My own Trash the Dress | Botany Bay | Billie Jo & Jeremy Photography
I never really gave a thought to what I would do with my wedding dress after the big day. I figured I would just save it in a nice box in my closet- but how boring is that? Once I discovered the concept of "trash the dress/say yes to the mess" I was hooked. Six years after getting married I booked a session with the amazingly talented duo at Billie Jo and Jeremy Photography. We met at Botany Bay in Edisto on a gorgeous day with very strange weather. As I parked my car I noticed a massive black cloud very quickly approaching the beach. I figured we would either be totally rained out or it would provide an amazing, tumultuous background for our shoot. Thankfully, the latter prevailed though we all got pretty wet.
There are some people who criticize this practice but I have to say this was a very fun and positive experience for me. It rained the day before our wedding so the ground was wet, which pretty much destroyed the bottom of my dress. I tried cleaning it, keeping in mind that I could very well donate the dress to be worn or transformed into something else. The intricate beading was also coming undone, making it very unlikely that the dress could be used again.
Billie Jo and Jeremy did a phenomenal job on this shoot. They were sports about weathering the bits of rain and were totally game for getting in the water with me. I was so thrilled with them that I hired them to photograph both my business shoot and my personal family shoot. They are going to be sick of editing me:)
To check out more of Biilie Jo and Jeremy's wonderful work click HERE.
(*Disclaimer: 'trash the dress' while fun, can be a very dangerous practice when involving water. In the recent past there have been a few casualties and brides have drowned. Never fully submerge in water in a wedding dress. I stayed waist-deep as did my friend Mikaela on her shoot.*)
My Trash the Dress | Botany Bay
Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
Last week my son's Pre-K class took their fall field trip to Boone Hall Pumpkin patch. It was a gorgeous, clear (and hot) day and the pumpkin farm provided a beautiful background for these pictures. Of course, Liam could not wait to jump on the bounce castles. Take a look at his mid-air super hero skills...
We had a few cooler days recently- which really means the weather was in the 60s rather than the 80s- so it doesn't quite feel like fall yet in Charleston. Coming from New York, I love fall and the change of seasons. It just happens a few months later down here. The next adventure is apple picking. Stay tuned.
Pumpkin Patch 2014
Acacia Falzone
Charleston Fall Family Photography | The Povilaitis Family
I first met Quinn, the stunning mom of two seen here, when she was pregnant with her little girl Camilla. I have had the honor of photographing her pregnancy, Camilla as a newborn, and the family as a whole over the past few years. As a photographer it's such a wonderful thing to form a great relationship with a family and to have the privilege of watching them grow over the years.
For this fall family session I met the whole gang- Quinn, Michael, Luca, and Camilla- at the Children's Park on Daniel Island. We explored the shoreline with amazing trees, oyster shells, and tiny crabs. My goal is to make the kids as happy and relaxed as possible so that they cooperate for the group family shots. These kids were cake, and I even got to steal Michael and Quinn away for a few loving shots.
Thank you to the Povilaitis Family for choosing me for this honor!
Michael, Quinn, Luca & Camilla | Fall 2014
Acacia Falzone
Why hire a photographer, anyway? | Family Photography Sessions
Yes, it's that time of year again, already! How bittersweet it is. Summer is over, the holidays are just around the corner, and it's time to book a Fall Family Session!
But why? Why is it so important to photograph your family every year?
This is not an attempt to vehemently promote myself or what I do. Some people really don't see the value of professional photography. After all, we have smart phones with pretty decent cameras. We all take pictures daily, whether it's our kid at karate, a gorgeous cup of coffee, or a burning sunset you just can't pass up. Look at people's Facebook pages. They are basically photo timelines that document someone's entire existence. So again, why hire a professional like me? I hire another photographer for my family every year, and always will.
Here's why:
1. Besides the obvious fact that I have VERY expensive equipment: It gets MOM in the picture, yes you, mom. How fun is it to set up a tripod and try to get the whole family to cooperate while you run back and forth... yeah.
2. Think of the memories you will pass on to your kids in the future. Ever looked at those yellow-ed, slightly out of focus pictures of your own parents/grandparents from, say, the 60s or 70s? Those pictures are the best! Your kids don't want to inherit 1000 pictures of themselves in 30 years. They want to see their parents next to them, the family as a whole.
3. The family session creates beautiful artwork for your home and family gifts. Think canvases, framed images, holiday cards, personalized coffee mugs.
4. Kids change so quickly (too quickly). For almost two decades kids grow like weeds! Their faces change, they get taller, they get braces, each year gives you thousands of memories that can be captured in one session.
5. A professionally and artistically trained photographer has the eye to capture you and your whole family in the best possible way. We want you to be ecstatic about your images. We want you to be overjoyed with how great everyone looks. We want to create a gallery that is like a magical time capsule that will engender the best memories and feelings for the rest of your life. Photographers are able to capture those tiny "in-between" moments where true personality and emotion comes out. Those are golden moments.
Anyway, there's my two cents. You will never regret a family session, I guarantee it. I can't wait for my own this year:)
Acacia Falzone
Charleston Senior Portrait Photography | Austin
I had such a wonderful time taking senior pictures for my amazing world-traveler brother, Austin. He just spent the past year as an exchange student in Denmark and closed out his trip with Euro Tour- which makes me envious beyond belief! I asked Austin to get me little magnates in each country and now our refrigerator is full of cute, kitsch-y souvenirs from Iceland to Spain to Vienna. He even put our own padlock on the Lock Bridge in Paris! Just another excuse to vacation there asap:)
Thank goodness for my very own assistant (and my son) - Liam. He made sure to follow Austin's every move, climb on him, and make him jump on the boat dock for some good splash pictures. Austin is truly Liam's favorite super hero now. So sweet.
Austin | 2014
Acacia Falzone