The Hunt

Our family has an annual tradition of heading up to Fulton Farms and hunting down the perfect Christmas tree. Obviously Holden takes his job very seriously.

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for...

We're so incredibly proud to announce that as of today, Mindy is now a full time part of BRAUNphotography!!! Today is our 5th wedding anniversary, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! This is a HUGE goal that we've been working toward for a few years now, and we couldn't be more thrilled. God has blessed us with some of the best clients in the world, and with so many friends and family that support us and believe in what we're doing. Thank you.

We can't wait to see what 2012 will bring! Holden gets to have his mommy home, Cameron gets to have his honey home, and with our powers combined, we think we're can create something truly special, both for our family and for wedding photography in the midwest.

The Clarks // Dayton Family Photography

These guys are some of our favorite friends that we never see. It's a shame that we don't get the chance to hang out more often, but we were thrilled when Ryan asked us to do their family pictures for Asher's first birthday. He's the second cutest little boy in the world (after Holden of course, IMO), and you can tell that Ryan + Sarah just love him to pieces. It was awesome to be able to shoot these exactly one year after he was born! And for those of you who don't know, Ryan is possibly the best designer in Ohio. We went to college together, and I've had a huge amount of respect for him as a person and as a professional for years now. You can check out his work on his website, Ryan vs. Clark.

Family Vacation // Outer Banks, North Carolina (Part II)

A few weeks ago we traveled to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was our first family vacation with Holden, and we rented a huge beach house with each of our families. Lots of good times with Holden's aunts, uncles, and grandparents. This was our house.

Mindy's family and my family.

My parents and Mindy's parents.

It's official. We have the cutest kid ever made, I'm sure of it.

Sand, anyone?

Mindy decided to strip him down. Apparently babies are allowed to be nude on non-nude public beaches. Either that, or we just artfully alluded the authorities. Yeah, let's go with that one.

Holden was digging it, but he didn't really enjoy getting rinsed off.

We can't wait to go back!

Sheila + Andy :: Dayton Engagement (& Family) Photography

When we first met with Sheila and Andy, they made it very clear that their families were very important to them, and that they would be a very integral part of the wedding. When we were explaining why we include and engagement shoot with every wedding, we mentioned that we could turn the session into a combo engagement/family shoot. They loved the idea, and we were super excited to shoot it!

As you can see, they have some beautiful kids, and we were so impressed with how positive everyone’s attitudes were! Their family single handedly reminded Mindy and I why we do what we do, and reinvigorated our love for family photography.

We’ll be featuring Sheila and Andy’s wedding in a few weeks!

One thing Mindy and I have been talking about lately is including a little bit more in our blog posts about who we are and how we create the images you see. We’re a team, we actually shoot differently, but complimentary to each other. We have different personalities, and it allows us to approach each client a little bit differently and adapt to the situation. Mindy took the kids while I spent some time with Sheila and Andy, and it allowed us to get some really unique images in a really short amount of time. This whole shoot was finished in less than an hour and a half!

Mindy working the wide angle:

This next shot is pretty funny. As a photographer, I often find myself sitting, standing, or laying in areas I never really thought I would before.

And this is the resulting photo:

Brittany + Ben :: Kentucky Wedding Photography

If we had a “Wedding of the Year” award, Brittany and Ben’s beautiful Kentucky wedding would be one of the front runners, for sure. They chose to get married at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky, despite the fact that Brittany’s dad is a pastor at a church less than 20 miles away. It’s not hard to see why! Immanuel is one of the biggest, most beautiful southern churches I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. Luckily, her dad’s church made a great reception location!

Brittany has been a friend of Mindy and myself since back when we all attended Cedarville. She’s just one of those special girls that makes friends with everyone she meets. She’s so grounded in her faith, but knows how to have a good time. She’s a woman that I really respect, and so we had some reservations about Ben. We met him at the rehearsal on Friday night, and it took about 30 seconds to dispel those feelings. His dad said (during his toast) that Ben has never met a stranger. He’s a magnetic person, and people are just drawn to him. We could tell that Brittany and Ben were perfect for each other when we realized that they each had ten (10!) bridesmaids and groomsmen, and then Ben had another four ushers.

The best part about their wedding was their focus on getting great photography. Brittany and I worked together to build a wedding day schedule that allowed for flexibility and quite simply a lot of time. Mindy and I love to work closely with our couples to create a schedule that really allows us the time to capture work that we’re proud of and that will hopefully blow you away. We started with their First Look and then quickly wrapped up formal family portraits. Then we all headed out to downtown Paducah for over 2 hours of bridal and party portraits. We honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Let’s get to it. Check out that sanctuary and the huge bridal party!

Florist: Basket Case Florist

Dress: Bridal Mart

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Caterer: Pam Mathis

Cake: Cakes By Design

Salon: Spalon 62

DJ: Garrett Locklear

Videographer: LifeStage Films

Speaking of videographers… I thought you’d all like to see the highlights video they put together for Brittany and Ben. LifeStage Films was wonderful to work with, and we’d highly recommend them if you’re looking for a little more than a typical wedding video. Not much I can say other than check out the work!