Stacey Bode Photography

The weather wasn’t the only thing beautiful about this day.  Nancy and John planned an event full of relaxed, simple elegance.  The morning began at Glenn Memorial Church on the Emory campus.  A completely majestic place, inside and out.  When we arrived, Nancy was was assembling flowers and sharing laughs with her ladies.  When the guys showed up on the other side of the church, there was no shortage of joking around between them.  There’s something so cool about the ritual of getting ready for a milestone in your life while being surrounded by your friends.  As the ceremony time approached, the anticipation grew, but the mood remained light and excited.  Joy really is wonderfully infectious.

I had the pleasure of having my friend Robin Nathan second shoot for me on this day.  We’ve worked together before, and at Nancy and John’s wedding, she commented on how cool all my clients are.  I have to whole-heartedly agree.  Robin took this fantastic shot of the church.  It’s so nice working with someone who is not only talented, but also understands the important balance of being professional and having a blast.  Yay, Robin!

Nancy couldn’t have looked more exquisite.

It would be an utter crime to pass up a shot with a cool mirror AND a gorgeous bride.

I love images of the groom waiting before the ceremony.  There’s just something about capturing that emotion.  This one of John may be my all-time favorite.

Here’s Nancy waiting around the corner just before walking down the aisle.  I love her playful look!

These ladies know what’s up.  Fierce posing….check.

Total goddess.

I adore this next shot because it’s such a naturally romantic pic.  I told John to get close to Nancy, like he was trying to gently kiss her neck.  Apparently, John lives by the philosophy of “Try not.  Do…or do not.  There is no try.”  I hope he appreciates that Empire Strikes back quote.  I mean, he did have a Darth Vader groom’s cake.  Holla!

It’s shout-out time!  Oh Wahoo Grill, you are the bees knees.  Other folks who are the knees of bees are Sloane Warren, who did makeup for Nancy and all her gals; Southern Sweets Bakery, who made the yummy wedding cake; and Highland Bakery, who created the “sci-fibulous” groom’s cake!  Yes, I just made that a word.

Thanks for everything John and Nancy!  What an incredible start to your new life as hubby and wife!

To view a slideshow of more images from this captivating autumn wedding, please click HERE

Yay, yet another fabulous person I got to take headshots for!  This beauty is Christy.  I should have shot some video of her session because not only does she have a stunning face, but she has a very smooth, exotic-sounding voice.  I’ve been blessed with a string of actors who really know what to do in front of a camera.  Christy was so good at changing her expressions and always keeping a warm intensity in her eyes.  So important!  I was blown away at how she was able to bring out both strength and vulnerability in the same shot.  Please teach me your secret!

I’m going to have to change the name of this blog to “The Stacey and Sloane Blog” because she’s done so much work for my photo folks lately.  Yay Sloane!  She did a super job bringing out Christy’s powerful eyes.

Here are a few of the shots we took…

Man, I have gotten to take headshots for some pretty fantastic people recently.  It’s so freakin’ cool that my photography biz allows me to meet such incredible folks.  Jas is definitely one of “those” folks.  On the “dark and stormy” day of our first attempt at shooting, her bubbly personality was a welcomed contrast to the dreary day.  She was very sweet and patient when we had to call a rain delay after taking just a few pics.  Fortunately, the day of our second attempt to snap her new headshots was gloriously sunny.  We made the best of shoot #2, and Jas is one of those people who is so easy to photograph, that I can’t take the least bit of credit for how great she looks.  She made perfectly subtle changes in her expressions and poses.  Such a pro!  And I am NOT just saying all this because she made me treats.  Seriously, I need to get the recipe for her chocolatey, crunchy, yummy bars.  I don’t know what they were, but they were gone faster than I care to admit.  Thanks so much, Jas….for the goodies and for your fabulousness!

Where to begin??  Sarah is one of those people that I liked instantly.  She has an exuberance that is nothing short of contagious.  Last year, I took some photos of her performance in Synchronicity’s Naughty & Nice Cabaret.  I learned two things about Sarah that night:  she is an incredible singer, and the sight of her legs in fishnets makes it obvious how badly my legs need to hit the gym!

