After the Rain Comes the Sunshine, the Smiles, and Joy!

May 5, 2011May 5, 2011
by Victoria J

A couple of weeks ago, I photographed a South Carolina wedding of a friend that I grew up with and then reconnected with last summer during a “Down South” road trip. Now before last year, we had not seen each other since we were around 6 or 7, so I was quite elated to see how grown she was, but even more, I was excited to hear that she was getting married.

Her wedding day started out with rain, and I was not near her in the morning, but I could only imagine what was going through her head. At some point, I believe it was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but they made the executive decision in light of the weather report to set things up indoors. This was the same weekend that tornadoes ravished through North Carolina and other cities in the South, but thankfully, we did not see any of that kind of weather in Columbia. I remember just after the ceremony took place, it was absolutely gorgeous outside! It was not necessarily ideal for photographs with the bright sun, but it was a situation that I could work with. We took all of our wedding party portraits outdoors using the beautiful backdrop of this country club, although I hope that the grounds crew wasn’t too upset after we left one of the putting areas full of holes from sunken-in-heels.

I think I’ve said enough… now let’s get to good stuff: THE PHOTOGRAPHS! Some of my favorite photos below are:

When the ladies prayed for the marriage before the bride left the dressing room.
When the flower girl was taking baby steps down the aisle, and the mistress of ceremonies went to help her hurry along.
When the bride and groom honored their parents during the ceremony by giving each of them a hug.
When the groom asked for a smooch, and the bride gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
When the single men went to “not” try to catch the garter. Why is it that they came to the floor with cups in hand and hands in pockets. Compare their stance the single ladies who came empty-handed and actually put their hands up in the air when the bouquet was tossed.

All that said, I have included select images from this wedding below. If you see something you like, PLEASE do not hesitate to leave a comment!

After the Rain Comes the Sunshine :: SNEAK PEEK

April 26, 2011
by Victoria J

Last week, I photographed a wedding at the Columbia Country Club in Columbia, SC. This was the same weekend that a number of tornadoes tore through the South. Thankfully, we only got a little rain in Columbia, which was followed by beautiful sunshine and a few breezes here and there. I have just started processing through the photos, but here is a sneak peek of what’s to come! I will have an official post with many more photos soon, so please come back!

Through the Eyes of a Child

March 14, 2011March 14, 2011
by Victoria J

Back in 2007, I photographed one of my first weddings for a San Antonio couple. What a joy it was, as well as a learning experience! Welll, at the start of this year, I had the opportunity to photograph this family at one of San Antonio’s scenic parks, Brakenridge Park in the downtown area. Since their wedding, this couple has welcomed two new people into the world.

In this post, which was previously “sneak peaked,” I have included images from this recent portrait session, and you will notice a focus on the children. I could attribute the emphasis of this post to the fact that I love children or to the fact that our children are our future… I could even attribute the nature of this post to the fact that these children are soooo absolutely cute! But today I am focusing on the children because I remember reading somewhere that you will and can judge a tree by its fruit.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend some time with this family, and words cannot express the joy that filled my heart in being around them. Their genuine love for each other is not something that I always see in our culture, especially not among younger families. But in this family, I saw love, support, honor, obedience (which probably goes hand in hand with honor), care, well-wishes, modesty, wise choices, and maturity. The children were mindful of the rules and the instructions given by their parents. They did not talk back to their parents, nor did they roll their eyes. They did not try to cause harm to each other or anyone else. The children were very appreciative of gifts without a sense of entitlement. They liked to play, as well as learn and read. The truth be told, watching these children made me look forward to having a family of my own one day.

Anyway, I share all of this not to subliminally reference “bad” kids that I have encountered along this journey. Not at all! I shared this to say that you will know a tree by its fruit, and this couple has been very purposeful in the rearing of their children and the establishing of rules in their home, and it shows! It shows when you engage these children in conversation or play. It shows when you see their manners. It shows when they ask to eat bell peppers instead of candy as a snack. It shows when you watch them interact with their parents. For me, it shows when I am directing the portrait sessions.

With this post, I wanted to honor these parents because they truly are doing what they have been called to do! Raise up a child in the way that he should go, and when his old, he shall not depart from it…

Below are some throw back pictures of this couple back in 2007 when I photographed their wedding…

And now, for where they are now!

“You and I”

December 8, 2010December 8, 2010
by Victoria J

Here we are on earth together,
It’s you and I,
God has made us fall in love, it’s true,
I’ve really found someone like you

Will it say the love you feel for me, will it say,
That you will be by my side
To see me through,
Until my life is through

Well, in my mind, we can conquer the world,
In love you and I, you and I, you and I.

