Portraits
Still slowly catching up. With my wedding in 3 weeks, it's been tough to find time to blog. Here is the Madden Family from our shoot back in July at the Roswell Mill. It's always fun talking with new parents to see how it's going because you can often get very different experiences... The Maddens are lucky in that they have been blessed with a very happy baby and have been loving every minute of parenthood.
Family number two of our Super Sunday Photo Block (sounds like a radio show, right?) was the Sullivans. We've seen them on the APG blog before but the occasion today was Elena's two-year photos. She is such a cutie and was definitely taught the word "cheeeeeese" as can be seen in this first photo. She was saying it even before I started snapping photos, so you could tell Mommy and Daddy prepped her well.
Throwing stones with Mommy.
Family photos are a fun reason to get outside and take pictures. When the weather's nice, you can't beat fun family time at a beautiful location. This is why I decided to schedule four families in a day at the Roswell Mill Park in Roswell, GA. It worked out great for everyone. The families ended up with pretty photos and a fun afternoon while I was happy to save a little gas money on an all-in-one photo day. First up is Addie (and Krista) Bleisath. I put Krista in parenthesis because this was supposed to be something of a model shoot for the gorgeous young Addie. Apparently Addie has no problem hamming it up and striking a pose at home with Mommy and Daddy, but becomes very shy when around outsiders. Needless to say, the shoot ended up with lots of Mommy photos as well. We eventually coaxed a few smiles out of her and ended up with some great photos. She definitely has a future career as a model as long as she can get rid of the pre-shoot jitters. :)
A few Saturdays ago, I had the pleasure of taking photos of one of the more serious babies I know. The truth is that she's a very happy and fun child, but when a camera comes around she's all business. My take on it is that when you photograph young ones, you take them out of their element- whether that be changing clothes, mom and dad yelling from a distance to get your attention, or it could be travelling to a place they've never been. What I found with Isabella was that as soon as we stepped onto Agnes Scott's campus in Decatur, she was just too curious about her surroundings to think about smiling. She wanted to play with the grass or put things in her mouth to take it all in. Once she got comfortable we got some smiles and a good bit of laughter as well. You'll see a mix of both here.
Apparently May is the month of Alex the Photo Guy features. Today, I found out that 4 of my photos are featured in a 2-page spread on Heidi "Etsy Lady" Paruta in the new Atlanta magazine, Common Creativ. Click here and take a look at this amazing new magazine geared toward the Atlanta creative scene. They cover everything from photography to body art. Pay particularly close attention to pages 22 & 23 in the print edition and 24 & 25 in the electronic version for the APG photos seen here!
This week and next week I'll have lots of photos for the blog! I've been busy getting my backlog of shots from the past month edited and uploaded to the client site. We have an engagement session, a wedding, portraits, and another fun surprise I'm sure you'll get a kick out of.
Saturday night I made the long trek up to Marietta (30 min) to stay the night with my good friend Curt. We had plans to go mountain biking up there in the morning and I had no real plans that evening, so we decided to grill out and enjoy the amazing weather. As it just so happens, all of the food we prepared was homemade: homemade burgers, homemade buns, homemade fries, and homebrew.
After dinner, we packed our photo gear to check out the Super Moon. It pretty much looked like a normal full moon, but it was bright enough out to throw a football. After a few close-up shots of the moon (they're actually on Curt's camera, so I don't have them for ya!), Curt discovered how easy light-painting can be with a cell phone. Well... easy in that you can physically do it. Making shapes and writing mirror-image messages proved a little tricky. Here's what we came up with at a 30 second exposure setting on a tripod. None are perfect, but we had a good time!
The last one here is a composite of 4 pictures of our outlines. Curt's idea. The ones on one leg were tough to hold for 30 seconds...
For all of the brides-to-be out there worried about rain on your wedding day, I present the following photo taken on a rainy Saturday this past weekend at the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church. I'll have more of these photos in a few weeks but when I took this shot of Melissa, I knew it would be my teaser photo for the blog. Let me know what you think!
On the first day of the year with perfect weather, Keri and I decided to have a picnic prior to the Perry photo shoot at Piedmont Park. I figured she and I could get there and just hang out for a bit basking the warm pre-spring sunlight. We had a great relaxing time... then Molly called and informed me that she had chosen Centennial Park for the shoot, not Piedmont. Entirely my fault, because I realized she did tell me correctly. It's just when she was talking about the playground and great skyline views, I envisioned the same thing... at a different spot. Oops! But the weather was amazing, so we had plenty of time to get all of these fun shots in. By far my favs were at the fountain below.
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of taking pictures of Amanda and Brad Sullivan's family. Well, I guess when you get married and have a kid, your parents and sister turn into "extended family?" Funny how that works. These photos were taken on a Sunday afternoon at their home in Brookhaven. Elana is Amanda's 19 month old daughter. She was quite the funny photo subject in that whenever she was having her picture taken she would squirm and fidget and walk away. Apparently however, I wasn't the problem because she'd immediately walk up to me and smile. No idea why she only did that when out of the frame, but it was the case. Nora, Amanda's neice (9 month old), really had no idea what was going on, but she was a happy baby that enjoyed the taste of leaves in the front yard (see second to last photo). Fiber is good for digestion, I guess?
