Autumn Song Photography Blog

First Breath

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:36:00 GMT

2012 is going to be such an exciting year for us! As I look on our calendar, we have so much to be grateful for--for the families who trust us with documenting their children to the brides who trust us with one of the most important days of their life. We are grateful for your trust. We really are!

As I look through the calendar--I can't help but be REALLY REALLY excited about spring. What has me so excited? We have the opportunity to photograph the birth of some very special babies! I believe photographing births has quickly become both dad and my favorite event to document. Birth photography is real and it is emotional. There aren't any opportunities for posed photographs with trendy props. Instead, opportunities abound for photographing real and honest human emotion. And THAT makes us super excited. No hair....no makeup...no photographs of a dress on a hanger...no shoes sitting in a window. Nope. Just the miracle of life's first breath--captured and preserved in photographs.

You know--several things can be said about photographing a birth. But what really struck me was this...there is only one first breath of life...there is only one first moment of life. It is the moment that absolutely takes your breath away and the moment that you fall in love. Ahhhhh and those are moments that I love to document. It is the miracle of life--and it is humbling to be able to experience it behind the lens.

So...bring on the babies! But until then--you can take a look at one of my favorite birth sessions from last year...the birth story of Ms. Piper June.

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:13-14

The Stallard Family

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:55:00 GMT

My good buddy Tom introduced me to the Stallard family and I'm so glad he did. They are some of the finest people I have ever met. It seems that everyone Tom introduces me to are really good folk, must be something in the water over in Mocksville! Carolyn and Lee have worked hard their entire life and are now entering into blessed retirement although I must say that watching them work around their farm didn't resemble the idea I have of retirement. They invited Tom and I to share a very special day with them... a family get together. We spent almost the entire day photographing the event. We had a wonderful time. I wish I lived closer to Tom as he's a good friend and an outstanding photographer. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day.

Je ne sais quoi

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:16:00 GMT

I have a dear friend who is mostly artist and a little bit photographer. I always value the time we spend together talking film and photography. He has an amazing eye and has managed to stay true to himself as an artist since the moment I met him YEARS ago. The result--clients who are visually literate gravitate to him like flies to honey. Richard attracts the authentic and I love that about him. We try to photograph at least one/two weddings a year together--he'll tag around with me for a wedding and then I return the favor.

A few weeks ago--it was my turn to follow him around for the day. It was a wedding in Asheville, NC--and it was nothing short of amazing. The couple was such a pleasure to photograph. Most in the wedding industry would probably be inclined to call their wedding "vintage" however, for this beautiful couple--it was just another day. Their wedding day--from the decor, to the location, to what they chose to wear was their personality through and through. And it showed. It made their day honest, bold and interesting. They were quirky...they were odd...they were absolutely beautiful...and they were a pleasure to photograph. They made me so thankful I was a photographer.

Babies, Bonfires, and Bigfoot

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:19:00 GMT

Babies, bonfires, and Bigfoot, that's how I would describe this past January. With all the beautiful weather we've had here in the south this year, especially last month, it's provided the opportunity to get outside and really have fun. Karen and I have spent a lot of time with the babies building bonfires, digging for earthworms, and roasting marshmallows. How did they ever get the name marshmallows? The warm afternoons after school have also provided opportunity for Bradyn and me and about a half dozen of his little buddies to go on Bigfoot hunts in the woods behind the school. I never knew there were so many so many signs of sasquatch in our area. I try to tell them that he's probably a pretty good guy but never-the-less they feel better armed with sticks and stones. Life really is good...really good!

Avery

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:51:00 GMT

It seems like yesterday I was posting 2010 photos of Avery. It still remains one of the highlights of my year to spend a couple of hours with Avery and her mom. She's growing so fast and quickly becoming a young lady. Thanks again for allowing me to be a part of your life.....

Just a Few Thoughts

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:53:00 GMT

At the end of every year I tidy up all my files and transfer them to a separate hard drive for storage. As I was looking for a place to store the drives, I noticed the thousands of transparencies that I had accumulated over the years lying in the cabinet. I decided to pull them out and take a look at them since I hadn't done so in quite a while. At first I thought I'll would throw away the bad ones and keep the good ones. As I began to view them on the light table I realized... there weren't any bad ones. No, I'm not trying to brag on myself, but what I began to see was that I had an emotional attachment to nearly every slide that I came across, even the ones that were badly composed or poorly exposed. When I was first introduced to photography there was no Photoshop, no Lightroom, no actions, and no digital cameras. Each image I shot, I thought about it. How should it be composed, how much exposure would it take. I would often wait for hours just for the right light. I knew the subjects I photographed very well, even if the subject was a butterfly or a landscape. And so when I look back over these images that I photographed twenty some years ago I still remember the day they were shot. I remember how the air felt and how I always seemed to be in awe of Gods creations. For photography... it was a slightly slower time, a time when just seeing, just being there was as important as getting the photograph.

Beckett

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:31:00 GMT

Beckett's our baby, a little bundle of energy that never stops moving or climbing. When I was a kid It seemed like I spent as much time in a tree as I did on the ground. Why my babies never were climbers had me puzzled, and then along comes Beckett. He climbs stairs and ladders and furniture and if you stand still for a second he'll climb right up your leg. He never stops moving and he notices everything. He loves to wrestle with Bradyn and he's pretty tough. I can hardly wait until he gets a little older so I can have someone to climb trees with again!

Bradyn

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:39:00 GMT

I'll never forget the time Bradyn and I were walking through the neighborhood and he looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and asked, "Papa, will you always take care of me?" I thought for a second and said "I will, for as long as I live." Then I said "Bradyn, one day I will be an old man and I might need someone to take care of me." He stopped walking and once again looked up at me once again and said, "Papa, I'll always take care of you." We've had hundreds of little conversations about things like that. He never ceases to amaze me with the things he thinks about.

Bradyn's my (go to man) when I want to shoot my old film cameras. The old cameras are slow, no auto focus or exposure meters but as far as material things go they are my favorite possessions. The images I get from them have a certain look that I just love. All I have to do is make sure my cameras are loaded and ready to shoot then strike up a little conversation about navy seals. For the next forty five minutes I look for those little Bradyn moments and capture them as quickly and quietly as possible without a break in the conversation. A week ago we had one of those sessions, at the end I said one more shot and that will be all for the day. Bradyn cut his eyes toward me and said... one more and that's all for this month!

Note: All the photos were shot with Fuji 400 color film and converted to black and white with no other post processing. The cameras I used were Leica, Pentax 67, and a Rolliflex.

Bells

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:58:00 GMT

This time of year is normally slow for us. Most years we take advantage of this time to regroup, study and look forward to what the next year has in store.

One of the things that has me excited is having the opportunity to use some of my film cameras. And lucky for me, my "babies" are obliged to help out by modeling. So, over the next few days, I'll be posting some photos that are especially near and dear to me.

First up is Adalei Grace. She has had my heart from the moment I laid eyes on her. It helps that she is smitten with me...and looks so much like her mommy! Adalei has a thing for candles and there is something almost magical about the way that light dances on her face and in her eyes.

NC Wedding Photography {Beth and Alex}

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:07:00 GMT

We've had the pleasure of photographing Beth a LOT through the years. She is such a classic beauty and the camera loves her (and so do we). Beth likes things simple. She chooses bare feet over heels and lip gloss over lip color. So, we weren't really surprised when she decided to speak her vows in an outdoor ceremony-----in MID DECEMBER! I, for one, was so glad she took the risk. The day ended up being absolutely beautiful and the ceremony was completely her--yes, she did walk down the aisle barefoot! It was simple but breathtaking. It was quick but intimate. And Beth has never looked more beautiful.

{And I was pretty darn excited to have my sweet husband (Neil of Iron Kite Films) working next to me for the day. You can check out his precious film of their wedding day by scrolling to the bottom of the post.}

Thanks for letting us be a part of your day, Beth! You were nothing short of captivating.

Lindsey's Photo

Lindsey's Photo

This was Beth's grandmother's cake topper--how special is THAT!?

And now...Iron Kite's stunning film!

Beth & Alex Wedding Film from Iron Kite on Vimeo.