The Adams // A Family Session at Holden Beach

Happy Friday you guys! Have anything fun planned for the weekend? A trip to a museum or the farmer’s market, staying at home with a good book, or perhaps a trip to the mountains or the beach?

I had a fantastic time with the Adams a while back during their annual family trip to the beach! You might recognize them from Lauren and David’s wedding we filmed quite a while ago! I got to spend the day playing with sand between my toes and salty air in my hair, capturing memories for this sweet family. It was so special to hear their stories throughout the day – especially the legacy of the grandparents (now great-grandparents) and the sweet, enduring love they have for one another. It truly was a joy for me to capture four generations of this family, to be there for nap time and snack time, to experience the ebbs and flows of the day, to walk and sit on the beach together and share stories, and even to stay for dinner and chat late into the evening while munching on copious amounts of homemade popcorn.

Thank you, friends, for inviting me into your family for a day to capture these moments for you.

Steph + Thad // A Wisconsin Wedding

Steph and Thad’s love simply radiates from them. Their first look was one of our favorites we’ve ever done because they simply loved on one another the entire time. We hardly had to give these two any direction, their love is just that electric. A few minutes into their first look, Thad (who was a little hesitant to do a first look), exclaimed “I LOVE the first look!!” And that, folks, is why we highly recommend our couples see one another before the ceremony. Besides the obvious fact that more time equals more photos, you get to soak up your wedding day with the one you’re marrying. We’ve never ever had couples say “oh I wish we didn’t do a first look!” Nope. It’s always the opposite. Always always. So, Steph and Thad – we’re so very grateful you two did a first look. These moments of the two of you together are so precious. Thank you for letting us capture them for you.

One of the sweetest surprises of Steph and Thad’s day was the song they played as she walked down the aisle. Steph shared with us that she’d acted hesitant to use Canon in D for her processional as it’s such a traditional piece. She kept telling Thad she wanted something a little less standard. Both Steph and Thad’s parents got married at the same church and that song is the same one that each of their moms walked down the aisle to. On top of that, when Thad was born, he wasn’t breathing – his father Rodney held him in his arms and sang Canon in D as he prayed for God to intervene and spare his baby’s life. Thad began breathing shortly after. Canon in D has such special significance for both of their families, so Steph kept her processional song a secret from Thad and surprised him with it as the doors opened and her father walked her down the aisle.

Vendors:

Ceremony Venue: Nashotah House Theological Seminary

Hair/Makeup: Signature Salon & Spa

Dress: From Betrothed Boutique

Flowers: Waukesha Floral & Greenhouse

Officiant: Thad Butcher

Reception Venue: Chenequa Country Club

Caterer: Chenequa Country Club

Cake: Simma’s Bakery

DJ: Midwest Sound

Photography: Grain & Compass

Videography: Grain & Compass

Fort Fisher

Back in March we had a brief but glorious weekend getaway to Kure Beach with Richard and Lindsey. Tim’s brother Richard was down in Durham for a Wheaton event, and he and his wife Lindsey decided they’d make a little beach weekend out of it, in an attempt to escape the-winter-that-would-never-end. We rented a fantastic condo on the beach and filled our weekend with good food and exploring Wilmington, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher. I am already dreaming of more family-vacays with these two!

Tim and I have been traveling every weekend the last month or so between a wedding in Wisconsin, giving a photography workshop at Chapel Hill, sessions on Pawley’s Island and in Winston Salem, and another wedding in Detroit. We’re traveling again this weekend, but this time we’re excited that it’s simply for the purpose of seeing friends up in Raleigh. We’re stoked to attend the spring fling at SAS again this year (thanks to our friend Khang for working at an awesome company) – all the free food and drinks and music and bouncy houses and fireworks you could want? Count us in. We’ve also got plans to hit up The Handmade Market in Raleigh on Saturday, as well as a Durham Bulls game in the evening. It’s shaping up to be a great weekend!

What do you have planned for the next few days? Any adventures ahead?

Taylor + Drew // A Charleston Wedding Film

This wedding was immensely special for Tim and I to film. Taylor and Drew are friends of ours from Wheaton, and Tay and I were roommates our senior year. Taylor is a fabulous photographer in the Charleston area and she and I actually photographed one of our very first weddings together! Little did we know back then we’d both be doing this full-time!

Before Taylor and Drew got engaged, I remember Taylor and I chatting with our girlfriends about whether we’d rather attend a friend’s wedding as a guest or document it. I immediately answered that I’d rather document it. I love the intimacy of filming (or photographing) a dear friend’s big day.  I feel I get to celebrate with them on their day and continue celebrating with them in the days, weeks, and months to come as we edit through the footage and put together a film that tells their story.

