Blue Bend Photography - North Carolina Weddings

Swag Inn Wedding Photos – Kimberly & Will – Asheville Wedding Photographer

2011-06-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I know that I say this a lot, but this weekend was amazing. The wedding at the Swag Inn this weekend with Kimberly and Will is definitely in my top 10. In the car on the way up the mountain from Asheville it was pouring rain - coming down in buckets. I was a bit down, to be honest, because I could tell that we were headed somewhere with an amazing view and we were going to be stuck in the clouds. 20 minutes after arriving, not only had it quit raining, but the clouds had completely gone! It had gone from gray and rain to blue and beautiful!

We were at 5100' above sea level and had a spectacular view. As you can see below it felt like you could see all the way to Asheville. The whole wedding party consisted of the Bride and Groom and their parents. That was it. It was incredibly relaxed and intimate. We spent about 2 hours just walking around the grounds, soaking up the weather and taking photos. The photos are definitely some of my favorites that we've ever gotten.

If you are in the Asheville area, I can't recommend this place enough. Within minutes of arriving we felt like we were on vacation. The whole atmosphere of the place is relaxing and puts you at ease. There are so many details I can't begin to list them all. They even have your name on a walking stick for you to use while at the Inn. From Asheville it's only about an hour to the Inn. They have amazing food, rooms and grounds. They do brunch on Sundays, picnics, bbqs and evening dining. Thank you, Kimberly and Will, for having us share a gorgeous day with you. -Nick and Maddy

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Old Edwards Inn Wedding Photos - Highlands, NC - Glass Pavilion - Asheville Wedding Photography

2011-06-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Kelly and I photographed a wedding at the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, NC for the first time since they finished their new Glass Pavilion. It is BEAUTIFUL! If you have been to a wedding there before, there isn't the tent anymore. Where they used to put the wedding reception tent, right outside the barn in the courtyard, is now a giant, beautiful, glass-walled pavilion. It has huge ceilings with giant chandeliers hanging from them and lots of warm light. The Old Edwards Inn used to be a nice place to shoot weddings, but now it's a stunning place to have a wedding. The Old Edwards Inn is now, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful spots in Western North Carolina for a wedding reception - definitely my favorite in the Highlands / Cashiers area. I can't wait to go back in October!

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If you are interested in the Old Edward's Inn and Spa and would like more information please check out their website or see below for directions.

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Old Edwards Inn Wedding Photos - Gail & Thomas - Highlands, NC - Asheville Wedding Photographer

2011-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Gail and Thomas made the trip up to Highlands to tie the knot from Savannah, GA. It's one of their favorite places and if you have been to the Highlands area, you probably know why. They had a late afternoon wedding outside on the edge of a beautiful rock bald. There was an incredible view with hardly a cloud in the sky (which was incredible after the morning and afternoon thunderstorm!) After the gorgeous ceremony at Sunset Rock we headed to the newly built Old Edwards Inn Pavilion. Up till recently there was a white tent in next to the barn, but recently they have built a stunning glass pavilion for weddings. There is another blog post with photos of just the Old Edwards Inn pavilion here.

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If you are interested in the Old Edward's Inn and Spa and would like more information please check out their website or see below for directions.

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Asheville Wedding Photographer
Asheville Wedding Photography Blog

Detroit Destination Wedding: Mary Beth and Adam's Wedding Photos - Asheville Wedding Photographer

2011-06-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

The first weekend of June Adam and Mary Beth flew us up from Asheville to the Detroit area. We started our day at the hair salon where all the girls had their hair and makeup done.They had their ceremony at a big beautiful church and then their reception at an intimate venue in a small town called Plymouth. There was lots of hand made details and even a vintage RV to take the couple and the bridal party from the ceremony to the reception. My time in Michigan went by too quickly and I already miss it. Thanks for letting us share your day with you MB and Adam!

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Mosteller Mansion Wedding, Hickory, NC: Jennifer and Tom - Hickory Wedding Photographer - Blue Bend Photography

2011-05-31T10:53:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nick and I took Jennifer's Bridal Portraits at Biltmore and shot the engagement photos at Jump off Rock in Hendersonville. Last weekend Nick headed out to the beautiful Mosteller Mansion in Hickory to photograph Jennifer and Tom's wedding. The Mansion is a very traditional southern estate that lends itself for the perfect and elegant wedding. The whole day was filled with emotion, love and lots of laughter and dancing. Tom's family is from England and it was a great group, that added lots of fun to the wedding. Here are a few of Nick's favorite photographs of the day.

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Asheville Engagement Photos: Allison and Robert - Black Balsam, Pisgah Forest

2011-05-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Nick and I headed into the mountains to meet Allison and Robert for their engagement session. We met early in the morning to get some great photographs in the mountains with blue sky and some fog in the distance. The Black Balsam area is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville and great for hiking and the photography opportunities seem endless. The weather could not have been any better and it was so much fun hiking around and soaking up the scenery. Allison and Robert were awesome and fun to take photos off and even the swarms of mosquitoes and flies did not bother them. Here are some of our favorites of the day. Enjoy!

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Asheville Wedding Photography: Caitlin and Prasheel - Home Wedding - Biltmore Forest, Asheville, NC

2011-05-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

A few days a go Nick headed to the Biltmore Forest in Asheville to shoot Caitlin and Prasheel's wedding. If Biltmore Forest sounds familiar to you, it is probably because it is right next to the world famous Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The wedding was held at a beautiful estate with lots of character and charm. The bride and groom were so easy to work with and Nick got some amazing photographs of the two of them. Even though the weather was not always cooperating the wedding party and guests had a great time and had lots of fun on the dance floor. Here are some of Nick's favorites.

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Lake Lure Wedding Photos: Amber and Chris - Lake Lure Inn and Spa, Lake Lure, North Carolina

2011-05-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Nick and I and had the pleasure to go shoot Amber and Chris's wedding at Lake Lure, North Carolina (just south of Asheville). The Lake Lure Inn and Spa is famous for being in "Dirty Dancing". Scenes from the movie were filmed at the Inn and also surrounding areas, such as Chimney Rock and Lake Lure itself. Amber even stayed in the 'Jennifer Grey' Suite. We got there early enough to take some getting ready photographs of the girls and we were able to head over to the cabin where the guys were staying to get some nice shots of them, too. Amber and Chris put so much work into their wedding, it was absolutely stunning. They had beautiful details at the ceremony, which was directly at the Lake with the mountains in the background. They even had a full on candy bar, that matched the colors of the wedding. It was a great event with everything falling into place. They ended the night with a great North Carolina String band, that got the crowd really moving (if you know anything about the Asheville music scene, you know about bluegrass). The lead singer taught all the people on the dance floor how to dance traditional square and line dances and everyone had a blast. Nick posted a video earlier this week. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy.

