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We first met Michael and Scott at the Victorian Festival in Sharon Springs. We were there along with hundreds of other people enjoying the festivities, taking photos for our own enjoyment and buying Christmas gifts.

Tim took a photo of two gentleman dressed in Victorian garb, texting each other from two feet away with their iPhones. 
We posted it here on the blog and Scott and Michael wrote to say how much they loved it. We saw them again the next year and then again this past winter when we were there photographing children of all ages with Santa to help raise money for Hurricane Relief. 
So when Scott contacted us to photograph their wedding, we felt like we were talking with old friends.

   
We started out with a nice casual portrait session to let them warm up to the camera (if you can warm up to anything in upstate NY in February!).

We took a walk through town and our couple enjoyed a good laugh with friends Maria and Pete who were busy as bees working on a secret project for Beekman 1802 Mercantileinside the Roseboro Hotel. 
Scott and Michael both look pretty handsome here for a few individual portraits. 

We couldn’t resist setting up a similar photo of these two with the iPhones. 

I asked Scott if he had any thoughts on the iPhone photos, Scott’s responded, “They say communication is key to a good relationship. Not sure if that was meant to include via 140 characters at a time!” It seems to be working pretty well for them!
After our walk around town, we went back to the American Hotel for a little cocktail party. Everyone was having a great time celebrating the anniversary of Scott and Michael’s 22nd year together. They were all in for a fun surprise, though, because instead of just a party, our couple had decided to fully celebrate their love with a wedding.

Scott loves the following photo since “it expresses the evening with a disco ball. Party! Celebration! Event! Not a boring ol wedding…and that was our plan, a party that just happened to have a little matrimony with the salad course!”

Here Doug Plummer, the proprietor of the American Hotel (along with his husband Garth Roberts) helps the guys with their ties.

Their matching cufflinks were darling little llamas from The House of Tiaras  fashioned after a very famous llama with her own twitter feed, Polkaspot!

As an ordained Quaker minister, Doug also performed the wedding ceremony. Talk about a full service establishment! 
A bit overwhelmed with the cheers from the dining room. This is happening! 


And of course, following the vows, they both immediately updated their Facebook statuses.

A quick kiss as Doug signs the marriage certificate.


It’s always fun to try to get all the guests in one photograph.  We had to be quick though, because Tim was standing on a ladder out on Route 10!

As in any wedding we certainly can’t achieve all these wonderful photographs without the contributions of other wedding vendors. As professionals we all work together to create a memorable day for our couples, their guests and their families.  Our good friends Doug Plummer and Garth Roberts who own and run the American Hotel are as much fun in real life as they look in these photos and they can always be counted on to serve fabulous meals.  

The florist for this occasion was Johnstone’s located in Palatine Bridge, NY, and were the florists for my own wedding and many other happy occasions in my life.



At this wedding I was lucky to meet Gail Luna  of Luna Cakes by Design and and see and eat(!) some of his amazing art work. 


The wedding cake — faithful readers know my love of wedding cake — was not only delicious but specifically designed to represent the very first meeting of our couple at a Halloween party in college. One dressed as a sailor (the hat) the other a soldier (the boots). I will admit, I did have a piece and it was delicious! 

 One more portrait of our handsome couple! 

Thank you Scott and Michael for being such a wonderful couple! It was truly a pleasure photographing your wedding.

 We wish you much happiness and love,

Tim and Dana

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 I was excited to read that the Victorian Christmas festival in Sharon Springs had received a “Festie Award” as one of the top five festivals by New York State Festivals website. We attended the festival in its first year and had so much fun.
We were thrilled when asked to participate the following year by taking photos of festival attendees with Saint Nicholas. It was the year Hurricane Irene had devastated so much of our area in Upstate NY (2011), especially in the Middleburgh area, and so we decided to donate the proceeds to Schoharie County Community Action Program for hurricane relief.

Taking photographs of all the festive people in their Victorian garb really started our Christmas season off in the right spirit, and so we were excited to participate in the festival’s third year in 2013. We again donated our proceeds to hurricane relief, this time to help those who were so devastated by Hurricane Sandy. We hope to continue to celebrate this delightful festival and will still donate to some good and charitable cause, but hopefully we will escape any rogue hurricanes next fall.

While Saint Nick was out feeding his reindeer this past year, Tim found some time to wander about the village with his camera. I am sure you will agree that with the light snow covering and the colorful costumes and decorations, the beautiful village of Sharon Springs was well deserving of the first annual “Festie Award” on looks alone!


 Even The Beekman Boys had their photo taken with Santa. Because, hey, you never know!

 Such a dapper looking pilot!

 The town crier was back again this year, ready to make exciting announcements on village and festival events.

This little guy and his family had their photos taken with Santa, but it looks like he remembered one more thing he wanted to ask the jolly old elf.

 Everyone likes to chat with Santa.

 Our pilot again with his lady friend.

 This little lady accepted a candy cane but took one look at Santa and said NOOOO! I am pretty sure Santa left her some wonderful toys under her tree, though, so maybe next year she will at least stand next to him for a photo.

 More well-dressed gentlemen outside the Beekman 1802 Mercantile.

 What? Is this an imposter? No, he’s a real Santa too, just in a more modern dress.

