Kelly + Trevor. Christmas Snippet #1

Ok, so we have been horrible bloggers. Truth is, we're working our hineys off just trying to edit images and run this lovely wedding photography business we have going on. So, we headed to Colorado yesterday for a few weeks of editing and guess what? Blogging. Yes!! We want to post lots of weddings on our blog in the coming weeks so stay tuned. We are going to be calling these our "snippets" since time is of the essence and we don't want to end up like last year where we didn't blog many of our cool weddings due to time issues...our solution...snippets. Hopefully everyone will agree that snippets are better than no snippets at all.

To kick this off we will start with Kelly and Trevor, two wonderful clients lovingly referred to us by our lovely friends Lindsay and Josh whose wedding we photographed in 2006.

Every couple is different. Kelly and Trevor stood out to us for a few specific reasons...1) It was obvious they were head over heels in love with each other. 2) It was also obvious how much they were adored by their friends and family. The toasts rocked our socks off. 3) This couple had much joy in life...it enveloped them and showed in every photo. We LOVE that.

We'll let the photos tell you the rest of the story:





































....and they lived happily ever after.

Alexis + Jason

Alexis was the kind and beautiful princess

Jason was her gentle and charming prince

They had a fairytale wedding

Involving
lots of Love
beauty

family & friends
a tree planting

more Love
a kiss
a flat tire

a beautiful horse
a walk in a field
lots of respect

a bbq
Lanterns
kidnapping of the groom and his pantaloons

a campfire
marshmallows
pies & cake

It was indeed a fairytale wedding....



































and they lived:

HAPPILY

EVER

AFTER.

Kelsey and Scott, a Williamsburg wedding.

So you may remember Kelsey, She was the lovely bride we photographed back in the spring for her Bridal Portraits. Her wedding was held at the Kimgsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. What an amazing wedding this was and what a great couple they are. We truly had fun photographing them. Some of these shots are in our faves sideshow above. I hope we get a chance to hang with these guys again someday.



































This was their Doggie.. Very Cute, His tongue was kind of stuck there.


Love the Goose.








Those are Crepe Myrtles that have been pruned back. Love them.




There is just something about this shot. I love the natural yet dramatic looks on their faces.




Bride Approved.


Love the Yellows Whites and Greens!


One of the most creative cakes we have seen. Tasty too.








Yes that is Scott. Grooms take note.

Happy Anniversary Janet and Jeremy!

So, the big question is...exactly how far behind are the Sandersons on their blogging adventure? And the answer is...1 year exactly with a couple of exceptions thrown in. Maybe our dear readers will find it amusing to see weddings we shot one year ago in the craziness that was summer of 2008. We love showing our readers where we have been and what we have been up to, so instead of skipping some of our very favorite weddings, we are going to try to do anniversary blog posts from our weddings last year intermingled with weddings from this year.

Enter Janet and Jeremy.


We loved, loved, loved, this wedding. Not just because they are family, (but they are!) not just because they let us drag them all over Colorado, into crazy fields and old abandoned houses in their wedding attire (but they did!) not just because they made their wedding fun for all who attended (but they did!) but just because we loved the way they loved each other, loved everyone around them and had a blast doing it.

Since this was family, we had an extremely hard time narrowing the images. Here are a few of our favorites....

Getting Ready







The Ceremony



Love the way Jeremy is looking at Janet here...




This is always one of my FAVORITE moments in a wedding; the pure joy of coming down the aisle married to your love.


The Portraits





The Reception




Had to throw this one of our little Lillianna in here...she had soooo much fun!!







One last hug from Mom...


And off they go...


Luckily, we got to shoot them a little the next day! They were such good sports, I think Janet was freeeeeeezing.







We love to shoot late at night with long exposures. John painted these with a huge flashlight while Janet and Jeremy stood VERY still.




Hope you enjoyed these! We love feedback, let us know what you think!

