Tag Archives: atlanta wedding photographer

nitya & neal are married!

October 12, 2011 – 7:53 am

i’ve been talking non-stop about this wedding for two weeks. really- ask anyone! related to that: this is about to be the longest blog post of the century. i hope you’ll stick with us through to the very end, where you’ll find my favorite photograph- actually, i may have a couple favorite photographs, you see where this is going?? anyway, grab your morning coffee, let’s do this!

matt & i first got to know nitya & neal on a chilly january evening, across a candle-lit table full of cheesecake. [aside: i wish that happened more.] right away matt & i felt such a connection with them- they’re both so engaging and easy to talk to that quickly we felt like we were sitting with old friends. together, nitya & neal are playful and fun with an underlying connection so deep and permanent there is no doubt they are meant to be together. capturing their incredible wedding day was such a joy for us. we learned about so many fascinating traditions- some momentous and serious, some funny and lighthearted. but what really struck us about nitya & neal’s wedding day was the intentionality of it all. every moment was spent drinking in the beauty of the day and every detail told a story. nitya & neal very clearly considered their guests in every element of the wedding planning, thinking of their comfort and happiness every step of the way. for example, with the ever-changing atlanta weather, their wedding day ended up being much warmer than anyone had expected! last minute, nitya & neal called in king of pops and westside creamery to serve up refreshing treats before everyone took a little break to rest and/or change clothes before the reception. so thoughtful! i could go on but i have about 230498 images i want to share with you:

nitya & neal’s wedding was held at the stunning, summerour studio:

i love these next images with nitya & neal and her dad- the expressions are my fave:

nitya and her dad took a quiet moment together to check out the ceremony space before any of the guests arrived, so sweet:

meanwhile, neal was getting ready to make his official entrance to the wedding called the baraat. the celebration was huge and everyone was cheering for and dancing with neal- what an awesome way to start your wedding!

neal’s family and friends met up with nitya’s family and friends just before the ceremony and everyone entered together:

the parents had so much fun together:

while the guests enjoyed delicious ice cream and snacks, nitya & neal headed back to the hotel to change for a few portraits and then their reception!

what a STUNNING dress! in case you forgot about their engagement pictures, nitya can always be counted on for her excellent taste! also, that is the excellent jennifer lackey helping nitya into her gown- she did such a great job keeping the day running perfectly!

i love neal’s expression when he saw his new wife in her reception dress for the first time! i think these two are prefect for one another, don’t you?

such a beautiful reception awaited them when they returned to summerour! nitya worked with bold american event design and production on the design and everyone was so thrilled with the result [including me!]; such a welcoming environment!

while the bridal party did wait to be introduced, they did not wait to start celebrating nitya & neal!

nitya & neal mentioned to us that they’d like to sneak away for just a few short minutes for portraits around summerour and we are SO glad! i just love how romantic and soft these images are. the first picture is my favorite and was actually supposed to be a bridal portrait- but after taking some stunning shots of nitya we quietly noticed neal’s classic stance and included him in a few. the perils of being awesome all the time, right neal? ;)

***please click here to see nitya & neal’s slideshow***

nitys & neal, we feel so blessed to have been a part of your wedding day. everything was so beautiful and inspiring- especially you two! best wishes!

By katealtmix | Posted in the wedding! | Also tagged , | Comments (7)

sarah & wilson are engaged!

September 29, 2011 – 10:32 am

when sarah & wilson mentioned having their engagement photos taken on wilson’s family’s property in north georgia we were excited. for us, it meant a trip out of our busy city and into the land of spacious farms, quiet ponds and sweet air- refreshment! we didn’t know quite what to expect but as we neared the property and turned onto a wooded, gravel road, we began to get excited about all of the possibilities. we’re used to shooting in atlanta and making the most of 8 square feet of grass between two buildings so walking through this property, green as far as we could see, felt so luxurious! we really enjoyed our afternoon with sarah & wilson- getting to know them as a couple and finding that we share a love of all things athens and all things outdoors (although we aren’t nearly as hardcore and in shape, they’re awesome!). our shoot ended with a beautiful sunset and we drove back toward the city lights with dust clinging to our shoes and a renewed thankfulness that we have such wonderful clients. :)

this next location was my favorite of the whole shoot! the trees are so huge and so dense that they let in only small beams of light, like little spotlights! i just loved the drama of it:

as the sun sank lower, the sun warmed to a gold and filtered through the green leaves, electrifying the color. it was as if sarah knew the exact shade to expect when she chose her outfit!

LOVE this next image! i think it perfectly portrays how peaceful and relaxing this whole shoot was as well as how comfortable and in love these two are:

***please click here to see sarah & wilson’s slideshow***

sarah & wilson, thank you so much for getting us out into the country for such a great afternoon with you guys! looking forward to your wedding day!

By katealtmix | Posted in the engagement! | Also tagged , | Comments (2)

hillary & jon are engaged!

