Aaron Watson Photography Blog - Charlottesville, Va » Aaron Watson

Win 2 Tickets to the Elegance in Bridal Show!

Kelsey — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:32:59 +0000

The Elegance in Bridal Show will be hosted this coming Sunday in Charlottesville at the Omni Hotel, January 22, 2012, from 12-4pm.
You will not want to miss this!! Come spend a day at the show and be inspired for your wedding planning by some of the area’s amazing wedding vendors! Aaron Watson Photography and Exist N Motion Films will be there along with many other wedding professionals showcasing their talents. The show will be a great resource for any bride or wedding planner attending.

You may remember that we gave away 2 tickets to the last Elegance in Bridal show back in August. Well, we’re doing it again! By leaving a comment below on our Wedding Blog, Facebook or Twitter you will be entered to win the FREE tickets! For each place you comment (or retweet) you will receive one entry (up to 3 entries total)! We will choose a winner on Wednesday!

We look forward to seeing you! Be sure to get there early and stop by our booth, we will be giving away more of our “Love Aaron Watson Photography” T-Shirts! Here is a sneak peak of the design!! Available to the first 100 brides.

This is our booth from last year so you’ll be sure to recognize us!

Family Portrait Photography in the Woods!

Kelsey — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:19:21 +0000

Here are a few Family Portraits of Bart, Kathy, and their three boys, Isaac, Ari and Asher. Their house was a great place to take pictures, because not only do they have a big yard, they have woods surrounding their house as well. They had raked a big leaf pile into the middle of their yard for the session and Isaac, Ari and Asher wasted no time jumping into it and throwing leaves at each other. They stayed active for the rest of the session, running through fields, riding bikes and hiking through the woods with their parents. The boys had no trouble warming up to the camera, and I love all the funny faces they made at Aaron. It seemed that for every picture they looked at the camera with a smile, there was an after picture of everyone doing something silly and cracking each other up. I love their energy and how much fun they all have being together as a family.

Engagement Pictures at Mount Ida Farm

Kelsey — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:54:17 +0000

You are in for a treat today everyone! We are going to share a few amazing pictures from Alex and Shannon’s Engagement Session at the always gorgeous Mount Ida Farm. Alex and Shannon are such a beautiful couple and they loved walking all around Mt Ida and capturing photos in every pretty place they found. Shannon’s dress in the first few pictures was awesome, and I thought it was great that they had pictures taken in both formal and casual outfits. I also love how they really made their session personal to them and wore jerseys from their favorite sports teams in some of the pictures while they tossed around the football. Shannon has such captivating eyes, and her and Alex have so much chemistry in all the pictures, they just grab your attention!

… also make sure to read to the end for some exciting news about Mount Ida Farm!

I love these two pictures! See what I mean about the captivating eyes?

Huge thanks to Milicent of Mount Ida Farm for letting us take pictures there! I am really excited too, as they just announced that they are offering exclusive tours on their luxury shuttle bus to local wineries like Trump Winery, Keswick Vineyards and Castle Hill Cider (some of our favorites!) and we can’t wait to take advantage of this on our next free weekend! (Local wineries can also arrange a wine tasting for private events at their beautiful event building; you can check out a little sneak peek of the building from the stylized shoot we did in August!)

Family Portrait Photography in Charlottesville VA

Kelsey — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:06:08 +0000

There are so many things I love about this family portrait session, but I think the main thing is that Aaron captured so many things their family loves doing together, and the fun they have while doing those activities. Katie and Bob own the Simeon Market out near Jefferson Vineyards, and their two boys, John and Bryce love helping out at the store. Their whole family is also incredibly athletic. They played 3 different sports during their family session, and Bryce even climbed a tree! Maybe they have so much healthy energy because both boys love apples. Katie says that they eat at least two a day, usually more. Their love for apples was documented by photographs as the boys ate a quick snack during the session! I also adore these family portraits because as I was editing them, they actually made me laugh out loud. You will know what I mean when you see the pictures!

Elizabeth & Bubba’s Engagement Session in Scottsville, VA

Kelsey — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:24:25 +0000

These Engagement pictures from Elizabeth and Bubba’s engagement session are absolutely amazing. They invited Aaron out to Scottsville to take their pictures at the house where they used to live. The scenery was everything you could ever want for an engagement session, complete with a tree swing and a red barn! Elizabeth and Bubba met at JMU (go dukes!) and were actually best friends before they realized they had deeper feelings for each other and have been together ever since!
They are both musicians, and music was one of the first things they bonded over when they were in a band together in college. They love going to live shows and playing gigs around Charlottesville with their band, The Moon Rats. (Also keep an ear out for Bubba’s band, Hot Twang, which also plays around Cville).
We asked Elizabeth and Bubba to tell us their proposal story, and it’s so sweet! Elizabeth went out of town for a week, and when she came back there were candles and flowers on the table, and Bubba handed her a card and told her to open it right away. She read all the sweet words he had written, and when she got to the bottom there was a post it note covering up part of the card. She took it off and read the question “Will you marry me?”. (She said yes.)

