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Posted in Happenings
You could say that Dan and Bethany took their studies at the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family very seriously and quite literally -graduating with their Mr. and Mrs. degrees. 😉   So darn cute, too, was that the one “must have” wedding shot I had to get of them was in front of the Institute’s sign.  There’s something about this couple, that is so sincere about diving deep into the authentic mystery and beauty of marriage, that leaves you inspired and hopeful.  I’m sure Blessed JPII is sending them plenty of graces and warm smiles.   
 
Their wedding was very sweet and simple, a real community event, with lots of joyful family and friends from near and far pitching in to pull the wedding together, then happily dancing the night away.  The bride wore her mother’s wedding dress from the late 70’s, (I always think that’s just so neat to be able to wear your mother’s dress!), with a few alterations to make it her own.  I can only imagine what that must be like to see your daughter wearing your wedding dress, so intense and tender at the same time.  
 
Here are some of my favorite image highlights from their day.  Enjoy!

 

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  • Zoe - August 7, 2011 - 11:52 am

    Lovely as always, Renata!

  • Julia - August 7, 2011 - 12:36 pm

    yay! clap, clap – beautiful! Congrats to the happy couple!

  • Christina Gergits - August 8, 2011 - 10:57 am

    Renata – you are so good! I do know know the couple but, as always, you’ve caputured their spirit and personalities so much I feel like I do!

  • Bethany (the bride) - August 8, 2011 - 12:57 pm

    Renata – these are AMAZING!! I laughed, I teared up, I smiled looking at them! They make the day come alive all over again. Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much!

  • Renata - August 8, 2011 - 1:26 pm

    I’m so glad you all love them – especially you, Bethany! That is exactly my goal -to bring back the joyful thoughts, feelings, images… of the day you started your sacramental marriage. It’s so deeply satisfying for me to hear your reaction, since I hope these images, and your album, will always be a beautiful reminder of the graces poured out on you that day and everyday of your married lives! Much happiness to you both!

  • Tom - August 8, 2011 - 6:13 pm

    Every one of these pictures is amazing and tells part of the wedding story! Incedible…well done, Renata!

  • Jacinthe - August 10, 2011 - 12:05 pm

    Amazing work, Renata. Just amazing. Your pictures are always great, but these ones – WOW! I love that you can tell, just by looking at a few of them, how totally in love they are. The close-up of the groom kissing his bride’s hand really touched me… it’s beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing with us!! Congratulations to Daniel and Bethany, and may God bless them abundantly!

  • Renata - August 10, 2011 - 4:41 pm

    Thank you so much, Jacinthe, for your comments! They mean a lot! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  • Daniel (The Groom) - August 11, 2011 - 12:15 pm

    Renata, my heart can’t thank you enough, but I will try anyways: Thank you for beautifully capturing the most important day of my life and not only capturing it, but also letting it unfold through your pictures. I really enjoyed the candid shot by the Shrine and the picture of our vows among many other splendid pictures. Also, the picture of us kneeling before the Eucharist for the first time is priceless. He is our source for love and somehow you mysteriously captured that grace in our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  • Renata - August 11, 2011 - 1:18 pm

    Dan, you’re making me cry! Thank you so much for sharing your heart and for trusting me to tell the story of your wedding day. I’m so deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity!

Posted in Happenings

It doesn’t get more romantic than a melodious proposal by your very musically talented beloved.  So we naturally had to include a musical theme for Nina and Danny’s engagement session. Complete with his mandolin and a cool hat, Danny recreated the scene of a dashing young man wooing his tender sweetheart with all the charm and poetry of a fairy tale.

So, I thought the nostalgic Spanish Steps in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood (if you’ve been to Rome, you’ll know where these get their name from, albeit they’re the “mini-me” version), a bright garden of irises in full bloom near sunset, and old street car tracks in Georgetown were perfect settings for this lovely couple with a gentle spirit.

Getting very excited for their wedding in late August in Knoxville, Tennessee! Road trip – here we come!

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  • Julia - June 30, 2011 - 3:33 pm

    Yay for Danny and Nina! Lovely couple, lovely pictures!! You capture so many sweet moments, Renata!

Posted in Happenings,Inspirations

On this Father’s Day, I just wanted to share some joyful images of fatherhood that sometimes seem absent in modern culture.  I pulled a few images from a recent family photo shoot that really struck something in me about affectionate dads and how crucial their demonstrative presence is in the lives of their children.  

I’m a firm believer that dads play a critical role in helping both their sons and daughters develop a healthy sense of self, so that when they are grown they are able to share themselves emotionally and spiritually with others. 

That’s why it was such a joy in particular to photograph this family.  BOTH mom and dad were just the sweetest, loving parents and you could tell how it rubbed off on their very young children, who were warm, open and happy.  It was truly a great witness to me of how parents can set the tone for their children, especially when lead by the father.    

Blessings to all the fathers out there; you are much needed, appreciated and loved!

