In an earlier post “Printing Images On Metal” I introduced a new addition to my product line, what I call “Heavy Metal” prints.  At the time of the post the metal print had not been made yet, so I had nothing to show other than the image the print would be made from.  Recently I have had two more sample images printed for the studio, so I thought a follow-up post would be in order.  I am very excited about these metal prints!  They must be seen live to appreciate their unique look, photographs do not do them justice!   The color images just pop in the light, they glow as if lit from behind, and have depth to them.  The metal brushed effect adds a “film grain” look that glitters in the light.  The B&W prints show more brushed effect through them, and the images have appearance of being etched on the aluminum.  If you are not a big fan of the “film grain” effect, there is an option for printing on brilliant white aluminum, the color on them is just amazing!

The photos of my new samples were made at the entry to my office, the front door is beveled glass with frosted panels, allowing plenty of the morning sun to stream in.  These prints have a very reflective clear coating on them that gave me no end of trouble while I was shooting!  If I turned the prints too far on one direction to catch the light, I would get a reflection of the door and lose the details in the prints, too far in the other direction, and I would lose the “glow” I was wanting to capture, fun!  In the above images you can see some of the reflections of the door, the edge of one print reflected in the other, the very thing that makes these prints “pop” is the same thing that makes them a bear to shoot!

These prints come in many sizes and different mounting options, they can be fitted to hang from chains, or with special mounts that make them stand out from the wall.  There are also some framing options available with brushed metal frames that float one image over another.  My clients from this engagement session opted for the “stand out” mounting that float the images out from the wall.  I decided to go with just the prints, knowing that they end up on easels in my studio foyer, now all I need to do is find is some easels that more match the prints!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

A ritual I have for starting a new year is to review the past year and be grateful for the opportunities and the clients that have came my way.  This year I have so much to be grateful for!  Fantastic weddings and events, numerous commercial projects, I stayed busy all year, so busy I didn’t have the time to blog about it!  These are some of the highlights from 2010.

Brad and Alli

This is a shot of my 2010 Wedding Giveaway winners at a Braves game, in their private suite with their friends.  This was not the only special event I shot in 2010, I also photographed a luau themed party, complete with roast pig and fire dancers.

Fire Dancer

Not all the events were social, I had several corporate assignments.  The most interesting was the four day event I blogged about earlier this year, Dragon Boat races.

And the race is on!

This shoot was fun!  I spent a large portion of the day riding in the rescue boat shooting with a very long zoom lens to get closeups of the action.  It was tricky because the boat was small, and I had to stand to get my shots!  They were moving, my boat was moving AND rocking!  Good thing I didn’t get seasick!  Or fall overboard!

As much fun as these events were, there is nothing like a wedding.  If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you weddings have my heart, and I love shooting them.  Here are a few images from my 2010 weddings.

Mom and Bride's Sisters

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Happy faces, love it!

Wow, what a great face.

Mother of the Groom and Mother of the Bride just before going up to light the Unity candle.

Dancing with the new Hubby

Dancing with her Dad

I don't know about you, but I can feel the love.

Wedding Ducks (apparently)

And here’s some dancing from another wedding.

Having fun or what??

Ok, let's keep a straight face, hold it, hold it..........

Failed!

Some shots from a wedding November 2010 at The Georgian Terrace.

Heirloom Headpiece

A Classic Profile

Bored? Nothing to do? Read a Bridal magazine!

Fantastic!

Beautiful!

Wedding Cake Grand Ballroom Georgian Terrace

BTW…….. The cake is from Celso’s Cakes, yum!

Party!

A bit of "Air Guitar"

Yes, 2010 was an amazing year!  Great clients, lots of fun and excitement, the best yet!  I know 2011 will be even better and I am eager to see what happens next!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Fuller Logo On Custom Motorcycle

If you are a serious gear head like me,  you might recognize the logo on the black and white image above.  For those of you not “in the know” it is the logo for Bryan Fuller owner of Fuller Hot Rods.  An amazing talent, Bryan is a custom car, custom motorcycle builder and television personality.  He has been in episodes of Chip Foose’s “Overhaulin,” a featured contestant in the series “Biker Build Off,” and currently, he is the co-host of “Two Guys Garage,” a popular do-it-yourself automotive show.

By now you are probably wondering what Bryan has to do with the High Museum in Atlanta. The High has an exhibit ”The Allure of the Automobile” scheduled to end this month.  There will be a cocktail party to celebrate the end of the exhibit and Bryan will be the host.  The party will be June 24, 2010 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and you are invited!  This will be your last chance to see cars like this!

The Examples in Allure of the Automobile:

I have seen this exhibit, and these are some amazing automobiles!   In addition to the cars, Bryan will have some of his motorcycles on display.  His one-off customs are always creative and interesting, not your typical bolt together chopper.  When I asked about the bikes, he gave me this short list.

