michigan
Last week I had a shoot with my friend Sydney Dauter on Grosse Ile in Michigan. This is my first real shoot in a month or so and it felt great. I was feeling very uninspired the last few months and decided to do a shoot just for me. I wanted it to feel “dreamlike”.
This shoot has inspired a project called Dream Sequence which I will continue throughout the next year.
I have been traveling a lot... I mean a lot. Between Michigan, Richmond, vacation, and all work trips I have barely spent more than 10 days in one spot. Between weddings and engagement shoots I have barely have had time to do some fashion blogger/content creating shoots. Not to mention that this constant travel has caused me to be a under the weather. Oh yeah, and I'm moving. What a fun time!
Thankfully I mustarded up the strength to go out and shoot with Tori Radday on Sunday. I fly back to Michigan on Wednesday so I wanted to make sure to shoot with her before I leave. I had her meet me at the new place off of Cary. We shot two different outfits around Carytown.
Below are photos of her second outfit.
Photographers worst nightmare: thunder and lightening an hour before your 8am shoot is scheduled.
Yup. I would be lying if I didn't say that I was kind of nervous for this shoot. It was scheduled at 8am at the Ford Yacht Club on Grosse Ile in Michigan. At about 5am and then again at 6am I woke up from the sound of thunder roaring through my window. Great.
As I got up and looked out side, I noticed that the ground was soaked. So Great. Well... it's time like this where you really become a professional photographer and you just have to make it work. The rain stopped, but became this misty wetness in the air, aka a hair nightmare. Good lighting is everything... or so they say. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
It worked. I met Erica and Terry shortly after 8am and the rain had (for the most part) stopped. We immediately starting shooting at the beach front of the Ford Yacht Club. Cute Fact: Erica and Terry met here, so it is a very symbolic place for them. I love when couples add their own personal touches like this to the engagement shoots. There are no signs or props, but just a place. This to me is the best way to really love and connect with your photos. Can you tell I'm not a fan of props?
Fun BTS (Behind the Scenes) fact #1: It was almost rained out. Fun BTS Fact #2: There was Goose poop everywhere. When I say everywhere. I mean e v e r y w h e r e. Romantic, right? As Erica and Terry got into their first outfits I went over to the beach and literally moved sand around with my feet to clear a spot for them to stand and move a little bit. You don't see it in the photos because that is editing magic. Big props to Erica and Terry for being such troopers. Without their good humor and spirits, this would have been a lot harder. New Lightroom ad campaign: Remove Goose Poop and Much, Much More! New RD Photography campaign: I literally will remove Goose Shit for you.
Anyway, back to the not-so-gross stuff. Erica and Terry's beach outfit is a great example of how you can still wear patterns in photos as long as both outfits are cohesive. I absolutely hate photos where everyone is wearing khaki pants and a white tee shirt. You do not have to match completely. The colors just need to work together.
This is also a great example of using your space. GET CREATIVE. This space was not big. The beach itself was only about 15 feet wide. So minus the goose poop area, we only had about 4 feet to work with. As a photographer, move around your subjects. Take it from all different angles to add variety to the shots. This makes 4ft radius sans goose poop look bigger and more interesting. We moved over again and I had them stand on a rock because it was the only part not covered in poop. IT WORKS. The best part of digital photography is that you can take a lot of photos and just delete the ones that don't work.
Overall, this shoot challenged me to be creative and work with what I've got. This is the key to all photo shoots and it's great to have this struggle every now and then to remember how to adapt. If I can do it, you can too.
I finally took a break from editing all of my weddings and engagement images to do a shoot with Tori Radday. Tori and I have been working together for a while now and she is always one of my favorite people to photograph. As a blogger, you really should know the importance of good photography. If you want to make your blog look profession, it has to have quality images.
Tori and I work together once or twice a month doing about 2 or 3 outfits every time. This is a great way to optimize time and your money with a photographer. She also switches out different glasses for looks which really creates a nice diversity in her Instagram posts while wearing the same outfit.
This is one of my favorite looks she has done. It is such a retro and frankly, a much more sexy look, than I am used to shooting. She rocks it too. I always say my job would be too shoot for Free People or Urban... or really any female-based brand. I think these last few images really show that off.
Model/Stylist - Tori Radday
Photographer - Me! Rachel Dwyer
Engagement photos on Belle Isle, Detroit.
Read MoreDIA engagement photos.
Read MoreI am in love with Instagram and having the "look away" photos is a must. However, when you're having a professional photographer take photos of you, how do you tell them what you are looking for? What do you wear?
Read MoreLauren is a cheerleader for the Detroit Tiger's and wanted a unique Detroit photoshoot. We went on the top of a parking structure for the first part of the day and then moved to the colorful wall mural. Lastly, we headed to Hammtramck for a few more shots.
I have known Heather since high school and when she asked me to do her engagement photos, I was so excited. Heather always had unique style and I used to love the photos she took back in high school. She inspired me to venture further into photography, so it was quite the honor when she asked me to take these photos.
We took the photos at Centennial Farm on Grosse Ile, MI. I grew up riding horses here and it is also the park right behind Heather's house.
The were married just a few weeks ago with a small ceremony at a Zingerman Farm.
Gina and Patrick's wedding took place August 28, 2015 at Stoney Creek Metro Park in Shelby Township, Michigan. The ceremony was lined with trees that reached all the way to the sky and greenery everywhere. The pictures speak way more than words.
It's fun to attend a wedding as a guest and not have to worry about the pressure of being the photographer. Although sitting at a table of my college friends and their exes was a little weird, it was nice to reconnect with so many people.
My friends and I arrived to the ceremony as the bride was just about to walk down the aisle. I almost walked down the aisle myself, but then was soon directed to get out of the way. We ran and took our seats in the beautiful, but very hot church. One thing to remember, in old churches there is no air conditioning. It's hot. It's stuffy. The family was nice enough to provide fans to the guests while we witnessed the marriage.
The reception took place at The Baker Lofts just outside of downtown Holland, MI. It was truly a gorgeous reception space. We were first greeted by a tall moss divider which was the background for our escort cards. Just behind the the mossy wall lay a beautiful space lined with lights strung across the ceiling. The colors were muted tones and the center pieces were succulents.
The overall beauty of the reception space dulled the reality of the cash wine bar and the dueling pianos. Also, they brought their dog. So it was a win.
