Category Archives: travel

July 7, 2008 · 6:03 pm

it’s greek to me!

i do *love* my job, but i need a vacation!

as you may have noticed from my blog hiatus (and then crazy blogging monday!) i have been VERY busy lately…over the last month i photographed 6 weddings, 5 engagement sessions, 2 corporate shoots, 2 family sessions, a number of events, and even promoted blonde photo at the 2-day HONFEST in bmore! i have had a fabulous time and this little blog has gotten a ton of traffic – i just hit the 100,000 hit mark a few days ago – WOO! however, as busy as this first half of the year has been, the fall is going to be even crazier, with another 16 weddings starting in late august! so…over the next week i will be cranking out as many photos as humanly possible and getting tons of cds shipped, and blogging lots! i’ve got a hard deadline of sunday night to make a lot of things happen because this time next week i will be on a plane to greece to RELAX and recharge for a few weeks! YAY! athens, santorini, mykonos: here i come! stay tuned for more details…

i can’t wait!!

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Filed under just for fun, me, travel

Tagged as GREECE

May 6, 2008 · 11:51 am

kristen + neto: rehearsal.

bridemaids, and groomsmen, and farm animals, oh my!

the festivities for kristen + neto’s fantastic wedding weekend kicked-off with the rehearsal on friday in the quaint little town of luray, virginia. i spent the afternoon and evening getting to know their awesome family + friends and taking photos of the dinner at the artisan’s grill, the rehearsal at the wedding site (the brand new, gorgeous stone ridge manor!) and at the speakeasy where everyone headed afterwards for cocktails and entertainment.
highlights included neto’s sister’s delicious brazilian cake, the adorable children that spoke to me in portuguese and stole my heart, the herd of cows that literally ate out of our hands, and one of the bridemaids (go robin!) singing at the speakeasy!

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Filed under event, just for fun, photography, travel

April 29, 2008 · 8:37 am

golfing with the groom.

an 8 o’clock tee time with the groom to be.

lesson learned: when golf isn’t going great – photograph yourself!

in spite of having worked on a golf course for many years (beverage cart girl, bartender), i have never actually played golf, much less swung a golf club correctly. however, when marc put out an open invitation for a round of golf on his wedding day i jumped at the opportunity. a polo shirt, some rented clubs and a set of 15 golf balls later, i was on the course before 8 am ready to go, camera in hand of course. jessica claire should be happy to know that a shootsac looks fabulous when paired with golf attire! i had a fantastic time, only losing 3 balls in the water and managing a few decent swings. my frustrations became increasingly entertaining, and i’m not certain i even finished the 18th hole, but i did enjoy taking photos of our enjoyable outing!

marc looking perfectly relaxed + vicky teeing off.

i’m confused…because i don’t understand golf and someone else is using my camera against me!

when all else fails, find an appropriate target…

this pretty much sums up my day.

i relaxed a little after i realized our “pros” weren’t taking things too seriously either.

marc blames vicky for tearing up the fairway on the 18th hole…?

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Filed under family, just for fun, me, photography, travel

April 27, 2008 · 2:04 am

reverse road trip.

on the road again.

after a fantastic week in florida – equal parts work/vacay – i turned around and trekked the 900 miles back up I-95 to dc…i stopped for a lovely breakfast in savannah and could easily have spent all day wandering it’s quaint and funky downtown…i only allowed myself an hour, then it was back to the highway. in response to the last post on south of the border my friend casey reminded me how firework “enthusiastic” these southern states are. at times you can’t go a mile without seeing multiple billboards announcing the ultimate discounts on fireworks, and there are often as many firework warehouses as gas stations off any given exit. i can honestly say i’ve never purchased, or had the desire to purchase fireworks. so therefore all the hype seems more than a tad extravagant to me…perhaps i’m missing out on something?

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Filed under just for fun, photo road trip, photography, travel

April 18, 2008 · 7:38 pm

south of the border.

revisiting the mecca of my childhood.

on wednesday i set out on a 900-mile road trip down the east coast. following 95 south from dc i passed into virignia, then north carolina, recalling the simlilarities and differences of this trip to florida. when i was young, my family traveled down to florida a few times a year – always making the familiar 15-hour drive down 95. these trips were so exciting to me – not just because of the destination (florida! grandma mary dot’s house! the beach! and of course, disney – the playground of my youth.) but also because i thoroughly enjoyed the journey. i loved watching all the passing cars, counting the miles, and marking down statistics: the time between stops, the price of gas, the number of miles in each state, even the number of times we heard certain popular songs on the radio. by and far the most memorable thing about the florida trip was south of the border – a crazy pit stop on the border of the carolinas full of strange statues, colorful restaurants and souvenir shops inspired by and devoted to all things mexcian. billboards begin advertising south of the border at least 150 miles away, and pop up every few miles with quirky messages like: “YOU NEVER SAUSAGE A PLACE!” and “CHILI TODAY, HOT TAMALE!” as well as plenty of pleas from pedro to stop for “free advice” and of course, fireworks.
south of the border, i discovered the other day, is both as fantastic and terrible as i remembered it. i loved getting out of the car (after 6 hours of driving) and exploring the eerie statues and brightly painted buildings – viva pedro!

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Filed under just for fun, me, photo road trip, photography, travel

April 11, 2008 · 5:01 pm

the abandoned shores of the salton sea.

the photo road trip continued to the towns surrounding caifornia’s surreal salton sea…standing at the base of the former lake’s shores we were 200 ft. below sea level and felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. remnants of life – scattered trash, an abandoned motel, half empty trailers, appliances stuck in the mud – are everywhere. they are proof that life existed here, in this former resort town, when the salton sea once drew people to its shores. people still come, but instead of the vacationer it’s the odd tourist, or more likely the curious photographer. i absolutely loved exploring this area, although at times it was completely freaky. wandering in and out of the abandoned homes was a bizarre and incredible experience. i treasure all these photos!