So one of my resolutions for the new year is this: BLOG MORE OFTEN. Yep, I made a resolution. (Wanna help me stick to it??) I’m never one for making new years resolutions. I think that if you want to do something, and you have the heart and ambition to do it, you should be willing to take on a new challenge year round, not resolve to do it on one day, when you know it’ll probably only last one month or so.

Soapbox here: Kudos to those who make a resolution, whenever they make it, and stick to it a-l-l y-e-a-r l-o-n-g. +10 points! Yay-uh!

We’ve had a crazy ride this year….and taken some awesome photos to show what we’ve done. From weddings to engagements to date nights to ME actually picking up the camera, Shane and I really have been blessed with moments, memories, and people we will never forget.

So have you noticed this blog is just a bit more sentimental and serious than my others?? By golly by gosh, she DOES have a heart!

So I might be blogging about new years in February. So I might be reflecting just because I’m feeling nostalgic right now. So I want to take a few minutes to write some things I’m thankful for and not insert as many blondie-esque side comments. So I tend to do things a bit outside the norm, but with as much passion as anytime else.

I’m really excited about some shoots we have coming up…and CAN’T WAIT to see the pictures that come from them! We already booked some weddings for this summer….heck yeah!  I can’t wait to be the super-awesome-assistant (although I prefer MANAGER) during those days. From running the shooting schedule to helping set up and tear down equipment, to making sure every single picture the couple wants is taken, to picking up a camera and taking pictures myself, to serving as the stand-in-bridal-right-hand-woman/organizer….Seriously. As crazy as they are, I love it. I love people. I love LOVE.

And guess what?! It’s almost Valentine’s Day…hmm…wonder what I can think of for Shane this year….and I wonder what HE is gonna do!! Hmm…maybe it’ll be shiny. Or sparkly. Or edible. I’d like a combination of the three. Dat’d be duh bomb diggity.

So now, I leave you with some of my FAVORITE photos from the shoots we’ve done this year. Tell me your thoughts – which ones do you like? It’s SO hard for me to pick just a few, so be prepared. This post will be as long-winded as I am in real life. Ha yeah. No joke homies.

Peace out. Love a lot. Be happy. And remember.

Just remember.

Smile pretty,

Raychle

Okay, I had to do it. And ya’ll still don’t know what I’m talking about! You will. Never fear. Uhh thank yourruhh, thank you very muuuurrrccchhh.

Okay, I had to do that too.

SO. Back to biznass. Patrick and Katie are two very sweet, very funny, very super awesome people that we made friends with a couple months ago during their engagement photo shoot in downtown Nashville. We talked, we laughed, we cried…no, just kidding. We didn’t cry together (I only do that when I don’t get chips with my mexican food…I don’t wanna talk about it.), at least not until the wedding day!

They decided to get married on 10.10.10 = October, 10, 2010. Super awesome date. I mean, seriously. That will forever be their anniversary wedding date. How could you ever forget that?? Patrick has it easy on this one. When is your anniversary? Uh..err..hmm..oh wait! I know! (Insert lightbulb above head and shooting fireworks exploding with glorious rays of light.) It’s on 10.10.10! DUH!

Okay, not that Patrick would ever forget his anniversary. Honestly, these two are so in love and so happy together I don’t think they could ever forget any part of their relationship!

Picture this: A quaint, cozy house on the corner of a busy street near downtown Franklin. There is a black iron gate surrounding the driveway, enclosing the burning red house in a perfect picture of pleasantry. The trees look like they have been set on fire out on the front lawn – they explode with yellow, red, orange, and green smeared leaves.

Where is this portrait of perfection? This doorway to dreamland? This glimmer of gloriousity?? (Yeah, I said gloriousity.) Why, it is theRed House in Franklin, Tennessee. They host tons of weddings, parties, and private events every year. Honestly, Katie and Patrick couldn’t have chosen a better place to get married that fits both of their personalities and styles. The place is comfortable, laid back, andencourages interaction with family and friends because of its cozy and welcoming atmosphere.

The wedding starts….Shane is shooting up front during the ceremony, our super awesome second shooter making her second appearance, Chelsey, is shooting close up pics of details during the ceremony from in the back, and I, yet again, have mister wide angle lens. Yep, him and I are BFF. Like, totally.

