This Sunday Morgan and I are heading out to Las Vegas for WPPI, which is basically a huge networking party for wedding and portrait photographers. Whoever decided to designate Las Vegas as the convention capital of the world was genius. Last year was my first trip out and like the terrible blogger I am I am just now posting the photos. But that’s just a testament to how awesome last year was, I was so starstruck and excited that I couldn’t have been bothered with blogging about it.

Last year I went with fellow Birmingham wedding photographer Emily Kicklighter and every part of the trip was exciting. From hotel room photo shoots to meeting a leather clothing designer to parties to meeting the faces of Leather Craftsmen (Hi David and Howard!), hearing Jose Villa and Elizabeth Messina speak and almost missing our return flight because we’d forgotten to gamble during the whole trip and the hotel had slots…it was so inspiring and fun. Emily has been such an awesome mentor and friend to me in Birmingham and I know I wouldn’t have had half as much fun without her there! (And if she’s reading this she should book a ticket to Vegas stat.)

One of our first nights there we happened to pop in for the Sony fashion show and Nigel Barker was hosting! If you follow my blog at all you know that I am obsessed with the novelty of fame. As a child I cherished my Greg Fishel and Muddy the Mudcat autographs (our local weatherman on WRAL and our local minor league baseball team’s mascot). I get excited when I see Frank Stitt at one of his restaurants in Birmingham and once in Chapel Hill I squealed when I saw Mama Dip at Mama Dip’s.  Imagine if I lived somewhere like Nashville or Hollywood where real famous people live.

Bobbi and Mike.

Emily modeling one of Kippy’s leather coats. While we were looking at the coats the designer, Kippy, came over and made us try them on! I would post a photo of me in the one with the orange fur collar but I can’t let you convince me I need it so I won’t. But I do need it. And how amazing that the designer was in town?

At the tradeshow The Boudoir Divas had a studio lighting and backdrop set-up you could try out. I’m pretty sure I asked this girl what celebrity she looked like and then decided on Natalie Portman (if you want to debate me you can look at the rest of my photos from WPPI on my proofing site and weigh in).

Pinhole Pro, The professional side of Pinhole Press, was one of my favorite booths just because it’s so important to see products in person and this company offers products to consumers with incentives for photographers. Guestbooks, softcover books, notepads, calendars… The paper feels good. The design is clean. This is what I recommend to clients that want to order their own goodies. I have two Pinhole Press sample albums in my office right now. True fact.

Emily and I both volunteered to model during New York photographer’s Jason Groupp’s lighting seminar.

After feeling inspired my shoes needed a photoshoot.

Arkansas photographers Matt and Meghan aka Aus10 Photoartists after a dinner hangout with Nate and Becka Robinson and their friend’s with PadProof.

Emily spotted Becker the day after we heard him speak and asked if he was doing photographer headshots (something he’d mentioned during his talk), and Emily coaxed him into using my camera to  snap a few headshots. He quickly switched to party mode and we ended up with at least a hundred rapid fire shots. Bringing someone extroverted who is not afraid to ask the biggest photographers to take your photo is helpful really.

And what I’m most looking forward to this year… Airplanes and Blazers. If this event was the only event at WPPI I’d still try to justify going. Ever since stalking photos from the Airhorns and Lasers party in 2010 I’d wanted to go and it was so much fun that I stayed until we were pretty much kicked out of the party!

On the bus to the party I met Jill DeVries (feathers) and Dorothy Huhn (in the green)

So psyched to call these folks dance partners, Nate and Becka Robinson, Angie and Matt Sloan, Mark of Mark Brooke Photographers, and Ken Liu from Renaissance Albums!

And a little bit of Bham representing. Brandon and Stacey Gresham and Steven DeVries showed up too.

In light of all of the memes about what I really do, remember that this is only my glamorous life for three days of the year. If you’re going (most especially to the Airplanes and Blazers 2 party!) let me know! And if you’re considering going next year I’d be happy to convince you…

First of all, I was overwhelmed with how many people liked and commented on the above photo when I added it to my facebook page with the caption “babies think I’m hilarious.” Truthfully I think babies know that they are hilarious, but my willingness to make funny faces and stick my tongue out at them when their parents aren’t looking does help. [I love doing that in public with strangers babies, toddlers look at me in disbelief since they know they aren't supposed to stick their tongues out and here I am doing it to them. One of the few perks of being an adult.]

I can’t believe Noah is a whole year old now. I’ve known his wonderful parents since I met them a few months before they were married, but we’ve definitely gotten close throughout the process of an anniversary/maternity session and documenting Noah’s first year. He is a happy baby as long as you don’t take away the things he wants (aren’t we all that way?) and I love that he’s already a percussionist. My biggest regret is letting my sister persuade me to pursue clarinet instead of drums in band.