Stephanie and Jordan, an Elegant New York City Wedding

Hello again to our loyal blog readers who have been asking us for another post! We are so sorry to keep you waiting for so long. If you are one of our clients and you are waiting to see your wedding here...please know we are doing our best and will try to catch up as this month goes on!

We thought that a good way to start off a month of no blogging was to jump right into was a beautiful event that we shot in New York City recently. Stephanie and Jordan, with the help of their friends and family had a storybook wedding. It was perfect down to the littlest detail. What an amazing way to start the next chapter of their lives!

Stephanie had a stunning Oscar de la Renta wedding dress. Stunning. This dress was just "gasp out loud" beautiful.








Jordan and the guys got ready at the Waldorf Astoria and decided to walk and take the subway to Gustavino's.




We managed to sneak in a few bridal portraits before the ceremony. How amazing does she look?!













First meeting of Jordan and Stephanie. I LOVED this meeting!! You could just feel the love and joy radiating between them and you could see the excitement for what was to come all tied up in these couple of moments.




The Bridal Party


The Ketubah Signing



The Ceremony





The Portraits















Dad gave pretty much the best speech/song ever. The story behind the song that Emily (Stephanie's beautiful sister) gave us was that Dad used to sing them to sleep when they were little girls and they adored those moments. He hadn't pulled out that guitar for many years. (thus the shock on Stephanie's face) Let me just tell you, the tears flowed freely...even by us. He sang Bob Dylan's "Forever Young". It was beautiful and poignant.







The Parent Dances




The Cake. Stephanie has some very talented family and friends. Her Aunt decorated this lovely cake for them.



What an amazing party!





Stephanie and Jordan, thank you for the honor of sharing your blessed day with us! We loved being a part of it!

The Slideshow.

Sarah and Eric, Aspen Destination.

Ok so where were we.. Oh yeah, JUNE! yes. Still blogging June 2008 weddings. Next on the list, Sarah and Eric. Sarah and Eric were married in Aspen Colorado at the Aspen Meadows. Every detail of this wedding was excellent. The best part was the totally laid back personalities of these two. We pretty much just went out and had fun. This trip to Colorado strengthened our resolve to start shooting more Colorado resort weddings. The color, weather and crisp mountain air (not to mention tons of lovely family!).. everything about shooting in Colorado is different. It's a great addition to our style and we hope to do many more. We also hope we get a chance to visit these guys again someday. (and if you are ever in Aspen I recommend visiting their shop in Downtown Aspen called The Gallerie.)

Preparations.







Ceremony









Portraits








Reception








I love this photo because it also features one of my favorite artists ever, Andy Goldsworthy the piece is called Stone River.

Lola and Boladji in Punta Cana!

We had the honor of documenting a very special marriage in November. Lola and Boladji were married at the beautiful Majestic Colonial in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was truly awe inspiring to know that they were so loved that they had 80 guests fly from all over to witness their wedding day. 80!!! We soon found out why. Lola and Boladji both had such a calming and loving presence about them. It seemed throughout the week that they were more concerned that everyone was having a good time and being taken care of, (including us!) than thinking about their upcoming event. Thank you for that you guys! :-) We had so much fun getting to know you and your family! Thank you for including us in your day! We truly hope our paths cross again soon!







Preparations!





Portraits!














The Bridal Party!



Needless to say this event was well documented. Everyone had a camera!


The Ceremony!






The Reception!

Grace + Ted...we dare you not to love them....

World Rockers is what they are. Literally.. I think part two of this wedding was on a different continent altogether. They celebrated here and then had another ceremony in Taiwan a week later! We only got to be a part of the American one, they wouldn't pack us away with them! ;) The whole day here was a blast from start to finish. Grace.. an aspiring photographer herself, was just a delight to deal with and Ted is a guy that is so casual and friendly that taking pictures of him was just fun and easy. The day was awesome, perfect overcast light, a surprise storm minutes after making it indoors for the reception and a wedding dress locked in the car "event" which was funny (see below) but heck... it only made the day more fun. Kim and I were so glad to spend the day with these guys. The wedding took place at White Hall Manor in White Hall, VA. ...a beautiful place to begin their lives together.

