Proposal Caught on Camera! {Carroll Valley, PA Photographer}

It finally happened. I was finally able to capture a proposal on camera, and I didn't even have to hide in the trees!

It all began when Azim contacted Liberty Mountain asking for a special chairlift ride to the top of Liberty Mountain so he could propose to his girlfriend Amrin. Azim was pointed in my direction and I was the lucky one chosen to help him make plans for the special day. Of course I offered to take pictures of the proposal and was thrilled that I'd finally get the opportunity to photograph such a secretly-planned, once-in-a-lifetime, special occasion.

It was the perfect day for a proposal. Beautiful blue skies, lots of sunshine, warm temps, and a not-so-crowded mountain top with a great view. As I rode the chairlift up the mountain with Azim and Amrin, I was nervous. What if I missed the proposal? What if I wasn't in the right spot for great pictures? What if I somehow gave away the secret?? But once we got to the top, I was ready for action and couldn't wait to see it all take place. Besides, the only proposal I've ever been to was mine own. Thanks Honey. :)

Congratulations Azim and Amrin! Thanks for letting me be part of something so special!

Guys out there getting ready to propose to your girlfriends - if you're stumped on how to make your proposal extra special, consider hiring a photographer (ME!) to capture it all on camera! Proposing and being proposed to is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most people, so having pictures of the special occasion would be like icing on the cake! Guaranteed your girl will be surprised, thrilled and totally IN LOVE with you! I'm ready and willing for more secret proposal shoots. :)

My First Wedding {MD, PA, WV, VA, DC and Beyond Photographer}

Years ago, when I was in middle and high school, I was an "assistant" for my mom (she's also a wedding photographer, check out her website at http://www.memoriesbycarole.com/) and I carried equipment. I didn't really hold the cameras, nor did I really know exactly how to load the film. I was simply a friend, a "partner in crime." I was company.

Little did I know back then that my simple acts of accompanying my mom and carrying her equipment would lead to a photography career of my own. At a September wedding in 2008, my mom gave me a camera and let me take pictures all day long. I fell in love and wanted to continue practicing photography. I hooked up with two studios (one in Hagerstown and one in Waynesboro) after I moved to Waynesboro two summers ago, and was determined to learn as much as possible. After a few lessons, words of encouragement, six weddings and lots of inspiration from those photographers and others, I started my own business in July of 2009, and boy was I excited to book my first wedding!

Bring in Stuart and Denise. This lovely couple was married on October 24 of this past year in Charlottesville, VA at the Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard. Their wedding was beautiful! With colors of marigold, grey, black and white, fall leaves all around, love and care from their family and friends, and most importantly, the love shared between the two of them...it was just...beautiful! You could tell that Stuart and Denise were totally in love and just enjoyed having each other around. Their cuteness and unique style made photographing their wedding day very easy.

Stuart and Denise - Thank you so much for trusting me to take your wedding photographs. You gave me my "big break" as a young photographer by being my first, solo wedding...and I had a blast! You made it so easy for me to capture the beauty and fun of your wedding day, and of your love. You guys are awesome!

Here's sampling #1 from Denise and Stuart's wedding....

This picture is hanging in the JFP office. :)

Oh my goodness a FAVE!




Denise - YOU ARE STUNNING! I think this one will go on a gallery wrap canvas and then on my wall.

I told the ladies to stop, smile and laugh at each other...and they did great! I think it gave them a few moments to relax and get excited for the big day!

If I could sum up Denise and Stuart's wedding day in one picture, I think this might be it. The wet pavement represents the rain we experienced the first half of the day and the dampness we experienced the second half. The leaves represent the fall season and the beautiful fall colors that we encountered throughout the day. Denise's super cute yellow wedding shoes represent her vintage and unique style that was the theme for the wedding. And of course the wedding dress - the symbols of all symbols for a wedding!
 

When we arrived at the vineyard for pictures, there was a HUGE tree with TONS of yellow leaves lying beneath it. Just so happened that those yellow leaves matched the colors of Denise and Stuart's wedding. Is that perfect or what?

Denise and her Mom. So lovely!

Next sampling...Final pictures before the ceremony!

Published at Bridesmaid.com! {MD, PA, WV, VA, Washington D.C. and Beyond Photographer}

This week has been awesome, just plain awesome! My email inbox has been filling to the brim with inquiries and happy emails from brides that want to book me as their wedding photographer! It got me wondering...could life at JFP get any better??

Yes! The answer to the above question is YES! Yesterday, I received an email from Google Alerts letting me know that "Jessica Fike Photography" had been mentioned in a post at Bridesmaid.com. I hurried on over to Bridesmaid.com and found a beautiful spread of some of Denise and Stuart's wedding pictures! And at the end of the spread..."photography by Jessica Fike Photography" with a link to my website. YAHOO!!! I am officially published in an online publication/blog!

Getting published in an online publication or blog was on my list of things to do this year as a photographer and business owner (shared in my previous post), and I didn't think it would happen for a while. What a wonderful surprise!

Click here to see the full post at Bridesmaid.com.

Denise and Stuart were married in October of 2009 at the Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard in Charlottesville, VA. I am actually in the process of putting together a few blog posts about their wedding and apologize for not getting them up sooner. Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!

Coolest Pictures Ever! {Carroll Valley, PA Photographer}

I've been having a ball of fun taking pictures at Liberty over the past few days. The winter snow storm this past weekend brought nearly two feet of snow to the mountain and with fresh powder and blue skies, it's been a photographer's dream.

Some of my best pictures from the past few days (OK, past five days), however, came from the day before the winter snow storm. There wasn't a whole lot of fresh powder around, but there were beautiful blue skies.

Now for my favorites...

I recently read a photographer's blog post that shared one "secret" for shooting into the sun. I started closing my aperture (making it smaller and allowing less light into the lens and camera) and got this...

I closed my aperture a little more, exposed for the sun, and got this...

Totally looks like I shot it at night, right? OK, maybe not at night because of the blaring sun, but it still creates an illusion that there could be some nighttime involved. I always try to include the sun in my pictures so every new technique to add to my bag of tricks is so exciting!

Now who'd like some portraits in the snow? I'm dying to get out there again! Happy Snow Days!