Category: Bridal

Emily & Paul, Engaged! :)

5/15/2014

We met Emily & Paul at dawn in their beloved DC. It was a chilly but beautiful April morning and we had budding cherry blossoms, the monuments, and then the awesome urban area that is distinctly DC, with mosaic murals, graffiti artwork, and coffeeshops. These two computer minded people found love at the party of a mutual friend, and it's been going strong for two years now. Emily couldn't be sweeter and I finally realized who her celeb doppelganger is: Detective Juliet "Jules" O'Hara from Psych! She had some serious style going on for her session and I could have photographed her and handsome Paul all day long...we had so much fun that nearly five hours went by before we realized the time! Thank you for trusting us with your engagement session, guys! Hope your 2015 wedding is as beautiful as you both are!!! :)

Photos by McCall & Brian Doyle :)
Hint: Clicking on the horizontal images will get them to open up for you! :)
P.S. My watercolor image of Emily's engagement ring just won an Honorable Mention in a Wedding Accessories contest: Inspire

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High Tech Tuesday-Cowardly Lighting ;)

1/28/2014

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Baby E in her Minnie Mouse hat, snoozing peacefully. :)

Hi! So, one wedding down, two to go. Everything must be caught up by the next wedding I shoot on 2/22 for Amanda & Tom. Well, at least all weddings. We're not going to count the normal shoots that definitely need editing. :) I am finally not a zombie anymore like I've been for the past few days. I'm currently working on Erica & Rich's feature for tomorrow's blog and excited to share it with you. They had such a fun and sweet wedding.

Most photographers I know (at least those who consider themselves natural light photogs as I do) really hate indoor photography. The evil yellow light, lurking shadows, low ceilings, painted walls that we can't bounce flashes off of very successfully. Using our nemesis, the flash. There are a few ways to overcome the icky yellow lighting IN camera. Most people customize their white balance. However, I often find that when shooting an event, the lighting is constantly changing (there can be uplighting, chandelier romantic ambient light, stark light, fluorescent light, etc.) or I'm going from room to room, and having to stop to customize the white balance is a little difficult. Last week I mentioned changing the camera setting to my personal favorite coloration, "Faithful". Well, since you can also customize your other settings, I actually do two things when I walk into my event. I take a few test shots when choosing what type of lighting (Tungsten is often recommended but I find it too cool and blue in tone for my purposes) and usually end up picking between "flash" and "fluorescent light". And after I've chosen that, I lower the saturation level...taking it down one or two pegs depending on my needs. I take one last test shot and find that my indoor colors are much closer to normal skin tone, not yellow OR blue, but flesh toned...which means I spend far less time in post production correcting my coloration.

That's my post for tech Tuesday...I hope it helps!

I'm photographing the adorable Otaizo little ones this weekend, working on pulling together some styled shoots for the rest of winter into early spring, and finishing up my piles of editing. And getting super excited over what lies ahead. :)

Happy Tuesday!
McCall :)

Paula's fabulous ring on yet another cactus. Hey, I was having fun. ;)

Paula & Michael about to steal a kiss...Brian caught this photo of them at the Botanic Gardens and I love it! :)

Paige's lovely sister Laura, holding her adorable little boy during the ceremony. I love the Christmas tree lights creating perfect bokey behind them. :)

Paige's custom made wedding band to fit her exquisite engagement ring, paired with Bobby's strong & classic wedding band. :)

Paige. I have the most incredibly beautiful brides in the whole wide world. :)

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Strike a Pose Thursday: Posturing ;)

1/23/2014

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Paige & Bobby on a snowy porch, posing for portraits during the Golden Hour. So perfect. :)

Aloha! I say that because it's 8 degrees in Virginia but I'm willing myself to Hawaii. Lucky for me I only have to feel the cold in small, blasting doses, when I open the front door to let the pups out into the yard. Even they are feeling it-normally wild horses can't get them out of the yard when they are on a mission to go. But these days they run out, skip their ritual "gotta pee/gotta poop" dances, and fly back inside. Then they run up the stairs and cuddle under the covers and blankets next to me before I even get back into bed! :)

Last week I talked about how you can look better in your photos through your stance/poses. I want to continue that by giving a few tips to models...or for those of you who just wanna look like one in your next photo session. :)

Posture itself is very important. In a photo, if you're standing up, you want to elongate your neck and spine as much as possible, as if there's an invisible thread on the top of your head, pulling you slightly upwards and keeping your entire body in one perfect line.

When sitting down, that rigid posture is just as important. Don't slump or slouch in your seat. In this position, you want your chin slightly pointed downward and your eyes meeting the camera directly. A second seated pose tip is leaning slightly forward for some photos, arching your back and neck towards the camera, letting the shoulders fall back in an exaggerated way. Eyes up to the sky or off to the side make for a great haughty "model" face. :)

Next week I'd like to share some images from past models of mine who have the perfect physical expression down...I find that showing rather than explaining is sometimes better in terms of understanding. :)

My crazy editing continues. I purposely booked only one gig this weekend, my second year in a row photographing a large holiday party for a terrific medical research company in DC. It'll be a great night since they really know how to throw a bash...it's like a wedding reception with a band, a DJ, dancing, prizes...everything but the bouquet toss! ;) So I'll be editing steadily tonight, tomorrow, Saturday for most of the day, and Sunday all day.

Some questions (since I missed Monday's blog!):

Inquiring minds want to know: if you could be any super hero out there, who would you be and why?

When you come to my page on Facebook, what do you look forward to most? What makes you specifically like or comment on something?

And on behalf of the missed post on High Tech Tuesday...

