A Spanish Wedding

A Spanish Wedding - November 4th, 2016

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This is my gorgeous cousin Stefi. As a travel wedding photographer I was thrilled when they hired me to photograph their special day. Spain has always been at the top of my list to visit and it did not dissapoint! You can read more about my adventures in Spain HERE...

http://www.camillemariephotography.com/blog/2017/2/25/traveling-through-spain.  

Stefi started off her afternoon by getting her hair and makeup done at a local salon. Her vision for her wedding day was carried out to perfection in every little detail.

Just before the evening ceremony, Stefi slipped into her wedding gown. Her dad came down just as we finished buttoning her up and the look on his face summed up just how incredible she looked and felt. It was such a sweet moment, standing in the center of her childhood home as her parents helped her with the finishing touches of her preparation. 

Stefi has a love for all things old fashioned and the lace umbrella completed her personality, and was practical since it poured rain nearly the entire day!

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Then it was time to head to the church! She got married in the church just around the corner from her home. It's centuries old and just a perfect, quaint location for the traditional ceremony.

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After greeting the bridesmaids, I could tell Stefi was getting excited to see her groom. Lots of giggles and hugs as everyone watched this beautiful girl wait for her special moment.

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Bride and groom finally got to see each other, and give a few quick hugs before going over a some last minute details with the priest and having a prayer together. 

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She beamed as she came down the aisle of the old church on her father's arm, surrounded by a mass of friends and family.

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This was my first catholic ceremony, and it was performed in Spanish, so I didn't know much about what was going on! But it was beautiful and sacred, just like Stefi wanted.

When I say the venue was perfect, I really do meant it. I stood there and thought about how many generations of church members had worshipped and prayed and celebrated inside those ancient walls and was astounded. It was simply gorgeous.

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When we came outside after the ceremony it was dark outside, we all climbed onto the hired buses that drove us the hour into the countryside to the reception venue.

Before dinner could start, every guest had to have their formal photo taken with the bride. (I passed off my camera for a minute so I could be in at least one photo with my family!)

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During the dinner, friends and family spoke or performed for the bride and groom. Again, most of it was in Spanish so I found it difficult to follow along, but some moments need no translation.

This is Stefi's cousin from her dad's side of the family, and she played their grandfather's favorite piece on her violin. He passed away recently and this brought Stefi and many of the guests to tears.

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After the dinner, we were already well into the early morning hours. I think we finally finished eating around 1:00 AM. But the party was far from over! We all headed out to the pavilion for their first dance.

Stefi reminds me of a Spanish Cinderella in her gorgeous wedding dress, her hair piled high in a classic formal bun.

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The Spaniards know how to dance! My uncle Jose swung my aunt around the dance floor countless times. I was amazed that when every song came on, not only did every single person dance, they also sang along! For hours and hours, until the party ended at 5:00 AM. 

Partway through the reception, Stefi changed into a second wedding gown. This one made me cry as she came out in it - it belonged to our great-grandmother. It suited Stefi so beautifully and was the perfect touch for this sweet girl.

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My most eventful moment of the entire day was the bus ride home. After getting propositioned by a very drunk man and needing to switch bus seats with my other cousin's very kind husband, another drunk girl puked across the seat in front of me! We finally made it back to the house around 6:00AM. My flight left Madrid at 10:00AM!  I managed to get about an hour of sleep on the couch before heading to the airport.

Once I got home I basically slept off and on for 48 in order to feel human again!

Until next time, Spain! We will be back soon!

Princess Sessions - Celebrating Down Syndrome

October is Down Syndrome awareness month - which makes it the perfect time to talk about the incredible session I did last month! These girls were a BLAST to work with. 

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Without further suspense, let me tell you about each of these beautiful princesses!

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First up we have Princess Breda. My favorite thing about Breda was her huge smile which lit up her entire face! She was so full of sweet joy and truly just lights up any space she occupies.

Some things you ought to know about Breda...

- She is 3 years old

- She has a cat named Deeto.

-Her favorite foods are soup, juice, and suckers.

-She has 1 big brother named Henry.

-She loves to play with toys or color.

-She is afraid of big dogs and loud noises.

- She loves preschool.

Her mom says.... "Breda is an engaged, energetic, friendly 3 year old. She has an amazing ear for music and can keep the beat better than many kids her age. My favorite thing about Breda is her determination - when she decides she wants to do something she won't stop trying until she can do it. She is incredibly funny and likes to make others laugh. SPICY is a good word to describe her."

"Breda is a princess because of the way she moves through the world. Although only 3 she can make friends with anyone young or old and find something to be joyful about in any situation (other than mom doing her hair) - She is beautiful, special, brave, tough, and loving!

