Posts Tagged ‘USC’
Wedding at St. Thomas More: Andrea and Chavous
We have a great couple for you today!
Chavous and Andrea were married at St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel at the University of South Carolina. Chavous and I have known each other for quite a while and our overlapping passions for computers, college radio, photography, and philosophy mean that when we get together we usually wind up talking for quite a while. Not on the wedding day, though–he had more pressing matters to attend to.
(If you were marrying her you’d be focused on that, too.)
Unfortunately, Chavous was in such a hurry to marry Andrea that he sliced the crap out of himself shaving. He was literally holding a handkerchief to his lip between every formal photo we did leading up to the ceremony. Of course, you can’t see the wound here because I’m such an amazing photographer. (*Cough* * Cough* Photoshop *Cough*)
Injuries aside, the wedding was lovely, with beautiful details as you can see in Wendy’s photo of Andrea’s garter.
…and the lovely bride herself.
After the ceremony, the party moved over to the Chickawa Outdoor Center at Saluda River Club where there was eating…
…dancing…
…kissing… 
(Okay, mostly by the bride and groom.)
There was even time for a little spinning, and some lovingly looking into one another’s eyes.
(…’cause that’s what you do.)
Wedding at St. Thomas More: Andrea and Chavous
We have a great couple for you today!
Chavous and Andrea were married at St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel at the University of South Carolina. Chavous and I have known each other for quite a while and our overlapping passions for computers, college radio, photography, and philosophy mean that when we get together we usually wind up talking for quite a while. Not on the wedding day, though–he had more pressing matters to attend to.
(If you were marrying her you’d be focused on that, too.)
Unfortunately, Chavous was in such a hurry to marry Andrea that he sliced the crap out of himself shaving. He was literally holding a handkerchief to his lip between every formal photo we did leading up to the ceremony. Of course, you can’t see the wound here because I’m such an amazing photographer. (*Cough* * Cough* Photoshop *Cough*)
Injuries aside, the wedding was lovely, with beautiful details as you can see in Wendy’s photo of Andrea’s garter.
…and the lovely bride herself.
After the ceremony, the party moved over to the Chickawa Outdoor Center at Saluda River Club where there was eating…
…dancing…
…kissing…
(Okay, mostly by the bride and groom.)
There was even time for a little spinning, and some lovingly looking into one another’s eyes.
(…’cause that’s what you do.)
Why We Go to School in the Summer
No, we didn’t flunk Phys-Ed class.
Since Wendy is a teacher and I taught for several years, you’d think that school is the last place we’d want to spend our summer. (Yes, kids, your teachers look forward to summer as much as you, and probably much, much more.) But for the last three years we’ve spent four days of each summer on the campus of USC taking classes. Why would we do this voluntarily? Because we’ve gotten to study the art of image-making with some of the best photographers in the country.
The school is The Lamarr Williamson School of Photography: an annual collection of workshops put on by the Professional Photographers of South Carolina. This year featured an amazing group of instructors including Judy Host, Lou Freeman, and Louis Tonsmeire. Wendy and I studied with Ted and Rachel Linczak of Linczak Photography, who, in addition to being spectacular photographers and educators, are a great couple to hang out with.
Wendy and I keep coming back to the Lamarr School because we truly believe that photography is an art and a craft, and that great art cannot be created consistently without hard work and study. The instructors at the Lamarr School are committed to their craft, and have spent years (usually decades) becoming masters of it–not only learning the rules, but how to obey and to break them in ways that surprise and delight the viewer.
The image above is one that Wendy and I created after Ted and Rachel sent us off with our class’s models to put into practice some of what we’d learned during our first two days of study. We were less than half way through the class and already we were seeing new ways to photograph our clients that, hopefully, will knock their friggin’ socks off.
On Wednesday, students submitted our favorite photos taken at the school for the instructors to judge and ours (the one above) won the best image award! [Insert photo of Wendy and me fist-bumping.] That felt pretty amazing, but it’s also humbling, because The Lamarr School is filled with incredibly talented students, and we were up against photos that took my breath away.
That’s the other great thing about the Lamarr School: the students. Everyone in our class was already a truly skilled photographer, but they were committed to excellence–to continual growth and to never being satisfied with “good enough”. They were also really encouraging and a lot of fun to hang around.
Because of all of this, for the foreseeable future, Wendy and I will continue to go to summer school.
Engagement Session: Brian and Sara
When I moved back to Columbia for my Master’s, Brian was one of the first new friends I made. That’s probably because he was one of the few people who spent as much time in Cool Beans as I did. It’s also because we fall easily into lengthy conversations that span topics ranging from literature to educational theory to whether the latest superhero movie is likely to be any good. I didn’t meet Sara until much later, but I taught with her (awesome) mom for several years. In fact, after Brian and Sara had been dating a while, her mom asked my opinion on Brian. (Don’t worry, Brian, I gave you a good review!)
