Wilmington Couples Photographer | Brandywine Creek State Park | Lori + Jon

Face it, you’re not getting any work done today anyway will all of the Cyber Monday deals going on and thoughts of football and turkey still dancing in your head. So cozy on up with Lori and Jon. I’ve been dying to share this styled love shoot with you all!

We met the other week at Brandywine Creek State Park with creative diva, Sarah, of Events by Sarah Elizabeth. The idea was simple: an extended session celebrating love, fall colors, picnicking, and a patchwork quilt. It was a resounding success!  I've yet to see Lori's gorgeous auburn locks look anything but incredible and I'm so envious that she can do that all by herself.  Makeup was by Emily of Cheekadee.

As soon as we met up I whisked them away to a bridge I saw on my way into the park. The colors were unreal. We played chicken with cars (and won, thankyouverymuch) and it was so worth it!



Back in the park Lori and Jon canoodled in a patchwork quilt that could have been her grandmother’s. It was absolutely perfect.





We feared the worst when planning for this November session. We knew we could have had freezing temperatures and likely would have had to bundle up completely. (Lori did take this opportunity to get some new outfits and I’m digging the sweater and riding boots.) Luckily, we got a mild afternoon and even some vibrant leaves left around!


Sarah created the most adorable picnic ever. She had the touches that require creativity but still looks effortless: sandwiches in brown paper, pears (because apples are so last season), Coca Cola in bottles, veggies, baby’s breath, and homemade cookies (which were delicious!). The blanket/tablecloth pulled it all together.









With the last moments of golden hour, we wandered down to some buildings Sarah had scoped out.






I would apologize for taking you away from your work but I’m not sorry at all. Lori and Jon, thanks so much for spending the afternoon with us. You two were beyond fabulous! I’m so glad we finally made this happen.

If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.
~ Mitsugi Saotome

Couples Photographer: Lindsay Docherty Photography 

 Session Stylist: Events by Sarah Elizabeth
Makeup: Cheekadee

Philadelphia Engagement Photographer | Rittenhouse Square | Maggie + Adam

Maggie and Adam are fabulous. We spent an afternoon around Rittenhouse Square basking in the fall colors and just indulging in a lot of fun! Maggie is hilarious. Not only can she slide gracefully down stair railings, the ways she looks at Adam is utter perfection. She has so many playful and loving expressions and I love them all. You’ll see in some of the pictures from the engagement session. And Adam is the self-proclaimed groomzilla (he’s hardly a ‘zilla, in my humble opinion). She’s working on her MBA and he’s taken the lead on a lot of the wedding planning process.

The two have dealt with a lot of long distance dating. She moved around a lot and somehow they ended up as roommates in LA during a 6 month program there. They shared some mutual friends from Penn State and things moved from there.

Check out what we got!






The area around Rittenhouse Square is so gorgeous. I am in love with the cobblestone streets, brightly colored doors, brick, old streetlights, ivy, and all of those little unmistakable ‘Historic Philadelphia’ elements. They introduced me to a perfect street for pictures just a few blocks away.








Don’t worry – you’ll see more of them soon enough! I can’t wait for their New Year’s Eve wedding at the Radisson Warwick (not far from our engagement session). I have a feeling it’ll be spectacular! Love you both!

What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.
~Pearl Bailey

Do Something Awesome Sunday!

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday…  Did you know about the Sunday event that combines all of them?  Yes, Donate-to-charity-via-a-small-business-through-the-magic-of-your-computer-and-get-an-awesome-deal-in-the-process Sunday!  Catchy, huh?

You may know that I've been doing a whole lot of running lately to ramp up for my first full marathon in January in Florida (in one week I'll be running a half marathon in Las Vegas).  You may have also seen that I'm doing it in part to raise money for the fight against multiple sclerosis, a cause very near and dear to my heart.  I figured that there's no better way to do this than to combine forces and offer something to you all.  

Here's the skinny: Donate to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and get half of that amount in print credit from me.

So if you donate $50, you'll have $25 to spend of your choice of beautifully retouched 4x6s, 5x7s, 8x10s, wallets, and even canvas prints.  Donate $300 and you'll have $150 to spend.  Donate $3000 and you'll have $1500 to spend.  See how that works?  It's win win: you're supporting research, treatment, and resources for the 2.1 million people diagnosed with this miserable disease and you get some incredible photography.

Here's what you do:

1) Go here to donate through my fundraising page.

2) Donate any amount.

3) If your portrait, engagement session and/or wedding has already been shot, check your proofbook, disk of images, or online gallery (if it's still active) and email me with the images, sizes, and quantity you want.

