Helloooooo!  I just put the finishing touches on the highlights slideshow from Jennifer’s and Nick’s wedding last weekend.  This is usually the part of the blog where I talk about their big day, but it’s 12:30AM, and I’m just chomping at the bit to get their slideshow live for them to see.  I’ll come back and add in details tomorrow.

I’ve been working feverishly on it while vacationing in Florida, and I’m so anxious for the Jennifer and Nick to see it.  Here’s a shot of me today at Clearwater Beach.  Thanks for documenting this moment, Katie! 

Ready to see the slideshow?  :)  Click HERE or on the play button below.  It might take a few seconds for everything to load, but it’s totally worth it.  Don’t forget to turn up your volume!  Also, if you’re looking for the rest of the images, there will be a TON on my proofing site here in a few weeks.  You’ll be able to see them by clicking HERE, but for now only the Coopers’ engagement images are on there.  Keep checking back, though.  Thanks so much for stopping by, and please take some time to leave a comment!  Take care!  -SR

Here are some fun shots from our second day down here on the Gulf Coast.  We had a pretty lazy day today.  Just chilled here at the house, took long naps, and visited again with my buddy Bill and his fam.

Here’s the view from the backyard of the house we rented.  Not too shabby!  This canal moves around the bend and out to the gulf, but, seeing as how I’m not exactly well-versed on boating, I think we’ll just enjoy the view.

It’s a cute little place, right?  Sure, it’s not a condo on the beach, but I’m quickly falling for this adorable little town.  Just minutes away from Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, I think Hudson is a great out-of-the-way place to hang out.  Katie and I have been joking about keeping our eyes open for a possible investment property out in this area.  Who knows? 

Ah….what a relaxing spot.

Bill played a couple ditties on the guitar while we were visiting for dinner again.  We used to play a TON of music together back in the day.  Bill has the heart for music like I do for photography. 

This is his heart now… 

Molly is so sweet.  Carson loved playing ball with her.  At one point, he offered her his Poppy (pacifier).

Hudson Beach has a pretty incredible ice cream parlor.

I love Katie’s laugh.  She’s so good with Carson!

Carson decided that it would be funny for me to put Ernie up in a palm tree.  He was right.  It WAS really funny! 

Winding down for bathtime, here we are reading for a bit.

Thanks again for stopping by.  I’ll have more pics tomorrow when we get back from Honeymoon Island.  Time for bed!  :)  -SR

Yay! We’re finally in sunny Florida! I’m not going to be doing a ton of writing this week, but I will be hopping on here to share some images. Here are some shots from our first day:

Carson’s first experience with sand!

Sand is cool, of course, but slides are always better.  Right, Bert?

Carson LOVES crocodiles.  Earlier in the year when we were trying to teach him to say the word bubble, we used his crocodile hand-puppet to say the word.  Now, when he sees a crocodile or alligator, he calls it a bubble.  Yesterday he saw his first Florida lizard (the green anole) and named it Baby Bubble.  How cute!

One of the biggest reasons we chose Pasco County for our vacation is because one of my dearest friends Bill, his wife Kelly, and their new 6-week-old son Ben live nearby.  They had us over for some tasty dinner last night.  Thanks, you all! 

Ben’s adorable, eh?

Bill and Kelly are great parents already.  Ben is a lucky boy!

Thanks for stopping by!  I’ll post some more pics tomorrow!  -SR

I recently had the privilege of meeting u71308p with Kim Colley for a portrait session.  Kim and I know each other from our UK days, but have since been a bit out-of-touch.  Out of the blue recently, she contacted me about shooting her headshots for the Actors Guild of Lexington website.  It’s there that she works as the Stage Production Manager, overseeing all of the behind-the-scenes work.  Kim just wrapped up working on The Merry Wives of Winsor, which was part of this year’s Shakespeare at Equus Run series.

Another nice surprise was when I received, just a couple days after our shoot, a sweet thank-you note and a gift card to Panera—my favorite place to chill.  Thank you so much, Kim! 

