Last week after I kicked off my 2013 wedding season I was thinking back on all the weddings I’ve shot over the years. I realized that this April (the 19th) to be exact was the anniversary of the first wedding I shot as a lead photographer in 2008. Prior to that I had been doing some second shooting, families etc., but it was my first wedding as Becky Brown Photography. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since that day. It truly feels like yesterday. I spent a couple hours this week going back through all the weddings and sessions I’ve shot over these last few years and realizing how truly lucky I am to be doing this.
Just like with everything in life there have been amazing moments and there have been awful moments. It’s cheesy to say, but I’ve laughed and I’ve cried – heck I laughed and I cried just writing this blog post! I’ve been so happy that I thought I would explode and there have been days I wanted to throw my camera in the lake. But at the end of the day I wouldn’t change any of it. The hard times have helped me grown as a photographer and a business woman. The great moments will forever live in my memory as a reminder why I do what I do.
So I say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has let me be a part of your wedding day, let me photograph your family , or let me capture the newest member of the family coming into the world, let me take your engagement photos and share in your love.
Thank you to my friends, boyfriend, parents and family for supporting me and listening to me during the ups and downs over the years!
Thank you to all my amazing assistants that have spent hours shooting with me at weddings and held reflectors and lugged around my gear! I wouldn’t be where I am without you all!
Thank you all for an amazing 5 years of business. I look forward to the next 5!
Becky
Although I don’t have a favorite wedding or a favorite session, but rather favorite parts of every shoot I wanted to do a recap of some of the ones that stood out to me over the last 5 years! I’d love to recap them all, but this would be the longest blog post ever! Enjoy!
I have to start with that first wedding. I went back and re-edited a photo from that wedding … its amazing how far I’ve come in my editing process!
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This wedding wins the award for Most Random Wedding I’ve ever shot! I was in Cancun on vacation (also 2008) with friends when I saw this couple about to get married on the beach right near us. Of course I noticed right away that they didn’t have a photographer and I went an introduced myself to a bridemaid and offered to shoot it. I literally ran up to my room to get my camera (yes I brought my camera on vacation) and shot their wedding on the beach while I was still in my bathing suit and cover up! haha…. thanks to Emily and Darci for this photo of me in action!
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I spent about 3 and half years working as a freelance photographer for Cummins in Columbus. As part of those duties I took a lot (thousands) of headshots. This was how I spent every other Monday for most of that 3.5 years!
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2009 was a crazy year of weddings and personal projects. I had a show of my personal work in Bloomington and Columbus, which also landed me on the cover of the Columbus Republic’s She Magazine. I had no idea I was on the cover until it came out and that day was wild as I got calls and messages from tons of people! I felt like a mini celebrity for the day 🙂
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One of my favorite venues this year was Martha’s Orchard which is on the west side of Indy. Thanks to Kristen and Derek for allowing me to shot their wedding there:) You can see the full wedding HERE. Hint, Hint…. I’d love to shoot at this venue again 🙂
2009 was also the first year I did Help Portrait which is an amazing opportunity to give back with photography. You can find out more about this event here – http://help-portrait.com/
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I’ve shot at Clifty Falls Inn 3 times now – in the summer , in the fall and in the winter. Who is getting married there in the spring? I need to round out my seasons! This is from Kelsy and Alburn’s 2009 wedding.
I started off 2010 with some snow! One of my best friends and roommate at the time was engaged and we’d been waiting for some snow to come along for photos. Luckily she and her fiance were home when a big snow storm came through and we braved the cold for a spur of the moment session! HERE is Lindsey and Brad’s full session.
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One memory I’ll never forget is my sister’s wedding in 201o where with the help of my amazing cousin Heather I was the maid of honor and the photographer…. thank god I only have one sister because it was crazy! (I swear I don’t drink while I’m shooting, but I couldn’t resist this photo of beer in one hand, camera in the other in my bridesmaids dress!). See there full wedding HERE.
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My first Brownstown wedding was in 2010 and every year since then I’ve shot a wedding there with a reception in Pewter Hall! Thanks to Becca and Phil for being the ones to kick off this tradition!See their full wedding HERE.
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201o was also the year I shot Ashley and Tyler’s wedding in Bloomington, which is hands down has had the most wild weather and events of any wedding I’ve ever shot. They were amazing throughout the entire day despite the curveballs that kept being thrown their way. Between the power outage at the resort, the scorching heat during the day followed by a summer thunder storm and a trip to the hospital for one guest it’s one I’ll never forget! You can read their entire story HERE.
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VOTING HAS ENDED – THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICPATED!
REBECCA & NATHAN WON!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Welcome! I am so excited about this contest and I’ve had some great entries from some amazing couples so it’s going to be hard to predict a winner!
Below are their stories (in no particular order). I’ve decided not to include photos because I really want people to read the stories and choose based the words rather than just scrolling through the images and not reading anything. Let’s face it, we all have a short attention span these days!
