Daniel McQuade Photography blog

2010 children's portraits

2010-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's that time again, Spring! The awesome weather is finally back and we can all get outside for some great shoots. Our new children's portrait price list is up and running so that means we're booking sessions throughout the season. If you would love to get some great portraits of your little ones just get in touch with us and we'll set something up!

Click on the image below to see the price list full scale.

2010 senior price list

2010-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, and the upcoming season for your 2011 senior portraits is going to be an awesome one. I always strive to improve my work and learn new techniques so that I can become more creative and original every year. This year is no exception and I've got a ton of ideas for senior shots that I'm dying to try. Just click on the image below to view the price list full size.

Samantha and Russell

2010-03-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

I met Sam and Russell at a bridal expo back in January and I remembered them pretty vividly because they asked me if I was busy March 6th...which happens to be my b-day. Low and behold they got in touch with me after the show and indeed I was going to be busy on March 6th. They're so easy going and funny it was really great getting to know them and getting the opportunity to be a really important part in a really important day in their lives. Although the wedding was in Teays we managed to scrape up some time in the morning to hit the capital for a little while. If you're wondering "Well how did they not see each other before the wedding?" then you're not thinking outside the traditional wedding box. Sam and Russell, like about 90% of our other couples, saw each other beforehand via a set up meeting that we arranged on the capital steps. It saves a ton of time and you get more shots if you go this route btw, not to mention a pretty sweet spread in an album about it... All in all it was a fun day and we had a really great time with everyone and ya just gotta love that caddy.

little Jonah

2010-02-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

I couldn't really have asked for a better baby to shoot than Jonah. He was so laid back and there was only the occasional fuss. Being only 3 weeks old though it's ok because mom keeps making you get cold between changes and you're practically starving all the time. Dad didn't have a chance to come out with them because of work but they'll be making another trip out if the weather ever breaks next week. So keep an eye out for a few more photo additions coming soon. I'm hoping to see these guys again some months down the road when we'll have the little guy crawling and stumbling all over the place.

baby Channing

2010-02-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

I really love doing baby shoots because it gets me into something that's a bit out of my element. You typically fall into when you shoot a lot of weddings. Babies are all over the place and can be a challenge to capture, but when you get the shot it makes it so worth the effort. This shoot was actually supposed to happen back in December but got held off because of over 2 feet of snow. The timing worked out all right I think because we were able to take 9 month old Channing outside without too much of a fuss. There was fuss all right, but not until close till the end. It was a lot of fun and I'm hoping to get a chance to shoot her again this summer when we can get all of the shots outdoors with mom and dad.

Kim and James

2010-01-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

So I thought it would be a capital idea to do an e-shoot in our little winter wonderland. It would have been a good idea too if I had checked out what the temperature was supposed to be beforehand. As it happened to be it was an impressive -3 degrees with the wind chill. I think I was on the verge of frostbite when my poor fingers were forced to expose themselves to fire shots. We also discovered that loafers really aren't that great in the snow and ice, who knew? I had a pretty good time with Kim and James despite the cold and they made for good company. Both of them resolved over the summer to lost weight before the wedding and they've done an amazing job. James had lost over 60 lbs and Kim had lost over 30. Like I told her, not being able to fit in your dress because you've lost so many sizes is a pretty good problem to have. For lack of a better, less cheesy word, They're an inspiration and they'll both look great for their big day.

Liz and David's Snowshoe wedding

2010-01-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

I'm glad I have AWD is all I'm sayin. What an amazing time it was to be up on top of the mountain with at least 2 inches of snow coming down every day we were up there. It was a perpetual winter wonderland that made the perfect backdrop for a New Year's Day wedding. Liz and David came up from Miami, rented a house close to the slopes, and brought a load a friends and family to party the week away away. Pretty much awesome...We had a great time and actually brought in New Year's Eve with everyone at the house. The wedding was awesome and Liz and David were good sports about the cold. Thankfully we had some time to go out in the freezing cold and blowing snow for a little photo shoot in the village...did I mention minus coats for quite a bit of it. This is when being a good sport really counted. Getting to know everyone was great and by the time we had to say our goodbyes we fealt like part of the fam.