After helping lead the flower girl down the isle while trying to avoid being caught in any frame of the hundreds of pictures being taken, I shoot a bit, listen a bit, cry a bit…oh you knew that was bound to happen. I be what I be.

Okay, now I need to stop for a moment and have a moment of silence for the food that they had during the reception.

…………………(this is the silence)……………..(are you silent?)………..(sshhh….)………

It was that good. And ya’ll KNOW how biased I am about mexican food. That is my crutch, my weakness, my Achilles heel. But THIS?! Here is where you find out what I was talking about in the beginning.

TOKYO ELVIS.

Mmmmmm. (Insert dreamy smiley face of happiness) Tokyo Elvis is a local catering company that makes hot and steamy stir fry bowls filled with chicken, steak, tofu, rice, veggies, super awesomeness, and anything else you want. Their dishes have creative quirky names and are just so freakin’ good. I can’t even describe it. I seriously think they need to open a restaurant (which I think they are shooting for in the future).

Bottom line: If you need a caterer, and a photographer, call them, then call us. BOOM. Done.

Okay, seriously, I think I talk about food WAY too much. Cheah. Well, food and love. The two things that keep me ALIVE ya’ll!

The wedding was exactly like something I’d love to have one day. Full of being close to the people you care about, focusing on you and your lovey dovey, not stressing the details but taking in each moment, each memory, and printing them on your mind throughout the night so that you will never forget where you came from and where you’re going.

Sigh. :)

Smile pretty,

Raychle

So as we enter into the glorious atmosphere of leaves set on fire, wind that bites your cheeks pink, and a nose full of cinnamon and pumpkin smelling drinks that warm your hands, Shane and I also get to spend our time outside shooting WEDDINGS!! So fun. Love it. Love the weather. It maketh me happyeth. Yes. Eth.

BUT. And there is always a butt. This time a big ol ghetto booty butt. The changing of the seasons bringeth weird weather….like rain. Lots of rain. Rain at unexpected times. Rain when you don’t want it. Rain when it just makes you so gosh darn mad. But seriously, WHO can be MAD when happy-mushy-gushy-head-over-high-heels-in-love people are about to walk down the isle?? Not I (says the photographer!).

Picture this: Friday, September 24, 2010. Camp Carlson, just south of Louisville, Kentucky. Gorgeous lodge out in a country woodland setting. The nuptials taking place on the back patio overlooking the serene lake. The reception convening in the comforting wooded glowing lodge. Then….dun dun dun…IT RAINS. I mean, this area of Kentucky was in a DROUGHT (yes, a drought I tell you! The horror!), and it does a little downpour the day of the wedding. Oy oy oy.

So what is a bride to do?? Start swigging the bottle of wine. Ooooh yes. And I only say this because it’s the BEST wine out there (from what I’ve had so far!). RELAX. No, I’m not telling you to relax. That’s the name of the wine. Heard of it? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?Buuueeelleeerr???

Okayyyyyy, andbacktonormal. Well, for me anyway. While the guys were getting ready and throwing back some cans of goodness themselves, Stephanie was worried about the rain ruining some pictures and not allowing her and Aaron to get married outside. With the larger-than-life-biggest-umbrella-you’ll-EVER-see in tow, we moseyed her and the bridesmaids out the door and into the little street, taking some fun and silly pictures of her and the girls! The portraits of Stephanie on the porch turned out GOREGOUS. Seriously, this woman is sophotogenic!! She was absolutely GLOWING that day. Sigh.

Onward ho! As luck may have it, the clouds parted like the Red Sea and the shining ray of God’s good light graced all those in attendance that day. I am NOT exaggerating. As soon as Stephanie walks out, a ray of sunlight shines down, just on her, halting the humid cloud from continuing any more.

Despite the stress of the rain, the wedding went PERFECTLY. We got some great shots of Stephanie and Aaron exchanging rings, a tear down her cheek, the bridesmaids wiping their eyes, and the family having a great time at the reception after.

NOTE: If you want to make us REEEALLLYYY super duper happy when we come to shoot your wedding, have mexican at the reception. Hey, I have my vices, what can I say. They had a mexican buffet, cheesecakes to choose from, and a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN. Yeah, you read that right. Read it again. CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN. Lord have mercy.

