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Jeremy & Maria’s Fall Hawkesdene House Wedding in Andrews, North Carolina

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:35:42 +0000

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Midwest Wedding Photographer: Woodsy Indiana trash the dress session

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:43:53 +0000

Every time I say trash the dress in the midwest a wedding fairy dies… not really, but I do get gasps and confused looks from people. Let me clarify that trash the dress does not literally mean to trash one’s wedding dress. It’s often a session done after the wedding either the day after or a couple weeks, months, or even years. The session at least with Stacy Able Photography, is focused on getting incredible fun, playful, and fashion inspired photos of the bride (and soemtimes groom) in their wedding attire.

In Asia, wedding couples will do epic wedding sessions before or after the wedding to create stunning visual photographs to display on their walls. In the Midwest (or destination trash the dress sessions of which I offer). Many”trash the dress” or “rock the frock” clients come to me as they were unsatisfied with their wedding day photos. Either their photographer wasn’t creative, their wedding day was rainy, or they didn’t get the unique wedding images they desired. Other brides just want more photos of them in their gown which is understandable as they spent so much time finding the dress why not wear it again? So like all of my sessions the client and I chat and come up with inventive locations, props, and most of all reflect their personalities in their session.

For this session, Lindsey was married a couple of years ago and like everything styles change so she wanted some modern wedding photos. Being she is a photographer herself, she trusted me with my woodsy goddess vision and the resulting images are incredible! The dark woods, the wispy veil, and her gorgeous self made for some fairy tale, fashion-esque photos don’t you think?

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Santo Domingo Antigua Guatemala Wedding: Stacy + Walter

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:15:35 +0000

I rarely have photos on my blog of me as I’m always behind the camera. So, in honor of my 2nd anniversary with my oh so patient and kind husband, Walter I’ve decided to post some of our wedding photos and our story.

We married 2 years ago in the gorgeous ancient city of Antigua, Guatemala. The city is awash with vibrant Latin colors as almost every building is painted a bright shade. We chose to get married on Dia de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) which in Guatemala means there are huge vibrant kites flying throughout the country celebrating loved ones who have passed away. After you see the below photos you’ll completely understand why we chose that day and location. Following the photos is a little q and a about us.

How we met? We met at the Bloomington Indiana Farmers Market. I was interning at a printing company in Bloomington and Walter had just moved back to Indiana from grad school in DC. I had my wee little Chihuahua, Lola, snuggled into my bag and she spurred our conversation. After that we enjoyed Bloomington’s fall weather and went to concerts together and hung out at Bloomingfoods. I had to return to Clemson to conclude my degree but several long distance calls, another internship in New Jersey, and care packages here we are today– married for 2 years.

How did he propose? This may sound a bit odd if you don’t know Walter, but he proposed in a crypt. The place we were married, Casa Santo Domingo is a old monastery turned into museum, hotel, and gorgeous place to get married. While I volunteered with Seeds of Help in Guatemala after I graduated Clemson I remember him telling me not to visit there until he took me. After one voluntourrism trip Walter hosted to Guatemala, we concluded our trip in Antigua and we walked over to the Santo Domingo. On the museum part of the grounds are several crypts of nuns and monks they found during the renovations. One crypt we went down to had a man and women laid out side by side all lit up. Being Walter studied anthropology in his undergrad, he has an acute appreciation of history. Anyhow, I could tell he was nervous but didn’t think much of it until he was down on his knee saying far too nice of things and I accepted. We decided that a year later we were to be wed in the gardens of the Santo Domingo with Volcanoes and a couple loved ones surrounding us.

Date he proposed: 10/10/2008

Date we were married: 11/1/2009

Advice for future brides: If you are not going to see each other before the ceremony and you have a sunset ceremony I’d recommend a first look. We did not have time due to the kite festival but I wish we could have done that as it’s really hard to get the expressions walking down the aisle while you are trying to hold it together. Also I recommend doing what makes you happy not others! We wanted banana bread from a Bakery my husband went to while in the peace corps in Guatemala and no one understand why we wanted banana bread for our cake but after tasting it they all understood.

