First Look {At A Glance}

You've asked, "What exactly is a first look? Well, simply put – it’s when the bride & groom spend some time before the ceremony in a private moment where we get to capture the intimacy of them seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day. Yes, we are breaking tradition, actually, I like to call it, "starting a new tradition"! For those clients with a fast paced wedding timeline, it may be the best option for photography!  Typically, the photographers will scout out a spot that is remote and away from guests. Then we’ll lead the groom over to wait anxiously for his bride to tap him on the shoulder so he can turn around and see her in her glorious beauty, share true & intimate emotions, and admire who he is about to walk down the aisle with.

 

During a recent wedding this summer, I was shooting solo, yep, no assistant at this wedding and to make it more challenging, the sky opened up and rained. We were limited to shooting inside on a stairwell, which was the main entrance to the golf club. I had to work around arriving and exiting golf patrons and hope the guests would follow directions and stay out of the way for our shooting. It worked and I was happy with the results! What follows is just a sampling of a few of the images. More images to be shown in the final blog about this beautiful New Jersey wedding.

 

 

There are some circumstances that truly call out for a first look, such as: *You have an evening ceremony and you want to use natural light to capture your important photos.
 *You have a tight wedding schedule and you need to do all of your group/family photos before the ceremony. Some photographers include the WHOLE wedding party in the first look session, whereas typically it is just the bride and groom portraits.
 * You want to have plenty of time to venture out for your bride/groom photos.
 * You don’t mind trying out this new tradition.

 

 

 

Not only does this make for some amazing memories & photos, but you get to share a moment together in the rush that can sometimes be your wedding day! Most couples say that their nervousness is completely gone afterwards, and that despite having seen each other before the ceremony, they still feel equally special when they walk down the aisle and see their bride/groom again. Why? Because both moments are completely different. Nothing can ever replace seeing your bride/groom at the end of the aisle, locking eyes for the first time and realizing that in a few minutes you will officially be a married couple!

The first look, on the contrary, is more of a moment spent together, in privacy, at a slow pace – in what otherwise might be the hustle and bustle of your busy wedding day. It’s a chance for you both to soak it all in and enjoy one another.

 

How is the first look session beneficial to photographers? It gives us the opportunity and the time to artistically plan photography work, whether if we are working with lighting  (flash, studio, etc.) or natural lighting. We are not so rushed to quickly capture your moments, but have the time to devote directly to your images without worrying too much about a quickly paced timeline, providing our clients plan ample time in their schedule to accommodate for a first look session.  We recommend 2-4 hours depending on the size of the wedding and if the client wants to also included the entire wedding party and understand that sometimes, it rains!

Photographers like to believe that our clients not only hired us to document their day, but because they love the art that we create in our photography and that they want that same style for their own wedding photos.  At Glass Eyed Pony Photography, we strive to produce the best images possible as nothing brings us more joy that seeing our clients happy and in love with their images!

Images are memories captured, they last a lifetime and beyond! When you invest in great photography, you are investing in your memories!

Wedding Blossoms {Robert & Jingjing Part 2}

{Another Glance}

Robert and Jingjing officially got engaged on January 4, 2013 on the Bei Hai Lake in Beijing. The engagement shoot was done in April 2014 because they were looking forward to capturing the Cherry Blossoms!

Iryna and I had an amazing time photographing Robert and Jingjing, Groom and Bride to be! Their wedding is this Saturday at the amazing Goodstone Inn in Middleburg Virginia. We are certainly excited and I bet the butterflies are fluttering around for them as well. Here are few shots of the both of them having some fun together and loosening up before the engagement session began...

 

Allowing your clients to do something fun and well, a bit silly, loosens them up and relaxes them for a photo session. Also, personalities glow and come alive for both the photographers and their clients! Being in front of a camera is intimidating for most people, even I find a certain fear to being caught in front of the lens. Its nice to just be silly and let loose, its sort of like stretching before an intense workout...

 

And then from there, we get eye candy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert & Jingjing { A Sneak Peek During the Blossom Peak}

As the sun came to life {setting the blossoms aglow}

The snow has been routinely falling quite densely up through March here in Virginia. The cold nipping at more than our noses and most of us, down here are DONE with winter! No Joke. This particular winter has lasted longer than I could ever imagine. It also appears that my once thick New England blood has thinned out a bit since moving to this more "mild" climate some 12 years ago.