Kayla and Ward

2009-11-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is yet another one of my adventures out of Huntington for an e-shoot. We got to hit up some really nice spots and, all in all, had a good ol' time touring Charleston. It was an awesome day and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to run around with. I think Kayla's cheeks are probably still sore from smiling so much. It's a great smile though and I'm glad she kept up the good work. I also had the chance to talk videography shop with ward, which is something I really don't get the chance to do that often. It also makes me really happy when I see couples like them, who are so passionate about each other, and I have the opportunity to capture it for them. It's just a great feeling and I know it's something they'll always look back on.

On a side note..I'm still filling in spots for next year if anyone out there might be in need of a photographer, so just throw me a line! And in case you're wondering, Yes! I do have a new feature on here, and it's slideshows of all of my recent shoots. Check em out and scroll down to see some of my favorites from each shoot.

Kristen and Chad's bridal session

2009-11-17T09:11:00.001-08:00

You might remember the wedding we shot back in August and how I described the day as a monsoon. I also told everyone to stay tuned for a reshoot session for Kristen and Chad to make up for the shots we couldn't do because of the sour weather on their wedding day. So here it is! We finally managed to getting around to our make up session and we really couldn't have nailed a more gorgeous day. I hadn't really thought about it but I should have realized just how crowded the place was going to be on such a nice day. And nothing is more distracting and attention grabbing then a pretty bride with her man all decked out in wedding garb. Needless to say we had to make pretty frequent stops for everyone to congratulate them, hug, gawk, take tourist pictures, and make friendly conversation. We also made a pit stop for Chad to set free a baby timber rattler....yes a rattlesnake. He had found this neat looking snake in the woods below his tree stand, thought it would make for a good scare with Kristen, and took it home with him. Thankfully he did some research on exactly what it was before he punked Kristen. If you know anything about poisonous snakes, the babies are just as potent as the adults, and sometimes more so. I would have never thought it was a rattler either. All in all it was a great time and I'm kinda sad I'm done with all of their sessions.

April's bridal session and ttd

2009-11-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

April is pretty much awesome and what a fun time this was. We've been waiting a while for a chance to go to this lake for a shoot, not to mention a ttd. We shot her and Josh's wedding back in the summer, and being the good sport that she is, she wanted to do a ttd/bridal session with us this fall. I'm really glad that we got another chance to take pictures of her again. These types of sessions are awesome and we get to spend a few hours with our brides, which makes for great picture ops. April's shoot day finally came and we ventured out to this gorgeous place. This location was new ground for me and I'm really glad we had a chance to go there for the shoot. It was a perfect day, the leaves were amazing, and April agreed to get drenched in a questionable creek. Good times.

Sarah and PJ

2009-11-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

Despite the crowd and overload of photogs at the park, it's a great place this time of year, and the colors of the trees make for awesome backdrops with great color splashes everywhere. I couldn't help the urge to see what we could do with a walk through the woods. Sarah and PJ are a great, easy going couple, and I had a really good time with them. You can just get the vibe of how much they're in love with each other. One random thing that's amazing me is just how many nurses I'm shooting for this year and next.

Cindy and John's wedding

2009-11-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

What a surprise this one was. When you think October in WV you really don't think snow. We were thinking that we would take in all of the gorgeous leaves up on the mountaintop, but nature had other plans. The first thing that hit us was this intense fog and then the bitter cold settled in. When I got up on Saturday and looked out the window I was slightly surprised to see a dusting of show outside. The cold decided to stay and so did the snow...all day. It was an awesome day despite the weather and Cindy and John were a lot of fun. They were especially good sports about us taking them outside repeatedly for pictures and I can imagine how cold Cindy was. It was definitely a unique, snow and fun filled experience. The reception was also pretty memorable for us too. It was awesome to see sushi at a wedding and everything was just amazing!

