1 - GobrailPhotography

Jen and I had the pleasure, and honor, of attending the National Tree Lighting at President's Park in D.C. The entire event was outdoor, although we were lucky enough to have seats. Not just seats, but second row seats! The weather was frigid and the rain poured throughout the entire event. Jen and I were bundled in our hiking gear: hiking boots, rain jackets, and waterproof pants. Despite the cold rain, we both had a wonderful time.

The lineup included The Obamas, Maria Carey, Aretha Franklin, Train, and a ton more. Did we mention that seeing Aretha Franklin perform live has been on Jen's bucket list for just about forever? And Jane Lynch did a wonderful job of hosting.

It was a fantastic experience, despite the freezing cold rain for three hours. As always, we have pictures for you :)

On a photography note, the drizzling rain made it a huge pain to get crisp pictures of anyone who wasn't directly in the spotlight. You'll see that when the performers are being lit up by the spotlight they are very crisp. Other times, it appears that there is a haze. That haze is the constant drizzling rain. We shot mostly at 3200 ISO, it was dark after all, and with our Nikon 70-200 lens. The colored backlighting, combined with the rain, allowed for some of the images to have a vintage cast to them (no filters added!).

Enjoy the pictures!

-Sam

Bishoy and I have grown up together since about the 4th grade. Jen and Reim also grew up together since their childhood. We also happen to take a bit of credit for first introducing them to each other. So to say that this was an engagement close to our heart would be a bit of an understatement.

Reim and Bishoy are absolutely perfect for each other. With the same goofy sense of humor, values, and ambitions in life. It was evident throughout the engagement how happy they were, and how much joy their union is bringing to all of their friends and families.

We wish them the very best as they go down this path of joining together for the rest of their lives. Congratulations Reim and Bishoy!

Ps: we couldn't resist jumping in some of the pictures ourselves :)

- Sam

To all of the newly engaged couples: congrats!

It was such a pleasure meeting all you at the Baltimore Wedding Experience! It was crazy and hectic at times, but we had a wonderful time talking to all of you that have just jumped head first into the wedding planning process.

We can't thank all of you enough for the wonderful compliments on our new booth. We spent a lot of time in planning the re-design and the end result was completely worth it.

We can't wait to sit down with each of you and discuss your amazing vision for your wedding day!

Click the Contact Us tab and set up your appointment today :)

We met Alex and Jimmy at a wedding show at the Baltimore Convention Center. When Jimmy walked by he looked so familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Alex and Jimmy stopped by and we started talking. Turns out that Jimmy and I went to high school together. We actually wrestled on the same team. Jen and I hit it off right away with Alex and Jimmy. They're such a sweet and fun couple and so clearly in love.

Their wedding was at the Gramercy Mansion. Jen and I had never shot there before, and so we did some thorough research to make sure we took full advantage of what this beautiful property had to offer. The ceremony was held outside on a beautifully tiled area surrounded by trees, flowers, and open fields. Jen captured some amazing pictures of the grounds, including a few of the local butterflies. The bridal party quickly found the rope swing once the ceremony was over and we made sure not to miss any of pictures of them swinging. One groomsman was even brave enough to swing standing up!

The building was beautifully decorated on the inside. There was a host of sculptures, figurines, and musical instruments. Again, Jen made sure that the beauty of this mansion was not missed in the pictures. The reception was held in a semi-enclosed tent outside and the guests moved inside for the dancing. Jason, with Bay Deejays, did a fantastic job of keeping everyone on their feet the whole night. We have to give him a special shout-out for loaning us some batteries when the extra batteries we had turned out to be defective.

We had a blast with Alex and Jimmy on their wedding day and we wish them many blessings in their marriage!

-Sam

Erin and Greg were a blast to work with! When we first met them they were quite shy. Halfway through their engagement session they finally broke out of their shell and we had the opportunity to capture their true personalities. Erin and Greg are perfect for each other. Aside from being madly in love, they are both incredibly sweet and, once they warm up to you, fun and goofy. They made every meeting and picture so much fun because they truly make each other happy.

They had their wedding ceremony and reception at the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa. This place was just beautiful. The ceremony took place under the outdoor gazebo located on the pier. Guests were seated on both the pier and on the sand. The gazebo, sand, water, boats, and the pier made such a stunningly scenic location for Erin and Greg's ceremony. The reception was held in ballroom that had a wall of windows overlooking the pier, boats, and water. Needless to say this was a beautiful wedding.