Dress: Nicole Miller
Veil: That Special Touch Columbus Indiana
Photographers: Nina Shannon + Stacy Able Photography
Flowers: Guatemalan Markets and Joan Able
Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Casa Santo Domingo Antigua Guatemala

email me | Midwest and Destination Wedding Photographer | Facebook | Blog | Call 812.552.1007

Higuey, Dominican Republic Trash the Dress: Tourist Market

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:36:21 +0000

I broke up the “trash the dress” session posts as we did a 3 part series. Our last stop in Higuey was to a typical tourist market. They had all sorts of pottery, carved mahogany, and colorful Caribbean style paintings. I had so much fun photographing the bride and groom perusing for various souvenirs. At one point, the shop owners brought out a purple alcohol and gave the couple a shot.

I asked the bride, Dana, about her thoughts on Trash the Dress Photography:

The best part of the trash the dress photos was just getting out of the traditional poses and backgrounds to really get a feel of the location we were in. It felt so much more intimate and meaningful to explore the local places and take pictures our wedding attire. Being at the local basilica, knowing how important it is to the Dominicans, was a great feeling, and we had an amazing time taking pictures there and at the other locations. On your wedding day, everything goes by so fast that it is hard to just ENJOY it all. Doing the trash the dress pictures was so much more laid back, that I felt so much more connected to the area and to Matt, and I think that it shows in the pictures

email me | Dominican Destination Wedding Photographer | Facebook | Blog | Call 812.552.1007

Indiana Barn Photos: Road trips through Indiana

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:37:12 +0000

Many of my clients know I hop around a bit. It’s ingrained into my blood as a military brat. This summer there have been some road trips most of which going to and from photo sessions or to pick up Barbet from dog shows. One session recently was in the heart lands of Indiana and on that journey there were some beautiful barns crying to be photographed. I’m no Lyle (Viewfinder’s Club Barn Photographer Extraordinaire) but I tried my best. Often when I see barns like these my brain thinks a bride + groom in front of this would be magical!

Hire Me | Indiana Family Photographer | Facebook me | Blog | Call 812.552.1007

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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Wedding Photography: Dana + Mattt

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:45:21 +0000

Grab a cup of tea or coffee as this is going to be a pretty epic photo post.

Dana you are gorgeous!!! The cameo ring on the left is her great grandma’s engagement ring

Meet Dana + Matt. Remember their e-session last year?

Tropical flowers for a tropical destination wedding

Dana getting Chelsea Handler tickets from Matt.

Dana and Matt’s beautiful son walking with Dana’s Dad on the left & the cute Jackson getting ready on the right

Meet the bridesmaids– a saucy bunch that kept me laughing. Left is Dana getting bug sprayed as there were some sneaky bugs in the Dominican

Dana looking like a goddess! It was overcast/rainy but that cloud cover gave the BEST soft light for photos!

Dad walking the gorgeous Dana down the aisle

Jackson was adorable during the ceremony. He stared down the sand, played peek a boo, and picked flowers.

They were a crazy fun bunch

Dana and Jackson dancing away. Aww!!

Resort, flowers, day of wedding coordinator, dj, food: Dreams, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Travel Concierge/Planning: Beach Bum Vacation
Wedding Dress & Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Grooms and Groomsman Suits: www.studiosuits.com
Makeup & Hair: Grooms Sister, Marissa Allen

Slideshow:

Some questions/answers, suggestions, and thoughts from the Bride:

Why the Dominican?
The largest reason is because our son is 2 years old. We wanted the wedding to be special and exciting to him, and didn’t feel that a church wedding would have much to offer to a toddler. A destination wedding, on a beach, is much more exciting to him, especially because he gets a fun vacation with his parents and grandparents!… The Destination Wedding allows me a week of relaxation with the most important people in my life, and a laid back lead-up to the wedding, and is much more casual so I’m not as uncomfortable being the center of attention!
We chose the Dominican republic because I have been on a vacation there before with one of my best friends (my maid of honor!!) and we LOVED it. It was just gorgeous, so it was a top choice for our wedding. We are on a limited budget, as are many of our guests, so we chose a resort that had a LOT to offer, at a reasonable price. Also, because we are taking our son, we had to go to a resort that is kid-friendly; but we also wanted a resort that wasn’t kid-centered, as our son is the only child coming to our wedding. We didn’t want our adult guests to feel like they were at Disney!

Favorite Detail?
I don’t know if I can pick out one favorite detail of the entire wedding. I think that it has to be the cute little things Jackson was doing during the ceremony (playing peek a boo). Or, when he would come up to me, and pat my dress or look at my shoes, because he liked them so much. Just the little things that showed how much he was enjoying the wedding.

Would you change anything?
I would have tried to designate one person as the “go-to” person to coordinate meals, etc. so that I could have relaxed more instead of always trying to plan where/when to meet.

Funniest Memory?
Jackson discovered that he could put his hands in front of the pool jets and spray people. That was one of the funniest things, as he was spraying all of our friends and family in the pool!
Obviously, being all-inclusive, there were a few hysterical stories of people after a few cocktails….Just ask Matt!!! =)

Advice for brides to be?
RELAX. Delegate as much as possible, let others make decisions that really don’t matter, and just enjoy it.

Hire Me | Dominican Destination Wedding Photographer | Facebook | Blog | Call 812.552.1007

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Destination Trash the Dress Photography: Higuey, Dominican Republic

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:01:11 +0000

Dana and Matt chose the Dominican Republic to have their wedding as it would bring together all their friends and family. Being that I had my own wedding in Antigua, Guatemala the closeness and quality time you get to spend with loved ones is priceless.

The day before the wedding, we went to Higuey in the Dominican Republic to capture the local color and city life along with the cute couple in their wedding attire. We started at the famous basilica in Higüey which is a massive structure of steel and stained glass. It began to rain but that didn’t deter us! The shoot must go on!

While I was photographing Dana and Matt, a small crowd of school girls gathered to watch. I felt they were so cute so I asked them (in spanish que bueno saber español!) to pose with the bride and groom. They happily obliged and busted out a pose or two.

After the church our taxi driver took us to a private residence perched high above the city where there was soft moss, trees, and a beautiful back drop for some romantic photos. The veil is from my wedding which I love to reuse! It began to rain again so we stopped at a tourist shop where Dana and Matt bought a photo album for their post card guest album (they had guests sign post cards at the wedding which will be sent to the couple). Along with taking a shot of mysterious purple liquid.

Enough of my chatter— I am so excited to share these I had to explain a bit of the back story but onto the photos!!!

Love love this red wall outside the church.. the color and dana and matt just pop!!

Here are the girls I talked about above.. look at them strike a pose

I heart wedding veils… they really add a dynamic to a wedding photo with the way they diffuse light

Part II of the Higuey Trash the Dress session coming soon. To give you a hint, it consists of the bride and groom in a tourist market…

CONTACT ME | MY PORTFOLIO | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Call 812.552.1007

http://www.whirlandtwirlpearl.blogspot.com/

Trash the Dress featured on Notable Inspiration Blog!

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:34:06 +0000

I met Kelly out in DC in April at The Garter Girl’s launch party at Vatsu. It was a posh event full of wedding planners, bloggers, photographers, and videographers. The garters were incredibly unique and worth checking out her site to see photos.

Kelly has her own blog, Notable Inspiration which features her inspirational idea boards that if you are planning a wedding are a must see. She has a great eye for coordinating details. We chatted a bit about trash the dress photography and I explained that the title “trash the dress” is really intimidating which does not always involve ruining the dress. Often my trash the dress sessions are more of a day after or fashion shoot for the bride. It’s a great way to get a awesome series of photos in the dress before it gets cleaned and packed away.