Let’s talk about the lovely couple, though. First off, I think that they may have the best jobs of any couple we’ve photographed so far. Brian is a writer/professor. No, really, a real writer. He’s on Amazon and everything. (By the way, that link leads to his novel Through a Pale Door. The protagonist’s name in that novel? Sarah. Yeah, there’s an ‘h’ at the end, but I’m assuming that’s a typesetting error. Did I mention that he wrote Through a Pale Door a few years before he met Sara? Or that the protagonist of the first novel of his that I ever read was named Sarah? I’m not saying Brian is prescient or anything, but…) Anyway, I’m kind of disappointed that he didn’t show up for the engagement session in a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches, but it was a good reminder to me to always consult on wardrobe.
Sara, on the other hand, works with monkeys, apes, and small mammals, which you’ll know, if you’ve ever taught, is pretty much just like teaching. Hah! I kid! (Not really.)
But yeah, I definitely picture the two of them teaming up, getting some grant money, and finally finding out just how many monkeys typing it takes to produce the Twilight series*.
We finished up the shoot in Cool Beans, because love goes better with coffee…
…and Battlestar Galactica reenactments.
*(I’m kidding, of course. Everyone knows the answer is three monkeys, plus a bottle of cheap gin.)
Kendra – Bridal Portraits
Happy new year!
The Lumos Studio blog has languished for far too long, and so, as a new year dawns, we’re returning to the web with a vengeance. We have a year’s worth of beautiful brides, cute couples, bouncing babies, wonderful weddings, and annoying alliteration to share with you, dear reader. But it’s not just photographs we have to share. Oh no! There will be glimpses behind the curtain at Lumos Studio, tips and tricks, and perhaps the occasional philosophical musing. So, as you plan for this new year, ripe with possibilities, we hope that you’ll include coming along with us on our journey and saying “hi” from time to time.
The first stop on our adventure takes us back to March, when we took these photos of Kendra around the campus of the University of South Carolina. I’ve known Kendra’s family since high school and even taught with her mom for a time. They’re a great family that turns out beautiful, sweet daughters like it’s their job.
 I have a confession to make about this next photo: I didn’t think we could pull it off. My lovely wife Wendy, though, was more confident in my abilities than I was and gracefully persuaded me to keep working with it until we captured this frame. I suspect the little jig I danced when I looked at the back of the camera suggested to her that she was right all along, but a little public validation never hurts, does it?
Kendra had a long and gorgeous veil that I think gave an air of mystery to these photos.
It always feels good to repose after a long shoot in a fairly heavy dress. The Inn at USC is one great place in Columbia to find that.
Wendy and I hope that your new year is filled with joy and beauty that is uninterrupted by the Mayan calendar. There’s lots more coming up, so please join us on Wednesday for our next post!
Our Anniversary/Wendy’s Birthday
You’re going to have to bear with me on this post, because it’s not a whole lot more than bragging. You see, I’m married to the most awesome woman on the face of the planet. Please don’t get me wrong–there are many awesome women on this planet–I just happen to be married to the most awesome of them all.
This past week, I got to celebrate this amazing woman and our marriage to one another. See, our anniversary was on Wednesday and Wendy’s birthday was on Thursday, meaning that, should I ever forget these dates, I am totally and completely doomed. No, I’m kidding, I have an amazingly patient and forgiving wife but I plan to never test her forgiveness that hard.
Anyway, we started out our anniversary in full wedding mode, with a bridal shoot with the lovely Joie (who you’ll meet next week) at the historic Seibels House and Garden. It’s a gorgeous site, which you can see from this quick snap I took of Wendy while testing light.
After our shoot, we were trying to decide on a place to eat our anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, we were both pretty stuffed up (pollen, anyone?) and didn’t really want to splurge on a fancy meal that we might or might not be able to taste. What to do? Eat at Blue Cactus, of course! Let me be clear–we chose Blue Cactus not because they’re not delicious, but because the way they cook, we knew we’d be able to taste it.
So yeah, in short, there were photos, there were gifts, there was food. It was a good day.
Thursday was set aside for us to celebrate, so there were…more gifts, more photos, and more food. This is Wendy in her new camera t-shirt:
In the photo we’re on our way to the McCutchen House for lunch. If you’ve never eaten there, you must remedy that soon. The food is delicious and the restaurant is staffed by USC students from the School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management who must be getting graded on their performance because the service is excellent. The McCutchen House is also where Wendy and I had our wedding reception. This visit wasn’t quite as exciting as that one, but we did actually get to eat this time.
There is no explanation for these next photos except that my wife is beautiful and we were messing around:
(I wish Wendy had told me how flat my hair was.)
(Did I mention that the McCutchen House has some great light?)
“Ooh! A brick wall!”
So, after eating and playing around USC, we went shopping so that Wendy could spend a little of her birthday money. I know you’re dying to know what she bought, but hang on!
Finally, we wrapped up our celebration of our anniversary and Wendy’s birthday by treating ourselves to…another photoshoot! This one was at The Inn at Claussen’s–the place we spent our wedding night–and Wendy busted our her birthday purchases:
And if you think blondes have more fun, you haven’t seen anything yet:
So yeah, that’s my wife.
I am more grateful than I can express to have had the joy of spending the last three years of my life with her. She is my constant inspiration and the love of my life. Thank you for three amazing years, Baby, and happy birthday!