May 9, 2011 – 9:31 am

one thing we love about our job is getting to know families. throughout a wedding day we find ourselves capturing such intimate moments that by the end we feel an almost family-like connection with not only the bride and groom, but also their families. because of this, it’s always exciting to hear from someone we’ve met at a previous wedding regarding his/her own wedding! it’s the highest compliment, since they’ve seen us work so closely before and it’s also such an honor to be trusted to capture more than one life-changing event for one family. that being said…

meet hillary & jon! matt & i have known hillary for, oh my gosh, SIX years!? has it been that long!? years ago, we all worked at the same summer camp- the very same camp, in fact, where hillary eventually met jon! and then there’s jon, who we took pictures of for four days straight when his older brother married one of my favorite people ever in new york city back in 2009. so, bottom line, we are so so excited to be shooting hillary & jon’s wedding! it was really great to spend the afternoon and evening with them because, for all we do know about one another, we had never really spent time with just them as a couple. we very quickly realized how lucky we are to capture them together- their pure joy and connection is just so evident every time they look at one another- we feel so privileged to call them our friends.

we usually try to leave random houses out of the background of our photos.. ;) but this angle was not to be left out, haha:

in love with this next one. for as bubbly and joyful and full of laughter as these two are, they also share some stunning quiet moments. i just think this is such a beautiful picture of complete comfort and love:

matt & i had so much fun looking through hillary & jon’s images- they are just so full of life! i’m thinking there will never be a dull moment in their future- they really do make the most of their time together:

after a quick outfit change (where hillary dons an adorable blue dress and sassy heels), we head to a skinny abandoned alley where we gingerly step over broken glass and worse for a few more ‘urban’ shots, haha, they’re such good sports!

and then! just as the temperature started to drop, we made one last stop at a windy overpass to add a little ‘city’ to the shoot. two thumbs up for hillary who powered through the chill and managed to look perfectly adorable in the process:

***please click here to see hillary & jon’s slideshow***

hillary & jon, you are awesome! we had such a great time taking these photos and we are so excited about your upcoming wedding! see you in new orleans!

By katealtmix | Posted in the engagement! | Also tagged , | Comments (5)

just a thought.

April 7, 2011 – 9:38 am

last weekend while we were shooting, someone stopped me and asked what my favorite thing is to photograph. the question caught me off guard at first but quickly my art school rhetoric kicked in and then, i stopped myself. because the answer to his question wasn’t some esoteric explanation full of vague ideas and overarching descriptives. my answer was, simply, people. people doing their own thing, being genuine, having fun, dancing, laughing- enjoying life. there are so many different types of photographers making beautiful images who are inspired by so many different aspects of the craft- there’s no right way to be a photographer and that’s what makes our field so diverse. a successful image looks different to everyone. even if we all agree it’s successful, we find ourselves appreciating different aspects of the image for different reasons, in different ways. photography is just so personal- we can’t help but create our own narrative around a compelling image and i love that about photography. i can do my very best to capture something i find beautiful and i know, and love, that when others look at the image they will spin their own version and see that same beauty so differently through their personal lens. but we’ve still connected through the image. it’s fascinating, intimate and, at times, even exhausting.

because of that last bit, it’s always so interesting to me to hear how other artists recharge creatively. for some it’s a personal project within their own professional craft. i’m constantly amazed by the personal images created by some great professional photographers- so poignant and bold. for others, like me, energy and inspiration comes from other creative outlets and i think that is ok. if you can imagine (i barely can, my todo list is insane right now.) waking up to a whole day set aside for creative exploration what would you most want to do? after a few minutes of silence (or of falling back asleep, i’ll be honest;)) what comes to my mind is a lingering trip to the farmer’s market and an afternoon tinkering around the kitchen. for me, personally, knowing what other outlets get my creativity flowing is a really important part of my energy as an artist. so i guess what i’m really trying to say is- there is no formula to creating. however you arrive at inspiration, however you view your craft, why you do what you do- it’s personal. the way i see it, as long as you are honest with yourself in your work, you’re successful.

just felt like throwing that out there this morning. :) i have a full day of editing ahead of me and i’m feeling energized and excited to get started! maybe because yesterday i spent my afternoon in the kitchen with stella- making sauces and marinades, and my evening with matt- grilling baby eggplants, artichokes and oysters- i’m ready for anything! :)

and just because, here is miss stella in the kitchen, being awkward and adorable, her usual:

By katealtmix | Posted in extras, matt&kate | Also tagged , | Comments (2)

spring twilight

March 24, 2011 – 9:16 am

’tis the season for early morning yardsales, brunch on a patio and afternoons on the back deck, cocktail in hand, enjoying the honey sweet breeze and golden sunlight. this is the time of year when all things are new and my outlook can’t help but reflect that. i want to try new things, visit new places and learn something completely unexpected. i want my photography to grow. i want my images to be more elevated, singular and imaginative. clearly, spring has gotten to me!

back to where i started- spring is such a beautiful time to sit back and love the world around us. lucky for us, we recently seeded our yard which means a few weeks of twilight watering. which REALLY means chatting in the back yard swing while moving our little sprinkler six times so that it waters every corner of the yard. so, for around an hour, we’re pulled out of our little world of email, podcasts and editing and we just sit and watch the sparkling water fall around us. we talk about everything, or sometimes nothing. it’s such a great time for us- we may just stick to it even when the grass starts to grow!

lately, some nights, just before swing/sprinkler time, i make us a cocktail. i am hardly a recipe follower so usually i just combine what i like and hope for the best. then, i split it and add a little more sugar to matt’s and a little more bitterness to mine and we just sit and sip. on a really good night i’ll take down a little snack too but, honestly, i think that’s only happened once so far. ;) anyway, because a post is always better with a picture (and a recipe?), here is my latest favorite, let’s call it a rosemary old fashioned soda?

the recipe:
2 oz bourbon
2 dashes bitters
1 oz rosemary simple syrup
(1c sugar, 1c water, 2 sprigs rosemary, crushed, simmer, let cool)
1/2 of a caramelized lemon, juiced
(place lemon in a pan cut side down, cook at medium until warmed through & browned, let cool)
3 cherries
orange peel
rosemary sprig
soda
fill a tall glass with ice. throw in first 7 ingredients and swirl. top with soda. go sit outside. ;)

do you have a favorite back porch beverage? i’d love to hear about it! happy spring! :)

By katealtmix | Posted in matt&kate | Also tagged , , | Comments (6)