Monday, June 30, 2008

Ashley & Sean

Olyn and I spent the weekend at Wakulla Springs for Ashley and Sean's vintage-themed wedding. What more perfect way to personalize the wedding of two history-buffs than focus on a specific moment of Florida history? All of the details from the cake to the flowers and music absolutely transported you back to the way the Wakulla Springs Lodge must have felt in the 1940's.

Taking their theme as inspiration, I spent weeks before the wedding thinking of 1940's imagery and what that meant in my mind. I loved having this challenge as it really forced my creativity into images that I adore and I might not have thought of without the push.

Blossom's did a stunning job with the bouquets and the centerpieces. Ashley had them string beads into the flowers, as it was common for bride's in the Great Depression to carry bouquets of buttons and string.Olyn and I split up to spend time with both the girls and the guys while they were getting ready. No offense to Olyn or the guys... but they just didn't have the drama that Ashley did with that dress! The silhouette was an immediate inspiration for me and sent my mind into a thousand different directions.
I love having two photographers to cover a ceremony. Olyn stayed at the back and covered mostly wide angles, while I snuck up to the front for the close-ups. From this one spot, I captured Ashley crying, her mother crying, her grandmother crying, and her bridesmaids crying.Olyn got a few different angles of the back of the service.
The fireplace makes such an elegant backdrop for the ceremony.Probably my favorite shot of the day-- taken in the elevator of the lodge. It embraces the vintage feel, but adds a healthy dose of sex-appeal. If forced to choose one type of image as my signature style, this would have to be it. I love dark moody shadows and dramatic lighting. Of course, thanks to Olyn, I spent the entire day after this with "Love in an Elevator" stuck in my head!
Ashley and Sean were amazingly generous with the amount of time they gave us for portraits, so we literally went all over the lodge.The ceiling was the first thing Ashley fell in love with and had mentioned at our first meeting how she would like to have it included in an image. I don't think she realized this meant me laying on the dirty floor as people literally moved chairs and swept around me. :)The architecture of the lodge adds instant drama to any image, so I used it every chance I could!Tiki's Tasties created another amazing cake-- each layer had part of a latin phrase piped on it, but I never did get a translation!
Ashley and Sean do not hide their emotions, so photographing their toasts was a photographer's dream!
This was actually a first for me-- I have photographed countless bubble, birdseed and sparkler farewells, but this time they threw dried lavender. Not only pretty, but it smells yummy too!
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Wakulla Springs Lodge
Florist: Blossoms Flowers
Cake: Tiki's Tasties
Wedding Planner: Kenya Washington, Imagine Brides

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Monday, June 09, 2008

Tiffany & Ryan

Olyn photographed Tiffany and Ryan's wedding at Bradfordville Baptist Church this Saturday. Tiffany and Ryan are such a fun, laid back couple that they are a true joy to photograph. Their beautiful ceremony was followed by dinner and dancing at Golden Eagle Golf and Country Club.

It is always fun to create a new take on an old idea. I think that this shot captures Tiffany's beautiful dress in a unique way!I love the balcony at Bradfordville Baptist. It allows a photographer to capture some great wide shots of the ceremony!Here are a few of my favorite portraits:Tiffany and Ryan had a beautiful cake created by the Cake Shop. The cake incorporated the flowers from the centerpieces, giving the room a unified feel.
Blossoms created some wonderful centerpieces and bouquets. I like how the square, structured vases give way to an overflow of exotic flowers.The dance floor stayed packed the entire night!Sometimes, bubble farewells can fall a little short in the bubble department. Not with this crowd! Tiffany and Ryan's friends went into bubble overdrive to give this couple a farewell to remember!www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Vendors:
Ceremony Location: Bradfordville Baptist Church
Reception Location: Golden Eagle Country Club
Florist: Blossoms Flowers
Cake: The Cake Shop

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Mary Kate and Josh

Mary Kate and Josh had probably the "quirkiest" wedding I have seen in a long time. I say quirky in the best possible way-- it was definitely a night to remember!


I love this shot of her jewelry-- the ring is a star sapphire and the starburst effect is completely natural-- not photoshop! I love really old churches with hardwood floors...After all the church "formals", we ran over to Westcott with MK and Josh for some fun stuff...The Cake Shop did a great job on their very yummy cake! Their reception featured the best darned air band I have ever heard!This had to be the funniest bouquet toss I have ever seen! There was a literal brawl over the flowers! www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Vendors:
Ceremony Location: St. John's Episcopal Church
Reception: FSU Alumni Center
Cake: The Cake Shop
Flowers: Blossoms
DJ: The Music Machine, John Summers
Transportation: Mike's Limos

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Monday, August 14, 2006

Website down!?

