Meo Baaklini - Meo Baaklini Photography

Back in April I photographed my friend’s high school senior boy. Shortly after this session, his mom/my friend unexpectedly passed away from pneumonia. I only had 4 images of her with her son (nothing fancy, just her fixing his suit and tie etc..).

After that happened, I was inspired to start a personal project called Celebrate Life. I asked my grandparents if they’d be my first willing subjects. So, I got to spend the afternoon photographing them, documenting stories and laughing/crying. I took short video clips (nothing fancy) and felt good about the photographs we got. A couple weeks later, my grandfather passed away. You can view more images and the video here.

 

Deanna Johnson – A Day to Adore

My most memorable shoot this year was an engagement session for a couple who are planning to have an old hollywood feel to their wedding next year. They sent me a pic of some flapper costumes their were renting to get just a couple of photos in. I knew I had an opportunity to create something truly unique for both of us and I scouted out the perfect location – a life sized chess board atop a downtown Kansas City library.

We were having so much fun shooting the costumes I almost ran out of enough light to grab some photos of them in their street clothes. As I was driving away from the session, I saw another location I had been meaning to try out for a very long time. I called them back and arranged to meet them back for a round of night shots with the amazing Kansas City skyline in the background. It was such a fun collaboration and I couldn’t have been happier with the final result.  And the best part was they loved their amazing save the date cards (printed from Pinhole)!

 

Jen Davis – Jen Davis Photography 

Clients call us to freeze time – to capture the memory of a special day and how their kids looked at a point in time.  But in all of the photo shoots that I have done, I have never been there for a milestone like I was on this day.  I was commissioned to capture this adorable little boy for his first birthday.  I arrived early to get in a few individual candids of the birthday boy and some formal family photos.  We were about to wrap to prepare for the guests arrival when the little man decided today was the day.  He stood up on his own for the first time.  I was there to freeze the moment and capture the awe and excitement on Mom and Dad’s face.  One of my favorite memories ever as a photographer.  What we do is so special…and I never forget that.

 

Erika Delgado - Erika Delgado Photography

Immediately the most favorite moment that came to mind from 2013 with my camera in my hands, was on my wedding day. I couldn’t resist myself, I had to take some photos throughout the day. I am a wedding photographer, and I felt like the day wouldn’t of felt complete without being able to personally photograph my hubby, and my beautiful bouquet. It was so fun, all dressed up! I also love the photo of my brother trimming my husband’s hair the day before the wedding. We had a destination wedding in a small town and he couldn’t find a barber anywhere! My brother did a darn good job, I must say :) They are some of my sweetest memories, I will cherish them forever.

 

 

Liz Cowie – Liz Cowie Photography

I feel I must preface my most memorable moment by telling you that I am a hopeless romantic at heart. It is utterly impossible for me to control my tears even if they are joyful ones.  So…it was not surprising to me that I found myself once again looking misty eyed through my lens as I shot a gorgeous, intimate dusk wedding. But the moment that will forever be etched in my heart and soul was during the reception when the groom’s daughter stood before the guests, raised her glass and began her toast.I already knew that there was some serious love in this room; I knew that this was a second marriage for both the bride and groom. I knew that their vows had already melted my heart.  The groom’s daughter, obviously overcome with emotion, spoke about how she, having experienced her parents divorce, could see that her father had so very obviously found his soul mate, how she had never seen him happier and how his new wife was like a second mother to her.  Not a dry eye in the house. Including mine. This moment was so moving and poignant to me, almost beyond words. You see… I am divorced. I have a young daughter (as does my boyfriend who also happened to be my assistant at this event). I/we want to remarry someday, we hope that one day one of our daughter’s will raise her glass and speak similar words. I know that I did not adequately capture the beauty in her toast and the hugs afterward in my photographs.  I was literally overcome with my own emotion because she touched something so deep inside me. This beautiful young woman has no idea how she impacted my life. She gave me hope.

 

 

Jessie Passon – Jessie Passon Photography

My favorite memory from this session is the fact that session took place at all!  With me being on the east coast and my client on the west coast, the fact that she was due to have her second baby about the same time I planned a trip to Oregon was wonderful. A little worried that the baby may be born late and I wouldn’t be able to do the newborn session loomed in the back of my mind, but I still packed my gear, a suitcase of wraps and newborn session props and headed west.  I was thrilled when the baby was born shortly after I arrived, a few days before her due date.  I was able to source the additional props needed, secure the location of a daylight basement with a ton of natural light and did the session when the baby was just 4 days old.  It was one of my favorite sessions of the year and one of the sleepiest newborns I have photographed!

 

 

Kristina Gill – Kristina Gill Photography

My favorite memory from a shoot in 2013 wasn’t from a paid shoot.  I took time to go to New York and spent ten days using both film and digital cameras to document my time there.  I made my own schedule, decided my own locations and places, and went out and made images.  Later in the year, I was commissioned by a major US food title to shoot a similar style story, and some of the images they chose as representative of the style they wanted for their story were from that body of personal work I produced for myself.

 

 

Julie Riddle – Riddle Road Photography

This summer, while back in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan I photographed my childhood best friend’s three small children. For a photographer, it was not an ideal shoot. The lighting was off, the three little ones were running in three directions and getting them to smile for the camera was nearly impossible.  Despite this, while watching them play, my memories of playing in the woods of Michigan as a child came flooding back. While I live in the Chicago area now, this photo session reminded me of the pureness of Michigan that cannot be found anywhere else. The massive trees, clear lakes are extraordinary and part of who I am today. This shoot gave me such a sense of nostalgia that I am now pursing more Michigan weddings and committed to photographing the beauty of West Michigan each time I go back.

 

 

C. Tyler Adams – The Girl Tyler

For Favorite Memory, it would have to be a crazy but very special wedding in August. The weather was fickle and uncooperative all day with high winds and rain squalls (we can call them that since we were on the river in Norfolk, Va). It made us do a quick dash inside after the sky opened up during their first look, prompted us to get creative in a loading dock for portraits and forced the outdoor ceremony inside. However, the couple was up for anything and so in love they didn’t care, which we weren’t too surprised about knowing this amazing pair for several years. What we didn’t see coming in all the excitement, was the epic dance party with a big circle including all family and friends, the groom’s and his brother both taking the microphone to perform with the band and lastly the couple rocking the drum together with cigar and wine glass in hand. So much happened we even had to make a whole separate film for it we affectionately call “VIP” – it was a day and night we won’t ever forget photographing and filming.