Rich Smith Photography

Nicole and Tracy | Anytime Session

Rich Smith — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:48:38 +0000

I met the wonderful Nicole Rogers for the first time at one of Corey McNabb‘s photography workshops I took in ’07. The whole class became good friends and we’ve kept in touch since then. But “the alumni” are from all around the states so I haven’t seen any of them since the workshop… including Nicole. That’s why I was so excited when she contacted me to photograph she and her husband Tracy! So on Wednesday, they traveled 5 hours to do an “anytime session” with me to celebrate their 5 year anniversary.

I love photographing married couples who come to me to document their love for each other. If you’ve been with someone with a number of years, gone through hardships, lived life together, your love becomes deeper and deeper. Photographing that love always tends to be a wonderful time, and this was no different. The love and commitment Tracy and Nicole share was beautiful. I really enjoyed hanging out with them for a couple of hours and getting to know them better!

Here are just a few of my favorites!

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Thank you Nicole and Tracy for choosing ME to document your love and then traveling 5 hours to do so. That’s so humbling! And it was great seeing you again Nicole! Can you believe how long it’s been since Corey’s workshop? Good times!

If you’re part of the few people who actually reads what I write on my blog (and not just looks at the photos), please comment to congratulate them on their 5 year anniversary! I know they’d appreciate it!

Sweden – Part 2

Rich Smith — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:13:17 +0000

Part 1 can be found here.

More pics from Sweden! We had a couple of afternoons free, so we took advantage! While we were out scouting for locations for the engagement session, we decided to have some fun…

Here we are at Parliament…

Street performers! This lady was dressed as a bee and blowing bubbles in the most artistic/slow way possible. It was unique but was something ANYONE could have done. I think her true talent was to able to do it without cracking up.

The building behind Amber is the Parliament!

Amber grabbed these two of me. Love the timing of the bike!

This was another night where I decided to take a stroll by myself to see the sites. I enjoyed striking up conversations with some interesting people at a park. One of my favorite times in Sweden.

I saw these people playing this game I’ve never seen before. Call me sheltered but I don’t think we have this in the US? It looked like fun and tons of people playing, using several courts.

And this looked really interesting too. Again, never seen this game. If anyone knows what they are, please let me know!

More plcs from around Stockholm…

We went to this small island in the Archipelagos (a series of small islands East of Stockholm). Here’s a charming little diner we ate at…

I would have LOVED to have gone on this rollercoaster. Have you seen anything so crazy!?

One last photo of Amber and I!

Thank you for checking out all of the pics I took while in Sweden!

birthday and pug!

Heather Smith — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:11:18 +0000

Thursday evening was our monthly PUG (Pictage User Group) Meeting.

It also happened to be Rich’s birthday

We decided to celebrate as a family throughout the day and go to the PUG meeting that evening. We had an incredible time hanging out with old friends and even some brand new ones! Rich had recently met Shane and Melodie Stiles and Thursday evening was my first chance to meet them. Melodie had known it was Rich’s birthday and made Cake Balls that looked like LITTLE RICH HEADS! Yes, I’m serious. Not only were they completely DELICIOUS, but they were totally creative and funky. Thank you so much, Melodie! And thank you to Sara, who also went out of her way for me, picking up Rich’s cake and cookies at my house earlier that day to help with the surprise. Thank you girls!

The whole group! Me and Rich, Nathan and Amber Holritz, Grant and Sara Dotson, John and Lindsey Bamber, Shane and Melodie Stiles, Michelle McKibben, Diana Simpson, Matt Bechtol, Meredith White (and her awesome fiance Brian).

These are all incredible people and we are honored to be in the same city and industry with each of them! Thank you all for helping me to celebrate Rich’s birthday – it was a special one and we had a blast!

Sweden – Part 1

Rich Smith — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:52:50 +0000

I’m going to take some time to put down my thoughts about my trip to Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but have just now found the time to edit some pics to show everyone.

As you may know (or not), I had the really cool opportunity to go over to Stockholm for a week and photograph a wedding. As this was my first time to Europe, I had a blast getting to experience a different culture first hand. Because I really needed an assistant to come along and Heather was pregnant and not feeling well, I took along my sis-in-law Amber. She was a wonderful travel companion and a great assistant!

Check out some of our personal pics!

Here we are in the subway system. The transit system was efficient and amazing! Very “well oiled machine” when it came to transportation. Love it!