After the wedding, a funny little ditty happened. While me, Shane, and our super awesome second shooter Chelsey were heading home, we ended up getting stopped in a police trap! For some reason, they were stopping everyone driving down that street….long story short (I’ll save the details – hehe again), we made it through and headed towards the interstate.

I think next time we are gonna stop at that totally fabtastic Bingo hall we saw on the way back (and, if you know me and you know my blogs, fabtastic is alas, not a typo. Gotcha!)….that place was suuurreee hoppin…haha! I think it’s time for me to show some old ladies who’s boss.

Until the next wedding….

Smile pretty,

Raychle

P.S. Me and Shane usually single out a few wedding pictures from the day that are our favorites (yes, it is super hard!!)….so the last picture on this blog is one of our very very favorites of the day!! Which one is yours??

Yep. Kinda’ freaky. We met them at the Borders down on West End and chit-chatted over some coffee one day. As I’m trying to shield thesuperbrightinmyeyescan’tseeadanything sun from my face, we all go over the plans for their upcoming engagement shoot.

Random side note: Did you know that people search for “enGAGment photographer” more than they do “enGAGEment photographer” in Google?? I don’t know if this is just a typo or if most of America just can’t speel. (Nope, that’s not a typo loveys.) Now that’s just silly.

End side note. So for their shoot, we met off of West End at Centennial Park. Okay, so can I just tell you how confusing it is to have a Centennial Park and a Bicentennial Park, BOTH in Nashville?? I mean, is it just me, or is this confusing? Whatever. It is confusing. Either way, that’s where we met them.

Insert hour 1 of shooting: After arriving, me and Shaney-poo scoped out the area. Yes, he is now dubbed Shaney-poo. He’s gonna hate me for that. HA. This is why I control the blog. Aw, love you long time!

We first had Katie and Patty boy (I hope I don’t earn me some enemies with this…) sit on this really fantastico bench. Except I call it the “Don’t Talk To Me” bench. On each end, there is a little seat but they are so far away from each other. It’s like a separation bench for feuding parents who sit the children inbetween or something. Somewhat morbid for a couple who is getting married. But we mushy gushiedit up and made it romantic. That’s what we do. :)

Insert hour 2 of shooting: We walked around the park for a while and snapped away. At one point, I had Katie and Patrick lie down in the grass next to each other. Next thing I know, Shane is climbing a tree. I kid you not. I look to my left and can’t find him….until I see his booty up in a tree. I’m all for risk-taking…but that camera is expensive!!

Ha..just kidding. The picture actually turned out really great. He’s such a thinker! After Centennial (YES, I have the right park name this time…), we made a pit stop at McDonald’s on our way downtown. Katie and Patrick flew through the drive-through so fast we didn’t know where they went! I mean, those are some serious Mickey D’s skills. After refilling on some Sprites, we planted ourselves at Bicentennial Park. There is an amazing map of Tennessee down there! Katie and Patrick wanted a picture with their feet around the city of Franklin since that’s where they’re getting married in October!!

Okay, I just need to resolve to the fact that this post is going to be entirely TOO long. But hey, the shoot did end up being ohhhh about FIVE hours…so I have to include everything for all you bloggy peeps. Dis all be for you peeps.

Insert hour 3 of shooting: Now here, I must toot my own horn just a wee bit. I had this super duper cool idea of getting some shots with them in the street. There is this area by a bridge with that bright yellow line dividing the street. Katie and Patrick kissed over the line, pretended it was a balance beam, flirted with each other, and basically gave the camera EXACTLY what it wanted. Love it.

So if any of you have ever been down to Bicentennial, there is this HUGE amphitheater full of rock and stone. We got some suuriously cool peekchurs out dur. I mean, like suuriously. I included some below….

Next up – the night part of the shoot (ooh la la!). Okay, get your head out of the gutter. We went to a hotel!! Hmm…I think that just made it worse…

Insert hour 4 of shooting: Yeah, soooo…nevermind. We DID go down to the Union Station Hotel. Now we’ve reached about hour 4 and are sloooowly losing our energy, but we keep truckin’ along anyway! Really, this is too much fun. We got some shots of Katie and Patrick on the bridge near the I-40 interstate and yet again….in the middle of the street. Except THIS time, it was getting dark and there wasLOTS of traffic. Yikes. Nevertheless, we got some shots of Patrick running at the camera like a bear. Should I include that one in this post?? Hmmm…that would be a YES. Sorry Patty boy.