Here’s my favorite shot from our session, and for the rest of the images, feel free to click HERE.  They’ll be up within the next day.  Thanks for stopping by!  -SR

Isn’t this sweet?  Thanks, Kim! 

It’s 3AM and I’m finally home, unpacked, and ready for bed after having shot a GREAT wedding today.  Jennifer and Nick are heading out for their honeymoon tomorrow, so I’ll have their slideshow up by next Sunday.  Please check back, but in the meantime, here’s a little teaser.  Can you believe the vertical on this guy?  :) 

I’m a lucky man.  For four years, I’ve had the privilege of being married to a sweet, smart, loving, funny, and smokin’ hot mom and wife.  She encourages me to dream big and take chances, but she also keeps my feet on the ground when I start getting my head in the clouds.  Carson has such a warm and gentle spirit, and it’s because he gets so much love, attention and nurturing from Katie.  She’s brilliant.

Katie, it’s been an awesome ride so far.  9 years since we first met.  Wow.  Can you believe it?  I’m looking forward to the rest of our lives together.  *kiss*kiss*

I met Whitney at Cristy’s wedding.  We talked at the salon the morning of the wedding while the girls were getting their hair done.  It was then that Whitney told me that she had been keeping up with my blog.  How cool!  Somebody other than my wife actually reads this?!  :)  Whitney is definitely a picture person, so I’m thrilled that she called a couple weeks later to book me for a family portrait session.

Whitney and her husband Sean pulled up and out hopped twin 6-year-olds Aaron and Anderson, and then Samson, their beloved lab.  Let me tell you–those two boys are a hoot.  Wow.  They’ve got fun personalities and kept me chuckling throughout the whole shoot.  For this session, we started off downtown Lexington and finished up out at Fasig-Tipton, where the boys got to visit for a bit with the horses.  Thank you, Vitatoe family, for being so cool and letting the real you shine through.  It makes my work not seem like work!

Lastly, thank you to the Pettit family on Second Street who so graciously invited us all into their incredible home.  I think the twins had a nice visit with your grandkids and fish.  You were so kind and welcoming.  I have a sweet pic of you two.  Please email me and I’ll send it over your way! 

To see the slideshow, click HERE or on the play button below.  For the proofs, click HERE.  Thanks for dropping by, and please feel free to leave a comment!  Take care!  -SR

I swear…I could shoot weddings like this one every weekend.  Good stuff! 

I don’t know how I always luck out, but it seems as though I always get booked by really great people.  Brad and Erica have been so nice to get to know since the e-session last fall.  Their families are kind and welcoming, and their friends are alot of fun.  I feel really privileged to do what I do!

The day started off on Kentucky Avenue, where the girls had their hair and makeup done by the talented staff at Hairport.  For you future brides, you might consider starting your day off there.  The salon sits nicely inside of a renovated home across from Woodland Park.  Tons of hardwood, tall ceilings, and window light.  Great vibe.

Next up was a short drive over to Erica’s parents’ house, where the girls finished getting ready. Despite just a bit of rain, time was on our side.  We got plenty of cool shots poolside (nice reflector work, Roy) and out on the deck, the girls and Erica’s parents had time to relax, and there was even time for some line dancing (sorry, I just HAD to mention it…lol).  Meanwhile, the guys arrived at the church, played Jenga and Connect Four, and put on their finishing touches.

Faith Lutheran Church is gorgeous.  The stained glass and wood vaulted ceilings give the sanctuary and nice dramatic feel, but it’s still quaint and sweet.  Erica’s and Brad’s family and friends filled it perfectly.  After a sweet ceremony and a few shots at the alter, we set out for the Carrick House, dropping by Gratz Park on the way for some fun outdoor shots of the wedding party.