Next up is Abbie. Abbie wins the award for most patient - she went next to last in our crazy evening of photos and was so quiet and sweet while waiting for her turn. Then she turned the smiles and giggles on for me big time!

Beautiful things about Abbie...

-She is 7 years old.

-She has a dog named Toto.

-Her favorite foods are a breakfast sandwich and cheese and roni.

-She has a sister named Reagan.

-She likes to play her toys and watch her Ipad.

-She wants to be a dentist when she grows up.

-She is afraid of monsters and Nemo.

-She loves math.

-She loves to dance and sing.

Her mom says.... "There are so many stories we could share about Abbie. I think the most special story started at the very beginning. We prayed for God to give us another child. He did so without hesitation. The day she was born, we saw this beautiful girl and thanked Him for the blessing. We immediately started planning a life for her. Hours later, the doctors came to tell us that she had Down Syndrome. Although the news was not what we planned, we had spent many hours falling madly in love with this child, with our Abbie. Our hopes and dreams for Abbie did not change with a diagnosis. If anything, it motivated us more to give her a life that would allow her to achieve whatever she set her heart and mind to do. She exceeds our expectations daily, and we have high expectations. She lives her life with a zest and brightness that is difficult to articulate. From her very first moments she has shone in this life, and I have no doubt she will continue to be a light."

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Princess McKayla was my most elegant model. She has stunning hair and I just love her personality! I especially loved watching her as I showed her the images on my big TV at her reveal - she was so excited to see herself! She wanted her mom in a few images with her.... which made me so happy - I love their beautiful relationship. 

A few things about McKayla...

-She is 10 years old.

-She loves pasta with meatballs.

-She has lots of cousins and they are all her favorite!

-She likes to read, dance, color, play pretend, and watch her favorite TV show ER.

-She wants to be a Doctor when she grows up.

-Loud noises are scary to her.

-She loves reading and math.

McKayla's mom says... "McKayla has the best sense of humor, she loves to have fun and be silly! Because McKayla loves ER, she tries to do CPR on everybody! Once she was performing CPR on my brother in law and she decided he was going to live, and wanted him to sit up and pretend to have a baby! He drew the line at that! Our whole family still laughs about this."

"McKayla can light up a room with her personality and smile! She may be shy at first but will warm up to those who talk to her and include her. She has a huge heart and is always concerned about how others feel. I think it is important to her that others feel included and welcome."

I LOVED photographing Avery. She took direction so well and has the most natural smile! I asked her what her favorite princess is and mentioned Elsa, and she just starting acting out Elsa's story, pretending she was there! 

Some things you should know about Princess Avery...

-She is 5 years old.

-She has a fish for a pet!

-She loves ice cream.

-She has 3 siblings.

-Swimming is her favorite thing to do, along with dancing and singing.

-She wants to be a singer when she grows up.

-She is afraid of the dark and loud noises.

-She loves recess!

Avery's mom says... "The story of her birth - She ended up being born in our car in front of the hospital. We had not found out if she was a boy or a girl previous to birth, so after they brought Avery straight to the NICU and rolled me upstairs in the hospital (separately) they simultaneously told me she was a girl and she had markers of Down Syndrome. About 20 minutes after her birth, in a car! She spent a week in the NICU. I finally got to see her about 5 hours after her birth in the NICU and I knew the minute I saw her we would all be ok. She had a spirit about her that brought me peace immediately. It was awesome. And I will say she had kept that spirit with her ever since."

"She has a pure heart and love unconditionally. She sees the beauty of others and loves them because of how they treat her and not based on how they look. She is the best. She is the epitome of beauty. She reminds me of what matters most and I aspire every day to be more like her."

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Mary got to wear one of my all-time favorite dresses, and it looked so perfect on her! Right when we were finishing up she pointed to her dad and said, "now you!" Those ended up being my favorites of hers. Such a sweet girl!

Mary is awesome because...

-She is 9 years old.

-She has a dog named Chip.

-Her favorite food is noodle soup.

-Her sister is named Dorie.

-She participates in American Heritage Girls, and loves camp.

-She wants to be a vet, she loves dogs.

-She is afraid of the dark.

-She loves PE and library because she loves books!

-She plays volley and swims and is very active all year round.

Mary's mom says... "May does life well. She embraces living in an inclusive community. She has a positive attitude, enjoys family and friends and loves to make others laugh. A favorite thing about Mary is her spunk to persevere. She is persistent. She is a princess because she is comfortable being herself and voicing her opinion."

I chose this dress for Georgia because of how stunning I knew it would look with her pretty features! She has a timeless sort of beauty. The playground was sure tempting and she made me run around a lot, but I was so happy with all the photos we got of this beautiful girl!

Some awesome things about Princess Georgia...

-She is 4 years old.

-She has two dogs, Emma and Pancho.