In all my 12 years in the DC metro area, I have never encountered a winter like the one we had this year. Only in 2009 did we suffer a winter somewhat comparable. But, as I look out my window right now in writing this, I see some signs of a spring sun trying to make some promises, let's hope he keeps them. Things are beginning to warm up, albeit a but late in the game.

Onto another note,  my film days of photography have long since passed. I no longer have studio access with a darkroom. Working digitally has allowed me to forego this necessity, my guest bathroom now serves its true purpose- a necessary room for guests and not an improvised darkroom. No more harsh chemicals to crack my skin and age my hands by years (yes, I was bad about using gloves, *tisk *tisk), on the light side of this, my son was born with all ten fingers and toes, a very good sign that my toxicity exposure was not nearly as bad as I had imagined!

Okay, now onto the important stuff, I AM BLOGGING AGAIN. My son is older now and I am finding "slightly" more time to set aside and write blogs. This time with more intent and focus on my wedding work, session work, commercial editorial and post production work. I will also be discussing my various artwork; commercial, illustration, design, and my passion; wildlife conservation art.

Today's blog however, is a sneak peak of a recent engagement shoot Glass Eyed Pony Photography held just on the outskirts of the Washington DC Tidal Basin during Peak Bloom! Robert and Jingjing officially got engaged on January 4, 2013 on the Bei Hai Lake in Beijing. The engagement shoot was done in April 2014 because they were looking forward to capturing the Cherry Blossoms!

I guess we could call it a {sneak peek during the peak} and it was fun! Iryna and I made it down to the East Potomac Golf Course at 6am and began scouting and watching the sunrise over the river. It was gorgeous, however even at that early hour, people were all about, mostly runners and other fitness gurus.

{Blossoms lifting their heads towards the sun}

A lot of photographers avoid the Tidal Basin during peak tourist season due to the sheer amount of people flooding the area. In hindsight many couples end up wishing they had chosen a more exclusive and private area where not so many strangers end up showing up in their shots. Its hard to to avoid a flood of tourists during the peak season and there is bound to be great images photographed only to discover a human figure in the background dressed in wild tie-dye or worse.

Also, what a lot of photographers don't realize is that you need to procure a permit to shoot in the Tidal Basin with clients during the peak tourist season and if you intend to shoot within or around the monuments regardless of it being a tourist season. It can take 1-6 weeks to obtain permits, so please remember to plan for that when schedule shoots. There are photographers who are willing to risk going in without a permit but please err on caution, you will get cited and or hit with a fine which is not good for business and let's not forget, it will be embarrassing for both you, your business, and your clients. Please keep that in mind when shooting in certain areas within DC or other locations where there may be a need to seek proper permits and permissions.

We met with our clients Robert and Jingjing just outside of the Tidal Basin to work with the blooming cherry blossoms in that area. I am also happy to mention that we were recommended to Robert and Jingjing by the talented Stephanie Dasch of Diamond Events and Weddings.

{Now Enjoy}
The sneak peek during the peak...more images to come!

We let Robert and Jingjing loosen up and have some fun!



I wanted to get the white snowy blooms and the monument in the background and by golly I was going to stop traffic and move cars to get the shot I wanted!

Blossom all around and blossom blur only made these smiles more than just smiles :)

Black and white with the Potomac and part of the cityscape in the background!

 

I like the black and white and the color version equally!

 

The color version, the snowy blossoms give a fairytale feel!

Robert really wanted to climb a cherry blossom and he made it happen!

Diamonds and Blossoms have a lot in common!

Diamonds and Blossoms- nature creates beautiful art!

I personally love seeing the open candidness of couples once they get comfortable being in front of the camera! This really gives you a peek into their personalities.

Promises and Love

Stay tuned for more......

"N" Turns Two (1.26.12)

It was such a delight to be able to photograph a little boy who will be turning two on January 26 of 2014. His mother wanted to do a session while it was still warm so we went to Temple Hall Farm in Leesburg which is decked out in great Autumn themes, ranging from celebrating the actual fall season itself (colors, leaves, etc), to Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Loads of textures, colors, farm equipment, and animals all combine to create the perfect backdrop and props needed for a child's photo session.

I am also honored his mother chose me to shoot her upcoming wedding (Sept 2014). It was a great way to get to know her and get a feel for what she likes in regards to photography and style. I can't wait for September! To see more from this collection visit, the Gallery on our Fanpage!