Dustin and Melinda.

Charleston, SC

Boone Hall Plantation.



Google tells me there are 65million results for the definition of love. This is not entirely surprising, I rely on Google for just about everything. But I do, however, think that is an alarming number of definitions for something that can be seen so clearly by the naked eye. If I had narrowed down the search to what "kind" of love I was referring too, perhaps my results would be a little more specific. But I am not one for lengthy definitions, or following the directions for that matter. I would imagine my definition for love would have to be visually based. And also biased...


To be biased and completely choose favorites, Dustin and Melinda have that envious all inclusive package.


The night held an irrefutable presence of love. And from the moment I set foot onto the Cotton Dock, I knew that this feeling was not just because it was a wedding. I became a part of a family that loved the two of them so unconditionally. This was the kind of love that manifests in a lifetime, rather than one singular event. All the dancing and the laughter was magnified simply by the underlying understanding that everyone loves who they are, together, as a family. It was beautiful. It left me speechless and in awe of their effortless ability to be themselves, to be present so completely that they had more fun than they could have ever imagined.


Under the banner of a Charleston sunset, nearly as silhouetted as the trees, they were married. Life has taken yet another wonderful turn. A family is created and there is not much else you could ask for out of a night like that...I certainly shed a tear or two of happiness for them. They are quite deserving of it.



Congrats Dustin and Melinda Ryan. Many many years of happiness for you both.

Linda and Jay. The Wedding.

Houston, Texas.
Houston International Airport.

I am oddly inspired to write in this busy airport, nearly 800 miles from where I photographed this wedding... but I never question spontaneous moments of creativity, just embrace them. Without further ado, Linda and Jay.



The crisp air on the morning of October 16th confirmed my beliefs that fall was indeed creeping in to the Low Country. Even if it only lasted a few fleeting hours, I took that as a sign the rest of the day was going to be spectacular. And it was...


Every wedding I shoot, I try not to lose myself in the job. I am constantly rechecking shutter speeds, fiddling with flash settings, I carry 2 cameras, 4 SD cards, and a handful of batteries. If I think only about the technical support I am carrying I will surely miss more of the day than I should. I have to put myself IN the wedding, not just behind the camera. Fortunately, with time and experience, this has become much easier. To be a photographer is a multi-faceted, jack of all trades kind of living. I should just speak for myself, but that is how I interpret what I do. In short, if I focus too hard on one aspect of the field, I will miss 10 others.


It helps tremendously when the bride also has creative eye. Linda, even during her engagement and bridal shoots was right there with me on what to shoot, how to pose. Very little instruction was needed. I may have to hire her. Jay was just as wonderful, nothing phased him at all. He just went along with the flow and kept a calming demeanor throughout the entire day. Whew!
I should mention Linda and I would have evening Skype dates to talk about which photos she wanted, what the flowers were going to look like, and how excited she was for the wedding day. I wish I could have Skype conversations with all my brides, they are so fun!

In March, for their engagement shoot, I wrote about the look of love. You could liken it to a snowflake or a fingerprint, no 2 are the same. Yet they can be put in the same category as things that are unique and meaningful. Not one wedding that I have photographed mirrors another, with the exception that all have had the end result of husband and wife ( thankfully no runaway brides so far...). All weddings are memorable, but this one in particular will always stick out in my mind.

I love details, LOVE them. They are the glue that makes everything about the entire day fit together. Without them it is just a dress, just a party, just another wedding. But add handmade runners for the tables, an alter built by the groom, a birdcage veil, parasols for the bridesmaids, thumb printed leaves to make your mark on their special day, and to top it off, make the sunset cast brilliant shadows across the Plantation. There was that hum of energy again, that profound feeling of joy for two people and the life together that is about to begin. I have heard it explained that being in love is like holding your arms out and spinning in circles; dizzying and intoxicating. And when you have tried your hardest and found something to ground you to this earth, and you open your eyes to see that other person, just as dizzy and looking to you for a firm place to land; you picked each other. And not even to force of the Santa Ana winds can keep you apart. That is the best kind of love. I have seen it, and Linda and Jay have it.


