Hali & Brian

I spend a good amount of time photographing families, brides, and kids.  I have to say this is my first "teen dating anniversary shoot."   Hali and Brian have now been dating for about a year, and to celebrate, we walked along some sketchy railroad tracks while we could hear a train off in the distance.  Isn't that how most people celebrate anniversaries?!   It was a fun day turning overcast skies into great pictures.  Hali is one of Keri's 5 nieces that help keep Keri young by explaining what #hashtags are and what "YOLO" means (we told her it really means You Only Love Oreos).  We had a ton of fun and I wish these two the best!  :)

'Lil Mac 6 Months

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to take 6 month photos of Mac Brown.  Aside from his pretty awesome name (I always think of Mike Tyson's Punch Out when I hear "'lil Mac"), he also happens to be a pretty darn cute baby.  I'd say he did a great job being a model while on a cold floor in front of a big flashing light.  Maybe next time I'll bring an electric blanket to put underneath the white seamless paper.  Photographing babies is always a learning process for me.  :)

And for those interested in the white backdrop setup, here it is- though you can't see the big studio light & softbox off the camera left.  Sorry Kacie for including you- I just had to show that "about to freak out" face of Mac's.  :)

A Day in the Park with Lila and June

A few of weekends ago, we had a couple in town with their two daughters, Lila and June.   Aside from the fact that "Lila and June" would be the best name for a Nashville country duo (don't worry, Daddy is helping push them in the musical direction), they also just happen to be two of the sweetest little girls I know.  Sunday afternoon before they went back to Nashville we were able to spend a couple of hours at a nearby park and walk the trails of the old Decatur Water Works.  Though it was a cloudy day, I think we were able to still get a few casual fun shots of the girls.  Apparently while on the way to Atlanta on Friday, June said to Mommy and Daddy, "I don't wanna go to Georgia!"  By the end of Sunday in the park she said "I want to STAY in Georgia!"  :)

Braxton is TWO and Brady is three months!

There are few families that have documented the growth of their children as well at the Romeyns.  I'm always happy to get that quarterly text message from Lexi that she needs new photos of her little ones.  Braxton turned two years old in October and Brady just hit her three month milestone.  We had a great time a couple of weeks ago enjoying/destroying all of Krister's piles of raked leaves.  All in the name of good photos, right?

Keri tells me only at this age is it a compliment to call Brady a cute little chunker.  I'll keep that in mind.  :)

Double-Header + 2 Portrait Session Weekend Teaser!

My friends generally know that I often have busy weekends.  However, this weekend was my first wedding double-header in a while- one Friday and one Saturday.  On top of that I had a maternity/family session on Sunday and a 3-month baby session on Monday.  Needless to say I was a bit nervous about it all week.  My main fear, oddly enough, was that I throw my back out at the Friday wedding and was unable to shoot the Saturday wedding.  That obviously didn't happen, but I did find out for sure that I have begun getting tennis elbow from lifting about 15 pounds of camera, batteries, battery grip, flash, and wireless flash trigger over 1,000 times each day with poor form by my right arm.  Both nights I actually had to ice my elbow!  I'm getting old!

Both weddings went great.  If you were outside at all this weekend you know the weather was some of the best Atlanta has to offer.  Blue skies, warm days, cool evenings- just about everything you could ask for in a wedding- both of which were outdoors!  I'll give more dedicated posts on both weddings once I get through editing the photos, but I will say I had a ton of fun all weekend.  Rachel and Andy had such a fun group of guests and bridal party at Park Tavern that I ended up spending most of my time on the dance floor!

Here are a few photos from Rachel and Andy's wedding:

Lindsey and Mario had a beautiful wedding at Donaldson Bannister Farm in Dunwoody- actually the very first one that the venue has seen!  I initially thought they "just" planned the wedding (note: the word "just" is in quotations), but after the ceremony Mario told me the ceremony site- a beautiful grassy garden area on the property- was a swimming pool just about a month ago!  He laid all of the sod and did the landscaping himself!  Here are a few from their wedding:

Now here are a couple from the Sullivan family shoot followed by two from my sister's 3-month old- Hudson.  I know I know- I'm an incredibly efficient blogger!  I say that jokingly- more on these 4 events to come!

