Covid Wedding Delayed and Delayed

Nikki and Christian planned a small ceremony and celebration for October 25, 2020. They chose Lillian Gardens in Newnan, Georgia for the event. Even though they were already officially married, the couple still wanted to celebrate with a few close friends and family.

From the beginning, the couple had planned for guest to be wearing masks and the chairs to be set 6 feet apart. And then, a week before the wedding Christian, who was stationed in Germany, tested positive for Covid.

The couple chose a new date for their wedding to take place at the same venue in Newnan, and contacted their guests to let them know the celebration had been postponed to April 17, 2021.

Just a little more than three weeks before the new wedding date, an EF-4 tornado hit Lillian Gardens, the venue where their celebration was to take place.

Once again the couple had to regroup.

The big scramble the second time around was to find a venue available on April 17 or 18th. Finding a venue available on Saturday, April 17th proved impossible, but they were able to find an awesome venue for Sunday, the 18th.

Four hours away from the tornado-damaged Lillian Gardens, The Kehoe House and the 1790 Inn and Restaurant, in Savannah, Georgia, turned out to be perfect for their small garden wedding and quaint reception.

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A Covid First: Wedding Portraits After the Wedding

Laura and Uri came with their wedding party to Tallulah Gorge for wedding portraits.

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Photos by Atlanta Wedding Photographer

A Few things I Love About the WPJA Wed Elope Awards

1. They’ve given me a reason to look at weddings I photographed years ago.

2. They play to my strengths as storyteller.

3. They make me think about my use of the Life formula for photo stories when I look at coverage of prior weddings.

4. Which makes me think about how I will tell the whole story of the next wedding I photograph.

5. And how I can vary my subject to camera distance and use of wide and telephoto lenses.

Here are a few photos from my last Wed Elope award winning wedding.. I photographed Evan and Kati’s wedding in 2013.. The wedding took place at the Cultural Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

See more wedding photographs on my portfolio page.

The puppy love of my life

If you know me at all, you know I am best buds with my dog Roux. He’s my canine soulmate.

I even write poems about him. Here’s a Roux Haiku.

White with red freckles,
My quiet canine soulmate,
Snorts and licks my face.

Roux is part beagle, part cattle dog. I found out recently that cattle dogs have strong eyes. They use them to stare down a cow to get the cow to follow his directions. We call this heavy stare his stink eye.

Back Yard Weddings: Always Fun

Backyard weddings are all the rage these days. Looking for the perfect solution to Covid restrictions? DIY your wedding in your own backyard … or a friend’s … or your parents’.

Even before Covid, backyard weddings have been a favorite of mine.

Three backyard weddings I’ve photographed have received Wed Elope awards from the Wedding Photojournalist Association. The Wed Elope awards were created to celebrate skilled visual storytelling at smaller weddings.

Photographers enter 12 photographs from one wedding with no more than 30 guests. The photographs taken as a whole are judged on how well they tell the story of the day.

Here are links to those weddings on the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s web page.

Tracy and Heidi’s Backyard Wedding Wed Elope Award

Keena and Lori’s Backyard Wedding Wed Elope Award

Josh and Daria’s Backyard Wed Elope Award

If you’re planning a backyard wedding or something grand, I’d love to document the story of your day.

Give me a call (404) 298 6263 or send me a message from my contact page.

Best of 2020: Part 3

2020, for all it’s difficulties, was a good year for me, as far a photo contests go. I won 17 from the Wedding Photojournalist Association for photographs I took that year.

Here are a few of my favorites that did not win awards, because we all know, awards are only worth so much.

Best of 2020: Part 2

A broken metatarsal has distracted me from blogging for a couple weeks. But, I’m feeling better now and ready to share more favorite photos from 2020.

In part 1, I shared photos from the first part of 2020. Here, I share photos from the middle of the year, after COVID quarantine.

Stephanie Morales, a neighbor in Pine Lake, fed police officers and other first responders for several months from her souped up food truck here in Pine Lake. Officer Palms, at right, organized a surprise Sam’s Club food donation and celebration. First responders gathered in the parking lot to show their appreciation.

Students were robbed of the chance to attend graduation, so a Pine Lake neighbor set up a graduation photo shoot for her daughter and a friend.

Josh, groom in my first COVID-aware wedding, sees his bride for the first time, as she walks down an aisle created in his parent’s backyard in Tucker.

All Sam's Planning Paid Off Big Time: She Said "YES!"

About a month ago I got a call from Sam asking if I photograph proposals. “Of course,” I replied. “I love them.”

Sam planned to ask his girlfriend Katie to marry him in early January. He wanted to surprise her with the ring while I documented the moment from afar. Once Sam decided to propose at Orpheus Brewing, where the couple had their first date three years ago, Sam and I worked with Alicia from Orpheus to set up the surprise. The trick was to have me close by, but inconspicuous.

This morning Alicia opened the brewery a half hour early, so Sam could propose to Katie in relative private. Sam texted me when he and Katie grabbed an Uber to the brewery and again when he arrived. Alicia gave me a tasting cup of their Atalana, a sour saison, so I could look like a customer hanging out.

Sam and Katie brought a couple of beers to a side deck of the brewery that overlooks Piedmont Park. I was on an upper deck, pretending to talk on my phone waiting for the knee drop. Once Sam started to propose, I started down the steps to the deck they were on to get a better view of the reaction on Katie’s face.

Katie was so excited when she saw Sam on one knee opening a ring box. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind what the answer would be.

After celebrating together for a while, the pair decided to FaceTime Sam’s parents to share the good news. Katie’s parents already knew. I didn’t ask, but I think Sam had asked for their daughter’s hand in marriage before he proposed.

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