Fahrenheit Photography - Charlottesville, Richmond, Harrisonburg Hampton Roads Photography

Virginia Beach Wedding Photography: Erica and Jason

2011-12-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

November weddings in Virginia Beach are great because there's just enough color left over from fall for outdoor pictures, the weather isn't hot, humid, or excruciatingly cold, and everyone just seems to be in a great mood with the holidays emerging and the year winding down.

High school sweethearts Erica and Jason had an outdoor ceremony near sunset at the Great Neck Park Gazebo and raging reception at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. This wedding rocked from the details down to the music at the reception.

For more pics, check out their slideshow. Kudos to Katie B for her mad skills as a second shooter... she took the groom's photos before the wedding as well as some of the ceremony.

Blogs, blogs, blogs

2011-11-16T08:12:00.001-05:00

My obsession with blogging (both reading and writing) has extended as far back as middle school, when the only user-friendly blogging platform available was LiveJournal. Obviously, blogging has come a long way since then, and lately I've been experiencing a blogger's revival of some sort.

Here are a few of the blogs I've been obsessing over lately. Hopefully you'll find some inspiration in them too! (For more inspiring blogs, check out my Inspiring Reads page.)

Ruffled was hands-down the biggest source of inspiration for my wedding (unfortunately Pintrest came just a little too late!). They have tons of cute DIY weddings and ideas for the crafty, vintage-style lovers. One of the best things about it is its store, where you can shop for used items ranging from dresses to place cards to decor-- a must for cost-conscious brides who don't mind recycling a thing or two (and for those who were just married, you can sell items too... because really, what else are you going to do with 2 dozen mason jars?).

Hi-Fi Weddings just became a recent fave of mine. On it you'll find music-inspired weddings and shoots, not to mention ideas for that critical playlist. It's definitely a place for people searching for something outside of the top-40 realm.

The Picky Palatte

Take a break from wedding planning-- This recipe blog is a must for those of you who like simple, EASY, step-by-step instructions to making yummy food. Did I mention EASY? Jenny provides pictures to go along with each step in her recipes, making it really, really hard to mess things up. And yes, those are oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Amazing.

Liz and Jeff: A Portsmouth, Virginia Wedding

2011-09-29T17:22:00.001-04:00

Liz and Jeff tied the knot two weeks ago in a lovely church wedding in Portsmouth. I loved the little personal touches they added throughout the wedding day (like the bagpiper during the ceremony, their dog Rescue in the wedding party, and the firetruck for the portraits). And I love, love, LOVE the orange and brown colors!

To view more of their wedding, click here.

Erica and Jesse : A Virginia Beach Wedding

2011-07-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

Proposal Videos

2011-06-30T23:19:00.000-04:00

Many of my friends are extremely talented filmmakers. So talented, in fact, that one of them created a proposal video for his girlfriend.

Don't you just love love?

RJ took Katie back to Grafton (JMU's campus theater, which we all basically ran back in college, yaaaaay filmies!!) for their 7-year anniversary. She was under the impression that they were just going to see a movie, but RJ set everything up so that the video would play on the big screen. How cute is that?!

Katie studied Animation and RJ was in the same program I did back at JMU (video directing/producing/editing), and next year they're moving to California to pursue what I believe will be very successful film careers. RJ's just finishing up his first feature full-length film, Kidney Beans, that all of you should check out:

Kidney Beans Blog

Congratulations, Katie and RJ! I am so incredibly happy for the two of you and wish you the absolute best!

Fabric Wraps

2011-03-25T19:23:00.000-04:00

Check out these fabric wraps. What a neat idea! Just think, if everyone used fabric to wrap their presents, it would be the ultimate recycling project! You would never have to throw away wrapping paper and you could pass the fabric onto whomever you give your next gift to. Not to mention it looks really cute.

Found on: You are My Fave and chewingthecud.

Venue Spotlight: Treehouse Point

2011-03-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

Back when Steve and I were searching for our wedding venue, the world was basically our oyster. With most of our friends and family scattered all over the country, it didn't matter where we had the wedding since most people would have to travel anyway. We tossed around the idea of having a destination wedding and researched a great deal of locations, both in and out of the country. In my search, I ran across Treehouse Point in Issaquah, Washington. The rustic nature of the place was a perfect match for the two of us and I was ready to put down a deposit... unfortunately they were completely booked up for 2011 and didn't know when they would start booking for 2012, and after sitting on it for awhile, we decided that trying to plan a wedding from across the country might not be the best idea.

In the end, we didn't end up going with Treehouse Point, but it's still on our list of places to visit the next time we go out to Washington. Enjoy the photos, all credited to Ben Blood from Seattle.


Photo by Ben Blood


Photo by Ben Blood


Photo by Ben Blood

Photo by Ben Blood


Photo by Ben Blood

Photo by Ben Blood

Charlottesville Wedding and Portrait Photography - Boar's Head Inn

2010-07-28T19:44:00.001-04:00

Back during Memorial Day Weekend, I took a trip to Charlottesville's Boar's Head Inn to do an Encore Session with Stefanie and Jim, a sweet couple from Virginia Beach who had gotten married earlier in the month but didn't have the time to book a photographer for their wedding. So we all met up in Charlottesville that Saturday morning (by the way, I am willing and able to travel up to Charlottesville for ANY reason, sans travel fee!), Stefanie and Jim got back into their wedding attire and we took some beautiful photos at Boar's Head Inn.

The great thing about Encore Sessions is that it gives brides and grooms the opportunity to do their wedding portraits after the wedding, without having to worry about the hectic activity and stress that often comes on the wedding day.

Here are some of my favorites from the session:

Newport News Wedding Photography - James River Country Club - Matt and Leah

2010-07-13T19:44:00.001-04:00

Last month I had the pleasure of shooting Leah and Matt's wedding at the James River Country Club, and it was by far one of my favorite weddings to shoot! Since meeting them up in Port Warwick last year, I could tell that the two of them were very much in love and it certainly showed on their wedding day. I could rave on and on about how amazing everything was (their wedding colors were orange and yellow... loved it!) but I'll let the photos speak for themselves. :)

Check out the Fahrenheit Photography facebook page for more photos!

Virginia Beach Wedding Photographer

2010-06-17T11:46:00.002-04:00

I'm loving summer 2010.

lights, camera....

2010-06-13T10:43:00.001-04:00

Aaaaaah summer. So much has happened in the past two months, it's going to take me a little bit to update you all on the happenings, but the good news is that I have a little breathing room in the next couple weeks (also known as two Sundays off minus a trip to Richmond tonight) to catch up on photos, emails and blogging. So if you're waiting on something from me, don't worry, I haven't neglected you, your photos are on their way!

So what exactly has been preoccupying my time? In between the 9-5 job, the weddings and everything in between, I've been making movies! Last year's Koi Keepers reunited for this year's 48 Hour Film Project as A Bad Idea (speaking of ideas, we really should think of a solid production team name, especially considering that we're the same awesome group of people) and I made my directing debut in our little 48-hour post-apocalyptic bar flick.

Before I go on to post our film, I definitely want to give a shout out to our team leader/art director/production designer Chris Curl, our director of photography Steve Strickland, our talented cast (Ethan Marten, Cory Evans, Robyn Meislohn, Desiree Connell) and crew (Geoff, Nate, Derek, Steve, Peter). As I always say after we wrap a production, I would work with you guys any day, no questions asked. Tell me when we're filming our next movie, I'll clear my schedule.

And with that, here's our film, Waste Not, Want Not:

Waste Not, Want Not - A 2010 48 Hour Film Project Submission from Chris Curl on Vimeo.

But wait... there's more.

