Engagements: Chase & Tiffany

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Photographer (6)

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Photographer (6)

I can’t tell you how fantastic these two are. They are so warm and welcoming that I felt like part of the family. If I didn’t know better I would say they were already married the way they are just the best of friends. They chose to start the shoot in Kannapolis near the Gem Theater, which they have frequented since childhood. From there we moved to Historic Gold Hill and grabbed some shots before the sun went down. I am so excited that they chose us to be their wedding photographers – September cannot come fast enough.

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Quality vs. Quantity

We’ve all heard it before – as companies venture out and grow, they do have to decide if it will be quality verses quantity or vise versa. We had some dear friends over for dinner last night, who just happen to be another husband and wife team of photographers here in Charlotte. We were talking about life and what was new and eventually our conversation steered towards our photography bookings. It’s been something that Nate and I have discussed – if we should set a limit or just shoot, shoot, shoot. So many photographers (and other occupations) view success on the amount of sessions or weddings they book, but is that really success? Is success being so strapped for time that you don’t enjoy the shoot, you get lazy on locations and one shoot looks like another? Yes, you may pull in more money and own the market in your price point, but all you want to do is pull your hair out and every task seems like a mountain to crawl over. Small business is hard in general, but why make it harder on yourself?

It’s better to grow your business slow and steady, approach each potential client with care and thought – don’t just accept them as a client because they have a check ready for you, and figure out how many weddings/sessions you require to make a healthy living and enough to continue improving your skills and equipment. Make a decision for you, your family and your business – Quantity or Quality (of Life)

~Rachel

ps: That little cutie is one of my best friend’s little girl, Annie. I absolutely adore her – she calls us Rachel and Neat:)

 

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Impromptu Session: Erin

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Woman standing by silos at the Urban Barn in Charlotte NC

Wednesday I was just in the mood to shoot. I have my new Mamiya 645 and I wanted to run the first roll through it (I’ll post those after I get them developed). Erin kindly obliged and met me up at the Urban Barn in Charlotte. It could not have gone better.

-Nate

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Bridals: Althea

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A winter bridal portrait in charleston sc

The hardest thing about bridal portraits is waiting weeks to share them with the world. Fortunately, with Althea’s Charleston bridal portraits, we only had to wait a little over a week. Untimely alterations, lent for a last minute portrait session. Thankfully it’s January and our schedule allows us to be more flexible.

Althea and her mom flew up to Kleinfeld’s in New York City to find this beauty of a dress. Enjoy!

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New Years 2011

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Portrait Photography (9)

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Portrait Photography (9)

Nathan and I always love an adventure and decided to make our first New Year’s celebration a bit more exciting than last year’s, so we extended our Christmas trip to spend New Year’s Eve in Boston. My sister and brother-in-law live on the beautiful North Shore of Boston in Beverly. They are literally 2 blocks from the beach!

We got to hang out with their pup, Charlie, do some shopping and catch a concert or two. My brother-in-law’s brother and long time friend of mine, Zak, along with another long time friend and sister, Lindsay, and her son, Ezra, joined us for our ventures into the city. Ezra is the sweetest and most chill baby I’ve ever met. We had a blast with everyone and can’t wait to see everyone again (soon)!

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Christmas in Vermont 2011

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Portrait of a Family in the snow in Vermont

Merry Christmas to everyone – even though we are weeks past the beautiful holiday, we wanted to share some of our times we had in Vermont with Rachel’s family. Unfortunately, it only snowed once while we were there, but it was enough to last and give us a white Christmas! We hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends this past Christmas season.

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Vermont December 2011

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Portrait Photography (14)

A small house in Vermont

While in Vermont I had a couple chances to just go out and shoot for me. I love these times that I can just go out and take photos of what I feel like taking photos of. No pressure, just looking for something interesting with good light. I get to play around with any lenses or techniques that I want to. I would recommend that every working photographer do this as it helps to keep your mind sharp and the creative juices flowing. I hope you enjoy them!
-Nathan

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Wedding: Shurn & Erin

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Wedding Photography (23)

Nathan Abplanalp - Charlotte Wedding Photography (23)

Shurn and Erin’s carnival themed wedding was a blast! The entire event was held at Erin’s parents farm in Van Wyck, SC. Erin had planned so many details perfectly with her vintage pin bouquet, the groomsmen’s custom bow ties, cotton candy machine, candied apples, kissing booth and so much more! Something Classic did an excellent job on the food and Audio To Go kept the party going.

Shurn & Erin’s wedding was featured in the most current issue of Carolina Bride. Special thank you to Carolina Bride for their continued support of our photography. Enjoy!

Cake: Ella Art Bakery
Flowers: Harris Teeter – Arrangements by Erin
Gown: Alfred Angelo
Shoes: Marie Alexander
Bow Ties: Learned Stitchworks
Hair: Amy Finley, Salon 160
Music: Audio To Go
Caterers: Something Classic Catering
RentalsPinnacle Events, Something Classic Catering
Wedding Coordinator:  Erin Dennis

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