Showing posts with label K. Young Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label K. Young Photography. Show all posts

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Wedding Bells and Fairytale Beginnings


Well yesterday was the big day!  Katy and Jason couldn't have had better weather if they had special ordered it!  The sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing, and the scent of flowers filled the air.



I delivered the bouquets, and the boutonniere for the bride's father, to the house at 4:00 pm, just in time to see Katy, the bridesmaids, and Katy's parents all dressed for the wedding.  There is something almost surreal about seeing a bride, who you've known since she was a little girl, looking like a princess on her wedding day.  

Then Mr. Tide and I dashed off to the venue to do a few last minute things and to pin the boutonnieres onto the groom and all of the groomsmen. 



Katy's dress perfectly suited her, it was soft candlelight white, romantic, elegant, and it fit her like a glove.  She carried a full bouquet of creamy white roses, white hydrangea, and white peonies, it looked beautiful with her gorgeous gown.

My friend "J" wore a long champagne colored gown with a gorgeous pair of Stuart Weitzman slings (pictured below) that we were all putting dibs on to borrow at some point in the future.  Along with my plate addiction, I have a shoe one as well!


The father of the bride looked dashing in his black tux and bow tie, like he fell out of a James Bond film, suave and debonair!

Now, at this point you may be saying, "Umm, why all of the descriptions, why no photos?"  Well you see, I took my camera bag like a good bloggy girl, but in all of the rushing around to get flowers there and getting myself, our daughter (who was a bridesmaid), and Mr. Tide on our way, I left the camera sitting on my desk at home!!!  So when I asked Mr. Tide to fetch the camera for me, he came back empty handed!

We could have driven the half an hour back home to get it, but I decided that it was probably a sign that I should just enjoy the evening and be a guest and not a blogger.  



I did however take pictures this morning of a few of the beautiful arrangements and our daughter's bouquet, all done by my talented friend the florist, the Divine Ms. M as I like to call her!  My friend "J" was so sweet to give me all of these flowers to bring home, and I just had to take some photos so that I could share them with all of you!  My house smells so good, and I feel like royalty having all of these fresh flowers in my home!



The grooms side of the family was equally as striking.  The father of the groom was also sporting a classic black tux and looking very handsome.  The mother of the groom wore a lovely long gown in the most beautiful shade of blue.  Mother's dresses can sometimes waffle between trying to look too young or looking like a granny, but both the mother of the bride and the groom's mother found wonderful gowns that complimented them beautifully!





Jason, the groom, along with his 3 brothers as groomsmen wore matching black tuxes, and they all looked so sharp and dashing lined up waiting for Katy's arrival.   The groom wore a single white rose with a tiny green "poof," while the groomsmen's boutonnieres were a single green poof ball.  I wish I could tell you the name of these very cool flowers, but I haven't a clue as to what they are!



The 3 bridesmaids each had on a different style long dress which suited them, and they were all the same color, the loveliest shade of green and perfect for a springtime wedding.





Each of the bridesmaids wore a strapless dress, and our daughter was a vision of loveliness in her empire waist gown, simple pearl jewelry, and these gorgeous mother of pearl shoes!  Too bad she wears a different size than I do or I would be stealing these as well!





The bridesmaid's bouquets were filled with roses and pink peonies.  I just love these roses, even a day later, their delicate pink and green coloration is simply breathtaking!

The ceremony was outside, a risky endeavor in the temperamental weather state of Maryland, but the weather gods shined down upon them, and it was all picture perfect.  Urns filled with hydrangeas, two large boston ferns topped with iron trellises, (each with the sweetest little bird on top), and festooned with shear white ribbon and pink roses framed the bride and groom during the ceremony.  Vows were exchanged, tears flowed, and hearts swelled, which is what any wedding day is really all about!









After the ceremony outside on the veranda, friends and family all went inside to begin the reception festivities.  Evening light gave way to candlelit tables dressed in white linens, crystal, silver, and china.  Floral arrangements of white peonies, pink snapdragons, white hydrangeas, pink roses, and more green poofs were the centerpieces.  Sprengeri fern ran the length of each table with crystal votives tucked in, and on each end of the long tables were pink peonies in small silver revere bowls rounding out the tabletop decor.



Love was clearly the theme for the evening, as Jason and Katy pledged their love to one another, we were all witness to their abiding love and so happy for the both of them.  Family and friends from all over came to celebrate their love, and in the process we all had a wonderful time eating, dancing, and toasting the newly married couple with words from the heart!  When the music stopped and it was time to bid them farewell, shoes in hand, we wandered out into the darkness with sparklers.  It was the perfect sparkly send off and a way to symbolize the bright future they have ahead of them, where instead of a fairytale ending, they can now venture forth to a fairytale beginning!

And because I know "Mrs" Katy will most likely read this, I hope you are having a wonderful time on your honeymoon!  And to my dear friends, her parents "J" and "K," I hope you all didn't get out of your PJs today! xo

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Scott Kelby Is My Hero, A Giveaway, and A Winner



When I started my blog a few months ago I was a photography noob, someone who knew how to remove the lens cap and push the button to take a picture, but little else!  We had purchased a nice Canon Rebel XTI SLR camera a few years ago when I went to visit our daughter in Europe, and I even thought I took pretty good pictures until I started visiting some blogs and realized I didn't know my head from a hole in the ground when it came to taking great pictures.

