Mount Vernon on one of the best days of his life.  And that morning light?  I lurrrrrve it!


Soft diffused light and an incredible textured background?  I could shoot in this all.day.long!


Kristi...I love your beautiful smile!!




Our next stop was Mount Vernon.  Of course!




Kristi and Tim love spending time at Rock Creek Park for biking, hiking, and just to picnic and enjoy the outdoors.  They scoped out an amazing location with incredible fall colors for the next part of their session.




The ring?  Tim just happened to pick out the exact same engagement ring at Tiffany's that Kristi had been looking at a few months before, when she was visiting a friend in Texas!  Only, she never told him about it, she had never pointed it out to him, and he had never even spoken to her friend.  Further proof that they were meant to be together!


An abandoned raquetball court with amazing filtered light?  Yes, please!  This hidden gem was on the rooftop of Tim and Kristi's apartment building...




Tim........Diesel!!!


Kristiiiiiiiii....You.are.beautiful!!


And I can't end this without giving many, many thanks to Beny - the nicest driver I've ever met.  Tim and Kristi hired Beny to drive us around DC and Virginia for their session so they could relax and enjoy champagne while en route to each location.  And because of unexpected road closures in DC (I mean, they even closed Constitution Avenue!!!), we ended up stuck in an absurd amount of traffic.  Beny, bless his heart, cancelled and rearranged his other appointments so he could be with us for as long as we needed.  If you need a driver with incredible service, contact him!  Beny, I don't know what we would have done without you...THANK YOU!! 

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