Betsy and Todd's wedding

2009-10-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Betsy and Todd have to be one, of many, favorite couples that I've ever shot for. Their attitudes are awesome and I really like their artsy taste and vibe. They were the couple who came up from NC for the day just for me to do their engagement session, and it dumped the rain on us. This was also one of the most unique weddings I've ever shot. I definitely couldn't have been much different from what I was used to shooting even if I tried to make it so. It was a Native American style wedding, with a chief n' all. It was fascinating how much symbolism was involved in the actual ceremony and the religious aspects of it actually surprised me . There were a ton details I could explain on here but it would take a book to list. If you're interested though it's a pretty good story. The dress belonged to her mom, who was married in it over 50 years ago. It had since passed hands 4 more times for trips down the aisle. One of my favorite parts about the whole day was their great danes and how they were part of everything, including the ceremony. Everybody should have dogs in their wedding. All in all it was a great time and Creekside is a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding in good ol Wrong Turn WV.. Luckily for all the guests from out of state the propaganda thrown out about WV isn't true, and all of them I talked to really loved this state.

Kristen and Chad's wedding

2009-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Up until this wedding I always had blazing sunlit days at every wedding I shot. The only exception was a few weeks before when we had a little rain but it fizzled out before the ceremony. What happened on Sept 26th was something I had never really dealt with at a wedding, a monsoon. It literally rained from the time I got within half an hour from the venue at about 8:30am to the time we left that evening, after 6. When you're supposed to have an outdoor wedding it kind of puts a damper on things a bit, but it was still a good time. It was definitely an experience. I think I spent about 90% of the day shooting from under an umbrella. Kristen, Chad, and their entire family were great sports the whole time but due to the weather we couldn't get all of the shots we wanted to get. Soooo we're setting up another shoot with them in the near future to make up for some shots that we were jipped out of the day of. Stay tuned!

Ashley and Andrew

2009-10-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

These two are my type of folk. Easy going, funny, up for about anything, and ethnic food appreciating. We had actually tried to do a shoot a few weeks ago but on the day of the shoot we were rained out. It's kind of funny because we had originally planned a shoot for 5, changed it to the morning because of the threat of rain, got rained on in the morning, and guess what, it didn't rain at 5 after all. yeehaw! At least we got to go to Nawab for lunch though, and that was delicious, so it wasn't a total loss. We made up for it last week and nailed a perfect day for a shoot.

Miriah

2009-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Miriah has been waiting a while for these pics. A few years ago I used her as a model for a pano that I was working on. Unfortunately, it was scrapped, so the pics never got to see the light of day. But now... we had another go at it for old time's sake.

New to momentville

2009-10-12T21:48:00.001-07:00

I'm always looking to join new sites to get my name out there, and I recently joined Momentville as a vendor. It's neat when couples contact me from these things because sometimes they come from the most random places, it's great.

2010 Engagement Session price lists

2009-09-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand, I'm posting my 2010 engagement session price lists on here. As always, get in touch with me if you have any questions about what you see here, or if you would like to book a session of your own. Just click on the jpeg below to view an enlarged version. I'm looking forward to some snowy sessions this winter guys, so keep in mind there's another season besides spring, summer, and fall =)

Lizzy

2009-09-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten around to posting these pics, after about 2 months in waiting. We had gone to the beach that morning at about 5 something to see the sunrise, but hit a snag when it decided to be cloudy and rain. Lizzy had brought along a dress that she had from high school for a photo shoot, so what better time then now right. The shoot was a lot of fun and I finally had the chance to take pics of my lovely gf, which she had wanted me to do since we started dating nearly 4 years ago. She made a great model, so I might have to do it again sometime.

Bridget and Kevin's Wedding

2009-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

This was one of the very rare occasions that it rained on one of my shoots, nevertheless an outdoor wedding. At least we had cloud cover, which I'm eternally thankful for. Typically when I shoot it's blazingly sunny and you pretty much have to shadow hop to avoid the harsh shadows of everyone's faces. But this wedding wasn't the norm and we made lemonade with the lemons that were given to us. It turned out to be a great shoot with just a little delay in the ceremony because of the rain. Bridget and Kevin were amazingly easy going and just an all out great couple to shoot. Their wedding party were pretty fun to work with too, especially when we hijacked hole 12 for our location. Thankfully the golfers were friendly.

