]]>
If you'd like to view Amanda and Marc's highlight video, click below:
]]>
If you'd like to see their highlight video, click here:
]]>
I remember Alicia laughing at the way I held her veil up to my lens to make the right side of this picture go white.
I usually start the day with detail shots, and since Mark is in the jewelry business I wanted to make sure to showcase the rings properly.
I got so lucky with the wind on this day, most of the time if I'm doing dress shots outside they start spinning.
Tina's sister Niki is helping mom take care of the dress fitting.
Tina and her mom sharing a laugh, probably about something Kaitlyn (one of the bridesmaids behind us) said.
Taking advantage a quiet moment and beautiful window light for a bridal portrait.
Mark is ready for his bride, and looking sharp too!
I want socks like these now haha!
We did a father/daughter first look. I'm definitely want to do this when my little girls have their big day.
Mark led Tina in prayer before walking the isle, it was such a touching moment.
I love stuff like this, everyone's attention was on the bridal party behind me and dad was waiting for Tina to arrive for him to walk her down the isle. As a father of two little girls, I think I know what Rusty was thinking.
I absolutely love witnessing the moment when they first see each other. It's hard to take it in when I'm working, but I always spend a few extra moments looking at these images when I edit.
I try my hardest to keep an eye out for body language, sometimes it speaks louder than our words.
So I guess I can admit this here, when Niki was singing I just about lost it. I've never cried at a wedding, but it was everything I had to keep from doing it here.
If I'm able to, I love following the bride and groom to their hiding spot during the recessional. I take a step back and let them enjoy their moment.
After ceremony bridal party pictures are always fun, everyone is relaxed and ready to party!
And of course, as a car guy, I wasn't going to let this ride get away before we used it for some newlywed pictures.
After some first dances.......
......and cake cutting.....
.....a little more dancing.....
.....and taking advantage of the sunset light.
We ended the night with a sparkler send off, thanks for letting us be a part of your beautiful day Tina and Mark!!
If you'd like to see the slideshow with more images follow the link below and make sure to use either Google Chrome or Firefox web browsers to view it.
http://www.jonandjulie.com/tina-and-mark-wedding
]]>
Lately I've been thinking about, well a lot of things really, but a common theme for me has been the subject of paper prints versus digital media and how this all plays a role with our children. Since we are very firmly in the digital age, we are taking countless pictures on cell phones and digital cameras and viewing them on some sort of device or monitor. The days of framing a portrait of our loved ones to hang on the wall is being replaced by merely posting the picture online and waiting for the "likes" to pile up. Now I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with going digital, it just seems like many of us do not value the physical photographic print as we once did. When it comes to our children, let's face it, we take THOUSANDS of pictures of them with our phones and make album after album on Facebook....but that's it. The few prints we do have of them usually come from the school photographer where, and this may sound bad, every one of them look the same. Technically they are well done photographs, lit from the same angle and with just about the same pose for every child. These are pictures of our children, but not how we are used to seeing them. There's no feeling behind them, just a pose and a smile. Maybe this is one of the reasons we don't value the prints as much anymore, they all look similar. We've seen them a million times in every home we enter, and everyone of them is a fake smile looking back at the camera. But when we snap a shot with our cell phone it's different, it's spontaneous, a moment, a genuine emotion....it's our children the way we know them.
The lead off picture above is of my daughter Lia releasing one of the butterflies she raised this spring. It was the last butterfly to leave, and before it went it sat on Lia's arm for a few moments to say goodbye. It's not the typical portrait, she's not camera aware (looking at the lens) and it's definitely not taken with a cell phone. While I have taken some posed pictures of her, the ones I take like this mean so much more to me. When I view this print on my wall it brings me back to, not only this moment but the weeks we spent ordering her butterflies online, them hatching, and Lia waking up and saying "good morning" to her little friends everyday. If this print isn't hanging on my wall for me to see everyday, and instead exists only as a combination of 1's and 0's in my computer, it effectively remains just a memory.
The same goes for this picture of my other daughter Lucie. It's not the typical sit the baby in front of a wrinkled muslin background and shake a toy next to the camera to make her look photo. Lucie is genuinely having the most fun she could possibly have playing with that window blind. Every time I view this photo I can hear her adorable little laugh, and relive the joy I felt watching her explore this wide world she is so new to.
This picture of Lia when she was a baby is a little more moody, it's classic in black and white and conveys a feeling to the viewer. Yes it's the back of my daughters head, but more importantly it's the first time she experienced natures fury. Again, this speaks to bringing back memories and emotions through photography. I can remember exactly how Lia acted when the wind and rain picked up, and how cool it was to watch her experience her first big storm. I won't get that from a picture place in the mall.