Anywho, I love sweet babies who love the little things like leaves and grass and the click of a camera and I’m so glad to have babies to photograph now and then to stave off the baby fever. Thank you to Shea and Jeremy for the medicine.

In November I met up with Stephanie and her mom at The Alabama Theater to make these bridal photos and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place. Stephanie did her hair and makeup herself for the session (can I get a tutorial please?) and I really felt like I was shooting a Hollywood film star. I would die to pull off 1940s vintage glam so well. It just doesn’t seem fair. Except that I shouldn’t complain, shooting here was a dream and especially with a bride who fit in so well with the gorgeous Christmas decor and lights. Love love lovely. Enjoy and I’ll be back with some favorites from her January wedding soon.

Katherine and Frank’s wedding day was the first time I’d met them. I knew a bit from the questionnaire I have couples fill out and I’d chatted with Katherine on the phone, but the day definitely unraveled as such a surprise for me once she arrived. No one tells you how intense and sultry their eyebrows are or how their fiance has Matthew McConaughey’s Southern charm AND his dimples. I knew that The Advent would be gorgeous, I’d heard tale, but that doesn’t mean I was prepared. Oh, and then there was the dancing.

The event took place on December 30th, and since the Christmas decorations would still be in the church, the couple opted not to fight the colors in the church. The bridesmaids wore long navy dresses and carried white lily bouquets with red berries and evergreen accents. Katherine wore red satin shoes. Katherine’s mother wore red and Frank’s wore a deep teal-green. The smell of the pine garlands in the sanctuary hit me right away when I walked in, in the most delightful way. I really loved it, the deep reds and greens and navy feel so rich.

As soon as Katherine and Frank started their first dance, Morgan and I knew the dancefloor would stay full all night, it seems like this wedding was the marriage of two preternaturally gifted dancing empires. Katherine swears they never took a lesson. I’m obsessed with the way her dress swooshed around with her all night.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, every now and then I saw a bit of Helena Bonham Carter in Katherine.

Vendors:

Planner- Mariee Ami

Caterer- Savoie Caterering

Cake- Magic Muffin

Flowers- Carole Sullivan of Lagniappe Designs Inc

Transportation- Coast Classic Cars

Band- The Undergrounders

Ceremony Location- Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, AL

Reception Venue- Matt Jones Gallery, Downtown Birmingham, AL

I can’t get over how gorgeous Ann is. I’m sure Daniel, her fiance, thought I was hitting on her throughout this session but I could not get over her eyes and how ridiculously gorgeous that lip color is on her, her eyes just pop and the rosy cheeks! Also, I love that every now and then she looks so so much like Anne Hathaway, who also has that perfect pale skin. I’m so glad we had a chance to do a short session at their venue, American Village, a few weeks ago. I am beyond excited to go back in just a few short weeks to watch these two get hitched! Ann and Daniel’s love is so palpable, and I love how much Daniel’s personality came out once he was playfully picking Ann up and tickling her, these moments when I can get a groom on board with what we’re doing are the best!

Enjoy.

Once again my reputation as a celebrity look-a-like finder has preceded me. When I showed up for Jennifer’s makeup appointment at the MAC counter almost immediately she admitted to seeing my various posts about my obsession with comparing my brides to celebrities and wanted to know who I thought she looked like. No pressure or anything. I saw a little bit of Jennifer Love Hewitt right away but Jennifer wrinkled her nose. Morgan later claimed to see Joy Williams of The Civil Wars (which I can see a little bit, too, and which Jennifer was much happier with). Flipping through a magazine later I realized that the closest match to me is Nicole Ritchie. The whole idea of celebrity look-a-likes is admittedly silly, of course there are people that will look similar to you in the world and those of us obsessed with fame hope it’s someone famous. Maybe my lack of a suitable celebrity look-a-like is what feeds my constant quest. The MAC makeup artist actually reminded me quite a bit of Sarah Chalke (you’d know her from scrubs), I spent weeks trying to figure out that one of the bridesmaid’s look-a-likes was Sheryl Crow (granted largely in part to her wavy long hair), and Richard (the Groom) is a dead ringer for Drew Lachey from 98˚in some photos.

Of course, as always, the important part is that Jennifer and Richard, two real people in Birmingham, found each other, fell in love. They chose to marry in a gorgeous church in downtown Birmingham and the celebration continued into the night with a reception in the castle-like Gabrella Manor. The rich colors of the stained glass in the church with the red floor and dark wood along with the long black bridesmaid dresses, deep fall colors in the flowers and the lanterns and old books for reception decor created a mysterious romance for the evening, I love all of the jeweltone accents that come through in the details.

It was so great to see how excited both Richard and Jennifer were to be getting married, that was the main reason for the day, and their hearts were so big for one another and for God. The best part of the job is witnessing couples in love first hand. I’m glad these two gorgeous folks found each other.

Enjoy.

