Cursed to be Born Beautiful...

Click here: 1878 Studios to see my newest Story Session, "The Poison Apple."

Thank you so much for checking it out! We had a great time creating it. Shelby Kennedy stars as Snow White in my re-imagined tale of the woodland princess. Styling, makeup, and photography by me.

Part II coming next week!

Feel free to "like" my Facebook photography fan page in the meantime to keep up with all my updates on photo shoots, as well as fun offers. Click here: Facebook Fan Page for 1878 Studios

THANK YOU!

Amanda Plus Chris Equals Adorable

Please click here to see all the photos from this gorgeous shoot. Amanda's makeup was done professionally by Kirstyn at Everyday Glam Girl (big thanks!) Amanda's dress is BB Dakota and her headband is vintage, purchased on Etsy (wish I could remember the shop!)

Amanda is the kind of girl who smiles the biggest, most genuine smile right before she hugs you. She means it. Always. There is nothing fake about this girl whatsoever. I love that.

She has a depth of emotion of someone three times her age. You can see that shining through her beautiful eyes. Amanda is a pleasure to work with and to know. I photographed her and her wonderful boyfriend, Chris at an abandoned park in Fort Worth, Texas. Their feelings for one another are genuine and they are so respectful and sweet to one another. Chris was a great sport and didn't even hesitate when I excitedly said, "hey, I know! How about you roll your cigarettes up in your sleeve like a 1950s Greaser and we take some funny pictures?!" We called it our "But, Daddy I Love Him!" photo shoot. As in, the bad boy boyfriend and the sweet Daddy's girl. :)

Meet me at the playground...let's run away...

Ah, wish we'd had more time for this shoot. So many possibilities! I always think that, though even if it lasts like 5 hours. This is what I love to do. This is my passion. I hope you will visit the link above and enjoy a glimpse into our little afternoon of swings, slides, pony rides, and love!

xoxo,

Ashley

Beautiful Amanda

I had a fantastic time shooting photos for the gorgeous Amanda yesterday. Pool, vintage soda, cocktail umbrellas, and dreamy light. I am in love with summer. Please click here to see the full set of photos from our shoot, located on my portfolio website.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

xoxo,

Ashley

Overture // Our Wedding

Photo Credit: Dee Hill Photography, 2012. All rights reserved.

We're not your typical couple. If you know us personally, you are probably going "uh...ya think?!" by now (and we love you for it.)

Our wedding music was certainly not typical, either. There was no dah da da dum or Canon in D. That would not have been us. So! I picked out the majority of the music for our wedding, but it was (mostly) Thomas approved. If these songs seem strange, know that they are meaningful to us and therefore, wedding appropriate. The Bing Crosby is in honor of my Papa Dean, who was unable to travel to be at our wedding, but will surely be present for the real deal next year. Yes, real deal. This was supposed to be an elopement...!

Here is our rad playlist:

Seating Guests: "Getting Ready for the Party (Instrumental)," MGM Orchestra - Meet Me in St. Louis Soundtrack

Groom's Entrance: "Little Wing," Jimi Hendrix

Bride's Entrance: "Over the Rainbow," Celtic Woman

Recessional: "Boom Boom," John Lee Hooker

First Dance: "Forever Yours," Guthrie Kennard (played live by Guthrie himself, thanks Guthrie!)

Additional Songs Played During the Reception:

"Maps" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Wicked Game" - Chris Isaak

"Hotel Yorba" - The White Stripes

"Dreams" - The Cranberries

"Blue Angel" - Squirrel Nut Zippers

"Dancing Barefoot" - Patti Smith

"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd Have Baked a Cake" - Bing Crosby & Bob Hope

"You and I" - Arthur Freed & Denny Markas

"Harvest Moon" - Neil Young

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Patti Smith

"White Wedding" - Billy Idol

"It's Only a Paper Moon" - Ella Fitzgerald

"At Last" - Etta James

"I Put a Spell on You" - Marilyn Manson

"Back Door Man" - The Doors

"The Way You Look Tonight" - Bing Crosby

"Your Southern Can is Mine" - The White Stripes

Photo Credit: Dee Hill Photography, 2012. All rights reserved.

Our Lolita-inspired moment by the pool...after the ice cream truck...

Yes, it was a perfect day for us!

A big thanks to our wonderful friend and photographer, Dee Hill for capturing our special day.

xoxo,

Ashley

yes.

affirmative. i will. i can. i do.

five little days.

+ Fern +

For you color lovers.

I spent some time photographing one of our ferns today. I love them so much. Ferns always grew around my Grandparents' home when I was little. More on that another day. Today I'm dreaming of the future, which is somehow always intermingled with the past for me. Quite appropriate.

Remember when I told you about fern madness, also known as pteridomania? This is why you almost always see fern plants in photos or illustrations of Victorian homes. 

I am dreaming of our new home today. 1878 is drawing closer.

In 10 days I will be a wife.

In 11 days I'll be sleeping in a historic Southern mansion with my new husband.

In 14 days I will see The Alamo with my bare eyes.

After that, our new (to us) Victorian home, our new life. I am. Just. So. Happy.

Golden Hour Flowers // And Some Words I Like

"Kiss me and you'll see how important I am." - Sylvia Plath

"Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

"I was just standin' up there singin', like all was right in the world." - Daniel Edwards

"I want to make you happy...even if you don't like it." - Thom Edwards

"It's kind-of a mercy that we found one another. I don't think anyone else could tolerate either of us." - Me

xoxo,

Ashley

Weekend Photo Love // Blurry Light

My goal in taking photos as of late has been to create images that are light, and on the softer side of focus. 

This is pretty much my signature style. Not everyone will get it, but I think it makes a romantic and charming photo. Dreamy, slightly peaches & cream light, allowing lens flare to do it's thang. I have found that this can be (and is here) achieved through very minimal (if any) editing. All I did to these was crop and change the levels a few degrees.

I have been obsessed with the golden light of afternoon since I was a child. It's what all my memories are made of and in my happy dreams, the light is always slightly amber. I believe I was first introduced to (and inspired by) the concept of "the golden hour" (or magic hour, if you prefer) by Sullivan Entertainment productions, such as "Road to Avonlea" and "Anne of Green Gables." Yes, I'm mentioning Anne of Green Gables again. Ha!

In this one I allowed the light in a bit more to blur the entire scene. This is Tramp's serious movie star face. Dramatic, all around.

My cat, Tramp is an excellent model. She makes the most adorable expressions and is surprisingly cooperative for a feline! In the left corner is her treasured baby elephant catnip toy. 

We hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as we are. Yesterday I spent 5 hours staining a fence. Nothing better for your entire appearance and mental health than a little hard labor. Though, I did spend a fair amount of time groaning, "I hate painting" and "sick, a bug flew up my nose!"

xoxo,

Ashley