While I think Waste Not, Want Not is probably our best film to date, we were missing a pretty huge asset on our team, our fearless director from last year, Jon Abrahams. He and his wife, Teviya, were in Taiwan when 48 hour kicked off and spent all of Friday evening through Saturday night flying back from Asia. Yet, even with the added obstacle of traveling halfway around the world, the two of them managed to make a pretty rad film and WIN the Hampton Roads 48 Hour Film Project. I think it's pretty freaking great how they accomplished all that with the given limitations, not to mention the fact that Teviya should win an award for best actress since she had the stomach flu the entire time they filmed...

Anyway, here's their winning film (they also took best editing, best graphics, and best cinematography). I'm completely stoked for them and hope they go far in the competition.

Passion Fruit - 2010 48-Hour Film Project Winner - Hampton Roads from Jon Abrahams on Vimeo.

Virginia Beach Newborn Portraits

2010-05-13T23:24:00.000-04:00

A little over a month ago, a coworker and friend of mine gave birth to the most darling baby boy on the planet. Meet Landon (also known as 'Spud' by those who became well acquainted with Kelley's love of potatoes when she was pregnant with him), Kelley and Chris's first child, and one of the most well-behaved newborns I've ever met. Kelley brought the little guy to work a few weeks ago and he hardly made a peep!

Landon is definitely in the hands of two of the most loving parents around-- Congratulations Kelley and Chris! Your little boy's gonna be a heartbreaker one day!

Maria - James Madison University Portrait Photography Shoot - Harrisonburg, VA

2010-04-17T17:33:00.000-04:00

When Maria, my friend from college, asked me to do her senior portraits for her, I was absolutely psyched!! It gave me an additional excuse to go up to my old alma mater and I love, love, love shooting in the Shenandoah Valley and at JMU. I actually didn't realize how much I missed it up there, but that's a whole other story. :)

Anyway, the best thing about shooting a friend's photos is that it's really easy to ask them to do odd things like pick flowers off of trees and lay in the grass in 40 degree weather... and Maria knew how to accessorize (check out the shoes and the necklace) so that was an extra bonus!

Let me stop rambling about how awesome this shoot was and just show off some of the photos. ;)

PS-- Graduation is closing in, so if there's anyone who's been procrastinating on getting their senior portraits taken, I'm looking for any and every excuse to travel up to JMU or UVA! *hint hint*

Virginia Beach Photography - OpLove Family Portrait Session

2010-04-01T19:52:00.001-04:00

This session was shot at Beach Garden Park, one of the hidden parks of Virginia Beach, as well as at the oceanfront. The two kids were absolutely adorable! I've had several beach sessions in the past and being at the beach really loosens the kids up and makes them more agreeable to getting their picture taken!

Another good tip for child photos is to bring a toy along... it keeps them happy, meaning mom and dad are happy and the results are amazing photos!

Thank you Carol and Aaron and I hope you all enjoy these!

YNOT Pizza - Virginia Beach, Virginia

2010-03-23T16:22:00.000-04:00

Here's yet another series of snapshots from my day job at the agency. These photos are from YNOT Pizza, a local family pizzeria in Virginia Beach. We spent the last week shooting their menu items and I got to shoot the yummy desserts and their new YChop Salads-- if you're in the area you should stop by one of their three locations in Great Neck, Kempsville or Ghent! I recommend trying their Philly Cheesesteak Pizza and then have some Gelato for dessert!

YNOT Pizza will be featured on the Rachael Ray Show tomorrow at 10AM EST on ABC. We filmed the footage awhile back in January, so it'll be great to see what they did with it... check it out!

America's Next Lady Liberty - A campaign for Liberty Tax Service in Virginia Beach

2010-03-22T15:05:00.000-04:00

Something I don't blog about that often is my day job, and honestly, I don't know why because it's a pretty amazing day job if I do say so myself.

I work for an advertising agency located in the heart of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront and we're producing some top-notch work. The project I've specifically been involved with is the Liberty Tax Service - America's Next Lady Liberty campaign. We just released our first batch of videos this week, and there are more to come in the future, so check in later this month for updates.

A special shout out goes out to all the actors who came out for these shoots, as well as the Salon at 31st and YNOT Pizza for graciously allowing us to use their locations.

Here are the spots, written and produced by yours truly:

Suffolk, Virginia Maternity Portraits - Jessica and Neal

2010-03-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been awhile! Don't worry, I haven't gone anywhere, I'm just amidst a move to Ghent! And, yes, there may have been a little bit of winter hibernation in there too...

Anyway, expect more to come as spring manifests itself here in Hampton Roads. I've got a lot planned as far as featuring new products and services and possibly something video-related...?

In the meantime, check out a maternity session I did earlier this month with Jessica and Neal from Suffolk. Jessica has since given birth to a healthy baby girl. Congratulations to the new parents!

Chelsea and Rusty - Williamsburg Lodge Wedding Sneak Peek

2009-12-28T10:54:00.001-05:00

My Life in Lists: Seattle

2009-11-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

~~1. Revisit Seattle~~

I'm not entirely sure how this idea got planted in his head. Maybe it was my 101 in 1001 list, which he read before we started dating, or the number of times I may have mentioned in conversation about wanting to go to city XYZ (I have a long list of places I want to go. Seattle was near the top of this list). Either way, it was back in late September when he told me to find my next free weekend, take the Friday before off and plan to leave the area. He wouldn't really tell me much after that, except that he was planning a surprise trip and that I was going to love it.

So fast-forward to the weekend of November 13-15. I had my suspicions along the way, and my suspicions were later confirmed (this is a whole other story), but sure enough, on the eve of November 13th, we were on a plane to Seattle, Washington.

Of course, with both of us being coffee junkies, we had to visit the first Starbucks store, where I ordered a peppermint mocha. Mmmmmm.

Next, we hit up the Public Market Center and drooled over all the fresh produce and fresh seafood goodness.

Then we made the mandatory stop at Seattle's tourist staple, the Space Needle, admired it from below.

After about 5 seconds, we lost interest and headed towards what became one of my favorite museums of all time, the Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum, also known as my personal heaven.

Not only did this museum have pretty great exhibits, it really allowed visitors to interact with the different exhibits. My favorite aspect was definitely the Sound Lab, where we got to learn how to play different instruments (see examples 1 and 2).

Example 1: Rocking out on the Guitar

Example 2: Struggling with the Drums

We also hit up the Fremont district, attended a Seattle Symphony performance, went on the Underground Tour and took a ferry to Bainbridge Island to see his old neighborhood (he moved to Virginia from Washington, so really, I was the tourist) and meet some of his good friends. Unfortunately, I stopped taking photos around Friday night, so I don't have many more to post, but I'll leave you all with these...

Thank you, Steve, for this amazing trip.

Virginia Beach Family Portrait Session - OpLove

2009-11-03T00:05:00.000-05:00

This is one of the many reasons why I love my job.

For more information on OpLove, visit http://www.oplove.org.

Virginia is for Lovers

2009-10-28T01:10:00.000-04:00

I've been on the move the past couple months, traveling back and forth between my home base in Virginia Beach and the Shenandoah Valley. I've been up there three times in the past 6 weeks alone and I'm planning another trip up to Charlottesville next week to go see the VA Film Fest.

Something I took for granted while I lived up in Harrisonburg the past four years was how ridiculously beautiful the area was. It has so much to offer as far as recreation, camping, wine tasting, and even culture goes. If I had the opportunity, I would love to move up to Charlottesville. There are very few places I feel connected to, and in the few times I've been up to Cville, I've felt that connection.

Anyway, I'd like to share a few photos from my experience up in the Shenandoah Valley. If you live in Virginia and haven't ventured to that area, you are missing out.

Carter Mountain Orchard, Charlottesville. A great place to go apple picking in the fall.

Hess Corn Maze, Harrisonburg. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this place, but if you're in the area, it's worth checking out.

The view from Skyline Drive.

Blenheim Vineyards, Charlottesville. A nice little winery with probably the most informative and friendly people I've met.