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Hendersonville Wedding - Abby and Eric - Asheville Wedding Photographer

2011-04-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were photographed a wedding locally. It seems like most of our weddings are all over North Carolina and the southeast, but it was a nice change of pace to be closer to home. Abby and Eric's wedding was in a small town called Hendersonville. It's only about 25 minutes south of Asheville. If you haven't been before I recommend it. It's a very cute little downtown with lots of cool little shops. They chose to see each other before hand and do all the photos before the wedding. This is always a plus for us, as photographers, because we get so much more time and variety with the photos. Things tend to be less rushed as well. After they had done their "first look" we left the hotel and headed to the downtown area where they both spend most of their time and where they got engaged. We got lots of photos of them walking around downtown, going to their favorite places and hanging out in the beautiful weather.

The weather for the wedding was also incredible. I know there is some saying about good luck getting married in the rain, but the photos have such a different look when there is a beautiful blue sky in the photo. Saturday was one of those wedding days. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and this time of the year the temp perfect. I know I'm partial because I call this area home, but the Asheville area, in general, is so beautiful and lends itself so nicely to photos. Every wedding that I've ever done in the Asheville area has had amazing scenery, a cute little town or rolling green hills in the background. I consider myself so lucky to have ended up in the Asheville area doing what I love to do - taking photos.

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Asheville Engagement Photos - Jennifer and Tom - Hendersonville, NC

2011-04-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight Maddy and I headed up to Jump Off Rock in Hendersonville, NC for some engagement photos with Jennifer and Tom. Last week we did Jennifer's Bridal Photos at the Biltmore and got some great stuff. It was no surprise today when Tom was equally as comfortable in front of the camera as Jennifer. Both of them were great sports about walking out to the edge of a huge drop-off for some awesome big sky photos. We had perfect weather for pictures and with both of them so great to work with, it went awesome. The big wedding day is only 5 weeks away! Watch for those photos too! I'm sure that they'll be amazing.

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Point Lake Golf Club Wedding Photos - Amanda and Patrick - Charlotte Wedding Photography

2011-04-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Nick and I drove down to Mooresville, NC to the beautiful Point Lake Golf Club for another stunning wedding. Amanda and Patrick got married outdoors and had the reception in the quaint, dreamy village, which was modeled in the Cape Cod style. The streets were lined in cobble stone and the azaleas where in full bloom. We started taking photographs early in the day and had plenty of time with the Bride and Groom to go explore and find cute spots to take photos. It was fun photographing the two of them, because they came up with their own photo ideas and incorporated their own style. Here are a few of our favorite pictures of the day. - Maddy

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Jennifer's Bridal Portraits - Biltmore Estate, North Carolina

2011-04-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday evening Nick and I met Jennifer and her Mom at the Biltmore Estate. They came all the way from Hickory to meet up with us. The weather could not have been any better for these bridal photos. It was warm and sunny and there was just enough wind to make Jennifer's hair and dress move the right way for the pictures. Jennifer mentioned that she was little bit nervous, but we were really inspired as soon as we took the first picture. She is a natural in front of the camera and knows exactly what to do. This made for a fun and exciting shoot for at the Biltmore. We came up with some new locations and took advantage of the colorful spring flowers. The Biltmore has a flower festival going on right now and offered some beautiful flowers and photo opportunities. Also the grass was just starting to get green around the Estate and looked stunning in the photos. Here are just a few of our favorites.

For the full gallery of photos go to our site HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Jennifer and Eric - Charlotte Wedding Photos

2011-04-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Nick and I (Maddy) headed to the Charlotte area to photograph Jennifer and Eric's wedding. They had the ceremony at St Matthews of Charlotte and then the beautiful country club of Firethorn. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. The Firethorn Country Club was a perfect venue for such a nice day and were able to take two golf carts and drive around the golf course to find perfect spots to take pictures. Eric and Jennifer gave us a lot of time for their photos. The reception was filled with good music, lots of dancing and laughter. Congratulations to Eric and Jennifer.

For the rest of the photos see our site HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Flat Rock Playhouse - Music of the Night Photos

2011-04-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Flat Rock Playhouse is showing "Music of the Night" this month. It is such a fun and energetic show about Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous musicals. There are four featured singers and a wonderful choir ensemble. Be prepared to be enchanted and get ready for some goosebumps. To find out more about the show visit the Flat Rock Playhouse website.

For the rest of the photos see our site HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Archer William Richard Prudhomme

2011-04-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

About three months ago, I was photographing Tiffany and her cute pregnancy bump. Now, I had the opportunity to take the first official pictures of Archer William Richard Prudhomme. He was such a cutie and already has lots of personality. It was a fun photo shoot and we were able to wrap Archer up in a little blanket and take him outside for some outdoor pictures. He was so content, that he fell asleep on the tree trunk. Here are some of my favorites of the day.

-Maddy

See the full gallery at our site HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Event Photos and Portraits - Red Bull Music Academy Weekend

2011-04-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went up to Detroit for the weekend to photograph the Red Bull Music Academy. While up there I had the opportunity to meet and photograph many Detroit electronic music artists. The Red Bull Music Academy photos are not online yet (I have to wait till they give the approval), but for now here are some portraits of the artists.

See the rest of the photos on our site HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Amber's Bridal Photos - Biltmore Estate

2011-03-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend Amber and I did her Bridal Photos at the Biltmore. The weather was amazing and because we went at about 5pm the sun was in the perfect place in the sky for that warm light. Amber looked great in her dress and was a great sport about trying different locations.

See the whole post HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography

Laurie and Adam: Raffaldini Vineyard, Ronda, NC

2011-02-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Laurie and Adam got married at the beautiful Raffaldini Vineyards. If you haven't seen Tuscany in person, the next best thing is this place. The vineyards, grounds and building are all stunning! Laurie and Adam and their guests were awesome as well!

See the whole article here: at Blue Bend Photography!
Asheville Wedding Photography - Blue Bend Photography

Wedding Photography - How much time do I need?

2011-02-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

We get asked this question A LOT. There is no good canned answer but I can give you a few things to consider when thinking about how much time you'll need.

