Keeping Up With the Joneses

27.01.11 personal

I mean this story in the least offensive way possible.

That can’t be a good way to start a post on a wedding blog.  Really.  But you all know what I’m talking about.  You’ve all met one of those really skinny girls who they’re their fat.  You kind of hate them, just a little.  Especially when they say to you, who is at least 3 pant sizes bigger, “No, girl, you look so good! You have a great body.”  Yeah, we’ve all met those kind of people.  And it wasn’t until my buddy Taylor told me I was being like that.  Like the skinny girl.

You see, sometimes I get in this bad habit of looking at one too many photography blogs.  It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while I get carried away.  Like I snowball blog jump… And I honestly, it doesn’t leave me feeling excited about photography.  I get discouraged.  I can’t help but focus on the negatives.  I start thinking how much cooler these photographers are.  How many neat things they’re doing.  How much they’re published.  How fabulous their technical skills are.  And it’s like I can’t see the light.

I was telling this to my buddy Taylor and that’s when told me to shut up and that I was acting like a skinny girl who thinks she’s fat.  Yeah.  I wasn’t exactly encouraged at first, but then he explained and I was flattered.

Needless to say, I tell you this story because it’s so easy to compare ourselves to others.  And really, that gets you NOWHERE.  The best thing you can do, at least that I’ve found, is to throw all those discouraged feelings out the window, grab your camera, and start shooting.  Doesn’t matter.  Just start.  Try something new.  Experiment.  And through that process, you’ll end up making things that you’re really proud of.  And when you’re really, honestly proud of your work, you don’t care what the Jonses are doing.  Just what you’re doing.

And that’s exactly what I did the other day.  I called Jes and I said, “We’re creating something tonight.  Put on your fake eyelashes.”

:-)

And this is what we came up with:

Riviera Cancun, Mexico: Lee & Russell

25.01.11 destination weddings

You are in for a treat!  Our last wedding of 2010 was an incredibly, beautiful destination wedding in Cancun.  The only things more beautiful than the destination are the couple, Lee and Russell, and their wonderful families.  I showed up to this wedding and received some sweet southern comfort!  Lee and her folks are from the great state of Alabama and Russell’s a Colorado guy.  I was welcomed with the biggest open arms, hugs, kisses, you name it.  I can see where Lee gets her sweetness.

Cause you see, Lee is the  kind of girl who, when you see her from across the room, winks at you.  Yeah.  That kind of sweet.  And she says words like darlin’ and fixin’.  She’s got the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and just makes you feel like the most special person when she talks to you.  Russell, on the other hand, is hilarious.  The kind of guy who laughs at himself and cracks these subtle, sarcastic jokes under his breath.  He has this cute laughter, almost a nervous laughter, that follows him around.  And I’m sure he’s cracking a joke right now as he reads my description.  :-)

The best part about this wedding was leaving Mexico feeling like a part of Lee and Russell’s family.  I had made friends with every single person on the guest list and I’m pretty sure I knew them all by name.  And it was that guestlist that made the wedding what it was.  I told Lee at their Reveal, “Even if your wedding was local, I can’t think of a better way to end the 2010 wedding season.”  And that’s because everyone was so connected.  They were so loving.  So excited for Lee-Lee and Russell.  So welcoming. So fun!

L&R, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this occasion.  It was perfect.  You are perfect.  I love you!

With joy,
René

Lee had the most exquisite dress and shoes to match!

I loved this moment when Lee’s sweet grandmother walked in the salon. She instantly welled up when she saw Lee.

These pearls were given to Lee’s grandmother by Lee’s grandfather after WWII.

Coming from a girl whose Nana means a lot to her, this shot could be my favorite from the day.

Their first look was so good…

Ugh, I love these two people!

…and these shoes. :-)

Oh Lee-Lee, you are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met – inside and out!

Love these reactions from their friend Jeff.  I think he was the first person to see her come around the corner.

