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Inspiration: Cara Barer

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Posted in Photography: me

It’s interesting how I came across the work of Cara Barer. I was actually reading an article in food and wine about a kitchen designer. It talked about the designer’s sense of balance in details such as placement of photographs, and the photographs were the work of Cara Barer. I was drawn to them and immediately looked up her site to learn more about her. As a photographer and sculptor, she has transformed a book and given it new life as well as meaning as she asks us to ponder the role of books in our lives. I love how she works with something so simple. I appreciate how she’s taken a concept and continued to explore it in new ways.

I know this is an out of the blue post – and not something I typically do – but I’m hoping to change that. Seeing a new perspective from other artists is refreshing and challenges me to create as well. I haven’t been doing too much personal work as of late and it has been intimidating to start doing so. I’m not sure why it’s so easy to put off starting something, but I’m going to get over that and set aside time to explore new ideas in art and photography. I know that it will help me grow as a wedding and portrait photographer as well, so stay tuned for updates and more inspiration.

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by Mary Dougherty

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today’s rainy Washington DC wedding

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Posted in Photography: Wedding

After every wedding I’m exhausted from pouring every last bit of energy into photographing each inch of the day. I make it home and am ready to collapse in front of the tv with some sorbet (if I’m lucky to have it in the house) while I upload my memory cards. Despite this exhaustion, with out fail I get a second wind and start to look through the wedding photos. I start to sort and edit and see what new things I’ve captured. I can barely keep my hands from editing a few so I don’t even try to hold back. So, here is one of the images from David + Dawn’s wedding today. We had a great time getting photos in the district and trying to keep dry the whole time. It was a juggling act for me but one that I am used to – and you know it would take some pretty severe weather for me to miss photos like this. They had a great wedding that I’m looking forward to posting soon!

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by Mary Dougherty

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Williamsburg VA: Steve & Blythe

Thursday, March 11, 2010 Posted in Wedding

It’s a privilege to witness a wedding where the love is so real, so palpable, that it touches everyone involved. Steve and Blythe had such a wedding, and on a day where the focus was on them they turned the focus to God. What ensued was a fabulous celebration with all of their family and friends that joined Steve and Blythe together. Oh, and did I mention there was dancing?

I’ve known Steve for a few years through his time on the track team at Houghton, and his relationship with Blythe brought him down to Virginia at about the same time Matt and I moved. After our move Steve + Blythe’s wedding was the first I planned to shoot in Virginia and I am not only happy that I was able to document their wedding, but that they  help me get my start in a new state. My time in Williamsburg was wonderful, I felt totally welcomed and wish I could have spent some more time with everyone. Enjoy the photos from the day, which started at Blythe’s house where she got ready with her bridesmaids…

Blythe’s gorgeous Vera Wang dress was possibly the most complicated to get in to. I think it probably was easier when she tried it on before, but with the hair and makeup to worry about, she ended up kneeling on the floor to have it brought over her head.

Blythe was well taken care of by her bridesmaids the whole day. They were the kind of close friends that reminded me of my own!

She was a gorgeous bride and everyone was fighting back tears when she put all of the finishing touches on.

The ceremony took place and was

The wedding details were punctuated by the mix of flowers – most notably the thistle which took center stage in the bouquets. After the ceremony everything moved quickly over to the reception, which was held at the William & Mary Alumni House. Steve and Blythe had a signature entrance which I think everyone would agree was true to their personalities.

The reception was filled with tons of dancing. Seriously, if you knew Steve and Blythe you would know that dancing was high on the priority list… and I can relate to that. There was also great speeches from the best men and maid + matron of honor, and it was clear that Blythe and Steve have not only invested in their friendships, but care about investing in the lives of other people. After the speeches, celebration, dancing, and groomsmen dance :), the clock struck midnight and Steve and Blythe were off! There’s a lot more to the story so if you want to see all of the photos please visit their gallery and use their last name as the password once you register. Also, leave a comment to help them get a free 11×14 or 16×20 print (20 comments/40 comments). I have to admit I had such a good time getting to know everyone at the wedding and being a part of the day, so I hope you enjoy + looking forward to hear from you!

