Emily and Alex’s Gratz Park and Overbrook Farm Engagement

Ok… so I will start off by saying that this post may be a little more image heavy than normal because this couple is a little extra special to us!  How could they not be when the BRIDE also happens to be our cousin and ALSO happens to have invited our kiddos to be her flower girl and ring bearers!  Needless to say that this wedding day will be full of memories for all of us and will be captured by none other than Troy and myself.  (could turn into a complete circus… but we have our fingers crossed!  LOL… totally joking… it will be great!)  We were invited to Overbrook farm for the first part of the session and I cannot say enough about how QUIET and beautiful it is there.  I could live there the rest of my life and be totally happy!  There is a new place to explore around every corner.  Gorgeous horses, scenery and even some geese that were none too happy we were there!  (They hissed at us as we drove by! YIKES!)

Here are a few from Overbrook:

Does she have AMAZINGLY beautiful hair or what?!!!!  If my hair were that long I would be in one constant seizure of pain… obviously you can tell I am a short hair kinda gal!  LOL  The wind off the water was whipping us every which way but we were thankful for it because it was UNSEASONABLY warm 90 degrees that day!!!!!  HOLY CARP!

Then there was the WATERFALL!  Be still my heart.. to the far left of this image in the shadow you will notice a few geese that were none too happy we were there!  They were squawking and hissing!  Not very inviting!  LOL… I so wish I could take my kids here for a photo.  It was just PERFECT!

The we drove around a bit more and climbed to the top of a hill through a grove of trees and on the top of the hill sat this barn.  It was literally breathtaking.  I have only had my breath taken away a few times in my life and looking through that barn and seeing the TRUE rolling hills of Kentucky in the background was nothing short of amazing!

On our way up to the top of the AWE INSPIRING BARN’s Hill we stopped for a few along the way!  There were horses in both pastures to the right and left of us… it was truly beautiful.

Somewhere along the way Emily and Alex stole a few second away from the camera… or so they thought!  LOL

And then I saw it… every woman has a look.  Now I know it sounds silly but truthfully there is a bit of sexiness to be found in ANY bride to be!  Heck its teh best time of your life!!  You feel most beautiful and in love and it shows!  This is Emily’s “look”.  Now for those who know her, you know she is normally a BRIGHT smile and happy kinda girl.  I personally thinks she looks like Giada…

Do you see it??

See it now?!  See.. told you! Not only is Emily and amazingly gorgeous, member of ones of the best families on earth, super sweet, totally stylish, but she looks like a celebrity too.. what more could a photographer ask for?

An awesome location… yup… got that too!  LOL

After we had fun playing at the farm we headed downtown to the spot where Alex proposed to Emily at Christmas.. I have seen pics of the engagement itself… VERY sweet and thoughtful but I think Alex was freezing his butt off!  It was like -10 degrees outside!!! LOL  Lucky enough for us.. it was more like 89 degrees this day!  Yes, apparently we like to go from one extreme to the other!

The tulips were in bloom and FANTASTIC!  I think this feels a little Vintage New York!

One of my very favorite images from the session!!!   Something about it just grabs at my heart!

And yes a little sexy for the end!  So that about does it… I have to say a little “Sorry” to our Uncle John.  I know that at some point we were going to have to let you down easy that Emily’s “friend” Alex will, before the end of the year be Emily’s HUSBAND!  LOL… I know that they may have had to issue the images to you in small bits John but your little girl is an amazing woman now and we are proud to be a part of her wedding!!

Tops in Lexington TOP WEDDINGS… 2nd year in a row!:)

Yes… so we’re pretty proud to be featured, for the second year in a row, as one of Kentucky’s TOP Weddings in the TopsinLex.  This is such a fabulous publication and we are always proud to be a part of it!  Check out our work… Kristen and Alan were the featured wedding for their “Book” Themed reception!  It was VERY beautiful and totally personal!  I loved it.  Definitely one of the more uniquely beautiful weddings I have ever seen!

Location was the gorgeous Talon Winery.

The florals were amazing by Suzi Hjorth of Magnolia Floral Design.

Cake by the awesome Martine of Martine’s Pastries.

Wedding Planning by Jackie Lee of Every Last Detail.

View the COMPLETE ISSUE HERE

Not to mention our amazing ad with another of our fabulous couples, Maureen and Chad (wedding pics to come!)

Bethany & Drew’s Engagement Session (Keeneland, Waveland, Baseball Field and my FAVORITE field!)