Big love and thanks to Linda and Jay Coady for all of their patience with me and the time they took to make sure that I was not just the photographer but a friend and guest at this wedding also. The world needs more people like the two of you. Congratulations!!!

Stefanie and Mark.

Wakefield, RI


I have been a bad blogger. And for this I apologize. September could not have been a more busy, dizzying month. So many things to write about, all of which are stacked atop each other, haphazardly in the "writing/blogging" corner of my mind. The ideas started to collect dust, which only made them weigh heavier and therefore diagnose my problem as a combination of procrastination and too much to do with too little time. I was given a slight push in my writing when a friend returned from one of her many world travels and asked where on earth was the next entry?! She had just traveled to the other side of the world, with what I would consider far more interesting experiences than I, and here she was, looking for MY next blog. I figured it was time to write.


Stefanie and Mark: September 5th 2010.
Charleston, SC
St. Luke's Chapel.

On the heels of summer came the wedding. There was just enough breeze to make the outdoors bearable, yet we were all thankful the church was air conditioned. I had been looking forward to this wedding for months. I sincerely enjoy photographing my friends' weddings. There is an extra sense of excitement that subconsciously radiates through my lens. And it was no different for Stefanie and Mark.

I am a hopeless romantic. Lets just call it what it is. I love, love. I try, with little success, to conceal my deep sighs and swooning for all things that all are lovable. But I usually succumb to the happy sting of tears, the steady progression of goosebumps from the excitement, and I can't stop smiling. All I wanted to do for this wedding was to capture the intense sense of love, which is the main goal for all the weddings I shoot, but all weddings are different, a mixture of specificity and the carefully though out details.


Tissue please...
It was a palpable love, a sweet and tender love. Movie-worthy love. There was not a dry eye in the church. I think we all wanted to feel what they were feeling. They both have the best smiles, and they were grinning from ear to ear all day long. It's tough planning a wedding. There are meticulous and tedious tasks that have to be done, things forgotten about, and someone always asks at least 10 times, "do we have the rings?!". But, the day pushes on, and the moments keep coming, at a rapid pace, especially if you are the bride and groom. The endearing and wonderful thing about Stef and Mark was that, even if there was a sliver of stress, I never saw it. So rare among weddings these days, we seem to base upcoming nuptials on the latest episode of "Bridezilla". This was far, far from that. They waltzed through their wedding day, smiling and laughing and being IN every single moment with an intense gratitude for everyone there.

The entire day was indicative of their goodhearted and genuine personalities. I want THAT kind of love, everybody does. They represent the silly happy kind of love that we read about, and critics think is unattainable and exists outside our realities (I won't lie, even as a wedding photographer, sometimes I have trouble believing it exists). But in THIS reality, we all saw it, we wanted a piece of it, and we want nothing but the best for them.

Highlight of the Day: I had the privilege of having an hour of their time to photograph the two of them around Charleston in the old Black Cabs, and hear their story of how they met, right up until the wedding day. Complete with Skype dates, as Mark is from England. I thought it fitting that we were riding around Charleston in an old London cab in the south. A sign no less, that things are going pretty well for Mark and Stef.


Congratulations Stefanie and Mark Keegan!! Many many years of happiness.

salt.of.the.earth.

Edgartown, Massachusetts.
Martha's Vineyard.


I recall a recent conversation with a friend about what I would do if I won the lottery. I didn't have to think too hard, I have envisioned myself being handed the overly sized big check of $100 million dollars more than once to be honest, especially on the days when it is a stretch to purchase coffee...That moment aside, if I were to acquire a windfall, the very first thing I would do is buy plane tickets for my friends and take them all on an exotic, much needed trip.

Since I have not won, nor actually played the lottery in years the plane tickets are not exactly in my budget. But as it turns out, weren't necessary purchases, friends willingly flock to magical destinations when talked about enough ( and can talk a lot about these places). All it took was a little tweaking of ones schedule, some pre-planning ( months to be precise) and houses in Rhode Island and Martha's Vineyard to form the outline of what I considered the best trip of the year. And somehow, it worked!

