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

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

"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

Suite Image Courtesy of The 755 Club

Here’s the prize description:

• Personal Suite Attendant
• 16 Suite Tickets
• Specialty Sampler Menu

The Sampler includes:

• All Beef Ballpark Franks- served with traditional ballpark condiments, two bean chili, sauerkraut and Italian cornmeal buns.
• The Braves Burger- grilled mini sirloin burger topped with carmelized onion and served on a freshly baked bun.
• Crisp Strips of Fried Chicken Tempura- classic tempura battered chicken filets served with honey mustard and sweet chili dipping sauces.
• Pepperoni Pizza
• Cheese Pizza
• Baked Potato Salad
• Potato Chips & Dip
• Jumbo Cookies
• Bottled Water and Sodas
• Beer, Wine

Image Courtesy of the 755 Club

Catering is provided by the 755 Club at Turner Field.  I have photographed several wedding receptions at the 755 Club, and it’s always been great food and a wonderful time!  If you do not have a reception venue selected for your wedding yet, check it out, you will be glad you did.  For a Braves or baseball fan this venue rocks!

Ok, so I am sure you are wondering “How can I get in on this?” it’s easy, and if you have already had the good taste to become one of my clients for 2010, you already are.  This giveaway is for my existing 2010, future 2010, and 2011 clients who book their weddings with me in 2010.

The Rules:

• You must be a 2010 wedding client, or booked your 2011 wedding in 2010.
• You must be booked with me by mid June, the drawing is at that time*.
• You must be a client in good standing*.
• You must attend the game and use the prize*.
• You must be totally jazzed about this and tell all your friends about this cool giveaway you might win.

So that’s it, simple, be my wedding client for 2010 or 2011, follow the above rules, and a drawing will be held in mid June.  The drawing will be done by an independent third-party, most likely a child who will have no idea what they are doing other than pulling a slip of paper out of a hat.  The odds of winning?  What do I look like?  A bookie?  It all depends on how many clients exist at the time of the drawing.  Let’s just say the odds are better than hitting it big in the lotto!  For the rules items marked with a *, see the bottom of this page.

Good Luck,

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

1. *  The suite is reserved for a Braves game in late June, so the giveaway must close and drawing made prior to that time.
2. *  A client in “good standing”, is a client in full compliance with the terms of my agreement with them.
3. *  The prize is not transferable, if you cannot attend the game and use the suite, the tickets and suite will go to an alternate whose name will be drawn as alternate the day of the drawing.

I have all the time in the world.

You are probably wondering why there is a photo of a turtle on a wedding photography blog.  No, it’s not because this is the Bride’s favorite pet and he will be in the wedding, can you imagine waiting on him to make it down the aisle?  Good guess, but that’s not it.  There is, however, a story behind Mr. Turtle’s portrait.

I was standing at my kitchen window a few weeks ago having a snack, when I noticed this turtle near my neighbor’s gate.  I don’t often see turtles where I live so I decided to grab a camera and snap a few shots.  I had made three shots when I heard the office phone ringing.  I rushed back inside and caught the call, it was a potential client inquiring about May 1st, 2010.  The call went well, we spoke about twenty minutes or so, but didn’t set an appointment, they wanted to “look around some more.”  I don’t push for appointments, so I just said, “sure, call me when you are ready to meet.”  I went back outside to resume my turtle photographs and he was just gone!  Now how far can a turtle go in twenty minutes?  Apparently pretty far!  I looked around for him everywhere and he could not be found!  I didn’t think anything else about it, uploaded the images to the computer and went back to work.

Two days later I received an inquiry from a potential client that had been referred to me, their date? May 1st, 2010.  Long story short, we made an appointment, I visited with them in their home, and they booked me that night.  Two weeks later, I get a call from the pervious potential client wanting to sit down and discuss their wedding plans.  They were disappointed to hear their date was taken!  I did give them the names of some other photographers I liked, and wished them luck.  This has happened more than once over the years I have been shooting weddings, one time I had a potential client miss her date by the space of an hour!  I don’t “hold” dates, or “pencil them in,” I try to be fair by making it “first come, first served,” it’s a common practice in the wedding industry.

It’s just not limited to photographers.  I had a client a few years ago hire me in what I would consider an unusual way, she booked me first before her church!  We were chatting about the wedding and the church she wanted for her wedding when she mentioned she had not yet confirmed with the church, or given them a deposit.  I told her she needed to call them today, confirm, and make arrangements to pay the fee.  She said, “Oh, I can do that tomorrow, I’m going shopping for a gown this afternoon.”  After some urging from me, she called, spoke with the church and found out it was being shown that afternoon for a wedding on the same date!  Needless to say, she was there within an hour with a check!  Please understand, this was not a church in downtown Atlanta, this was a small church below Newnan, you would never think it could be busy with weddings, but it was.  Had she went shopping that day, she might have lost her church!