Dean's parents will never forget the first time they handed him a tulip to investigate. The look on his face was priceless. I remember when I shot this, how cool it was that the sun lit this flower up like a light. As Dean pulled the tulip in for closer inspection, the light reflected onto his face and gave him that awesome glow.
Trevor's parents really love this shot of him on the driveway playing basketball; it's something that he does everyday. When he grows up and leaves for college, his mom is going to look back at this photo and relive her son's playtime for a moment or two. It's a moment in time when her son didn't have a care in the world and the only thing he wanted to do was get that ball in the hoop.
How about this for a cool family portrait? Kevin and Jonni-Ann share a love for rock and roll and their long boards. What better way for dad to remember his little girl than a shot of them enjoying a beautiful day doing something they love. Sure it's posed; it's them sitting down for a couple of shots but then getting right back to having fun on the boards.
When you think about going to the "affordable" portrait studio in the mall or when you settle for the pictures that the school provides, take an extra minute and really look at the photos. If what you want to see is your children looking back at you, well behaved and posed, then by all means enjoy it. But if you want to remember them the way they really are, the good, the bad, and the adorable look for someone like me, someone who has a genuine passion for the craft of photography and a willingness to really work for the pictures that you will cherish the rest of your life. There are a lot of us out there, we are generally not cheap and that is for a reason. We take this craft seriously, personally even, and we invest countless hours and dollars to make sure we have the knowledge and equipment to guide you through the process of capturing images that you will look back on throughout your life with fondness and emotion.
Click on this link if you'd like to see more of my portrait work: http://exposurellc.zenfolio.com/p663164173
-Juan
.....Yeah that doesn't look like sunshine and smiles to me either. This is what was coming down a few hours before ceremony time and it had everybody on pins and needles.
While the downpour carried on at New Kent, Laura and her bridesmaids were getting ready at their hotel in Richmond. The lobby of the Westin had great textural elements for the dress shot and other details.
Thank you to whoever made the green light of the elevator come on. I really like the green twinkle in this shot haha!
Just 4 of the 9 handbags made by Dickie. Check out her website at http://justalittleditty.com/
Awesome cupcake cake by April Pillsbury from Frosted and Dipped. Check her out at www.frostedanddipped.com
While her friend Courtney watched on, Laura got her time in the makeup chair. One of the best parts of my day is watching friends and family support the bride and take a part in her wedding.
Laura is such a gorgeous bride!
The bridesmaids necklaces were custom made by Sola Biu. Visit her website at www.onyxfeatheronline.com
Back at New Kent, the dress was fitted and we were officially ready to start our day. With limited time and rain threatening, we got some bridesmaids' shots with these wonderful ladies. I love that Laura let the bridesmaids choose their own dresses. I also love that everyone was able to keep a great smile and laugh even though the sky behind me was as dark as night with storm clouds.
Karen Roa, owner Aleen Floral Design, did a wonderful job with the bouquets and flower arrangements! Visit her online at aleendesign.com
Don't let the focused intensity fool you, Josh is an incredibly kind and fun guy to be around, and he is definitely a great match for Laura.
Just look at these dapper men! They could form a boy band or something, maybe a man band fits better.
I'm going to let the ceremony photos do their own talking for a while, but I will say that I think the rain and location made for a beautifully classic looking wedding. Enjoy!
Chris was the perfect umbrella stand during the ceremony, and he took his job very seriously!
Shortly after the ceremony ended, the skies opened up again and forced us to photograph our bride and groom indoors. New Kent's barrel room made a perfect backdrop for Laura and Josh's photos.
One of the other benefits of the barrel room is the low temperature and low humidity environment; it was a refreshing break from the heat and humidity of this rainy summer day.
The evening began to wind down with a little dancing.
We finally had a break in the weather and got a cart ride out to the vineyard for one last shot before the night ended. I think the clouds did a fine job of setting the mood and adding a cool blue cast to this image.
A sparkler send off to the happy couple!
The day was filled with fun, tears (both human and from the sky), and most importantly LOVE. We had so much fun being a part of this day! We hope you enjoyed the images from Laura and Josh's New Kent Winery wedding, please share this link to anyone of interest. Also feel free to leave a comment below, we would love to hear your feedback.
If you would like to see more images from the Pruett/Marano Wedding, here's a link to their smaller gallery: http://exposurellc.