2015 - Year In Review

Every year we grow. Every year we learn something new. Every year we make so many new friends, and form bonds with couples that transcend their wedding days. Every year we're more proud of the work we've created, and this year is no exception. Twenty fifteen had it's fair share of challenges, but it was also an incredible year of growth, both as artists and as partners. Mindy and I have been so encouraged and blessed this year, and we have so many people to thank for making all of this possible. This thing we call our job is truly, sincerely, so much more than that.

Lori + Jon - Downtown Wedding

It's really quite rare for us to walk into a wedding blind, having never met the bride and groom. We almost always know what to expect, having either sat down at our studio for an initial consult, or shot an engagement session, and we consider our relationships with our clients to be such an important part of what we do. It's weird when you don't know what to expect, even if you have all of your ducks in a row regarding the schedule and the locations and all of the other details that are so critical on wedding days.

Heading into Lori + Jon's wedding, we only knew a few things about them. Jon hails from the great state of California. Lori's from Xenia. The wedding was in Springfield. This encompasses an absolutely huge number of variables, so we really didn't know what to expect. Apparently these things combine to create the most loving, kind, hilarious, good looking people. We immediately hit it off, not only with them, but with their friends and family too. Add in a perfect sunset and you have the makings of a good one...

Becca + Andy - Adventure Engagement Dayton Ohio

These two are getting married this weekend, and we could not be happier for them!

A few weeks ago we spent a little time exploring a waterfall in the rural areas north of Dayton. It's hard to explain, but there's something magical that happens when we have a couple who trusts us 100% and is willing to get their feet dirty. None of us really knew what to expect (we'd never been to this area before), and the resulting images are some of our favorites. Not only because of the gorgeous landscape, but because Becca + Andy were outside of their comfort zone, experiencing something new together, and somehow it brought them closer to each one another. They had to rely on each other to navigate the rocky path, holding hands for balance. It was exciting and romantic and exactly the kind of thing more of us should do on a regular basis.

Megan + Paul - English Garden Wedding - Dayton Ohio

This one was special. These two are special.

Emily + Dan - Downtown Engagement

Walking away from an engagement session with two new friends is one of the best feelings. Emily + Dan are the perfect example of a couple who's absolutely in love, and trusts us completely. Before we all ended up sitting down together for the most amazing Thai food, we took them downtown, and explored an area that we've shot in many times, but looking for spots that we've never photographed before. We often have couples ask us for location suggestions, and our response is usually not what they were expecting. "Let's just meet somewhere and find what we find. It's not so much about WHERE we shoot, but WHO we're shooting. We'll make you look amazing anywhere we go." Case in point:

Best of 2013 // Wedding Portraits

In our last post, we wrote a little bit about how we approach a wedding as photojournalists. We love capturing the wedding day as it unfolds in front of us, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't love the small part of the day when we get to steal the bride and groom for portraits. Each of our couples is very dear to us, and we cherish the time that we get to spend with them, away from the madness of all the checklists, alone for a few minutes, ignoring the responsibilities and just enjoying each other. It's pretty incredible to not only witness two people in love, but to have the honor of translating their love into a photograph, tailoring our style to their unique relationship. Not to mention, there's no better time to really push ourselves creatively. We hope you guys enjoy some of our favorite portraits of 2013.