"I Hope You Dance..."

Truth be told I haven't looked back at my prom pictures in years and years. I shudder at the the thought of me in that oh-so-stylish mermaid style frock in the appealing shade of Pepto Bismol, with my hair poofed up to a maximum height and secured soundly with Aqua Net. Not one of my better moments. It almost seems fitting that the only pictures I have to remember that vision of "beauty" I was were some fuzzy low quality shots from a cheap disc camera (remember those?). We all stood like ridiculous statues in front of a rented limo in our 80's style. I cringe just thinking about it.

But now that I'm a mom and watching the children that I've known since babyhood grow up and come of age, I look at these moments from a different perspective. For a teenager, a school dance is monumental. When my neighbor's oldest daughter got invited to her high school's ring dance and her mom asked me to take pictures for her, I became as giddy as if I were going myself. And looking with a photographer's eye now, I thought about some of the moments that are special but typically not captured by the camera... such as the preparation process:

I love the fact that the style of  the dresses nowadays are pretty timeless. I can't see this beautiful young lady looking back at this image and think "Oh-mi-God, I look so 2011!!!"

 Her date might look back and giggle a bit at his hairstyle, though. Just sayin'... actually, my son's hair is way shaggier than this.

The corsage was beautiful and just popped against the backdrop of her lovely blue gown.

This was a ring dance after all, so we needed what I like to call the "Wonder Twin" shot. Actually this image has even more meaning since he's wearing his class ring, and the ring she's wearing was a gift from him.

Perhaps one of my favorite shots (because I'm a parent now) is dad giving the happy couple the "talk" before they get in the car...

And the fun shot as they drive off into the sunset...

I hope she looks back at these shots years from now and smiles. No shuddering or cringing allowed.

The Goddess Bride

Earlier this spring my co-worker asked me if I might be willing to take pictures at her daughter's wedding. YIKES! But of course I said yes... she is a good friend and her daughter's a beauty. As the time drew near I started asking questions about what type of photos they would like. Some people like very traditional/classic images, some people like a more modern twist... the avoidance of the "posed" and more of an "eavesdropping on a moment" type of approach. We discussed it off and on, and then come to find out another family member hired a professional photographer for the wedding. I was not at all offended. I asked if she was going to have bridal portraits done. She looked at me quizzically. What did I mean bridal portraits?

Is this only a southern thing? Where the bride has individual portraits taken prior to the wedding and displays them at the reception? I had a flashback to my bridal portrait scene... standing in a studio with a  gray, faded curtain as my background, holding some fake flowers in my hand, while the photographer literally positioned me like a mannequin in the traditional bridal stances. 

If I had a "do-over"... what would I do? I'd want to stand in a garden of flowers. Real ones.

So we decided to take my friend's daughter to the botanical gardens and let the scene play out.

She changed into her dress and I couldn't believe it. She looked like a petite Roman goddess... and it was perfect for our setting.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

It was a fun adventure. As a side note: always check with botanical gardens to see if they will charge you for taking bridal portraits on their premises. We found out the hard way that professional or not, they charge you. I put up a bit of a stink, but at the end of the day, the gardens got their money.

To view the entire collection, click here.

The Secret Garden

Last Easter my sister, her husband, and their new baby girl came for a visit and we decided to drive down to the quaint town of Manteo in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My sister shares my love of photography, and we decided that it might be a nice idea to catch some shots of our beautiful girls in their Easter "finery." It's so rare these days that my girls put on a nice dress and a bow in their hair. Soon enough they will refuse to do it, so I have to take my opportunities while I can.

Gardens, especially in the spring, are such perfect places to shoot pictures of darling young girls in pretty dresses. We enjoyed our visit to the Elizabethan Gardens with the azaleas, roses, and tulips in full bloom. While I typically prefer black and white for most portraits, many of these shots had to be color of course. I am typically not a fan of the "classic pose portrait", but there's something to be said about it.

 Is there anything more touching than young parents and their beautiful baby? My sister and her husband are completely in love with their little girl, and it shows in almost every shot. This was my favorite of them...

And this photo reminds me yet again of how the unexpected moment often turns into the "money shot." We placed baby girl in a bed of tulips, hoping to catch her sitting pretty. But she promptly fell over and just stared at her cute little toes. One day when I get a hold of photoshop I will remove that gazebo thing in the background, but I love this picture.

 The next photo is a personal favorite, but not without faults. My two girls, three years apart, are peering into a fountain. I love the way the picture compares and contrasts them. They're both wearing the same outfit and hairstyle to highlight their "kinship." But one is much smaller and needs to boost herself up to see over the edge. I like that.

 The problem with the shot (and what I learned) is that shoes make a difference. I brought fancy shoes that were identical. But the girls thought they were uncomfortable and replaced them with their scrappy summer shoes so they could run about the garden in between shots. I never asked them to peer into the fountain. It was true discovery on their part and I caught it. No time to think or change shoes. But as I look back at the image I realize it's one of the first things your eye goes to. The difference in their shoes. It bothers me, but I still like the shot anyway.

And finally, my favorite of the day. We're still at the fountain and my littlest peers into the water. There are flower petals floating about. There is something timeless about this shot. It could have been a century ago, so I gave it a sepia tone to "antique" it. It just worked.

Gardens are such a fun and beautiful place for portraits...