My point with these two stories?  Let’s go back to the turtle, I thought for sure I would be able to go back out and resume making pictures of the turtle.  I was thinking that he might at best have gone a few feet, after all, he WAS a turtle, how far could he go?  Well, I for one was surprised when he was gone, gone, gone!  How does this relate to you and planning your wedding?  Some things are unique, like churches, wedding and reception venues, even more so when you are talking about a specific date and time.  It’s a similar situation with artists and artisans, like photographers, florists, cake makers, bands, etc.  The question is, do you want THE photographer, florist, or band, or do you want to settle for less than your heart’s desire?  Get the unique elements set before you go shopping for the dress, they mass produce those.  I had a client just recently select a Priscilla of Boston gown for her April wedding.  I’m sure it will be beautiful, especially on her, but they will probably make several in that size and style, not just one.

So, hopefully you already have your date set, church and reception venue booked.  Now it’s time for your next steps.  If you are in the process of finding a photographer, please visit my page “Three Things You Should Know“, it’s a guide to selecting the right wedding photographer for you.  And the timeframe you have for finding one?  It depends on your wedding date, to give you some examples, I have a client for November 2010, coming to meet with me Thanksgiving week, she will be in Atlanta then, she has her venue already booked.  My Spring 2010 should be fully booked by the upcoming holidays, if it’s not, Christmas engagements should finish it sometime after New Years.  This is not just me, but other full-time professional photographers as well.  Most of my current clients have booked me several months in advance of their weddings.  Please keep in mind, this is a similar situation for other wedding professionals as well.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Photo Courtesy Kellum Valley Farm

Can you imagine a wedding in the North Georgia Mountains on a Spring day, the flowers blooming and trees green with new leaves?  Escaping the heat of Atlanta in Summer to have your wedding in the cool mountains?  Or having a wedding ceremony in Autumn with the surrounding mountains ablaze with the colors of the season, reds, yellows and golds?  Then dancing the night away under the stars within the stone walls of 90-year-old ruin?  I could imagine all of this and more on my recent visit to Kellum Valley Farm in North Georgia.  As I stood and looked out from the ceremony area past the main house below, I was captivated by the view of the mountains in the distance, what a beautiful vista!  I could see the possibility for great shots no matter where I looked.

I have been coming to the North Georgia Mountains for years, and had been invited to visit on my next trip up by DeAnne Major, owner of Kellum Valley Farm.  I am so glad she invited me!  What a great place!  As we toured the property DeAnne told me some of the history of Kellum Valley Farm and the ruins on the hill.  As it turns out, much of the valley was owned by a member of the Carnegie family in the 1920′s and the valley is named for them.  There is a complete history of the ruins and the farm on Kellum Valley Farm website, like much of Georgia history it makes for an interesting read.

The main house is only a few years old, but it was built to be similar to farmhouses of the early 1900′s.  The downstairs of the house holds the bride’s room and secondary space should more room be required.  Near the main house there is a pool with waterfall, and several out buildings, including a barn with air conditioning and bathrooms.  The ruins make a great backdrop for a wedding ceremony, and later, a perfect place to dance.  There has been lighting placed in the trees and on the ruins to enhance them, and I am sure they look fantastic at night!   Accommodations for your DJ or band has been made with a raised platform and plenty of electrical service.  If you are thinking of having your wedding in the North Georgia Mountains you should make an appointment with DeAnne for a visit, this might be the ideal place for your wedding!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

It’s finally out!   My new ad in the Atlanta Bride and Groom Planner is in the latest issue!  I picked up the latest copy at a luncheon last week by The Atlanta B&G Planner and Atlanta Occasions.  The lunch was at the  new Hotel Palomar, a luxury midtown hotel.  The Palomar would be a great place for a reception if your wedding was in Atlanta.  I will be adding Hotel Palomar to my referral list soon.

The image I used for the ad is one of my favorites.  The client was wanting more of a fashion look for her bridal portrait session on her wedding day, I’m so glad she did!  Her hair and makeup was perfect, and the wedding gown fit like a glove.  Best of all, she had fun with the session!  She went from pose to pose, smiling and laughing playing with being “model” for the day, we had a great time!  No matter the angle I photographed her from, she was so beautiful!  You can find more from her session in my “Portraits” gallery on the main site.

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer

How Sweet!

Many of my clients return and request that I photograph the newest members of their family. Just a few days prior to her parents eighth wedding anniversary, this beautiful baby girl was born. In these images she is a little over a week old.

I hope these images bring you some of the joy I experienced making them!

More from this series is available at my main site in the Children and Family Gallery.

Love It!

Little Feet!

The Atlanta Wedding Photographer