Stacey Bode Photography

For weeks, I have been like a kid anxiously awaiting a birthday.  I couldn’t wait to get to North Carolina to shoot Tom and Julia’s wedding day.  I think I started photographing it in my head before I even got there.

We just got back home, and the best way I can sum everything up briefly is to say that it could not have been more wonderful.  I’ll tell you more about the details, and post a ton of photos soon.  In the meantime, I wanted to put up a little preview pic.  Here they are at the reception, looking even more gorgeous and happy than usual.

I thought I’d also put up a pic from the after party, which not only was in the awesomest barn, but there was also authentic apricot-flavored moonshine (see giant jug in my hands).  Wow!  Still recovering.  It was so nice relaxing and chatting with their fantastic friends and family, while enjoying the cool mountain air.  One of the best things I can say about the weekend is that it never felt like work.  Thanks so much, Tom and Julia!  I can’t wait to share more photos with you!!

Prepare yourselves for a big slice of beefcake!  Yum!  It’s the “Men of Dad’s Garage” calendar!  I’m so glad they brought me on board for this project.  I did these shoots throughout July, and waiting this long to blog about it has been a special kind of torture.  The fabulous folks in these pics are ridiculously talented friends of mine, and they represent the improv ensemble at Dad’s Garage Theater.  The purpose for the calendar is to promote all the cool shows for their next season.  That way, people can see exactly when the shows are running.  Smart.  Even smarter?  Adding some eye candy to that info.

I can’t sufficiently describe here how much fun this was for me.  However, if you shove enough good tequila in my face, I might share a few special details.  Which shoot had the most giggling?  Which one was surprisingly dangerous?  Which one was I not wearing pants to shoot?  Note to potential clients:  I will definitely be wearing pants during your shoot.

So, I do a somewhat adequate job of keeping this blog at a PG-13 level.  I may be pushing it a bit with this post.  If your eyes, soul, or heart are of a delicate nature, I suggest that you do not scroll down.  You have been warned.

JANUARY

Here’s the one from this shoot that made it to the calendar.  We all agreed that the champagne missing the glass was the winner.

Here’s another shot I love from this shoot.  Having just started watching “Mad Men”, I have a new appreciation for Z’s sharp, cool, rat-pack style.  Nothing wrong with ringing in the new year with champagne and a handsome devil.

FEBRUARY

Anyone who knows Christian will understand that we had to involve robots.  Years ago, he made the costume he’s wearing.  During our shoot, he told me a great story about the first robot costume he made, and got stuck in.  Awesome.

This one didn’t make the calendar, but I adore it.

MARCH

Dad’s Garage could totally be accused of false advertising, since Amber is a lovely lady in the man calendar.  That’s why I thought we should play with that idea, and make her look like one of those androgynous Calvin Klein male models, or one of those Herb Ritz photos from the 80s with gals dressed as dudes.  I also figured that since Amber was the only girl in the group, she should be the only one that gets to pose with a half-naked woman.  By the way, a big thank you to gorgeous Alison for allowing us to completely objectify her incredible yoga bod.

Here’s the calendar shot…

…and another favorite.  To all the guys who see this calendar…..you’re welcome.

APRIL

I wanted to experiment with the “April showers” concept, and Lucky has a friend with this amazing car.  Win, win!  I just wish we could have gotten his dog, Abe Jackson, in more of the pics.

Not in the calendar, but I love this one too….

MAY

So, what do April showers bring?  May flowers, of course?  Only Tommy could pull of such a smoldering look while covered with this many blooms.

Seriously Tommy, that look should require a permit.  Weapon of mass seduction.

JUNE

Randy has a show coming up next summer called “Slaughter Camp”, and nothing screams summer like actual screaming when there’s a maniac loose in the woods.

I think my direction before this next image was “more blood!”.  I must also thank Breckan and Rueben for playing dead so nicely.

JULY

I think Mike got the easiest, most relaxing shoot.  On a hot day, he had to look hot while chilling by and in the pool.  I guess it wasn’t all a walk in the park.  I did make him wear that goofy headband.

God.  Bless.  America.

AUGUST

When planning this shoot, it didn’t seem physically impossible to fit three guys in one tub….and all my photo gear into a bathroom.  Trickier than we thought.  Thanks for being such sports, fellas.  Turns out, the toughest part was keeping Dan from finishing that burger before I took the pics.

Dan, Ed and Chris made the cover (this next image)!  We should have called them to announce it, like they do for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.  Thanks to Leigh Hays for letting us use her sweet purple bathroom!