I was so excited when Sarah told me she wanted some family photos.  Her two little cutie pies are so smart and creative.  Just like mom.  She suggested meeting at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which turned out to be a brilliant location.  I can’t believe I’ve never been there.  It’s huge, loaded with hiking trails, and there are tons of cool events and activities.

It was a perfect fall afternoon, and the CNC lent itself so well to the fun, candid, and loving moments shared between Sarah, Maggie, and Max.  Photos like these are not only a joy to take, but they also remind me of what I love about photography.  Thanks to the Onsagers for such a wonderful reminder.

I can’t get enough of moments like these between siblings…

Sarah, you gorgeous lady!

The love between Sarah and her kids is so effortless, and a beautiful thing to witness.

This particular photo shoot had one of the best endings ever.  Sarah invited me over to their place for PANCAKES!  Sadly, I couldn’t make it, but I’m going to try to get them over here for pancakes to view their photos.

After our shoot, Maggie and Max also gave me the spare change they had as an extra “thanks”.  How adorable is that?  Best 13 cents I ever made!

I adore all the wonderful families I’ve worked with over the years, and I never get tired of meeting new wonderful families.  Recently, I spent a lovely morning with the Hage family at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  I just can’t get enough of that place, and I see new exhibits and improvements every time I’m there.  Love it!  From these photos, I hope you can tell what a fun family they are.  Lots of smiles, sweetness, and watching the kiddos do the awesome things that kiddos do.

Gavin, you are too adorable!

What could be better than a fantastic ukulele serenade from Dad?  AND the song was “The Ladybugs’ Picnic”.  That is one of my favorites from when I was little, and it’s SO cool on the ukulele!

Cutie, cutie Luke…

Many thanks to the Hage family for a delightful morning of photos and playtime!

Back in June, I took some photos of Hollis for his second birthday.  This time, it was Hayden’s turn.  He’s reached the ripe old age of 7.  I asked him how it felt to be 7, and he replied “I left a boy, and came back a man”.  A quote from one of his favorite movies (“Bee Movie” I think).  I was cracking up so hard, I nearly cried.  Hayden is not lacking in the personality department.  He’s awesome.  It was nice to have the whole family join in for this photo shoot, including their new bulldog puppy Pancake.  Perhaps the best dog name ever.  As usual, the Weiss family was a blast to photograph, and I was giggling the whole time.  Too much joy!

Since we’re so close to Halloween, I had them flash their best scary faces.  Cutie Hollis looks less “scary” and more “scared”.

So much sweetness…

You can’t go wrong with a sneak attack tickle-fest!

Happy Birthday Hayden, and a big thanks to the fabulous Weiss family!

Time really does fly when you’re having fun, which says a lot about Jessica and Taylor’s wedding, because it seems like I blinked, and the evening was drawing to a close.  The big day started at All Saints Church, where people gathered and hugged Taylor on the way in while Jessica and the ladies partied (I mean “hid”) in the limo.  I knew it was the start to what would be a fabulous event.  Their families were so welcoming and excited.  The kindness of Taylor and Jessica’s parents has obviously been passed on to their children, because both the bride and groom took time out of their celebrating to ask if I needed anything and if I was having a good time.  Yet another example of how lucky I am to work with the BEST people.  I was so thrilled to be there to take photos of their special day.  Here’s a little sample, and there’s a slideshow with more images at the end of this post.

When I saw this wall in the church, I nearly did a cartwheel.  We took the posed family photos up near the altar, and then I asked Jessica if we could do wedding party photos along this wall.  She seemed just as enthused as I was, and so we took some shots that make me swoon.

There’s nothing wrong with traditional, lined-up wedding party photos, but I’d rather take some with less “sigh” and more “KA-POW!”.  Here’s their wedding party demonstrating extreme amounts of KA-POW!

