Well, good morning, happy Sunday, and happy 2015! Welcome to your first full week of the year.

I’d like to start my first full week of the year with a recap of last year.  Sure, this is probably something I should’ve done before 2014 came to a close, but to be honest, life kind of got in the way.  I was traveling a lot between Cañon City, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. and just couldn’t get all my ducks in the row to do all the recapping before the year was over.

It’s been a FULL year to say the least…  a bathroom remodel, a hunting trip, a father-daughter trip to Turks & Caicos, three road trips to New Mexico, two to Steamboat Springs, 13 plane rides all over the country, 20 weddings… 21 if you count my OWN… and countless little moments in between. It’s so fun for me to go through all our images from the year, select favorites and update ReneTate.com.  In the process, I’ve found some gems from behind the scenes of René Tate Photography… incase you want to know what happens behind the camera.

This year I had the privilege to shoot with a dear friend from high school, Miss Cassie Fortman.  While Jesie has been off raising her baby girl, Cassie has stepped in this past year to shoot full-time with me.  It’s been a joy to hang and laugh with her every Saturday.  I have her to thank for many of these fun behind-the-scenes images!

Enjoy!

To start the year off, I headed to Turks & Caicos to photograph Megan and Mike’s elopement.
My dad came with me, making it a very special father-daughter trip before he gave me away just months later. :-)

2014 Was full of fun reunions. At Rachel’s and Ben’s wedding I got to see RTP couples Rachel & Dale and Coéle & Andrew.

And at Rachael’s and Zach’s wedding I got to see some dear anniversary couples:
Kim (of Kim and James) and Cindi (of Cindi and Mike).

Also some fun moments with the wedding parties:

Sometimes we hold bouquets… and sometimes we stand on the bed to get a solid white background.

Apparently “praise the Lord” hands are my jam:

Hallelujah!

One of the best, best, best compliments our couples give us is, “René, you made us feel SO at ease the entire day.
Everything was ahead of schedule and ran smoothly.”  That doesn’t happen without a few team meetings:

I’m not sure what was happening here, but I promise, I didn’t do it.

The best way to work with kids: tell the parents to disappear for a while, tell the wedding party to use quiet voices,
and tell lots of secrets to said kids. If you’re calm and quiet, they usually are too and will cooperate without fail!

I love this moment Cassie captured of me and Michelle – I had only been home from my honeymoon for two days.
Michelle was so sweet in congratulating me, and I her. I love starting the wedding day with the camera down and just talking to our brides.

Just days later, Kelley got married and totally stole my wedding programs. ;-) With my permission of course.  Love her.

So random and out of place, but it is what it is… sometimes guests want to take selfies with us.
We always have the wrong lens on for it of course.

Fun at engagement shoots!  The great Sand Dunes:

Lake Michigan

Wedding day outfit selfies.

Crouching Tiger

“That good, hold it right there!”

After parties with our couples!!

Word on the street is I love leopard print mixed with engagement shoots.

And orange shorts.  Which has nothing to do with anything really except they’re cute.

Now sometimes the wedding day set up is behind, the bride is stressed, and we just gotta pitch in with blowing up beach balls!
We also folded all the napkins for Kate & Ty’s wedding.

And sometimes the guests get photos of me and email them later on. Fun surprise.

Pre-ceremony, we sometimes find ourselves shooting each other from across the distance.

The “Okay, so it’s pouring rain. What do we do?” Talk

Love it when the bridesmaids want to take a photo together!

And when I get to work with my own wedding coordinator at another wedding AND sit by her at dinner!

Photo booth test shots and fun shots with the bride!

Charlie Chaplin

Sometimes while Cassie is finishing up groomsmen photos and the bridesmaids have already gone to the cocktail hour,
the bride and I just hang. And sometimes I sit because I am so tired after the ceremony, family portraits, wedding party,
and all the stuff that came before that. :)

Always holding things for the bride.

Shooting kids of course.

Test shots with Jesie!

Syncing our cameras by photographing our shoes. :)

Congratulatory hug with the groom!

That’ll all folks.  Over and out.