Betsy and Todd

2009-09-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

This shoot held particular ties to me. Second Creek is a place that I used to frequent all the time when I was a kid, and even through high school I was there on almost a weekly basis during the summers, wading and fishing my life away. It's odd that I haven't been there but a handful of times since, and it used to be so important to me. Betsy and Todd contacted me from NC and they're going to have their wedding at Creekside Resort in October. Wanting to do everything in the spirit of WV, they wanted to do their engagement pics here as well. I thought for a while as to where to take them and it eventually came to me that Second Creek would be perfect. Being the good sports that they are, they drove the 4 hour drive to get up to Lewisburg, hiked at least a mile and a half to get into our location, got dumped on by rain, and hiked out without a complaint, only to drive another 4 hours home. Now that's my kind of clientele.

What it's still all about

2009-09-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

"I love my wedding pictures!!! They are absolutely phenomenal!!! I cannot say enough good things about Lizzy and Daniel - they were so fun to work with and the art they created is amazing!!! If anybody needs a wedding photographer - I HIGHLY recommend Daniel McQuade Photography."

- Liz and David

"Hey the pictures are fantastic! I got very emotional looking at them! Means you did a perfect job!!! I wanted to take a moment to say how thankful I am to you both for the pictures at the wedding! I loved the shots you both took, as well as the joy you showed while working! If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, ever. You both are truly talented and have such a wonderful future ahead of you! Keep up the good work, thanks so very much!"

- Cindy and John

"We absolutely love the photos!!!!!! We were so excited to vire them and have viewed them many many times!!! I even caught Todd looking at them when he was working one day! I think you captured "us" in more ways than one!!! You are a true artist!!!

We have only shared them with a few people, we may use them for christmas pictures and all... But those who have seen them love them too!!!!!

Todd was very impressed with you and the amount of time you spent with us that wonderful day in WV!! He said he is looking forward to all the wedding photos and stuff!! He was really glad I talked him into selecting you! Thanks for making me look good ;)."

- Betsy and Todd

"Our pictures are BEAUTIFUL, and we couldn't be more pleased!!! I can't say enough about them. We have looked at them several times, but it's tough to choose which ones are the favorites!"

- Danita and Tim

"Omg!!!!! We LOVED them! especially the ones towards the beginning and the ones in the tall grass... and the ones by that little pond haha. You're awesome! How will we ever decide?!"

- Ashley and Nathan

Ashley and Nathan

2009-08-27T05:48:00.001-07:00

These two made it easy for me. Ashley and Nathan are great personalities to be around. They were one of those couples that it was hard to get a serious face out of because they were wanting to smile so much. Totally nothing wrong with that at all! A great, genuine smile is one of the best faces you can put out there and it makes for great photos. I'm anxious to shoot their wedding next year, maybe we can get some even better ones.

Nikki and Jon's Wedding

2009-08-27T05:19:00.001-07:00

Wow, such a great place for a wedding, right on my back doorstep and I didn't even know about it. Even though it was blazing hot outside, everyone was awesome to work with, and most importantly, fun! No sticks in the mud to be found here. I love shooting outdoor weddings anyways, and the combination of a great couple, great bridal party, great local, made it an awesome day for shooting.

April and Josh's Wedding

2009-08-27T05:01:00.001-07:00

And God said, "Let it be freakishly hot August 8th 2009," and it was so. Even though it was pretty hot and blazingly sunny, we had a great time shooting April and Josh's wedding. They're such a great, easygoing, happily in love couple, that you can't help but have the same vibe rub off on you when you're around them. On a side note, it was pretty hilarious having a karaoke machine at the reception. Now that's a capital idea!

