It happens. But, most of the time it’s pretty cool.

A few shots from Sarah and Zach’s wedding at Smith Mountain Lake. The perfect luck…… rain on their wedding day but not enough to dampen the party, only the party planners! I couldn’t have picked a nicer family to work with. Grandpa and Grandma were wedding photographers in the day so I enjoyed chatting them up for a bit. The bride and groom totally enjoyed their day and are off to a very happy Life together with their awesome friends and family. Thanks Sarah and Zach for making this such an easy day for us, I enjoyed every part of working with you both.  And a great big thanks to all the behind the scenes folks who worked so hard to make their perfect day. Awesome job from a crew of Roanoke’s top tier wedding professionals!

Flowers – Corsair Floral and Events

Catering – Schaal’s Catering and Events

DJ – RSP Entertainment

Planning and Coordination – That Wedding

Reception Venue – Bernard’s Landing

Spent the weekend in a PATC cabin by Shenandoah National Park and we had a spectacular sunrise coming through the ice covered trees right outside the cabin on Saturday morning.

…..and here’s the totally freakin’ gorgeous panoramic view from the front porch of the cabin. Just incredible!

Mid-summer, I got a request from a wedding client to photograph the place where he had asked his fiancée to marry him. It’s a little orchard outside of Charlottesville called Carter Mountain Orchard, and apparently this is a place where they like to go every year to wander through the hillside picking apples while just getting to spend time together. It’s the perfect setting for a sunny fall afternoon and of course it is a special place to them.

As I walked through the orchard it wasn’t hard understanding why they love this little corner of their Earth. I thought about those places that become a part of us and how simple and charming some of them can be. It really doesn’t have to be some exotic location or paradise as long as we are with the people that mean the most to us. I’ve got lots of them.

Yesterday, I spent the early afternoon with the bride in her home as she prepared for their evening wedding. There over the fireplace mantle was the large canvas print he had given her as a wedding gift. She was eager to show it to me and I could tell she loves it. Of course I was much pleased and very relieved that she did! I asked her if she minded me sharing this image.

Hopefully, this portrait will serve as a daily inspiration and reminder  of a special place at a special time in their lives. I expect it will be a place that they can visit for many years to come and still get a very special feeling. Perhaps a visit there will become a family tradition, or maybe they will just keep this little place to themselves.

It’s just so nice to have those places that become a part of us.

Today’s wedding had a really cool thread running through it. The bride was awesome and she wore her cowboy boots under her stunning wedding dress. More of that to come. But, there were LOTS of cowboy boots, and here is a shot of……the 4 year old ring bearer and one of his flower girls as they strutted their stuff on the dance floor. Watch out for this heartbreaker…..by his moves, I think he’s going to be dangerous.

I went out yesterday morning as we had a beautiful red sky and I wanted to take it all in. The garden has been looking particularly delicious with all the rain we had, and the morning light was pretty incredible, so I decided to take a few shots. I love the different cool and warm shades of green together. Throw in a little yellow and it makes it perfect. Off to a wedding, now :)

Look at this sweet boy. How can you resist a face like that.

He may have been getting a little scolding for not sitting still. Now I feel bad.

You’re a good pup, Oliver.

Today is the second anniversary. I took this photo of Squires Student Center in the early morning of April 17th, 2007. I just hope more than anything that the parents and family of those students and faculty who were killed are finding some type of peace in their lives.

Today, and for the rest of this week, I am putting aside some time each day for a project called Winter Sunflowers.

I was chatting out back this afternoon with my neighbor who is a stained glass artist. She was commenting on the beautiful colors of the park in winter. It’s hard to believe that winter is so full of color but it really is, they are just more subtle and they fool you into thinking that they are not there. The blues, purples, greens and golds are sometimes just taken for gray. But they are definitely there, creating a palette that is beautiful in its own quiet way.I always notice the winter palette more on days like today, when there is not sun, and all the colors are cool.

For me, winter is also about texture. Typically, that is what I notice first. Sometimes that’s all that’s left.

No color in the first image from Winter Sunflowers. Just texture. The big sunflower at the bottom is my favorite.