Insert hour 5 of shooting: Onward ho to inside the hotel! I found this really cool bar area we could shoot some in, complete with a chill couch and modern atmosphere. We shot in there a while and then got complained at by the bartender because “that flash is blinding everyone in here!!” Oh, the family of 4 across the room? Well, okay okay, maybe so…so we decided to shoot elsewhere. We are lovers, not fighters!

Something Katie and I both LOVED LOVED LOVED was that there is a black, shiny, super gorg, I-wanna-take-it-home-now grand pianoin there. One thing I was super excited to learn about her is that she plays piano too!! We got some shots of them around the piano, in the lobby, and some other areas around the ground floor of the hotel.

Annnnnnnnnnd scene.

By this time, we were all pretty exhausted!! We had an AMAZING day with Katie and Patrick. Seriously, we are already planning on getting together with them for mexican (hehe…I’ll never change!! Would you expect anything different?! Well, maybe we can throw in some margaritas this time…) and going out to shoot one evening. Patrick even offered to take pictures of Shane and I since he understands what it’s like to always be behind the camera and wanting to have some pictures taken for a change! Be on the lookout for those pictures of us in the next few months….

Shane and I can’t WAIT to shoot their wedding this October. I really feel like it is such a blessing to do a shoot like this. Not only do we work our bootys off and come up with some photos we are really proud of, but we made some great friends along the way. That probably means more than anything…..

Until next time…

Smile pretty,

Raychle

Although you know, that probably is a good thing….if more people did that here, got married the spur of the moment or in an intoxicated stupor of enlightenment, engagement pictures would be no more! And that means me and Shane are stuck with a camera and no young excited whipper shnappers to take pikchurs of. (No, that’s not a speeling erorr.) Now that just can’t happen.

Sooo maybe I should get on to what I was going to chitty chat about in the first place…another blog means MORE PICTURES! Do I hear wedding bells a-comin’? Why yes, I believe I do.

They aren’t quite sure when they’ll be ringing, but Taryn and Ryan shot some engagement pictures with us this month. And let me tell you, Taryn is BEAUTIFUL. Seriously. She is such a sweetheart and her and Ryan are an amazing couple.  But as sweet as they are, the angry nasty rainy storm clouds didn’t care to notice and kept on raining. Thumbs DOWN. Boo.

We had to improvise a bit, and they both were so flexible in working with us and the inclement weather. But seriously though, we just had aFLOOD. Nashville was all up on duh news with dat disaster! Do we NEED more rain??? We thought the downtown might up and flood againand wash us all away into the Cumberland and down to who knows where.  I might be being a bit dramatic…but what can I say. Boo again.

We began the shoot at our studio downtown and got some really great shots of Taryn and Ryan sitting in these huuuuge windows that overlook 3^rd street. Then we moved to the hallway and other areas around the studio and did some of the cute lovey kissing pictures.Although there were a few with some lip biting going on…Shane maaay have encouraged those. I don’t think that was very PG guys. Might wanna keep those away from daddy….uh oh!! :)

Thankfully, the powers that be heard our prayers for the rain to stoppeth. So, we had a wardrobe change and headed downtown! We all walked over to the…..oh dang it, what IS that place called…..okay, I just asked Shane. He won’t help me. All I hear is, “Blah blah blah, youARE the assistant, blah blah blah, durrr, blah blah some more…” Yep. That’s what he sounds like in real life, folks. Okay let me Google this mess.

WAR MEMORIAL!!! That’s the ticket!! (Mom, if you’re reading this, that was for you!) Okay, so that’s where we were. (And by the way, I told Shane with shouts of excitement what it was when I finally figured it out. “Oh. Yeah. That’s it.” Phooey.)

So anywho, Taryn and Ryan posed for some pictures around the fountains near the memorial, and get this – there was a wedding going on at the same time! Lord have mercy! As funny as it was, we all couldn’t stop watching like little stalkers in the background! It did kind of give a vibe off of what Taryn and Ryan have to look forward to…and that made me super happy.