Here we are in the old city Gamla Stan. This was the area near the church where wedding was going to be held. Lots of really old buildings, cobblestone streets, small cafes, and lots of tourists.

Amber and I in front of the church.

Inside the church was almost a museum in nature. It had the oldest painting of Stockholm known to exist and lots of amazing sculptures. Below is St. George and the Dragon made from oak and elk antlers and was first unveiled in 1489.

Some parts of the subway system were just awesome. It’s as if the city told a bunch of artists to go crazy, have fun and make the place look cool. And that’s exactly what they did. Check out these photos we took in the subway system.

The groom, Terje and his fiance, Courtney were just so nice and wanted to cook dinner for us. So we went over to his parents home and immediately fell in love with their house.

Every street name was like this… long and hard to pronounce. I think it is their fun way to confuse outsiders. It worked. There’s way too many “v’s” in this street name.

More pics from the old city Gamla Stan.

Yeah… we’re mature.

For our friend, Amber Holritz, and her crosses project.

We didn’t get to stay in a super old hotel or hostel (which are all over the place). Instead, we stayed in a hotel that was only 4 months old. Loved how energy efficient it was!

View from the room…

Same view but at sunset…

More pics to come!

Courtney & Terje | Swedish Wedding!

Rich Smith — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:14:42 +0000

I had the IMMENSE privilege to go to Stockholm, Sweden to photograph Courtney and Terje’s beautiful wedding!

I needed an assistant for this trip so I asked our album designer and second shooter, Amber, to come along. She gladly did. We had a blast experiencing Sweden which you can read all about in a later post.

Courtney and Terje’s whole family were just so good to us… treating us both like part of the family. It always makes our jobs better when everyone is completely comfortable with us!

What was extra cool was that Courtney and Terje were able to get married in the same church as the Swedish Princess did a month before! When it got global coverage it was cool to think I was going to be photographing there in only another month.

Courtney, her sister, and maid-of-honor started the day having their hair and makeup done at the historic Lady Hamilton Hotel. It was literally right next to the church (you can see the top of the church behind the hotel building). The front desk told me the building was built in the 14th century but was converted into a hotel about 30 years ago… if I heard right. It was unbelievably beautiful inside.

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Check out her beautiful chocolate diamond ring!

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I have three photos of the dress. I couldn’t help myself because the inside of the hotel was so cool.

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Amber grabbed this photo of Courtney in the mirror. I absolutely love this photo. Reminds me of film noir with its dramatic lighting.

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The church was amazing; probably the oldest in Sweden. No one really knows when it was built but the church was first mentioned in written form in 1279. Definitely a part of history. The rules of the church for photography was that I could only photograph on 4 different occasions: 1) when the bride was coming down the aisle, 2) exchanging of the rings, 3) when the bride and groom were leaving, and 4) the kiss (which had to be outside of the church).

So, albeit to say, when I was allowed to photograph I was photographing every possible angle, and as quickly as possible.

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Again, this ultra cool photo was taken by Amber — taken in the mirrored ceiling of the limo and then rotated 180 degrees. For all of the photographers out there, this was taken at 1/15 sec in a MOVING limo. That’s talent!

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Photo by Amber below.

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Father of the groom and Father of the bride…

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Courtney’s grandparents trying to keep warm…

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Loved Terje’s mom…

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… so much we got our photo taken with her! She was so fun. And yes, it was cold enough for a guy to loan their coat to Amber. It was great weather!

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Us with the bride!

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Thank you Courtney and Terje again for having us join you in Stockholm. We won’t soon forget Sweden, the wonderful people of Stockholm and photographing your wedding! What an amazing journey!

Courtney & Terje | Swedish Engagement!

Rich Smith — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:44:57 +0000

Amber and I had the immense privilege to go to Stockholm, Sweden to photograph Courtney and Terje’s engagement and wedding last week. I’ll get their wedding photos (and a personal blog talking about our experiences) up soon but wanted to show you these photos from their engagement session!

It was amazing working with them in front of the camera. They’re both natural models. Amber and I had so much fun walking around photographing this couple in front of the vast amount of beautiful buildings that Stockholm had to offer.

We started off at City Hall and made our way to the Parliament building and Grand Palace. Check out some of my favorites below!

