wedding photography

Collab with Urban Outfitters Virginia x Rachel Dwyer Photography x Tori Radday

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A few months ago Insta account @UOVirginia reached out to me and Tori Radday about a potential collaboration. Vanna from UO noticed Tori and I tagging her @UOVirginia account very regularly. She loved our work together and wanted us to create content for their Instagram. 

After all expectations had been set, Tori and I met with Vanna at the UO in Shortpump a few days prior to the shoot to pick out three outfits. Vanna told us about some themes she would like to work off of and then let us free. From there Tori styled the outfits with her own accessories, while I planned out the locations.

The first outfit was my absolute favorite. I love clothing with texture and a bold pattern. Because of the complexity of this outfit, I wanted a plain urban/warehouse background. I actually have had this location picked out for a few months and was waiting for the right outfit. I also have been obsessed with these shiny wall hangings and wanted to use them for a shoot. Shoutout to Vanna for shaking them in the background while I shot.
 

 

For the second outfit we started with this green dress from Urban. One of the themes Vanna told us about was "cozy", so we grabbed this big sweater from Urban too. Since the outfit was focused around greens and shades of gold, I really wanted to go to the yellow wall in Carytown where Tori and I frequently shoot. Along the way we stopped at some white backgrounds. I also chose to quickly go to the overpass for the final location for this outfit to add some variety. 

The third outfit was a cute, red dress that had a low cut back. The dress was more formal, so I really wanted it to feel like a holiday shoot. When I think New Year's Eve I think shiny, metallic, sequence, and anything along those lines. There is a metallic background in an alley near my house that I chose for the first location. Again, the goal of this shoot is to highlight the outfits, so I wanted the backgrounds to be simple, but with slight texture.

For the second location we wanted to the Byrd Theater in Carytown. It has a lot of old charm and Tori radiates vintage, so it was a great fit. The first challenge was that we were chasing the sun. The second challenge was shooting in Carytown on a Sunday around the holidays. So many people were out in the streets and it was very difficult to get a good shot. I bumped up the ISO and had to wait for my opportunity to shoot between crowds of people.

 

Overall the collab was very successful and a lot of fun. Big thanks to Vanna from Urban Outfitters for being a fantastic partner. She really let Tori and I take over creatively and offered assistance where ever she could. I love creating Instagram content and it was a dream come true to work with @UOVirginia. I would say that you can expect at least one more collaboration between us three.

 BTS: I used my Canon 6D Markii and my 2.8 24-70mm lens. I kept my aperture at 2.8 for all of the photos.

Photographer: Me, Rachel Dwyer - Website - Instagram
Model: Tori Radday - Website - Instagram
Partner: Urban Outfitters Virginia - UO's website - Instagram

Michelle and Kevin's Windsor, Ontario Engagement Shoot

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This was my first international (if you can call it that? My mom is from Canada. When I'm back on Grosse Ile, we go all of the time. International sounds fancy, so I'm going to use it... but honestly I think most people assume that I mean far away, when I mean 35 minutes from my parent's house in the USA) photoshoot. I have known Michelle for a while now. I used to go to Canada to get my hair cut and colored because she did a great job and charged the right price. She moved to Toronto a few years ago and studied hair and makeup at a really well known school. She works on TV shows, weddings, and anything you can think of that needs hair or makeup. 

It is so easy to shoot a couple that is passionately in love. Michelle lives in Toronto and Kevin lives somewhere in Indiana. It's notable feature is that it is an hour away from Chicago. Just kidding, I'm sure it has other notable features... But I was very impressed by Kevin. He owns two (or three?) stores that create hearing aids. He also works for the corporate office in Phoenix. So basically he lives on a plane between Indiana and Phoenix, Phoenix and Toronto, Toronto and Indiana. Because of this, Michelle and Kevin don't get to see each other as half as much as they want to.

Michelle drove in from Toronto for this shoot and Kevin flew in from Phoenix the night before. I'm so honored to have photographed this shoot after all of the traveling to make it happen. Michelle grew up in Windsor and wanted to go to Reaume Park. I had never been and the gardens were amazing. We got there around 6:30/7pm and the lighting was perfect. This a great place and it's FREE! It's a public park and absolutely beautiful. 

Next we went to Riverside and Parent streets and pulled into the park there to get the photos of the Detroit skyline at sunset. This is kind of a special picture features both an American and a Canadian, while standing on Canadian soil before they get married and move over to the US. 

Location: Windsor, Ontario

Couple: Michelle and Kevin

Photographer: ME! Rachel Dwyer

 

Lauren and Cody's Detroit Engagement Shoot

Lauren 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.

Gina and Patrick's Wedding.

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.

Holland, MI Wedding.

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.