SEPTEMBER

Oh, dear.  This shoot with George and my hubby Matt actually ended up being more tame than I thought it would be.  These guys are not known for their shyness.  I had to stop between each frame because I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t hold the camera still.  This calendar photo still makes me belly-laugh every time I look at it.

Nope, nothin’ crazy about this….

OCTOBER

Rene got the coveted Halloween month (also the month of his birthday).  I wasn’t sure that “mummy” and “sexy” and “funny” could go together, but Rene happily proves me wrong.

Though not in the calendar, here is my favorite from this shoot.  I dig the throwing action and mischievous expression.

Here’s another idea we had for October.  That’s our pal Chris Brown in his oh-so-creepy Rotzo costume that he made himself.  So talented.  In between shots, Chris and I were hanging out in the theater, when an unsuspecting young lady walked in.  She saw him, screamed, and ran out.  It was swell.

Sweet dreams…….

NOVEMBER

Not only does Matt deserve bravery points for the obvious reasons, but he also deserves recognition for the most harsh modeling conditions.  The AC wasn’t working (was in the high 90s outside).  It was painfully hot just standing still, then we made him lounge a few feet away from a fire.  I can’t confirm this, but I’d guess he had no hair left on the other side when we were done.

In case you’re not sure what to be thankful for this Thanksgiving…

DECEMBER

Kevin, I’m so sorry for the pain we caused you.  I’m sure all the smooching, groping, and attention will haunt you indefinitely.  Thanks to our snow wranglers and beautiful hand models Megan, Coop, and Hayley.

If you’re very, very good, maybe you’ll find this under your tree on December 25th.

Thanks so much to all my brilliant friends!  Please go check out all the shows at Dad’s Garage!!!  If you think these folks are hot, wait ’til you see how talented they are!

Without sounding too much like an Oprah disciple, I’ve decided that this year I’m going to try a bunch of things beyond my comfort zone.  I’m so lucky to have friends that help me facilitate these wacky experiments.  My sweet pal Anna-Claire is so daggum wonderful, that if I write too much about her, I’ll totally start blog crying.  She invited me to Escalade Rock Climbing Gym to get all Spiderman on some walls.  Two things I’ve always been a little afraid of are heights, and my complete lack of upper-body strength.  Crazy first-time fears aside, we went, did a lot of laughing, even more climbing than expected, and even learned how to tie all the fancy knots so we were able to belay each other going up and down the “big” wall.  Man, that was cool.  I want to go back to that gym to take their aerial dance classes!

I’m proud of my climbing blisters, despite the fact that arrows are required to find them.

Our next adventure was to the Georgia Aquarium!  It’s alarming how many Atlanta attractions I’ve never been to.  Also on the list are Cyclorama, The MLK Museum, The Carter Center, Six Flags, and the Margaret Mitchell House.  Sorry, Atlanta.  Things have been busy.  Anyway, I’ve been wanting to check out all the “fish”, and finally got my chance.  Totally worth the wait, and allowed me to cross another outing off my to-do list.  As a wise man once said, “Live Every Week Like It’s Shark Week”.

My awesome friend!

We got to stick our heads into the penguin habitat!  Look out behind you, Anna-Claire!!

This next pic makes me very happy.  Even though I almost knocked over a garbage can and injured myself taking it.

It’s been a real photo joy recently to have several shoots with folks who are friends that I only get to see once in a blue moon.  Last week, Damon and Jillian came into town for some photos with their little sweetie-pies.  It was wonderful to see them, and watch them play and snuggle with Alden and Elliott.  I knew their boys were unbelievably adorable, but what I didn’t know was how easy they are to photograph.  I seriously felt like I was shooting an ad for Gap Kids.  I’ll bet if I had said “find your light”, they would have done it without hesitation.  We played, snapped some pics, chatted, then played some more.  Not a bad way to spend a morning.

Jillian and Damon, your family is beautiful.  So much love.  Thanks a bunch, and I hope it’s not too long before I see you all again!

It’s been ages since my last Fletch update.  Today, he and I were lucky to get a visit from cutie-pie Kara and her gorgeous Newfoundland, Gidget.  What better reason to take some pics for the bloggy-blog?  I already knew I adored Kara, but after meeting her fluffy, giant pup….I am now in love with Gidget as well.  We both commented on how cool it was to see our dogs get to play with something their own size.  Before Gidget, the closest thing in size to Fletch was the patio table.  So here are some shots of our “babies” doing their thing.

