Tyyawdi: Maternity

You may remember Tyyawdi & David Hands from this post awhile back. I'm happy to announce that the couple will be adding a new little Hand to their family in just a few short weeks. Here's a peek at their maternity session from last Thursday.

Angela & Darin: Married

We met Angela & Darin quite a few months ago and were immediately excited about their wedding! Dave got to photograph their engagement session at Freedom Park back in August of 2008.







And I got the opportunity to photograph Angela's bridal portraits in May of this year at our studio in Waxhaw.








Here's a sneak peak at their wedding photos.Congrats Angela & Darin!!

Weekend of Weddings: Meghan & Bryan

Day 2 of our Weekend of Weddings was Meghan and Bryan's wedding. You may remember Bryan and Meghan from this post a few weeks ago.  The day was GORGEOUS! We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. They were married in an outdoor ceremony at the Providence Country Club.  

The day was full of laughter and fun! There was everything from playing Catch Phrase, "karaoke" by the groom (and a few others!), comments about dresses of a certain blue that just so happens to be the color of the Duke Blue Devils, and of course a surprise appearance by General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. 

Great day!!

Weekend of Weddings: Leslie & Michel

Day one of our Weekend of Weddings started on Friday afternoon with Leslie and Michel. The ceremony took place at Saint Gabriel's Church with the reception following at Roof with a View. Dave got the opportunity to photograph the couple awhile back for engagement photos. Talk about one happy couple!

Enjoy!

Union Academy Prom 2009

Malida & Steve: Married

Malida and Steve met through a set up. According to the maid of honor, they were "inseparable". I heard a few stories about their relationship involving toilet seats and boat accidents that just go to prove their love for one another. Despite lots of rain and having to move the ceremony inside at the last minute, the day turned out beautiful! Both bride and groom were full of smiles, laughter and tears!

Congrats to you both!!

Helpful Hint - "Say Cheese"

Children can be one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. But they can also produce some of the most adorable portraits. One of the things that makes portraits of children so adorable is their expressions. It can be extremely difficult to get a decent expression from children. One of the most common things parents say during a portrait session is "That's not your real smile. Smile nice now." The thing is, that is their real smile.

At a very early age children get used to smiling for the camera. Kids as young as toddlers can already have a "fake" smile. How do you get rid of it? Well, the answer is to make the child laugh or giggle. We photographers use lots of different tricks to get kids to smile including funny phrases. However, saying "Cheese" is the last thing we want them to say! While "cheese" produces a smile like expression, it's the same word they are used to saying for the camera. Kids typically end up saying "cheeeeeeeeese" which produces the fake smile.

Next time you're photographing your children try something different. One of my favorites is "Stink feet!" The trick is to get them smiling. Instead of taking the picture when they say the words, take the picture right before or after when they laugh at themselves. Or tell them a joke. Anything to get your children smiling and laughing. Those are the expressions you want to keep!