Reagan's 1st b-day

2009-08-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Reagan is right on the verge of turning 1 already. It just seemed like a week ago I was taking her pictures and she could barely hold herself up. After shooting Brittany and Tristans wedding a couple years ago, they officially designated me as their photographer for life. Thankfully they were blessed with this beautiful little girl, and I've been given the honor of preserving their memories of her as she grows up. These pictures are priceless and I really encourage any parent to do these shoots. It really gives you something to cherish.

Kristen and Chad

2009-08-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since May or so, when I participated in a group shoot, I've been looking for an excuse to go back to this place. Thankfully I talked Kristen and Chad into going there for a shoot. After a couple weekends of stormy weather, we finally had the chance to do the engagement session. The wait paid off though, and we managed to pull of some great shots of these two. I can't wait to shoot the wedding!

Danita and Tim's Wedding

2009-08-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

I finally got the chance to shoot at Heritage again so I jumped all over it. It's such an awesome venue and this couple was so great and in love it was a perfect storm of picture goodness.

Jenn and Billy

2009-08-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

This was actually the first time I've shot at Barboursville Park. It's always an interesting experience trying to figure out where the best places are and what works for certain couples at different times of the day. We had a good time of it and got to take a nice little tour of the place. Jennifer and Billy were a great easygoing couple to work with, so it was kinda hard to get an awkward shot of them, lucky me. I'm really anxious to shoot their wedding, which is coming up fast like.

April and Josh

2009-08-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to shoot on a farm, with the whole barn and all. It was way out in the sticks but well worth it. I don't think a button up was a good idea though, it must have been like 100 degrees out. All in all it was a great time and April and Josh were an awesome couple for my country expedition shoot.

Jennifer and Eric's Wedding

2009-08-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is yet another great couple that I get to work with. Thankfully my navigation led us close enough to the church (which was awesome btw) to actually find it. We had guessed that the shed about a mile down the road where it said it was was a no go. It all worked out and it was pretty much the most amazing thing that happened on the 20th of June.

Ally and Stephen's Wedding

2009-08-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while in planning but it finally showed up, Ally and Stephen's wedding day. After 8 years of dating they took the walk down the aisle. We had been looking forward to shooting this one for a while and it was great to be able to do it for such a great couple. You'd be hard pressed to find another couple as right for each other as they are.

This is one of my favorites of all time from my wedding shoots. It was great because they were getting ready to stun everyone with their surprise choreographed first dance.

What it's all about

2009-08-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is what really drives me and makes me love what I do.

"We LOVE LOVE LOVE the pics!!!! So excited that they came out so fantastic. You really did an awesome job! You can't even tell that I'm profusely sweating (although there is a progression of my hair from curly to straight over the picture timeline...LOL) I had my best friend look at them and she said she cried! Then she showed her husband and they got jealous..haha!"
- Jenn and Billy

"My name is Brittany Jenkins. My husband, Tristan and I have fallen in love with the amazing talent of Daniel McQuade. We began our journey with Daniel two years ago at our wedding. Along with Daniel's professionalism and down to earth personality, we were in awe when we recieved our photographs. I think I actually cried! He captured every moment of our completely wonderful day. Six months later, we were blessed when we found out there would be an addition to our family. We immediately contacted Daniel. Seven months into our pregnancy, Daniel took maternity photo's of my husband and I. Once again our pictures were outstanding and we had so much fun! Needless to say, we scheduled another shoot with our three month old daughter, Reagan. AMAZING!!! Daniel took so much time with our daughter. He truly loves=2 0his profession and loves to please his clients. Take it from me, a two year veteran, whatever the occasion, you'll be completely overwhelmed with Daniel's equisite talent. Not only does he sit down to discuss your wishes for that special occasion, he is so patient and compationate. You wont' have any regrets when dealing with Daniel McQuade. Thank you so much for adding a little piece of heaven to our home! We can't thank you enough. Dont' worry, we'll be back for Reagan's 1 year pictures."