Barboursville Vineyards, 30 minutes away from Charlottesville. For $5 you can sample over 15 different wines.

Veritas Vineyards, Charlottesville. Not my favorite winery, but they did have table service and comfy chairs. Check out the next photo for an interior shot.

Veritas Vineyards, Charlottesville.

Also, for those of you looking for wedding venues, don't write off the possibility of going out of town for your wedding. Most wineries do offer wedding venue services. What could be better than getting married with the beautiful Appalachian Mountains as your backdrop and then cracking open a bottle of Virginia wine during your reception?

Finally, here are a few photos from our hike on a trail just outside of Charlottesville:

I'll continue updating the blog with more of my favorite places, both in Hampton Roads and around the rest of Virginia. Hopefully this will help spur ideas for any of you looking to go on a trip or trying out new activities. :)

Veronica and Nick's Wedding - Chesapeake, Virginia Wedding Photographer

2009-10-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month, I had the honor of photographing my good friend from high school Veronica's wedding at the Deep Creek Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia. She met Nick while she was in college at UVA. He's in the Navy and was visiting Charlottesville, where they first met.

Let me tell you, shooting a friend's wedding makes things so much more emotional than shooting just any normal client. I usually get a little emotional to begin with (it's not in a weepy, obnoxious distracting way as much as it's an 'oh my gosh, I am so happy for the bride and groom and they look so happy and life is so great, YAY!' kind of feeling) but let me tell you, I've never been happier for two people since I started shooting weddings over a year and a half ago. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Veronica, and Nick is such a lucky guy to have her as his wife. Congratulations to the both of you, you're going to lead such an amazing life together.

Okay, enough of the sentimentality and on with the photos! Just a little side note-- this is just a basic recap of their wedding. You can have a more in-depth look at their wedding photography on the Fahrenheit Photography Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/fahrenheitphotography.

I'm kind of in love with life.

2009-10-06T14:41:00.001-04:00

And I'm also completely obsessed with this band:

Another video:

On another note, I am having the most difficult time trying to fit in everything I want to accomplish in a week... I was looking at my calendar and realized that I don't have a free weekend until December! Wow!

Somebody made a great point saying that I don't HAVE to do everything now, since I have my whole life ahead of me and all, so I tried to narrow down what I wanted to accomplish before the end of this year, and this is my list:

1. Revamp the Blog
2. Revamp and order new business cards
3. Finish decorating my apartment. Though I can't decide if I want to put up photos of people, places, or concerts. I don't want to do all because then they wouldn't really flow well together.
4. Learn how to play the piano. Maybe take voice lessons. Get back into playing the violin.
5. Get new album samples!
6. Start an online storefront selling my own art images
7. Travel! Everywhere!

...And I've pretty much decided I'm skydiving this coming spring.

Keep your eye out for some wedding and portrait sessions being posted in the next few weeks ;)

My Life in Lists: Mae

2009-09-29T07:32:00.000-04:00

57. Go to 25 concerts
90. ~~Go to a concert by myself~~

So I almost want to say that this shouldn't count for the sole reason that I've seen these guys a crapload of times since high school, so it's not really a new experience, but seeing them live is always a great experience, so in that way, it should count. Nevertheless, as always, Mae put on a wonderful show at Neptune's Park in Virginia Beach. They just kicked off their US tour, (a)fternoon, last week, so you should check them out because they may be playing at a city near you.

Of course, let me leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the show:

[side note: this is Robert, who plays keyboards with Mae. He's a really talented musician, and you should check out his band, Tokyo, because I said so.]

ECSC - August 27-30th

2009-09-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

So... I'm pretty much majorly behind on my blogging in all aspects (I'm talking about events, life, my 101 in 1001 list), so this week I'm making a valiant effort in catching up.

First, here's some shots from ECSC, the East Coast Surfing Championships, here on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. For you non-surfing fans, there's still a lot to check out including music, BMX/skateboarding, and much more stuff. If you missed it this year, be sure to check it out next year!

The ECSC 5K

Snack Bar Jones

The Deloreans (a pretty kick ass 80's cover band, if I do say so myself)

ECSC's special guest, Lil' Jon. You know, the guy from 5 years ago who was known for saying, "What, what, OK"? Yeah, this is where he is now....

The VANS Proskate Demo

I honestly thought I was going to get hit in the face over here. It was pretty awesome.

My Life in Lists: NYC Labor Day Weekend Edition

2009-09-08T05:31:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd give a little September update on my progress on my 101 in 1001.

4. Visit 3 college friends who are located outside of VA (1/3) September 5-6, 2009: Went to NYC to visit Ari and Sean.

Ari (left), one of my closest friends from college, moved up to NYC over the summer. He's currently interning at one of the ad agencies in the city as a graphic designer. I implore everyone to check out his work here; he definitely has a lot of talent and is on his way to doing big things.

Sean (right), one of my other awesome friends from college, came up to visit as well. This was probably our last reunion for awhile since he's about to go overseas for a year to teach English in China. He'll be up in New York all week since he's staying for Fashion's Night Out. If you're into fashion at all, you should go to his blog, Comme Artiste. One of his posts was recently picked up by Fashionista.

Okay. So now that I've plugged Ari and Sean's work (come on. you know you wanna check them out), on with a super brief photo editorial of what went down over one GORGEOUS Labor Day weekend in Manhattan:I basically ate a ton of omelets and potatoes, courtesy of the Sugar Cafe in Lower East Side Manhattan and the Spring Street Natural Restaurant.

We hit up a pub on Saturday night, and I was ecstatic that I could actually touch the ceiling in their basement.

I love it when cities have a good public transportation system, and I love it even more when I don't have to figure it out. Thanks for being the tour guide, Ari.
We walked a few miles to Randall's Island from the apartment we stayed at near Upper East Side and Harlem. Because in NYC, everything is in walking distance.

57. Go to 25 concerts (1/25) 9/6: The Electric Zoo, Randalls Island, NYC

Sunday night's festivities consisted of dancing it out at The Electric Zoo. RAVE.

ATB. I didn't like his stuff as much as I liked David Guetta's. I'm so mainstream when it comes to any type of electronica, hah.

The only negative about NYC as a whole was the sheer amount of trash that was everywhere. Where were all the environmentally conscious hippies? :( On the bright side, the plastic cups at EZ were biodegradable.

All photos courtesy of Ariel Park.

This is what happens when you don't sleep for 48 hours.

2009-08-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month, a group of us got together to write, shoot, and edit a short film in 48 hours. It was made for the 48 Hour Film Project, an international film competition that came through Hampton Roads a few weekends ago. My role in it was writer and assistant director, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented filmmakers here in this area. Everybody who worked on the project was a huge asset to the team and none of this could have been done without their contributions.

Our required elements were as follows:
Character - Ed or Emma Butler, Travel Agent
Prop - Kite
Line - "When will she be back?"

The genre we ended up drawing was Film de Femme, which basically required a strong female lead.

We didn't win Best Film, but we did come away with a couple of awards, including Best Costumes and Best Special Effects.

Here is our film, but let me warn you that it is not family friendly. Please screen with caution :)

The film that took 1st place, Sea of Trees by Idyl King Entertainment can be found here.

My Life in Lists: 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days

2009-08-16T10:04:00.000-04:00

I'm a very goal-oriented person. Like, ridiculously goal-oriented. For every New Year's since I can remember, I've always laid out 4-5 goals I wanted to meet for the year. And by some dumb luck, I've always managed to reach those goals.

So when I came across this project a few weeks ago, it definitely grabbed my attention. There are so many things I've always wanted to do but put off doing for whatever reason. "Oh, it's not the right time yet," or "I have more important things I need to be focusing on." Well, not anymore. I'm creating my list today (August 16, 2009) and I'm giving myself exactly 1001 days (that is, until May 13, 2012) to accomplish what's on the list. I'll definitely keep you all posted as I venture towards completing these tasks.