Gidget!

Fletch!

Oh the cuteness!

Fletch, taking it easy in his favorite diggin’ hole.

My new favorite photo.  (awesome photo skills by Kara Jensen!)

This one makes me so happy.

Gidget digits!

Yay, enormous pups!!

I’ve photographed family portraits, engagements, and even weddings where people’s furry friends joined in the fun.  I LOVE capturing a few shots of my clients’ pets….especially when they tell me that it’s impossible to get a good photo of their little pal.  I like a challenge!  It was time for me to try my hand at a full-on doggie portrait session.  I knew my friend Stacy’s dog Maddie would be the perfect photo subject.  She’s calm, adorable, and really well-behaved.  Every time Maddie and Fletch play together, I hope that Fletch will learn by example.  Nope.  He can’t seem to shake his crazy puppy bad-boy status, even around a good influence.

I had such a blast taking these pics, and Maddie was an awesome fluffy model.  I’m glad we got some shots with Stacy too.  Seeing that bond between someone and their pet makes me so happy.  These were actually taken a couple months ago, and I finally pulled some up for the ol’ blog.  Yay!  I hope there will be many more photo shoots in my future with whiskers and wagging tails!!

We had to get a shot of Olive too!  Sorry Maddie.

Aw, so much puppy luvs!

Evita is one of a kind. When I met her about 10 years ago, I thought she was way too cool to want to hang out with me. Despite my dorkiness and her coolness, we became great friends. She’s one of the most creative folks I know, and she has a truly wicked sense of humor.

I was thrilled that she wanted me to take photos of her wedding to Michael. He’s such a nice guy, and has some unique ideas of his own. He showed me his “mad scientist room” in the house, and I was giddy with delight.

The big day took place in South Carolina, just over the bridge from downtown Charleston. Evita and Michael live on an incredible piece of property next to an oak grove, and it was the perfect setting for an outdoor wedding. Seriously, they should rent it out!

It was a gorgeous day for Evita and Michael and their family and friends. I know their new life together will be a great one.

I’m lucky to say that Alison has been a friend for years now. She’s beautiful to look at and has a lovely soul to match. As if that’s not enough, there’s also a very calming effect when you’re around her. Are you stressed out? Just hang around Alison for a little while. You’ll feel better.

I can’t believe it’s taken this long to have her in front of my camera, so I’m thrilled that she needed some new headshots. I was so excited, knowing how effortless and fun it would be to photograph her. I’m sure she’s SO sick of hearing this, but she truly has the MOST piercing, not-of-this-world eyes.

I’ll definitely have to come up with some excuses or cool artsy ideas to get Alison in front of my camera again soon.

A couple weeks ago, we had the pleasure of a visit from Tim, Shelby, and Max. I can’t believe how fast Max is growing up! Fletch got to have some heavily-supervised play time with him, and he did really well….at first. He started off just following a fast-crawling Max around the floor. Next, Fletch moved on to gently licking Max’s head and hands. Just before the end of our visit, Fletch was convinced that Max had turned into a giant tennis ball, and was probably wondering why we weren’t rolling him across the floor and shouting “go get it!”. Oh well, it was sane and adorable while it lasted.

Melanie is one of my dearest friends. When we first got to know each other years ago, she was going through a difficult time, and I was so struck by how she handled it with such strength and grace. On several occasions since then I’ve thought of her example when I wasn’t feeling strong or graceful.

She is now dealing with some even greater issues, and again I’m moved by how she faces life with a powerful will and love.

Melanie and Lee had a gorgeous baby boy a few months ago. Elliott is almost too wonderful to describe in words. You wouldn’t know it by looking at this perfect little guy, but he’s struggling with a list of daunting health issues. Although I was so thrilled to finally meet him, I was worried that being around him might make me sad, which is the last reaction I wanted to have around Melanie. I instantly realized that being around Elliott brings nothing but absolute JOY. He’s such a dream, and I couldn’t get enough of him.

I adore this family, and had the BEST visit with them. Melanie and I got to have some girly fun and giggles. I had a blast playing with my buddy Owen, and I got to cuddle with Elliott. Yay! I’m already looking forward to the next time I see them!

I was introduced to the awesome “Guess Who?” game. Owen was an astronaut and I was a monkey. No guesses needed.

Owen is quite the master of the point-and-shoot camera. In a few months, I’m sure I’ll be working for him. If I’m lucky. Here, he caught me trying to be like him.

Thanks Lee for taking this shot of us! I loves me some Melanie!