Photos and stories by Georgia wedding photographer, Cindy Brown. Wedding photography event photography, portrait photography, personal branding photography. Quirky, offbeat, candid, honest, funny …
This morning, I was delighted to find an email from Jacqueline Tobin of Rangefinder magazine with a link to Nikki and Christian’s cake-cutting photograph on their website.
Each week Rangefinder editors publish a few “eye-catching portraits and photos of the week” that have caught their attention. Along with the photo, the magazine publishes the backstories about the way they were created.
You can find the backstory to this photo here.
Nav and Kathryn say they’re “cut from the same cloth” and “bring out the best in each other.”
What more can you ask for in a life partner?
Knowing how Nav and Kathryn felt about each other, Kathryn’s family helped Nav set up a surprise engagement near a cabin in the mountains. “They set up a beautiful tent hidden in the woods with fake fur blankets on the ground, and lights strung along a path,” says Kathryn.
“Of course, I said ‘Yes’.”
“When I met Navaneeth, I was immediately drawn to his unabashed laughter, his calm confidence, and of course, his man bun! Each day, I grow more in love with his kind thoughtfulness, how much he loves our cats, and his insatiable curiosity. I can’t wait to officially celebrate finding my soulmate.”
“When I met Kathryn for the first time, it was like meeting an old friend I had lost touch with. I remember being distinctly aware of just how different our backgrounds were, but even more so of how right at home I felt. She was (and is) remarkably bright and lively, sassy as hell, kind beyond measure, and honest at all costs. She made it so unbelievably easy for me to be myself. I’m lucky to have met her, and can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful human being. ”
See more engagement photos.
John and Emily planned a simple elopement near Mineral Bluff in the north Georgia mountains.
They wanted real photographs of them enjoying their wedding ceremony and the celebrations following. In addition, they requested one of those beautiful landscape photos where they would be small in the frame. (In the industry, those are known as “ant people” photos.)
I don’t take photographs like that very often, so I studied up on the way photographers who took those photos on a regular basis framed the images, and the way they posed the couples. When I arrived at the cabin, I realized that the best laid plans of mice and men often do not play out as planned. The cabin was perched on the side of the mountain and there was no way John and Emily could walk off into the distance and become tiny in the frame.
So, we had to settle for the silhouette above. The golden hour light on the mountains in the background made for a fine landscape backdrop for the image.
The second of porch portraits from Pine Lake are now hanging in the tennis court on the corner of Lakeshore and Park in Pine Lake.
I began the porch portrait project on April 6, 2020 as folks were beginning to feel the isolation of quarantine. The project was a way for me to stay sane during quarantine and a way to spread a little cheer.
Little did I know when I took the first few photos that the series would result in a book and an outdoor art installation.
Thanks to Mayor Hammet, the city of Pine Lake, the Pine Lake Municipal Arts Council, Digital Arts Studio and the many friends and family who donated to support the outdoor art installation.
If you’d like a book, you can order one directly from the printer here.
Enjoy the show.
Previous posts about the project:
What a Photographer Does When There Are No Weddings
Porch Portraits Surviving Quarantine
When the folks at the Wedding Photojournalist Association noticed how much the wedding photography market was slowing due to COVID, they created the True Love Awards for photographs taken in years past. They write, “While we eagerly await the right conditions to reopen our regular wedding photography contests, we are committed to giving WPJA members something to tide them over, namely a new contest celebrating l’amour.”
Only photographs from the current year are eligible for the regular documentary and artistic categories. But, the number of photographs each photographer had to choose from for 2020 had dropped significantly, so it seemed natural to allow photographers to pour through photographs from previous years to submit to this newly formed contest.
The call for entries reads like this, “We want images illustrating true love and emotion that were shot from your heart. The outpouring of love that you captured can be between two people or even among a group of family and friends expressing their mutual affection, admiration, and devotion.”
It’s always good to be given a challenge that asks you to look back at your work.
Here are a couple of TLC winners from the True Love Contest in 2021.
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.
Laura and Uri came with their wedding party to Tallulah Gorge for wedding portraits.
Check out our sister site for more LGBTQ
Photos by Atlanta Wedding Photographer
They’ve given me a reason to look at weddings I photographed years ago.
They play to my strengths as storyteller.
They make me think about my use of the Life formula for photo stories when I look at coverage of prior weddings.
Which makes me think about how I will tell the whole story of the next wedding I photograph.
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.
Atlanta wedding photographer Cindy Brown brings a photojournalist's eye, a chaplain's calmness and a Southerner's drawl to her storytelling photography
17 … Number of cities I lived in
13 … My dog Roux’s age
10,000 … Approximate number of rolls of film I’ve shot
5 … Number of degrees I’ve earned
47 … Number of states I’ve visited
5 … Number of cats who’ve owned me
7 …Number of newspapers I’ve worked for
13 … Age when I started riding a motorcycle
“Cindy and her second shooter were able to capture beautiful photos at our religious ceremony while fading into the background themselves.
Overall: beautiful, artistic, authentic photos from our day and a great person to work with.”
All images copyright 2009-2024 Cindy M Brown, Cory Henry, Tyrae Campbell or Sharon McMahon, C Brown Photo
Atlanta Documentary Wedding Photographer, Mitzvah Photographer in Atlanta, North Georgia Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photojournalist, Gay-Friendly Wedding Photographers, Feminist Wedding Photographer, Atlanta Event Photographer
3115 Piedmont Rd NE Suite D102, Atlanta, GA 30305