Then in true "Kat" fashion I began messing around with Photoshop Elements, also not really knowing what I was doing and refusing to read any instructions or manuals, but I wanted to grow and learn.  Thankfully, I married a man who reads ALL of the instructions, even when I make fun of him, and he slowly began telling me how I could use different settings and actually using some of the millions of buttons on the camera to get even better photos.

This resulted in some better photos, and some that were worse, yup... again, with the not reading instructions thing!  Apparently the camera's white balance got set to something wacky and so some of my photos ended up looking like I was Picasso and going through my very own "blue" period!   Remember the shots from my seaside tablescape?  See the picture below...yikes!


 Taken before Scott Kelby came in to my life!



Taken using full zoom with 17 - 70 macro lens


So, after realizing that I wasn't going to become a better photographer by simply looking at other people's work, and also realizing that I couldn't keep calling Mr. Tide and saying things like "hey look at this picture on this blog, how did they get the pale pinks to pop out like that?!"  To which he would calmly try and walk me through it over the phone and I would end up saying oh forget it, and go right back to the automatic settings!


Taken using 17 - 70 Sigma lens


Finally, after a few months of asking other people whose photographic skills I admired and envied about what resources they used, I kept hearing one name over and over again.  They all said "Get Scott Kelby's digital photography book!"

So who was this Scott Kelby guy anyway, and why were his books any better than the rest of the plethora of books available on the market about how to take better pictures?!  Couldn't I just go online and find this info, did I really need a book?!  After my "cheap" side was done talking, my "need to take better pictures" side piped up and said order the dang book!  And I did!

Ok, I know that I'm a writer and all, but let's just say that I'm not much of a reader.  If a house in a magazine really strikes my fancy I might read the whole article, but I'm more of a captions kind of gal!  Shhh, don't tell anyone though!  So I wondered if I would even read this book once it arrived.


Taken using 17 - 70 Sigma lens


But when Scott Kelby's book, simply titled The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1, came in the mail, it was like an alien entered my body and I couldn't put the thing down!  I was reading it constantly, and if I could have figured out a way to read and drive, trust me I would have, it was that good!

Not only is Scott hilarious, but he presents the information in his book so that anyone can understand it.  He has taken all the technical jargon and put it into a format where even I could understand it!  And I spent the first few days after I got the book in the mail running around and trying everything he suggested and reciting passages to Mr. Tide like I had just joined some sort of photography cult where Scott Kelby was the guru!


Taken using full zoom with 17 -70  macro lens 


It turns out that Scott Kelby is to digital photography what Paula Deen is to cooking!  He doesn't fancy up his book with a bunch of terms that boggle the mind, and instead serves up good common sense advice that helps you create amazing photographs!  Even if you don't have a fancy schmancy $5,000 camera (which I don't!) with every piece of available equipment (and who does, besides the pros?!) you can benefit from his practical advice and be taking better pictures within hours of receiving his book.


Taken using full zoom with Canon image stabilized 70 -300 lens


Now you might think that Scott is secretly paying me to say such nice things about him, but I swear he isn't.  It's just that I have been so completely impressed by how his advice has helped me in such a short time, that I know it will help you too if you're interested in taking better pictures.

So I have a little something for you my bloggy friends!  Scott Kelby has given me a signed copy of his book, The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1, to give away to one lucky winner!!!  He has other volumes, but this one will help get you started and make you want to become a member of the Scott Kelby fan club...I'm the new president! ;-)


 Taken using full zoom 17 - 70 macro lens


I have a long way to go and lots to learn about taking photos, but all of the photos above (except the yucky "blue" one) are examples of how Scott's book has helped me to take better photos.  And the most amazing part is that I've only had his book for a little over 2 weeks!  Do I sound like the Sham Wow guy yet?!  You see, Scott Kelby is my new hero and he will be yours too if you get his book!


 Taken using full zoom 17 - 70 macro lens

So in order to be entered to win the autographed copy of Scott Kelby's amazing and informative book all you need to do is.

1.  Leave a comment telling me what you want to improve about your own photos.

2.  For a second chance to win Tweet, Facebook, or post about the giveaway on your blog and be sure to come back and let me know by leaving a second comment.

I would like to give a special thanks to Scott Kelby and Kathy, his assistant, for providing me with a signed copy of his wonderful book!

The contest will be open until Monday, April 19th at Midnight PST!   



And I also want to announce the winner of last week's giveaway, the beautiful earrings from Scarborough Seashells!


The winner is Linda from Itsy Bits and Pieces!  Congrats Linda!  Please email me your address!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Quiet Sunday

 

Sundays are for relaxing, taking life easy, or taking a quiet walk through nature, like the one pictured above.  The photo above is just one of the many gorgeous photos by talented photographer and blogger, Kate over at Chronicles of a Country Girl.  She has  an amazing "eye" for photography and you can "while" away (not to be confused with "wile" which means to trick) the hours by clicking on her Flickr Photostream  HERE and watching her lovely photos scroll across the screen!  Don't forget to check out her other blog A Picture A Day for even more of her amazing photos!


It's gray and chilly here today, so I plan to snuggle up with a cup of tea and catch up on some reading.

Speaking of reading...check back this week to see a post about my "chance" encounter with a local author on Saturday! Here's a hint...




AND you won't want to miss the kitchen renovation done by my friend Traci that I'll be featuring on Monday!  Did I mention that it's fabulous?!!  Here is a little taste of what to expect...This is a "BEFORE" shot...you won't believe your eyes when you see the finished kitchen!




Lastly, if you haven't already, don't forget to check out my current Giveaway for a chance to win some lovely beachy items!  To those of you who have already entered...thank you!

I hope you have a relaxing Sunday!