Some of you may have noticed that LongsPhotography.com and the blog have gone down recently. We were having some trouble with the web host (ARGH!), but it should all be resolved now.

In the meantime, two weddings did not make it up on the blog!

I photographed Shelley and Josh's wedding at First Methodist in downtown Cairo. The historic church really played into this southern wedding. The high school sweethearts put a lot of their personalities into the wedding, complete with University of Georgia baseball hats and groomscake!


Vendors:
Ceremony Location: First Methodist Church, Cairo
Reception Location: Cairo Country Club
DJ: DJ Porkchop
Flowers and Decor: Brenda Darsey, DaySTAR

Cat and Brad had a mixed marriage this last Saturday-- she is a Seminole and he is a Gator. Despite a bit of heat and rain, Cat was one of the most laid back brides I have ever worked with. She and Brad had a really fun loving group, which made the heat a lot more bearable!


Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Golden Eagle Country Club
Flowers and Decor: Blossoms Florist
DJ: GT Entertainment
Cakes: The Cake Shop

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Saturday, June 03, 2006

Materinity Leave... well kind of...

I would like to thank everyone for their warm wishes and for their patience as Thatcher and I recover and get into a routine. We are all doing well and really enjoying life right now.

I have been on "maternity leave" for the last month, but what that really means is that I have been furiously editing images and designing albums whenever I can get Thatcher down for a nap! So, with the chaotic pace of new motherhood, I have not had a chance to share our latest work, so bear with me as we fast-forward through a month of weddings!

The day before Thatcher was born, I photographed Sabrina and Karl's wedding at Goodwood Plantation. The elegant affair had a flair of the old south, with the old plantation house as a backdrop.









Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Goodwood Plantation
Catering: Manna
Flowers: Blossoms

Olyn covered the May 13th wedding of Heather and Clint at Woodbrook. With the beautiful spring weather, the couple exchanged vows by the lake and celebrated underneath the stars.

Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Woodbrook

Olyn and our assistant traveled to Chipley to photograph the wedding of Chelsea and Dallas. The couple had a candlelight service followed by an intimate reception at the Groom's family home.
And a few of Chelsea's bridal portraits I did before the wedding:

Vendors:
Cake: Katie's Cakes

I returned from my brief leave to photograph the wedding of Sarah and Adrian at St. Peter's Anglican Church. The bride's elegance and the couple's emotion combined for one of the most moving weddings I have seen.

Vendors:
Ceremony Location: St. Peters Anglican Church
Reception Location: Ramada Inn
Florist: Missy Gunnels
DJ: Randy Kepple
Cake: Publix

And lastly, a few shots in the new studio of the new family!

www.longsphotography.com

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Monday, May 01, 2006

Cody and Amy

The culmination of an exciting weekend that included Cody's college graduation, Cody and Amy exchanged personal vows yesterday at Golden Eagle Country Club. I don't think I have ever been to a wedding that was such a celebration of family-- from lifelong friends to newly united families, the celebration really made everyone feel as though they were part of one big family!

Here are a few shots I liked:





Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception: Golden Eagle Country Club
Flowers: Blossoms Florist
DJ: Pro Disc Jockeys
Cake: Publix

www.LongsPhotography.com

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Monday, March 27, 2006

Becky and Nick

Becky and Nick had an intimate country wedding at the FSU Alumni Center. The couple danced the night away to the sounds of Southern Satisfaction, one of the greatest bands I have ever worked with.

Here are a few quick shots from the day:

Ceremony and Reception: FSU Alumni Center
Band: Southern Satisfaction
Florist: Blossoms Flowers http://www.blossomsflowers.com/
Caterer: Old South Catering (850) 574-5626
Bride's dress: The New Image (229) 226-8016
Tuxedos: Sacinos www.sacinos.com

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Sunday, February 26, 2006

Kim and Ryan

Kim and Ryan were married yesterday at the FSU University Center Club in Tallahassee. Even the wind and rain did not seem to damper this celebration one bit!

Here are a few from yesterday:










Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception: University Center Club www.UniversityCenterClub.com
Florist: Blossoms www.blossomsflowers.com
Cake: Katie's Cakes www.KatiesCakesandCatering.com

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http://www.LongsPhotography.com