Six states were represented on this trip; an ensemble cast of my all-weather friends, a band of gypsies caravan-ing our way around the northeast corner of the world. And in the most relaxed fashion, which I applaud us all for, no other group of 11 can travel like we do. Vineyard time was in full effect the second we stepped off the boat, felt the sand beneath our feet and christened the first nights stay with pizza on the beach; the air thick with the unmistakeable salty brine of New England. The salt of the earth.

I had a legitimate out of body experience for the first 48 hours of the trip. Could this really be happening?! I was surely dreaming that I had all of these wonderful people in one place, and they would be witnessing the places I have talked incessantly about. Pinch me now, but did Suzi really put and apron on and start throwing pizza dough in the air with my stepmother? Did Stephanie just feed the emus the Umbrella Factory? Did we really ALL just walk up the river with my Aunt Teash, sangria in one hand, camera in the other? The only thing I could do was shake my head and smile.


Throughout the week my friends came and went, my sister Erica made her ever hilarious appearance to the Vineyard, Heather arrived with Ansley in tow. I have known some of these friends for 17 years, some for less 3 and yet I felt as if this were a reunion for all of us, that we have all known each other for years, with the continuous laughter and plethora of pictures you would have trouble convincing an outsider of otherwise. There were moments of complete belly-laughing at the dinner table playing taboo, dancing in the kitchen to the wide variety of music provided by Justin's Ipod, smores, singing Disney songs ( yes Disney, we couldn't help it), a classic night out on the town, catching the brass ring on the Flying Horses ( good work Emily!), stargazing and heartfelt conversations, and if someone asked us if our friends jumped off a bridge would we? We can't answer any other way except...YES.














We do a good job of making other people jealous. Trips like this don't come around as often as I would like. In a perfect world we all would be venturing to the Vineyard on a regular basis. Life however has other plans for all of us. And its probably a good thing I'm not in charge, I would have never had the appreciation for all of this if we were able to go and come as we pleased; amazing how those childhood lessons come full circle years later.

I am going to be honest:
I am stuck in a classic case of me trying too hard to write. I want to depict how fun this trip was coupled with how wonderful my friends and family are. And I don't know if I can write it out. There would have to be a seperate book with illustrations and examples explaining each and every person who has made life this wonderful. My perfectionist side flares when I want to explain something intensely important to me. And thank you does not seem to cover it, but is really the only way to write it.

Thank you...

My family: I still stand in constant amazement at how lucky I am to have such a loveable, accepting, spontaneous bunch of people that understand me, probably because I have inhertied most of my characteristics from you. And that I have learned to love passionately, all things in this world is because I was shown unconditional love every single day of my life. Thank you for loving my friends and always providing constant contagious laughter. I really just want all of my friends to hangout with you, because I think you're a lot cooler than most people I've met, biased as that may be. I love you. Thank you.

My friends: The fact all of you took whatever means of transportation necessary to make the trip ( standby flights included) says more about your character than you may realize. You all travel well, babies included! You have, with your knowledge or not, changed my life to the point that I can't imagine arriving at this part of life without you all here; what a different person I would be. Never have I ever had so much fun with so many friends or have had more friends that felt like family Thank you for making the trip to see some of the most poignant places and most important people in my life. I love you. Thank you.

Pinch me please, actually...I take that back, because if this is a dream I never want to wake up. Corny as it may sound, I have the BEST friends and family. Everyone should have this much fun all the time. The infectious engery of this trip carried over long after I had touched back down to Charleston and back to the reality of work and 5am alarm clocks. There is a desire to explore every road that disappears past the horizon, whatever is waiting on the otherside, I cannot even imagine, but I am content with the fact I will have some company along the way.

BIG LOVE to: Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dave for letting us stay at your house in Charlotte and driving us to and from the airport, Dad and Carla for letting us desend upon the house, good music, and the introduction of the outside shower to my friends, Auntie Chi for her wisdom and Zen moments, Eric for his entertainment, Auntie BP, Uncle Charlie and Alecia for making dinner all the more fun, Aunt Teash, Tom, Aunt Sylv, Uncle George, Colleen, Cathy and Missy for the dinner on Railroad Avenue and the great stories, Mom and Papa for letting us stay at the house on the Vineyard, and Nan and Pop for coffee in the morning and an extra vehicle to drive around my favorite place on earth. <3.>

And of course the trip would have NEVER happened without Erica, Suzi, Francine, Alan, Stephanie, Lindsey, Justin, Kat, Emily, Heather and Ansley. I'm up for a repeat trip next year if you are...

