I’ve been wanting to make this post happen for a while now, and I’m excited that it’s finally coming together!! When I was brainstorming unique posts we could share on the blog, I had the idea of doing a “Best Of” post for each Quarter. I decided we would only share ONE favorite image from each wedding, engagement shoot, or bridal session.
Obviously, it’s now July, so Quarter 1 & 2 have happened. These are our top photos from the first half of the year! We always do a recap at the end of the year with our top wedding and portrait photos, but this gives us a chance to share the absolute best of the best photos from January-June, making it a smaller post and easier to look through 😉
I also wanted to take the time to share a sentence or two about the thought process behind setting up the image or what about it made it “the favorite”! Believe it or not, there is WAY more that goes into creating an epic photo than just clicking the button on the camera 😉 I thought it may be interesting to know the “why” & “how” behind the pretty photos. This post is partly for y’all to see all that goes into the behind-the-scenes of taking a photo, but also for us to have our all-time favorite photos in one place and be able to relive these fun sessions!
Starting it off with our first session of the year, Gabby & Blake’s engagement session! I LOVE this photo because it happened at the very end of their session. We were walking up the hill and back to our cars and I saw how perfect the composition of those two trees looked with their branches leading towards the couple. The tree on the left was also blocking the sun which was the only reason this photo worked. For our non-photographer friends out there, if the sun hadn’t been blocked by that branch it would have been WAY to bright to take this photo. We had them pause to share a kiss and ended up with this favorite photo!
This is honestly so fun looking back at all these sessions from the year!! Jenny & Connor’s maternity session was WINDY and cold. This shot below was a favorite for a few reasons…first of all the motion of them walking and them both looking towards the ground made it look like a casual stroll through the dunes HA! And secondly, I love how their heads are below the horizon line. It makes a much stronger image and was worth standing up on another dune on tippy toes.
This photo from Kelsey & Justin’s wedding day was a favorite from the moment I took it! This was our first wedding using a new flash set up and the way the light hit Kelsey’s dress when Justin twirled her was just perfect!
This photo of Georgi was taken on a set of stairs, which allowed me to be above her and get an angle that was focused on her eyelashes, hair, and details of her dress! It also allowed for a clean, neutral backdrop behind her!
All these weddings and shoots are bringing back so many memories of FREEZING cold days haha! We don’t often do first looks inside, but this venue had a white room that saved that day! I love that since the background was so neutral the full focus is on Porter’s reaction. Also really loving that you can see Savannah blurred at the edge of the frame!
Savannah & Porter’s Wedding Day
Ok, this next one I picked solely because of the green door!! I mean the composition and color just made the perfect photo. And isn’t Carson the most stunning bride?!
Greyson’s bridal session ended up being a rainy day, and while we were thankful for an indoor space, I knew we just had to take some portraits on the front porch! We managed to tuck her right under the porch so the ground was dry beneath her, and the white walls and columns made great reflectors to bounce the light and create this bright, natural-light photo!!
Anna Lee & Andrew, y’all were such troopers to be willing to take part in our styled shoot!! This was a moment where Laura was definitely cracking some type of joke, and I happened to capture this photo from the side. Nothing too crazy but I just love the genuine smiles!!
If you haven’t checked out our home page recently, you should 😉 And when you do, you’ll see that this photo made it on the scrolling gallery at the top!! I think I’m seeing a theme throughout this post, but some of my favorite images are the ones where everything draws your eyes to the subject. In this photo, the background is a soft green color so it doesn’t distract from the flowers, and Haley’s veil and eyes lead you to the focal point – that stunning bouquet!
Oh man, this was a fun session! Lacey & Christian just radiate true joy and this may have been the hardest session for me to pick just ONE. I could have probably picked 20 top photos HA! But the way Christian is looking and Lacey, her smile, the glowy light AND the Spanish moss behind them made this one the winner!
A lot of thoughts on this image… First of all, the Spanish moss!! Beaufort truly has THE best Spanish moss. Secondly, when I was taking this photo I knew I wanted to really emphasize the Spanish moss while not missing out on the picket fence. By cropping the photo like this in camera, it allowed the couple to still be the focal point but also gave the beautiful backdrop a moment to shine.
Anna Lee & Andrew’s Beaufort Session
The vision for this photo: “Jennifer & Austin are casually strolling through a stunning garden on a summer evening and Jennifer just *happened* to glance over at the camera”. The reality of photography is that it is often far from reality. But that is what makes it a fun challenge! The true reality of this session is that the temps were quite toasty, the sun was blazing and this photo was fully instructed that they were to walk away from us and Jennifer was going to smile over her shoulder at us. However, it worked perfectly and these two totally rocked their entire session!!
