Chris and Michael's Destination Wedding

When my bestie from college asked me if I would rather be his best-(wo)man or photograph his destination wedding to his long-time partner, Michael, it didn't take me long to decide I definitely wanted to photograph it!  We all flew up to Massachusetts for a week last fall.  The ceremony and reception were held on the property of dear friends of Chris and Michael.  We all gathered around just before sunset to witness their vows being made in the middle of all of their closest friends.  It was a beautiful ceremony.  I remember having to wipe my tears of joy frequently through the ceremony.  It meant so much to me to see 2 wonderful people who had loved each other exclusively for almost 10 years, finally able to call each other husband and husband.  After the ceremony we had a tent set- up where we danced the night away and ate lobster that was cooked in the ground, just like the indians and pilgrims used to!  The next day we all drove up to the very tip of Cape Cod for a few days of fun in P-town, Mass.  Here are my favorite images from the trip! Enjoy!

Baby Riley's Newborn Portraits

 love it when I have such an amazing connection with a wedding client and end up photographing their family as it grows!  I first met Kiran and Ryan when I photographed their wedding last year. First we did Kiran's Bridal Portraits, then I was finally able to meet Ryan on the wedding day.  When Kiran called me and told me they were expecting their first baby, I was over the moon excited! I was also thrilled that they wanted to work with me again!  We did the maternity session, which I blogged about last month and now it is time to introduce this precious baby boy, Riley, to the world!

But wait!  First, let me tell you a little about this shoot....  

Newborn portraits have always been a favorite of mine!   I find it very peaceful and inspiring to be around a beautiful sleeping baby.  Over the years, I have molded my approach to newborn photography through trial and error and finally feel I have found my personal style. For Riley's portrait session, I went to Kiran and Ryan's house and was able to set up my backdrop and pillow right next to a great big window and shoot with natural light.  I prefer to use natural light for newborns because I feel like the flashes tend to disturb the baby. My best investment was a heating pad, a noise machine, and really soft blankets over a peanut shaped newborn poser pillow to create a really comfy bed for the baby to fall asleep on.  I have transitioned into only using the newborn fabric wraps so that the baby can wear a diaper and I have not had a single accident since!  Plus there is so much you can do with a newborn wrap.  It really allows you to be artistic.  Ideally, the baby will sleep through the whole session and we can get a few looks in a couple of hours but realistically, this rarely happens!  I usually end up spending the day hanging at the house with the family waiting for the baby to fall asleep.  Post production is huge in newborn photography, I spend more time retouching newborn portraits than any other type of portrait.  The majority of the retouching involves backgrounds and skin healing.  The blankets may have a wrinkle or crease and babies tend to have peeling skin and some imperfections that just need some fixing up.  

Ok, now it's time to meet Riley!  Enjoy!

Krista and John's Country Wedding in Royce City, TX

Krista and John got married on a hot summer afternoon at Big Sky Ranch in Royce City, TX.  Their wedding was probably one of my favorite weddings to photograph in a long while!  The decor was stunning, the couple was so fun to work with, and the rain that came later that night, made for the most amazing clouds!  However, my favorite part of this wedding was the decor!   Krista and John borrowed sets of china from all the members of their immediate family to create a massive collection of mix-matched china for their guests to eat of of.  I just loved that idea! Not only was it gorgeous, but it added a nice sentimental touch to the decor.  The mixture of antiques, rustic wood,  and greenery, mixed with the soft pink color palette made this decor absolutely stunning against the country backdrop.  The ceremony featured a gorgeous cedar cross made by a close relative of the bride.  They had a very musical set of friends who performed during the ceremony and also saved the day during the reception by playing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" for the Mother/Son Dance when the DJ equipment failed.  The whole crowd sang along, it was a wonderful thing to witness.  It just goes to show you that even the things that go wrong can turn out to be the best part of the whole day.  Oh, and did I mention, the bride gave the groom a rifle for his wedding gift???  I couldn't resist getting at least one gun portrait! (only in Texas, right?)  Overall, I just really loved every thing about this wedding.   From the people, to the decor, to the venue, and everything in between it was just absolutely perfect!  I hope you enjoy viewing the images as much as I enjoyed taking them!