Jennifer Rotz Photography: June 2012

A Week In Review | Edition 2

So far so good with my new pledge to blog more frequently! I'm excited to share another Week In Review with you guys and give you a little look see into our more than likely boring but busy life! And once again there are more iPhone photos here than not :)

We LOVE to scope out wedding venues for upcoming weddings we are shooting. So when one of my August brides asked if I would like to check out The Nittany Inn in State College, I was all YES! This venue is gorgeous and I cannot wait to shoot here. This is the amazing courtyard. Wouldn't it be absolutely perfect for a 'First Look' :)

Because I apparently have an issue with being super efficient, I made plans with one of my October couples for their engagement session at Mt. Nittany Winery. Another gorgeous winery and couple. Looooved this session :)

After a fabulous dinner with friends and a good night sleep, I was up super early and back on the road home. Armed with a big Starbucks and a GPS I can do anything.

I love to travel, but I love being home too. We're totally taking advantage of all the fresh veggies this time of year. I love summer time cooking!

Speaking of summer....Happy first day of summer! I love these flowers on our front porch and the light is always amazing in the evening.

We officially had our first heat wave of the year. ICK. Not a fan of these temperatures, but what's worse is the humidity. Every summer I swear I'm moving north and every winter I swear I'm moving south. But I actually think Pennsylvania pretty much has the best climate in the country, guess I'm stuck :)

We met with a new bride + groom in Gettysburg at The Pub and Restaurant. I'm always amazed at how gorgeous this place is. The food is great too! We enjoyed dinner, drinks, and wedding talk. Seriously, it doesn't get much better!

Oh, aaaand I got to wear my new necklace. Don't be alarmed if you see multiple pictures of me wearing it in the near future. I'm currently obsessed.

Once the heat wave broke, I was FINALLY able to enjoy a brisk walk in the morning. There is no better way to get work done than start your morning with a great walk!

And Saturday was a fabulous wedding. I LOVE this couple. They are super sweet, have a great family, awesome friends, and they're just...FUN. So we were able to let our creative juices flow a bit :)

Their reception took place at Wilson College...such a beautiful campus!

The day after a wedding we usually do totally random things. Somehow we ended up feeding the ducks. I have no idea how our day's events led up to this, but why not. I'm pretty sure Aaron was starting to get scared at this point.

There's also a lot of this the day after a wedding...

And, finally, I was SO happy to write this check for the Operation Smile mini-sessions I shot earlier in the spring. $240 is enough to pay for one child's much-needed surgery to repair a cleft palate. I could not be any more thankful to the amazing clients who participated in this event.

I'll be back next Monday with some more random, useless information :) Have a fabulous week!!

Mallory + Josh | Frederick, MD Engagement Photographer

A few months ago I had a vision of a beautiful winery, gorgeous sun-drenched lighting, and a perfectly in-love couple. So I put the word out on my Facebook page hoping a couple would be interested and, lucky for me, two of my 2012 brides wasted NO time in taking me up on my vision.

First up was Mallory + Josh at Linganore Winecellars. I am so in love with this winery. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but everyone there is so friendly and welcoming to photographers. After a tasting and some hang-out time, the lighting was just right for their session. Mallory + Josh are such a wonderful couple! Their playful relationship enabled the session to be laid-back and casual. We had so much fun walking around the winery looking for perfect spots and taking in all the beauty. I can't wait for their September wedding, I'm pretty sure it will be a TON of fun :)

Seriously, could you guys be any more gorgeous?!

I love these two!

Mallory - You. Are. Gorgeous!

This is perfectly them :)

The vines go on forever; it's amazing. If Linganore is ever looking for someone to live out there in a gorgeous home and oversee the vines, I'm their girl!

A Week In Review | Edition 1

One of the many eye-opening things I learned from Melissa Jill's MJ2Day workshop is the fact that I need to blog MORE. And not just my weddings and sessions, but more about the girl behind the lens :) So I'm going to do this. Blogging is not easy, okay the process seems simple, BUT the prepping can be a little overwhelming and time-consuming, which is why this is going to be a major dedication. I'm completely ready to be more active in the blogging community, so I'm excited and ready to spill my thoughts to anyone willing to read!