1. Getting ready shots. Getting ready shots are the most common thing that I see people take out of their wedding photography package and the most common thing that I hear people say they regret not having photos of. When you are looking through your photos a couple of weeks after the wedding is over, it always a huge bonus to have pictures of your hair getting done, your make-up getting done and photos of your fiance and his buddies getting ready. The most common thing that I hear people say about the getting ready shots is: it helps to build a more complete picture of the day.

2. Photos before vs. after the ceremony. This is also something that is becoming more and more popular. When I first started shooting weddings 10 years ago in Detroit I didn't have a single wedding where the bride and the groom saw each other before the wedding. Now-a-days, I would say that about 1/2 of the 80-100 weddings that we do each year involve bride and groom photos before the wedding. There are definite pros and cons to seeing each other beforehand. I can't say if you SHOULD do it, but I will say that if you do photos before you can spend MUCH more time and get tons more variety. A 1/2 hour after the ceremony is about average for the amount of time that I (as the photographer) would get with just the bride and groom. The last big wedding that we did where the bride and groom saw each other beforehand involved three photographers (Nick, Maddy and Philip) and an hour and a half with the bride and groom. We got tons of amazing stuff.

3. Do you need a photographer till the very end? Once the dancing starts there isn't a whole lot of time that you need the photographer there. I would say that on average an hour of dancing is enough. Once the Bride/Groom dance, the Mother/Son and Daddy/Daughter and Garter/Bouquet have been done most of the photos look the same. If you're trying to figure out time, I'd say that most you can cut the photographer an hour before the end of the night. Of course, if you'd like photos of the two of you leaving the reception (sparklers, get-away car...) the photographer has to stay.

4. Photos at the end of the night? These are also pretty cool. The photos really tell a whole story if you have all the photos in your album starting with the hair and makeup and then the end of the album has a picture of the two of you "ending the night." Our style at Blue Bend Photography is one of photojournalism. We believe in telling a story in photos and when you have an obvious beginning and an obvious end it really puts the album together nicely.

5. Adding it all together. The first question that I always ask brides and grooms on the phone is what time everything is ending. Once you know what time you need a photographer to stay until, you can start doing the math backwards. So if your wedding reception is booked till 11 and you didn't want the "get-away" shot, you would probably need someone till 10pm. Next question would be "Do I want getting ready shots?" If your hair/makeup was going to get done starting at 2pm, you'd want the photographer to show up at 2. All together that would be 8 hours. This can also help you with planning the rest of the timeline of your day. If hair and makeup is going to take 2 hours and your ceremony is supposed to start at 5 and you might want photos of the two of you before... you might want to push your hair and makeup back a couple of hours. Remember, it's always better to have a little more time to play with. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to feel rushed or pressured. Start early and enjoy the day.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I know it may seem weird to ask photographers about non-photography wedding things, but believe me... we've seen a lot of weddings. Feel free to ask. - Nick (Asheville Wedding Photography - Blue Bend Photography)

View the original article at Blue Bend Photography

1 Photographer vs 2 Photographers at the Wedding

2011-02-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Another question that we get asked a lot about is "Do I need 1 photographer or do I need two at my wedding?"

The very first wedding that I ever assisted on (gosh that seems like a long time ago) was in Michigan with about 500 guests. It was two very large families (one Italian-American and one Hindu-American) and both were very close families. There were two full ceremonies (one for each of the cultures) and it was one of the most beautiful wedding days that I've experienced. The company that I had just gotten hired at thought that it would be a good idea if the main photographer had another shooter to help get all the important shots. With two people we were able to capture many, many more candids than had one person been by him/herself.

This is the first scenario, one of a very large wedding, where I suggest to brides and grooms that they have two photographers. If you have a very large wedding where it is going to be difficult (or impossible) for one person to be near most people or most of the action at once it is a good idea to have two photographers. Of course, if you have a wedding with 500 people, it might even be a good idea to have 3 photographers. I have had half a dozen weddings where I thought it would be beneficial to have 2 other people with me and suggested to the bride and groom as such.

The other scenario where it is very advisable to have two photographers is if you would like multiple angles of something simultaneously. For example, if you know that you are getting married in a giant, beautiful cathedral with a balcony, and you'd want a shot of you and your dad walking down the isle from above and from front on, you need to have two photographers. The father and daughter walking down the isle in a cathedral from above is one of my favorite wedding shots, but you can only get that if you have a second person in the balcony, because, of course, you can't have the entire wedding party shot from above.

Some other times that it is very nice to have more than one photographer is if you and your fiance are getting ready in two different locations. While it is possible to drive from place to place and get shots of each of you getting ready, there is bound to be something missed while in transit. Having two shooters makes it possible to have both groups getting ready with nothing missed.

There are lots of other examples of things like that, and it is a very nice extra if you can afford to have another photographer there.

I would seldom say that a second photographer is "necessary," but I would rarely advise against it. Of course, if the number of photographers is going to equal the number of people at the wedding, or be very close, I would probably say you should stick to just one.

View the original article here at the source: Asheville Wedding Photography - Blue Bend Photography

Wedding Makeup Advice by Wendy Ballance of Blush

2011-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Wendy Ballance of Blush is one of the best Makeup Artists that is around. I've had a lot of brides ask me for advice on how much or what kind of makeup to wear when it comes to the wedding day and for photos. I have photographed a lot of weddings, but I'm not any kind of makeup expert like Wendy. She has graciously written an awesome article for anyone interested in makeup for the wedding day. Enjoy! -Nick at Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography
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First, I would like to thank Nick Gillespie from Blue Bend Photography for asking me to write this post on wedding makeup. I absolutely love my job and every aspect and detail that goes into wedding makeup!

Wedding makeup is a detailed and exciting part of planning your special day. Over the years, many women have told me they wish they would have worn a little more makeup or hired a makeup artist to come to their wedding location. It’s important to look and feel your best…It’s your wedding day!

To hire or not to hire:

If you are doing the makeup yourself, make sure you are 110% comfortable. You’ll be nervous and time-crunched on your wedding day, so you don’t want to be stressed about your makeup. Before your wedding, get together with a friend and have a practice session. Apply your makeup just as you plan to on your wedding day. Then have your friend take some pictures inside and outside to see if anything pops out at you. If you looked washed out, add more. If you feel a little made up, it’s right!