Portrait Photography – Courtney & James’s Beloved Session

Kelsey — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:33:38 +0000

There are two words that come to mind when I look at the pictures from Courtney and James’s Portrait Session at Carter’s Mountain. Smiles and Vibrancy! Courtney and James are hysterical, and they have so much fun being together. Neither one of them stopped smiling and laughing the whole session! The colors in these photographs are absolutely amazing. I love the red leaves and the greens and golds of the orchard. The rusted truck was a great scene for Courtney and James to really goof around with. They even tinkered with the old engine to see if they could get it running again. Unfortunately they didn’t meet with success. Both Courtney and James graduated recently, Courtney from Radford University and James from Virginia Tech, and they gave this portrait session to themselves as a graduation gift. We are very excited to keep in touch and see what the future has in store for the two of them!

Family Portrait Photography at Monticello Trail and Park

Kelsey — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:25:34 +0000

Mary and Mike were given a Family Portrait Session by Mary’s sister, who took advantage of the Daily Deal! They chose to go up to Monticello Trail and Park with their two year old son Graham for their family pictures. Aaron had never taken pictures there before, and I am so glad they chose it because all the pictures are awesome. There were so many places to get really unique photographs, and plenty of space for Mary, Mike and Graham to play. For example, there were a few really big hollowed out tree trunks placed around the park. Graham explored them first, and then his parents joined him for a neat picture of their family sitting inside the trunk. Mary and Mike love to swing Graham around, and sing kids songs to him, both of which make Graham laugh, which made for some amazing family portraits!
P.S. How incredibly cute are Graham’s curls? He is such a handsome kid!

Win 2 Tickets to the Elegance in Bridal Show on our Wedding Blog

JP — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:51:41 +0000

The Elegance in Bridal Show will be hosted this coming Sunday in Charlottesville at the Omni Hotel, August 28, 2011, from 1-4pm.
You will not want to miss this!! Come spend a day at the show and take in all that the area has to offer when it comes to planning your wedding! Aaron Watson Photography and Exist N Motion Films will be there along with many other wedding professionals showcasing their talents. The show will be a great resource for any bride or wedding planner attending. Amanda’s Touch Bridal will also host a fashion show with some of their amazing dresses!

We have 2 tickets to give away to the bridal show! Leave a comment below on our Wedding Blog, Facebook or Twitter and we will pick a winner for the FREE tickets! For each place you comment (or retweet) you will receive one entry (up to 3 entries total)! We will choose a winner on Friday!

We look forward to seeing you! Be sure to get there early and stop by our booth, we will have many giveaways, one of those being a new custom designed T-Shirt! Here is a sneak peak of the design!! Available to the first 100 brides.

This is our booth from last year!

Blue Ridge Light Forms – Charlottesville Wedding Vendors

Kelsey — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:28:56 +0000

Lighting is something that you might not think of when you first start planning a wedding, but it makes a BIG difference! We are very happy when couples hire lighting companies, and one of our favorites is Blue Ridge Light Forms! We have had the pleasure of working with Blue Ridge Light Forms for a few of our recent weddings and our inspiration shoot at Mount Ida Farm, and we are very impressed with their attention to detail. They are among the first vendors to arrive and the last to leave and the extent of work they put into each job is incredible. We highly recommend their services for any wedding and event and we can’t wait to work with them again soon! They make our jobs as wedding photographers so much easier!

How amazing is this photograph from Joe and Melovee’s wedding at Kluge Vineyards?! Joe happens to be the owner of Blue Ridge Light Forms, so it’s no wonder the lighting at his wedding was so gorgeous.

