Archive for August, 2008

Rhae’s mountainside bridal shoot

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

It is not everyday you show up to a location that greets you with such “natural” decor.

Rhae Bridal641.jpg

Rhae Bridal640.jpg

Being from Montana, Rhae wanted to say her “I do’s” where she felt most comfortable. Enter The House Mountain Inn. It’s such a beautiful lodge up in the mountains of Lexington, Va. We’ll show you more of the grounds when we post images from her wedding in a few days.

But until then, check out her bridal shots. It’s so exciting being able to show these off. We have been sitting on these for months, waiting for her wedding day to pass. Enjoy!

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an homage to her brother that tragically passed away.

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I love these shots by the window. Natural soft light rocks!

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I have never seen so many butterflies in one spot in my life. They were everywhere.

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Rhae and her now husband Scott like to fish, so Rhae brought along her pole to get some images of her fishing in her dress. These are the kinds of things that bring personality to your session. We always love when people bring their own unique style to the shoot.

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Rhae, you were tons of fun to work with. We can’t wait for you to see your sneak peek in a few days!

Morgan and Tom…first comes love, then comes marriage

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Well I got back in the saddle after an eight month maternity leave. Ryan and I packed it up and headed to the east coast to the beautiful Fort Monroe base in Virginia Beach. The day was perfect! Low eighties, sunny and windy. I have to say, I was quite nervous after having such a long break from wedding shooting. Of course I do my share of small sessions (wedding/engagement/babies) but weddings are a whole other ball game. It is a test of physical and mental endurance being on your feet and being creative for eight plus hours!

Not only was the weather and water beautiful inspirations…this bridal party was a BLAST! They had wonderful senses of humor and instantly welcomed us into their “family”. There was no shortage of laughter throughout the whole day.

Morgan was a stunner in her 20’s inspired chiffon dress and AMAZING feather, flower and crystal headpiece. I am positive if Ryan and I were to get married again, this is the route I would go. ATTENTION FUTURE BRIDES….take note of some of the great details. Think outside the box! Tom wowed us with his white dinner jacket and saddle shoes, rounding out the theme of the night.

Morgan actually found us when she was an attendant in a wedding Ryan shot last summer, Juan and Joanna. So we were excited to see some familiar faces.

Without further ado. I give to you…Morgan and Tom.

I usually start in chronological order to tell the story of the day…but I have to come out of the gates with my absolute favorite shot of the night! Oh the beauty….

My hands down favorite of the day...perfection...Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

alright…back to the order of the day.

Father Burns lead Morgan and Tom in the exchanging of their vows at the beautiful St. Mary Star of the Sea Church.

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

The ladies with some ‘tude

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Now it is time to cut loose. I never get tired of jumping shots.

A-the creative jumping styles
B-the facial expressions
C-it gives Ryan and I something to laugh at while editing a bazillion photos.

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

let’s take a closer look

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-VA Beach, VA:  August 16, 2008

On to my favorite session of the day…the beach!

A man, a beach and his thoughts. This is the grooms younger brother, Chris, who graciously waited while we snapped a bunch of pictures. Not a bad place to be stuck waiting!

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

This is such a cute detail. Their little suitcase favor was filled with salt water taffy and opened up to reveal your table seating number. Very cute!

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Morgan and Tom-Va Beach, VA: August 16, 2008

Ryan actually has the rest of the reception photos with him and will add more photos soon! We are in separate cities for a few days..so this will have to do for now!

Sarah and Brett…together at last

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Baltimore Harbor played host to Sarah and Brett’s big day last weekend. I have known Sarah since she was in 7th grade and was so sad to miss her wedding as I am just finishing up my maternity leave. I was able to shoot their engagement session a few months back, so that is my consolation prize.

It was a beautiful…HOT…summer day on the water. Sarah looked amazing! I love wedding dresses, but I don’t think I have ever been in love with the back of a wedding dress! The way the dress gathered asymmetrically and how the train fell was just stunning.

Ryan and my brother-in-law, Joe, were with Brett and Sarah every step of the way. Ryan’s other brother, Dan, was in charge of spinning the tunes during the reception on board the yacht. So you could say it was a Portnoy media trio! It pays to marry into a talented family!

Sarah and Brett, I am so sorry I missed such an awesome wedding. I have had so much fun editing your images and pretending I was aboard with all the fun. I hope Belize was relaxing for you both before your big move to Colorado. We pray God’s blessing on your marriage together and look forward to seeing you when you are back visiting!

Enjoy my favorite picks of the day!

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Is she not the prettiest girl? Her hair, those eyes and pouty lips!

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Upsy daisy!

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

I can imagine this red couch plays host to all sorts of pictures. It is no exception here. Is there a happier color? I just couldn’t decide what I like best so here are a few.

The red couch!

playing hard to get

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

You can’t have a reception in Baltimore harbor and not have seafood!

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

I love the pansy’s in the salad..nice touch.

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

I really like this next series that Joe took. Bravo Joe!

Sarah and Brett- Baltimore Harbor, MD

Sarah and Brett- Baltimore Harbor, MD

Sarah and Brett- Baltimore Harbor, MD

Somebody got some cake smashed in her face…

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

This picture absolutely cracks me up. Somebody forgot the ceilings were a little low in the boat. The reactions around the scene are just hilarious. Sorry Brett, I just had to add this moment to the mix!

Somebody forgot the ceilings were low....check the flight plan before you take off!

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Barnett/Almquist Wedding-Baltimore, MD

Kathryn: elegance and grace

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Those are the two words that stuck out when photographing Kathryn. She has such an amazing composure about herself and graceful body control. I had just seen the movie “Atonement” a few days before shooting Kathryn and I was reminded constantly of that 30’s era when I looked at her.

Kathryn married her love on August 2nd. We have been sitting on these photos for a few months. One of the stinky parts about bridal portraits…you can’t release the photos until the bride is married! Apparently, brides don’t like it when you debut their look before the big day…go figure!

So here is Kathryn in all of her elegant glory.

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

I love these.

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an old fashion finish

Kathryn Bridal

Kathryn Bridal

Grahl Family

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

You could say the twenties and thirties are peppered with two cyclical events….weddings and babies! We are no exception to the rule. We just celebrated our three anniversary and have already logged two kiddos! Life is full and busy.

My friends seem to be taking the verse “be fruitful and multiply” very seriously. In a matter of 4 months 9 babies have been born…whewwwww! That’s a lot of showers and gifts. I decided this year that my main gift would be to do a family session with each girlfriend. Easier said than done while juggling my two little ones and being in wedding season, but I managed to squeeze in a session last week with my friend Candace to celebrate the birth of her second son, Max.

We all hung out in his adorable nursery and I just let them have fun with each other.

My favorite of the shoot!

Max peeling those sleepy eyes open

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Candace said this is an accurate picture of motherhood. One crying and the other about to get into something. You just have to laugh!

Candace says this sums up motherhood for her

Behold…a son

The circle of life is complete

Piggies

Beautiful mama

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Candace laughs…A LOT!

Love this one

I love this angle...trying to escape

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A man, his jeans, and his thought

Mama and her brood

That’s a wrap!

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About Kellan Studios

Kellan Studios is the husband and wife team of Ryan and Kelly Portnoy. We are located in Lynchburg, Virginia and are available for weddings, family & senior portraits, as well as being available for travel.
Check out our portfolio at kellanstudios.net