But here some reasons why it might be best to hire a professional:

A professional makeup artist is trained in wedding makeup. They work with professional photographers and know what looks good and what doesn’t. I have been in the industry for seven years and still learn new tricks and techniques all the time. Make sure you ask about a makeup artist’s background and training!
Your makeup artist will come to your requested location…you don’t have to go anywhere! I don’t recommend going to a makeup counter unless absolutely necessary. You could get stuck in traffic. Or if the artist needs to stop and help customers at their counter, it could put you in a time crunch.
Makeup artists know how to apply false eyelashes, setting products and primers that you might not have in your makeup kit.
You are paying for your hair to get done…why not your makeup? This is your wedding and you will look at these photographs forever!
It’s easy!! Why wouldn’t you want to feel like a princess for the day by bringing in your own personal beauty team?!

When to hire: IMMEDIATELY!

Some makeup artists are in as much demand as photographers. Make sure you book your beauty team as soon as you can.

When to start makeup: As close to your pictures as possible. A makeup artist can add in a few hours for touchups before the ceremony if you are having pictures taken early in the day. This is especially recommended if your wedding/pictures are outdoors.

If you decide to apply your own makeup for your wedding day, here are some tips:

PRIMERS:

Use a makeup primer before your foundation. This helps with wear-ability and provides a smooth surface for the foundation.
My favorites: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Makeup Forever HD Primer

FOUNDATION:

Your foundation shouldn’t have a SPF higher than 15. The particles in sunscreen can flash against the camera and make your face look lighter.
I am not a big fan of mineral makeup; it usually has mica in it which isn’t camera friendly. But if you love it, wear it.
When you do your test run and take photos, make sure your face isn’t lighter than your neck and chest.
My favorites: Bobbi Brown (Skin foundation for normal to dry or Natural Long Lasting Makeup for Normal to Oily); Revlon (Colorstay or PhotoReady foundation); Makeup Forever (HD foundation)

LIPS:

When choosing a shade: choose one that is a little darker than you like when looking at yourself.
Use a lip liner that matches your lipstick perfectly!
If you love a nude lip, use a nude that has a little more pink than brown. Brown tends to look muddy in photos.
My favorite lip colors in the pinky nude category are: Brownie, Brown, Sandwash Pink, Brownie Pink and Tulle (all by Bobbi Brown)
If you don’t normally wear lipstick, I recommend you don’t wear it on your wedding day. You will feel like it’s too heavy! Instead, choose a lip liner color that you love, use it to fill in your entire lip area, and top it with a little gloss. Or just stick with a good lip gloss.
If you want to wear a stronger color on your lips, that’s great! But remember that the strong reds, plums, and bright colors will transfer on to your new husband’s lips, so be prepared with a few Kleenex in your purse to make sure he doesn’t wear your lipstick the rest of the day!

CHEEKS: You need to add a little more cheek color than usual. You want a pop of color on your apples!

EYES: All eye makeup should be as waterproof as possible! Use waterproof eyeliner and mascara!

My favorite eyeliners: Bobbi Brown (gel eyeliner); MAC (Powerpoint Pencils); Revlon (Colorstay Pencils)

GENERAL TIPS:

Don’t add any glitter. If the glitter particle is too big in the powder, it will flash back at the camera and your face will look like it’s sweating.
If you want sheen on your cheeks, use a mineralize skin finish from MAC or Revlon. I like to highlight the cheekbones and nose, but not too much!
Purchase a sheer/translucent powder to touch up your face throughout the day/night. Your makeup won’t look caked-on by the end of the night.

If there are any questions I didn’t answer, you can email me via my website at www.ashevillemakeupartist.com. If you are looking for a makeup artist for your wedding day, I would love to work with you!

Wendy Ballance
Blush by Wendy Ballance, LLC

Erin and Aaron - Biltmore Engagement Photos

2011-02-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

Erin and Aaron had planned on having us do an Anniversary Session with them in a couple of months, but since getting the "big news" they bumped it up a couple of months. They wanted to have some couple photos taken of them two of them one last time before having kids and last weekend was the perfect weekend. The weather was fantastic, the Biltmore was practically empty and we made a whole day out of it. Maddy and I have gotten to know Erin and Aaron pretty well over the past year so it never really felt like a photo shoot. We even brought stuff to do a picnic (sparkling grape juice instead of champagne, of course). The company has yearly passes, so we can take anyone we'd like to after 5pm any day of the week. It's a great place to escape for the day and an even better place for photos. I can't wait to do family photos of the three of them in a couple of months!

View the whole article here: Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography

My Brand New Nephew: Archer William Richard

2011-02-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm an uncle for the first time! My sister had a baby boy two days ago and he's awesome! He was born completely healthy; that's pretty much all anyone could ask for. I'm sure that he will be very familiar with the camera as he grows up. Here are a few pics from when he was about a 1/2 hour old.

See the rest of the article at Blue Bend Photography
Asheville Wedding Photography - Blue Bend Photography

Mary Beth and Adam's Engagement Photos

2011-01-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

Adam and Mary Beth came down from Michigan to do an engagement session with Maddy and Nick a couple of weekends ago. Fortunately, we got a lot of snow and we got to go play in the winter wonderland. We drove around and found a beautiful, old, red barn. No one had been there and there wasn't a single footprint anywhere around the barn. It made for some awesome shots. It wasn't hard, though, because Adam and Mary Beth are naturals in front of the camera and were awesome to work with. We can't wait to go up to Michigan in June to shoot their wedding. I'm sure it will be awesome!

View the Original article with the rest of the Photos HERE
Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Fearrington House Wedding Photos - Caitlin and Matthew

2011-01-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

Caitlin and Matthew couldn't have had a more perfect day! The weather was superb, the venue was gorgeous, and the people were amazing. This was our first time to the Fearrington and I was blown away. What a beautiful place! It's its own little village built very quaint and personal. The wedding photos were easy with such a beautiful venue and awesome people. Everyone was very nice and easy to work with. It only took a few minutes and I felt like I was a part of the wedding. Those are my favorites; when I forget that I am a photographer and almost feel like a guest at the wedding. Over the years I have been blessed to photograph many weddings where I was more of a guest than a photographer and this was definitely one of them. - Nick

See the rest of the photos HERE: Blue Bend Photography
Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Mary Beth and Adam's Engagement Photos

2011-01-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

Data Storage

2011-01-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Some of my clients have asked me about how I store so many photos. I thought I would show you. I have a fire safe that is rated for media (1700 degrees for 2 hours) and I can fit quite a few hard drives in it. I have 8 in there right now (8 terebytes of storage) and have room for about 8 more. And it's small enough that it can be carried and moved around without a forklift.

Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Pam and Jason's wedding

2011-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

We met Jason and Pam earlier this year to do their engagement shoot. We had a very fun and creative shoot with them. Both of them are so comfortable in front of the camera, that it made for great photos. We had the same experience at their wedding. They had lots of energy to spare and they brought their own ideas into the shoot. The ceremony was very personal and emotional, which made it a great wedding experience for us. Here are just a few of our favorite photos.
See the Original Article Here: Blue Bend Photography
Asheville Wedding Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Diamond Brand

2011-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with Diamond Brand in Fletcher. They needed some photos for their new website that they launched (www.DiamondBrand.com). I have got to see and handle some really cool equipment. They make custom tents, bags, covers and lots of other stuff. Here is just one photo of a really cool SCUBA bag set that they just launched this year.

Asheville Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Pardee Hospital - Wellness Center

2011-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

On the last day of the year it is only fitting that we have a photo shoot with one of our favorite clients. They were actually one of our first clients of the year, so it is funny that they should also be our last of the year.

They are redoing the literature that they have for the Wellness Center and needed some photos to show the place off. It is really impressive inside. They even have a pool with a treadmill on the floor for people doing physical therapy. Besides that they have lots of classes and consulting. What a great resource right in our hometown!

Asheville Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Biking Key West to Jacksonville (more photos after jump)

2010-12-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

So, we're back from Florida. A little tan. A lot stronger legs.

It seems like right when the legs are getting into biking all day, every day ... the trip is over.

It was awesome. I got to hang out with my best friend for a week, ride my bike for a week and hang out in the sun. Most of the days were great. Joe and I kept an online journal at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=RrzKj&doc_id=8007&v=2n

Asheville Photography: Blue Bend Photography

That has a lot of photos that Joe took with his phone on the way. Neither of us had good cameras on the bike... so the quality isn't the best. I kept my pack weight to about 4 lbs. A Canon 5d Mark II was out of the question ;)

Carolina from the AIR (more photos after the jump)

2010-12-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

After getting back from the bike trip Joe took Maddy and me up in the air for a couple hour flight. We flew all the way up Gatlinburg area and down over Cashiers, Lake Lure and back to Hendo. It was an amazing day with little wind. Couldn't have asked for a better flying day!

Asheville Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Hardin Family

2010-12-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

Right before the parade on Saturday Maddy and I hopped over to the Hardins to get some photos of their boys for Christmas cards. We got all the standard stuff, but some of my favorite stuff was just hanging out with the family and taking photos of them doing "normal" stuff. The boys all have completely different personalities and I love how photos can capture that.
Asheville Family Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Hegberg Family

2010-11-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I met up with Elizabeth's family for a quick family shoot. They had their family in town for Thanksgiving and wanted to get everyone in one photo for the Christmas card. We went over to a really cool, old church with lots of ivy on the hill. It made for lots of nice green even though all the trees had lost their leaves.

Asheville Family Photography: Blue Bend Photography

Hannah's New T-Shirts

2010-11-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Matt and Annie over at Hannah Flannagan's in Hendersonville asked me the other day to take some photos of the new t-shirts that they have for sale. If you know Hendersonville you probably know Hannah's. Check out the t-shirts! They're pretty cool!

Fall Biking!

2010-11-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

A local cyclist and I went out for a ride / shoot the other day and ended up getting some beautiful stuff. The North Carolina mountains offer some fantastic cycling and some fantastic fall scenery. I had a guy drive for me while I laid down in the bed of the Subaru with the tailgate open. I also had two lights sticking out the tailgate like the car had antennae. It must have been a sight to see for cars driving down the road. It's one of my favorite things about portable lighting with batteries; I can take them anywhere and get perfect lighting. Also, having the bike and the car moving at the same speed made for some awesome "panning" shots. Here are some of the results.

Fall Fly Fishing

2010-10-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I got up really early and was on the river by first light with my brother-in-law. Luckily I brought a camera along, because it ended up being one of the most beautiful mornings I've ever experienced. I quickly put my fishing rod away and spent the morning taking photos. Rick was a great sport and even moved around a little for me so that I could get just the right photo.

Brook and Henry's wedding

2010-10-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend Nick and I shoot Brook and Henry's wedding in Brevard. The ceremony was held at Pretty Place which is an open air chapel overlooking the mountains. It was phenomenal and the weather permitted a beautiful view. Brook and Henry were a lot of fun and had some great ideas for their wedding. They rented a old time trolley to take them and the wedding party back to the reception site, which was a beautiful Victorian home with a big pond and lots of great photos opportunities. Here are some of our favorites from the day.

Bret and Jennifer's Family

2010-10-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Bret and Jennifer brought their beautiful family up for some family photos before the leaves were all gone. Both of the boys were really, really good sports and great with the camera. We got lucky with the weather and the leaves and were able to get a great shoot in just before all the leaves fall. Bret and Jennifer are local CPAs and work out of Fletcher. Their business can be found at http://www.bretpachecocpa.com/

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Blue Bend Photography!!!

Germany / Austria (lots of photos after the jump)

2010-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

In September Maddy and I went over to Germany and Austria for 2 weeks to visit her family. It went by way to fast (of course), but we had an amazing time. While there we got to go to a couple of towns that we hadn't been to before and visit a lot of places that we hadn't been to in a while. For those of you that don't know, Maddy is German and that is where we met. We lived in Munich together for a year and then Dresden for 4 more years before moving back to the US. There are a lot of photos. Make sure you click on the "READ MORE" for the rest.

Leah and Jesse

2010-10-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of October Nick and I headed to the Arbors in Cleveland, NC to shoot Leah and Jesse's wedding. The location was absolutely gorgeous and the wedding couple was creative and fun to work with. They decided to see each other and do the portraits before the wedding, which meant we had a lot of time to work with them and go to great locations. It was an amazing fall day with lots of great photo opportunities and happy people. It was a pleasure working with Leah and Jesse.

Pumpkins and Puppy

2010-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today Maddy and I took Bear to the pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins. It was a blast. The weather was to die for and Bear was hilarious. He made friends with a cow and didn't know what to think of the pumpkins. After the pumpkins we hopped over and picked a whole bunch of apples that we are going to turn into apple sauce. Can't wait for that!