Erin, Greg, and their family and friends truly celebrated this special event. The smiles on everyone's faces evidenced how overjoyed the family and guests were. Congratulations to you both Erin and Greg. We wish you never-ending happiness and joy!

When we first met with Erica and Nick to discuss their wedding photography we instantly clicked. Like most couples that we met with they were clearly very much in love. But more than that, they were laid back. They had an air of happiness about them. We could tell this was going to be such a fun couple to shoot. Little did we know what we were getting into!

Walking into the hotel lobby, we didn't expect what we saw: three guys were standing at the hotel lobby checking-in ... in horse head masks. We had to ask if they were with Erica and Nick's wedding party. They were. But it wasn't just the guys that brought on some fun accessories, the girls were in on it too. We found out later that when Nick suggested the horse heads as a fun prop, Erica not only agreed but also went out and got her bridesmaids unicorn heads.

Erica and Nick matched their fun attitude with a passionate and heart felt attitude to the wedding. They were taking this life changing step in their lives with all the seriousness it deserved, they just weren't compromising on their personalities. Smokey Glen Farm was an absolutely stunning venue. With wide open fields as you drive in, followed by the outdoor benches and grills, and then the barn for the ceremony and building for the reception. It had a wonderful rustic elegance that fit Erica and Nick's personalities very well.

We can't tell you how much fun we had with Erica and Nick. The combination of their deep love for each other and their personalities shining through the entire day made this a truly beautiful wedding day. Congratulations to them and we pray that their marriage is forever blessed.

Ps: Many thanks to Lorinda with Nolo Weddings & Events for planning this beautiful wedding and for making sure everything stayed on track.

We recently visited San Francisco. It was our very first time and we thought it would be a lot of fun to explore a new place for our anniversary. To top it off, Emma, a longtime friend, was able to host us. Emma and Mayank were incredibly gracious hosts, taking time to show us around and point us in the right direction when they couldn't be with us.

We had received so much advice on where to go and what to do in San Fran and so we eagerly tried to do it all!

We started off on Monday by heading up to see the stairs at 16th and Market. We had an address and Google Maps told us where to go, but we still didn't really expect to find anything. We drove through suburbs and neighborhoods until we finally arrived at our destination: a beautiful mural staircase in between two residential houses.

Our next stop was Muir Woods. The Redwoods are a California classic, and we've never had the chance to experience them. It was a bit of a drive outside of San Francisco, but completely worth it! The national park is beautiful and has a guided path to walk through. The only thing that was a bit disappointing was having to stay on the paths. It was hard not stepping over and walking amongst the massive trees.

Point Reyes came highly recommended by several people so that was our next stop. The drive up Route 1 from Muir Woods to Point Reyes was phenomenal. It was a solid hour of coastal highway with beautiful views at every turn. We must have stopped at least 15-20 times. We got to Point Reyes just in time, they closed at 4:30pm and we were there at 4:28pm. The lighthouse was definitely beautiful, but the fog made it impossible to see anything past it. The 30 story climb down to the lighthouse and back up is no joke!

Of course we had to stop by Napa Valley. We visited two small family owned wineries. Reynolds Family Winery had amazing wine and they allowed us to have a tasting without a reservation. Not having reservation is seriously frowned upon. Who knew? Our favorite stop was the Robert Mondavi Winery. It's the biggest winery in Napa, but more importantly they had a beautiful cellar! Of course we took the cellar tour and took a ton of pictures.

We made a stop by a burger place called Gott's ... the pictures tell the story better than words ever could. Suffice it to say that you should swing by if you ever see one.

The Fisherman's Wharf was in sharp contrast to the other days of our visit. It reminded us of the Inner Harbor here in Maryland. Where the Inner Harbor is one concentrated area and piled up high, Fisherman's Wharf is flat and sprawled out. The lobster and crab sandwiches were amazing.

We can't say thank you enough to Emma and Mayank for hosting us! Thanks again!

Marcie and Al are such a sweet couple. They radiate a certain joy everywhere they go. Getting to know them and their children, from our initial meeting and their engagement session, only confirmed that they would be a joy to work with. We weren’t disappointed one bit!