Because Shane and I wanted to get some outdoor shots of them, we decided to meet with Taryn and Ryan for a bit the next morning to get some without the Debbie Downer rain. So after a night full of eating mexican food, (I TOLD you it would come up again…and this time, I had my chips, thankyouverymuch.) we met down at the Parthenon park and took some shots amidst the foliage and greenery. Nice verbage. Sweet.

Overall, I think the shoot turned out FANTASTICO!! We loveloveLOVE Taryn and Ryan and I hope that we are lucky enough to shoot their wedding whenever they tie the knot!! As happy we as are with how the pictures turned out, we hope that they will be just as happy with the result. Thanks guys for being so amazing to work with!! :)

Smile pretty (because the paparazzi might be stalking…Nashvegas, right??!),

Raychle

I love this time of year. It is SO much fun to be around such butterflies and mushy gushyness that make your knees weak, your heart flutter, your stomach nauseas (but in a good “I’m-not-gonna-throw-up-I-don’t-think” kind of way), and you start to act like a darn airhead because you’re daydreaming all day long. Well, maybe that’s just me. But it is the season for L-O-V-E. And for us, this means the season of W-O-R-K. Yaaaaaay us.

No, but really, yay us! Excuse my obvs sarcasm. We love doing shoots where people really are connected and into each other. It does make everything we do seem worthwhile. We went up to Louisville to do an engagement shoot for a super fun couple that are just thesweetest! They are getting married later this fall and Shane and I felt SO blessed to be able to do their engagement pictures. This helps us get to know them better and to also build a relationship with the couple we’re going to shoot in a few months on their big day!

The shoot was at Flanagan’s Ale House. No. I know what you’re thinking. They’re not alcoholics who fancy pub songs and salute the shamrock. BUT – they do know how to party! If you’ve never been to Flanagan’s, it is this low-lit earthy-feeling pub-like place structured with wood and mini lights hanging from the ceiling. The party was held in the back reception area that smelled of bruschetta and jalapeno mozzarella.  Um, amazing.

The party slowly gets started as the sun begins to set. Shane throws a camera in my hand (yep, time to take the plunge!) and we both run around and catch as many shots as possible. This was FUN. Like, totally super fun and cool, like ohmygosh. But seriously, it was great to take the initiative and see what kind of shots I can get!

We shoot for a few hours while the couple mixes and mingles, dances and drinks, and plays oldies and newbies from their iPod. People munch on appetizer-ish food and nibble at the dessert table. Eventually, Shane and I figure out a new shooting technique that helps combat the shadows in the room. Wanna know what it is??? Nope. It’s a secret. Ssshhh….but you can see me in the background of a few pictures doing my duty if you look close. Hehe…

Pretty soon, everyone is feeling the effects of the spirits (and no, I don’t mean Jesus) and becoming some dancing fools! Maybe that’s a bad choice of words. Fools. Yeah….rewind. They become some dancing happy people! Yessuh! The guy half of the couple shows off his spunky side and does a dancing solo to some Michael Jackson. The boss, aka the female half, laughs and dances alongside him. They areprecious and happy and in love and it makes me SO HAPPY to see people like this! Their energy and goofyness are infectious.

And then…..we get hungry. Like, supa hungry. Hey, we ARE the hired staff, so me and Shane grab a few plates of food and chow down for a few minutes near the end of the party. People slowly start to leave and the party begins to wind down. We both took a TON of pictures and had a great time sort of celebrating along with the couple. No, we aren’t those creepy people who hang out in the background and laugh along with everyone when we don’t know what was even said or dance by ourselves in the corner. Geez. We’re cool.

And….wait for it….I have pictures!! As always, here are some shots of the night and GUESS WHAT. Some of the pics I took actually made the cut. :) I posted mine first (about the first 7ish…) so you can see my hand at working the shutter!! So if you ever see me with a camera in hand…

Smile pretty.

Raychle

We finally have our new studio in downtown Nashville! Um, yay! Can I get a “whoop whoop?” ….okay. Maybe that’s just me throwing my hands up and raising the roof. Whatever. I’m cool.