We feel our portrait creativity is moving in new directions on this wedding (Which actually took place in June. Stop looking at us like that, we realize we are a tad behind which only means there are lots more amazing posts to come! Please subscribe to get you some Si Blog action in your email.




This is what happens when your Bridesmaid locks THE dress in your car... Locksmith to the rescue!










The Ceremony.










The Portraits.












The Reception.

Katherine + Charlie

Where to begin....

What an amazing event! What an beautiful location! What an incredible family! The whole event was just perfect from the first phone call from Katherine's mom Nancy (our main contact), to the very end. We were so glad to be given the opportunity to photograph this wedding at their lake house in West Virginia. It was a fast paced day and everywhere we turned there was a special moment or detail to be captured. We truly felt welcomed into this close knit family...thank you all for making us so feel so at home! This was such a packed day filled to the brim with emotion, that by the end of it, when Kim and I fell hard into our hotel beds, we couldn't stop excitedly and happily discussing the images we had come away with. We certainly hope that we get the opportunity to work with you guys again!

...many apologies to Nancy and Katherine for making it so hard to narrow down your favorites for the album! ;) I guess that's a good problem. We had the same problem trying to narrow down images for the blog!

The wedding was held at the familys Vacation home and the Reception was held at The Resort at Glade Springs WV.

I'll let the images tell the story.


Getting ready.





Love this shot. I was jumping up and down (on the inside!) when I saw this in the viewfinder.




Details

Love the hanging buckets


This is a Panorama I captured during the event. This can easily be blown up to 60". So much detail.


If you only knew the significance behind this shot. Chills.









Portraits

These two are a prime example of our theory that if you are in love you will get good photos. Period. We had little time for these portraits, about 15 minutes. We told them where to stand... they did the rest. Love, people. Love makes the images pretty. These guys are not models or actors, in fact I am pretty sure that they were not too excited about being photographed. Who is? But they are so happy together that the moments happened without our instruction.. because of this we did not need the usual 45 minutes of portrait time and the pictures were awesome.












Reception

The details at this event were out of this world.


Such a beautiful moment.

























Here is one of our favorite parts of the story...the part that tells exactly who this family is and how much they loved on us while we were out there...

A few weeks after the wedding we get this AMAZING email from Nancy. We just had to share it with you all. (It's a poem for those of you whom are unfamiliar with the art.) ;)

'Twas the day of the wedding,
and all through the house,
all creatures were stirring--
yes, even a mouse.

The prized dress was hung
from the antlers with care
in hopes that the bride
would soon don it, and wear.

The bridesmaids were nestled
on top of Kate's bed
while vision of groomsmen
danced through their heads.

I, in my bathrobe, and Pa in his cap
remembered the days when Kate sat on our lap.

When outside my room
there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my chair
to see what was the matter!

And then in a twinkling
I saw at my door
Kim creating some magic
with rings and game board.

She was crouched and intent--
her headband it shone.
I knew in a moment,
special images we'd own.

They spake not a word,
her husband and she,
but went straight to their work
which filled me with glee.

Their faces so ardent
behind their cameras and gear,
I knew in a "flash"
true artists were here.

They followed and worked
and laughed and they smiled.
They caught every moment
as the crowd, they went wild!

And then in an instant,
the rumpus was gone.
All tables were empty--
not a light was left on.

But I heard them explain
'Ere they drove out of sight,
"Happy Wedding to all--
And to all a good night!"

—Nancy

WOW. Now we get a lot of thank you letters, but a poem! Nobody writes a poem unless they have some sort of emotional experience worth writing about. Its incredible and humbling that our work can have such an effect on our clients.. we are so thankful to be working for clients like this. Thank you!!!

and the slideshow.

