Love,
Kelsey

Picture from Anne & Campbell’s wedding at King Family Vineyards by Aaron Watson

To celebrate these beautiful new albums we are giving 20% off the purchase of your first parent album! If you purchase two or more parent albums, we will give you an even sweeter deal of 30% off your parent albums!

In order to take advantage of this you must order your main album by October 21st, and submit the order for your parent albums by November 11th (in order to receive it in time for the holidays). Contact us for more information on our new album collections and make sure to do it soon before the sale ends on November 11th!

Picture from Sarah & Matt’s Wedding at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards

Aaron Watson Photography – Baby Photographers Charlottesville, Va

When I first visited Mount Ida I was in awe of the gorgeous gazebo overlooking the small lake with a fountain in the middle. I could immediately envision the fairytale wedding that so many brides dream about, complete with the fairytale horse-drawn carriage (led by two gorgeous Clydesdale horses), and grand entrance on the beautiful stone staircase!

Another thing that couples will love is that Mount Ida offers both indoor and outdoor event spaces, so the fear of rain will not ruin their fairytale dream! They converted one of their larger stables into a romantic reception hall that can hold up to 200 guests, catering, and a large dance floor. They also have overnight accommodations, suitable for up to 65 people, which is perfect for couples having a destination wedding.

Mount Ida Farm is now booking weddings for 2012, for more information contact Milicent Lynch (mllynch7@hotmail.com or 434.566.5562).

Special thanks to everyone that contributed to our inspiration shoot! To view the full list of vendors please scroll to the bottom. Be sure to check back soon for more from our inspiration shoot at Mount Ida Farm!

Wedding Venue: Mount Ida Farm (new website coming August 15th)
Photographer: Aaron Watson Photography
Lighting: Blue Ridge Light Forms
Rentals: Festive Fare
Event Coordinator: Amanda Gray of Ashley Baber Weddings
Videographer : Exist N Motion Films
Stationary: If So Inklined - Jen Maton
Florist: Couture Designs – Ken Ward
Wedding Dresses: Casablanca
Wedding Dress Store: West Main Bridal
Hair (Tuesday): Lucas Shaffer at Bella Hair Studio
Hair (Wednesday): Jen Skriloff of Elan On-Site Salon Services
Makeup (Tuesday): Lora Elaine
Makeup (Wednesday): Jen Skriloff of Elan On-Site Salon Services
Cupcakes: Too Sweet Cupcakes Boutique
Jewelry: The Gemstone Collection by Sara Greenfield
Clydesdales and Carriage: Mount Ida Farm
Dance Floor: Skyline Tents
Impressionist Painting: Alexander Reeves Fine Art
Models: Whitney Logan, Michael Logan, Vallerie Tellman, Lauren Fagone, Shira Lanyi, Phillip Skaggs
Hair Pieces: Haute Head (contact email: Sogoesholly@hotmail.com)

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?

Sugar Hollow is a not-so-well-kept secret among locals looking to get out of town and take a dip in a natural spring. The waterfalls are somewhat small, but very cute and add to the tranquility and beauty of Sugar Hollow. I had fun taking some long exposure pictures of them while Willie and Stephen had a rock skipping competition. After our fun little adventure we all went to Da Luca Cafe and Wine Bar in the Old Trail subdivision of Crozet for an amazing dinner. I would highly recommend it to everyone! I will certainly be returning for the hummus and Pita bread.

The next day Willie and I visited the brand new Castle Hill Cider, where we had a chance to taste some of their cider and run into a few friends (including Paulette of Glasshouse winery and Jen, former manager of King Family Vineyards). Although the ciders are still somewhat young, it is worth a trip out there to experience the views and beautiful location they have. I especially love their barn and the Linden Grove. It’s a great place for weddings, and I hope that we have a chance to photograph one there soon! If you happen to venture over to Castle Hill, be sure to stop by Keswick Vineyards across the street and say hello to Stephen (and Kat if you are there on a Sunday).

I hope you enjoy your weekend! Today I am looking forward to experiencing one of my favorite Samba bands, Beleza Brasil, at Glasshouse Winery (another beautiful venue where I would love to photograph a wedding)!

P.S. I am proud to say these pictures are straight out of camera.

The common link between the pictures below is that all of them use a shallow depth of field (also known as selective focus). Depth of field is the term used to signify how much of the picture will be in focus. With a shallow depth of field you will have the subject in focus, but the background will be out of focus (sometimes referred to as blurry or soft-focus). In order to create this look you need to use a wide open aperture like a f/2 – 2.8 (the smaller the f stop the shallower the depth of field). Another determining factor is the distance between the subject, the camera, and the background.

The picture below was taken at Delfosse Vineyards around 4:00 pm, during Liz and Eric’s Big Reveal. As you can see I used an aperture of f/2.5 in order to get Liz and Eric in focus, but the background is slightly out of focus. This is a great technique to use when you want to bring the viewer’s attention to a specific part of the picture and not have a lot of distractions from the main subject.

Lens: Canon 135mm F/2
F Stop: 2.5
Shutter Speed: 1/3200 of a second

In the picture of the rings from Liz and Eric’s wedding, I used a macro lens in order to get really close and bring out the detail of the diamonds. The aperture was a f/3.5, however the focus falls off a lot more then the in the picture above. The reason for this is because of how close the camera was to the rings (just a few inches). You can see this same technique used in more of our pictures from the recent post featuring ten of our favorite ring pictures from the past few years.

The shot was lit with a Lite Panel MicroPro Video Light.
Lens: Canon 100mm Macro F/2.8
F Stop: 5
Shutter Speed: 1/100 of a second

This picture is of the cake from Katie and Steve’s Wedding. The background is once again in soft focus while the cake and especially the flower details are in focus, which is perfect if the background isn’t very enticing.

Lens: Canon 100mm Macro F/2.8
F Stop: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/100 of a second

Here we have a picture of the beautiful bouquet from Maria and Adam’s wedding, taken around 1:00 pm. Again I used selective focus to bring out the detail in the bouquet, while limiting the distraction of the background.

Lens: Canon 85mm F/1.2
F Stop: 3.5
Shutter Speed: 1/6400 of a second

And rounding out the week is a picture of baby Hudson holding his mom’s hand. He wasn’t very happy at that particular moment, and I didn’t want that to distract from the cuteness of his little fingers. By using selective focus on his hands everything else fades away, allowing the viewer to appreciate how tiny his hands are in comparison to his mom’s hand.

Lens: Canon 135mm F/2
F Stop: 2.5
Shutter Speed: 1/2000 of a second

Please feel free to comment if you have any questions about how to achieve this look, or requests for future posts.

One of my favorite things about Lauren is her witty sense of humor and playful banter. Whether during her bridal portraits, the wedding, or when she and her family came to visit for their premiere, Lauren always loves to joke and have a fun time. Because of this Lauren instantly felt like a long time friend after her bridal portrait session!

The first time I met Garrett was only a few hours before their wedding. After spending just a little time with him and his groomsmen I could see why he and Lauren are great for each other! Just like Lauren he has a good sense of humor, and compliments her personality well.

Lauren and Garrett are such a great couple and I am happy to celebrate their one year anniversary by sharing their wedding album consisting of their favorite pictures!

Shortly after Maria & Adam’s wedding we had the pleasure to do a premiere of their wedding pictures with them and their family at our studio. It is always a joy to be there with a newly married couple as they see their pictures for the first time! The emotions and memories of the day come flooding back, and I love seeing the expressions on their faces as they go through each picture.

During the premiere, Maria & Adam ended up picking over 150 pictures for their wedding album! Kelsey did an amazing job using the pictures they selected to design a beautiful album (it is one of my favorite albums to this day)! The wedding album is often the first family heirloom, and I am so proud that they will be able to pass it down for generations to come! In honor of Maria & Adam’s one year anniversary, we thought it would be fun to share the beautiful layouts that Kelsey designed for their wedding album! Enjoy!

Click on a thumbnail below to view Maria & Adam’s Wedding Album:

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