So normally I can plan the light REALLY well and it seems that spring is going to impose it’s own set of challenges as far as lighting. Not to fear, this year Schmidt Studio is equipped with some AWESOME new lighting plans and equipment!  Look out world… he we come… off camera lighting and all!  I am really excited for our brides’ receptions this year:)  Stay tuned later in the post for photos with our new lighting… !!!

We met up with Bethany and Drew at Keeneland for their engagement session and started our session there.  WHY?  Is it ALWAYS so windy at Keeneland?  I will never know!   Right now in the middle of changing seasons it can be nice and warm elsewhere and on top of Keeneland’s hill it is 30!  Poor Bethany’s teeth were chattering at one point!

Lucky enough for me Bethany and Drew were good sports.  She fabulously chose some AWESOMELY coordinated outfits for this session.  I think that maybe my next “What to wear” post for engagement will be based on Bethany and Drew!  They rocked it!

I was totally smitten with her HOT boots and AMAZING necklace!

And then we happened upon Bethany’s “drop dead gorgeous, model / amazing” look…

See what I am talking about?!!

At any rate we wandered around collecting some stunning images at Keeneland but my favorite has to be THIS one:

To die for?  I think so! (New lighting should be dually noted here… )

After Keeneland we decided to change scenery and went over to Waveland (another of our favorite haunts!)  Although there was lots of MUD and it was getting dark QUITE fast… we still managed to get some stunning images.

Somewhere along the way Drew sprung it on me that he wanted Baseball pics!  Which we were totally up for, but this threw a curve ball at me (TOTAL pun intended) to be hearing it first during the session.  So I wracked my brain and quickly realized that we could stop off at a field on our way to my favorite field. I think these are by far my favorite images of the entire session!  I am so OCD… I like to have a plan and a backup and a backup of my backup but somehow I notice that my FAVORITE images of all time were not planned at all!  Maybe God is trying to tell me something!

I mean really it’s like “Real Housewives of Kentucky”!  I LOVE this!  Makes me want to get a group of my brides together and do an imitation shot!  (wheels turning… any brides interested shoot me a Facebook message!  .. must be a former or current SS&G bride… ps… I am TOTALLY being serious here! )

PS… Thanks Dunbar for lending us your field for a few photos!  (and here… new lighting again!)

Looks he’s multi-talented!  He can toss a baseball and look at his beautiful bride at the same time!!!!!!!!!  (took us a minute to figure out the logistics of this one!  LOL!)

Have you ever seen a dugout look so HOT!??  I think not … until now!  (definitely some smokin hot new lighting techniques here!)

And there was LIGHT!  Night time?  No problem for the old SS&G… new equipment = new ideas= more hours of fun photographing! (and OMWord… what about this?  Yes… it was pitch black outside and still… amazing pics… right!?)

The session was totally fun!  Bethany is of course the absolute CUTEST ever (Drew isn’t bad himself lol) and we cannot wait until their wedding day!  We know that it is going to be a truly amazing day and we are honored to be chosen to capture their wedding day memories!

Aboretum Engagement: Randa and James

As I went back pulling images for our brand NEW WEBSITE (coming soon!) I realized something.  I managed to fall back in love with SO many of my older images.  Every photographer struggles with feeling like their NEXT image is always the best but for me, I find comfort, in the “oldie but goodies” … if you KWIM.  In looking back over my work through the years I found many images that still tugged at my heart strings and made me say “oooh” and “awww..”.  It made me feel good.  Warmed my heart a little to know that my clients must be feeling the same when THEY look at these images from years gone by.  Some of these clients have moved away, started families and we don’t get to talk to them as much as we would like but they are always with us… in our hearts.  Somehow, we get to keep a little piece of them with us and that is a neat feeling.

Randa and James have touched our hearts many times over.  Their sweet story and passion for God, life and each other is just contagious.  I remember photographing their engagement pictures and knowing what a fun time would be had at their wedding.  I was RIGHT!!!   We are lucky that we still get to keep in touch with these two and continue to be blessed by them and their families.

These photos actually brought tears to my eyes… then and now!

FREE Wedding Planning Tools: Sunrise /Sunset Calculator

A lot of our job depends on light.  Knowing when sunrise and sunset will occur is important to our decision making for portraits.  Any bride planning an outdoor wedding should make it a priority to figure out what the ANGLE of the light will be on their wedding day, in their exact LOCATION and at the EXACT time they are choosing.  Try to visit your location within the same WEEK as your wedding (if possible) and LOOK at the lighting situation.  Sunset weddings are good in theory as long as the sun is not blasting your eyes.  Keep in mind that difficult lighting situations = less photos because it will take your photographer LONGER to set up, meter and makes changes for each shot.  Also… as nice as the the sun “setting” behind you is… that is TOUGH for photographers.  Especially if you are not allowing them the use of flash during the ceremony.  Keep in mind that your guests may have sunglasses but the cameras do NOT!