Hank and Olga’s Beloved Session – Staunton Wedding Photographer

JP — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:39:20 +0000

Olga and Hank were married in March of this year at the beautiful Keswick Hall. We were very excited to reconnect with them and photograph their beloved session, which is similar to an engagement session but occurs after the couple is already married. We sometimes refer to them as “just because” sessions, because there isn’t any particular occasion, we are just celebrating a husband’s and wife’s love through pictures.
Hank and Olga live near Staunton so Aaron drove there to meet them for their session. Hank and Olga are really into photography and they love the look that Staunton has to offer, and Aaron was very excited to explore a place he doesn’t photograph in often. Staunton had many unique locations for pictures; the historic downtown Staunton turned out to be a goldmine! Especially when paired with the amazing props Olga and Hank brought along, the shiny red balloon being a big favorite of ours. Olga is a gifted dancer as you will see in the photos and her style, grace and natural beauty make these pictures really special. Enjoy the first Beloved Session we have shared on the Blog!

Engagement Photos – Mount Ida Farm

Aaron Watson — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:00:31 +0000

I am so excited to show you these amazing engagement pictures from Anne and Campbell’s engagement session at Mount Ida Farm. As you no doubt remember from our first sneak peek of Mount Ida Farm, it is an incredibly beautiful venue, with so many gorgeous settings. This time I also had the opportunity to take pictures at Mount Pleasant (Mount Ida’s sister farm), so I made sure to take Anne and Campbell everywhere! Fortunately, they were up for anything, from feeding horses to playing on the dock, and we lucked out with a gorgeous sunset!

Anne is such a sweetheart, I originally got to know her through Keswick Vineyards, as she was the tasting room manager there. I met Campbell shortly thereafter, at a Keswick Vineyards party at the Shebeen (a very popular restaurant with the Keswick Vineyards crowd), and even though they were not engaged yet, I could tell that they would be shortly … and I was right! They have a great chemistry with each other and always have fun together. During our session, they loved being goofy and had no reservations about showing off their personalities!

Recently Anne became the event manager at King Family Vineyards (a new position which was just created), and I could not be happier for her! It was perfect timing too, as Campbell’s deployment was moved up, making their engagement much shorter then originally anticipated. Now instead of having close to a year to plan their wedding, they only had 4 months! Thankfully King Family had an opening, and Anne and Campbell will be having their wedding there coming up on September 11th. I am also really excited, because Anne & Campbell just moved from Richmond to Crozet, so I will get to see them more often and help them get to know all of the great places around Charlottesville!

I can’t wait for their wedding! Until then, enjoy a few of their fun engagement photos!

I’m in LOVE with her hat in these pictures! -Kelsey

Engagement pictures by Aaron Watson.

Baby Announcements – Charlottesville Newborn Photographer

JP — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:44:02 +0000

We think it’s so terrific for parents to have professional photos taken of their newborns, especially around the two week mark. Within the first month of a baby’s life, they grow and change so fast that you want to make sure you have memories of those first weeks. We love to see the pride and joy on parents’ faces when they bring the newest member of the family in to have their first photos taken. It feels like such a privilege to take these newborn portraits!
Because we love taking pictures of brand new babies so much, we are very excited to introduce a new product line of baby announcements that will help parents introduce their child to the rest of the world! These birth announcements are custom designed in our studio and we have many different options; the ones below are a few samples of our 5×7 flat and folded cards. More sizes and designs coming soon!
(Birth information is just for the samples and is not the actual birth information of these new babies)

5×7 Flat Card Front:

5×7 Flat Card Back:

5×7 Flat Card Front:

5×7 Flat Card Back:

5×7 Folded Card Front/Back:

5×7 Folded Card Inside:

5×7 Flat Card Front:

5×7 Flat Card Back:

Newborn Photography by Aaron Watson

Dogs in Weddings – Charlottesville Wedding Photography

JP — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:22:54 +0000

Pet photography is becoming very popular, in fact there are some photographers who specialize just in pet photography, so it only makes sense that pets are playing a larger role in weddings! In every wedding we’ve been a part of where the couple’s dog has been included, we have noticed that the dog has been treated like a part of the family. Every couple makes sure to introduce us to their dog and always asks Aaron to get plenty pictures of their dog during the wedding. I personally think that the dogs know what’s going on, or at least understand something big is happening. I think they feel honored to be a part of such an important day in their owner’s lives!

When Maria and Adam’s dog accompanied Adam down the aisle as his ‘best dog’ it seemed like he trotted along with a sense of importance. He also got up from his place in the front row and started circling around Maria and Adam’s legs when they were saying their vows, wanting to be close to his owners when they became man and wife.

Pepper was Hali and Tony’s ring bearer, (check out his collar!!) and after they walked down the aisle as husband and wife, Pepper jumped up and gave Hali a huge congratulatory kiss!