And I just had to put this one in the mix...
Last November I was on a business trip to New York City. I was lucky enough to stretch it out into a long weekend vacation and Keri even joined me for the last few days. Our good friends Dan and Sydne were gracious enough to let us crash at their place and with Manhattan apartment space so scarce, we were delighted to have them as hosts.
As far as photography goes, I decided to only take my 5d and my 50mm lens. No flash, no wide angle, no telephoto. I like to do this from time to time on vacation because it forces me to be a bit more creative with what I have. It makes me "zoom with my feet" which often leads to different angles and different ideas. If you've got a bunch of lenses, try leaving all of them at home but one prime lens on your next weekend vacation. It's a very freeing experience.
A day before Keri arrived, I enjoyed spending a full day with my friend Adam Radford. Adam and I go back to freshman year of college in Nashville where we lived in the same dorm 3 out of the 4 years. Along with a close friendship, he and I also played music throughout our time in college. At one point we started the terribly named duo "Acoustic Gluestick." Though we really only played two shows under that name, we still snicker at the cheesy-ness when saying it out loud. Adam has since moved on and graduated with a Master in Fine Arts in Acting from Columbia University. However, while still pursuing an acting career he's keeping his music alive. On stage he has a sincerely warm and welcoming voice with a talent for the acoustic guitar. Off stage, he leads a quiet life as an artist in Manhattan- though if you coax it out of him, his personality can be quite animated.
We had a full day involving recording sessions, a bass lesson (he just bought a sweet Fender Jazz Bass and wanted a few pointers on playing it), burgers and shakes, and a photo shoot. Seeing as this is a photo blog I figure I'd share some photos with you, rather than blather on. Adam and I were very pleased with the below photos mostly taken in the upper west side of manhattan, dispite many were shot in a cold drizzle on the Hudson river. It's amazing what you can do with a single 50mm lens in the dark. If only I were able to take pictures of my band while actually being in the photos as well...
Side note: This one was taken at Lincoln Center. Shortly after this was shot, Adam and I saw Jennifer Connelly hail a cab next to us.
I also put together a few potential web headers for him. I have no idea how to do web design, but I thought these could do something for him.
I hope everyone had as great a Christmas as I did. I was able to see my family, Keri's family, and a bunch of my close high school friends. Even though I still live near my hometown, it's still tough to find the time to get together with everyone. One of my best friends was even able to make it home all the way from grad school in London. You can always tell a good friend when not only do they find time for you when home on vacation, but when a phone call goes like this:
Trevor: "Hey- can I come stay with you for a couple of days?" Me: "Sure, but I have to chop wood" Trevor: "Chop wood? Seriously? Sure."
From Keri and I...
...and my family that was in town (sorry Patrick and Jennifer!), we all wish you a Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy 2011!
p.s. - Soon to come in early 2011: 2010 Italy photos (finally!), Adam Radford NYC photo shoot, and photos from the state of Maine.
Just a fun little reminder that when you have a portrait session with Alex the Photo Guy, you get a nifty online gallery of your photos to share with family and friends. Along with that gallery you get access to all kinds of exciting gifts, prints, canvas prints, and cards. The cards are super easy to make online with hundreds of customizable templates. Here are a few from recent portrait sessions.
Click on the cards for a larger view.
Happy Holidays from Alex the Photo Guy!
A few days before Thanksgiving this year I had the pleasure of photographing baby Braxton. He was born last month to a couple of good friends from my day job. This shoot was a lot of fun, but also helped me remember the top two rules of easy baby photography:
#1: Make sure the baby is asleep. #2: Babies hate being nekkid.
I really think the saying should be changed to "let sleeping babies lie." Sleeping babies are just as cute as awake babies, but don't fuss or cry. As far as rule #2 goes, I think it's pretty easy to understand. If you were nekkid and had someone taking pictures, I'm sure you'd cry too. If you must have nekkid baby photos, save them for the end of the shoot so the babies can get at least some time to be happy and comfy.
The fall leaves outside were an awesome spot for a backdrop (though they sometimes made the photo look like "hey, someone left a baby over there in those leaves!"). Believe it or not, daddy claims he raked the entire yard last weekend and filled 15 yard bags. I guess it's the price you pay for nice foliage.
See rule #2 above.
And the unintentional last photo that ended up being mommy's favorite.
Had a busy couple of lunch breaks last week full of newborn photos. Here are a few shots from Monday's shoot of Isabella McKinney. She's just a few weeks old and already has more facial expressions than a teenager.