Another thing to think about with ANY wedding is planning your photography during the BEST light of the day.  Photographers call the last hour before sunset the “golden hour” or the “sweet light”.  THAT last hour is the best light of the day.  It is even diffused, warm and easy.  It is both romantic and flattering.  If you are planning your ceremony at sunset and NOT planning to see each other until AFTER the wedding ceremony, it will be DARK by then.  Think of moving your ceremony back an hour or seeing other before hand for pictures.  I understand tradition and respect it but at the end of the day, all that you have left are your vows, your rings and your photos!!!

Here is our favorite “Sunrise / Sunset Times” Calculator for Lexington / Central Kentucky times.

You can look up your wedding date and find out the sunset time for the day.  If you are having a wedding near the daylight savings time change be sure to take that into account also.

For the upcoming year we will SPRING Forward on March 13, 2011, FALL Back November 6, 2011.

We use this almost DAILY and hope that it helps our brides out!

Jill & Aaron’s Keeneland Engagement Photos

Jill and Aaron will be getting married this coming October and we will have the honor of photographing their wedding day!! YAY   I know it is going to be beautiful and we are always proud to be a part of our couples’ special days.

We met up with Jill and Aaron at Keeneland to start off their fabulous and fun engagement session!  Although it was quite cold outside (as evidenced by the snow on the ground…) Jill and Aaron were tough and it made them all the more likely to be caught snuggling One of my favorite things about Keeneland is that it has so many different “looks” and no matter what season you in it is beautiful in a different way each season.  I know that there are plenty of photographers in Lexington who shoot at Keeneland but I like to think I SEE Keeneland in a different way!  Yes, the paddock is awesome but I am always drawn to nooks and crannies like the old black barns and the stone building (that used to be covered in poision ivy!!! eeeek).

One of my favorite things is this gate that stands, alone, at the top of the hill.  The sunlight always  streams in just a certain way, filtered by the tree that shades it.  Something about that spot just takes my breath every time.

And then a funny thing happened… I was taking a standard couple shot on the other side of this vehicle and had a good sized lens on my camera so I was only seeing a tightly cropped image.  Troy, however, was standing over my shoulder and off to the side a bit and THIS is what he saw:

I mean really… that should be on a commercial.  Sorry guys… just couldn’t resist posting it!  I vote we enter the pic in some contests and if we win a car we will share it   How about that?!  LOL  Or maybe we can win multiples cars and then we each get one!!!  Yeah… I like that even better!

After Keeneland we headed out to my favorite field.. where the grass is always golden and so is the light!  I mean I really could not be any more in love with this field if God attached a little note to it that said :  “To Amber … from God… have fun and take great pics!” … sigh…

My favorite thing about Jill and Aaron… they are fabulous TOGETHER!  There is no oddness.  They fit together perfectly and are so comfortable together that it makes my job easy!

It’s funny to me when people say “You have such amazing photos!”.  I always respond, “It’s easy when you have great subjects!”.  That statement could not be any more true than with these two! 

Happy Valentine’s Day you love birds you!

Tracy & Adam’s Somerset (The Coal Reserve) Engagement Photos

Tracy and Adam will be getting married this summer in Somerset, Kentucky and the whole SS&G crew is looking forward to their fabulous wedding day!

For their engagement photos we headed out to Somerset and to The Coal Reserve.  I have to say that I have seen a LOT of venues and this place WOWed me!  Brides in the area looking for a venue… we got a sneak peek of what I am sure will be one of the most sought after venues in the Somerset area and it was nothing short of AMAZING!

It’s always fun to work with couples whom we have previously met.  Adam was a member of Dackery’s wedding party a few years back at Cumberland Falls (Remember Chelsen and Dackery?!  They had a stunning wedding ) and Dackery (our former groom) will be a member of Adam’s wedding party this summer.

Adam is a Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy!  Obviously, from the photos you can tell that he takes pride in his work.  We were stoked to get to work with Adam IN UNIFORM!  I love it when couples prepare for their engagement sessions and have ideas that are uniquely them!  It was definitely a first for me but we loved it!  I think the pics of Adam in uniform turned out especially fabulous!

We even took a few just for the Sheriff! 