New posts coming soon

2009-07-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

It's been a crazy summer and I've been a slacker in the posting department. In the next couple weeks I'll be posting my exploits from all over the state and a dab of vacation time in Chincoteague island in Va. If you're looking for a more updated idea of what I've been doing until then, check out the albums on my facebook page. It's one of the first things I update after the fact.

Trash the dress at Audra Park

2009-06-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is another one of the unique opportunities that I get to take part in with my fellow photogs.

Britney and George's wedding

2009-06-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since their wedding, but I've finally found the time to share some of the pictures from Britney and George's wedding with everyone. A couple of months back I had the chance to shoot their engagement photos as well and had a great time with the two of them. The golf course was gorgeous, as was the bride, so we really couldn't go wrong that day. One thing is for certain; I absolutely love shooting outdoor weddings.

Ally and Stephen

2009-05-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the chance to get to meet up with these two before I shoot their wedding later this upcoming month. The rainy weather finally broke for a day and we took full advantage of it. Both of them will be going to Marshall's med school next semester and it's really awesome that they can share that experience together. They're like two pees in a pod and you should hear the way he proposed, it's a pretty funny story that has to do with orange heads.

Britney and George

2009-05-19T18:22:00.002-07:00

Recently I had the chance to spend the day with these two. We had a grand ol time driving all over Huntington for their session. We even took a buggy ride around Pullman for kicks. It's great getting a chance to spend a few hours with a couple because you can just see them unwinding as the time goes on. Britney and George weren't any exception and I was able to get a lot of great shots of them. I'm really looking forward to shooting their wedding coming up here in a few weeks. It's pretty much going to be the best thing happening on the 6th of June.

An occurance at wine cellar park

2009-04-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

It's not too often that you really get the opportunity to socialize with a lot of other photographers all at once. I was recently given the opportunity to join the "Kamakazi" club. We hail from all over the state, and some even come from Virginia and Ohio. Our goal is to network with each other. Not only do we check out one another's work, but actually go out on shoots together. At this shoot in particular there were 14 of us and we managed to get 6 models...The combination made for an amazing shoot and a great learning experience.

And yes, it is a baby shower

2009-03-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

As of late I thought I had done pretty much everything photography related, but I was mistaken. The other day I had the chance to shoot a baby shower. After the initial "oooooo's and ahhhhhh's" associated with a guy being at a baby shower it really wasn't that compromising to my manhood. All in all, it was a pretty fun and entertaining time to be had. Unfortunately I missed out on the all time favorite game "identify the melted candy bar in the diaper," (you can pretty much guess what this is supposed to relate to) so that was disappointing. Maybe next time...

Reagan

2009-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

This is my most recent baby photo shoot. Reagan is the new baby of a good friend of ours (their wedding was my very first wedding shoot) and she's a real joy to be around. She has such a glowing personality and on the day of the shoot she had an intense fascination with her reflection in my lens. Before you know it I'll be going back for another session as she grows up. This documentary approach really appeals to me because it makes such a beautiful and priceless collection of photos.

Kaylin

2008-12-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

This was my very first baby portrait session, and it was quite the experience. As It turns out, 8 month olds really are a trick to photograph and are quite entertaining when trying to get them to cooperate. Kaylin is a really sweet, easy going baby that really made this first shoot memorable and enjoyable. I never have been too much for posing, so her flailing and rolling around only added to the pictures and made her personality really shine through.

I threw this one is here because the look of terror on the dog's face was hilarious.

children's portraits

2008-11-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

I've recently expanded my portfolio to include children's portraits! Every portrait shoot is on location at either your house, or wherever you would like to go. This allows us to photograph the children joyfully in their own environment the way that you'll always remember them, even after they've grown. Click on the jpeg below to open up the 2009 pricing list.

Katie

2008-11-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

I had the chance last weekend to venture out on a senior portrait session with Katie. Thinking it was going to be a freezing cold morning shoot, I bundled up with gloves and all but soon abandoned them after it reached practically 70 degrees. It was a great day and turned out to be an awesome shoot for Katie, my lovely model for the day. She and her mom have such great easy going personalities. It was really a joy to work with them and spend the morning running all over the park and downtown Huntington. She was so photogenic (despite what she thought) that it proved pretty easy to click off one great picture after another of her. Most seniors like to get their pictures done in the spring/summer months so it was a breath of fresh air to do it in the fall. The leaves were beautiful and vibrant (what ones were left anyways) and the atmosphere just made it great for us. Here's some of the pictures so you can see what I'm talking about...

