Shelley's Top Wedding Day Tips
- Having spent some years photographing weddings, I've learned a thing or two about what works well when planning for your wedding day. I feel it would be a disservice not to share some of this advice. Here are a few of my most helpful tips in making sure your wedding photos turn out great: &nb [...]
Sample Timeline for an Outdoor Wedding
- Here is a sample timeline from one of my real weddings at Magnolia Manor in Warrenton, North Carolina. This bride and groom planned their day to have the best possible light for their portraits and outdoor ceremony. Rachel and Chris had most of their wedding party photos done prior to the wedding. However [...]
Getting Your Wedding Published
- Having your wedding or engagement photos featured in a blog or magazine is exciting. Brides put so much thought into the decor of the day that we feel those details deserve to be showcased and shared with the world. Blog and Magazine submissions are often done by the bride and groom or photograp [...]
Helpful Tips for Your Engagement Session
- For most people, an engagement session is the first time that a person will experience a full on professional portrait session. Sometimes, people get a little bit nervous beforehand, and that is totally normal. My engagement sessions are fun, and exciting, and I like to make people laugh. You will probabl [...]
Getting the Best Dance Shots
- Ask any guest about their favorite part of the wedding day and they will probably say its the reception. Wedding receptions are a lot of fun to photograph too! With so many cool venues in the Raleigh area, we love to incorporate the space and ambiance in our reception photos. And of course things really get fun after d [...]
Photographing Your Beautiful Ring
- I (Shelley) absolutely love taking pictures of wedding rings! I really enjoy macro photography, so being able to use my macro lens during a wedding is a fun treat. I especially like to place the engagement ring or wedding bands in a flower or hanging from a branch. Macro shots of multiple items can be tricky at times d [...]
What We Love: Newlywed Portraits
- If there was only one piece of advice that Josh and I could give to our brides and grooms for their wedding day, it would be to make sure you make time for a short newlywed couples session. Typically these take about 20-30 minutes and are done around sunset at a location on or close to your wedding venue. These portrai [...]
What to Wear for Your Engagement Session?
- The biggest question I get when clients book with us is “What should we wear for our engagement session?” And for the most part, your outfit depends on your individual style and where you are having your photos taken. Overall, I want you to show your personality through your clothes and accessories just l [...]
Tips for Your Wedding: Sparkler Send-Off
- Sparkler send-offs are a very popular wedding trend. As wedding photographers, Josh and I couldn't be happier about this because they are so much fun to get pictures of! Sparklers not only look great, they actually provide a lot of ambient light too. So even when it's very dark outside, we can still get some great shot [...]
An Engagement Session with your Furry Friend
- Looking through our blog, you have probably figured out that Josh and I are animal lovers. We love dogs, cats, horses, you name it. We especially love to photograph animals and capture their personality. So when we get a couple who wants to include their dog in their wedding or engagement session, we get really excited [...]