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in 1001 days.

The Criteria: The tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of effort on your part).

More info can be found on http://www.dayzeroproject.com/

Italics are in progress
~~Strike-thrus are completed~~

My List (26/101)

Travel (2/7)
~~1. Revisit Seattle~~ Completed 11/13/09 with the help of the amazing SO.
2. Revisit San Francisco - 9/10: A possible trip to San Fran may be in the works for next spring... more details to come as they're fleshed out.
3. Backpack around Europe (and visit Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and Austria)
4. Visit 3 college friends who are located outside of VA (1/3)
-1. September 5-6, 2009: Went to NYC to visit Ari and Sean
5. Visit Simone for a week
6. ~~Go inside a real castle~~ August 2010: Not only did I go inside SEVERAL real castles (Cahir Castle and Ross Castle in Ireland), I spent TWO NIGHTS sleeping in the tower of a castle!! Thanks to Steve for planning such an amazing trip!!!
7. Go on a cruise

Visual and Creative Arts (not including photo/video) (1/6)
8. Learn how to play 3 songs on the piano (0/3)
9. Write and self-publish a novel
10. Get involved in community theater
11. ~~Take a dance class~~
-Beginning in Fall '09, I've been taking a combo of hip-hop, zumba, and latin dance classes.
12. Go to a Broadway show in NYC
13. See a play at least once every two months (1/16)
-10/29/09: Saw Evil Dead at the Generic Theater

Photography/Video (1/22)
14. ~~Purchase a Diana F+ and an assortment of lenses~~
-12/25/09 Steve bought me a set for Christmas!!
15. Scan the photos I take with the lomo camera and post them online
16. Purchase a full-frame DSLR with video capabilities
17. Start and finish a photo project with the end result being a book of some sort
18. Master HDR photography
19. Direct a project for one of DVXuser's film fests
20. Write 1 short screenplay per month (0/33)
21. Produce and direct one of my screenplays
22. Learn After Effects
23. Learn Color
24. Get my photos exhibited in a public area
25. Get published in a magazine
26. Purchase additional off-camera lighting and accessories (including softboxes and clamps)
27. Go to Lowes and experiment with rigging different lights for photo/video projects
28. Get an awesome lightning bolt photo
29. Pay the necessary dues to get Fahrenheit Photography VA official
30. Shoot an offbeat wedding
31. Shoot an insightful portrait of each one of my friends and family- create a wall in my apartment to display these portraits
32. Compile all the pictures I have from college into a book
33. Go to the Sundance Film Festival
34. Collaborate with another photographer for a personal photoshoot trade
35. Contact an acting agent just for the hell of it
36. Be an extra in a movie or tv show

Fitness and Nutrition (8/11)
37. ~~Buy a cookbook and learn to cook something other than pasta~~ - I actually bought two cookbooks, one for cooking with wine and the other for vegetarian dishes. And lucky for me, the SO and I have a routine worked out so that we take turns cooking each other dinner once a week, so I'm forced to stray away from those Lean Cuisines and pasta dishes every now and then :)
-3/11/10 And the cookbooks keep coming!
38. ~~Remove fast food from my diet~~ - 11/24/09: It's been about a month now, so I think I'm safe to cross this out.
39. ~~Stop drinking soda~~ - 9/29/09: Easier than I anticipated.
40. Bring my lunch from home for 1 month
41. Lose all the weight I've gained since college graduation and maintain it - 9/8/09: 3 lbs down... 12 more to go. Ugh.
42. ~~Go to 20 local restaurants that I haven't been to before (20/20)~~
- 2009 Okay, I know I've been to at least 3 or 4 in the past several weeks, but I cannot for the life of me keep track. However, I am contemplating completely cutting national chain restaurants out of my lifestyle, except for the occasional Panera Bread, of course :)
-3/11/10 Since making this list, new restaurants I've been to include:
Pasha Mezze
Bardo
Eurasia
Domo
No Frill Grill
YNot Pizza
Press 626
Charlie's Cafe
The Painted Lady
Nick's Seafood and Raw Grill
Cogan's
CP Shuckers
The Surf Rider's
Mahi Mah's
Waterman's
Chick's Oyster Bar
The Green Onion
Red Dog's
Colley Cantina
Bangkok Gardens
43. ~~Commit to going to a fitness class 1-2 times a week~~ 9/29/09: I'm officially taking boxing classes every Wednesday, dance on Tuesdays, and dance and pilates on Sundays
44. ~~Start eating a small breakfast~~ 9/29/09: Clif's Bars and Coffee counts, right?
45. Create a consistent running routine and stick with it for 1 month
46. ~~Go vegetarian for 2 weeks~~
-Dec. 2009-Jan.2010 How about going vegetarian for a whole month? What, what!
47. ~~Cut fried food out of my diet~~
-Feb. 2010 - Steve and I actually made a bet that I couldn't go without friend food for six months... well, I lasted for almost 2 months before I gave into a plate of buffalo wings, but I haven't had the desire to eat fried food since. Holler.

Sports and Recreation (1/6)
48. Go skydiving
49. Learn how to ski (and stop) properly
50. Go white water river rafting down the Colorado
51. Take a fencing class
52. Go paintballing again
53. ~~Go to a shooting range~~ June 2010: Went to a shooting range with Meagan, Steve and Charlie. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the range, but I learned how to load and fire an 8mm gun. It was definitely some scary stuff.

Entertainment and Fun (0/7)
54. Go to a karaeoke bar, sing in public, and do it all sober
55. Go to the movie theater and watch 3 movies by myself (0/3)
56. Watch 50 movies I haven't seen before, made prior to 2009, based on recommendations from people I know (0/50)
57. Go to 25 concerts (18/25)
-9/6/09: The Electric Zoo, Randalls Island, NYC
-9/21/09: Mae, Neptune's Park, Virginia Beach
-9/22/09: The Sounds, The Norva, Norfolk
-9/23/09: The Decemberists, The Norva, Norfolk. Easily one of the best shows I've seen.
-10/9/09: Strung Out, Peabody's, Virginia Beach
-10/23/09: If These Trees Could Talk/Gifts from Enola, The Blue Nile, Harrisonburg.
-11/18/09: All American Rejects/Taking Back Sunday, The Norva, Norfolk.
-12/31/09: Third Eye Blind, Grand Hyatt, Washington DC
-3/3/10: Ani DiFranco, The Norva, Norfolk
-3/7/10: Jack's Mannequin, The Norva, Norfolk
-3/20/10: Ben Folds, The Norva, Norfolk
-3/21/10: Ingrid Michaelson, The Norva, Norfolk
-4/29/10: Los Campesinos!, 930 Club, Washington DC
-5/10/10: Say Anything, The Norva, Norfolk
-6/13/10: Moving Mountains, The Camel, Richmond
-7/25/10: Tegan and Sara, The Norva, Norfolk
-8/8/10: Something Corporate, River Stage, Philadelphia
-8/31/10: Coheed and Cambria, The Norva, Norfolk

58. Listen to 50 new bands/musicians I haven't heard before based on recommendations from people I know (12/50)
9/8: Right now I'm hooked on The Fratelli's, Moving Mountains, and Los Campesinos.
11/24: New bands I like- We Are Scientists, Phoenix, Anberlin
3/11/10: A Fine Frenzy, Meg & Dia, The Animal Collective, Cursive
9/25/10: Airborne Toxic Event, She and Him

59. Go to an anime or comic convention and dress up
60. Go to a Renaissance Fair
61. Get a group of people together, invade a public location, and spontaneously act out a play, complete with props and costumes

Personal/Miscellaneous (13 /37)
62. Start getting to work before 8:30 consistently - 9/29/09: I falter on some days, but for the most part, I have been getting there on time.
63. Master Dreamweaver
64. Master Flash
65. See my family at least once a year
-2009: Thanksgiving
66. ~~Send Christmas cards to the people who are important to me~~
-December 2009- Done and done.

