You know that feeling you get when you find a surprise in your mailbox and it makes your day? I had that today when I opened mine and found that I received a WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Accolade of Photographic Mastery (aka APM)! So if you’re not a photographer, you’re thinking, “what the heck is that?”, right? Here’s the deal: you have to accumulate 20 exhibition points to get an APM. You earn exhibition points through WPPI print competitions – you get one point for each Accolade of Excellence award you receive, and more points if your prints place first, second, or third in a category. So I’m excited because I remember when 20 points seemed like it was so far away, and I made it (plus “Accolade of Photographic Mastery” sounds pretty cool, lol)!
WPPI Accolade of Photographic Mastery!
From Alabama, to Toronto, to New York!
Whew! Finally home after a wild week that included a shoot in Toronto with my friend Scott (pics coming soon), a get together with some of my Canadian photographer friends, and second shooting a wedding in New York City for my friend Judy! Wedding pics will be posted here too, but here are a few snaps from around Manhattan to tide you over in the meantime:
The first image I shot in New York was a snowy Bryant Park, home of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. There must have been a fashion vibe in the air, because the next day, I spotted designer Austin Scarlett (from season 1 of Project Runway) in Central Park:
Traffic as seen from the back of the double decker bus we were on for part of the wedding festivities:
The Manhattan skyline as seen from Brooklyn – and no, that sky isn’t Photoshopped!
The Brooklyn Bridge:
And last but not least, the sun streaming through the windows of Grand Central Terminal on the morning I left. *sigh*
Engagement: Amy & Brandon – Sardis, Alabama
One cold day, after a long drive down some hilly roads, I made it out to Amy’s parents’ house in the country. So far in the country that the address doesn’t come up on my GPS and I had to rely on good old fashioned directions on paper. If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you know I love shooting on farms – so when I got there and was greeted by a rusty old logging truck, I think I did an internal happy dance. But first things first, we had to go to the place where it all began – the spot where Brandon popped the question by spelling out “will you marry me?” using rocks, on the ground just beneath this tree (don’t miss the heart carved in it):
The pond water was freezing cold, so I felt a little bad asking them to stick their feet in it. But I love Brandon’s boots sitting next to them on the pier.
Another reason to love shooting in the country: random abandoned boats!
Hello, rusty old truck. How nice of you to participate in my favorite pic of the day!
Portrait: The Thompson Brothers – Montgomery, Alabama
When their mom told me how different her three boys were, she couldn’t have been more accurate! Lucky for me, Will, Matt, and John were all friendly and sweet, and even willing to be a bit silly (regardless of the dork behind the camera cracking stupid jokes at them, haha):
I asked each of them to bring something that was representative of who they were – Matt is the musician in the family.
John is into baseball and football, while Will is off to play college golf next year.
Portrait: Alexandra & Savannah – Montgomery, Alabama
I’ve shot with Alexandra and Savannah 3 or 4 times now, and one thing hasn’t changed – they are never camera shy (I swear they must practice at home or something)! But they’ve gotten taller, braces have come off, and now there are boyfriends and friends coming to their shoots as opposed to just mom. They’ve always looked like opposites, but I think they’re starting to look more like sisters as they’re getting older, and not just because Savannah darkened her hair!
Portrait: Matthew – Pike Road, Alabama
Matthew was about 3 weeks old when he joined the Chanterelle Photography baby plan – and he was a picture perfect model. He stayed awake long enough for me to get a few pictures of him with his eyes open, then snoozed the rest of the time, and made sure to smile in his sleep for me!
Engagement: Jessica & Tyler – Mathews, Alabama
When Jessica told me she and Tyler liked to ride bikes at her house in the country, I knew there would be fun pictures ahead. When I saw the bikes were red and well-loved, I was even happier. When I saw Tyler’s argyle socks, I was completely giddy! I think he thought I was teasing him because I kept going on and on about his socks, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that little things like that are what help make the pictures interesting and really “them”! They brought a ton of clothes for me to look through, and also brought along some gerbera daisies to incorporate in the pictures – because once upon a time, they didn’t get to see each other as often as they would have liked, so Tyler would send her flowers to let her know he was thinking of her (to all the guys out there, take notes).
Every time I look at this one, I can’t help but smile. 
Wedding: Nicole & Carlo – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2010 is shaping up to be another busy year of travels – I’ve already been to Mystic, Connecticut and Orange County, California, and it’s only February! Now that I’ve been home for a bit and am getting back into the swing of things, I can finally share the second of the two weddings I second shot in Toronto for my friend Judy Cormier! I primarily stuck with Carlo, the groom, at the beginning of the day:
The ceremony was held at St. Margaret Mary Roman Catholic Church – and Nicole fought back tears as she started her walk down the aisle.
After the ceremony, we headed to an abandoned farm for portraits:
Nicole was stunning in her Atelier Aimee gown – the bottom was made up of layer after layer of pleated chiffon.
Next, we were off to the reception at Bellvue Manor – where the guests were greeted by a martini bar at the entrance:
Inside the reception hall, the silver, white, and crystal decor was truly spectacular:
The food was equally fabulous – the antipasto bar was a gorgeous spread, and was followed by a four course dinner:
The wedding ended literally on a sweet note – along with the wedding cake, the guests were treated to a decadent dessert bar:
Thanks Nicole and Carlo for letting me come all the way from Alabama to be part of your day!
Engagement: Lisa & Hunter – Opelika, Alabama
I have to say it – I LOVE shooting in the country! Give me a farm full of open fields, weathered wood, and hay bales, and I’m a happy camper. Lisa & Hunter decided to start their session at Hunter’s family farm, which had all of the above, plus the added bonus of a railroad crossing.
This whole series just makes me happy. 
They’re big Auburn football fans, so Hunter went the extra mile and got us access inside Jordan-Hare Stadium so we could finish up their session with a few shots on the field!
Portrait: AddiBeth – Montgomery, Alabama
AddiBeth (also known as the baby with the cutest ears on the planet) had her second session with me on what turned out to be a cold day – but you’d never know by looking at the pictures because she was happy as a clam. We tried to make it quick, and she brought her best gummy smile to help us get the job done!
by Julie
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