Sneak Peek: Matt & Laura - South Carolina Wedding Photographer

Matt & Laura are such a fun couple! They kept me laughing the whole day! I can't wait to blog the rest of their wedding to show you just how awesome they both are, but in the mean time here is a sneak peak!

Laura's Bridal Session: The Ivy Place - Van Wyck, SC

First off I want to say congrats to Matt & Laura! Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous this weekend, and the rain held off all day! Now I have the pleasure of posting her lovely bridals for everyone to see! During our session, Laura was such a good sport... it sprinkled off and on, while tiny inch worms simultaneously fell onto her and her dress! Both her mother and Genie (one of the owners of tThe Ivy Place) helped me keep Laura dry and inch worm free! (See image below) And to top it all off, during the session Laura had a bird poop on her! Luckily it graced her arm, and just missed the dress! Laura shrugged it off as good luck and we continued on. Then as we were packing up to leave a bird pooped on me! Luckily it landed on my giant head of hair, and Laura was able to help me get it out! So I guess the bird blessing both of us that day was a sign of how beautiful her wedding day would be! ;)

 

Creative Guest Book Ideas For Your Wedding Reception

Now-a-days brides look for every opportunity to be different and have their wedding styled their way! When I was getting married, I remember looking through magazines and online trying to find at better guest book idea. Almost everyone I talked too said how silly it was to have a traditional guest book as it will sit in a box and you will never look at it again. 

Here are 20 ideas of great alternatives to the traditional guest book... http://tiny.cc/uaucy

This past weekend I photographed a beautiful wedding in Charleston, SC. The wedding couple chose the engagement book idea and I thought it was so neat to be able to display the engagement pictures and turn it into a keepsake to last forever! I attached a picture below...

My husband and I decided to do a photo mat frame for our wedding. This way the guests could write on the mat and then it would become a decoration in our house. It turned out beautifully and hangs in the stairway even now, three years later! Both my husband and I love to stop every once in a while to read something funny, silly, or sweet one of our friends wrote, which allows us to smile and remember that day!  So when choosing an idea for your guest book, make sure you make it a good one! =)

 

P.S. I also did a wishing tree, as seen in the link I posted. It was something fun for the guests to do during the reception, and we read them in the plane on the way to our honeymoon. We also intend to read them again on our 5 year anniversary!

Photos on the left above are courtesy of our wedding photographer Clinton Mackinnon!

DaisyGrip - Review with Photos

The Story: As you can probably tell by now, every one of my reviews start with a story on how I came to find the certain product I am reviewing. This one started in New Orleans this past January. As you know I was there at Imaging USA which is a massive photography conference. One of the main highlights is the expo, with tons of vendors and goodies that photographers go nuts over. While browsing, I happened upon DaisyGrip and thought that it was the neatest thing I had seen there. After meeting Christine and her husband David, I explained to them what I was doing with my blog and how I wanted to review products that not everyone had heard of and help shine some light on how neat they are! Hence, my new relationship with the DaisyGrip! =)

After using it for a couple family sessions (with small children), I can see what a great tool it truly is to have in my gear bag. It attaches really easy right into the camera's hot shoe and is made of great quality material so you know it's not going anywhere and neither is whatever you put in it. It is even able to hold your iPhone. (This would have come in real handy for a photo-shoot I had at Christmas where I was trying to get three children and a newborn to pay attention to me. Finally in desperation my husband pulled out his iPhone and all of them looked in amazement. Here is the link to the past blog entry to see what I am talking about). 

For both shoots pictured I used a stuffed toy in order for it to be seen in the photos. I also used the iPhone on a couple other shoots which greatly caught each child’s attention, but I didn't get the smile the stuffed toy would bring. This could also be due to the fact, that I tend to shoot further away with either a fixed or zoom lens, which ended up being too far away for them to see the screen. This led to squinting or the child would get up to move closer and view it. (See blooper’s below =) 

Summary of it all...\ Pros: Innovative, portable, easy to attach, sturdy grip, and really does get children's attention and provide a genuine smile!

Cons: It takes over the hot shoe and therefore no wireless trigger, flash, etc. can be mounted. I was however able to use my 7D and after mounting it use the pop up flash to trigger my X1600. (*There is a bracket that will be released shortly that will fix this problem and allow the DaisyGrip to attach to it while still allowing for a wireless trigger).  When using it with an iPhone, you have to have a wide lens in order to be close enough for the child to see what is on the screen. And lastly due to the short attention span of children, after about ten minutes or so they are done with the fun and silliness of it and on to the next thing. So my suggestion would be to have a couple backup toys up your sleeve and bring them out once you have everything in position to get the exact smile you want!

Be sure to check out DaisyGrip's website and snatch up one for yourself!

 

If you have a product you know of and want us to review it, send us an email info@yahrite.com!

 

Matt & Laura: Engagement Session - The Ivy Place

Matt & Laura are made for each other! When planning for their wedding they have stayed completely calm and compliment each other so well. Their love for each other shows through both on and off the camera. It has been so nice to get to know them and see just how geniune they both are. They chose The Ivy Place as their venue and I think it fits them perfectly. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in a couple weeks, so stay tuned for the pictures! =)