Shane and I got super duper lucky and have a new studio space off of 3^rd Avenue and Church Street in downtown Nashville. The building is old and GORG (aka: gorgeous). The building is a few stories high and is structured in brick. Walking inside, there is this loft-style living feel while still being functional within the business sphere. There are a few other business in the building, so the décor is muy fabulosa. There are soft rich-hued couches with a traditional feel and floor rugs that delicately cover the floor. An interior designer’s duh-ream, baby.

The stair steps creak as we walk up each one, higher and higher to reach the studio. Instense, right?? The studio is up a few flights and looks down over the street below. There are these massive windows that take up the end portion of the studio. (¡Ver más abajo las fotos!)

**Side note: My semi-spanish speaking side is coming out at the moment. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s the summertime. Maybe it’s because mi novio has been teaching my Spanish. Maybe it’s because we just went to Costa Rica this past April!! Sigh. I miss it there. And ya’ll KNOW how much I love mexican food…don’t get me started on the chips (Insert 3 point snap here). And yes, I know it’s NOT Mexico, it’s Costa Rica. But still. It’s A-MAY-ZANG. Mmmhmm.

Okay, back to what I was talking about…which was…WINDOWS. Yes, they’re super big. Enough to jump from, butttt we know our pictures aren’t that bad. I mean, c’mon. The space up there is huge. You could run in circles until you’re dizzy! The walls are white and have loads of character. We already have some photo shoots coming up where we’re bringing up tons of lights, flashes, backdrops, anything and everything to make for some interesting pictures.

Also, plans are in the works for a fashion shoot day…models, makeup artists, hair, wardrobe, and THE NEW STUDIO!!! Scchaaawing!! (Wayne’s World, anyone??) Okay, now that I’ve thoroughly exhausted myself from the gym this afternoon and the random ramblings that have become my latest blog entry…time to work on some wedding photography articles!

It’s hot, you’re sweating (I mean “glowing”), the sun is supa bright (wear those sunglasses ladies! Wrinkles are no bueno!), and you’re craving a slushy, but as always…

Smile pretty!!

Raychle

P.S. Shane and I are going up to Lexington on June 27^th for the Bluegrass Budget Bridal Show! We are going to have a photography booth and also advertisement, so if anyone is getting married and wants to come….hint hint nudge nudge….

Based on the name alone, it is somewhat easy to get a clue of what Soles4Souls is all about. Their overall mission is to gather donated shoes and distribute them to people here in the United States and overseas that are without footwear. Imagine walking around outside during your daily commute without shoes all day…I can’t imagine how painful this might be. Who knows what kind of filth your feet would encounter walking down, say, Broadway and 2^nd Avenue every day? The great thing is that people are willing to give. Soles4Souls makes it their job to show those shoes where to go.

After we arrive at Mercy Lounge, we begin to set up all the equipment necessary for the fashion show (meaning, I start fulfilling my assistant duties!). There is already music playing onstage and the ambiance sets a chill, laid-back living room type mood. A huge set list of artists are performing…Carter’s Chord, Fast Ryde, Jeremy Lister, Majestico, My Tyger, and The Kingston Springs. People are chatting with each other, soaking in the music, and ready to see some clothes and jewelry! The clothes were provided by Blush, a super chic boutique here in Nashville. The jewelry was showcased by KEZA (again run by Jared and Ilea Miller).  I said it before, and I’m saying it again…google them. Google KEZA. You’ll be a better person if you do.

Being the photographer’s assistant, I am often the “test dummy” per say that helps Shane set up for his pictures. So again, I walked upand down the runway in front of everyone, helping Shane set up his settings before the show begins. Luckily, I don’t trip and make it back and forth in my heels a few times before he has what he wants to do figured out. I’m pretty good at make-believe, so pretending I’m a model isn’t too far of a stretch! Ha! (Side note: I did not make-believe the scrabble game on date night. Shane is still crying about his loss…maybe I should give him a hug or something. Or a bottle.)

The music starts pounding and models prance back and forth on the runway, showing off their clothes, jewelry, and long legs. The show is hosted by CaCee Cobb – most people will know her from VH1’s “The Price of Beauty” and MTV’s “Newlyweds.” She’s hilarious and definitely knows how to get the crowds attention! After all, the event is founded upon the importance of Soles4Souls. I posted a few pics from the show below…to see the rest of the photos, CLICK HERE.