.

Sweet Child of Mine.

Charleston, SC
More specifically the Geffert household.






I will pass up no opportunity to spend time with Ansley Geffert. I live vicariously through her curious mind, and I wish I could hear her thoughts about the world. Each sound is worthy of her wide eyed look, whether its her Mother's excellent choice of Latin Lounge music, her little feet teetering across the kitchen floor in attempt to find their rhythm, or the sound of the airplanes overhead, little fingers are pointed upward and smiling her signature toothy grin.


Yes, if I were 11 months old I would be friends with Ansley Elizabeth Geffert. We would conquer our little world together. We would talk about the next big adventure; the backyard is the next best thing to Neverland, where is Tink when we need her?! We would be certain to find the greatest treasures and marvel at the simplicity of our happiness and be the best of friends.

It takes so little to peak her interest. The sound of my car keys is a head turning, show stopping event. Everything is edible, not an uncommon trait for child her age. I was waiting for her to spell out words with her alphabet pasta as she gingerly picked up each letter to eat. If I had looked down and seen " airplane" or a simple "hello" I may have put a call in to Ripley's Believe It or Not...


I have photographed many children under the age of one as of late. There has been a baby boom amongst my friends. Each ultrasound I see or belly kick I feel makes me SO happy for the soon-to-be parents. I hope I can be the cool friend who happens to be a photographer and drops by for a random photo session with their children...

Case in point: Today.
Today was a necessary laundry day; because I was down to my last pair of underwear and I am leaving for a VERY exciting long awaited trip in the next few days. However, laundry is a dilemma in my house since the dryer has been broken for over a year now. I have relied on the kindness of various friends and the local Laundromat to accommodate my washing and drying needs. And as much as I am grateful for the thick skin I've had to acquire from fighting with Laundromat patrons over how many dryers I can use, I much prefer the less aggressive environment of a friends house. As well as the conversation and endless entertainment of their children.

Enter Heather and Ansley. Mother-Daughter team aka Ashley's rescuers of stinky clothes. I hope one day to return the favor somehow with something other than conversation and pictures. But as luck would have it, Heather loves to talk and Ansley is incredibly photogenic. As the laundry was whirring in the next room, I took it upon myself to whip out the camera at play time, meal time, naptime, and one small adventure across the golf course in the afternoon. The laundry would get done of course, but there is absolutely no excuse to miss the chance to photograph this sweet child exploring her world. I would not have missed it.

It baffles me that there is so much that can happen during the course of the day in terms of a child's life. Not a moment to miss really and Heather doesn't miss much. She and Ansley have the same eyes, they radiate with a kind of curiousness rarely seen these days; they beg the world to challenge them and they are ever seeking the answer to life's endless questions. If any one can find the secrets to the universe, it would be the two of them, hands down.

As her 1st birthday rapidly approaches I can't help but recall what a year it has been, Heather would agree. I did not understand how drastically a child changes your life; she's not even mine and I am totally changed! What is it about small children?! Do they have magical powers that make you melt and never want to leave their sight ever again?? They could be screaming and fussing for hours, any grown human fussing like that would get more than time out, patience would have been lost a long time ago. But a child, a baby, YOUR daughter, you would fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Because life all of a sudden has only one horizon line...and the sun rises and sets on your children.

As it should.

In the grand scheme of things there is little else that matters at the end of the day besides the well being of someone so little who loves you so much. My grandmother used to say, " Make all the money in the world, but you could live in a shack for all I care as long as you're happy." That pretty much summed it up for me...


And as always, BIG love to Heather and AJ for letting me photograph their amazingly gifted, beautiful daughter, and for coming to my rescue in the hour(s) of a laundry meltdown...