November 14, 2015

Location: The Green, Uptown Charlotte, NC

Nikon D600 w/ 70-200mm 2.8, 24-85mm  

The fitness and wellness community has been one of my biggest supporters and this session was a product of that. Amy originally reached out to me interested in some fitness photos for her and her husband Matt's Fitness\Clothing company. FYI (stay tuned for that in the future). We then led our conversation towards scheduling a family shoot. We discussed locations and I recommended The Green and Uptown Charlotte. The Green is a great location because you can start in the park and then walk around through uptown. We both agreed on this location and Amy notified me that she wanted her photos to be different. Not your standard photos. I accepted the challenge and by the response I received after delivering the gallery, I would say I am GOOD TO GO!!!!. 

While driving to the Green Saturday morning, I started to see a lot of police officers and cones setup. I had NO IDEA that there was a huge 5k and 10k marathon going on in Uptown. I pretty much took every back road possible to finally arrive at the park. Good thing I always leave early to arrive to location. When the Stefanik Family arrived and I saw them walking towards me, first thing I thought was "Wow this is a good looking family". I am pretty sure they hear that often.. but had to let them know. We started immediately after I was introduced to their lovely 3 kids. I started by getting some images in front of the Charlotte directional sign. May not be the best explanation of the sign but by the image you will understand where I was attempting to go with it. 

We then migrated across the street where I wanted to get some of the kids and some solo Amy and Matt

 I knew after the few images I had already taken, that these photos were gong to be amazing. Its always awesome working with a family that compliment each other so well. It was a joy working with them. We then went back across the street because I wanted to get closer to Tryon St, so we could get a shot in the middle of the road. On our way there we stopped and got a few other images. One thing I can say, their youngest was a natural. He was ready for every single picture. He definitely kept a smile on my face.

I wanted to make sure I got some images of Amy with just the boys and visa versa with Matt. I wanted to cover every combination possible. They were so many activities going on in Uptown that day but we were able to able to walk around freely and get some nice set ups. On of my favorite is the one below of Amy and her sons. I love how the sunlight is coming down from the top corner onto Amy. There was so much joy and love within this family and it showed. Not sure if I could have taken a bad picture if I tried.

Then is way time for the boys. Wanted to make sure I got a good one of Matt and his boys. We kept it pretty simple as far as setup. Then we were able to get the street clear and even stopped traffic to get a nice shot in the road. One of the things I love about shooting in Uptown, is that people are so polite. They wait for you to take you picture before they continue walking. This is something I am not used to coming from up north. As we were walking around it was great having conversation with Matt. We are both into fitness and sports, so we hit it off. Amy is incredibly nice and easy to talk to. I have definitely been blessed to work with some amazing families and couples.

These next set of images were really cool. As we were walking around I noticed a really cool wall from a distance with graffiti. We walked towards it and once we arrived, it was an auto car repair shop and there were cars parked in front of it. There was very little space for me to capture the family. I then made the decision to get some solo images of the kids and some of Matt and Amy. My 70-200mm was not going to work, but my 24-85 worked perfectly. Check them out....

While finishing up I took the moment to get some images of just Matt and Amy and some fun ones of the kids. The images of Matt and Amy were amazing. The way they looked into each others eyes and smiled was a true definition of love. It was almost like I was shooting an engagement shoot. Seeing married couples like this make my job and these type of sessions so worthwhile.

Here are some fun ones of the kids...

Wrapping up this session was tough to do, especially when having so much fun. Matt and Amy were a pleasure to work with and would like to thank them personally for allowing me to be their photographer. I know the market is full of photographers, so anytime a family decides to choose you its a blessing. I am grateful for every family that I get to work with. I look forward to working with Amy and Matt again in the future. This day was another 2 day shoot day, so from here I had to head over to STAX Charlotte for a Crossfit shoot. Stay tuned for new blog coming soon.

WELCOME TO THE BAW PHOTOGRAPHY FAMILY....