Jillian and Chad’s dog Remi was a part of their wedding from start to finish! She watched Jillian get ready, performed the part of flower girl during the ceremony and then stayed until the last guest left after the reception!

Rachelle and Donnie’s dog Sophie was quiet throughout the entire ceremony, but when Rachelle and Donnie were pronounced man and wife and shared their first kiss, Sophie let out a few celebratory barks. Right on cue!

Photographs by Aaron Watson Photography

Aaron Watson … model? – featuring Joel Codiamat Photography

Aaron Watson — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:00:35 +0000

Every photographer should have a good picture of them self on their website … I am happy to say that after my recent shoot with the talented Joel Codiamat I have a ton of awesome pictures!

Joel is a good friend of mine and an awesome fashion photographer located in Charlottesville, Va. When I first met Joel he mentioned this idea he had about a project he was starting called Photographers 2 Models, and he immediately wanted to make me part of it. I was honored to be chosen, and after seeing his work I became really excited to get involved. As Joel describes it:

“Photographers take tons of photos but are rarely seen on photographs. I took it upon myself to do a personal project to put some of my photographer friends front and center of a photo book I’m trying to assemble. For once, they will be in front of the lens. Looking to push them out of their comfort zones – and mine as well. And in the process, all of us will hopefully learn something from the experience.”

Joel would be the first to tell you that he is a stylist first and a photographer second. His unique approach to photography is humbling to me as he could shoot all day with the most basic camera equipment (no lights, only one lens, and no huge staff of assistants) and produce amazing results. When having lunch one day he explained to me that if you think about the camera too much it’s easy to lose focus on what really matters, the person and [in fashion] the clothes. So it only made sense that the week before the shoot we made plans to go shopping in Georgetown for the perfect outfits! We had a ton of fun and by the end of it I had gone way over my original budget and purchased 22 new items of clothing!

Our inspiration for the shoot was a little George Clooney, mixed with Daniel Craig, and if you’ve seen the show White Collar, add a little Neal Caffrey. The day before the shoot Joel rented an amazing Antique Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk from Stonegate Event Rentals. My favorite picture has to be the first one with me sitting on the trunk in front of an amazing private jet.

I want to thank Joel for everything he did. I am thrilled with all of the amazing photographs, and thrilled to be part of his great project. I am looking forward to seeing the book he is putting together and honored to be a part of it! To check out more of Joel’s amazing pictures and follow his Photographers 2 Models project, like his Facebook Page!

… yes that’s really me! So what do you think, Aaron Watson: photographer or model?

Sarah & Matt’s Wedding – Chapter 2 | Charlottesville Wedding Photographers

Aaron Watson — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:15:42 +0000

Last week we shared chapter 1 of Sarah & Matt’s Wedding at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards. Today I am excited to share more pictures from Sarah & Matt’s wedding in chapter 2: the ceremony!

As the story goes, Matt met Sarah at a party while in their 1st semester at UVA Law. He was immediately stricken by her Flip-cup playing abilities (she apparently beat him quite a few times), and decided he had to get to know her better. From that point on Matt showed his ability to be caring, compassionate, and a great compliment to Sarah’s personality. As I’ve grown to know them it amazes me how well they balance each other, and how easily they show affection towards one another. This made it very easy to take pictures of them as they always had a smile on their face when looking at each other!

Some of my favorite pictures are of them overlooking the mountains. As I mentioned before, Sarah was on Say Yes To The Dress (if you haven’t seen it, check out Season 6 Episode 3). On the show Sarah mentioned that she wanted a picture of her and Matt sitting down and looking out towards the mountains, so to Randy’s dismay, she decided to sit down in each of the wedding dresses to make sure they were comfortable and looked good while sitting. I am happy to say her unconventional approach paid off, as all of the pictures of Sarah & Matt are stunning … and some of my favorite pictures ever!

Congratulations again to Sarah & Matt! Thank you so much for giving us the privilege to be your wedding photographers!

Wedding Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards
Wedding Photographer: Aaron Watson Photography
Wedding Planner: Easton Events
Bridal Gown: Alita Graham
Bridal Shop: Kleinfeld Bridal
Bridesmaids Dresses: Priscilla of Boston
Cake: Albemarle Baking Company
Caterer: Artisan Catering
DJ: Rick Haggard Entertainment
Florist: Floral Images
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Event Lighting: Blue Ridge Light Forms
Makeup & Hair: Bristles Hair Salon
Officiant: Uncle Ron
Bridal Party Transportation: Albemarle Vintage Limousine
Guest Transportation: UTS Charter Services
Videographer: Jillian’s Video Productions