67. Send 25 handwritten letters to people who have impacted my life in some way (0/25)
68. Take a walk and lay out in the rain
69. Buy or at least learn how to drive a scooter
~~70. Dress up for Halloween~~ At work, nonetheless! Check out the OEA Facebook for photos.

71. Spend the night in a haunted house
72. ~~Create a personal blog and update it at least once a week~~ -
Update this blog at least once a week
9/29/09 Addendum: Tried this for a month, and I find that I'd much rather write in my own personal journal and update this blog more often than put my personal life out on the internet. It was something I could so easily do back when I was 14, but now, not quite so much. :) So start expecting more updates on this blog.
73. Read 100 books (2/100)
-9/3: Finished The Actor and the Housewife. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone else to read it.
-11/14: Finished Remember Me? An okay book, slow beginning, picked up towards the end.

74. Buy a TV. Preferably an awesome one.
75. Send a Post Secret
76. Floss daily for a month
77. Grow my hair long (at least 4 in. past my shoulder)
78. Decorate my desk at work and keep it neat for a week
-3/11/10: Decorated? Check. Neat? Uhhhhh...
79. Watch the sunrise on the beach
80. ~~Make a conscious effort to not make the first move~~ 9/29/09: This was a rather ambiguous listing, but I am happy to say that as of the past few weeks, this subject is no longer an issue. :)
81. Send a message in a bottle
82. Buy a sexy black dress
83. Attend an event in which I can wear the above dress
84. Adopt a puppy
85. ~~Delete all the unnecessary social networking profiles I have online~~ 9/8/09: No more MySpace, Vox, LiveJournal, Friendster...
86. Live in my own apartment, by myself, for at least a year
87. Buy an espresso machine
88. Host a game night
89. ~~Make at least 2 new female friends~~ (2/2)
-3/11/10: Not including the girls at work, I've also met Katie and Kelly these past few months and they're pretty awesome!
90. ~~Go to a concert by myself~~ 9/21/09: Mae at Neptune's Park in Virginia Beach
91. ~~Do not spend Christmas alone~~
-12/25/09: Spent Christmas with Steve and his family.
92. ~~Purchase a real bed with a real mattress~~ 9/29/09: Officially had it delivered last weekend. It's a pretty awesome queen size bed. I would post pictures, but it may be a bit creepy to put of photos of my bedroom... plus I'm not finished decorating yet.
~~93. Locate all the crap I have scattered in various areas of VA and FL and bring it back to me~~ 11/24: Got my stuff from Florida. Now everything I own is in my apartment.
94. Recycle
95. Make it a habit to shut my computer down at the end of the day
96. ~~Go to a local art show~~
-Jan 2010: Went to the awesome Mrs. Katie King's art opening at the Java Cup Cafe!
97. ~~Attend a New Year's party~~
-1/1/10: Grand Hyatt. Washington DC. Third Eye Blind.
98. ~~Stop searching for answers and just live in the moment~~ - and I'm loving every minute of it.

101 in 1001 (0/3)
99. Inspire 5 other people to make a list like this (tell me if you do so I can mark this off) (1/5)
-Go Amanda!
100. Donate $5 to a charity for every item on this list not accomplished
101. Create another list in 1001 days.

Anna and Stephen- Lexington, Virginia - Wedding Recap

2009-07-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

There is something extremely beautiful about a backyard wedding that other weddings seem to miss. This wedding in particular was breathtaking, since the backyard happened to be on the side of a mountain overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. You can't get any better than that.

Stephen and Anna's wedding took place at Anna's parents' house outside of Lexington, Virginia at the end of last month. It was very classy and I'm sure you all will enjoy looking at these photos as much as I do.

They had a trailer hitched to a wagon that carried the wedding guests from the parking lot to the house.

One of Stephen's favorite food is a PB&J sandwich. So, as a joke, the caterers served him a PB&J for his meal!

An old family tradition was to cut the cake with a military sword. Isn't that cool?

And of course, we can't forget the dancing...

Stephen did his undergrad at JMU, which happens to also be my undergrad. So of course, the Dukes at the wedding had to represent by singing the fight song:

Anna went to school at UVA for undergrad and grad (it's how she and Stephen met... they both attended graduate school here). So of course the Hoos had to respond with their own little rendition of UVA's alma mater:

Congratulations Anna and Stephen! Your wedding was absolutely lovely and I had a great time working with you!

Kelly and Rich - Richmond, Virginia Wedding Photography - FULL UPDATE

2009-07-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

Summer's been kicking my butt so far with the weddings, portrait sessions, engagements, and the day job! I'm also working on revamping various aspects of the blog, as well as on a few new promotions coming up, so stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, enjoy an in-depth look at Kelly and Rich's wedding from last month. It took place in Kelly's family's backyard, which was absolutely gorgeous. I had a great time meeting the family and catching up with Amanda, one of the bridesmaids and a good friend from college. Anyway, I'm psyched to share these photos with you all. Enjoy!

During the bridal party introductions, each pair got to dance it out to a song of choice.

Father-Daughter dances are one of my favorite things to photographs. You can see why right here:

Tell me this is not the best cake topper ever. Tinker Bell + The Incredible Hulk. Pure awesomeness.

And finally, here's one of my favorite shots of the night. Gotta love that rim light. :)

Sneak Peek: Anna and Stephen's Wedding

2009-07-02T01:55:00.000-04:00

Amy, Mike, Alex and Nate - Bennett's Creek Park

2009-06-20T00:13:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I met up with Amy, Mike, Alex and Nate to shoot their family photos at Bennett's Creek Park in Suffolk, VA. Since Alex is going off to college in the fall, this would be their last family session for awhile. We got some great shots and they were all great sports at some of my oddball requests ("Hey, Alex, do you mind climbing that tree for me?"). Here's a little preview of their session:

Kelly and Rich - Sneak Peek

2009-06-19T01:17:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, Kelly and Rich were married in a beautiful backyard wedding. I'm already at odds at which images I want to blog... there are a bunch that are ready to post but I want to save them for the big update next week. Til then though, here are a few to tide you all over, at least until after the honeymoon ;)

Nashville, Tennesee

2009-05-20T02:16:00.000-04:00

Emily & Bubba: The Wedding

2009-05-13T13:19:00.000-04:00

Usually I like to keep my wedding blog recaps down to around 20-30 photos, but I've uploaded a whopping 53 photos for this one! There were just too many photos to choose from! I'm sure I'll keep throwing more of my favorites up here as I run across them... anyway, Bubba and Emily got married last month at the Amber Grove Inn in Midlothian, VA. It had rained the entire week leading up to the wedding, but the day turned out absolutely beautiful. I'm in the process of making their wedding slideshow, but here is a semi-short recap of what happened on April 18th.

SNEAK PEEK: Emily and Bubba

2009-04-21T02:06:00.000-04:00

Check back soon for updates.

Detroit

2009-04-05T00:02:00.000-04:00

Going out of state is always like a breath of fresh air to me.

This past week, I spent some time in Detroit on business. Our flight arrived a little bit earlier in the day, so we had the chance to spend a couple of hours scouring the city. I had imagined Detroit as being run-down, rainy, and incredibly blue... my imagination wasn't that far off, but along with the old-town dreariness of the city was some sort of odd beauty. Not exactly history, but it was something along those lines. There were lots of abandoned buildings and lots of good photo ops, but no real time to explore them. I did manage to take this shot from the roof of a parking deck:

We hit up Greektown that evening, where I played my hand at the slots for the first time ever. I could have quadrupled what I put into the machine, but decided to take a chance and double my winnings... of course that didn't work out.

There may be another trip to Detroit at the end of the month (but who knows for sure)? If there is, I'll definitely try to grab more photos if there's time.