Jessica and Haynes

2010-09-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Maddy, Philip and I headed to the coast for a beach wedding. They rented a couple of houses on Sunset Beach. Haynes spent a lot of time there as a kid and it had a lot of meaning for him to get married there. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and the people couldn't have been nicer. There were all kinds of games and interesting things to photograph. I have only included a few here. I have a whole gallery made out of this wedding on the main site at http://www.bluebendphotography.com/jessica%20haynes%20wedding%20gallery.html

Laurie and Adam's wedding at the Raffaldini Vineyard

2010-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Nick and I had the privilege to shoot Laurie and Adam's wedding at the famous Raffaldini vineyard and we were blown away by the Tuscan feel of the Vineyard and by the excellent decorations that made this wedding a real treat. Laurie made all the wedding favors (little ceramic vases) all by herself. It was such a creative wedding. Laurie and Adam were amazing and so natural in front of the camera. We had a lot of time to go explore the scenery with them and enjoy plenty of great photo opportunities. Here are a few of our favorites of the day.

Wedding Bonanza Weekend!

2010-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had 3 weddings and an engagement shoot. It was busy, to say the least. Here is a favorite of mine for now. There is much more to come!

A fantastic billboard!

2010-08-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

There is great billboard on the side of 280 in Mills River. This is from the same shoot that we did for Pardee a couple months back as the shopping carts at the grocery stores.

Amber and Chris's engagement shoot

2010-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful and sunny Saturday, when we met Amber and Chris for their engagement shoot in Hendersonville. Hendersonville has a lot of really neat locations to offer including downtown, the train depot and jump off rock with an amazing view over the Blue Ridge. Amber and Chris where up for anything and were naturals in front of the camera. We had a great time and got some fun shots. Here are some of my favorites

Pardee Hospital - ER shoot

2010-08-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we had a couple of shoots with Pardee Hospital where we got to get on top of the McDonald's by the Urgent Care and then another where we worked in the ER with some of the staff for a ER campaign. Pardee has chosen to use 4 of the photos from those shoots at Harris Teeter on their shopping carts. Here are a few photos of the final product.

I also found these two on the homepage for Pardee

Jason and Pam Engagement

2010-08-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Maddy and I went out to meet Pam and Jason near Grandfather Mountain. They are from the Raleigh area, but wanted to get some engagements done in the mountains. One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to travel all over the place. One of the main things that Maddy and I missed when living in Alaska was the ability to get in the car and drive through the countryside and explore. We did just that yesterday. We met up with Pam and Jason at the base of Grandfather Mountain, but it was too cloudy up top to make it worth it. So we got in the cars and just drove for a while towards Boone and found lots of cool spots to stop and get some shots. Both Pam and Jason were great people and awesome to work with. After getting to know both of them we can't wait to work with them in October!

Elizabeth and Dan - Cashiers/Highlands Wedding

2010-07-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last week Maddy and I headed to Cashiers and Highlands for a beautiful wedding. We started off at Elizabeth's parents' house where I met the biggest dog that I have ever seen. They had a 190 pound English Mastiff as their honorary ring bearer and it was incredibly cute. If you haven't been to Cashiers, Highlands or Sapphire Valley yet, I highly recommend it. It is one of the most beautiful areas of Western North Carolina and we had a great couple to work with.

even better than the chair... look in the background.

LOVE this one!

Hecla Mining Shoot - Final Product

2010-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Last fall my buddy Joe and I went up to Juneau, Alaska for a shoot for Hecla. They own multiple mines and they needed some video and photos from the mine on Admiralty Island off the coast of Juneau. It was an amazing shoot and an amazing place. Joe was in charge of all the video and I the stills. Here is a link to the final video they made with the stuff we gave them.

It's a little weird to see two full days of shooting boiled down to a minute and a half video. Brings back some awesome memories though.

http://www.hecla-mining.com/GreensCreekvideo2009.wmv

O'Cain Design - Architecture Photos

2010-06-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! There are some nice houses out there! O'Cain Design is a local architecture firm and they have hired me to take photos of some of their recent work to use on their website and advertising. The first, the white house, was an addition to the kitchen area and then a big addition to the other end of the house as a new bedroom. I don't know about you, but if I didn't know that they weren't original, I wouldn't have been able to tell.

Caitlin and Matthew - Chapel Hill/Fearrington Village Wedding

2010-06-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I headed over to the Chapel Hill area to photograph Caitlin and Matthew's wedding. It was pretty far off the beaten path, so when I pulled up to one of the most beautiful venues that I've ever seen - Fearrington Village - I was pretty surprised. It was also a fairly intimate wedding, but that certainly didn't stop them from having an awesome party afterward. Everyone stayed on the dance floor till the very last song. You don't see a whole lot of weddings where that happens anymore. It was one of those weddings where it was impossible not to have a blast.

O'Cain Design - Architecture Photos

2010-06-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say about this house. It's on TOP of a mountain! Literally! and... it's an incredible, incredible house.

Casey and Josh Engagement

2010-06-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I went up to Jump Off Rock with Casey and Josh for an engagement sitting. Both were really fun and we got tons of great stuff.

Linda and Richard at Kanuga

2010-05-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Kanuga Conference Center to shoot a beautiful, outdoor wedding. Linda and Richard were so much fun to work with. They were very easy going and had some great ideas of their own for the pictures. The actual ceremony was held at the outdoor chapel with beautiful scenery and amazing warm temperatures. Here are some of our favorites photos of the day.

Julie and Trey in Valdese, NC

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Maddy and I went to Valdese, NC for an awesome wedding with Julie and Trey. I had a very had time narrowing it down to these. I'm sorry if this is too many to look at, but I have a lot of favorites. It was, not only a beautiful wedding, but also a really fun one. There was tons of dancing, singing and hanging out. Hope you enjoy. -Nick

Sorry it's been so long

2010-05-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been so long. In the last couple of weeks we've bought a house, gotten a new puppy, moved, painted, etc. Needless to say, it's been a crazy couple of weeks.

Here are a couple of photos from the last couple of weeks.

-Nick

Art Gallery Opening

2010-03-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

I started off as a photographer for fun and that is still my real passion in life. I love working as a photographer, but photography as an art is my real love in life. There is a new cafe in town called Jongo Java (Hendersonville, NC). The owner saw some of my work and asked if I'd be interested in leaving my stuff up for the month of March. A couple of days ago I had my first "art opening." It was very interesting to have people looking at my work and talking about it in front of me. I'm used to taking photos for people and having a bit of distance between the client and me. It ended up being a ton of fun though. Tons of friends showed up and I even sold a couple of pieces.

Heavy Ice on Trees Causes Havoc

2010-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of posts back I talked about the differences in weather and some of the new crazy weather that I am being exposed to in North Carolina. Something new again: heavy ice on trees.

A couple of days ago it was about 31 degrees and raining quite heavily. This caused all the trees to collect a lot of ice. So much ice that tons and tons of trees snapped off branches and tons snapped in half.