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This shot was taken right after a guy completely high on some really hard drugs collapsed right behind them. Good times! (he was okay… just couldn’t walk)

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The Swedish have perfected packing more sugar per square millimeter (metric, for our European friends) and putting that sugar in these treats. I’ve never tasted something so sweet. But colorful!

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Thanks to my assistant Amber for grabbing this shot! Love it!

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Amber grabbed this shot too. I was about a quarter of a kilometer (metric again) away trying to execute an idea that didn’t really materialize. Haha.

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Next to the palace…

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Since they were about to be married in the same church that the Princess of Sweden had (just a month before), and this is where the Princess spoke to the people after her wedding, I thought it was appropriate to get their photos here as well.

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Thank you so much for checking out the photos. Be sure to check back soon to see their beautiful wedding photos – and more photos from around this amazing city!

Haley and Brad | Married

Rich Smith — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:39:38 +0000

Event Coordinator: Blissful Moments (thank you Cheryl for doing an amazing job!)
Gown Boutique: Impressions Bridal Salon
Cake Artist: Cake Boutique
Florist: Ensign the Florist
DJ: Sound Force
Makeup: Mac Cosmetics
Hairstylist: Hairbenders
Ceremony Musician: Tiffany Envid

I love my clients. I tend to have the coolest clients on the planet. I think I’ve mentioned that before but Haley and Brad are no exception to that rule at ALL. In fact, they are so good in front of the camera that I really hope that wasn’t the last time I get to photograph them. Should we schedule a 1 year anniversary session now… or later? They’re such a cool couple and I had an absolute blast hanging out with them on their wedding day and meeting all of their fun friends and family! I LOVE their wedding photos. Here are several of my favorites. Enjoy! Vote for your favorite(s)!

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Haley and her maid-of-honor Laura!

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The first time Haley and Brad laid eyes on each other on their wedding day. These private moments are always so special.

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At Rich Smith Photography, if there isn’t a party going on, we get it started! Thank Amber for this fun pic!

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There was so much glare on the that back window, I still have no idea how Amber got this photo without a special lens filter. But she did and I’m so glad!

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Thank you again Haley and Brad for letting me document your wedding day and trusting me to preserve your memories on one of the biggest days of your life! You two were wonderful! Enjoy your new wonderful life together!

Heather and Brent | Married

Rich Smith — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:34:56 +0000

When I first met Heather, her sister and mom at Panera, I had such a wonderful connection with them all that I knew I really, really want to shoot her wedding! I’m so thankful that she choose me to document her special day!

And what an amazing wedding it was! Although there were record high temperatures, everyone was excited about watching these two join their lives together! It was such beautiful ceremony with lots of little surprises that made it so special and emotional.

On top of that, I knew it was going to be an awesome wedding because I had the fabulous Amber Holritz photograph with me! She did an incredible job as always. I included several of her photos below!

We started the day off at Elea Blake. It’s always fun to go there and see my wonderful friends!

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Heather’s sister looking on.

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Heather’s really fun friend Tiffany came to hang out. We became friends instantly.

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We then went to Black Fox Farms in Cleveland. Such an incredible place to photograph!

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Heather spent a few minutes writing in her journal to Brent before she put on her dress…

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These next two photos by Amber! Doesn’t Heather make a STUNNING bride!?

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Brent and Heather seeing each other for the first time!

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I love, love, love this photo. It just doesn’t get any more gorgeous than this. I’m so jealous that Amber took the best shot of the day!

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I took the exact same shot from a different location and perspective:

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I can’t tell which of the two photos below I like better so I’ll let everyone else decide… vote below your favorite one!

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What a beautiful couple they make!

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Another amazing photo by Amber!

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Thanks Amber for the photo below!

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Amber with the girls as they pray right before the ceremony…

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Heather completely surprised Brent by singing to him during the ceremony. It was the most emotional scene I’ve ever had the privilege to photograph.

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As she sang… tears of joy.

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Amber got this shot as Brent was rushing her off after the ceremony!

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And check out this absolutely breathtaking photo that Amber grabbed of the first dance!

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They surprised Brent and Heather (and us – as the photographers – as well) with fireworks as they were leaving on a John Deere! I was in the wrong place to capture it but Amber fortunately was! Thanks for getting capturing these moments, Am!

