I had a GREAT time photographing/getting to know Ben & Madalene. When I met with them to talk through wedding plans, they both mentioned how they loved more creative photography and wanted to come up with some different ideas for their engagement pictures. Then Madalene told me how they would like to go to Two Story Coffeehouse (here in Athens) for part of the engagement session. I was SO excited because I love that place, love coffee, and that made me feel an instant connection to Ben & Madalene. We took over one of the rooms at Two Story (many thanks to the baristas there who let me move furniture, come behind the counter to borrow some coffee beans, and for making the day's trivia about Ben & Madalene's wedding!) and it was like Ben & Madalene were on a date with me as their third wheel:) Madalene's favorite books are the Harry Potter series (her Harry Potter book in the photos is a UK version, which makes it the real deal) and Ben loves The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Ben and Madalene go back and forth on defending which is better... I can't weigh in on the debate since I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, but I do love me some Gandolf and Samwise Gamgee. I need to read the Harry Potter books so that my husband and I can relate better... he's a huge fan of Harry. Anyways, we had fun taking pictures with their favorite books (note: I just heard of a couple who had a Harry Potter themed wedding. for real.) I love when couples bring things that are part of who they are. I feel like the pictures become more of a reflection of who you are as a couple and will be more fun to look back on years later. After our visit at Two Story we went to a field, had a little dance party and frolicked in the fields. I'm really excited to photograph their wedding in May at the Foundry in Athens... thanks guys for being so great to work with and FUN!
fashionable wedding
I have a good friend from college who now works with Mocha Club, an organization that is dedicated to funding relief and development projects in Africa by giving up 2 mochas a month ($7) with other friends. Recently Marisa told me about another non-profit that she has been working with call live fashionABLE. It's mission is to "create sustainable business in Africa so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy." I love that. I am a huge fan of all kinds of charity, but have been thinking how ineffective charity can be when it doesn't work towards breaking a cycle of poverty. I have worked with some organizations in Athens who collect and give Christmas gifts to needy families, and while I know children were blessed by the gifts, I'm not sure that the organization is really addressing the deeper issues of why these children are in poverty and need. All this to say, I love what Live FashionABLE is doing. They sell scarves made by women who have been marginalized by the effects of poverty & forced into prostitution. The profits of the scarves are sent back to train and restore more women, helping create and sustain businesses that benefit these women and their families. It's an amazing cycle that is bringing sustainable business into the fashion world. I love that it helps women work, helps them break from degrading work like prostitution, helps them feed their families, and that it's a way to strengthen a weak economy. Read more about how the cycle works and the specific women's stories here. What does this have to do with weddings? Live fashionABLE has been promoting their scarves as a great gift for bridesmaids and as part of the wedding day outfit. I think this is great for 2 reasons- it's practical and purposeful:) You could pick out a fun color to go with the dresses and it would make for some awesome pictures, and it would help keep bridesmaids warmier= happier if you happened to be getting married when it's cooler. Plus, you could wear it again! And it is blessing people who don't have much and contributing to breaking a devastating cycle. I posted the video here so you could see faces and hear the story of the man who started the organization...
Christina//Senior Pictures
This post is the first one I have done in a LONG time. I stopped blogging around the time that morning sickness (which didn't just last in the morning but pretty much all day) set in with pregnancy #2. I posted a few things but really was doing well to just take care of myself and my family, and then crashing early every night. So baby #2 has arrived and I'm finally ready to get back to the blogosphere. And to celebrate I am coming back with a new logo, new website and new blog!!! Some of my older posts are still here but my goal was somewhat of a fresh start. I'm excited that the first post in a long time is from a senior session with Christina Schuman. She is amazing to photograph. I've gotten to know Christina through her school while I was a teacher there and we bonded pretty quickly when we realized that we both LOVE photography. Christina has shot with me a few times and has incredible talent. I joked around with her the other day that most people have to go through a learning curve in photography where they take some terrible pictures and then over-edit them, but that she seems to have skipped that stage and gone straight to awesome. Hopefully she is going to be pursuing it in college next year either at SCAD or UGA, and I can honestly say she is one of the most naturally talented photographers I know. The funny thing is that most people who like to be behind the camera are not so comfortable in front of the lens, but Christina is amazing at both. She has the serious face (that I so can't pull off!!) along with a really natural smile and funny faces. Here are some of the pictures from our time together... my favorites are the pictures of her in the red hat. Christina, you are uber photogenic and I'm so glad you asked me to do these for you. You definitely get 2 thumbs up!!!
