Feb
04
A few weeks ago we took Eleanor on the second big road trip of her life, to Sacramento for Josh’s cousin Courtney’s wedding. Her first big trip was her Aunts Beth & Jenny’s wedding in Las Vegas when she was about 14 months. That trip did not go so great. Eleanor was not and is still not a fan of long car rides. She hates being in the car for very long and starts getting very cranky on rides that are more than 30 minutes. So we did not have great hopes for this six hour car ride.
I decided that it would be best if we split up the ride up into two parts. Beth and Jenny were riding with us and were kind enough to accommodate Eleanor. Beth brought her portable DVD player, it was a lifesaver! I’m sure we wouldn’t have made it without it. The wedding was Saturday afternoon so after dinner on Friday we drove half way up and spent the night in Fresno. Eleanor was so excited about getting to stay in a “showtel” (doesn’t that sound so much more exciting than “hotel!”)
The first half of the trip went very well! Eleanor was entertained by her aunts and the DVD player. She was very good that night. She slept just fine in bed with us. In the morning we had another few hour drive to Sacramento, which went very well. We checked into our hotel, which was at the wedding venue. It was a very cute Victorian home, turned Inn. We had the penthouse suite for the five of us. It was just lovely, the room had two couches, a full size dining table, a queen size bed, a large bathroom, and in a small attached room, a second queen and a walk-in closet. It was about as big as our apartment! Fun! For some reason I didn’t get any photos.
I also didn’t get any good photos of the wedding! Oops! But we had a great time! Eleanor found a little playmate that she spent the night running around and dancing with! It was adorable! And the wedding was beautiful! Congrats Courtney and Josh (her Josh not mine)! We had a great time! We love you!
Jan
11
The day after Christmas Josh’s dad and his girlfriend Raisa finally got married! They have been together as long as Josh and I have, just over seven years. And they finally decided to take the plunge and make it official.
They asked Eleanor to be their flower girl and I volunteered to shoot the wedding, of course! Although, I am decidedly not a wedding photographer, for them I was happy to save them the $2,000-10,000 they would have had to spend on a wedding photographer. And I thought it might be fun, getting to shoot a wedding without the pressure of having been paid to do a good job, and working with people I didn’t know.
It was a long and tiring day, but I had a lot of fun doing it. I’m pretty happy with how my images came out. I love my detail shots and portraits. I’m not totally thrilled about the ceremony and reception, but I think they are pretty decent. As Amy says, I probably would get better shots if I were taller. With portrait photography I can bring a ladder or get my clients to sit, but it’s not really cool to carry around a step ladder during a wedding ceremony or to ask the bride and groom, “Could you guys try saying your vows standing on your knees?” I joke that if I were going to open a wedding photography studio I’d call it “Boobs and Boutonnieres” because that is where my eye level is. I’d have quite the niche business!
Here’s a few of my favorite shots from the day, you can see more, including a slideshow, over at Maggie Keegan Gross Photography:
May
04
Last month I was lucky enough to get to second shoot a wedding for Teegan Photography. The bride and groom were such sweet people and so good looking. They made for some really lovely images.
I shot so many great pictures! I could blog for days. But I thought instead I’d just show you my very favorite images from the day.
I think that the getting ready photos were my favorite part of the day. I love hair and makeup.
The groom’s first look:
The location of the wedding was really stunning, Pear Valley Vineyards in Paso Robles, CA. Such a great backdrop for such a beautiful day.
My very favorite image of the day:
(You can probably tell why I’m not a wedding photographer if that is my favorite image. I’m a fierce portrait and not so much a joyous occasion kinda lady.)
Just look at that sky! So moody and perfect! But it was freezing up on that hill where the ceremony took place.
Although, I don’t think weddings are my style (I’m not really an event photographer, I much prefer a more controlled styled portrait session), I really had a great time shooting this wedding with Amy. It was a new experience for me and fun to see another photographer in action. I also love weddings! So it was fun to get to attend one. I think I cried 3 or 4 times that day! I know, if you know me you wouldn’t think it would be my style, but I’m such a sucker for seeing a bride in her dress, seeing the groom see his bride in her dress for the first time, the ceremony, and the toasts. All of them make me cry. Another great reason why I wouldn’t be a great wedding photographer. It’s hard to see through the viewfinder when your eyes are full of tears!
Congrats to Keith & Shannon! And thanks to Amy!
You can see Amy’s sneak peek of her images on her photography site, and some highlights from the day on her personal site.