We went for a drive to check out the damage and were turned back because there were so many trees and telephone poles blocking the roads. Here are a couple of photos where you can see the weight of the ice and another where you can see the tops of the trees missing. They looked like they had all had a haircut.

If you look at the trees on the right you can see they are all missing their tops.

This really shows the weight of the ice.

An up-close to show the thickness of the ice.

Pardee Hospital - Total Hip Replacement

2010-02-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Today was another first. Not too long ago I was dressed up "head-to-toe" in Tyvek so I could go down inside of an active mine. Today, I dawned the scrubs. I was inside of the operating room while they performed a total hip replacement. It was incredibly interesting. The doctor was very passionate about his work and took time to explain almost everything that he did (and was doing) to me. I can only put up this one photo right now. Maybe at some point down the road I can put up more.

edit: I had to take the photos down and destroy them all. The patient changed her mind about the photography and we have to destroy all the photos.

Pardee Hospital - Chimney Rock shoot

2010-01-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Not very often do I get to see the final product of what gets made with my photos, but the Creative Director for Pardee Hospital gave me a copy of one of the flyers that he had made out of one of the photos that I took in October up at Chimney Rock. This is a scan of the front of the flyer.

He has also made 3 wall-size murals that are on the walls around the hospital. I plan on going over soon and taking photos of those.

High Water!

2010-01-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

Everywhere that I have lived has had some kind of crazy weather that was unique to its area. Michigan is just crazy weather. Nowhere that I have lived does it change as quickly as in Michigan. I have seen, many times, the weather go from 60 degrees one day, to 15 the next. The weatherman in Michigan does not have it easy.

Germany was something else. The clouds that would hang around for weeks and weeks at a time were unbelievable. I used to forget what the sun and blue sky looked like. It was not uncommon to go 4 - 6 weeks without seeing the sun because of the constant cloud cover. Dresden was a hard place to live because of the weather. I won't live in a valley again!

Alaska. Hmm... what to say about Alaska? -60 degrees, earthquakes, ice fog, 3 feet of snow in a day, etc. Alaska wasn't so much "crazy" as it was EXTREME. There is nothing mediocre about Alaska. Everything that goes on there is to the extreme. When it decides to be cold... it gets really cold. When the sun decides to come out and be beautiful... you have never seen such amazing sun and beauty.

On to North Carolina. Rain. When it rains it really rains. I thought the house was going to float away and Noah was going to be coming by to collect our cats. Yesterday when it stopped raining Maddy and I went to take a ride because it was so nice out. Check out what happens in North Carolina when it rains for a day.

That is a normal height bridge in the distance that is under water. Impressive to say the least. Thank goodness Hendersonville isn't in a valley, but rather way up in the mountains.

Dale's Garage

2010-01-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is the coolest personal garage you've ever seen!

Last night Rick and I went over to a friend's house to change Rick's brakes. This was the first time that I had been there since they finished their house and I was blown away. I will let the pictures tell the story.

There is a garage just for working on the trucks. Amazing!

Notice that he's STANDING under his truck! How cool is that??!!

Dutch Oven cooking and Land Rover Monthly magazine

2010-01-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last night two really cool things happened
1. we used our new Dutch Oven for the first time and it was awesome.
2. the new Land Rover Monthly came in the mail FINALLY from England with my article in it.

The Dutch Oven was pretty cool because ... well you get to sit by the campfire and cook and then eat. It doesn't get much better than that! Yesterday was the day to do it. It was 64 degrees when I left the office so we decided to do a fire and cook.

The article is not new news, but it has been a while since it came out in England and we have been dying to have it get here. It was an exciting moment when it finally arrived. For those of you that don't know, this was the first time that I actually WROTE the article as well as took the pictures.

Finally, I have had a couple people asking me for pictures of my new office. So... here are a few pics of the new digs. In them you can see Maddy busily working away. ;)

St Patrick's Day in Hendersonville

2010-01-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard yet, or been to the festival in last couple of years... there is a big celebration for St Patty's Day in March in Downtown Hendersonville. This year, for the first time, we are going to be having a TENT to protect us from the rain!!! Last year was a bit wet.

Mark it on your calendars! It's going to be a great day!

Here is a link to the blog with photos and info from the last two years http://marchoftheleprechauns.blogspot.com/

Wedding Festivals Asheville

2010-01-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again... Bridal Shows! Two weeks ago we were down in Greenville, SC and this past weekend we were in the Civic Center in Asheville. I was so shocked! There were so many people there. The time just flew by. The show started at 10am and before I knew it, it was 3 in the afternoon.

During the day we got to meet lots of nice people and lots of other vendors. I would highly recommend coming out to the next big show in Greenville in a couple of weeks. See you there!

ps. we had so much to take along with us that a camera was out of the question. this is just a little picture from my phone.

Hendersonville's Young Professionals

2010-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Last night Maddy and I attended our first meeting of the Hendersonville Young Professionals. Nicola from First Citizens in town invited us when we went in to open our banking accounts and told her about our new business in town. She, along with 2 other people in town, organized the meeting and it came off great. Last night was only the second meeting that the group has done, and already it had over 35 people show up. We met a lot of great people and I already can't wait till next month.

Rick and Tiffany - Jump off Rock

2010-01-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Tiffany, Rick and I went out to Jump Off Rock for a little engagement session. They brought their dog, Olive, with them for some cut "family" shots. The weather was a little cold, but the wind decided to be nice and not blow us off the mountain. With beautiful scenery and bright blue skies it made for an awesome shoot. Afterwards we headed back to their house and got a couple of shots around their fire pit. The pit is a common hangout of theirs with friends and family and seemed like a perfect ending to the day.

Hersh Kids: Christmas Card Photos for Grandmas

2009-11-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today I went over to the Hersh's again for a shoot with just the kids. Mrs Hersh wanted some photos of the kids to send to the Grandmas at Christmas time. I know this family pretty well and it is always a pleasure seeing them. The kids were all super today and it was really easy getting some great stuff of all of them. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Ice Climbing - Kid Around the Corner

2009-11-18T20:52:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday Joe, Bryan and I braved the -10 degree cold and went and did "Kid Around the Corner" up in the Caribou Creek Canyon. The river wasn't completely frozen over so we had to hike up to the top and rappel down from the top. It was 4 main pitches and 3 of the four were frozen solid. Only 1 was still really wet. Luckily it was the top one, so we didn't get wet until we were about to leave. Running water is always a mystery when it's -10 and it's flowing over a frozen ice-waterfall. The most bizarre part is that the water is technically below the temperature of freezing. Anyways, here are a few pics. We didn't take many because it was too cold to get the gloves off and pull the camera out.

