The holidays have passed. The wedding expos have come and gone. Literally dozens of amazing couples have drank copious amounts of coffee with us discussing details of the vision for their upcoming wedding and we have enjoyed every minute of it. Right around the corner is spring which will be filled with plenty of beautiful family pictures and senior portraits, but right now we find ourselves in this slight in between time where we've had time to reflect on our previous year and some of the amazing people we've met, not to mention the awesome times we've had. It's fun to look back on your photography and see some of the moments you've captured you may have forgotten about. We couldn't help but smile and laugh. We were so inspired we wanted to share some of these moments (our favorites) with you! The photos we chose weren't necessarily our best in terms of technical execution or composition but when we looked at them we couldn't help but reminisce about how great of a time we had taking them. I guess you could call them our favorite of 2015 and it was so hard to limit it to 10, but without further ado, let's check'em out!
Our first selection was an easy choice. Melissa had coordinated with us for weeks how she was going to surprise her girlfriend Holly with a proposal while they were on vacation. After a little delay because of the crowds at The Biltmore estate that day, we were able to sure up our time and capture these two lovely ladies' beautiful proposal and engagement. Just look at those smiles :) (too cute!)
Here we have the fellas of the Franklin Wedding. If you didn't happen to notice, beards were all the rage this year and the Franklin Wedding was no different. Pictured here is the groom Bobby and one of his groomsmen. This was a fun shot with a cool perspective and we figured the guys put that much effort into growing them, we'd give them a little love by highlighting the obvious style of the wedding.
Pictured above is one of our all time favorites! Bert and Julie were absolutely amazing to work with and they were dynamite on camera. I think the most we told them was "just be yourselves," and we couldn't have been more stoked with how their photos turned out. The image above in particular captured the passionate love and lighthearted free spirits between these two on their engagement shoot. The Blue Ridge mountains in the background don't hurt either!
Another one of our obvious favorites was a slightly off angle shot we captured of John and Katie during their wedding at The Fontaine Vineyards. They were such a cute couple and decided last minute they were going to elope. We were honored to be able to capture their intimate ceremony with storybook views. The view is every bit a part of the this shot as the love they share. The beauty of the mountain backdrop, the vineyards, and the timeless elegance of Katie's dress. It's enough to make you want to get married...oh hey!
Would you look at those faces! If this photo doesn't make you smile, you might want to check your pulse....no seriously. Laura contacted us for her family photos and when we got to the location, we were greeted with an old school Radio Flyer wagon and these two cuties! They weren't quite old enough to sit up on their own yet and short attention spans so we had to get creative, but the results were nothing short of joy-inducing.
The above shot was of the groom Mike and the only event to make our list twice! At 5,000ft above sea level and the sunsetting, the light can be a little harsh, but Mike was strolling by and I just saw a moment. With a quick edit we were able to take this photo and give it the James Bond touch!
And our second photo of Mike and Alicia's wedding is another one of our all time favorites which we were able to capture right in front of the Blue Ridge Parkway Tunnel next to 'The Devil's Court House'. When we first met Mike and Alicia, you could see they were excited about their wedding location and wanted to be a little different. Their ceremony and celebration was just as beautiful as it was unique and their pictures were spot on. This shot was timed perfectly. No traffic, the lighting was just right, and their love was never more on display.
Party time! Mary was actually our first client in North Carolina when we arrived about 9 months ago so she will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was her 70th birthday and she was looking absolutely fabulous! Mary truly lives life to the fullest and being surrounded by the love of her amazing family, she couldn't help but smile!
Above is a shot from our first wedding in North Carolina! Jason, the groom, was holding his son Weston in the midst of the pre-wedding ceremony scramble. But as you can see here were no signs of nervousness, just a father and his son, ready for one of the biggest days of their lives. This photo was a true example of how having a photography team lends itself to being in the right place at the right time and it was so precious.
Speaking of precious! Our final selection was of little Ms. Lilly! Her beautiful mother Shauna had contacted us a couple of weeks before to schedule fall family photos and we found ourselves in the Lake Lure area surrounded by red, yellow, and orange mountains. Their family shoot was everything we had hoped it would be and this was our favorite from the entire day.
2015 truly was a blessed year for us and we love looking back to reflect as we prep for the future! We thank the couples, individuals, and families who trusted in JCM Photography in 2015 and we hope to see many of you in 2016!
-Joe & Jenny