I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to be the historian, the photographer, for a wedding.  It's my job to see the beauty, the story, and to take photographs so that not only can I give the wedding day back to the happy couple in the form of photographs to enjoy but they can then pass that story on to their children and their grandchildren.  

So, Barrett and Allison...here's chapter one of the story of your lives together.  Enjoy.

In December Jennifer and Brad celebrated 20 years together.  I know...20  YEARS...quite a feat these days.  They celebrated in the chapel at Rose Hill here in Aiken.

These spunky kids are Hayes and Madeline.  I love Madeline's little bobbed haircut and she and Hayes have a fun little brother/sister friendship together.  I love photographing the Matthews kids!

Our "Calvin Klein meets James Dean" inspired photo session...

So important, these small faces.

Close your eyes just for a second.  Now think

hard

about one of your children.  How old are they now? Five? Eleven? Twenty-six?

What did they look like in that first year of baby days? Do you really remember?  

Photograph your children while they are growing up. They do change, and quickly, and someday you will want to see that baby face in all it's plump glory again in a great photograph.

It's easy to get in a creative rut as a photographer.  When a client calls me for a session I know what they want; they want sweet smiles, beautiful light, and gestures that show relationship.

I have been wanting for months to do a few personal projects to take my mind off of what I believe the client is looking for and to simply reach for my own idea of a great photograph.  

So, admittedly, I have looked to Vogue magazine (great photography, one-note content-sex,sex, and more sex) to study the images of commercial photography greats. I asked myself; Can a photographer create an image that refers to the style of a certain photography campaign- like the BW look of Calvin Klein ads- that carries it's weight with the same serious luminosity but without the undertone of "I'm beautiful, come to bed with me!".

This change in the implied message is especially important considering the fact that I work with children.

So, enough talk.  Here are the photos.  Visit me on Facebook and tell me what you think.