Getting ready for the photo session proved to be quite tender, and made me think of all the “getting ready” photos I take of brides. But this time it was daddy buttoning up his little girl. Needless to say I was tearing up at the thought -fast forwarding to her wedding day and then coming back to this moment.  I do hope this photo will help her remember her dad in a special way when that big day comes.    

Btw, “cute” doesn’t even begin to describe this little girl.

I just loved this young family so much, with three little adorable kids and one more due to arrive this week, I wonder if there’s room to adopt me!  I just hated saying goodbye, but I’m so looking forward to the newborn session!  Prayers for mom, Juliette, for a safe delivery.

 Update:  Welcome Madeleine Rose!

 

 

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  • Julia - June 30, 2011 - 3:36 pm

    Beautiful tribute to the gift fatherhood, family and openness to life! What joy!

  • Conrad (aka: The Dad) - August 13, 2011 - 10:21 pm

    Thank you for this wonderful tribute Renata! You inspire me to continue working hard to raise my family, instilling faith, love, patience and kindness as the cornerstones of our lives. As a follow-up, our 4th, Madeleine Rose was born June 23rd. We’ve been truly blessed with this addition to our family, and I am humbled everyday by the trust God has placed in me to be their dad! May God bless you and your continued work, Renata. Thank you again!

  • Renata - August 16, 2011 - 6:05 pm

    Thank you, Conrad! I absolutely loved photographing your family! You’re the real deal!

Posted in Happenings

So this is a special treat.  I am interviewed by Zoe Romanosky in this week’s issue (May 29th) of Our Sunday Visitor (a national Catholic paper) about photographing Catholic weddings.  There’s so much more I could say on the topic, especially after having just shot a wedding over the Memorial Day weekend, in a heat wave, without an assistant, and still unable to shake the pain in my neck and shoulders.  But,  I do hope that some of the points covered will give couples a better insight into what to look for and expect from their wedding photographer.  Here’s the online version minus some of the extra pictures. (When I figure out how to post a PDF version of the original article, I’ll add it to my new website.)   Do pass it along to couples you know who have recently been engaged.

There have been a lot of behind the scenes updates I’ve been working on recently that have been all consuming.  One of which was researching the best way to take credit card payments via a mobile phone that worked with all cards and didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.  After a long time of searching for a credit card swiper solution, I settled on this cute little gadget called the Square.  It’s a tiny swiper that plugs into my new iPhone 4 on the Verizon network so that I can process credit cards on the go.  This will give me and my clients a lot more flexibility in processing payments, especially when doing fun photo shoots on location. 

Another update I wanted to mention is that, I created a new website for Renata Photography that should be easier to use and have some extra features. It’s an indexed flash site, so each page will have an actual link you can share.  It should also be viewable on mobile phones and tablet readers.  (Please test it out if you have one of these gadgets and let me know if something doesn’t work so that I can fix any bugs.)  

A great new feature I’ve been able to add to the new site is the ability to purchase Renata Photography Gift Certificates directly from the site via PayPal.  The Gift Certificates are a great gift idea for friends and family who would love some beautiful portraits or studio specialty products made from their previous photo sessions with me.  The Gift Certificates are an especially great idea for a bride and groom to add to their wedding gift registry, helping them to store up photo dollars that they can use towards expanding their album or getting that big canvas wrap or wall print.   

I’ll have a few more info tabs I’ll be adding in the near future like a FAQ’s page including “What to Wear” for your photo session, as well as a detailed product section, -so stay tuned!  

 

 

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Posted in Happenings,Inspirations

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 has come and gone and it was another hot one!  A little more low key for me this year, but I still managed to snap a few photo highlights that I’d like to share.  I always find the events in DC to be quite sobering and an excellent reminder of all the sacrifices made for this country. 

The Rolling Thunder riders really make some noise as they circle around the Mall representing all the prisoners of war (POW) and those still missing in action (MIA).

The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool is under some serious renovation.  Plans are to repair the previous leaks and connect it to the Tidal Basin nearby via underground pipes, in order to have fresh water circulating through.  So my special spot for the fireworks on the 4th is now inside the fence line.  🙁  Will need to relocate this year and probably next, given how long this is going to take to rebuild.

Always great to see Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump) still supporting and bringing attention to the wounded warriors. This year he road with the Purple Heart recipients in the parade.  It’s just so heartbreaking to see these guys with their missing limbs, knowing their sacrifice was for me.

In case you can’t recognize these folks, that’s George and Martha Washington visiting from Mount Vernon. 😉

I always like to stop by the Wall, the Vietnam Memorial, and take some time to read the names and tributes.  That’s an Australian Army hat right next to a US flag, -particularly moving for me.

Walking back to my car I saw a boy having loads of fun just feeding the ducks.  It was a great closing reminder of how all those costly sacrifices by our service men and women, and their families, were made so that we all can enjoy the simplest of life’s pleasures.  Let us always be grateful and never forget.

Some more of my images from last year’s Memorial Day weekend can be found here and here.

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