I met Rebecca during one of my first (possibly my very first?) second shooting gig in North Carolina, in early 2008. We were both second shooting with Amanda from Studio 310 (who graciously let me come second shoot with her those first few months I was getting started, most of the photographers in my home county were completely and explicitly opposed to helping a newcomer out at the time). Rebecca was already a rockstar and fellow Nikon shooter, and I moved to Birmingham later that year so our friendship was extremely limited to the limited closeness that a facebook friendship allows.

As fate would have it, Rebecca has family in Birmingham and comes down to visit at least once a year, so this summer we got together for coffee to dish on all that comes with the glamorous life of photography (and by that I mean all of the drama, stresses, marketing, gear lust, and the good stuff as well). When I came home to do My & Nathan’s Chapel Hill wedding this past November Rebecca came along and killed it!

Rebecca came to visit her grandparents again this past December and we made an adventure out of it. I’ve become good friends with the girls at Molly Green (an eco-conscious boutique) and we stopped by to pick out a wardrobe and then frolicked over at Sloss. I’ve got to make more time for this sort of thing. Photographing friends and being photographed by friends are some of the greatest joys in my life. I don’t belong behind my computer! I should chant this over and over and make a huge mural for my wall.

Anywho, enjoy these photos of Rebecca and try not to get too jealous of her gorgeous smile and ridiculously cute hairstyle. View Rebecca’s work over at The Indie Image!

HUGE thank you to Becca for coming to hang out in Bham and getting me out of the office! I need a Raleigh playdate next time I’m home…

Cake Cover Photography by Iain Bagwell; Flowers cover by Kate Headley

Clay Fuller and Bryan Ziegler

A few months ago I got a very exciting email, and until I got home from a North Carolina Christmas last week to two copies of the 2012 Southern Living WEDDINGS issue in print I really couldn’t be sure it was really happening. Being published is every photographer’s dream, and Southern Living is a publication that has been a part of most any Southern girl’s life as long as they can remember. Being selected for their annual Weddings issue is so huge for me, really and truly.

The wedding itself was so deserving of being published, Morgan and I were standing with mouths agape when we walked into the backyard of Clay’s parents’ house to find “Southern wedding” come to life.  We had no idea how absolutely magical, (seriously) the wedding would be. We’re talking a wedding day brunch at an old mill with the best Southern breakfast foods you can imagine and a bluegrass band, a magnolia for the bride’s hair, sweet tea, a vintage get-away car, little girls in frilly dresses playing in a hammock, a big backyard tent reception in a field behind the bride’s parents’ gorgeous plantation home. Sweeter than tea.

Starting today (assuming you’ll read this after I post at nearly midnight), January 6th, the issue hits newsstands. I can’t wait for you to get your own copy, there is so much to love inside!  The issue is overflowing with eye-candy with 25 real weddings in the issue. It’s so amazing to see my work in the same magazine as photographers I’ve long admired like A Bryan Photo, Kate Headley, and Our Labor of Love!  This issue is undeniablylovely, this is no fluffy book of ads disguised as a magazine, it is full of clean layouts with gorgeous content and ideas from real brides. I will direct you to page 62 first, but you’ll surely pore over the rest of the pages so not to miss any of the beautiful inspiration inside!

Thank you to Bob Vardaman for his hand in making this event so magical, and of course to Clay and Bryan (for being in love and so amazing and kind), and their families for their unbelievable hospitality, (Mrs. Fuller is the epitome of a Southern lady and we could not have felt more welcome in Selma)! I’ll be posting some of my favorites from the weekend in the next few days, sorry to keep you waiting so long but hopefully the magazine is a sweet surprise!

A big thank you to Paden Reich from Southern Living for her part in making this issue a reality as well and to Morgan Trinker for assisting me on Clay and Bryan’s wedding day! And, Kinora Films for making the most beautiful film of their day that kept everyone who saw it in tears (I haven’t met one person who has seen it with a dry eye).

Love, (because I’m feeling it so much right now!),

-Kelly

Vendors:

Venue: Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Cake: Dreamcakes Bakery

Gown: Ma Cherie

Day of Coordinator: Proper Measures

Pastries: MIX Bakery

Stationary: 2be Squared Designs

Hair: Molly Barksdale (Morgan Ashley Salon)

I’m pretty sure we decided I would photograph her wedding even before I was actually any good, the idea was that we’d have time to convince her mom I was as good as the go-to wedding photographers of Johnston County. Fortunately things worked out and next September I’ll be alongside my best friend as she gets married,  just in a different capacity than the typical bridesmaid. Even though our middle school and high school romances are completely laughable now, we always joked that Lisa had commitment issues, and fortunately that just meant she hadn’t found David yet. I so look forward to years ahead of visiting each other in whatever cities we end up in having a double date with our husbands over wine (I sound impossibly lame, apologies),

I’m excited to share these, and I apologies that in narrowing these down I still ended up with over 50 shots. I love these people.