Luella+Monte

I wanted to start this blog post in a different way. I have always wanted to share with you all exactly how BLESSED we feel to do what we do. It is such an honor to be able to participate in one of the most sacred, emotional, romantic, and poignant moments of someone's life almost every weekend. Sometimes people ask us if we ever get tired of shooting the same thing over and over. The answer is: no!! It is never the same, never boring, never dull. We have seen quiet passion, exuberant love, big loving families, small intimate circles, wild dancing, amazing anniversary dances, first moments that take our breath away, and more tears than we can count. I (Kimberly) still cry at almost every wedding. Really. I do. Ask John. Sometimes it's because of a look that a Mom is giving her daughter, sometimes it's the walk down the aisle, the specially written vows, or the Dad who face crumples as he gives his daughter away. Sometimes it's a song. Sometimes it's just the overwhelming love showering the entire room. But it always happens, and when it happens I feel blessed and thankful again and again.

This wedding captured the essence of what I was trying to convey above. John and I fell in love with Luella and Monte from the very beginning. They have such a light around them and as soon as you get to know them you realize it's that they are just soooooo in love. They radiate love. That sounds corny but it's so true.

Meet Luella. She is kind, beautiful and has a great laugh. She was calm all day and couldn't wait to marry Monte.






Meet Monte. He was quiet and handsome and so in love with Luella. He also had an amazing sense of humor...(note the cardboard cutout in lieu of a missing brother!)



Some details of their day:



How cool is this church...see that skylight, a photographers dream!



This was our first foot-washing. It was such an amazing testimony of their love beautifully and humbly portrayed.





The getaway car!


The Wedding Party:


There were so many portraits of them that we loved we just couldn't narrow it down any more than this!










The epitome of Luella...how can you not love this girl!!


They had all sorts of games to keep guest occupied at the reception! It was so fun!




First Dance:




This was an open mic time that they had for their guests to wish them well or say a little blessing or tell a story...they are certainly loved by many!






The sparkler exit...just awesome.


We love you guys! I wish we lived closer so we could see you more often! Thank you for blessing us with your day. Blog readers stay tuned...you have not seen the last of this fab couple!

Last but not least...the slideshow....

Amanda and Gabe.

YAY! We're Blogging!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe all of the great images we have yet to post for 2008.. so much catching up to do.

I have been so excited to share Amanda and Gabe's images with all of you. Some of the shots here are so great and we are just so attached to them artistically. We know you will enjoy them. Images like these come from very special and loving people. These images are barely posed, we told them where to sit but they made the rest happen. It was so beautiful just seeing them enjoy each other's presence so much that being photographed was hardly on their minds. This makes for BEAUTIFUL, easy to take photos, and a beautiful relationship.

These Guys we're married at the UVA Chapel and the reception was held at Alumni Hall.

Were were so happy to have been there.


Good ol Thomas Jefferson personally endorsed this union.

Pre-ceremony portraits.












Ceremony






Post-Ceremony Portraits


















The Details





The Reception












The Exit

Tana and Patrick.. Married.

OK, so waaaaay back in April, Kim and I went to Long Island to shoot this awesome wedding. I really enjoyed myself because I got to know Patrick over the phone most of the year and it was nice to finally get to photograph his wedding. This is a message to all you future grooms out there, it is possible to help plan parts of the wedding... Choose a good photographer! ha! No really, Patrick was a cut above. And seriously people, could Tana be any more beautiful or well poised? She was so elegant!

These two were so in love! When that happens Kim and I have an easy job. Getting good photos of them was so fun and we hardly had to offer any direction at all. What you see in these photos is just their love shining through. They were so comfortable around each other that photography was a breeze. The entire day was packed with beautiful things and happy people. The lighting was fun and different as well. I hope we get to shoot at this location again [The Bourne Mansion].. We love NY Vineyard country.

Preparations.



I just love the light from that window.





Portraits...





This has such a cool, James bond old time feel.. if there is such a thing.


Such a cool venue.. this place was off the charts.


Photographers dream eyes. Like gemstones.


Speaking of Gems.