– Lyrics from “You and I” by Stevie Wonder

When I was a teenager, I once helped a woman get some favors together for her wedding. I remember that day when we sat in her living room with supplies surrounding us on the floor and she was telling us about the song that she wanted to to have played as she came down the aisle: “You and I” by Stevie Wonder. Her dilemma was the fact that she only had the track on a record and she did not think the church would be able to play it over the PA system (this was in the 90’s before all of the oldies but goodies were digitized – thank God for modern technology!). Anyway, she played this track for my best friend and I, and immediately I fell in love with the song (like so many other Stevie Wonder songs)! Before this day, I never thought anything could ever eclipse “Ribbon in the Sky” but lyrically, this song just might!

Anyway, as I looked for a song to display my latest wedding photographs, I thought of this tried and true classic, “You and I.” I have included images from a recent New Jersey wedding below.

By the way, if you see something you like, feel free to leave a comment!

For the Love of Family!

October 24, 2010November 20, 2010
by Victoria J

If I could make the world a better place to live, one of the first areas I would start with is the family! That is one of the first societal institutions that we encounter on this earth, and that unit can greatly contribute to our quality of life and in some cases, our plight in life. If I could, I would ensure that every child came from a loving father and mother that encouraged and disciplined them, but ultimately wanted them to be the very best that they could be! I would ensure that each child had at least 3 cousins that just loved them for who they are and spent time with them with no strings attached! I would make sure that each child had enough aunts and uncles to share in their upbringing, help them reach their goals, and offer real heart-felt hugs that let the children know without a shadow of a doubt that they are loved. I would ensure that everyone had at least 1 sibling so that they can always have a travel buddy and exploration partner and someone to help them learn early on the value of sharing! I would ensure that every child had the opportunity to engage with at least one set of grandparents so that they could know what great homecooking looks, smells, and tastes like, and so they could have a few moments in life where they get spoiled beyond measure (we all need just a few of those moments)!

Throughout the course of my life, I’ve been blessed with family – and some friends so close that they became family. And it was in the structure of my family (immediate and extended) that I had the opportunity to excel, succeed, thrive, explore, love, do right AND wrong, grow and mature, forgive, and so much more! Often times, people think that if you feed the hungry, you’ll make the world better. Well, I feel that if you connect people with loving family, the family members will look out for their own. They will show a member in lack how to fish and where fish are most plentiful.

Anyway, if I could, I would… but for now, I will just shares images from a recent family portrait session, where I saw the kind of “FAMILY” that I’ve been discussing. Often times, people tell me of how blessed they are by my gifts and the way that I capture their moments in time, but so often, they have no idea how the opportunity to capture statistic-defying images blesses me! I hope you all enjoy… and if you see something you like, PLEASE (I’m trying not to beg) leave a comment!

AND THEN WE HAD A LITTLE FUN!!!!

I Love the Kids!

October 17, 2010November 20, 2010
by Victoria J

After you’ve photographed enough family portrait and headshot sessions, you pretty much know what will work, and you can almost go on autopilot during a photo session… unless you have a child on the set! Children add such an element of surprise as you don’t know what mood they will be in or how long they will be willing to work with you. On this note, you also don’t know if they will be able to get into the poses that you want them to or if they will start creating their own poses instead of doing the ones that you have suggested. Even more related, you don’t know if they will have so much fun doing the things you asked them to do to the extent that they want to continue to do the same thing for the rest of the session. No matter what happens, it’s always a new experience and the kids keep my job interesting and exciting!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a family in Washington, DC at the beautiful Meridian Hill Park, and what a joy this session was! The daughter was so precious and such a pleasure to work with that I asked her mother if the little girl could regularly come with to portrait sessions as my designated “Poser.” I have included images from this session below, and if you see something you like, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT BELOW!

The Whole Family

Daddy and Me

Mommy and Me

That Game We Play

Look How High I can Jump!

Mommy and Daddy Showing Me Love!

Stuck in the Middle!

Celebrating Love

September 15, 2010
by Victoria J

No matter what language you say it in, it’s still the same: rakkaus, dragoste, ?????, l’amour, ?????, love, amor, ljubav, amore, liebe, yêu. Whether you jump the broom, stand under the chuppah, ornately decorate your hands and arms with henna, or wear a veil, the point of it all is the same: to celebrate the union of a man and woman as they enter into holy matrimony. Few other occasions are able to bring together family and friends from miles away and different walks in life as weddings are able to. And what event can instantly transform a 2 people into a celebrities with royal status? Only weddings! And with proper planning and the right level of drama, a woman can get her wedding and/or the preparation for the wedding televised by Oxygen, TLC, or WE. And what other kind of event will allow you to dance the night away without paying a cover charge?

Even though a lot is involved afterwards, weddings are still one of my favorite things to capture because spirits are high, people look beautiful, and with so much time, money, and planning invested into the day, there is always something to capture (never a dull moment)!

Below, I have included images from a recent College Park, MD wedding. In addition to the images below, there is also a slideshow that you can watch that has more images.

By the way, if you see something you like, please leave a comment below! I really appreciate the feedback!