New York State of Mind

We've just returned from a wonderful family trip to Saratoga Springs, NY, and New York City among a few other places along the way.
After stopping in Marysville, PA to say hi to Betsy's brother Glenn (just missed nieces Carrie and Hayley, who were at work), we journeyed north to celebrate my mother's birthday with my sister and two brothers and their families, as well as other family and old friends.
It was great catching up with everyone. Sean and I also hit the links with my brothers and nephew as Betsy and Ali took in some of the sights in Saratoga.
We decided to make a stop in NYC on the way home. We did some sightseeing and shopping and then had dinner in Little Italy.
We're preparing for a very busy August as we continue to complete our office move to Charlotte as well as photographing three unique weddings.
Check back next week for some images from an amazing wedding we are doing in Charlotte this weekend.

Sean caught a nice moment of his sister taking some family photos

Grandma Carol with her grandchildren

My siblings, from left, Ben, me, Jenny and Jeff with our mom in front

Ali enjoys a glass of wine as she and Betsy explored Saratoga

A rare picture of Betsy and me as we ride a shuttle in NYC

Some of the action in Times Square

We saw this guy hanging out in front of Madame Tussauds

Betsy, Sean and Ali on 42nd Street

Ali was excited to find one of her favorite London eateries in NYC

Wow, two shots of us in one day - the Empire State Building in the background

Hanging with Sean after dinner in Little Italy

Ali got a little creative with her point-and-shoot on a late-night cab ride

Our New Location

We are excited to announce that we have a new studio in Charlotte!
We loved our Davidson space but we decided it was time to get closer to more of our client base in Charlotte.
Davidson is a great community and we loved our time there. Thanks to all of the great folks we got to meet and work with there. And thank you for everyone who helped and participated in our "Faces of Davidson" project.
The opportunity to get a space in historic Dilworth so close to uptown was a little too good to pass up.
We're now close enough to meet our Charlotte clients on a lunch break.
We'll have more pictures and information as we get a bit more settled in.

Father of the Bride

A recent photo editing session included a few pictures that made me think of the movie "Father of the Bride."
As the father of a daughter, I can relate to many of the issues and emotions that Steve Martin encountered in the humorous take on a father's journey through the wedding process.
I also get a first-hand view of many dads in my job documenting the wedding experience.
Most people are aware that the driving force behind the planning and execution of weddings is the mother-of-the bride and/or the bride.
Much like in the movie, the joke is that the father's role is basically relegated to writing checks and trying to rein in the spending.
It's often a bittersweet moment for fathers. Their little girl is all grown up but they know that their daughter has found love with great hope for the future.
Capturing all of the emotions is part of what makes photographing weddings so rewarding.
It's such an important moment for families. And it's my great pleasure helping them remember this special time.

Jessica dances with her father

Courtney's dad embraces his new son-in-law

Caroline and her father share a laugh and then a quiet moment before walking down the aisle

On another note, we are preparing for some exciting changes in the coming weeks but I'm not quite ready to announce them just yet. So stay tuned!
We are also going to be doing some traveling and then preparing for some incredible weddings in August.

Beautiful Bride

I was looking forward to this bridal portrait session and it proved to be all that I had expected.
Clary is striking - more than 6-feet tall and beautiful. Her mom Liz is a model and Clary is very comfortable in front of the camera.
We had a great location and Clary looked amazing in her Vera Wang Couture gown.
Thanks to Joe Strickland for assisting.
I know Clary's August wedding in Charlotte is going to be incredible.