stop motion. 2014.

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i've always tried to focus on the important milestones on these end-of-year posts. but this year, it's been particularly hard to put this together without sharing a very personal side of us with the rest of the world. we take our business to heart, and our photography work is most definitely as personal as it comes. so it only makes sense while you all open up and share your personal story (day) with us, that we should open up and share some of our story as well. 2014 has proven to be the most challenging year of our lives. we were elated at the prospect of growing our business, adding new services (a photo booth), starting new ventures, and, not to mention, working with the best clients ever. but we were most excited to be growing as a family, and adding a +1 to our home. however, life had something else in store for us.

the day we said hello and goodbye to our little jude was the hardest day of our lives. it left us empty and heartbroken. but it also left us with the resolve to do better, to be better, and to have gratitude for the things we do have. we were overwhelmed by the outpour of love and support by our friends, family, and clients. and above all, it lit a fire in our hearts and bellies, causing us to focus on what's most important: each other, and those cameras in our hands.

in the months after losing our son, we turned to photography as a way to cope and focus on better things.  we created some of the best work to date, and decided to focus more on giving back to the community. 2015 is already starting out with a bang, focusing more on philanthropic work with the creation of the illume collective, and lining up some amazing weddings for the upcoming year. we're excited to see where life takes us this year. in the mean time, here are some of our favorites from last year.  here's to life, laughter, family, and focusing on what's most important, love.

 

product runway | IIDA, nina west, dress for success event

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several weeks ago we documented and had our photo booth at a super special evening for IIDA's product runway, a design competition based on the ever so popular project runway, but with a twist. sixteen design teams presented fashion looks created from interior design products (carpet, upholstery, acrylic, vinyl, chairs, etc.) with interior designers as models on the runway.  the event was hosted by  dimitrious stanley with special guest appearance nina west. proceeds from this event went to dress for success.

trillium pies | german village small business launch.

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i had a fantastic time collaborating with the talented styling of whitney moore and jennifer heagren on this fun launch shoot.  trillium pies is an up-and-coming small business in german village.  their approach is based in simple, family-owned recipes, resulting in the most exquisite pallets of unexpected flavors. salted cashew coconut. fire apple. habanero peach. honey drenched pear. it's like an edible piece of art.

 

side note: after working so intuitively and collaboratively on this, whitney, jenny and i have decided to start up a collective. it aim is to enrich local small businesses, hone in our craft, and work together with other local artists.  we believe in giving back, building a stronger community of artists and businesses, and to foster an atmosphere of fun and collaborative projects among all of the arts.

we're so excited about this!  stay tuned for further updates...