Romantic Inspired Wedding Photography: Alexandria Virginia

Awhile ago I asked friends on my facebook page how they would describe my photography style in three words. The responses were fantastic with words such as: unique, creative, stunning, romantic, passionate, fresh, clean, emotional, and vintage. Sometimes I can mentally get stuck in putting words together but having those words defining my style really help me reflect upon my goals in wedding photography.

Well a couple weeks ago while Barbet sitting in Alexandria, Virginia I styled and shot a session that epitomized my vintage romantic style on film. It started with a old tea length wedding dress and everything fell into place from there. Josh brought a bow tie, argyle socks, and suspenders which perfectly matched some of Nina’s shoes. The flowers were from Whole Foods and were a mix of Calla lilies and Ranunculus flower which are the it flowers right now. Makeup was done by Shaune with www.shadesofshaune.com

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Some Vintage Black and White goodness
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Check out the Ranunculus flower bouquet and adorable Josh
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Alexandria Virginia Family Photographer: Sisters

Yet another Alexandria, Virginia session!!  Not only did I shoot a bridal session and vintage wedding session but I also had a quick Family/Child shoot. These two adorable girls were camera ready and beyond easy to photograph. We started at the “magic light hour” which helped create that soft glow around the girls. We asked the girls to laugh and they could hardly stop! It’s sessions like these that really make me love my job!

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Alexandria Virginia Bridal Session | Indianapolis Wedding Photographer

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.

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There are those Barbet (French Water Dogs) again:)They are always great models…
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April 28, 2010 - 8:59 am

Ravyn - LOVE them! The last two are great … and those shoes are to die for!! :)

April 28, 2010 - 2:28 pm

April Foster - I love this – especially since you included your cute dog :)

July 13, 2010 - 8:37 pm

miami wedding photography - Very nice pictures! Great details!

July 24, 2010 - 9:20 am

Wedding Ideas & Tips » Return the Love: Vintage bridal session by Stacy Able - [...] such a lovely vintage-styled bridal session! And I love the French Water dog. ;o) You can see more from the shoot here. {Photo by Stacy [...]

Barbet and Portuguese Water Dog: Indiana Dog Photography

What you may not know about me– especially if you are a new client or haven’t been over to my house, is that I am a HUGE dog lover. On our 11 acre wooded bliss near Brown County/Nashville, Indiana we have 6 dogs which ironically one, Belle, came with the house. At Clemson, I obtained Lola, a 7 pound spit fire of a chihuahua. Then I met Walter’s dog, a Barbet which is a French Water Dog and fell in love. You can learn all about them at American Barbet.

We had our first litter of Barbet puppies in 2007 which spurred me on to get one from France in 2008 then we had another litter in 2009. From that I kept one, Amelia (or Lia) for short, got two from Canada, and rescued another.

One of our Barbet, Dynastie (aka Dyna) we gave to my sister in law in the DC area. While my sister in law took the kids on spring break, I came out and babysit Dyna. Two houses down lives Prince, a peppy Portuguese Water dog. Dyna and Prince have become best of friends and they both love to hop in and out of Nancy’s little pond.

Here are some photos of the dynamic water dog duo having a blast in Nancy’s gorgeous backyard.

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Alexandria Photography: Cherry Blossoms and Barbet

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

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Cherry Blossoms at 7 am– not bad, eh?
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Barbet Lola– One of the two I dog sat while in Alexandria. She was one of the FIRST barbet in America!
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King Street in Alexandria– The best Dog watching around!
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Masonic Temple in Alexandria at sunset.. plan on doing a HDR of this here shortly
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Columbus Indiana Senior Photography: Chelsey

I know Chelsey through another senior, Shelby, I photographed last October. When it was time for Chelsey to intern for a day she called me via Shelby’s suggestion and we talked for 6 hours on all things photography and art. She is a great photographer herself and will be going to school in the fall to begin her journey in higher education.

Of course when Chelsey called me a couple weeks later for her senior session, I knew it would be heaps of fun and center around photography. Being a vintage styled girl, we used some of Chelsey’s vintage cameras, sunglasses, and retro clothing to create photos I feel should be in a magazine. We started in downtown Columbus then headed to her favorite tree in the fields of southern Indiana.

While editing the photos it was so hard for me to pick a favorite as Chelsey’s smile was perfect in every shot. Below are some of my highlights fr0m this session. I’ll be posting a slide show here shortly so check back soon!

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This reminded me so much of a Urban Outfitters catalog… so so cute!!
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And this series.. totally in love with these shots as I feel they are out of a natural living spread
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Volunteer in Guatemala: Seeds of Help Non Profit Photographer

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!

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Maribelle and her cousin. Maribelle is an amazing weaver and will be teaching weaving to our woman’s groups!!!
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Walter, me and Florentina’s family
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Girls in Seeds of Help’s preschool class learning their colors and how to hold a crayon
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Seeds of Help’s Preschool class
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How’s this view at 10,000 feet? Not bad!
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Walter and I finally getting a photo together… behind us are the volcanoes of Guatemala
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June 16, 2010 - 10:39 am

don - good to see other photographers giving back. As a commercial and humanitarian professional photographer its so good to know that other photographers are trying to make a difference with there craft.