Ha! this is their dog.. he just hung out with us.. So cool.



Ceremony...



That is a happy man... He was just oozing with joy all day.


I actually did not see those tears it was so dark.. the camera saw them.. Booo Yaa!


If any of you are wondering what love looks like..


Cool angle.. we normally don't get this close during a ceremony, but if there is nowhere else to go and the Officiant lets us... well there you go.










this is why I was so close.. no room up front. Yes thats 20 people.

Details...




Reception...





I love the bouquet catch pose!

Ping and Miki's Wedding

Yes.. their last name were Sun and Cloud. How did we end up with Sanderson? That'd be a weird cookie.


What a fabulous April wedding. (yes, April, we're so behind on blogging weddings it's crazy) Anyway, this one was full of love, life and special surprises. Kim and I were so honored to be there and to see people from all over the globe come to witness this special occasion. They were married in Charlottesville in a quaint little church.. but the party was held at the awesome Reception Hall at Kings Family Vineyards and Polo Ranch.

The details were so cool from the Lanterns to the Lemonade we had so much fun capturing every detail.


Preparations



Such a cute moment.. thats the good stuff.






Kimberly nailed this moment.. so sweet.



Ceremony...

I loved this church.. Lots of light. Intimate.


Check out dads expression... Thats just awesome... Ping must have felt so blessed at this moment.




Both Ping and Mike were very emotional.. I felt bad cause I went shutter crazy on these moments. I don't think they noticed.



Portraits..





We took most of the portraits in the Polo field to take advantage of the Blue Ridge mountains.









Reception...

Saaaweeeet snap











And as always, the sideshow.

Katia and Eric... Married.

Meet Eric and Katia. Another great spring wedding and a lot of fun with such a unique and beautiful couple. Katia is from Russia and Eric.. well he's a Marine. These two brought together a unique mix of friends, family and traditions into a wonder evening of dancing and fun. Eric gets shipped off soon and I wish both of them all the best. Happy to have served them.

Christine and John - Leesburg Virginia.

Ok, this one was short notice but totally wonderful. I truly enjoyed capturing the love these two had for each other. They made it really easy for me to be creative and have fun. John and Christine are no doubt on their way to a wonderful life together.

Lori Jo and Nathan! WOW!

I can't believe I never posted this one! This was an amazing wedding back in September 07 and we absolutely love these guys. Honestly I hope we get to hang out again soon! I'll tell you what, this wedding was beautiful, lots of love, emotion, fun, music and friends. Everything went so well. The photos were perfect. Kim and I really hope these two are doing well but we are not worried too much, one thing we know for sure is, these two have a rare and beautiful love for each other.

Melinda and Ryans Happy day!

So back in September Kim and I got the opportunity to meet and photograph Melinda and Ryans wedding in Virginia beach. We took advantage of the great scenery and go a lot of fun shots. This wedding had no shortage of beautiful things and people. Kids were everywhere and all seemed to have the time of their lives. Check out the cake on this one. They called it a "Mad Hatter" cake. It was awesome. I'll look into who made this cake if your are interested. Obviously very talented.

Kimberly and I really are beginning to focus on "candid moments" between people. We like pictures of people genuinely enjoying themselves. An important element of this style is more then 1 person in the frame. We want to attach the moment to a place and a group. We have also begun as you have seen before twisting the camera mid shutter to draw attention to the subject. This is a cool and fun effect if done properly.

You can see by now that the "textured" photos are always different. These are not "actions" by which we press go an walla.. textured photo. Each photo has a completely different set of operations and adjustments, therefore most clients will not have two alike textured photos. However great care is given to make sure the set of textured photos fit into a style that matches the clients "set". Enjoy!

Congrats Hilary and Matthew

I am going to start our new blog design out with a major bang. I can't say enough about this couple. Kimberly and I had an unbelievable time at an unbelievable event. Hilary and Matthew have easily become good friends and continue to be a blessing to us everyday. Even though this wedding took place in August.. we still feel like this one just happened. Lots of fun images to show you and lots of great products we can share from this event. Stay tuned.