    If we haven't shot yet, I'll simply make a note on your contract and you'll have that credit to use later.

    If you're a family member or freind of an LDP client you choose: use the credit for yourself or put it in their name.

4) Find out if your employer will match your donation.  If they will and do it in your name, then that's credited to you too.

Easy peasy.

As an added bonus, I'll include an extra special treat to the client who donates the most.

Details: Donate by December 31st, 2011 and use your print credit by December 31st, 2012 or a year from your shoot, whichever is later.  I'm offering this print credit for donations up to $3000.  If you want to donate more (you rock!), contact me and I'll make sure you're well rewarded.  For clients who have already donated, thank you; your print credit has been recorded and you just need to let me know what you want!

If you have any questions at all about donating, the print credit, multiple sclerosis, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, running, weddings, or cheese, contact me and I'll do my best to answer any questions I can.

Thanks so much!

All the best,

Lindsay

Philadelphia Bridals Photographer | Philadelphia Art Museum | Vanessa

Gather round, you Northerners. Let me tell you about a special kind of photography session called Bridals. Quite simply, these are pictures taken before the wedding of the beautiful bride in her beautiful wedding dress. It’s a great opportunity to get more use out of that gown and see how it feels to wear it, walk in it, sit in it, and twirl in it. Knowing it it’ll ride up (or down) is great for dealing with alterations before the big day. And if you tie it in with your hair and makeup trial, bonus! (If you’re already married, don’t fret – you can always do an after session/love shoot or a trash the dress and wear that fabulous frock again!)

They’re pretty popular all over the country. Having started my photography career in North Carolina, I knew a thing or two about these shoots.

Now let me introduce you to Vanessa, a gorgeous Texan who just moved to New Jersey with her Marine fiancé, Jeff. She’s actually been surprised with how friendly folks are around here. We did her bridal session the other week at the Philadelphia Art Museum and it was incredible.

Here’s an education for you…




I see you checking out that awesome bouquet. It was created by floral visionary, Tanti, of Papertini. There are actual fabric flowers mixed with the fresh blooms.
 



Jeff and Vanessa have known each other for years. They met through mutual friends. She visited him in California this past June. I don’t want to blow up his spot, but it sounds like it was pretty cute – he recited a silly poem about the two of them and then popped the question.





They’ll be married at a ranch in Texas in March. Congratulations, Vanessa, and thanks for helping me teach these Yanks a thing or two about bridals! You were awesome!
 

The dress must not hang on the body but follow its lines. It must accompany its wearer and when a woman smiles the dress must smile with her.
 ~Madeleine Vionnet

be thankful.

Today I am thankful for

my family; it’s both small and large

old friends and new

health

the best clients in the world

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Philadelphia Engagement Photographer | Lincoln Financial Field, Love Park, Art Museum | Sarah + Chuck

She’s practically a Southern belle, growing up outside of Richmond, VA. He grew up in West Chester and attended Eagles training camps as a kid. The two met at James Madison University and live in Arlington now but chose Philly for their engagement session. Sarah figured the only way she could get Chuck to agree was if it was on his home turf – Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. The come up frequently for Eagles and Phillies games. This time they were the main event at the stadium.

We had originally planned the photo session several weeks before but heavy rain forced us to postpone it that day. We lucked out with great (albeit very cold) weather. Poor Sarah is not a fan of the cold but Chuck is always warm so they find a way to make it work.

We started this extended engagement session at the Linc. Chuck had accidentally left his jersey at home so he had to get a new one that day. We managed to bump into Swoop, the Eagles mascot while we were there. He’s quite the charmer.






Sarah knows her man. You could say that Chuck was pretty psyched about being out on that field.




We made a quick change and grabbed a few shots at Philly’s famed Love Park. Check these two out! Yowza!


Then we hit up the quintessential Philadelphia photography location: the Art Museum.




Chuck and Sarah went on vacation to Maimi. They got to the hotel and were told that “they had overbooked the standard rooms and were upgraded to something a bit swankier”. As they were led out to the beach cabanas, Chuck popped the question and had the bellhop snap pictures. Sarah was totally caught off guard, obviously said yes, and spent a luxurious weekend basking in the proposal. Check out this bling!





The two will be married in Richmond next April. Since the shoot, their family has already grown to include Riley, a 9 week old lab/retriever/terrier? puppy they adopted the night before the shoot. Trust me when I tell you this little guy is the epitome of adorable! Congratulations on the new baby and the upcoming wedding!

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.
~Janos Arnay