Do you see Lee’s Nana on the left?  I asked her what she was looking forward to most about the day and she simply and sweetly said, “Just seeing my granddaughter get married!”  And you can tell the day meant so much to her…

Pretty sure there’s a bride and groom in there. :-)

Can I just take this next photo to tell you a little bit about why I love my job?  These four sweet souls below are all single.  None of them are married.  But widows and widowers.  This photo has been taken before.  Many times it’s been taken before, I’m sure of it.  Except, before there were four other people present.  Yes, these people and their spouses, have been the best of friends for many, many years.  Half of them have since passed away, yet they’ve still stuck together.  This is love, you guys.

When I heard their story, I just had to make a portrait of them.

Lee and her brother:

Kami & Chris’ Maternity Experience

24.01.11 maternity

I think there’s something in the water.

Yup.  That’s gotta be it.  It’s something in the water.

So many of our brides are growing babies.  And it’s so beautiful.  We’ve been asked to be a part of their maternity experience, so we decided to develop an official Maternity Experience, in addition to our Engagement and Wedding Experiences.  Kami and Chris are our first couple to have their pregnancy photos taken with us.  Kami is due any day now!  You’ll definitely be seeing their baby on this blog over the course of the year.

Kami has been a long time RTP client, we’ve photographed her senior portraits, her family’s portraits, her and Chris before their engagement, her and Chris after their engagement, and their wedding day.  She had some interesting feedback for expecting moms:

“This session was not about us.  It was about the baby.  It was easy to be more ‘posy’ because we were showing off our baby, not us. I actually think that they seem more romantic than some others that you’ve taken for us, and it got me to thinking that that’s probably the way it’s supposed to be, you know? I mean love between two people grows from season to season. Chris and I know each other so much better than we did at our wedding, and I think we know how to love better, too. I’m grateful that we have all of our ‘seasons’ documented with such awesome photos, thanks to you :)”

Just something to think about. :-)

RTP Retreat Weekend

24.01.11 the latest & greatest

It is impossible to fit in this little white box the power of this past weekend.  Seriously.

Saturday and Sunday marked our first semi-annual René Tate Photography retreat weekend.  Jesie, Michael, myself, and a longtime RTP visionary and marketing guru, Shawn, joined together for a weekend that held more than we ever could have expected or dreamed.

All I have to say is that God is incredibly good.  His timing is perfect.  And you are going to see some pretty neat changes in the coming year.  I have had so many dreams and visions on how to use this photography thing for something bigger.  Something with more of an impact.  I have this renaissance soul, if you will, that contains a wide variety of passions and desires.  Believe there was a way to combine the best of all worlds, I’ve been saying for the last two years that outside of this business, “I’m on the verge of something big. I can just feel it! I can almost taste it!  We are being prepared for something larger than life.”  And finally, after two years of praying, dreaming, envisioning, and perfecting our craft we’ve finally figured out our purpose.

Did you hear that?  After TWO YEARS of nipping at its tail, we have finally figured out why we do what we do and how to make more of an impact with this gift of photography. The camera is just a tool.  What’s beyond that camera is what’s matters.

And I cannot wait share it all with you.

I know this is quite possibly the most vague post I could ever share.  Forgive me, for I do not want to lessen the impact of this weekend by trying to explain it all to you in one sitting, in one post.

You’ll begin to see peices of Our Why (why we do what we do) and Our Purpose trickle in through various forms of media, and especially if you are an RTP bride or groom.

And if you are thinking about becoming an RTP bride or groom, boy, do we have an experience in store for you.  An experience beyond the photos.

Stay tuned.

With love, joy, enthusiasm, clarity, and a whole new perspective,
René, Jesie, Michael, and Shawn

A few images from this weekend… We started the weekend in off giving credit where credit was due and asking for guidance. Our first day was filled with brainstorming, dreaming, crying, and so much more.

Day two held the nitty, gritty, necessary details.

Cal was most definitely a breath of fresh air and took it upon himself to provide comedic relief with his crazy antics.

I don’t even want to know how many cups of this stuff we consumed.

Big things are in store.  Finally.  We’re finally starting to figure it out.

Hallelujah!!