If you didn’t notice the “coal” theme… its there notice this pile of rocks in the landscaping?  Not just rocks… coal!  Even the “bark” around the landscaping was coal chunks!

Indoors there were these towering 20-30 foot walls that were made from stacked stone coal!  Even the fireplace had coal chunks in it instead of “glass”… All very special and amazing.

We are totally excited for their upcoming wedding day and know that it will be a beautiful and memorable event for all!!!

Anna & Chuck’s Engagement Photos at Shakertown

For Anna and Chuck’s engagement photos we ventured out to Shakertown one day in late fall.  It’s funny to me that there are so many things that are distinctly Kentucky that I never have really had the chance to explore.  Exploring Shakertown with these two was super fun and I can only imagine that their wedding day is going to be a blast.

First I have to say that Anna’s fiance’s name is A-W-E-S-O-M-E… I have a Charles (my middle son) who we were thinking of calling Chuck before we decided on using his middle name “Ross” as his “name” so it’s always fun to meet other Chucks, Charlies, Charles, and of course Rosses!  But even better… Chuck’s last name is TAYLOR!  I stinking love it.  I am sure, after having lived in this name his entire life that he may get sick of it but I love it.  I would totally bribe him to wear “Chuck’s” to his wedding!  LOL

I just really love couples who are so comfortable together.  I think that I have categorized all couples into three lump sums: 1) Giggly Anticipation, 2) Hip and Sexy, 3) Totally Comfortable.  Anna and Chuck definitely fall into the TOTALLY comfortable category.  It is always a JOY to photograph a couple who have such a great connection.

And of COURSE we share a mutual love of the UK Wildcats Basketball!  GOOOOOOOOOOO C……A………T………..S  – CATS CATS CATS!  I guess if I ever had a DUKE fan I might have to refuse to photograph their sportswear.  Does that make me a bad person!?

A funny side note about this photo… what you CANNOT see is there is a whole pasture full of COWS right behind them and down the hill.  And for some reason, on this day, it must have been close to feeding time because the cows were a bit loud.  Every time we would try capture an intimate moment a COW would let us know how he felt about the whole thing… it was quite comical.

The Smith Family’s fall photos

I have known Lynn for a while now through a parent board that we are both members of.  Her daughter shares a few of Kyleigh’s medical issues so we bonded quickly over talks of surgeries and other medical kid related stuff!

When Lynn asked me to photograph her beautiful family I, of COURSE, said yes!  I could take a million photographs in my lifetime but the ones that I will always remember are the ones that were unique and special.  When you have a friendship like Lynn and I do, it makes creating beautiful memories for their family, that much more special!

I also have to say… that these are some of my favorite family photos that I have ever taken to date! 

I even managed to get the boys to smile… REAL smiles!  That is always an accomplishment.  Having two boys myself I know how hard this can sometimes be!

Having my daughter as the youngest child I have to say that there is a SPECIAL bond between a mom and her daughter.  I could not love my boys any more if I tried but there is just something about a mom and daughter that is different than any other relationship in the world!!  I always love capturing photos that express that bond!

And yes… we make menfolk look cool too   Thanks for posing for me guys!

Lindsey & Allen Engaged (and married!)

So, yes, epic fail on blogging this year.  The holidays hit, the snow came, the files piled up, the planes flew us to Disney, we LOVED it and came home sick… LOL.  That pretty much sums up our November and December 2010!!  In the midst of the madness we met a TON of awesome couples, shot three weddings and booked SO many weddings that we are already looked forward to 2013 wedding bookings!  YAY us and yay all the couples!

At any rate, every year we have the honor of photographing a special couple’s wedding on us.  Yes… for free.  Why?  Because we want to!  I wish I that I could spread the free wedding love and fabulous photos to everyone but unfortunately I have three very hungry caterpillars (er.. kids) at home who like to eat (and fly to Disney!).  But… each year we give away a wedding.  Could we book a wedding on that date?  Yes, but we charge nothing on that day because we can.  We do own the joint!

This year we chose Lindsey and Allen.  Sometimes our couples magically drop into our life and we have never met them before.  This year was different.  We have known Lindsey for MANY years and as a matter of fact SHE attended our wedding 10 years ago!  We were so honored to be able to spend the day with this fabulous couple and capture all of their wedding memories.  We will be posting their wedding pics later (you can see their sneak peek now on FACEBOOK ) but we did have a chance to take them out on an adventure for their engagement session that took us from their own backyard to Evan’s Orchard in Georgetown, KY.