The outdoor ceremony and reception were held at Oliver’s Carriage House. We had driven by this hidden gem in Columbia, Maryland so many times and had never known it was there. The building is absolutely beautiful with so much gorgeous stone work. The entire building has a rustic feel, with large wooden doors, metal clasps and door handles, and stone everywhere. Behind the building there’s an open field bordered by trees. The ceremony took place there as well as the cocktail hour afterwards. The sand ceremony, which had not only Marcie and Al pouring sand but each of their three children as well, was a very fitting symbol of the unity of their family. Did we mention that Al’s brother played the violin?

Marcie and Al knew of a park nearby. The path to enter was only a short 5-minute walk and very much worth it! We headed there with the couple, their kids, the bridal party, and the family. The scene inside the park was a nice compliment to the rustic feel of the wedding. When we found a rope swing, we weren’t surprised that the children jumped on it right away. What was pleasantly surprising was that Marcie and Al jumped on the swing themselves! Congratulations to Marcie and Al. We wish them and their family continued happiness and love.

Film is a hobby we both enjoy. On this particular trip to Myrtle Beach we took along our Nikon F5 and the 35mm f/1.4 and a couple rolls of Velvia 50 ISO Slide Film. We took a great many pictures, but when the prints came back these pictures stood out from the rest.

We had been on the beach when the sun started setting. Just before it was completely dark, the sunset turned everything a magical golden orange. It was spectacular to watch, and so we wanted to see if we could catch this awe-inspiring moment. It's one thing to be there, and it's another to see a picture of it. We wanted to bring the two together.

Let us know what you think :)

Technical note: we would've loved to shoot at a smaller aperture (say f/11 or so) but the combination of the 50 ISO film and the fact that it was literally just a hair before total darkness made it impossible. That's actually been a challenge shooting with the Velvia 50 ISO, is that it limits shooting to daylight.

What a wonderful couple to work with! Colleen and Clement spared no expense in making their wedding a one-of-a-kind experience. Clement's French heritage was a running theme throughout the day. Many of his friends and family flew in from France to celebrate with this beautiful couple. His best man, Baptiste, hadn't seen Clement in a few years but he came all the way to Baltimore to make sure Colleen and Clement were married without a hitch.

When Clement got his first look at Colleen, coming up from behind him on Mount Vernon Square, he was speechless, and for good reason. He was stunned by how beautiful she looked! The ceremony was held at St. Ignatius in Baltimore. This church literally took our breath away when we walked in. After the ceremony, Colleen and Clement had decided on having an authentic French champagne toast on Mount Vernon Square. Clement himself sabred this first bottle. We need to note here that he sabred this bottle expertly! A clean cut on the first try.

As if all of this wasn't already enough to make this an amazingly memorable wedding day, the ceremony was at The Belvedere. The Belvedere began as a hotel in 1903, and although it is no longer a hotel it has not lost any of it's elegance and charm.Truffles took care of making the 12th floor ballroom truly stunning, along with providing one of the best meals we've ever had at a wedding. Colleen and Clement even had "croquembouche" which is an authentic French wedding cake. It was absolutely delicious!

Colleen and Clement's family and friends wasted no time at the reception. The dancing began as soon as the food was finished and didn't stop until the wedding was finally over. From young to old, everyone was on the dance floor.

Congratulations to Colleen and Clement! Even though their honeymoon was extended involuntarily (can you believe someone would rob a honeymooning couple's room?) we wish them smooth sailing and a lifetime of happiness together.

From Our Perspective

National Tree Lighting at President's Park

The Boyd Family Portraits at Patapsco State Park

Ann Marie's Senior Pictures at the Howard County Convservancy

Athena

The Lewis Family

Reim & Bishoy's Engagement in State College, PA

Baltimore Wedding Experience at the Waterfront Marriott

Alex & Jimmy's Wedding at Gramercy Mansion

Erin & Greg's Wedding at Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa

Erica & Nick's Wedding at Smokey Glen Farm

Our Trip to San Francisco

Marcie & Al's Wedding at Oliver's Carriage House

Film, A Myrtle Beach Sunset

Colleen & Clement's Wedding at The Belvedere

Walsh Family Portraits at Howard County Conservancy