As a videographer I got to have a first hand look at the joy on Taylor’s mom’s face as she helped her get into her dress and the sweet words she and the girls prayed over her before sending her off to see Drew.

I got to see the excitement on Taylor’s face and her sweet tears when we surprised her with a Skype conversation with Lily, our college roommate who SO wished she wasn’t in South Korea that day, celebrating from the other side of the globe.

Tim got to witness the relaxed, carefree morning the boys had over at their house. (Seriously. Drew is one of the most chill, easy-going people we know.) And he got to hear Drew’s words about Taylor – his thoughtful and honest words expressing how deeply he loves this girl.

I got to witness the deep breaths Taylor took and her nervous excitement right before she got to see Drew – even though she has photographed tons of other brides and their first looks, she was suddenly asking me “What do I do? Do I just walk up behind him? Do I tap him on the shoulder?” Now, this was her moment. Not the moment for all the other brides she had guided into their first looks before that. This was her moment to see her groom and she savored it completely.

We got to spend so much time exploring the grounds of the Pepper Plantation with the two of them and Jonny and Michele of Paper Antler (You HAVE to go see the photographs they captured of this day! What a JOY it was for us to get to work alongside these two incredibly talented and passionate photographers!) Taylor and Drew had the most relaxed first look and photo time, and it shows. They weren’t concerned with rushing off to the next thing. They planned in plenty of time for photos and video, and for that we are so grateful – it makes such a big difference!

We are so proud of this film we put together of Taylor and Drew’s day. We hope that as you watch it you find yourselves celebrating with us and with Taylor and Drew as we did together on this beautiful day.

Vendors

Venue: The Pepper Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina

Coordinator: Emily Weidle

Hair/Makeup: Abby Scherf

Flowers: Branch Design Studio

Rental Company: Snyder Event Rental

Officiant: Brodie Swanson

Photo Booth: Finger Snappin

Caterer: Crazy Dutchman

Cake (Pie!): Crazy Dutchman

Bar: Spike

DJ: Finger Snappin Entertainment

Photography: Paper Antler

Videography: Grain & Compass

Getting back to film. And a few updates.

This past year we started shooting film again for fun. I’d forgotten how much I missed it! I love the mystery of not really knowing how it’ll turn out, the anticipation of waiting for my prints to come back from the developer,  and the joy of seeing that they turned out better than I had hoped. Most of all, I love the realness of each image – the grain and the color, the beauty of a photo captured not on an electronic sensor, but on a piece of film, the light and the chemicals working together in a dance of science to produce a beautiful finished image. Just recently we got a few rolls of film back from Richard Photo Lab in California, and we were thrilled with the results. I had to share a few of the images we captured over this past year or so as we experimented with film again.

The past few months have been a whirlwind of many things for Tim and I, especially for being our “off season.” We’ve been chugging away on a few winter wedding films, working on a couple films for non-profits, attending workshops and traveling to see family and friends, doing some minor (and major) home renovations on the house we rent, Tim’s been taking online classes to finish his teaching certification in NC, and amidst all of this we’re trying to remember to take some time to breathe.

Our most recent big project is a food blog I launched called This Wild Season. I’m super excited about sharing what I’m learning in the kitchen and out, and having a more personal platform to share about our lives and all the ups and downs. I hope that This Wild Season will become a place to encourage others, whether it be to try new things in the kitchen, live fully in the present, or invite others into their homes and their lives – there’s so much to be learned in the places where our stories intersect with others.

Speaking of stories, Tim recently attended the Storytelling With Heart workshop put on by Stillmotion. It was an incredible experience and he’s still sort of processing all that he learned in the two-day experience. After the workshop Tim felt it was necessary to express his appreciation to the guys who led the second portion of the workshop in particular – it was a day of hands-on filming for a piece they’re compiling throughout the tour. He walked away from that day with a newfound excitement and passion for filmmaking and storytelling, so it was only appropriate that those guys know how inspiring they are to other filmmakers like ourselves. We were thrilled this weekend to see that Tim was actually quoted on the Story & Heart blog – you can read it under the first section here!

As we sit on the verge of our busy season starting up in a couple weeks, we feel so much excitement for what this year will hold. We’re working with some absolutely incredible couples who have the most beautiful and unique stories! We can’t wait to share them with you here! If you know anyone who’s tying the knot this year, send them our way – we’re currently booking 2014 and 2015 wedding stories! We’re looking for couples who are passionate about beautiful photography and videography, and those who want to let us into their lives so we can capture and share their stories with others.

All images captured with the Canon EOS 3, Sitacon RX-7, and Fujifilm Instax Mini 50S. Various Portra films, Kodak Tri-X 400, Ilford HP5 Plus 400, and Instax films used.