Christie and Ben - Engagement Photo, Columbus, Ohio

The forecast for this session almost made us cancel it.

"Thirty-mile-an-hour winds aren't ideal," I said.

I'm so glad we didn't. 70 degrees. Sunny and serene. It turned out to be the first warm and wonderful spring day of the year and oh what a gift it was.

Ohio, you mysterious fool, we all love you.

This session was simply satisfying. I know Christie and Ben through a handful of different threads and relationships in our community here in Columbus, but this little window of time was a long-anticipated hour carved out to spend time with just these two.

We talked about wedding plans, favorite dates, cactuses, and dream jobs. I had a premonition I would feel this way, but I left feeling inspired to infuse my life with more intentionality, patience and simple joy, knowing that's what I'd found planted in these two.

Ben and Christie, you're both wonderful and I can't wait to witness your wedding in the winter!

McKenna + Nathaniel :: Wedding Photography, Columbus, Ohio

I told him to tell her a secret. It must have been a good one.

I don't know if you're the kind of person to scroll all the way through blog posts, so I've made sure to cater to you all who, like me, have a very short attention span. 

The first three photos.

All it takes to get a glimpse of the sacred day that was McKenna and Nathaniel's wedding day is to behold the ineffable contentment and joy on their faces in these photos. Even just in the tiny sliver of it that you see in the first one there.

But the photos, as they never truly do, don't totally do it justice. The day was wonderful in that it was one completely centered on the sacramental. It was centered on what was happening on the altar, not on the dance floor (though they made it hard to tell while they were sweating to the big-band!!)

Three uniquely special tidbits from this day:

1. The flower girls told me early on in the day that they "looove taking pictures!", so I had delightful shadows the whole day, making for excellent photos of these very cute, soon-to-be photogs.
2. The bride asked me if she'd be in the way if she said a prayer in front of the statue of St. Joseph, which happened to be right behind where I was taking a photo of her groom. I told her, no, definitely not.
3. For reasons related entirely to lighting, I hardly ever get excited about posting photos in the church, during the ceremony, and certainly not as the ones that tell the beauty of the day, but alas, I couldn't help myself.

Onward, McKenna and Nathaniel! Onward to a life held in sacred holiness, imitating the day you began it together.

Enjoy,

Rachel

Carol + Ethan :: Wedding Photography, Columbus, Ohio

The snow makes everything still.

It was a phrase that came to us mid-Advent, I think, as we were bustling to tie ribbons and check items off lists. We wanted to slow down, because waiting is what that season of anticipation is, after all. But slowness requires quiet, and quiet, stillness. And stillness in a world of movement and deals and bang-for-your-buck is just hard sometimes. So, we put it in big-lettered boldness on our mantle:

J O Y   I N   T H E   S T I L L N E S S

And we kept finding it, not only tucked away in the fire-lit evenings of cold December, but also on the altar on the day before Christmas Eve.

As the white snow fell down in big, fluffy flakes outside the stained-glass windows, the church where Carol and Ethan were committing their lives to the hardship and bliss of marriage was full of all the joy in the world. And all of the stillness. 

It was a beautiful sight to witness, these two very young ones, surrounded by their friends - souls brimming with courageous faith - who were defying all the hustle and bustle of the world by sitting in silence, waiting for their life to begin together.

It was an honor to witness your day through the lens, Carol and Ethan, and may the joy continue to be tucked in the stillness of your freshly married hearts.

Enjoy,

Rachel

Best of 2017

My favorite things about this year:

- Discovering the secret to shooting weddings pregnant is High-Protein, Low-Glycemic Luna Bars, Vitamin Water, and a turkey sandwich with basil mayo. You know. Basic.

- Watching Tim fight with the bounce

- Looking forward to shooting a wedding with my sister (more on this later)

- Planning and shooting our first ever styled shoot

- Working on our fun rebranding projects with talented people

- Shooting a stack of pancakes, then eating it

- And as always, witnessing people at their most intimate and seeing them form and foster relationships

All of these, but really, my favorite thing about running this little business this year has been the self-searching we had to do when we decided to keep things really running (and kicked up a notch) when we rebranded over the summer. It was then that we decided that our reason for doing what we do is to illuminate the beauty that God has planted in the world all around us.

As Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, "Beauty will save the world."

Enjoy these little slices of beauty, and thank you for allowing me to capture them on camera.

Rachel