-She love donuts (me too Georgia!!! my favorite food)

-She loves to sing, dance, paint, and watch movies.

-She is afraid of loud noises.

-She loves art.

-She is very silly and likes to make people laugh!

Georgia's mom says... "Georgia is very good at making people laugh. She knows how to get your attention and do whatever she has to do to make you smile. She is kind and thoughtful. She is priceless. She is beautiful inside and out and has a very kind disposition."

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Kynlee gave me the BEST performance. Her session lasted about as long as it takes to sing the song from Moana! I got the entire rendition. It was amazing - she even corrected me when I got the words wrong! Such a little performer.

Princess Kynlee is amazing because....

-She is 7 years old.

-She has a dog named Elsie.

-She loves chicken nuggets, eggs, and hashbrowns.

-She has a little brother named Garesson.

-She likes to play with others, play on her iPad, going to the park, and playing the guitar.

-She wants to go to college and be a musician.

-She is afraid of NOTHING.

-She loves recess.

Her mom says... "There are so many stories, but to show her determination I'll share this one. All last year in Kinder she loved to see others do the monkey bars and wanted to them too. Then she started watching kids do them on videos on YouTube. One day months later, we were at the park where there are some lower ones and she just got up there and started doing them and then did it about 15 more times! She was getting tired and not going all the way anymore but just wouldn't stop!"

"She is determined and knows what she wants. She has a beauty all her own and she loves to sing."

Aren't each of these girls just incredible? I was amazed by the love and strength emanating from each of their souls- as well as their selfless families. 

Since this month celebrates Down Syndrome, I would love to help out more. Anyone who reads this can book a session with me and choose to donate their session fee of $325 to a Down Syndrome charity of my choice. In return, you'll receive a special bonus gift from me! This offer is valid through November, 2017. Contact me for more details and to help out!

8 Tips for Fall Family Portraits

8 Tips for Fall Family Portraits

with Camille Marie Photography

Fall...

It's that wonderful season that causes families to flock to their favorite photographer who will capture physical documentation of their memories. The photographer who will turn their family love and joy into art - art representing the moments and feelings they don't want to forget.

When you're prepping for your fall family session with Camille Marie Photography - here are 8 things to keep in mind.

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1. Chill Out

The number one thing I emphasize with ALL my family session is to relax. If you have young kids, chances are at least one of them will cry at some point, someone will punch their brother, someone won't want to do what I ask. 

Don't worry about it. This is all normal.  I totally swear my kids have done worse. Don't be embarrassed. My goal is to capture the moments. The little expressions and feelings that get missed when everyone is just staring at the camera and smiling. 

Come prepared to praise your children, whether they sit perfect still and smile sweetly, or if they just want to tickle their sister. I'll work with it, turn it into something beautiful.

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2. Be prepared to have fun.

Along with number 1 - we don't take anything too seriously! Kids are best when they are playing. They enjoy themselves more, and they have the most perfect, natural expressions. Parents, you are so beautiful when you are watching your kids have fun.

I'll guide you to the perfect light, and we'll snuggle, we'll giggle, we'll wiggle!  

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3. Think about texture.

Your wardrobe should have texture - thick knits partnered with leather boots, a floral dress with leggings and a fur vest.... adding layers and textures in coordinating neutrals adds warmth and a feeling of belonging. 

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4. Blankets = Cozy

If you have a fall blanket that coordinates with your outfits, bring it along! They are fun to use as props and add another texture element of coziness and warmth.

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5. Snuggle.

I've probably said this a few times by now. But seriously - be prepared to snuggle. I tell my families that they should always be touching someone at all times. The squishier the snuggle the better!

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6. Choose your clothing based on your home. 

When selecting your color scheme - think about the room you want to display your family portrait in. If your walls are a soft robins egg blue, don't dress your family in bright neons (you should avoid neons anyway!). Match the tone of your home to the tone of your images. You want to display these memories for years to come, so avoiding trends and anything that will make your image look dated is really important. 

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7. Matchy-Matchy is OUT.

The days where everyone wears white shirts and jeans are over. When I say don't match - what I mean is please coordinate! Instead of everyone in a white shirt, try to pick a simple color palette with 2-3 neutral colors (gray, cream, white, blue, black, navy, tan, etc...) and then add a little color that goes well, in small doses.

Alternatively, find one print that you love (maybe in mom or sister's dress) and build from there for a more bold, coordinating color palette.

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8. We'll still get that fireplace image

I always love when families choose a more candid moment to turn into art for above their fireplace, because to me that's what life is all about - moments!

But, if you're searching for that one posed photo amidst the fun and laughter where everyone looks and smiles at the camera.... don't worry. We get that one too. 

Haven't booked your session for fall yet? I have a few openings left. You can contact me HERE or by sending an inquiry to camille@camillemariephotography.com.