The Lewis Family

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing the Lewis family in Piedmont Park.  Boyd works with me at my contract job in real estate and- of all places- his lovely wife, Lynn, works for a rival real estate company.  I didn't see any tension in the family, especially with the calm, cool, and collected Anderson.  I love it when energetic moms bring fun props for photos- especially when we're facing a rainy/cloudy day.  The weather held up just long enough for us to get about an hour of shooting in.  Enjoy!

And now... Anderson the raccoon, hanging out by a trash can (as raccoons do):

Lou and Erin Davis Wedding Preview!

He's a quick shot we pulled off just before the toasts at the wedding reception this Saturday at Wahoo Grill in Decatur, GA.  I had just a couple of moments to steal the bride and groom away for this shot that I'd had in mind all day.  I'm just glad the cars moved out of the way and the sun went down (well, that's kind of an expected outcome).  Congrats to the newly married couple!  They are off to Greece in a few days for their much anticipated honeymoon, but not before I give them an in-person photo lesson on how to take great vacation photos.  Maybe I'll start offering lessons to all my brides and grooms- what do you think??  :)

Where In the World is Alex the Photo Guy?

Yes, there has been a blog slowdown.  I knew you were worried, but don't be!  I've been out and about through the east coast and midwest with not enough time in the day (or sleep at night) to blog enough!

I was recently awarded an incredible photo assignment for architecture photography that has put me in Boston, New York, DC, Minneapolis, and Chicago in less than a month.  I was also able to shoot for a wedding in Hilton Head and visit my brother's family with Keri.  It's been an insane September for me so far spending less than 4 days at home between August 30th and Sept 24th.  I've been on 6 rooftops, 6 planes, in 4 rental cars, and in over 25 office buildings.  I had NYPD graciously move police cars and bomb surveillance units out of the way for one of my shoots and have also sat with my tripod for an hour and a half waiting for a shadow to move out of the way.  I've sat in rush hour in 5 cities yelling at the clouds to go away (I'm not counting Atlanta rush hour- I see that all the time).  It's been an incredible assignment, with still a few more cities to go.  Luckily I have time on the last few- the reason why I visited the cities I did when I did was to catch them before the leaves fall off the trees.  The other cities up next are southern or California.  I'm neck deep in editing for these (some of these aren't final products yet), but I'll share a few quick highlights.

...nevermind that jerk in the pic.  Someone should have stolen something out of his open camera bag.

Here's my map of August 30th to Sept 24th (click for larger):

The Growing Romeyn Family

For the avid blog readers of mine, you know the Romeyns.  We have been able to follow Braxton from birth to now and all of the progress along the way.  He is one of Keri's favorite children to babysit and now Krister and Lexi are proud to announce the arrival of their second child, Brady.  Keri and I spend some time over there a couple of weeks to meet the sweet Brady and play around with Braxton.  I was very excited to be asked to capture the latest addition to the family as well as Braxton's latest adventures.  Speaking of his latest- I'll begin with my favorite photo of the day.  He has apparently taken an interest in the potty.  No actual "productivity" yet, just sitting... and reading.

And now on to the latest cuteness.

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Another of Braxton's favorite things is pushing around the wagon.  We took a risk here.  I just wish I had a video of everyone chasing him around.  The good thing is that is seemed to lull Brady to sleep.

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Maine: The Way Life Should Be

Greetings from the northeast! I've been out on an architectural photo assignment for the last week and a half (hence the blog slowdown). Keri and I were still able however to go on with our planned trip to Maine/Anniversary trip. We had a great evening in Boston and a few nights with Patrick, Jennifer, Kate, and Abbey in Bangor. Below you'll see a mix of photos (many of Kate) from hiking, paddle boarding, and a sea plane ride over Moosehead lake (thanks again Pat & Jenn!). I'll start with my favorite of the week!

Unfortunately, Jen had to work the evening these were taken...

Paddleboarding!

Our sea plane was built around the time our parents were born:

After our flight, we hiked to the top here:

At the top, we climbed the fire tower for an incredible view.