Jessica and Taylor have completely spoiled me.  Rotten.  Sometimes, I’m lucky to get 10 minutes for portraits with just the bride and groom.  It’s understandable considering how busy a wedding schedule can be.  However, I try to urge all my couples to allow some time for these types of portraits because during most of the event, the bride and groom are pulled in so many different directions.  You don’t want the night to be over with only a handful of photos of the couple, since they are what the whole day is about.  I got TONS of time with Jessica and Taylor.  We even brought along the wedding party and were able to use a special location just for these photos.  I can’t believe I had never been to Lenox Park before.  It’s fantastic!  Here’s what we did with our playtime…

While we were shooting here, Jessica and Taylor told me that they used to live in this area and even got engaged in this park.  They couldn’t have picked a better spot for their wedding portraits!

Seriously, how gorgeous are these two?  I say wicked-gorgeous!

I love firsts.  This was the first impromptu soccer I’ve seen at a wedding.  Taylor and the fellas worked their skills a bit before heading to the reception.  Yay!

This is the point in my post where I express my utter love for the folks at Wahoo Grill.  This is the second wedding I’ve shot there (and another one next weekend!), and the food and the staff are both incredible.  The original reception venue wasn’t available because of all the horrid flooding we’ve had in Georgia, but the Wahoo folks swooped in and saved the day.

Generally, I like rules about as much as I like wet socks.  I do have one rule though.  If I have shot your wedding and you are guest at another wedding I’m shooting, you will have your photo taken.  Here are two of my FAVORITE people to run into at a wedding or anywhere else, Christi and Andisheh.  Happy Anniversary, you two!

You can tell a family is really tight when they have THIS much fun together…

I’ll end this post with the photo voted “most likely to make me cry”….because it does.  So much love.

To view a slideshow of more images from this fabulous wedding, please click HERE

Nancy and John are engaged!  Well, at least for another 10 days.  The big wedding day is just around the corner.  Woo hoo!  Back when I first met them, I was very drawn to the fact that they are creative, friendly, and so easy to talk to.  I’m glad we got to have some photo play-time before their big day, and Mother Nature was nice enough to keep the “r” word at bay.  For anyone reading this who doesn’t live in Georgia, rain has truly earned it’s 4-letter status.  Thankfully, it turned out to be a gorgeous evening with some dreamy light.  We strolled around, played, laughed, and even took a few photos.

Nancy’s lovely face hardly needs makeup, but I have to give a shout-out to my girl, Sloane, who worked her “natural look” magic.  Brilliant as usual, Sloane.

Every now and then, I come up with a little idea to experiment with.  I’ve been working on making some fun goodies to use in my photo booths.  I thought one of them might be fun for John and Nancy’s shoot, and they were kind enough to participate in my plan.

I hadn’t played with my Lensbaby in a while and thought I should dust it off and see what it can do.  It’s a little lens attachment that added the blurred effect in the next 3 images.  With pics of couples, I think it creates a nice “time stands still” sort of feel.  Nancy and John certainly seem to share some of those moments!

As the sun disappeared, we were treated to the most yummy golden light.

Only 10 more days to go!  I can’t wait!

Welcome to the world, Ian!  Amy and Brian’s little guy is already 10 weeks old, and such a cutie.  Poor fella was a really good sport when we snapped these photos.  He received some unexpected shots at the doctor’s office the morning of our shoot.  Amy pointed out that he wasn’t typically fussy.  In my non-parent expert opinion, Ian’s behavior wasn’t even a long lost distant cousin of fussy.  He was just sweet and adorable.

Wearing daddy’s favorite hat.  Love it!

He’ll be working on classic cars in no time…just like his pop

According to his parents, he’s been practicing this muscle man pose.  Check out those guns!

Back when we did Amy’s maternity pics, I thought it would be cool to do a little “before + after”.  So here’s what we got.  Yay!

What a fabulous time in the lives of the Medford family.  I’m so happy for them!

For my 9-months-old Fletch installment, I wanted to post a video of my favorite thing he does.  The past month has been full of leash training (what were we thinking with that harness!), more digging, more rug destruction, his first signs of being very protective of me, and rainy day dirt, dirt, and OH MY GOD, SO MUCH DIRT!  I love you, puppy face.  Dirty, dirty puppy face.