Family Session at Chick's Beach

2009-04-04T22:28:00.000-04:00

Spring is a wonderful thing. I don't know what it is about warm weather that just puts everyone in a great mood.

This was my first real beach session of the year with Amanda, Matt, and their kids. Amanda didn't bring towels because she didn't want to encourage the kids to jump into the water... it looks like the lack of towels didn't matter. Kids will be kids. But you know what? They had a great time, and we got some great pictures in the process.

Thank you to Amanda and Matt for being such wonderful sports and to their kids for having so much spirit.

Family Session in Elizabeth City

2009-04-04T21:46:00.000-04:00

I had originally scheduled this session with Mandie in the beginning of March, and she was going to use the photos from the session to surprise her husband, who was underway at the time... but then we got rained out! It's a good thing it rained, or else he wouldn't have been able to be in the pictures, which we took later in the month!

Life.

2009-03-31T00:55:00.000-04:00

I had originally started this blog with the intention of intertwining my business with my personal life, something that most people try to avoid doing. My reasoning behind this is that I want to capture the relationships between people, not just their image, so why should I paint a static, carefully marketed picture of myself when I could just go on here and show the real thing?

Well... unfortunately life caught up, and I didn't quite get around to updating this blog with as many personal snapshots as I would like (meaning, personal snapshots of my life, not myself... I'm not quite that narcissistic ;) ) So, instead of getting to bed at a decent time, I'm here, catching up on sessions and rambling on my blog.

Here's a little snapshot from a couple of weeks ago... a bunch of my friends and I went out to grab a bite to eat in celebration of my birthday, and this photo op came up. These are two of my friends, Cory and Rebecca. I'm not sure if they were tired, having one of those "lovey dovey" moments, or if they were just slipping into a food/drink coma... but it was definitely something I'm glad I was able to capture on camera...

A final note before I retire for the night... I'll be away on business until Thursday, so my apologies for any emails that go unanswered until then. I'm still working on getting a Macbook Pro, which I so desperately ~~need~~ want. Which potentially means to internet until I get back.

If you don't see your session posted yet, sit tight... I'll get it up as soon as I get back. :)

Randi

2009-03-31T00:21:00.000-04:00

Maternity Session: Randi

Let me be honest for a second. There used to be a time when I straight up despised the thought of doing a maternity shoot. I wasn't a big fan of the style, and for some reason photographing tummies didn't strike me as being interesting. Maybe it's because I'm not a mommy myself.

Fast forward to a little over a month ago. I did my first maternity session with Betsy and Frank (you can view their session further down on the blog). Loved it. They were just so warm and friendly and fun to be around. They made me rethink my stance on the maternity shoots.

Now jump ahead to last weekend. I met Randi by the Waterfront in E-City and had a blast doing her session. She was so up for doing anything and she had the cutest little outfits... after her session, I decided that maternity shoots were actually one of my favorite types of sessions to do. I guess it's all in just finding my own style and running with it (and it helps that the mommies I photograph are freakin' cool). Lesson learned... don't knock anything before you try it!

Another thing I noticed... there's something about a mom-to-be that stands out from normal sessions. There's so much excitement and anticipation there... you can't help but notice them glow!

Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Here are some shots from Randi's session:

Sherri, Joel, and Giselle

2009-03-30T23:56:00.000-04:00

Family Session: Sherri, Joel, and Giselle

A couple of weekends ago, I trekked down to Elizabeth City and did a session with Sherri, Joel, and their adorable daughter Giselle.

Now Giselle has a slight aversion to the children's character Fancy Nancy, so Sherri made this amazing outfit for her to wear that pretty much emulated Fancy Nancy herself! Needless to say, Giselle LOVED dressing up as her favorite character.

The Real Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy's even more awesome twin sister

Lindsay + Ryan

2009-03-30T23:38:00.000-04:00

Lindsay + Ryan

So a few weeks ago, Lindsay flew in from the sunny state of California to visit her hubby Ryan, who is currently in school to become a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard (you know, like Ashton Kutcher was in the movie The Guardian, only Ryan's the real deal). They both drove up from North Carolina for a photo session in Newport News. Let me tell you, this was definitely one of my favorite sessions to shoot, ever. Lindsay absolutely radiated confidence throughout the shoot, and it shows! I enjoyed meeting the both of them and I'm wishing Ryan the best of luck in school!

Jessi, Andrew, and Paden - A Family Session

2009-03-12T00:12:00.000-04:00

Family Session
Newport News Park, VA

Jessi, Andrew, and Paden were another Coast Guard family I had the pleasure of photographing over the weekend. Here are some of the photos from their session:

Sirena, Scott, Kyla, and Jacob - A Family Session

2009-03-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

Family Session
Newport News Park, VA

Meet Sirena, Scott, and their two beautiful kids. They had their session this past Sunday at Newport News Park. If there's one thing I learned about photographing kids, it's that they don't like looking at the camera at the same time! Regardless, we still got some pretty good shots, and the kids were able to enjoy the playground after the session!

Emily + Bubba - An Engagement Session

2009-03-11T00:55:00.000-04:00

Emily + Bubba - Engagement Session
Sunday Park, Midlothian, VA

Here's part two of Saturday's engagement shoot. Emily is Rich's (from the first session) sister, and she and Bubba are getting married next month! I'm sure her family is super busy preparing for not one, but TWO weddings this summer!

Kelly + Rich - An Engagement Session

2009-03-10T02:14:00.000-04:00

Kelly and Rich - Engagement Session
Sunday Park, Midlothian, VA

A couple of weekends ago, Virginia (and the entire east coast, for that matter) got heaps of snow. You wouldn't even know that from the weather we had this weekend... it was sunnnnnyyyy. I had several shoots over the weekend, and Kelly and Rich's engagement session is just the first of quite a few updates to come. These two crazy kids are getting married in June, and I'm super excited to be able to cover not just the wedding, but also the rehearsal dinner and other shenanigans leading up to the big day. Be on the lookout for some awesomely fun photos from that... until then, here are some of the photos I picked out from their e-session!

The 2009 ADDY Awards

2009-03-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, my friend Sandy and I had the opportunity to shoot the Hampton Roads ADDY Awards at the Westin Hotel in Town Center. This year's award ceremony was put together by the creative minds of Jon and Jenny, who've spent the past several months preparing for this event. The theme was "Advertising Epidemic," with the premise that a virus was spreading and stripping the advertising community of its creativity. The solution? Getting the creative minds of Hampton Roads together and showcasing this year's ADDY Award entries to fight the virus and get creativity back. Some highlights of the night included a security screening, waiters dressed in scrubs, the containment of an infected, a playdough sculpture contest, and of course... the reception of awards. I hope these photos give you all a taste of all the hard work that was put into this event... kudos to the entire 2009 ADDY Awards volunteer committee! You all put on an amazing event that definitely had people talking.

The screening for the Infected prior to the show:

Virus Symptoms? Blank stares, monotonous voices, lack of creativity...

Cocktail hour + Showcasing this year's entries:

The banquet room:

Dr. Seymour Kleerly observes the reception for potential virus carriers:

An announcement?

One of the waiters is infected!

The sculpture contest entries:

...And the contest winner!

The winning entry

Host Mike Arlo of 106.9 The Fox and Dr. Madblood announce the Best of Show winners...

And the winner is...

To find out more information on what went on leading up to this year's ADDY Awards, please visit advertisingepidemic.com!

Betsy + Frank - A Maternity/Couples Session

2009-02-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

Meet Betsy and her husband Frank... they're another Coast Guard family in Hampton Roads, and they have a little one on the way! This session was shot in Red Wing Park, and the two of them looked like they had a lot of fun... they were cracking up the entire time! I definitely enjoyed meeting the both of you and hope you like these photos!

