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documentary photography true to life unstaged wedding Virginia

Katie and Will – September Shendig at Little Oatlands

Where do I even begin with this super cool and laid back couple? Well, heck. That’s the perfect place to begin: Katie and Will are super cool and laid back. Among the top priorities for their day at Little Oatlands: – hanging out with their people, – carefree vibes, – dancing ’till late to the tasty jams from Katie’s cousin’s band (Wim Tapley and the Cannons). And that’s precisely what happened. And it was glorious. — They even afforded me the ability to show up day-of knowing basically nothing about the plans, which is what sweet wedding photo dreams are made of. Seriously, my best work is done when I have no idea what’s going to happen.

Besides the few portraits and group photos, this image set was recorded entirely hands-off. Nothing was staged. Nothing influenced. At zero points did I stop and tell anyone how to stand or smirk or toast or how to button their jacket. It is simply an organic free-range human celebration, recorded as though Aneila and I were guests. Katie and Will went about their day while we roamed around and looked for interesting photographic material and natural vibes. Of course, there is the occasional breaking of the fourth wall (guests noticing and interacting with the camera), but that’s cool sometimes. I think it showcases the looser side of a personality. TLDR: this is the epitome of the product I wish to cultivate: an uninterrupted wedding experience with an image set that honestly depicts the happenings within.

Onwards!

unobtrusive photographer wide angle view of wedding ceremony looking through hedges from back - documentary style wedding photography - true to life edits - natural color wedding photos
wedding balloons with guests mingling at reception in the background - true to life colors editing wedding photographer - documentary style wedding reception photo
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adventure fuji x nevada Personal

Winter-esk Ascent of Mt Jefferson

Late spring in the higher latitudes of the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest can be a wild ride. The weather patterns of the Basin and Range area offer some of the most dramatic visuals I’ve seen…great for panoramic landscape photography, especially black and white. We try to stop there whenever we can. Ever since our cross-country motorcycle trip back in 2018, Aneila and I had been dreaming of summiting Mt Jefferson (south summit). We simply weren’t prepared at the time, but this time we were.

I didn’t take many photos on the hike from 7000 feet to our camp at 10,000, but here’s a video showing the beautiful springtime atmosphere of Nevada’s finest alpine forest. It felt like we were in a movie about springtime with the budding aspens, green grass, flowers, and a trickling stream that intersects the trail about twelve times.

This campsite was the high point of our 2018 hike and it looked like an inviting spot to pitch a tent.