Brianna & Vinnie's Wedding

Brianna works at the coffee shop by my house & when I noticed that sparkly ring on her finger -- I knew that I had to shoot her wedding. They decided to tie the knot on 07-08-09 and it was a gorgeous afternoon on the Chesapeake Bay. Surrounded by family and friends they said "I do" and promised to be together forever on a bluff in Bay Ridge.

Brianna looked absolutely beautiful wearing her grandmother's wedding dress from the 50's.

Walking to the ceremony on the bluff.

It's moments like these that I love the most.. When time is flying past a couple, but they are so deeply in love that nothing else matters. They just hold on to one another and the world is perfect. 

Showing off the bling!  :)

The cake topper was timeless.

Brianna & Vinny - thank you so much for having me capture the moments of your special day! I wish you both the best of luck in the future & know that you have a very long and happy life ahead of you! :) Congratulations. 

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Carie & Zachary's Wedding

It was the one of those summer days that was simply made for a wedding. The blue skies over Walkersville were speckled with clouds and a soft breeze rustled through the fields. It was clear that God had his hand in bringing these two incredible people together. The unconditional love and genuine care that they shared for one another was astounding. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Right before the ceremony - all of the groomsmen & the pastor placed their hands on Zach and began to pray.

Carie & her bridesmaids snuck off to a small barn right before the ceremony to have their own moment of peace.

Surrounded by friends and family, beneath the canopy of trees, they said "I do".

Every table was decorated with gorgeous flowers.

My favorite part about the entire day, was when Carie threw on her apron & Zach rolled up his sleeves to serve all of the guests dinner. They fed everyone else before themselves & were so happy to share this time with all of their loved ones. The food was amazing too! :)

Midway through their first dance, the music stopped. Zach grabbed a microphone and sang the rest of the song to Carie. It was planned & way too cute!

And not long after, they were busting their moves on the dance floor.

The night came to a close as the two love birds shared a sparkler send off! :)

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Zachary Ritz! :) I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to photograph your wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and I hope you have an amazing time on your honeymoon!

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Food For Thought

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

— Mother Teresa —

I came across this quote today & I wanted to share it with all of you. It reminded me that if we use our hearts and our minds to do small things that matter, eventually we make an impact on the people around us.

Yesterday I had a client email me after seeing the entire gallery of her childrens' pictures online and replied "Thank you SO much for capturing these beautiful moments. I can't imagine I'll ever want anyone else to take pictures of our family from now on... Natalie, thank you for using God's gift to its fullest extent" -- And then it hit me -- Photography has been a gift. It was God's plan all along to turn my passion into my purpose. And now, I have the ability to give back to others in my own way through photography. With each day we must ask ourselves what we are doing to make this world a better place. And maybe, just maybe, if each of us gives back in our own way - it might be enough to change the world. Just food for thought. :)

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Roger that, We're going digital!

As announced a week or so ago - my pricing is changing slightly to make it easier for people to get everything they want in one simple session! Beginning today all portrait sessions include a disc with copies of the digital images. Before, this was an add on option & often caused confusion. Now - I'm stepping into the 21st century and giving digital images to every client that schedules with me.

Why give all clients digital images? Although the majority of photographers restrict access to the digital image files for portrait clients, I feel that as a society we are moving forward. Social networking, personal blogs, and the desire to have information at our finger tips calls for digital image access. It also gives my clients more flexibility by allowing them to print pictures with me or at any other photo lab of their choice. :) It's just simpler that way!

What goes into a session? Each session is so different and is catered directly to the client's needs. I dedicate on average about 10-15 hours of my time to each individual session. The break down of hours lies in: travel time to and from the session, the session itself, downloading the images to the computer, backing them up on two external hard drives, editing the images, uploading them to the online gallery, as well as burning, packaging, and mailing the customized discs. After all of that is said & done, I still need to blog, return emails, and go to college full time. Crazy, I know, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

*Note: As mentioned in an earlier blog post, Rising High School Seniors that schedule between now and August 26th have the option of booking with the summer sale offer. Click HERE for more info!

**Double Note: New prices & packages can be seen on the investment page of my website.

All the best,

Natalie Franke

Sarah & Steven's Engagement Session

Sarah & Steven are a fun & absolutely wonderful couple! After a long day of Trash the Dress sessions, they met me at Chesapeake Beach for their engagement shoot. It's easy to see why Steven absolutely adores Sarah - her laugh could light up a room and she is absolutely beautiful! Steven also has a fun sense of humor & informed me that he (& his groomsmen) are going to be rocking Chuck Taylors at the wedding! Love it!

The gorgeous ring!

Sarah & Steven - I had an amazing time at your engagement session & can't wait to photograph your beautiful wedding in October! I'm looking forward to all of the details - from the Chucks to your flowers - and every moment in between! Thank you for keeping me so enthusiastic after a long day in the sun! :)

All the best,

Natalie Franke