Kate & Hudson

I'm back from Guatemala and catching up on the blog!  I hope all of my avid readers (Mom) have had a great couple of weeks!  Last week my brother's family was in town and though only for a day, I was able to see them right after my trip.  It was great to spend time with my newly walking niece, Kate- even if just for a little while.  Keri and I head up to Maine at the end of the month for some more quality time with the northern Arnett family.  Though most of the pics in this post feature Kate, I wanted to start off with the newest addition to the family- Hudson Bassett!  He's only a few weeks old at the moment, but growing fast!  Last Monday I went to Hudson's house and snapped this photo.  My sister put together this amazing letter wall in his bedroom and I just HAD to showcase her creativity and talent.  She would also want me to tell you she freehand painted the UGA "G" as well as many of the other letters. :)

This is what Kate does when you ask her to love on Hudson.

The Romeyn Family

This may be the first time I was reprimanded by someone for not doing a blog post.  Last weekend I was hanging out with the Romeyn family at BBQ that Keri and I hosted.  Lexi Romeyn turned to me and said to me "ya know, I was kind of offended that we never got a blog post for our last portrait shoot."  I apparently forgot to put these photos up!  Sorry about that Lexi!  Now that Lexi is just a few months away from delivering their second child, so she has bigger fish to fry than me.  Nevertheless, here is the Romeyn family from April in Norcross!

...and now for my favorite.  Braxton in a "wife beater" shirt.

Majestic Equine Shoot with Leigh and Fox

For those that know me, you know I am NOT a morning person.  I have seen the sunrise more times by staying up late than getting up early.  With that said, you simply cannot beat sunrise light quality when it comes to photography- especially in the summertime when the heat is unbearable during the day making sunset still too hot to shoot.  For this shoot with Leigh and her horse, Fox, we met up just before sunrise at the Atlanta Polo grounds in Buckhead.  Leigh has had Fox for the past 8 years and won many events in Hunting and Jumping competitions across the state.  At one point she was ranked 2nd in Georgia in her age group!  Now, as Leigh is about to head out to California for college, her family has decided to sell Fox to new owners that will continue to ride him.  Her parents asked that I get some photos of the two of them before the sale and I was happy to oblige.  These photos have turned out to be some of the best ones I've taken all year.  A few of them could only be more majestic if Fox were a unicorn.  :)

Carly and Russell Engagements

Last week I discovered that I never posted the engagement photos that led to booking Carly and Russell's wedding this spring.  I'd like to think it was due to my incredible artful eye and posing ability that they chose me over other talented Atlanta photographers, but really it was because they are just a darn good lookin' couple.  Carly even has modeling experience- and it shows!  I will say that they told me I made them feel pretty comfortable since Carly said Russell hates being in photos.  That was a compliment I take to heart because if you can't build trust with your clients on a shoot, then you won't have great photos and happy clients who want to come back for more!

Carly and Russell at the hand made kitchen table that they built from salvaged barn wood.

Lou and Erin Not Posing

If you are an avid reader of Alex the Photo Blog (and I know you are!), then you know Lou!  Well, back in 2010, Lou let me test out my latest lighting setup for a studio shoot for his newly launched website.  We came away with a bunch of fun photos, one of which ended up making it's rounds at the office and on his Match.com profile.  Little known to the two of us how much one little photo can impact the rest of your life.  His lovely fiance, Erin, was searching around on the site in late 2010 and clicked on it simply because she thought it was so unique, sending him a little message that would change his life.  Now they are engaged to be married in September (and you-know-who is the photographer!).  I am so excited for the both of them, and also so glad I could be a part of how they met.  :)  Since then, I've actually been hired for a few online dating photo sessions and have fun doing them.  Who knows what a new photo could do for you...  here's the one of Lou that made all the difference:

For their engagements they hired me to come hang out with them for a day.  They said they would not pose for any photos (unless they were funny).  Of course everyone needs a little guidance on how and where to do what, but these two were just naturally comfortable in front of the camera making my job much easier.  I'll start off with the one that got such great buzz on Facebook with almost 100 "likes."

Then our loose-take on Annie Lebovitz' John and Yoko Rolling Stone photo (no, Lou didn't want to get naked).