Janiel, Jordan, and Marley - A Family Session

2009-02-18T01:29:00.000-05:00

Well... it has most certainly been awhile! :) I had taken a temporary hiatus earlier on in the winter due to graduation and transitioning into the 'real world,' but now that I feel fairly settled in, I'm back into the swing of things. Luckily, it's just in time for photography season too! Beginning this spring (and hopefully spring will come soon... I miss the sun!), I will be offering Lifestyle Portrait Sessions. All my portrait sessions are only $125, and come with as much creativity, passion, and cool outfits that you can pack into 1-2 hours. I recommend the Lifestyle Sessions for families in particular... it's a great way to capture the interaction between you and your loved ones in a relaxed, candid environment. Think part photojournalism, part emotion, all life.

I recommend this article for a little bit more information on lifestyle/custom photography.

During the next few weeks, I've set up several sessions with families in the United States Coast Guard. I guess you could call it my pet project of sorts. The love that these families share is on a level all on its own. It's not often you come across people who can stick through month-to-year long deployments with little contact and still keep their faith.

To show my support for these military families (aside from growing up in one, haha) I am offering a Lifestyle Portrait Session for all military personnel and their families at a discounted price of $99. All you have to do is show your military ID, and the discount applies.

Here's a little preview of what's to come... this is Janiel and Jordan with their adorable daughter Marley at Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach. I definitely enjoyed doing this session with them and thank them for coming out in the 30-degree weather this past Sunday. I hope you enjoy these photos!

OpLove Reunited + Matt's Bootcamp Graduation

2008-11-25T15:53:00.000-05:00

I have a few exciting announcements!

In approximately 2 1/2 weeks, I will officially be a college graduate! I am truly excited and thankful for everything that I've experienced these past 3 1/2 years at JMU, but I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life. However, with this big life transition also comes lots and lots of moving... I'm currently in the process of hauling my stuff from Harrisonburg to Norfolk, so in lieu of all that chaos and finals just around the corner, I won't be able to update the blog quite as often, but I should be back in the swing of things by mid-December!

Also... I'm officially a volunteer at Operation: Love Reunited!

For those of you who aren't familiar with this amazing charity organization, OpLove is a network of photographers across the US who provide their services to military families with loved ones on deployment free of charge. They're really doing great things. As a Navy daughter and a Coast Guard girlfriend, I know how rough the deployments can be on the families, so I'm definitely a huge advocate of this organization and am proud to be a part of it!

I don't have any new photos ready for now, but here are a few from Matt's bootcamp graduation from back in October. Can you believe we went eight weeks without speaking (save for a couple of phone calls towards the end)?!

October 24, 2008 - USCG TRACEN CAPE MAY - The Honor Guard at Juliett-180's graduation

October 24, 2008 - USCG TRACEN CAPE MAY - Matt graduating from Boot Camp

Alena + Jason - An Engagement Session

2008-11-19T04:08:00.000-05:00

Engagement Session: Alena & Jason

This past Sunday I met Alena and Jason at Goshen Pass for their E-session. We had a lot of fun jumping through leaves, laying down on dirt roads, and trekking across old wooden bridges... if anyone is in the Lexington area I highly recommend checking this place out.

The session was actually really cold, but Alena and Jason were great sports. This was probably one of the most adventurous sessions I've been on... we pretty much drove around the 3-mile stretch of road and stopped at whatever place looked interesting to us, which is pretty much a traveling photographer's dream. The area was gorgeous despite the early coming of winter and the lack of leaves on the trees.

It was great meeting the two of you and I'm really looking forward to your wedding next year! Enjoy this sneak peak of your session!

This is the old wooden bridge I mentioned earlier. As we walked across it, the planks below our feet were kind of popping up. I'm not usually afraid of things, but this bridge made me nervous. Alena and Jason were a lot braver than me though... Jason even took it upon himself to jump up and down on the bridge as he and Alena were crossing it. If Matt ever did that to me, I would probably push him off of the bridge...

Aren't they cute?

Cute is What We Aim For, Boys Like Girls, Friday Night Boys, and LIGHTS - A Concert

2008-11-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

Part of my job at JMU is to take pictures of the concerts that come through campus. This fall, we had Cute is What We Aim For, Boys Like Girls, LIGHTS, and Friday Night Boys perform at the Convocation Center. Friday Night Boys was recently signed to Fueled By Ramen, the home to Boys Like Girls and Cute is What We Aim For, as well as other big-name bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic At the Disco, and The Academy is... The lead singer of Friday Night Boys is actually a student at JMU, so kudos to them.

Here are some shots from the concert... hope you enjoy!

Cute is What We Aim For

Boys Like Girls

Friday Night Boys

LIGHTS

Trish + Brooks - An Engagement Session

2008-11-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

Trish & Brooks

Trish and Brooks are both JMU/UPB alumni and are getting married on the JMU Quad next June. I had so much fun doing their engagement portraits on campus and talking to them about how JMU was back when they went here and comparing it to now. They're both musicians and they're both pretty darn cool. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, I won't be able to shoot their wedding next year, but I'm really jealous of the lucky photographer that does! Good luck both of you and I wish you a happy engagement!

Kristal + Eric - A Wedding

2008-11-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

Kristal & Eric - September 20, 2008

Kristal and Eric had a beautiful Hawaiian-themed wedding back in September in New Market. It was probably one of the most laidback weddings I've ever attended. I've seen some weddings where the B&G barely had time to talk to all the guests at the wedding, but these two definitely made sure no one went unnoticed. Kristal worked really hard pulling everything together (she crafted most of the decorations herself). Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Mitch - A Portrait Shoot

2008-10-04T00:28:00.000-04:00

Portrait Shoot: Mitch

I absolutely love doing fashion shoots and exploring different locations to shoot at. So naturally, it was tons of fun doing Mitch's portraits last week. We did a few traditional ones around the JMU quad and then headed to downtown Harrisonburg for more. Here's what we ended up with:

Anna + Stephen - An Engagement Session

2008-09-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

Anna & Stephen

Anna and Stephen met at UVA during grad school a few years ago, so we did the engagement session at UVA, as well as the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. Charlottesville is such a beautiful town! We were worried that we'd be rained out, but once we started the engagement session, the sun came out.

It was interesting to learn that Stephen went to JMU for his undergrad and actually worked in the same office that I work in now, so we know a lot of the same people!

Anyway, both Anna and Stephen were great to work with and I look forward to shooting their wedding next year!

Their first date was at this Regal Cinema Theater, so it was fun to shoot at a place that has a lot of meaning to them :)

Karen + Rick - A Wedding

2008-09-28T12:25:00.001-04:00

Hello! I just wanted everyone to know that I'm still alive! School's been busy, but there as been a lot of work coming in on the photography end...

Karen and Rick of New Hampshire had a backyard wedding here in Harrisonburg in August. The garden was absolutely beautiful and was the perfect setting for a small, family-only wedding.

Cheryce + Allister - August 8, 2008

2008-08-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

Aaah! So the end of summer's pretty much hit me like a ton of bricks! I've been in training for my school-year jobs (yes, jobs, I'm a workaholic) all day, every day for the past week and then there are tons tons tons of photo assignments to do once orientation comes next week. Harrisonburg is once again alive with the buzz of college students. :) Along with the school work slam I've been experiencing, things have been changing rapidly for Matt (the boyfriend) as well. Last week we received word that he's leaving for boot camp on September 2! He's going to be serving our country in the United States Coast Guard. I am so proud of him/anxious/excited/nervous... so many emotions at once. This year has definitely brought about some major changes and I can't wait to see what's in store for 2009.

Now for wedding-related news... :)

Cheryce and Allister got married in Williamsburg, VA last Friday. The wedding was small with family only, but the two had plenty of love and support! Here's a preview sample of some of the photos from the wedding...

The photos are definitely looking great so far! I'm hoping to get the gallery online in the next two weeks, so stay tuned for more updates.

