Mo and Matt Engagement session...

We have been dying to do a session at Montreat College in the beautiful blue ridge mountains in NC. We have had several opportunities with other couples/brides, but for one reason or another they didn't pan out. Well, guess what.... it panned out. The weather was gorgeous and extremely brisk. We arrived and I made sure to bring a nice warm jacket... but somehow Amy forgot hers... of course I told her to wear mine (because I'm a real man... a real COLD man at this point)... Fortunately Mo and Matt are crazy and had been camping the previous 2 nights in the NC mountains in this weather...Matt was awesome enough to grab one of his jackets he stowed in the car and let me wear it. Thanks Matt... you the man.

So if you ever visit Montreat College I'm going to forewarn you of something. We were about to start our session... we're standing with Mo and there is this dude walking around with a duck call... blowing into it here and there at ducks, and geese flying overhead... I think to myself.."hmmmmmm.... oooooooook." Most photographers will probably agree that you tend to attract attention while photographing... the big cameras, lights, gorgeous couples... I've had people ask me.. "Are they famous?" I always just say... "Yes". SO, this guy comes over and just starts asking me about the various gear I've got... I was polite and briefly chatted with him... 20 minutes later, a short sprint, and a hurdle over a bridge, I finally was able to pull away from him and start working for our patient couple... Please don't misunderstand me... this guy was very nice and completely harmless... albeit he carries around a wallet full of pictures of him and the geese and swans around the surrounding area... and has names for them (Kevin was one name for a swan.. I think he must have just seen "UP"), and runs after you to show you more pictures after you insist that you must start working for the couple that has paid you money!!!... haha... anyway...it was funny... guess you had to be there.

I digress... Mo and Matt are a beautiful couple and took our "what to wear" advice to heart... Some of these pictures look like they could be a Ralph Lauren ad. They are really fun to be with and being around them feels like you have been friends all your life. We certainly feel we have made friends for life. They are both really down to earth people that enjoy running, hiking, and camping. Enjoy the images and feel free to comment!

-d














"Kevin" and his girlfriend... :)












Hope you enjoyed the images... also, be sure to check us out on Facebook (at left) for more images and some behind the scenes images from this session and others. Don't forget to become a fan!

Amanda and Blake's Engagement Session

A couple of weekends ago we met with Amanda and Blake at the Botanical Gardens in Clemson, SC.. We have had photo sessions there in the past, but Amanda and Blake were willing to venture furthur into the park and we found some really beautiful gardens..They are a great couple and we are looking forward to their wedding.. Enjoy.

It's a nice day for a... a wet wedding!!

We certainly have been getting our fair share of wet weather in this part of the world... and on the night of Katie and Chris Boling's wonderful wedding... we got an unfair amount... haha...

BUT!!!! ... This doesn't dampen the mood, spirit, and good times had on this WONDERFUL wet wedding night...

Chris and Katie and both families represented were all so wonderful and we had an evening soaked in good memories, drizzled in tears and drenched in laughter...

look on





These chucks were made for walk'n.....


What a great group of ladies! Great spirits and great look'n!


They all had Chuck Taylor's Converse All Stars on and Chris was sporting the wedding date on his... Great idea! Hate I didn't wear mine...




Dad stepping out to walk his daughter down the isle..






Congrats you two!

-d

NEW 2009 Christmas Card Templates

We have several options to choose from this year on Christmas Cards.. They are 5x7 Flat Cards, front and back.. beautiful cards to share with friends and family..perfect for hanging on the refrigerator or even putting in a frame.

The Art of Family Slide show...

Kellie's Bridal... well, not all of it....

I recently met Kellie in Cashiers, NC at the Mountaintop Golf Club for her Bridal session. What a magnificent place. As usual, we can't post all the pictures until after the wedding, but I just thought I would post one of the many awesome shots. Kellie was a pleasure to be around and we spent more time laughing than shooting... Towards the end of our session some of the staff joined in helping out with moving furniture, holding her veil, lighting fires... they were all so awesome and helpful.



-d

Wedding Festival, Fall 2009

Man oh man!!! Last night was awesome at the Greenville, SC Wedding Festival Expo... we absolutely had a blast meeting so many brides and look forward to speaking with you in more detail about your wedding day!! If you like what you saw last night and are interested in using us as your photographers, please send us an email at info@raycroftart.com and we can check your date for availability...we will only be booking 25 weddings for 2010 and we typically book 6 months to a year in advance... we look forward to hearing from you!

We thought we would share some images from our booth last night..Thanks to Marc and Colleen for putting on an amazing show (as usual)...

We will be emailing the winners to our drawing within the next 24 hours, so be on the look out... it very well could be you!!

The show started and we finished set up just in time!


David strikes a pose...


Thanks for stopping by!

First day of 2nd grade....

Oh my word someone slap me right now... My firstborn is in 2nd grade and Emma starts k-4?!! Well as shocking as this is to me, I slung the camera over my shoulder and got out the door at the break of dawn. It is nice to see the sun rise for a change. Julia was a ball of emotions... a little nervous, a lot excited. Anyways, Thought I'd share these moments with you all.... look on....


They walk, together as always...




I know it really helped Julia with her nervousness to have Emma there. It gave her this sense of purpose... The walk into the school was filled with detailed explanations of everything.


L-O-V-E this shot... Julia busy explaining things away and Emma's face says it all... (to herself... "I'm a big girl now.")


Have a great day Julia...tomorrow I will be seeing you off to college...

-d

Erin and Danny Best Wedding

Just wanted to share some of our favorite images from Erin and Danny's wedding. They were married at the Historic Wilhite House in Anderson. What a beautiful place! Thank you Erin and Danny for letting us share the day with you.




Awesome place right?




I hear people knocking on the window... I look and the girls set up this wonderful shot!


Guess Amy heard it also...




Danny waits for his bride.




The bouquet toss was meant to come apart so every girl could get a little piece of the action...Great Idea!






And they are off! What a great day and thanks again to the Best's... They are the Be*... well, you know where I'm going with that!

-d