Joe and Christi.. YAY! Plus a new artistic style.

Joe and Christi were married in Bethesda MD, and had a beautiful wedding in a gorgeous and amazingly lit Catholic church. We took a lot of these pics in the lobby of the Marriot! We really enjoyed working for these two and being a big part of a special day. Christi just loved our artistic photos so we decided to do something special.

STYLE:
This is also our debut of a new batch of artistic photos that we do for each client. We have always created artistic photos for each client.. but this represents and advancement in our capabilities and style. We hope you enjoy them. They are intended to make the images more dramatic, artistic, interesting yet not overpowering. So give us comments and ideas.. We want to stay true to the moment.

Rebecca and Wilson, Woo hoo!

Rebecca an Wilson were married in Bathesda MD. I had a lot of fun with them and really enjoyed photographing them in the firs true Fall light and weather. It was sooooo nice compared to all the painfully hot August Weddings we did.

Congratulations to Nathan and Leah... Again?

Yep, these two are poster children for Sanderson Images. This is what we call a "Day After Session", Nate and Leah had a tight schedule on their wedding day which cut into the desired photography they wanted. So we decided to meet up in Washington DC a few weeks later and do some fun shots on the National Mall.. Getting permission was a monumental task (forgive the pun) but well worth it. Steven Shot with me and we really had a lot of fun!

Congratulations Amanda and Jason!

Jason and Amanda were a fun couple I had the opportunity to photograph as a 2nd shooter with my new friend Rob Strain. They had a beautiful wedding near Fredricksburg. I really want to work more in this area. The possibilities are endless. So if you are planning an engagement shoot. Lets talk ;) It's Sooooo cool! Old brick walls, great architecture, trolleys and street markets, Its a dream. Anyway. These two had a nearly perfect wedding and what seems to be the start of a perfect relationship. It was so fun.

Arun and Lisa

Congratulations Arun and Lisa!

Oh how much I love vineyard weddings! Arun and Lisa’s was no exception. The midday at UVa was hot, but by the time we got to the vineyard it was beautiful. With the rain on its way, we took some time for some great photos. We even talked some polo players into helping us out. I had so much fun! Thanks Arun and Lisa.

Stephen and Elizabeth

Congratulations Stephen and Elizabeth!

What do you get when you cross a wedding with a beautiful sunny day, great friends, great drinks, and blue grass music? You get this wedding photographer’s dream day of work. This truly was a fun day! Thanks so much Steve and Lilly for allowing me to tell your story.

Congratulations Stephen and Claire!

All the way from Scotland! These two were married at the First Presbyterian church in Charlottesville, VA and celebrated the reception at Glenmore Country Club! This was an absolutely beautiful day and everyone seemed to have so much fun... Including Kimberly and I. It's so great when you can tell how much people truly value friends and family. We wish these two the best starting a marriage in Scotland.

Congrats to Maria and Chris

Located at the Historical Mayhurst Inn at Orange, VA. These two had one of our favorite weddings of the year! They were so much in love it was hard not to tear up just watching... and it certainly did not help that they played the same song during their ceremony as Kim and I did at our own wedding... Maria and Chris were a great reminder of how love should be... It was a such a blessing to be a part of their day. Together, we communicated each step in the timeline so we could make sure some wonderful images were captured for each event.

Congratulations to Moje and Elliot!

We only got to know Moje a few weeks before her wedding. I ran up Baltimore to spend the day with them during a fun and stylish Jewish ceremony. The love of friends and family was flowing freely and I really had a great experience. The images speak for themselves about the fun had by all!

Congratulations to Stephanie and Eric

7.7.07, yep these two got the date... and what a day it was. You may remember them from their engagement session last fall. We started work at the Lindale Menonite church and the reception was at Massanutten Resort. These people could dance and have fun! I wanted to join the dance. But I was afraid I'd hear "don't quit your day job" in unison from all the guests.