Great cars and bikes, exciting right?  It’s even better for me, I am photographing this event!  The larger part of my work is wedding photography, so when I get the chance to “mix it up” with some commercial or event photography, I am ready to go!  I found that by shooting other subjects outside of weddings, it gives me a new perspective, and I can bring something fresh to my weddings.

The High has been one of my long time favorites, they always have interesting exhibits, and it’s a great place for wedding receptions and corporate functions.  (You did know that right?)  If you have never been, you will be impressed with the High, it’s not what you would expect in a museum, not at all stuffy, and they understand it doesn’t have to hang on a wall to be art.  So, come on down Thursday evening, spend nine bucks, and look at some two and four wheeled art.

Image Courtesy Fuller Hot Rods

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

What A View!

This is a view from third base at Turner Field, a similar view will greet the winners of our 2010 Wedding Giveaway.  The time has come to announce the winners, and they areAlli Gates and Brad Anderson!  Alli, Brad, and fourteen of their lucky guests will attend a Braves game in their own private suite June 30th!  Congratulations Brad and Alli!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

It’s going to be a busy next few days.  I have a wedding this weekend and a four-day commercial assignment immediately after on Monday.  This is going to be one of the most interesting shoots of my career.  My potential wedding clients often ask me if I do work other than weddings, and I do.  Mostly it is for magazines, fine art, or the typical grip-it-and-grin corporate work.  But, what I am doing next week is “off the chain” exciting! One of my corporate clients will be having a team building event in Peachtree City, and the primary team building excercise for one of the four days is Dragon Boat racing!  Here is a clip from a 2007 event held in Peachtree City, the quality is ok, and it will give you an idea of what I will be shooting.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of action and excitement!  I will be out on safety boats and on the shore shooting the action.  This is a very exciting assignment for me!  When the shoot is over I will post images from the races if I have time, after all, this is wedding season!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

The Chimneys at Big Canoe

I would say this post is a bit over due.  The image above was made late Fall of 2009, shortly after my friends at Talk Of The Town Catering became the exclusive caterers for Big Canoe.  I had been asked by Talk Of The Town to come to Big Canoe and shoot some fresh images for their upcoming print campaign to promote the property.  My original intent was to make a post shortly after the images went to print, but schedule conflicts and other projects put this post on hold until now.  In the beginning, I was just supposed to shoot the “Chimneys” building at dusk, but, a tour of the surrounding properties expanded the project a bit.

In addition to the Chimneys, Big Canoe also has a beautiful church.  While waiting for the sun to set, I made some images of the exterior and interior.  I could not pass the opportunity up to get these shots, it was just too pretty!

Outside the Church, on a beautiful Fall day.

The Bell Tower

Inside View

In addition to the Chimneys and the church, there is also a beach area on the lake, and an aquatic center that can be used for weddings.  I didn’t have the time to photograph those adequately, I’m hoping to make a trip back to Big Canoe this Spring, and catch them then.  Since these Fall images were made, Talk Of The Town has taken advantage of the the Winter months and totally remodeled the interior of the Chimneys.  I haven’t seen it yet, but, I am hoping to make it there soon to get some shots of the upgraded insides.

Big Canoe is an impressive venue for a wedding, the mountain scenery is breathtaking, especially in the Spring, Summer and Fall.  It’s great if you have out of town guests, they can rent cabins at Big Canoe and spend the weekend there in addition to celebrating your wedding.  There are many advantages to having your wedding in the North Georgia mountains, cool in the Summer, amazing color in the Fall, and far away from the congestion and traffic of Atlanta.  If you are planning a North Georgia wedding and still looking for a location, Big Canoe might be it.

If you are interested in learning more about Big Canoe, contact Talk Of The Town for more information on rates and availability, call Peggy Echols at 770.329.0009.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

I was recently given the opportunity to participate in a bridal show at Olde Towne Athletic Club.  In addition to being an exhibiting vendor at the show, I had the honor of being asked to shoot the fashion show.  The fashion portion of the show was produced by Karin Trexler, manager of Wedding Angels, a bridal boutique in Historic Roswell.  Makeup and hair styling for the models were provided by Voila Salon, also of Roswell.  I was very excited to be shooting the fashion show, and at the same time, freaking out just a bit because I had never photographed a show before!  You would think that in all my years as photographer it would have came up before, but no, not till this show.  I think it worked out ok, the girls were beautiful and looked stunning in every gown they modeled.  For some of them this was their first time as well, so I guess this was a day of firsts for many of us.

Love her smile!

One of the Bride’s Maids dresses, they had all four seasons represented in the show, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Great view of the train, nice!

And a little spin for the guests.

Great attitude!

Is that Lady Gaga?

You can tell she is having a great time!

Beautiful!

They had so many great looking gowns!

Again, great attitude and smile.

After the show, such fun girls!

