Samantha+Tim // Tombstone, Arizona

If this pretty lady looks familiar to any of you, it’s because she’s Geoff’s sister and his entire family looks alike. Sam and Geoff’s parents moved to Tucson, Arizona a few years ago from Pittsburgh, PA and they’ve been retired down there in a dry heat luxury for a couple of years now, watching birds and golfing and living it up in their giant community pool. They bought a new house this year in Oro Valley, so all the kids decided to go visit them for Thanksgiving and to go check out the new weird mall. But since Arizona is so different from us in terms of landscapes, I asked Sam and her husband Tim to do a session with us because I felt like shooting somewhere new and because photographing people with a lot of tattoos is fun. Sam requested Tombstone because it’s a weird old western town with old timey buildings, a history of cowbody shoot-outs, and an impossibility to tell who’s actively participating in a reenactment vs. who just lives there. So off we went, and a strange drive past border security and a quick trip into a bar later, we took pictures of Sam and Tim. Tim has an endearingly strong aversion to having his photo taken so we only make him do this once every five years or so… so rest up Tim, you have four more years until the next batch! WHAT DO YOU WANT ON YOUR TOMBSTONE?!

Robin+Bob+Finn // Home Family Session

We have had a truly amazing amount of adorable doggos lately, so when we heard that we were going to be photographing little Finn, a Cockapoo Extraordinaire, we were sure that he’d be pretty great. And he was! And what makes Finn so great, you might ask? Well, Finn has a wide variety of adorable quirks, mostly involving the fact that he loves to chase toys but hasn’t yet mastered the concept of bringing them back to you, so rather he exchanges one toy for another. All games must involve multiple toys. You go out in the yard and throw something, and he runs at sound-barrier speed to go get it, and then chooses whether or not it’s worth dropping his current toy (which he brought over with him in his mouth) for this one that you just threw. His favorite is a little pink tennis ball and a frisbee, which he carries in such a way where it adorably gets stuck a bit on his head. He also has a stuffed log in which plush squirrels are hidden, which is also currently a big hit.

Finn’s beloved owners are Robin and Bob, who are incredibly lovely people who adore their family and wanted to have photographic evidence of this point in time in their lives with each other and Finn. They were really wonderful and easy to work with despite it being a particularly freezing morning and shooting outside. They were also capable of interacting in an endearing and beloved way with each other, regardless of the fact that zero out of the four people present were morning people. We had such a great time getting to know these guys and witnessing their dog put a frisbee on his head. We’re happy to have captured their family together having a good old time in their neighborhood!

Stephanie+Tim // Wedding at The Rickhouse

Stephanie and Tim love pizza, Stranger Things, and each other. You may remember them from their engagement session at 21C Museum Hotel that ended with them eating pizza at Pie Pushers. We spent most of that engagement session discussing *spoiler alert* Barb’s untimely end in season one of Stranger Things and how justice might eventually be served… served just like their pizza. And although the jury on justice for Barb is still kinda out, the jury on Stephanie and Tim’s wedding where they also were served pizza again is IN and the jury says “EXCELLENT.” We got special permission from The Durham to shoot on the rooftop as Stephanie and Tim were guests there that evening and the light was purrrdy. Then NC Comic-Con was taking place and lots of fabulous characters graced us with their presence as we did photos downtown. And finally Stephanie and Tim were married in a beautiful indoor ceremony at The Rickhouse, which culminated with pizza and ice cream, which is the married dinner of champions.

So while things didn’t work out so well for Barb, they did work out excellently for Stephanie and Tim, and we were so happy to be a part of their day. They are fun and hilarious and easy-going, and they have an amazing group of friends (shout-out to a phenomenally cooperative and stylish wedding party). Also, be on the look out for their cake topper which is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Thank you from the bottom of our upside-down hearts for having us as your wedding photographers, guys. THE PIZZA WAS TASTY AND YOU GUYS ARE SWELL.

– Date: November 11, 2017
– Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Rickhouse // Durham, NC
– First Dance Song: “We Found Each Other in the Dark” – City and Colour
– Stephanie’s Occupation: Project Analyst
– Tim’s Occupation: Supply Chain Coordinator
– How You Met: We swiped right.
– Interesting Fact: Besides being the least interesting people in the world, we are “professional” softball players for local amateur softball leagues.
– Honeymoon: Cruise to the Caribbean
– Vendor Credits: Officiant – Rebekah Perno // DJ – Barry of Be Digital Entertainment // Florist – Brandi’s Botanicals // Cake – Kristen Sherman // Caterer – Happy Cardinal Catering // Hair – Lane Clements // Make-Up – Lauren Tedino // Coordinator – Amanda Buchanan of Simple Day // Lighting – Vivid Lighting // Ice Cream – The Parlour // Calligrapher – Marika Wendelken