One trash the dress session I did with a couple in Loogootee, Indiana was based on the bride’s horses. Erin rode on one of her ponies with her gorgeous wedding gown flowing in the wind. You can see photos on Kelly’s Notable Inspiration blog

Thanks Kelly for the feature!

Engagement Session in Washington DC

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:16:20 +0000

Yet another DC post! Can you tell I had a great time out there? While there I met up with Kurstin Roe whom I met while at the Italy Workshop last November. He is an amazing photographer and I was lucky to be able to assist him with two of his engagement sessions. The first being at 7am at the National Mall. I have to give him a huge thank you as by getting up at 5am to shoot this was well worth it. The beautiful red/orange glow of the sunrise flickering off the cherry blossoms and monuments was breath taking.

Here are some of the shots I took of Kurstin’s couple. I also put in some scenery photos as those cherry blossoms were glowing!

CONTACT ME | MY PORTFOLIO | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Call 812.552.1007

Alexandria Virginia Bridal Session | Indianapolis Wedding Photographer

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:26:03 +0000

While out in DC I shot a couple vintage styled bridal sessions. The first one below features a Indianapolis Wedding Dress Designer amazing gown. You can see more of Beth’s work on her website and buy on her etsy shop. If you are looking for a custom one of a kind wedding gown, veil, or any sort of gorgeous gown you need to talk with her.

One of my friends, Troy Woods of Clark Bailey Photography from the Jose Villa Italy workshop came out and shot this session with me. It was so great to catch up and talk Nikon shop as we both have those cameras.

There are those Barbet (French Water Dogs) again They are always great models…

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Alexandria Photography: Cherry Blossoms and Barbet

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:30:34 +0000

It’s that time of year when our cars turn yellow saturated in pollen and bright pink buds are pushing through the ground after a pale cold winter. Somehow I’ve lucked out to be in the Washington DC area at time of year. After seeing the blooms and energy of DC, I hope I can make this an annual adventure.

The cherry blossoms are downright stunning. They are intoxicating with their delicate flowers and all the more magical when their petals fall around the National Mall’s tidal basin. Vibrant pink, oranges, and green line the grounds of the National Mall making for a stunning photograph setting. No wonder millions of people flock to DC at this time.

Besides being in a beauty drunken stupor, I baby sat Barbet Dyna, a french water dog, who now lives with my sister in law in DC. She and I took many a walks as well as shared goat cheese while watching the sunset glow from Nancy’s gorgeous living room.

P.S. Happy Earth Day– Live every day like it’s earth day, though and recycle, reuse, buy less junk, etc

Cherry Blossoms at 7 am– not bad, eh?

Barbet Lola– One of the two I dog sat while in Alexandria. She was one of the FIRST barbet in America!

King Street in Alexandria– The best Dog watching around!

Masonic Temple in Alexandria at sunset.. plan on doing a HDR of this here shortly

CONTACT ME | MY PORTFOLIO | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Volunteer in Guatemala: Seeds of Help Non Profit Photographer

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:09:44 +0000

Every year I volunteer with an amazing non for profit called Seeds of Help (www.seedsofhelp.org). The ngo is based in Columbus, Indiana but operates in Huehuetenango, Guatemala which is right below Chiapas, Mexico. Besides volunteering on various projects I document the great work Seeds is doing.

The reason why I love this non profit is they cut through the b.s. and typical red tape paperwork and focus on improving the lives of Mayan women. Other reasons why I love Seeds of help are: Americans assisting are all non paid volunteers, there are no huge offices in New York City, and all donations go towards Guatemalan teachers, scholarships, water tank projects, school lunches, and several other projects.