 Of course, one of my favorite parts was seeing all the hats.  If you didn’t have a hat, you could purchase one at the bank. They were also going for a good cause: the Schoharie County Food Bank. Thank you to all the generous people who attended – there was definitely some Christmas spirit on display. Tiny Tim would approve!

 This is one of the newest businesses to open in Sharon Springs. Stop in to welcome them sometime this year.

Until next year… We hope to see you at the 2013 Victorian Festival Celebration in Sharon Springs, NY.

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We’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging these last few months but our latest engagement session has inspired me to get back into the storytelling aspect of our photography. I have always loved to build a picture with words and Tim has been telling stories with images since he picked up his first camera.


Carrie and Matt were originally going to have us photograph their 12-12-12 wedding, but when they came in to see us, Carrie mentioned that she might like to have an engagement session done at their home with their two horses and dog.  She wanted to “show that part of our story too.” So here they are, the whole family: Carrie leading Luke, and Matt with Eddie and the dog Mary Jane.

The image above was taken on the way back to the barn after the more posed-type images.  We work to create photographs at engagement (and other portrait sessions) that couples can hang on their walls as an art piece–something beautiful and timeless–just as we do for wedding photos.

We all love the posed family photos too. This was a difficult shoot with two people, two high spirited horses and a dog — you can’t always tell an animal exactly what you want them to do. They (and their people) have to be guided, sometimes nudged a little… and you have to get their attention.  All of them.  At once.

 
 And when they are all ready, in place, and happy, we have to be ready too. Okay on three…

Thanks for having us photograph this part of your story too, Matt and Carrie. And a big thanks to Luke and Eddie for paying attention! And Mary Jane? Extra cookies for that good girl.

Posted in Family&Children Portraiture,Wedding
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At “The Castle” — as we like to refer to Beardslee’s Castle in Little Falls NY — we know we have the perfect background for romantic wedding photographs. This beautifully restored Irish limestone Castle nestled in the Mohawk Valley, minutes away from the Adirondack Forest Preserve, is a delightful setting for a fairytale-style wedding. With D.J. Ritchie’s lights in the castle windows, the stone steps and a beautiful backlit pose, this shot certainly looks ethereal. It’s one of my favorites so far this year!
We had a lot of fun photographing Ashwini and Peter and their wedding party at their reception at the Castle and their ceremony at the United Methodist Church in New Hartford. It was a pleasure to photograph a couple so obviously crazy in love with each other.
Chels designed this beautiful inspiration board to showcase some of the detail shots and the color scheme of Ashwini and Peter’s wedding. We know there is a tremendous amount of time and thought that goes in to the planning of a wedding, and so we make sure to capture the bits and pieces that our couples have spent months and even years thinking about, searching for and choosing to make their wedding day their own.
Along with the details are all the little moments during the day that we capture: Peter showing off his ring to the groomsmen; the bridesmaids tying up the back of Ashwini’s dress. The special moments that are so fleeting are what we endeavor to capture in our photojournalistic coverage.
The groom and his groomsmen. It was a great crowd – hilarious and friendly – and they knew how to have fun on the dance floor! 
Just one final shot of the bride and groom cutting the cake… Because we know how much I love cake. And this image is so gorgeous!
Thank you, Ashwini and Peter, for having us as part of your wedding day! Once again, we had a great time working with you and your bridal party … full of fun & romance!
Love,
Dana, Tim, and Chels
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We loved the unique country chic vibe of Jim and Brielyn’s wedding. The ceremony and reception were both held at Pat’s Barn in Rensselaer, NY, a reconstructed Dutch barn over 250 years old, with a gorgeous lawn and nearby creek.
Jim and Brie chose to do a “first look”, the opportunity to see each other before the ceremony. This option has grown in popularity in the last few years, not just because it allows the couple to enjoy their cocktail hour with their guests, but because it allows for a more private moment when they first see each other. And of course it is a great chance for a few romantic photos taken without an audience!

Brie and Jim broke with a lot of other traditions as well, allowing their wedding to reflect their own style. Brie’s knee-length white cotton bridal dress was trimmed in eyelet lace which was perfect for the hot day: cool and comfortable but still stylish. Their choice of tattooed wedding bands is probably the best example of how their wedding reflected their style and their commitment.
For their processional, they walked up the aisle together. Their ceremony was performed by Swami Bruce under a beautiful arch constructed by Brie’s dad, made of aged cedar from an old water tower. Brie’s brother was her man of honor and Jim’s brother was his best man. As part of the ceremony, the two brothers bound the couples hands together. 
Since we had already taken all of the group, formal and couples photos earlier, Brie and Jim not only had time to enjoy their cocktail hour but to greet each guest in a receiving line as they entered the Barn.
The details and decorations were reflective of their style as well. Brie designed and made each of the invitations. Pages from the scrap book Brie and her guests made at her bridal shower were used to decorate the walls. The cake plates, signed with good wishes at the shower, were used to hold the table place cards.
The guests enjoyed listening and dancing to the music provided by DJ Mike. They also had a lot of fun posing for our open air photo booth with props provided by the bride and groom. And of course there were those guests who needed no props or music, but amused themselves…

Jim and Brielyn: We want to thank you both so much for having us as a part of your special day.
Wishing you much happiness and love,
Tim, Dana and Chels
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