This was my first time shooting the Carrick House since the Lundergans (Lundy’s Catering) started hosting events there last year.  Man, was I impressed.  You do a great job, Ashley!  The guests enjoyed yummy food and drinks on the main floor of the mansion, with it’s huge rooms and wonderful flow, and then eventually they made their way into the greenhouse in anticipation of the the wedding party’s arrival.  The green house is the perfect place for a reception.  Tall ceilings, tons of space, uplighting, and a row of windows overlooking the grounds make it a photographer’s dream.  :)  The Wulfe Brothers entertained us from the front stage, while the guests had plenty of space to mingle and dance the night away.

Here’s a list of the vendors that made the day awesome:

Flowers:  Nancy Frederick

Hair/Makeup: Hairport

Catering: Lundy’s

Music: Wulfe Brothers

Cake: Donut Days

Limo: Triple Crown

Coordinator:  Julie Klier (one of the best I’ve worked with)

Click HERE or below on the play button to see the slideshow of around 130 of my favorite shots from the day.  The rest of the proofs will be online in the coming weeks, so feel free to click HERE to preregister to see them.  Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave a comment.  I love reading them!  Take care! -SR

Weddings like Cristy’s and Don’s get me excited about what I do.  Gorgeous details, picturesque venues, and talented vendors all helped to make the wedding awesome, but the biggest contributing factor to the day’s success was Cristy’s wonderful attitude.  She was literally glowing all day long.  So happy to be in love and getting married.  So sweet.

Our day started early at Douglas’ & Associates for hair before heading over to the Crown Plaza Hotel to finish getting ready.  We all then headed down to Stanford Baptist Church in -you guessed it- Stanford (about an hour south of Lexington).  The church was just recently renovated, so Cristy’s and Don’s ceremony was actually the first one with the church’s new digs.  Beautiful sanctuary.  Tons of available light.  Best part?  The minister is a former photojournalist, so he appreciates the fact that great images often require great angles and vantage points.  He made a point to tell me that I would have free reign to shoot wherever I wanted during the ceremony.  Of course, I wasn’t swinging from the light fixtures or anything, but I had some pretty fantastic views.  Scott shot from a tripod at the rear of the church, Betsy shot from the balcony, and I worked the side aisles.  Go team! 

Don and Cristy opted to do all of their formal photographs before the ceremony (always a great thing, by the way), so we were all able to head straight to the reception at Keene Barn on Keeneland’s grounds.  While we grabbed some fun shots outside of Keeneland, their family and friends enjoyed cocktails and live Bluegrass music.  Great stuff.

The inside of Keene Barn was fabulous, details abounding.  This is where hiring great vendors makes a difference.  Here’s the list:

Teresa Thompson - master florist

Schafer’s Catering - linens, decorative lighting, flowers

Tim Estes- DJ

Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe - cake

Mary Beth Hutchison - event planner, custom embroidery

In Motion Video Productions- videography

Turf Catering Company - food & drink service

Douglas’ & Associates - hair

Karen Hawkensmith - makeup

Shaun Ring Photography - they made a GREAT choice hiring this dude

So…without further ado, here’s the slideshow of around 170 of my favorite shots.  You can click HERE or on the play button below.  It’s a couple minutes longer than most, but it’s totally worth it.  There were just so many great moments!  If you’re interested in seeing any of the other 600 shots, just click HERE.  You can be notified by email here in a couple weeks once the rest of the wedding images are edited and the happy couple have had their first look at them.

Thanks for stopping by, and please leave a comment if you have a second.  I love reading them!  -SR

4 cousins, 2 moms, 1 grandmother, 1 friend, and 3 dogs.  Awesome.  :)  I love this group of folks.  I’ve been photographing them over the last 3 years, and they’re always so much fun to be around.  For this session, we trekked out to the Iroquois Hunt Club off Old Richmond Road.  It was a nice change of pace, seeing as how I’ve been shooting downtown Lexington alot here recently.  Gorgeous scenery out there.  Thanks Barbara, Denise, and Darian for bringing everyone together for this shoot.  I had a good time!

Click HERE for the slideshow, or just press the play button below.  All of the images will soon be available HERE.  Thanks for stopping by! -SR