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2014
GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS 10.15.19
Gratitudes
This week was big my friends! I’d say my top gratitude was having the honor of capturing Alison + Kevin’s wedding on Saturday at 48 Fields. Alison has been apart of my family since – actually I don’t know when, I just always remember her being my sisters best friend! She grew up with us and essentially became part of the Norman girls, so we had to give her a K name. It you’re wondering it’s Kalison. Together Alison + Kevin planned their wedding with deep fall tones and pops of soft color, a gorgeous moongate for the ceremony and farm table seating for their guests at the reception! My favorite part of the day was the ceremony, where they incorporated a crystal pouring. They selected orange and maroon (VT Hokies) crystals and poured them into a glass vase to represent the combining of their two families. They’ll be taking the crystals to be melted down into a vase that they can keep in their home and cherish as a family keepsake! How sweet is that?!
Tuesday + Wednesday I was in Georgetown for the incredibile Film Theory Workshop with Natalie Jayne Photography and Rudney Novaes Photography. It was a film workshop for beginners trying their hand at the artistry of film photography. Tuesday evening we had our welcome dinner at Sequoia in Georgetown, where I was able to sneak in early to grab a cocktail with Quaid, one of my first wedding industry friends and now major planner at the popular restaurant. We were able to introduce ourselves and get to know the other workshop attendees before a full day of learning, experimenting and fun! Wednesday was filled with so much information, thoughtful presentations, a lot of laughs and styled details like I hadn’t seen before. It was truly a photographers dream to be able to work with such talented vendors. Seriously though, the day was packed with models, bouquets, a floral umbrella, cake, a couple, ceremony site and a reception table. So many lovely and incredible details! Photo Vision received my film this week so I’m hoping to have the scans by Friday! I shared on Instagram last week, but I choose to use my own camera – a Mamiya 645S that I traded second shooting gigs in order to afford it from my dear friend Brandilynn Aines. She actually used that camera to shoot my very first branding session. More on that camera below!
Thursday morning I was back in Georgetown for Ana + Dave’s engagement session. They selected the Waterfront because it’s where their relationship unfolded. They had their first kiss there and Dave proposed down there too! We started along the water, grabbed a coffee at Grace Street Coffee and ended walking along the Canal! I’ll be sharing their gallery on here very soon! I’m excited for their June 2020 wedding at Bluemont Vineyard, they seriously have the best views in Virginia!
Nail polish. Whew! I’ve been bad at keeping up with anything other than editing and gallery delivery. I’ve had at least one wedding every weekend since I landed from Malta and 3 doubles. My actual nails look horrible and chipped and one whole finger is missing polish. I sort of laughed with Alicia yesterday, I said I know I’m busy and stressed when I don’t have the energy or mental capacity to paint my own nails. This is definitely a sign of fall wedding season. I’ve been craving a sharp black manicure though, not for upcoming Halloween but, because when done right I think it looks so incredible chic. Maybe I’ll have time to squeeze one in before this weekends double header!
Breakthroughs
I wanted to pop back and chat about that Mamiya 645S that I brought to the workshop. I have always been in love with old things, things with character and have a story to tell. That’s what this camera is.
This camera tells a story of a girl who is and always has been relentless in pursuing her dreams. A girl who quit her safe and steady job to create a job for herself and who grew a business out of nothing, but a vision of what she wanted her life to look like. A girl who bought a film camera without knowing how to use it, but she learned. A girl who went from barely traveling to flying internationally for clients. A girl who didn’t have a single friend or contact in the industry, but has created relationships and meaningful ones at that with some of the most talented folks on the east coast. A girl who isn’t afraid of change or a challenge and continues to adapt through industry shifts, economy ebbs and flows, relationships, moves and so much more.
For a while that Mamiya sat in it’s carrying case, quietly waiting for me to rediscover it. I had been opting to use my 35mm for all travel the last 2 years, because it’s more compact and the lenses are compatible with my digital cameras a.k.a. it’s less to weight in my carry-on and on my shoulders while walking about.
When I signed up for the workshop I promised myself I would only shoot on the Mamiya. As I said it’s an older camera without the bells + whistles of a modern camera. It was a chance to really break away from client work and also the cameras that I use weekly. The Mamiya made me slow down, no really. I had to manually load and remove film, manually focus and manually meter the light. Bam, breakthrough. That’s how I started. Manually. I did all of this on my own with my own hands, heart and head.
This workshop did re-energize my desire to shoot film at home, but for me it was a reminder of my story told through this single camera.
As always thanks for reading, xoxo.
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