My most recent trip in early March was an eye opener. We went to a remote village I had never been to visit the family of Florentina, who is a Seeds scholarship recipient. On the side of a coffee growing cliff, live her parents and grandparents in a two room adobe brick hut. Their income primarily comes from growing coffee along with some livestock. Another interesting aspect of Florentina’s family is she is bilingual as her parents only speak an indigenous Mayan language. Despite the dangerous roads, visiting her family was priceless. They prepared a special chicken lunch and even gave Walter a rooster to thank him.

Also on this trip we had Valerie, a volunteer from California, join up with Seeds to teach at the schools for a month. On the Seeds of Help Blog you can read her take on life and volunteering in Guatemala.

I could go on for days about how awesome Guatemala is but as always my writing always pales in comparison to the photos so I’ll unleash those. Enjoy!

Maribelle and her cousin. Maribelle is an amazing weaver and will be teaching weaving to our woman’s groups!!!

Walter, me and Florentina’s family

Girls in Seeds of Help’s preschool class learning their colors and how to hold a crayon

Seeds of Help’s Preschool class

How’s this view at 10,000 feet? Not bad!

Walter and I finally getting a photo together… behind us are the volcanoes of Guatemala

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Moon Palace Mayan Riveria Wedding Photography | Jen + Logan

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:08:49 +0000

Where do I begin with Jen and Logan’s wedding? Located at the Moon Palace in the Mayan Riviera, from the crystal turquoise blue waters, white sand beaches, conch shells, warm sun set lighting, and a mariachi band, this wedding was a plethora of inspirational photo opportunities for me.

Jen, the radiant bride, was beyond stunning in her off shoulder gown. Her bridesmaids (3 of which were her super sweet sisters) glowed in coral cocktail dresses. The groom, Logan and his groomsman looked smart in their suits yet playful with their matching flip flops. Logan and Jen live in San Francisco and wanted to have a wedding that their family from all over the States could attend. They tied the knot a couple days after Thanksgiving and had many family and friends there to share the celebrations. This family really got down like no other family and danced, laughed, and really enjoyed the warm Mexican sunset.

Jen has killer style.. look at her rings timeless yet modern!

Here is Jen! STUNNING bride!! This photo I plan on submitting to a brides magazine as it’s too gorgeous!

The groom and his entourage chillin’ at the pool

Jen, with her radiant bridesmaids 3 of which are her sisters

I was having Jen look off into the distance and low and behold those three flower girls were being hilarious…

The 3 Amigas dropped a flower in the pond… seriously every time I turned around they were being ridiculously cute

A Mariachi played tunes while Jen glided down the aisle. Perfect touch!

We chased that falling sun in order to get a shot like this…

Their first dance to a Mariachi band who kept posing for me… funny guys…

Slideshow Time!!! Please feel free to send to friends/family and post a comment if you love it! I love comments!

Thank you Jen and Logan for having me there as your wedding photographer. I had so much fun capturing your big day as well as getting to know your amazing family! ~ Stacy

Columbus, Bloomington, Indianapolis Wedding Photography | Stacy Able Photography Blog |Wedding/Portrait Availability

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Tuscany Wedding Photography | Italy Workshop

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:21:47 +0000

I don’t think I can utter the right words to thank Jose Villa & Gene Higa enough for hosting their amazing Italy Workshop. There were over 20 photographers from all corners of the world who came together to improve. Everyone put their twitter and iphones down and became an Italian family. Another huge kudos goes to those who ran the behind the scenes: Jen Curtis, Ann Hamilton, and Joel Serrato. Last but not least, styling was done by Matthew Johns and Hair and Makeup by Mar.

Every morning the fiery reddish orange globe of a sun rose over the Borgo di Fontebussi which is close to Montevarchi and Arrezo, in the Chianti region of Tuscany. The soft yet warm light that awaited us all can’t be explained due to it’s infinite beauty. Gratzi to the amazing staff, cooks, and workers of the Villas for taking on our shutter happy crew.

Tuscany, Italy | Travel Photography

Tuscany, Italy | Travel Photography

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:05 +0000

The beautiful Tuscany Italy…

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