To vote you much scroll all the way to the bottom and choose your favorite and then hit “vote”. If you don’t hit vote it will not be counted. Commenting on your favorites is great, but it also does not count as a vote.
Good luck to everyone!!! Voting continues until 7pm central time on Thursday Feb. 28th!
#1 Rebecca & Nathan – engaged on Rebecca’s birthday 10/9/12 and getting married 12/28/13!
” The story of how we met and how he proposed are wonderfully intertwined. We had been on Ball State University’s campus together for 3 years and have created so many wonderful memories there. Nathan knew the best way to tie all those wonderful memories of our past into the promise of our future. He sent me on a scavenger hunt on my birthday while just making me think I was getting some cheering up on an uneventful Tuesday afternoon.
I set out to the spots that were important to us and I was met at each location by people who have been important to us. I was sent to where he first saw me, at the Scramble Light on campus when I was visiting Ball State with my parents. He has always given me a hard time for not remembering bumping into him there. Then I was sent to where we saw each other again and spent a large portion of our relationship, in the music rehearsal building on campus. That has also been something he’s teased me about because I was so nervous auditioning for the University Singers that I didn’t remember seeing him again!
After that I traveled to the spot on the White River where we spent the whole night talking and finding out how much alike we were. I know that night is when I fell in love with him. I traveled to more spots until I came to Beneficence, the statue we both love, and is a symbol of the school we love so much. I was met there with not just a note, but also a CD which was to entertain me while I traveled to Indianapolis. When I got there my first stop was Lucas Oil Stadium. Both of us are life-long Colts fans, making it the perfect place to begin in the city. I was met there by a friend who drove me to the canal by the Indianapolis Zoo.
There Nathan stood at the end of a walkway. When we reached each other we walked along the canal as he told me wonderful things about how he loved me and how he wanted to make me remember all the good times they had that sometimes get buried in the day to day grind. He told me how he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and he didn’t want to forget any of the parts of our history. As we neared the end of the walk, he turned me around to view the Indianapolis skyline. The view was stunning and as we stood there in the lights of the city we love, he got down on one knee and made me the happiest girl in the world. “
#2 Maria & Brad – engaged on 10/28/12 & getting married on 05-04-2013
“I love a saying who’s author I do not know that goes a little something like this, “It’s so amazing when someone comes to your life and you expect nothing out of it, but suddenly…..there….right in front of you is everything you ever needed.” When we saw each other for the first time I was looking at paint colors for my new car and he was grabbing a cup of coffee. I remember seeing him, but that was all. I didn’t end up seeing him again for about a month.
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After the crazy and amazing response from the photo of the year canvas contest I ran last month I thought I’d do another! With Valentine’s day yesterday many new couples are engaged and love is in the air!
I did this contest a couple years ago, but I chose the winner. This time I’m going to leave it up to you guys! You will be able to vote for your favorite couple’s love story and the one with the most votes will win a free engagement session with me!
Here are the contest rules and information:
1. You must be recently engaged, although it doesn’t matter when your wedding date is (as long as you aren’t already married)
2. You must be able to do the session in Chicago, Indianapolis or Columbus, IN or be willing to travel to one of those locations.
** or NYC if you can be available for the couple of days I’m there in the first week of Sept. for a wedding 🙂
3. I am all over the place for weddings, so I will send dates I’m available depending on who wins and where they are located.
4. You must not have already done an engagement session with another photographer (sorry I don’t want to make any of my fellow photographers mad or have them thinking I’m trying to steal clients! )
5. There must be a minimum of 5 couples sign up for this … it is a contest afterall!
6. You need to send me an email at becky@beckybrownphotography.com with the following information:
– Your names (I will only publish the first names)
– The proposal date and the wedding date (if set, if not just say TBD)
– Where you live (this is just for me) and where the wedding will be (if in a different location)
– A brief paragraph telling me your “love story”. How you met, how he proposed and anything else that you think might win you the contest! Keep in mind I will likely be copying and pasting these paragraphs so don’t include anything you don’t want published on the blog!
– A photo of the two of you (if you have one from the day/night of proposal showing off the new ring that’s even better).
All entries must be sent to me by Sunday the 24th at 9pm!!! . The blog will go up on the following Monday and voting will end at 7pm (central time) on Thursday Feb. 28th.
Best of luck to everyone! Can’t wait to read everyone’s stories!!!
Becky
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Judy - I’m excited that my daughter’s wedding will be a part of the next 5 years’ story. We feel lucky to have you doing her engagement pictures (thanks for the giveaway!!) AND her wedding in December! Your work is beautiful!
The next chapter…. » Becky Brown Photography - […] time I wrote an insanely long post recapping the first five years of business (you can see that HERE) so I promise to keep it shorter this time. I went back and looked through all the weddings from […]