If you're using flash, find a diffuser that's perfect for your work aesthetic. You can make your own out of posterboard or paper...you can buy a mini softbox for $20...you can buy a small hard plastic diffuser on amazon.com or you can go with a Gary Fong diffuser, which looks like a giant diaphragm but creates a fill flash look that is warm & inviting. ;)

That''s all for now, folks! Hope everyone's week is going well and remember...tomorrow's Friday! (As if anyone ever forgets Friday.) :)

Happy Thursday!
McCall ;)

Paula & Michael, US Botanic Garden in January for their winter engagement shoot. :) (Incidentally, I was using a small speedlite here, a Canon 430EX, and a small plastic diffuser made by Fotodiox. ) :)

Damien holding his precious little girl. :)

Miss A posing (finally!) in her Cinderella coach bed. I told her that Cinderella sees my posts and that she'd want a photo. :)

The enchanting Kaitlyn. Her bridal shoot was interrupted 10 minutes into the session due to the 27 degree temperature and crazy high winds, but we still managed to take a few pics that did her justice. Can't wait for our make up styled shoot! :)

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Wedded Bliss Wednesday-Psych! ;)

1/22/2014

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Yeah, remember those days where you used to yell "psych!" after saying something that you didn't actually mean? If not, I've dated myself. How about yelling "Not!"? Still no? Ok, well then I'm old and you'll just have to look it up on UrbanLegends.com. :)

I have been a bad little blogger. Mainly because I've been a good little editor. Editing hours on end, day after day, and trying to keep it together. It's overwhelming, but at least I love it. I adore editing. The creative process is incredibly rewarding.

Today is technically Wedding Wednesday. My wedding blog for Erica & Rich won't be ready until next week, and Paige & Bobby the week after that. So you'll just have to make do with a smorgasbord of pretty pics. I'm so blessed to have beautiful clients to grace the blog with, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Hoping to get back on track with my normal blog topics tomorrow, but don't hold me to that! I'll be in crazy editing mode until sometime in mid February. Wish me luck! ;)

Happy Wednesday!
McCall :)

A sweet and hilarious sister moment. :)

Miss E being cradled by her beautiful mommy. :)

Miss A looking pretty in pink! :)

Paula's beautiful engagement ring, on a cactus. (Yup, I placed that ring very, very gently!) :)

Michael & Paula having bear fun at the US Botanic Gardens for their e-session. :)

Paige & Bobby, during their ceremony. Love the tiny bit of Christmas tree in the background...I love holiday time weddings! :)

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Smorgasbord Friday-Drive By Blogging

1/17/2014

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So...I am busy up to my eyeballs. Literally. I have two editing deadlines that are threatening to drown me (I need to stop being such a perfectionist so I can crank out my sessions faster!), three shoots to prepare for this weekend, and a hip that feels broken. I don't have much in the way of photos to share today but rest assured, that will be remedied by next week, when I'm sharing so many photos you're going to hide my FB page! ;)

Tomorrow I am photographing superb area actress Sarah Scheiner for her new headshots, a real treat and honor for me. After that, my long awaited session with model Kaitlyn will get underway. Originally, we were doing an Ice Princess theme to follow up Brina's Snow Queen session, but that was when it was scheduled before Christmas. I've decided to keep the ethereal, whimsical feel of the shoot, but to make it a bridal portrait session. Now Kaitlyn is a teenager, a little young to be wearing bridal gowns but judging from the latest wedding magazines, those models keep getting younger & younger! I have a spectacular gown that I purchased for a ridiculously low sum a few months ago from a bridal boutique going out of business. The dress is satin, with a princess feel and incredible beadwork on the bodice and hem. It's delicate and very special, and I think Kaitlyn is just the right young lady to wear it. She's doing her own hair in an elaborate 'do with curls, and then heading over to Kara at Best Face Forward to create a very special, dreamy make up look that will be smashing. :)

On Sunday, I have the wonderful pleasure of photographing previous client & friend Rachelle's two darling daughters as well as their little family. The oldest girl just got a Cinderella pumpkin coach bed and it's amazing and I'm going to try to steal it. I'm fairly sure it won't fit into our little Prius, but if it's a MAGIC coach, it just might work. :)

That's all for now, friends. I am looking at this dreary and overcast day and really hoping that tomorrow is cool but sunny and non rainy as the forecast promises. There is nothing more exciting to me than bringing a vision I've had in my head for a while to life. I'm trying some new shooting and editing techniques to fit the look of Kaitlyn's shoot, and really excited about it. I'm already imagining all the ways to capture her lustrous dark hair, luminous green eyes and exquisite bone structure...I want to do it justice.

Oh...and in case you missed the post on my Facebook page yesterday...I started a little group called Crocheting for Cancer. The plan is to recruit as many people as possible willing to crochet/knit/quilt/whatever an afghan or hat for local cancer facilities, so that patients receiving chemotherapy can have something to keep them warm and feel a little better while they're there. Many bring their own blankets, but I've seen patients forget, or still not be warm enough even with their own. I thought if we could all just do a little something for others that wouldn't take too much time or money, the soul reward would be awesome. If you're interested, please shoot me an email: [email protected]

I leave you with some photos of recent shoots and hope that you all have a marvelous weekend.

Happy Friday!
McCall :)

P.S. Don't forget you can click on the horizontal images to enlarge 'em. ;)

Paige, in her glorious gown, looking out the window into her bright, snowy wedding day. :)

Michael & Paula having a laugh...at the United States Botanic Garden. :)

Paula's gorgeous sculpted ring, with snowflakes. ;)

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Emily & Paul, Engaged! :)

High Tech Tuesday-Cowardly Lighting ;)

Strike a Pose Thursday: Posturing ;)

Wedded Bliss Wednesday-Psych! ;)

Smorgasbord Friday-Drive By Blogging

MDP

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