Kristal + Eric - Engagement Session

2008-08-04T21:21:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I headed out to New Market to meet Kristal and Eric and take some engagement photos. They're having a backyard wedding in September, just when in the leaves start to turn! I'm sure it will be beautiful and, most importantly, not hot!

Casondra + Karron- July 26, 2008

2008-07-31T01:38:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday was Casondra and Karron's wedding. I was a second shooter with my friend and fellow JMU undergrad Brandon Bebout. The wedding was right here in Harrisonburg at the local Boys & Girls Club. The wedding was both kid and adult friendly and everyone had a great time. It's always nice when the B&G arrange for something for the kids to do (in this case, it was a playroom with lots of pizza!)... It also didn't hurt that each and every one of those kids were absolutely gorgeous!

Travis & Jennifer- July 12, 2008

2008-07-29T01:48:00.001-04:00

So I've been super busy as of late... the business is taking off :) I can't believe that summer's practically come and gone! Classes begin in less than a month, and I go back to my school year job in less than 2 weeks. Where has all the time gone?!

Anyway, wedding season's winding down, but I have tons more stuff to share. Keep an eye out for new photos from a couple of engagement sessions, a few more weddings, and other shenanigans that I may run across in the next month or so!

Now, for the main event... Travis and Jennifer got married at their church down in Virginia Beach a few weeks ago, and it was one of the most sentimental weddings I've ever been to. The two had been dating for a couple of years, but July 12 was not just a special day for them because of the wedding-- it was also the day of their first kiss! Isn't that amazing? I have so much admiration for them and I definitely wish them a happy marriage. Their families were some of the nicest people I've ever met (and trust me, I've met a lot of people). Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day, Travis and Jennifer!

Time passes by...

2008-07-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

Howdy! So I pretty much received confirmation today that I got the job as an event photographer for University Unions (a department at JMU). I'm completely psyched about it. They just remodeled several spaces in the building I work at, which they're turning into art galleries. To start things off, they want some photographs up there for Hispanic Heritage Month. I'm really excited to get started on the project, so look for great things to come.

Another thing I'm excited about is shooting a wedding next year for Trish, a JMU alumni and fellow member of the University Program Board (UPB). UPB is practically my life here at JMU, and it's given me so many amazing opportunities, so it's always great to meet a fellow programmer. Anyway, I spoke to Trish on the phone yesterday, and she and her fiance are getting married on the JMU Quad next year... how awesome is that? The icing on the cake is that a lot of her friends are musicians, so there will be tons of concert-style action going on during the reception. My two favorite things to shoot are weddings and concerts, so I definitely look forward to taking those pictures.

Just so this blog doesn't consist of just me ranting, I'll post a few relevant pics for all of you:

All three pictures: Members of the band, Say Anything. Definitely one of my favorite bands. Definitely an amazing experience.

I have to say that I truly am lucky. I have one of the best jobs ever, I work with the coolest people on the block, and I get to meet some pretty awesome people.

Vacationing from Coast to Coast

2008-07-07T18:05:00.000-04:00

Warning: Long post ahead. Bring snacks.

Vacations are the epitome of evil. They have to be. I'm usually a very motivated person, but my trip to the west coast has left me with thoughts like, "Really? Do I really have to get up early and be at work by 9? Can't I just lay in bed all morning and then go to the beach or go hiking or shopping in the afternoon? Can't I just spend the rest of my life traveling and taking pictures of my travels?"

Really.

Haha. Anyway, I've been on hiatus from life the past 3 weeks while visiting my family in California and going to a childhood friend's wedding in Utah. I even dragged the boyfriend along on the trip, which made things even better. I've been to San Diego quite a few times already (used to live there when I was a kid) so it was really more about relaxation than site-seeing. We did spend one evening at Gaslamp and then a day at Coronado. Shopping, eating, and the beach. Definitely my kind of week.

Entering Gaslamp. They call it the historic heart of San Diego, but it's really mostly good for food.

Mootime Creamery, Coronado, CA. It was really difficult to resist eating ice cream an hour before dinner, but I did it! P.S. For some reason I have an odd fascination with cows... not real ones, but fake ones and also cows on milk cartons. Random, I know.

While we were in California, the bf and I decided to take a trip down to Tijuana, Mexico. I had never been there, so it was quite the experience for me. The internet does not lie when it tells you that there are vendors every two feet trying to sell you crap. I wanted to bring my D80 with me to take pictures of Tijuana street life, but I decided against it because 1) My mom and the bf talked me into thinking I would get mugged/pillaged/sold to Mexican drug lords if they saw me with an expensive camera down there and 2) There actually were tons of reports going out about American tourists getting mugged and kidnapped in Tijuana and I didn't want to risk having my camera stolen because I'm a poor student and that camera's my life. So, I took my mom's point-and-shoot and spent the day warding off vendors and eating authentic Mexican tacos.

To be honest, I probably could have brought my camera down there without any problem. The touristy part of Tijuana's so oversaturated with friendly street vendors and zebras, the drug lords probably stay far away.

Touristy Tijuana at its finest- taxi cabs and pharmacies galore!

If you're looking for business, a great strategy is to target the hungry people waiting in traffic to get into the U.S. during rush hour.

After our week in California, the bf and I took an overnight trip on the bus to Sandy, Utah to see my best friend from elementary school.

Sunset in Nevada

5 o'clock in the morning in Provo, Utah

Since I was a bridesmaid for the wedding, I got to sucker the bf into doing all sorts of exciting tasks like sorting place cards, stuffing favor boxes, and making boutonnieres! We had a blast, and it was definitely good to see Simone (the bride) again. The last time we saw each other, we were 13. It was that long ago. Being back in Utah was also nice, especially since it was one of the only places I lived in as a child that felt like a real home (I'm a Navy brat, and my kind doesn't stay in one place for too long).

During our spare time, Simone and Andrew let me take faux engagement portraits of them (they already had real ones taken by Pepper Nix, they're awesome wedding photographer), which was a lot of fun.

Eating the truffle cake at their reception

Also... this is Jadon. He's Simone's son, and pretty much the cutest toddler ever:

That was pretty much my trip to Utah. The wedding, lots of kids, and nostalgia. We got back to Virginia just in time for the fourth of July, where a bunch of us went down to Kittyhawk, NC for some beach time.

Of course I couldn't resist taking some photos of my friend Cory and his girlfriend Rebecca:

The bottom line? I love my friends.

Kim & BJ's Wedding

2008-06-12T00:56:00.000-04:00

I had my first official wedding gig this weekend!! It was definitely a great experience. I enjoyed working with Kim and BJ and I really appreciate them taking a chance on me!

The photographs turned out amazing. While I was taking them, I honestly felt like this field was my calling. I know, it sounds extremely cheesy, but I sincerely do enjoy documenting things like this. Ever since I was a kid, I had always been snapping photos and keeping records of my life's events... it's always been a natural thing to do. I've always been a big scrapbooker and journal keeper too.

Anyway, here are a few of the finished photographs. I took around 1,000 photos and I'm going through them individually to retouch the good ones and trash the bad ones. There are definitely many more to come!

Travis + Jennifer Engagement Shoot

2008-06-06T00:32:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to shoot Travis and Jennifer's engagement photos at the beach last weekend... the sand was scorching hot and the sun was being a nuisance, but we managed to get several great shots... I'm definitely looking forward to shooting their wedding on July 12!

They certainly know how to model for the camera!

2008-05-17T03:15:00.000-04:00

Well kids, here's my first attempt at keeping an official photography blog...This is so exciting! I've been sorta slacking in the journal department as of late, so it will be nice to catch up on a few things.

So to kick things off, here is our first photograph:

Santa Monica Pier, California

I am absolutely psyched about going back there in June to see the family/spend time with Matt. After California, we're hopping on a bus to Utah for Simone's wedding on the 28th, so July will definitely have tons of interesting photos.

In the meantime, I'll probably upload some pictures from old trips. So please check back for updates!