Ana + Tim Get Married

Welcome to Davie, Florida! Here are some things you should know:

1. It's one of the most convenient locations for a wedding between a bride from Venezuela and a groom from Iowa.
2. Dwayne Johnson's dad, former Canadian pro wrestler "Soul Man" Rocky Johnson, lives there.
3. Enough said? 

Not so fast...

It is also perhaps the perfect place to host a school-themed wedding which perfectly captured the personalities of Ana (early-elementary school teacher) and Tim (high school teacher and administrator). Their fascinating, ocean-spanning love story was made possible because of international schools, first in Venezuela and then in Cairo, Egypt. Thus, The Davie School, beautifully designed in 1917 and the first permanent school in the Everglades, was the ideal backdrop for the culmination of their four-year courtship. The wedding was creatively and thoughtfully peppered with personal details, like photos of their extensive world travels, a craft project for guests, children's books as decorations, costumes and props celebrating their "graduation" (four-year courtship, remember?), choreographed dancing, pranks, superhero socks, and a gigantic peanut butter cup in lieu of a traditional cake.

But that's Ana and Tim in a nutshell: adventurous, fun, creative, and thoughtful. 

For their wedding, they were surrounded by their lovely family and friends. Everyone danced like maniacs. We're talking conga lines, we're talking limbo, we're talking four hours of nearly non-stop, Latin-music energy. 

It was a privilege to be able to capture their special day. Congratulations, Ana and Tim! 

Ana + Tim

Living in Cairo is affording me lots of interesting photographic opportunities, but none has been more enjoyable than shooting Ana and Tim's engagement session at The Bent Pyramid of Dahshur, a little outside of Cairo. 

It is one of Tim's favorite local spots, because of the impressive landscape, fascinating drive to get there, and (to my dumbstruck amazement) lack of ANYONE around. When we arrived, there were only a handful of tourists leaving to board their minibus. After that, we had the pyramid to ourselves. 

YOU GUYS: WE HAD THE PYRAMID TO OURSELVES. If you've ever waded through the riff-raff and catcalling at the Great Pyramids of Giza, you can imagine how blissful it would be to just listen to the wind and enjoy such an awe-inspiring sight ALONE.

Ana and Tim were naturals in front of the camera, of course. Their humor, love, and natural comfort with each other were apparent at every moment. Even when, or especially when, Ana gives Tim side-eye for making a bad joke. Sometimes he gets sent to bad-joke time-out. Ana is from Venezuela and Tim is American and they share an adventurous spirit. They are similar in the ways that count and different in the ways that make a relationship interesting and exciting (shall we say spicy?). There is never a dull moment when you're with them. Ask their friends :)

The Bent Pyramid of Dahshur is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramid intended to be smooth-sided from the outset, rather than others starting as step pyramids and later given smooth sides in their finished states. The Bent Pyramid begins at a 54-degree angle, but the top section (above 47 meters) bends to a shallower angle of 43 degrees. Archaeologists believe that the steeper angle may have been untenable because of structural instability. The adjacent Red Pyramid rises at a steady 43 degree angle and can be seen in the background of several images. Interestingly, The Bent Pyramid is also the only major Egyptian pyramid to retain most of its original smooth limestone casing. In this way, it is perhaps the best example of how the ancient Egyptians intended their pyramids to look.

How cool is that?

Cairo Senior/Family Session

We've done it! Our first session in our new home in Cairo, Egypt. I am thrilled to be able to continue to do this rewarding work. In this combo-session, we spent the first half doing a traditional senior portrait session and the second half shooting a family session.

Regarding the senior session, I cannot say enough about Maya's overall amazingness. Apart from being a natural in front of the camera, Maya emanated confidence and poise and absolutely KILLED IT. It was a pleasure to photograph her.

Later, her family joined in (after a drink at the homemade backyard bar) for some photographs all together. No one could be sure of the last time they had all been professionally photographed, but all agreed that it had been a while. 

To sum up: glowy evening light, gorgeous backyard setting, and a wonderful family.

Dusk and Dawn Maternity Session

Back in April, Rebecca and I took a little 'babymoon' to Asheville and Brevard, NC. While staying at a fantastic AirBnb in Marshall, NC, we decided to try a 2-part maternity shoot:  photos at dusk and photos at dawn. The light was so unbelievable that I couldn't stop blathering on and on about how beautiful it all was. But the star of the show was undoubtedly Rebecca. She knew exactly what to do for each shot and is effortlessly beautiful in all types of light and terrain. With our due date a mere 2 weeks away, I had a lot of fun editing these and looking forward to seeing my favorite person ever become a mom. 

Dusk

Dawn

Shannon Family Session

You guys. I think I met my spirit animal.
The moment I walked into the Shannon family's lovely home, two things immediately happened. First, new-big-brother Riley strode up to me confidently and proclaimed, "Hi! We have a movie room and we can watch movies in it!" Second, I was greeted by Laska the mastiff. She is gorgeous and huge and after a few treats we immediately became best friends. You know, best friends who kiss. She did all of the kissing but it was very sincere and... wet.

Baby Lucy was only 12 days old on the day of our shoot, and already Riley (and Laska!) treated her with such care and affection. It was wonderful to see this family spend time in their element: reading, playing on the floor, doing puzzles, snuggling on the bed, and enjoying this sweet new addition to their family. Gazing at babies is better than TV. It's better than anything.

(Only one plastic fireman hat was harmed in the process of this shoot)

Caleb and Ashley, you are EXCELLENT parents and and I can't wait to see how Lucy and Riley grow to love each other more and more!

Roman Family Session

I would totally understand if a baby wailed for an entire 1.5 hour photo session. There's this unfamiliar person with a giant black camera that clicks loudly getting all up in baby's face... it all feels pretty intrusive.

But Riley? She was a pro.

Allison and Justin were about to move out of the house that Riley came home to after she was born. It was the house that saw their relationship go from couple to family. They made it a home with artwork and music and love. Needless to say, the thought of leaving left them with a lot of emotions. 

Enter: me. Capturing a typical evening at home was the best way for them to remember this special time in their lives. Crazy and fun, exhausting and exhilarating, Allison and Justin wanted to remember what it was like to be a new family of three. Even the pictures of Riley pitching a fit when the PJs went on. "Why, Riley?" Her bleary-eyed parents would plead, night after night. "They're the softest pajamas ever!" All those little moments that made life interesting and frustrating and hilarious and worthwhile... they wanted to remember all of it. 

And Riley seemed to know how important it all was. She smiled and laughed and even gave the occasional "grandpa face" for which she has become famous (you'll know it when you see it). So as Riley grows and some memories from Bee Balm Rd fade, Allison and Justin will remember when they would bless their food and sing "Amen" together, when they would play chase up the stairs on their way to the tub, when Riley would select her own bedtime books, and of course all the little moments that Riley found worthy of grandpa face.