Von Imhof Family

2009-11-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday evening Philip and I headed over to the Von Imhof's house and took some family photos for their Christmas cards. We got there just as the sun was setting and were able to get some nice twilight sky photos as well. When we were all too cold we headed in and got some more photos next to the fireplace. What a beautiful family! They were all so nice and great to work with. Even their dog was super photogenic!

Alexander Family Shoot

2009-11-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to another family's house and took some family shots. They had the cutest dog that ended up making me laugh over and over when I got back to the computer and checked out the photos. People ask me all the time why I take so many photos of a single situation. This is a perfect example. As we can see, not only do humans change expressions very quickly... so do dogs. Some of the expressions on this dog's face are some of the funniest things I've seen. Check them out!

danica, skip and isabella

2009-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

this weekend i went down to girdwood for a family shoot. right before i got there there was a very quick snow shower that made everything look very fairytale-like. shooting in a temperate rainforest is beautiful to begin with. shooting in there with snow, awesome people, a super cute baby and studio lighting was a dream. here are a couple of my favorites.

an award-winning catch!

like father, like daughter... looking for fish ;)

Hecla's Greens Creek Mine - Juneau, Alaska

2009-11-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

This past week I had to pleasure of going with Joe to Juneau for two days to shoot at Hecla's Greens Creek Mine. Wow! What an experience! I learned so much about mining and got to shoot in one of the coolest environments I have ever been in. It was on an island off the coast of Juneau which meant that when we got there we had to take a float plane to the island. That night we caught the ferry back to Juneau with the crew. We rode both ways the next day with the ferry (5am departure, 5pm return). 4am wake-ups are always fun! I can't express what an amazing two days it was. Joe and I had to keep reminding each other that we were hundreds of feet below ground in a working MINE! Here are some behind the scenes shots.

URE land rover event

2009-10-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

this weekend i went on my first off-roading trip with an organization. the group is called Old North State Land Rover Society. they put on the URE festival every year. this was my first year and i was very impressed. before i left, i contacted land rover monthly and they said that they would be interested in publishing some of the photos from the trip along with a story. because of that, i am not sure if i can put up any of the photos from it yet. after i know whether or not i can, i will put up photos.

**FULL GALLERY AT MY FLICKR ACCOUNT**

behind the scenes - pardee hospital

2009-10-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

last week i had a great shoot with pardee hospital out of hendersonville, nc. the hospital is doing an ad campaign working with the doctors of the hospital. we started out at chimney rock and then headed down to lake lure. it was my first time to either spot. what an awesome and beautiful place! i have a possible wedding for this summer there. That would be amazing! Here are some of the behind the scenes shots.

final visit before the MOVE!!

2009-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

last week i was down in North Carolina for the last time before Maddy and I pack up and drive down. it was a great week. it went by way too quick, but i had a great visit with the family and had two great shoots: one for Pardee Hospital and one for Land Rover Monthly at URE. Can't wait to be down there for good!

Pardee Hospital Shoot at Chimney Rock and Lake Lure

2009-10-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I went on a commercial shoot with Pardee Hospital for an ad campaign that they are running. We started first up at Chimney Rock and got some photos of two doctors running and hiking. Then we went down to Lake Lure and shot some more running shots and some up-close stuff. It was my first time working with Pardee and it was amazing. All the people were extremely nice and totally game to try anything (including hiking to the top of the mountain to get the best vistas - thanks guys!). I look forward to working with this group again some time in the future. Here are a few of my favorites. None of them have been edited in any way because the art director wants to do all that. He wants them just as is.

Girdwood Family Shoot

2009-10-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went down to Girdwood to meet up with relatives of a previous family shoot that I did. We had some awesome light to work with and for the first time in a week or so we had sun - no rain! We started at one of my favorite spots in Girdwood: Moose Meadows and then headed up to the hotel and the Winner Creek Trail for some cool woods shots. Girdwood is one of my favorite places to shoot and I had a great family to work with. It was summed up with a spectacular drive back to Anchorage with the sun setting behind Mt Spur and listening to Monday Night Football. Not a bad night!

Anchorage Wedding - Jorin and DJ

2009-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I was at Bayshore with Jorin and DJ. I know this gets said a lot, but they were both really cool people. They were both completely selfless and totally giving. So much so, that when (only 1 year into their relationship) they found out about a little girl that was in trouble, they adopted her. Both of them were also a lot of fun and totally in love. Capturing emotion in the two of them wasn't much of a challenge.

While we were shooting two baby moose and a mom decided to come and eat right next to my gear. Not a safe thing. We grabbed the gear and walked quickly, but quietly away.

Exciting Ad Stuff

2009-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

So this weekend a bunch of new ads went live and I got accepted into a cool association.

The first was my ad in the Knot went live. I'm super excited about that. Ever since I worked for my first company in Metro Detroit and saw his ad in the Knot, I dreamed of one day having my own company and getting my ad in the Knot.

Then, this morning I got an email saying that I had been accepted into the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalists Association). I am also really excited to be in this association. They have contests every month and other cool meetings you can attend as a member. It was also a cool feeling to see my company's name listed there in the listings.

Trip to Hope, Alaska

2009-09-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend Maddy and I took a trip to Hope with our best friends. We knew that it was going to be our last chance to go to Hope (our favorite place in Alaska) and we wanted to share it with our best friends and also get some nice pics while there.

Joe was kind enough to do a couple short shoots in a couple different places. The first place we went was at the end of an old mining road that took us up about 10-12 miles up an amazing valley. Thank goodness we have a Subaru - I don't think the old Saturn would have made it.

We ended up staying at the cabins that we have always stayed at (Bowman's Bear Creek Cabins). They were cozy and cute as ever. For dinner Brook brought along the Dutch Oven and whipped up some amazing chicken and dumplings. It was a lot like Chicken Pot Pie but in a pot, sitting around a campfire - totally cool.

Liz and Aaron Family Shoot

2009-08-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I met up with a family for a family shoot. We decided on the Glen Alps area and got some beautiful light and beautiful weather. The kids are all adorable and were very easy to work with. One of the best things about Alaska - and one of my favorites - is the incredible light that we get. All year long the sunsets seem to last forever and it casts a really soft, warm light on everything. This happens to be my favorite time of the year as well. The incredible scenery minutes away from downtown Anchorage is an added bonus as well.