Though this is definitely way late, I still figure I'd post about it. Each year, Dad goes in on season tickets with a big group of friends. I'll usually have a chance to make it to one or two of the games and of course I'm always asked to bring my camera and "the big lens." These types of pictures are always a challenging balance between taking pictures and actually enjoying the game with whomever is there. I never really get up and walk around because I don't want to be rude, but at the same time pictures are often blah sitting in the same spot. Overall I had a great time at the game and, as my brother predicted it, Dad definitely got a little teary eyed at Bobby's last goodbye. I guess in retrospect, I should have too seeing as every Braves game I've ever attended had Bobby as coach.
Here's dad signing the thank-you card from the season ticket holders.
Apparently they haze rookies by making them wear kids backpacks for their first season.
And of course, Bobby Cox:
I've owned the domain since college. Three years ago I re-upped it's registration and I contracted my good friend Greg Vilines at Webnormous to begin work on the site. Then a combination of producing an album, playing in a band, get married, and having his house burn down slowed Greg's progress on the site a bit. A combination of helping with the album, buying a house, running a photo business, general laziness, and getting engaged slowed me down too. I know my excuses aren't as valid as a house fire, but regardless of the timing, it is finally LIVE! Greg built the whole thing from scratch and he did a damn good job on it. I know I was a difficult client at times but in the end we got it all worked out. There will be a few tweaks made in the coming months, but since it's 99% done, we figured why not launch it? This will be a soft opening for my six blog readers and facebook friends until I get it 100% finished.
Keep in mind the new site isn't going to be a replacement for the blog- just think of it as a "best of Alex the Photo Guy." I'll still keep you up to date with my crazy photo antics here on the blog, so don't stop reading!
Let me know what you think! Many thanks again to Greg who did all the hard work. All I did was take a few photos. If you need a website, let me know and I'll get you in contact with Webnormous.
Lauren and I have known each other since 6th grade orchestra class. I was always second chair to her, though I never minded. I just loved hearing her play... plus it took all the pressure off of me to lead the basses. :) I always knew her as Lauren Cauthorn and I actually had to check facebook before writing this post to find out her married name. Granted she has been married to a charming British bloke man for a few years now, I just don't pay attention to silly details like "names." This set of photos, much like the Giles family post earlier took place at Thrasher Park. I knew it would be a good spot for them because Cameron loves trains and they run past the park about every 30 minutes.
I can say the Giles family is one of my favorite repeat customers thus far. Granted, most of my shoots are weddings and it would be terrible to say I have favorite repeat customers there... though I really toyed with the idea of a company motto that read, "If you aren't happy with your photos, you're next wedding is free!" Most people probably wouldn't get the humor as a lot can be lost in translation on the interwebs. These photos were taken at Thrasher Park in downtown Norcross. It was a great spot... actually a little too great as the place was PACKED with familes and kids running around everywhere. In fact, I think there were 3 other professional photographers there doing the same thing I was.
And finally, the "why is this guy following me around???" look.
Saturday, my friend used his connections to hook me up with a press pass to get on the field for the War Eagles game. I squeezed through plenty of AP and Reuters photographers lining the sidelines as the game was simulcast on ESPN and CSS Sports. The stadium pressbox at the half was one of my better experiences while sending some initial JPEGs to the AJC from my new Macbook Pro. The finger sandwiches were okay, but the wings were awesome- sweet and spicy of some delicious variety. The second half was a real nail biter between these bitter rivals as I think I even heard a few new curse words to my experienced photojournalist ears. I am happy to report that I safely dove out of the way of two particularly nasty looking tackles that would have broken no less than 4 of my bones. Unfortunately the War Eagles weren't able to successfully combat the Raiders' offensive prowess, but I was happy to hear from Sports Illustrated after the game that they need a couple of spreads for next week's issue. Apparently that Sean Mitchell is an up-and-coming phenom free safety, which you don't hear very often. I'm definitely looking to get a couple of prints signed next time I'm on the field.
Pictures rarely do live sports justice, but I will say these guys look bigger in person. :)
Ross and Courtney were married on September 25th at the Swilley Chapel in the Second Ponce De Leon Baptist Church in Buckhead. As Keri and I start our own plans for our wedding, I love picking up on tips from brides. For example, chapel prices can be almost half of sanctuary prices... I had no idea. As you can see below, chapel weddings are just beautiful! Ross works with me at my "day job," so I was honored when he asked me to shoot his wedding. Keri and I were going to be there anyway, so I was excited at the opportunity to be the photog for the day. They couldn't have asked for better weather! It was such a great fall day, albeit a little warm. Deep blue skies with a few cotton-fluffy clouds scattered about. The reception was at Kimball Hall in Roswell on "wedding row" as I've come to call Mimosa Blvd. The Kimball Hall staff did a great job with the indoor and outdoor decorations as well as the food.
I'll let the pictures below do the rest of the talking.
This was the sweetest part of the wedding: the silent time for the couple to pray.
...then Ross gave Courtney a little kiss, and she said "wait! not yet!" as they walked back to the altar. Hence the light-hearted laughter.