I asked one of the models to sit for me in a mini portrait session.  I was impressed with her elegance and gentle nature, she was a joy to photograph.  Her portrait was made next to one of the windows using almost all natural light with only a small amount of flash for fill.  I like using lighting like this, it’s similar to the way it was done by the classic painters like Vermeer, who used single light sources in their paintings.  To me, the look is timeless.

We had been talking about her boyfriend, I think the smile is for him.

In all, I had an amazing day!  Running around with my camera covering the event, and nipping back to my booth from time to time to chat with potential clients, AND shooting the show!  Whew!  What a day!

If you would like to see what you missed, it’s all on line in my  preview site.  Just click the link in the sidebar.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

From a wedding at Olde Towne

One of my long time favorite wedding venues is Olde Towne Athletic Club in Eastern Cobb county.  I have been invited to participate in their January 31st bridal show.  I am excited to be in this show, it’s one you will not want to miss!  Olde Towne Athletic Club’s ballroom should be a hit.  After years of using a temperature controlled temporary structure for receptions, the new ballroom is now finished.  It’s beautiful, I can’t wait to shoot there on Sunday!  It just won’t be the ballroom I’ll be making photographs of, there’s also a fashion show.

The fashion show is being put on by Wedding Angels, if you don’t have your wedding gown yet, you won’t want to miss this.  Wedding Angels has a shop in historic Roswell.  If you can’t make the show on Sunday, stop in for a visit, you’ll be glad you did, the selection and service are second to none.

Music and entertainment will be by Todd Peavy, I have worked with Todd before, and he always puts on quite a show.  There will be other wedding service providers besides myself and the ones mentioned above.  I don’t have a list of them, I guess you will just have to attend and find out.

Speaking of attendance, this is a limited attendance show, you must RSVP to get in.  Don’t worry, it’s easy to register for the show, here’s the RSVP link.  The RSVP page also has the event times and other details as well as the location of Olde Towne Athletic Club.

I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Bridal Show Flyer

I will be an exhibiting sponsor at the upcoming Gwinnett Historic Courthouse bridal show on January 17, 2010.  I will have sample books, prints and albums on display.  Come and visit with me and the other wedding service providers.  The June show had a great attendance, this could be the best show yet!

People are surprised to learn that the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse is also a wedding and wedding reception venue.  They have been doing weddings there for years.  There is plenty of parking nearby, and the upstairs ballroom is ideal for a wedding reception.  There is a very cool feature that I love, and you will see demonstrated at the show, an outdoor balcony, it’s perfect for a bouquet toss!

Even if you have your church or wedding venue already selected, come on down!  You never can tell, you just might find the right florist, wedding planner, caterer, or photographer at the show, see you there!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

"Hand Tinted" Black & White

This is a bit of old and new.  The technique of “hand tinting” on black and white images has been around for decades.  I started hand tinting years ago on black and white prints in my early film days.  Back then we would make a print in the required finished size, then myself or an assistant would spend hours with tiny brushes or swabs painting on the print with chemical dyes, it was a laborious  process!  If we made a mistake, a new print was made, and we started all over again.

Today, we can do the same effect in Photoshop, it still takes time, but there is more control over the effect and mistakes are easier to correct.  Typically I would hand tint a bride’s bouquet or other detail where the contrast of color against the black and white of the print would be interesting.  But, this is not a “typical” portrait.  One thing I will say is that my “typical” clients are not all that “typical”.  No, not all are tattooed, but most are interesting in one way or another, and, they all have one thing in common, they want artistic images that make a statement about who they are.

As I am shooting I get ideas about how the finished images should look, and all the time during this shoot I was thinking, “this has to be black and white.”  I guess it could have been the subject’s flawless pale skin and dark hair, or, the industrial setting, or the light, the dreary weather, or, to be honest, sometimes I don’t know why, I just “feel” it.  So, I was thinking and feeling “must, must, must be black and white” all during the shoot.  Then I got the images into my computer and there was the problem, her colorful tattoos!  I don’t have any myself, but I can, and do admire tattoos as art, and it would be a shame to lose the vivid color to black and white.  I felt like I was in one of those movies where the guy has a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, one saying “black and white” the other, “color.”  To appease both, I decided to hand tint the tattoos.

I liked the effect so much that I have decided to make a display print for an upcoming bridal show on January 17, 2010 at the historic Gwinnett County Courthouse.  At first I had planned to print the image on metallic paper which would make the image “pop”, but then my print supplier came out with a new product, printing images on brushed aluminum!  Needless to say, I was interested from the moment I saw it.  This might be more suitable for some of my motorcycle images rather than weddings, but I think this just might have the right “edge” for this image.  The whole “metal” thing works for her as well, she sells Harley-Davidson motorcycles!

Other Images From the Session

What a beautiful face!

Just Playing And Having Fun!

Going back and forth, print this one, or the other, both?

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer