Author Archives: katealtmix

housekeeping

February 26, 2010 – 8:20 am

i LOVE a good before/after comparison- haircuts, furniture or a nose job- it’s just interesting! so i have totally let myself down in forgetting to take before shots for almost every single house project we’ve attempted. we’re usually about half way in when i pull out the phone to snap a few in progress shots- but thankfully we’ve at least done that a few times and i’m excited to have some documentation to share!

ok, let’s break from the house thing to talk about something- i know the issue is pretty split, and i don’t want to offend anyone, but really- i do subscribe to the theory that the best camera is the one that’s with you- so for us, that makes our best camera an iphone. we have it everywhere we go and we capture life and create art with it all the time. we play with our images with a few different apps and then we usually twitter to share them with all of you! we do love our schfancy dslrs but most of our day to day images happen with the phone and we are totally happy with that! we get asked a lot- do you make a picture every day? do you practice shooting? and i guess the best answer is yes- we practice, yes, we shoot daily- just with a phone! to quote the pioneer of it all, chase jarvis, ‘inherently, we all know that an image isn’t measured by its resolution, dynamic range, or anything technical about cameras or photos. An image is measured by the simple—sometimes profound, other times absurd or humorous or whimsical—effect that it can have upon us.’ thanks, chase, for justifying the iphone pics i’m about to put up. i agree with you and support your vision. ;)

when we moved into our house in july we found it completely empty and rather clean. we cheerfully began to move our furniture in and finally, to move the few little hand tools we had into our basement. we pushed the door open into the musty basement, flipped on the single bare bulb (much like a cartoon basement would have) and let our eyes adjust. seems when they moved out they didn’t bother to empty out the basement! it was among the old paint cans and broken windows that we found two pieces of ugly furniture covered in dirt, spiderwebs & something that looked like rat poo. i googled it. anyway, we just turned around and walked out- leaving our tools right by the door- the basement a project for another day. well, the day for basement renovation has not yet come but we did jump back in there a few weeks ago to pull out that old ugly furniture! we blasted it with a hose and stripped years of lacquer off to make it our own. free decor? i like it! now to figure out what to put in the empty spaces we created when we added the new bottoms!

and i leave you with a stressful image of our most recent project- the back yard- it has only begun!

and since that wasn’t such a happy ending- i will add this picture of our stella:

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alyssa & charles are engaged!

February 17, 2010 – 1:26 pm

matt & i are often contacted by couples who’d just like a day shoot and sadly, we are rarely able to find the time between weddings and engagement sessions to make it happen. it’s always hard to turn anyone down but when they respond asking if we’ll have any time over the next TEN months- we always mention february! there are a hardcore few who are totally cool with that and alyssa & charles are at the top of the list!

so two weeks ago, matt & i found ourselves grabbing some coffee (for hand-warming and drinking purposes) and scouting around downtown greenville for some locations to shoot alyssa & charles- they’d given us a few adjectives to define their shoot but in the end they left it up to us. we started at a location suggested by a friend and from there ended up just prowling around behind buildings and picking our way through empty lots. it’s really amazing to work with other artists- both alyssa & charles are artists, themselves- because we all come into a shoot ready to make art. they trusted our direction and sweetly and consistently ROCKED every location! it’s always a little intimidating to create images for creative people but also so rewarding! without further ado:

who’d have thought we’d find some green in the middle of february!? yeay! and even more exciting? alyssa & charles were happy as clams to climb up the hill and make this shot happen. i tried to climb up to get some closer shots and it, well, didn’t go so well. three cheers for clients with good balance, haha!

guys- the SUN was out!

we had a blast shooting with the fabulous light and capturing the dark clouds that threatened us. then as the sun sank lower the golden light was even more of a beautiful contrast with the clouds- even though we were technically done with their shoot and had plenty of images to deliver, there was no way we were going to miss these last shots!

my fave:

***please click here to see alyssa & charles’s slideshow***

alyssa & charles, you guys are awesome for braving the february chill to make some pretty pictures with us! thank you so much for trusting us to capture these- we wish you guys the best!

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amy & eric are engaged!

February 11, 2010 – 10:31 pm

when we drove into athens for amy & eric’s engagement pics we were already smiling. it wasn’t raining (!!), we were in one of our favorite cities on the planet and just as we were talking about these things amy skipped to the edge of the sidewalk waving our direction- sealing the deal on this being the perfect shoot! we parked quickly and met the happy couple in front of an old athens staple, the grit. amy & eric are both into photography themselves so they were ready for anything and (despite what they said!) they were comfortable in front of the camera, totally awesome! the shoot flowed naturally- i WISH it had worked out for us to shoot their wedding too! i love these first few images we made while they still had on their hoodies, so perfectly cuddly on this chilly winter day:

we made our way deeper into downtown and were happy to find we were a little early for the evening rush- plenty of empty corners and walls to explore! the sun peeked out for what may have been a full 60 seconds but we took full advantage of the warm light while we had it- i am pretty in love with the sun-kissed look of these next few!

we finished up at an old warehouse we’d always wondered about but never really checked out. it was the perfect location for some more dramatic shots and i was happy to end the shoot with such a well-rounded set of images. it’s so inspiring to have clients who trust what we’re seeing in a shot and work it! makes us feel like we can try anything! so stepping off my soapbox now- the warehouse:

***please click here to see amy & eric’s slideshow***

amy & eric, thank you guys SO MUCH for being up for a february shoot (on your birthday no less- awesome!) and making the cold look so so good! we wish you guys the best wedding ever- no doubt it will be an awesome celebration!

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nicole & dan are married!

February 10, 2010 – 10:16 am

my birthday week came to a close at nicole & dan’s wedding and since i’d been celebrating pretty much all week i was quite prepared to celebrate more! i arrived at the W- incidentally the perfect place to begin any party- and nicole immediately introduced me around. the room was full of family and close friends all talking and smiling and enjoying adorable tiny sandwiches. nicole’s sense of humor made it easy for me to enjoy shooting all day- she had us all laughing out loud with her offhand comments! literally, LOLing. i should hire her to write this blog. AND redesign this blog- LET ME JUST TELL YOU- she’s got an amazing design sense and it took a serious ‘discussion’ with matt for me to realize that i cannot include every single picture of every detail of her wedding. so- go to the slideshow, friends! anyway, let’s get back to the tiny sandwiches at the W- hair and makeup was in full swing and since the guys didn’t need matt for another hour he was able to grab the rings and nicole’s dress and capture some killer details! this is my favorite ring shot taken on an old typewriter at the bar:

meanwhile the girls (and i) were laughing and generally relaxing and enjoying the day- love this next series of nicole and her bridesmaids:

before the guys started getting ready matt met up with them and they all made their way up to the roof to make some amazing images! the day was so cold the water from the pool was steaming- pretty:

after all of the finishing touches we jumped into a trolly bound for the king plow arts center- where the ceremony and reception was held. when we walked in we headed straight to the site to check on the decor. mark thompson, floral stylist for christopher confero luxe event design and a friend of nicole’s from design school worked with christopher to lovingly craft an environment with nicole in mind. she knew the general concept of their design but many of the details were a surprise- i think i was excited as everyone else when we were greeted with this perfect entry table!

nicole & dan’s wedding was illuminated by HUNDREDS of candles and to complete the glowing, romantic atmosphere, a dreamy golden tree was projected at the altar. i’d never seen anything like it before- the candlelight flickered off the old bricks and glistened at the edges of more than one set of eyes. the effect was intimate and calming. (attn photo nerds: we shot the ceremony at 6400 ISO at 1/40th of a second)

after the ceremony we had a few minutes to grab some portraits before the reception. it was freezing outside so after a few one light portraits around the grounds we decided to embrace the cold for the last few shots and capture the breath that came out in a puff of white with each exhale. the resulting images are pretty intense:

meanwhile the guests were enjoying the beautiful hors d’oeuvres and sparkling beverages that define bold american catering. they clustered around high tables with natural arrangements of perfect buds in re-purposed glass- glowing with the flickering warm light of yet MORE candles. so glad we had a second to grab some shots of the decor before the party started!

nicole & dan entered to deafening applause and cheers with grins stretched across their faces. the celebration was joyful and there was plenty of dancing and laughing! here are a few of our favorite shots:

just before the end of the evening we snuck nicole & dan out for just a few more images of the two of them. i love capturing just a few portraits at the end of the wedding day- after everything is over and there are no more details to worry about- it’s so natural and relaxed.

***please click here to see nicole & dan’s slideshow***

nicole & dan, thank you so much for allowing us to photograph such a beautiful day! we enjoyed getting to know you guys more as well as your families- capturing it all was great! we wish you both the very best!

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greta & andre are married!

January 18, 2010 – 10:49 am

the thursday evening before greta & andre’s wedding our little city was blanketed in beautiful snow. curled up on our couch and wishing that our bricked up coal fireplace would magically conjure a glowing fire, i could not help but wonder how greta was holding up. the next morning, i quickly found out that greta, and everyone involved in her wedding day was made of strong stuff! her sweet planner, ally, called to warn us about an icy patch near the venue and we safely arrived to the ever amazing raney already hard at work on greta’s hair and makeup. it was going to be a good day!

greta was as peaceful as ever but her eyes sparkled with excitement and a teeny inescapable spark of nervousness. not nervousness about andre- they are perfect together, but just a little apprehension about all of the people! that was soon overcome as the time grew closer for greta & andre’s first look and raney worked her magical finishing touches into greta’s hair and makeup. i’m going to go ahead and cut myself off here so we can enjoy a few images- that’s why we’re here, after all!

ok, but first (i know i know!), a tribute to raney’s brilliance- she worked it under these lights! of course, i was loving the drama of the images but i can’t imagine doing makeup under a spotlight! she’s, quite literally, the best:

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i cannot deny my love for a perfect orchid. if i could always have the luxury of a single white orchid in the middle of our dining room table, life would just be that much sweeter! but i digress- greta & andre’s super classy florals were all expertly arranged by heather of stems atlanta:

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the time came for greta & andre to see one another and reconnect before portraits got started and no one was more excited than andre! he waited in a shaft of sun for greta to approach him- the moment was both emotional and beautiful:

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we hung out inside for a bit while the joyful tears dried since outside they would have frozen on their cheeks! when we finally did step outside- straight onto some ice- we were not even close to prepared for the chill. but as you can see, greta & andre’s unstoppable fierceness slapped the cold right out of the air while we made these next few shots happen.

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back inside we grabbed a light and explored their venue- 103 West, until we ran out of time. here are a few of our faves:

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the ceremony began without a dry eye in the room- and pretty much continued that way until the recessional! greta & andre’s wedding was an intimate gathering of their closest friends and family and everyone there was so excited to see them finally tie the knot!

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we conveniently walked just down the hall to the reception and the celebration kicked off right away! here are a few highlights from the evening:

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i love these two shots taken during the father/daughter, mother/son dances. both of their families seemed so close and the images are just so sweet:

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***please click here to see greta & andre’s slideshow***

greta & andre, we so enjoyed being part of your wedding day- the intimacy created such a warmth and happiness, quite the perfect contrast to the chill of the day! and greta- every time i typed your name in this blog post i accidentally typed ‘great,’ which, really, i thought was quite appropriate albeit beyond corny. but really, thanks for including us in such a great day- we wish you the best!

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