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by Mary Dougherty

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a spring self portrait.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized

I love the days – when the snow is nearly melted and the sun is shining – that remind you of what summer feels like. Something about warm weather (especially after very cold weather) is so very hopeful. Today was definitely one of those days, so I took a few breaks from my computer and cold office (it’s not east facing so it doesn’t warm up in the morning) to be outside. We ate lunch on the porch, walked the dog, and went for a 21mi bike ride. We are both in terrible cycling shape so if we want any chance to succeed in triathlons this summer we have a lot of work to do. I guess it’s time to sign up for a few races. Anyone have some races planned for the spring + summer? I’d love to hear what you’re training for, I’m not sure what I’ll be doing although my top choice is the Musselman triathlon as it’s always a great event and was actually the first tri I ever did three years ago. Wow I can’t believe that much time has gone by. I just have to add that the highlight of our ride today was when we had to stop because there were three cows loose in the road. We were back on country roads so you can’t turn around and go back very easily… so we just had to wait it out. Thankfully it didn’t take too long for them to corral them back into the right field. Does that happen in other places or just in Virginia?

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by Mary Dougherty

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shoot out: testing my lensbaby

Monday, March 8, 2010 Posted in Photography: me

A week ago I met up with a great group of people for a shoot out. I’m not sure if that’s even the technical term, but that’s what we called it. Lindsay, a friend from college, organized most of it as she wanted to get together photographers and models so we could practice and learn from each other. While there was no set schedule to the event, we started out at Andre’s Wine + Cheese Bar in downtown Doylestown. We shot indoors and practiced off camera lighting, but what was most interesting was seeing what each person did. While I like to travel a little bit lighter I was impressed by Keesha’s umbrella and flash set up… and I was also eyeing Lindsay’s external battery pack for a near instant recycle time on her flash. It’s always good to see what other people are doing – not so you can just copy – but when you’re in an environment that’s open to learn from… you can learn!

Part two of the shoot out took place outside. I decided to try something new and only used the lensbaby I bought at Imaging USA for my lens. If you’re not familiar with lensbabies, they are basically a variation on a tilt shift lens. Instead of a constant plane of focus, you can move around the lens so that there are only specific points of focus. This can do some really cool things, but of course it takes more than just an interesting lens to create a great image. I’m still working on it, and you really have to slow down and take your time since it’s manual focus. While it’s a different look for me, if you’ve seen any of the abstract work I did in college you’ll know it’s right up my alley. I’m looking forward to working it in to some of my shoots – let me know what you think!

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by Mary Dougherty

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visiting pennsylvania

Thursday, March 4, 2010 Posted in me

It’s always a treat to visit with friends. After college one of the hardest things is probably moving away from some of the people you’ve grown closest with, and knowing that you won’t see them as often. Jobs, family, and life takes you elsewhere so it’s hard to get together again. Weddings are perfect for that, and as you know I’m looking forward to a reunion with friends at Laura + Travis’s wedding this summer. I love seeing and photographing that at weddings as well – something I always look for.

For the past few days, I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in Pennsylvania with one of my best friends from college, Mary Claire. So far I’ve become addicted to Glee and will finish watching the whole first season by the end of my trip. We went to see The Young Victoria and left wanting to watch it one more time. The music from the movie was fabulous too and currently Mary Claire is thinking about having our afternoon run be to the music store so she can buy Schubert’s Swan Song and play it tonight. Yesterday we had a very early and adventurous day as I accompanied her to Philadelphia, where she teaches music each Wednesday. We didn’t do any of the typical philly things (I have before, don’t worry) but had fun catching up with another friend from college, Josh, over lunch. This morning we went out for a treat at La Maison Du Cheese in Doylestown and it was the cutest little shop. In addition to specializing in cheese they bake fresh croissants each day so we went over to enjoy one. Both of us had blueberry and we were lucky to have a taste of the croissant bread pudding – if you’re going to have bread pudding, it might as well be with croissants. Enjoy a few photos from our trip there and I will work on my story telling as I have already spent too long writing this post :)

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by Mary Dougherty

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