Holly and Jared

2008-09-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

This was a great wedding to shoot on several different levels. Holly is one of the most relaxed and easy going brides that I've ever met. Not only that, but she was beautiful to boot, so how can you go wrong with that? Jared was cool and relaxed, and a pretty good looking guy himself, so the two of them really were a pair. They really had a great chemistry between them that just shined when you were around them. Holly had recently taken a government job in Texas, but they came back to West Virginia not too many days before the wedding, just to share it with their family and friends. I had never been to the church were the wedding took place, and it really was an amazing space. It was laid out like a labyrinth and it didn't take me long to get lost during the rehersal. Mercifully, I was able to get my bearings for the wedding and was where I needed to be. They will definitely be happy together and I'm glad we were able to be a lasting past of their special day. Here's a random sampling of what our day was like...

I thoroughly enjoy when couples see each other before the ceremony. You get these great moments when they see each other for the first time...alone...and not in front of hundreds of people, and they express the joy of the moment all by themselves.

A little bit about me

2008-09-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite as young as I look, and no, it's not a perm... That will pretty much sum up my first impression on people. I went to high school in a small, private Christian school in Greenbrier County. And when I say small, I mean tiny...imagine a graduating class of 7. It was practically like being home schooled, but I turned out ok for the most part. It wasn't until college that I was really able to open up and meet people. I was originally planning on a career in zoology. I love animals, always have. When I was in elementary school I would have my mom wake me up at 6am on Saturday mornings so that I could watch National Geographic for the hour that it was on, in the hope that a special about animals would be playing. When you only had 2 tv channels it wasn't too often that you got to watch that kind of thing.
Fate took me in a different direction a couple years into school though, and I ended up as a fine art major. It was a jump, but I found another love. It wasn't long before I was recommended for a fine art scholarship from one of my professors; I'll never forget her and how she inspired me. I tried everything, from pen and ink drawings, pencil, paint, construction paper, graphic design, and eventually the time came for photography. This was different than taking snapshots of your family and friends on vacation; it was fine art photography. It makes you think of things differently, and it ended up changing my life. Not only was it a new medium to express myself, but it's also where I met my assistant and love of my life, Lizzy. I still maintained my love of nature which is reflected in much of my photography. Here you'll see the wild Kira in her natural habitat (on her beanbag).

I graduated from Marshall with a senior show consisting of 5 images, each 7 feet long. A couple of which I'll show you here...

Lizzy and I actually modeled for these.

Shortly after I graduated I shot a friend's wedding, who had her mind set on me, even though I had no experience whatsoever in weddings. The shoot went really well and I decided to run with the idea of doing weddings from that day forward. Thank you Brittany for igniting my passion for wedding photography! Just being able to be such an important part of a couple's most memorable day is an honor. I live and work by the motto: if you're going to do it, do it well. I'm always striving to learn new techniques and ways of improving my own. With busy wedding seasons coming up, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Lindsay and Jared

2008-09-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is one of my fovorite couples of all time. I had the opportunity to shoot their engagment pictures, and we had a great ol time sneaking into Heritage Farm for a little after hours session. We really got to know these two during the shoot and got a great feel for their personalities, which are pretty awesome. This is one of the reasons I offer engagement shoots with all of my packages. The time I get to spend with them and get to know them is priceless. The best part is that it helps me get even better pictures on the wedding day when we're in tune with each other. Sometimes you even make some good friends in the process. Lindsay and Jared have such a bond with each other and you really see that when they're together. It's one of those things where you can tell that they are meant to be. Seriously, just look at them...

I know they'll have a happy life together and I'm sure I'll be keeping in touch with them down the road.