Other than photographing an event that stands for a significant cause, seeing fabulous clothes and jewelry, and being around people who love music almost as much as I do, one of the best things about doing events like this is…the food. Yes, I said it. We like food. And not only that, we like good food. People sometimes think there is this invisible sign that says, “Don’t feed the photographers” around our necks or something. Luckily, no one saw that at this show! After driving back from Louisville that afternoon then heading straight out to shoot the fashion show, we were exhausted and hungry. We head backstage and find a plethora of pizza boxes from Urban Flats. OMG. Please eat there. They make pizza on this crispy warm seasoned flatbread that is: too. good. for. words. And it’s addicting. I had a few pieces and some wine (which was generously refilled over the course of my dinner. Go me.) and who knows how many pieces of pizza Shane had. Our goal was to try each kind of pizza….maaaaybe more than once. There were about 5 different kinds…oops…

The moral of the shoot: Donate shoes. Support KEZA. Love music. Eat pizza. And as always…

Smile pretty.

Raychle

After the match (which was held at Tasti D Lite in Nashville), Raychle swelled up with tears after she realized her loss, but she was able to pull herself together and put the night behind her… After eating 2 pints of chocolate coconut ice cream.

All in all, it was a great night.

-Shane

This week was a little different. Shane wanted to go shoot some pictures at sunset downtown Nashville, so we picked up some mexican food and made the drive down near the river. I told him that where he wanted to shoot was up on the walking bridge, but he wasn’t sure, so we drove up a few miles to find somewhere to park (for free, of course). We’re not cheap. Just resourceful. Bad thing was, we ended up parking four miles away. Yeah, four miles. In heels. No, Shane doesn’t wear heels. Just me. He did say he might for the new Sex and the City movie though…anyway. Although I didn’t realize we were going to be doing a mini-workout that night, Shane tells me, “Baby, if I ever have a camera in my hand, wear your tennis shoes and be prepared to walk a long ways.” Well, shoulda’ woulda’ coulda’. Maybe next time champ.

We walk and walk and walk and finally find a place where we want to pop a squat and eat our food. Let me tell you a little something about me. When I eat mexican food, because we don’t eat it that often (“that often” meaning every day because I could eat it every day), I am very protective about my food. Not in a, you-touch-my-food-you-lose-a-finger kind of way. But in a, I-want-my-chips-and-salsa-and-enchiladas-tapitillas sort of way. Don’t mess with my tradition. We sit down, get out our grub, and guess what. No chips. NO CHIPS. I’m still speechless. How could they forget the beginning, the precursor, the foundation to every mexican meal?!? Lord have mercy. This was not going to ruin the night.

After we finish eating our chipless meal (sigh), we walk (yet again) down to the walking bridge. It’s about sunset at this point and the perfect time to set up the camera and take some pictures. Shane puts up the tripod and aims his lens at the Nashville skyline. Using his new wide angle lens, he does some shooting using HDR. On a mucho simplified level, this is where you take three pictures: one with a low light, the second letting a little more light in (like a midrange light picture), and the third letting a lot of light in. On the computer, he combines all three into a photo that has more fabulosity than the thing in real life. Yes, it’s gorg.

Mi favorito picture is the one he shot of the bridge itself, looking down the length of it. There was a dude at the other end doing the same thing we were, but luckily you can’t see him in the photo. Hopefully we didn’t ruin his picture! I think I want to have the bridge picture printed and put up on the wall. Maybe above my piano. Or at least in the bathroom. I made Shane take the picture of the power line transformer. I’m not sure why. I just thought it might look cool. It does.

Date night was a success. Got some mexican food (minus the chips and salsa. Fail.), took some really super cool pics of downtown Nashville (wow, my vocabulary is at an all time high today. Er. Yeah.), and then proceeded to walk the four miles back to the car. It’s okay. I probably need the exercise anyway. To round out date night, we went and got some drinks (sprite, red bull, and diet coke, if you must know), some chocolate (hersheys and m&ms), and went and saw a movie. Well, two actually. Guess we were feeling sneaky that night. :)

Smile pretty,

Raychle