Jennifer & Austin’s Engagement Session
We try not to pick favorites…but this may be the most creative photo of the entire post!! We saw this stunning mirror where Tiffany & Lance planned to cut their cake and we knew we had to make this shot happen. Let’s face it, oftentimes cake cutting happens in a dark corner at the reception… We vote to make cake-cutting photos before dinner in a bright space a thing!!
This photo may not be perfectly posed, but that is why it’s a top photo. Moments on wedding days have quickly become our absolute favorite thing to capture!!
Sarah & Danny’s Huitt Farms Wedding
Another causal garden scroll…Just kidding, this was for sure a posed moment. One key thing about this photo that really makes it stand out is the “layers”. Notice the trees way back behind them, the bushes directly behind them, and the tree branch that is blurred in the top right photo. It all came together to make the perfect photo!
Erin & Nolan’s Furman engagement Session
This photo took some effort, but it was 100% worth it! Bridal party photos often involve everyone spread out in single-file line. However, when we saw the stairs on the front of this venue we had a whole new perspective and I’m so glad we made it happen! It took a few minutes to clear everyone from the porch behind the group and arrange the bridal party, but it ended up being such a fun photo!
Sydney & Matthew’s Wedding Day
Like I mentioned before, you should go look at our website home page if you haven’t recently 😉 This was another candid moment that happened and I immediately thought “Yep, that’s a favorite!”. We had Greyson & her mom facing a window for Greyson’s getting ready photos, and it created this soft, beautiful light in this photo!
Greyson & Braxton’s Wedding Day
This next photo was one we knew we wanted to make happen, but it took a bit of strategic planning! Erica loved photos she had seen at this spot that overlooked Clemson’s campus, but we knew it would be way too bright and the sun would be overpowering if we did it too early in the evening. We planned out the session to end here and it worked like a charm. Just look at that glowly light!!
Erica & Chris’ Clemson Engagement Session
When Jennifer told us they were renting a trolley as transportation on their wedding day, we got excited!! (Just a side note for future brides: If you have multiple locations on your wedding day for getting ready, ceremony, and reception, get transportation! It helps SO much and allows the timeline to stay on track!) This was a photo Laura snapped as Jennifer & Austin were loading onto the trolley after their portraits to head to their reception.
Jennifer & Austin’s Wedding Day in Greenwood
This photo just makes me excited every time I see it!! Andrea & Evan’s second half of their session took place at the beach. Laura & I had scoped things out beforehand and I knew that there was a part of the beach with a huge overlook with rocks that jutted out that you could climb on. While I stayed on the overlook up above to take photos, Laura went down and gave instructions to the couple. I honestly had my doubts on whether to not this work but I am SO glad we went for it and that Andrea & Evan trusted us with our ideas! I LOVE that you can see the entire beach AND the Ravanel bridge!
Andrea & Evan’s Charleston Engagement Session
Mallory & Brent have been in front of our cameras multiple times, and every single time it just gets more and more epic! Mallory wanted a photo like this at their wedding but there was never a place to do it. You better believe when I saw this spot that we were going to make it happen! The composition of the tree leading off the image and the blurred Spanish moss in the foreground just made the image even more epic!
Mallory & Brent’s Maternity Session
Laura & I have started really honing in on different angles and views of a wedding day. Laura took this photo of their hands during their cake cutting and it just feels so special and fun to me!
Carson & Cody’s Wedding at Bleckley Inn
This photo makes me smile just looking at it! There were probably 100+ other more “perfectly” posed photos I could have picked, but the joy in this photo is what I loved. These two were given a prompt to do at this moment and it totally had them cracking up. Also, that is their wedding venue behind them which makes it all the more special!
I’ve never had the opportunity to capture a photo like this, which is what makes it unique! Anna & Joshua had a very traditional Greek ceremony. I was stationed at the front of the ceremony, hidden behind some arches at the front of the church. Normally I would be at the back of the church for the exit, but that wasn’t an option in this case. However, I love this angle from behind as they exited the church as Mr. & Mrs.!!
Anna & Joshua’s Greenville Wedding
This is what we call a “candid moment reenacted”. We had just finished Stephanie & James’ portraits and the flower girls had come out to take photos. I had noticed how much they loved twirling in their dresses, and had this idea to have them twirl out in front. It made for the cutest moment that looks totally fun and unplanned. Now I’m really spilling all the secrets!!
Stephanie & Jame’s Bluffton Wedding
We photograph weddings & portraits all throughout the state of SC! To view photos from certain locations, click the links below:
Greenville:
Grand Holland Estate Wedding | Greyson & Braxton | Greenville Wedding Photographer
Furman University Engagement Session | Erin & Nolan | Greenville Wedding Photographer
Anderson:
Huitt Farms Wedding Anderson, SC | Sarah & Danny | Anderson Wedding Photographer
Carson | Bleckley Inn Bridal Session
Charleston:
Charleston & Sullivan’s Island Engagement Session | Andrea & Evan
Beaufort:
