There's a Field Trip tradition (that I was lame and did not participate in), of doing a polar bear plunge into the cold Pacific waters every morning at the start of the day, that seems like a good metaphor for what Field Trip is all about. Having the courage to jump in. In a nutshell, Photo Field Trip is camping and photography, a workshop in the woods/canyon/desert that feels like sum[...]
I distinctly remember, more than once actually, getting into trouble for talking to strangers...with consequences ranging from getting "grounded" by my mother to having all of my possessions stolen on a train. And yet, these days, I ask people to meet me, a complete stranger, sight unseen, and let me take their photos. Which is really the wrong expression...taking photos. Because it is[...]
That Alanis song is totally stuck in my head right now. It's been snowy and grey here most of the week, so today seemed like the right time to chat about dealing with less-than-ideal situations like rain on your wedding day. Behind the scenes, Ben and I have been trying to sell our home. I know this has nothing to do with weddings (bear with me), but it's been an ongoing thing for a[...]
Non-traditional weddings are totally some of my favorites. Like this one, that Dani and I worked on last year - a spooky 1920s Halloween wedding at Westminster Hall in Baltimore (which is totally a contender for my favorite Baltimore wedding venue, even with the attached grave yard where Edgar Allen Poe is buried...totally the opposite of the traditional wedding scene, yet so inc[...]
By the end of wedding season, I am usually desperately searching for something to jazz up receptions, to make creative wedding photos. And now I know the answer. I should have known the answer a long time ago...because when are glow sticks not the answer??? I loved this wedding that I did with Dani at Herrington on the Bay...the sweetest couple (and I really mean that - they actually[...]
This Evergreen Museum wedding was absolutely one of my top five favorites from 2014. Last year, Dani and I shot over 30 weddings together, and this was one of the best. I have loved, loved, working alongside her for two years, and will dearly miss the fun of being her second photographer, but am super excited to be taking on more weddings of my own this year - and am so in love with[...]
If we hang out on Facebook or Instagram (and if we don't, let's make that happen!), you may have seen that I'll be making new friends and learning lots of fun things at Field Trip 2015 in Santa Barbara, and I'm totally stoked! But what's even better...on the way to Santa Barbara, I'll be making my way through Southern California - stopping in San Diego, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles to b[...]
I have a well-documented love of magazines. And while one of my audacious kind of goals is to someday be published in one, I also wanted to make one. So this past summer, I decided to go for it, using my own experiences, from planning and photographing over 100 weddings and from my own experience as a bride, to write a guide that shares the secrets of making amazing wedding day phot[...]
I couldn't imagine a sweeter couple to end the year with. Liz and Andy had one of the loveliest Northern Virginia weddings anyone could ask for. There are times on a wedding day when I can feel the anticipation - the way the bride's hands shake as she puts on her dress or the way the groom laughs in short bursts as he waits for hours before the ceremony with his groomsmen (where a hidd[...]
A colorful family photo card is one of my favorite things to get in the mail as the holidays draw near. And my face lights up with joy when I see a familiar family portrait below the cheerful greeting. I always want to explain myself when someone asks if I would take their photos for holiday cards. I believe photos should feel real. These aren't studio sessions with a backdrop where I[...]