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Heather and Brent, thank you so much for having us photograph your wedding. We had an amazing time getting to know both of you leading up to your wedding and the photos you allowed us to take during this special time shows the world how much you love each other. You two are going to have an incredible marriage and I hope to continue to photograph you as your family eventually grows! Enjoy your wedding photos!

Rachel & Miles | Married!

Rich Smith — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:55:50 +0000

I was so excited to go up to Kentucky to photograph Rachel and Miles wedding. I haven’t spent much time up there but fell in love with Kentucky almost immediately after crossing the state line. Beautiful sunlight was illuminating the most incredible wheat and corn fields you can imagine. With cool old barns interspersed along the way. Not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. Everywhere I turned I wanted to photograph in that location.

When I arrived at Rachels grandparents farm, the sun had already gone down but there was still enough light to make out the lake, tents and beautiful land around. Which made me immediately wish I had dragged someone with me to second shoot. There were too many amazing details to get in the time period I had.

To top it off, EVERYONE I met was just amazing. Rachel has a super close family and it showed. There was excitement in the air and it energized everyone around. Amazing surrounding, beautiful people, close family… these are definitely conditions I can work with.

After a good nights sleep, the bride got her hair and make up done about 12 miles from the farm:

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The first look:

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I love that bowties are coming back. I saw several of the guys wearing them. So cool.

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I’ve been shooting weddings for a while but Rachel introduced me to “tradition” that I had not encountered yet. All the bridesmaids put their names on the bottom of the brides shoe. At the end of the day, the bridesmaids name that is the clearest is either going to be next getting married or having a baby. It was great seeing the reactions from all the girls!

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The shy but beautiful flower girl:

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The incredible reception site…

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The arrival at the reception!

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A new first for me! A mac-n-cheese bar!

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It was SOOO hot outside! I had to bribe the girls that if they ran down the hill for me, I’d cut the photos short and they could change into something more comfortable. It didn’t take much convincing.

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They left on a boat on the river (you can just make it out in the photo below). Side note: this lake did NOT exist when her grandfather bought this land. He and his three sons dug this lake. Yep, it’s a man-made lake. Incredible feat with incredible results!

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Thank you Rachel and Miles for treating me so well while I was with you guys! I had a blast. Some of the many firsts I had with this wedding were: 1) first gift basket I’ve ever received from a bride (with homemade Kentucky bourbon balls that were so good) and 2) the first time the brides mom photographed ME with the bride! That just made me feel ultra special. I want that photo Mom! :)

Ronella & Skyler | Wedding

Rich Smith — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:24:00 +0000

Ever since photographing Ronella and Skyler at their engagement session, I knew this fun couple would be a blast on their wedding day. I was NOT disappointed! Young, energetic, beautiful and fun. That’s them! On top of that, I had Amber, our associate shooter, come along to help me photograph which made the day go that much more smoothly. Nice to be able to be in two places at once. Check out a few of photos from their big day!

We started out at Headquarters Salon which brought back a lot of good memories because it was where I shot one of my first weddings several years ago!

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These next photos are from Amber! I’m so proud of her!

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More pics from Amber as Ronella was getting in her dress…

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We were running a little bit behind schedule. Here’s Skyler patiently waiting downstairs for the “first look”!

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The first look!

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Skyler and his guys…

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Ronella was just playing around but I just love how beautiful she looks here!

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How cute is the little flower girl!?

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One of these photos is unlike the others… can you spot it?

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Haha… love the above photo but to be fair, here’s a NICE photo of Ronella and her bridesmaid.

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The ceremony was held at the beautiful First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, TN.

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Ronella’s parents came all the way from Romania to be at the wedding and her dad prayed for them in Ronellas native language. What a beautiful moment!

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Skylers grandfather was actually the minister that married them. So to be sure it was a special ceremony.

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The reception was held at the Black Fox Farms.

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Everyone in this photo (minus Skyler) went to school with Ronella at a school in Romania. Can you believe they all were able to make it to the wedding!? How cool is this group!?

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The night was filled with awesome food and beautiful speeches.

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We were SO excited when Ronella wanted to use Strut to document in the most fun way possible the guests that came to her wedding!

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Here’s just a few of the pics we got there! If you want to see a lot more, check out the Strut Facebook Page!

Heck ya I jumped in there too!

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And the send off!

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Thank you so much Ronella and Skyler for making your wedding just so fun! Amber and I had a blast hanging out and we can’t wait to get the rest of your wedding images to you! You two are awesome!!!