Michelle & Stephen – A beautiful wedding at Granberry Hills San Antonio 2012-05-24

What a day for Michelle and Stephen.  A beautiful event, a fantastic wedding, an amazing couple.  Granberry Hills Event Center tucked away on the Northeast side of San Antonio, was the perfect location for their wedding.  It is like a little photographer’s paradise tucked in the woods off the road.  Beautiful weather greeted the wedding party as they enjoyed the moments before the ceremony.  Floating on air, Michelle had been looking forward to this day for some time.  The spirits in the girls changing room was electric.  In the next room, the men looked cool and ready for what would be a memorable and fun wedding.

The day did not disappoint as two of the happiest people joined together in a beautiful ceremony.  The reception awaited and everyone was off to a good time after a few formal photos.  As most of you may know it is almost impossible to pull the bride away from the dance floor, but when you have people commenting on how “the groom’s got moves”…well Michelle just beamed and said “yes he does, I love him”.

San Antonio Engagement – Beth and Brent 2012-05-07

If you are friends with Beth or Brent then you already know they are a really cool couple.  I met up with them at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio for their engagement photography session.  It not only was a great location for their photos but it was a wonderful chance to get to know them.  These two are on a whirlwind year, with a great deal going on.  Their plans are mixed with both known, and yet-to-be-decided events, but they are both taking it in stride and ready for whatever life throws at them.

Such was the case with the engagement shoot, as we tried to find a date that would work.  Between their out of town traveling and my hectic photography schedule we were finally able to set aside a date and create some gorgeous photos of the two.  I will save all the wedding details for Beth and Brent to reveal; I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag but I am sure it will be a fantastic wedding.

Now you need a permit! 2012-04-25

The Japanese Tea Garden has seen a good deal of renovation and improvement over the past few years.  I can remember for many years the pond sat empty, and only the most hearty foliage survived the hot summers.  Now the park has been restored to its former beauty,and is once again a hot spot for tourism.  This has also brought some additional restrictions in regards to photography.

The Tea Garden has long been one of the iconic locations for portraits and photos of all kinds.  The park is typically filled with the usual visitors capturing their snapshots and the professional looking to create a gorgeous portrait or family photo.  I assume this has lead to the current restrictions and need for a photo permit when taking professional portraits.  The San Antonio Parks Foundation has implemented a photo permit program and requires those photographers who are taking professional portraits to purchase a $20 permit before arriving.

The $20 permit can be purchased from the Japanese Tea Garden website through paypal.  This is something I was not aware of until yesterday when discussing details of an upcoming engagement shoot with a couple.  Wanting to have the shoot at the Tea Garden, the bride-to-be noticed something regarding a fee to shoot there.  After some searching of the usual websites I found the details and thought I would pass the info along through the blog here.

The last engagement shoot I did at the Japanese Tea Garden was with Melissa and Chris and the photo below still remains one of my favorites from the location.

Michelle and Steve’s San Antonio Engagement Photos 2012-04-23

Michelle and Steve were in town a couple weeks ago for their engagement session.  This was a photo session I had been looking forward to, since we were shooting in a new location; always a fun and exciting experience.  The location was Bracken Village out NE of San Antonio.  Bracken Village is a boutique shopping area made up of antique buildings and historic homes that have either been re-located to the area or were already present.  It provides a beautiful location for photos any time of day with large shaded trees and gorgeous surroundings.

For Michelle and Steve, Bracken Village provided a lovely location for their engagement photos, and a fun end to an exciting day.

Flippers and Snorkel – accents for your wedding dress 2012-03-22

Many of you may remember Stephanie’s wedding dress photos from last year.  That will be a shoot I will not soon forget.  It was one of the lengthiest shoots I have done.  At a bit over 5 hours we covered a range of concepts and left the location exhausted.  Stephanie had an endless supply of props; still don’t think we shot everything she had ideas for.  The sky was absolutely perfect!!  I feared for my equipment…electronics and water don’t mix.  The fact that there was water in a San Antonio creek during a record drought was amazing.

Narrowing the photos down to the 10 I posted was extremely difficult.  We had so many fantastic images, and I knew at some point I would revisit the images.  One concept that I withheld from the first post was the snorkel and flipper shots.  After browsing through the images again today I decided to post the one below.  My tendency is always to shoot into the sunset.  Everyone knows you get the most brilliant colors and supplementing that with some dramatic lighting makes for sensational photos.  Once we moved into the larger pond area, the backdrop towards the sunset was not very appealing.  With multiple obstructions and unclean lines I opted to shoot away from the sunset.  Hey what do you know, there is that awesome sky now providing brilliant color in the opposite direction as well.  The clouds added just the right mood and effect to make for an amazing background.