Baby Karla

In California this week for a wedding and Keri and I are spending a few days with my cousin, her hubby, and their 18 month-old daughter, Karla.  Karla is one of the most chill kids I think I've ever hung out with.  She's so sweet and happy all the time and is such a pleasure to be around- even though it took her a while to warm up to me (most kids do).  Here are a few shots we got in the backyard in San Mateo playing with bubbles.  When I say playing with bubbles, I mean that Karla asked to play with them, but as soon as we started blowing them, she had almost no interest and instead found joy in climbing into and off of adirondack chairs repeatedly.  :)

Exit Through the Gift Shop

My 22-year-old cousin came into town earlier this week.  He called me on Tuesday and said he was driving into town the next day to audition for an acting agency and if he could crash at our place for a night.  I told him I wouldn't be home until 10 or so, but that he was more than welcome.  When he arrived we caught up for a few minutes and got on the topic of street art and the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.  Will told me that in his spare time away from student government, tearing up dance floors, and beginning his senior year of college, he has started getting into "street art."  On a whim (and with permission from my awesome wife), we set out around midnight on bikes to the old Atlanta Waterworks near Mason Mill Park so I could show him some of the really awesome art there.  Plus, he may or may not have brought some paint: my only rule was they he didn't cover up someone else's art.  :)

This was also a good chance for me to test out my new (used) Canon 5d Mark II and it's ISO expansion capabilities.  In retrospect, it was a terrible test idea because a lot of the shots were taken in pitch black... so the Mkii could only do so much.  Here's what I got:

Jessica and Jeff Engagements

This shoot may have been put off a little long, but between bad weather and busy schedules, I was excited to finally photograph Jessica and Jeff for their engagement session... a week before their wedding.  :)

Their wedding was an incredibly fun time and I plan to have those photos up here in a couple of weeks, but for now check out their engagement photos from Mason Mill Park!

Ryan and Melissa's Photo Chosen as DP Magazine Finalist!

Did I mention who took the photo?  :)

Out of the 2,800 photos submitted from around the globe for the 3rd Annual Digital Photography Magazine: Perfect Portrait contest, the judges have narrowed it down to their favorite 100 photos.  I also feel pretty honored that out of the 100 finalists, my submission is only one of two apparent wedding photos.  The voting is open and you can log in through Facebook!  Go ahead and vote to your heart's content- not just for me but for the beautiful Melissa McIver and her handsome husband Ryan!  Click on the photos below for the page to vote or click here to see the rest of the gallery... not that you need to.   :)  To be honest, prizes sound nice, but it would be incredibly more flattering to see one this photo printed in an internationally circulated magazine.  Thanks to everyone for your support!

Last Weekend Teaser

Last weekend was one of the busiest I've had in a while.  I had two engagement shoots, a wedding, a bride consultation, a Match.com profile photo session, and after it all had to wake up at 5am Monday for corporate portraits at the Ravinia Crowne Plaza at Perimeter.  Though I plan on taking this weekend off to relax at the lake, I'll still probably squeeze in some photo editing since I now have a LOT to do!  Here are a few teasers from the weekend, starting with Friday's engagement session with Lou Davis and Erin Winters.  I was told they would not pose for any photos at all- unless they were funny.  Here is pretty much the only posed photo I got out of the session and I think it ranks up there with possibly my favorite engagement photo.  On Lou's facebook page, it already has roughly 80 likes.  :)

Next up chronologically was the wedding of Jessica Gay and Jeff Manning at Whittier Mill Park in Smyrna followed by a beautiful reception at the Granite Room in Castleberry Hill.

Sunday morning I had a bride meeting with Sallie Watkins who is getting married in a month in Asheville, NC (!).  This was immediately followed by a Match.com photo session for my good friend David Oliver.  We had hatched all these crazy plans of ridiculous photos, but only ended with enough time for a few setups, though we hope to have more soon.  Essentially his plan was for a few serious photos accompanied by a number of off-the-wall ones in order to attract women with a good sense of humor.  Here are a couple:

Immediately following the Match.com photo session were engagement for Adam Bryan and Rebecca Flowers who are getting married in a month a half in Roswell, GA!

And as I had mentioned, I had to get up at 5am after these shoots to do some corporate head shots for the company I work with part-time... the following isn't one of these shots, but you get general the idea.  :)