Category: Engagement

Diana & Francisco, Engaged

7/26/2014

Diana & Francisco met when she was a tender 14 years old. They eloped at 17, had their beautiful little girl Giselle a few years later, and are now celebrating TEN years together! And to that end, they are having the big wedding they didn't get to have all those years ago. So on August 30th, their wedding/vow renewal will be lovingly documented by Brian and me and we can't wait! We photographed their engagement/couples session at the DC Harbor and couldn't have asked for more perfect golden hour light, breezy summer weather, or a more charming couple. Brian took great care of Giselle (some of those photos will come later) while I focused on Diana & Fran. It was a great evening and we are counting down the days till they dance the night away at The Other Barn in Maryland. Congratulations, you guys...10 years together is amazing! :)

Please enjoy their photos. Remember...click on the horizontal ones to enlarge them! :)

Love,
McCall & Brian :)

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Emily & Paul, Engaged! :)

5/15/2014

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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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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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Inquiring Minds Monday Blog #2 :)

1/13/2014

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Paige's dazzling engagement ring with Bobby's solid and handsome wedding band behind it. :)

Good Afternoon!

How was everyone's weekend? It was pretty rainy here in the DC area. Enough to need to reschedule a shoot with Shawn and his family but fear not, we'll be able to make that up in a few weeks. :) It also gave us time to meet with a potential wedding client, who after our meeting became actual wedding clients! We are so excited to photograph their June nuptials.

On Sunday Brian had to go into the office for a few hours, so I stayed in bed and tried to dig myself out of my editing hole little by little. It was actually a great day...Brian came home and went on a lengthy hike, taking several gorgeous nature pics while he was out and then sharing them with me like a little kid. :) They are so lovely-he was experimenting with backlighting and shooting at extremely wide apertures and the results were excellent. You should check out his blog this week...he'll be sharing a few sneak peeks from that hike. The weather was perfect, btw...50 degrees and sunny. Today's pretty nice too with a high near 60. Our area of the country is so weird-last week it's 10 degrees and this week it's 60...all in January. :)

This week will be spent-you guessed it!-editing more. I sent out contracts to a few clients, ordered online groceries (Peapod rocks!), and worked on my business accounting for 2014, which will help me be even more organized this year.

So my questions for you today:

1. What is the one tv show you just can't miss each week?

2. What has been your favorite styled shoot of mine over the last two years?

3. What was your favorite dress at the Golden Globes last night? Mine was the "fairytale mermaid" gown worn by the stunning Jenna Dewan-Tatum...white classic strapless dress covered in ornate black lace. It was a standout.

This weekend I am super excited to photograph the lovely & talented Sarah's headshots, followed by photographing gorgeous Kaitlyn in a whimsical styled bridal shoot, and on Sunday, photographing Rachelle & Damien's darling little girls. Life doesn't get any better. :)

Please enjoy these sneak peeks...Paige & Bobby's beautiful winter wedding, and Paula & Michael's sweet Botanic Gardens e-session. :) Look for Kimmie & Phillip's long awaited wedding blog this coming Wednesday! :)

Happy Monday!
McCall :)

Michael & Paula's engagement shoot at the United States Botanic Garden. :)

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Pam & Anthony's Engagement Session

12/18/2013

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After a few months of chatting with Pam via email about her wedding, we finally got to meet at their engagement session this past November. I was thrilled to see what a great couple she and fiance Anthony made-both are attractive and intelligent, kind and so much fun! I loved the way they interacted with each other; Anthony has a real knack for making his bride to be laugh with his singing, jokes, and funny expressions. This is a first marriage for both, and it's clear that each was waiting for their soulmate. We met up at the War Memorial on a cold and overcast day, hardly the perfect autumnal atmosphere for an e-session. However, the leaves on the trees were brilliant, and once we got to the waterfront, the slate gray sky only served as a perfect backdrop to the bright colors surrounding us. We finished up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which was beautiful and full of his inspiring quotes.

I can't wait for their wedding this coming May, an intimate and sophisticated affair to be held at the Stone Mansion in Alexandria, VA. Brian and I can't wait to meet their extended family and help them celebrate by taking the very best pics we can. :)

P.S. Remember that you can click on the horizontal images to enlarge them! :)