When in Italy....

take the opportunity to shoot brides

wherever possible...

This couple was being photographed 

(very adequately, I must say)

and I was on vacation.

But that dress caught my eye!

Look at the weight of the fabric! 

Look at the detail!

They were in the right spot,

and so was I!

I couldn't resist.

So happy,

so pleased with the day,

so ready for the future...

I think this may be one of the reasons that 

I adore weddings.

So much promise, hope and joy! 

Of course there are exceptions,

but for the most part I have 

had the privilege to shoot 

many weddings just as 

happy and special as the one above.

Rarely 

in

such

a 

wonderful

locale

though....

smiles.

Did I mention....

that I am

 oh so

 ready for spring?

That I am completely 

tired of snow...

and 

that it is supposed to 

snow here in the next few days?

I want daffodils,

and tulips,

and crocus,

and 

red-bud trees,

and azaleas,

and 

well...

warm weather.

I want to 

sit on the beach with 

sand in my shoes...

I am a 

Carolina Girl at heart...

and 

when March comes around...

my thoughts stray

to the 

Carolina shore.

Some twenty years ago,

I was in a wedding,

as a bridesmaid,

on an island just south of Charleston, SC

the first weekend in March.

The weather was unseasonably warm,

in the 80's....

and we watched porpoises

just off the shore...

It was a magical weekend.

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss...

I am so ready for spring...

smiles

Is bigger better?

I don't think so.....

necessarily.

This wedding took place in Asheville, NC

over 10 years ago.

It was a small, mostly family affair.

The Inn that hosted the wedding,

also took care of all the 

guests on this long sunny weekend.

The reception was a larger,

more formal function at the nearby

Grove Park Inn.

Everyone had traveled some distance to be there.

Some from as far away as Europe.

While small, it was very intimate,

filled with emotion, 

and sentimental.

This moment was just before

the guests were 

hustled into the room in which the wedding was to take 

place.

The bride wanted the groom to see her 

just before,

so that he would not be overwhelmed.....

and neither would she.....

It worked.

The wedding was beautiful.

the reception was grand...

and everyone kept their composure intact.

This is the moment that defined this day....

at least for me.

smiles.

Spring Love!

I love spring weddings!

This image always reminds me

of the nervousness 

that surrounds every wedding day.

Especially those last few minutes

 just before everyone starts down the aisle.

This was a spectacular day.

Bright late afternoon,

low humidity

(which is important here in the south)

The Gentlemen were 

stunningly stylish.

The late afternoon sun

was dipping low in the sky....

long shadows....very dramatic.

B/W images

help set the tone for the drama.

excitement,

nerves,

breathless,

hope.

Weddings

can 

bring a family together,

heal sore feelings,

mend old wounds,

or create new resentments,

break a family in two.

Yet,

if everyone 

spends their energies 

toward the goal of 

celebration of the 

beginning of a 

new family,

well.....

then 

it can be a 

very special moment in time.

smiles.

Ah....it's almost spring!

I just love weddings that take place outside.

The natural light is good for everyone...

But most especially anyone who is wearing white.

A bit of tan doesn't hurt either.

This wedding took place

years ago on the beach front at Hilton Head.

Simple music,

small crowd,

happy people,

lovely people,

and 

no rain...

Couldn't ask for more.

smiles.

Well....Yippee!

I am awkward with this new computer.

I love everything,

but buttons are in new places....

(or old, if I remember the 1st computer I ever had)

I am working with the Aperture 3 program...

searching for all my photo files.

It is a bit tedious...

as the transfer did not leave files in any discernible order.

Soooo.....

I am going through the process of 

bringing up files,

naming them, and then finding the best place for them.

This photo is an excellent example.

It is the photo that I used in 

my ad in the 

"Carolina Bride magazine" 

in the 1990's.....

I had wonderful feedback 

and received a lot of attention from

it, as most of the wedding photographers,

in my town, at the time, were shooting in 

a very conservative, controlled way.

I on the other hand was shooting

in a photojournalistic manner.

Spontaneous, natural,

and non-intrusive....

I loved it and found that many 

women planning their weddings wanted

just that.

They didn't want to be constantly interrupted on their special day.

Now,

this approach is the "norm".

But then,

it was radical,

and I received criticism from

men who had been shooting weddings for decades.

In fact,

the man who shot my first wedding,

a control freak supreme, 

couldn't understand how in the world 

I would be able to cover a wedding without 

"set-up shots".

Well, I did.

And I did it almost every weekend

for years.

I value that experience,

but I also value my 

down time, now.

So...

enough reminiscing  

Thank you for indulging me.

smiles.

Today is the day!

Today

I go to the Apple store

and pick up my new baby.

I will have a short

"get aquainted"

session with a

"trainer"

who will be younger than

my son.....

And I will try

oh so hard to sound like

I know a thing or two.

In reality,

I know much more

 than your average

52 yr old woman,

 with a degree in

History.

But I am still

a little slow

on verbalizing my

questions...

Maybe a couple

cups of coffee

since this

lesson is at 6pm.

Insecurity

plagues me,

when faced with

a totally out of my comfort zone

experience.

I wonder if we ever really

grow out of this?

What has been your experience?

Smiles.

Ooops...

almost forgot.

The photo was taken in

Florence, Italy (2003)

It has a tendency to appear

in my frontal lobe whenever

I am facing something

that I am not sure of.....