I just got back from an great long weekend at the coast. First, I shot a beach wedding with Jeff Pennell, a fellow photographer and friend, with whom I have shot several times before. Gretchen joined me (she never passes up on a chance to go to the beach) to hang out with his wife Rhonda and Daughter Maggie and some beach time. I'll post a few shots later this week.

Monday and Tuesday I attended a super workshop with David Beckstead. David is internationally known, and has a very art driven, non technical approach to photography. It was a refreshing change to view things from a different perspective. I joined 11 other NC and VA photographers for one a long day of shooting on Monday. We had a great couple as models, recently married Luke and Ellen. They put up with us, complaint free- from 10:30am to well after 6:30 PM. I figured they would have been sick of us, but I guess the lure of good food was worth it as we all went out for dinner afterwards.

The following day was taken up entirely with critiques. It was invaluable to hear feedback from both David, and the rest of the group. I really enjoyed the experience, and it reinforced my commitment to continuing education.We shot in three major locations.

We got warmed up at the Belamy Mansion. 

Next stop was the USS North Carolina,  a WWII ship on permanent display in Wilmington

Here is what it looks like when you have twelve photographers shooting the same thing.  

Here is the whole group. Lots of talent here! Looks like I have really long arms, eh?

David doing his best Leno impersonation...

Then we roamed the streets of Wilmington until the sunset.

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All weddings are great. Really, I have yet to photograph a wedding where I did not enjoy myself. But there are some, where everything is just right. Heidi and Sam were not just a great couple. They had a super group of friends and family, and they all threw one hell of a party.

The wedding ceremony was in the Finch Chapel in Greensboro. A beautiful, magical place. But first, some light decorating outside:

Before the ceremony:

Then, the ceremony. Here is a shot from inside during the nuptials. It was a bit hot inside, being an August wedding, but not Too hot:

Then the kids had some fun:

And the getaway:

The venue, qubstudios, is a great urban warehouse location, complete with cyc wall.

Here it is, quite unassuming from the outside:

 I mean, you have a reception with a built-in cyc, you have to use it:

And some great locations right outside the reception:

They even hired some competition for me, an old fashioned photo booth:

And of course, Big Fat Gap, an awesome Bluegrass Band from Chapel Hill, came to play:

What an amazing night!!!

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I photograph a fail number of couples before their wedding day. What I don’t usual do it get out of bed at 6:00 am to do so! But when we scheduled the session a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to shoot early in the AM. So we agreed to meet at 7 AM! And guess what – it was a balmy 85 degrees at the American Tobacco Historic District, so it was a good choice. Here are a few shots from the session:

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I leaned something at Jordan and Lindy's wedding, and it was a humbling experience. Bluntly, these two are amazing people. They are both living in Seattle right now, and they left for a month long trip right after they booked me, so we did not have the pleasure to meet before the day of the ceremony. By the end of the day, it was clear what made this such a special day. As much as possible, they made the entire day about their guests. That's right. It was a day for friends and family. Yes, it was THEIR day, but they made everyone, us included, feel as if it was OUR day too. And that made all the difference. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Oh, I have to give special Kudos to Gretchen. She is not too terribly fond of heights, but she put that aside and shot from atop the Currituck Lighthouse during the ceremony . What made it special was that the winds were piping up to over 40mph. I called her on the cell to make sure she was ok. Once she got up there, I asked her to stand up, so I could take her picture, which she politely refused. I think the exact quote was "You are nuts if you think I am standing up!" Well, she never did stand up (except to leave) but she did get some great shots!

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gretchen and I travelled down to Corolla in the Outer Banks to photograph Jordan and Lindy's wedding last weekend. Those shots will come, but in the meantime, I wanted to post some shots from the "Day After". We got together for an hour on the beach on Sunday morning, and got some great photos.

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 8:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last month I took some time out to attend a portrait class taught by Tim Kelly at the Smoky Mountain Learning Center. This was actually the very first class at the center, and as such, attendance was low, only five of us had Tim for the four day class. To be honest, I have not followed the "Star" portait artists in the country, but Tim is certainly one of them. His work is outstanding, and what really stands out is hs amazing ability to pose people for maximum effect. The results were stunning.

The hosts at the center, J.R. and Darcy VanLienden and their daughters, did a great job of making us feel right at home, serving lunch and dinner each night. Since we we were the first class there, J.R. was especially interested in our feedback about the facility, class, and how things ran. I would certainly recommend taking any class there that peaks your interest.
Tim was an excellent instructor, and since there were onyl five of us, it was very hands-on.

Here are two of the images taken of me during the class, with Tim's full retouching treatment. I don't look too bad bad for a guy who is much better on the other end of the camera! The bike shot is with my old Ducati Elefant, which I rode to the class. I shaved my beard off mid class, so we could get some before and after shots. Let me tell you, shaving a full beard off with nothing more that a regular razor, in a hotel room, is a challenge!

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ernesto rained out Deeann's original bridal session, but I think it was a blessing, as we were treated to a wonderful day with great light on the rescheduled date. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot. Deeann's mom loved the first one, and ordered a 16x23 Gallery wrap on canvas of the image - it looks amazing!

Posted by Chris Witzgall at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)