In order to hold myself accountable, my first blog-related task is going to be a weekly column titled "A Week In Review". Basically this will discuss the entire last week of my life and what I do, where I've been, what I love, and who I am. Sometimes it seems like all I do is sit behind a computer editing or answering emails, but there is actually waaay more to me than that! At least I hope so otherwise this is going to be a boring blog post :)

So since this is the first in the series, I may cover a little more than just last week. And the photos won't always be fancy, there will definitely be some iPhone photos mixed in. Believe it or not, my camera is not ALWAYS with me :)

So if you know me, you know I love great wine and a great winery is even better! When we first discovered Linganore Winecellars, I was completely taken by it's beauty. Then after tasting their fabulous wine and meeting some of their friendly staff, I was sold! So I thought it would be the best place ever for an engagement session, turns out I was right! The light was beautiful and the vines were amazing. I can't wait to write a full blog post on this session!

I've definitely been enjoying all the family sessions lately. It's a compete 180 change from engagements and weddings, but the love between a couple is different than a love a mom and dad have for their child. However, regardless of the type of love, I love capturing those amazing little moments...

Not to mention a 'different' kind of family portrait. This was 100% priceless :)

It's so vital to ANY business to constantly be learning, growing, and practicing what you do. I have been interested in attending a workshop for a while, but couldn't find the one that fit me. I've been following Melissa Jill for a year or so and not only do I respect her work, but also the fact that she is an extremely hard worker and savvy business owner (she owns several). So when I heard she was coming to Annapolis, MD in June on a weekend that I didn't have a wedding, I figured it was fate and hit the submit button on my registration form. I was SO nervous about everything: being away from Aaron for 3 nights, meeting a bunch of other photographers, feeling inadequate, etc. The list could go on. But I was way overdue to step outside my comfort zone and it was something I needed in order to breathe a little fresh air into my business. I will be posting a full blog post on this soon!

The location was a DREAM. The host, Jessica Ulrich who is no stranger to the wedding industry, owns a gorgeous home along an inlet to the Chesapeake. So this was our view. Amazing, right? I have a deep, undying love for the bay and everything about it. I love the sail boats, the water, the maritime community, the old homes, the food, EVERYTHING. So there could not have been a more perfect location for me. I always joke about retiring some place like this or, better yet, moving here, who knows...but it is definitely on my life wish list :)

The town of Annapolis, MD.

During the workshop we were blessed to meet other photographers in the same boat (okay, pun intended..haha!), which is great! We can talk about all the exciting aspects of this crazy industry, as well as the difficult and frustrating parts too. We shot a few head shots of each other and this one stands out in particular. First of all, I love this photo. There is so much emotion, which is what I always strive to capture, but I later found out there was more. Heather messaged me on Facebook and thanked me for capturing an image of her that she did not hate for once! She said she finds it downright painful to be in front of a camera so she was happy that she now has a photo of herself that she is excited to use on her website once she undergoes a rebranding. Wow. I felt so filled to the brim at that moment and it just further justifies for me why I am so in love with this path.

So after a crazy 2.5 months of shooting weddings and sessions, Aaron and I had our first real Saturday off and it was amazing! Our first stop was Hauser Estate Winery near Gettysburg, PA. We are so blessed to live near a few wineries so we figured why not spend some quiet peaceful time sipping on a glass of wine? Perfection.

This is the view from their patio. Amazing. I'm convinced Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states to call home.

We managed to work ice cream into our week once I returned home from the workshop. Our favorite local place is Windy Knoll Farm Market and Creamery. They have the best everything and their ice cream is even homemade!

We find a spare minute here and there and when we do it's usually spent on our house. It's an ongoing process, but we're making great progress this year. We just put in this new garden and it's beautiful. Definitely beats the dirt patch that was previously there since we ripped everything out!

We've been spending a few nights on our new covered patio. The patio isn't new, but the roof is and we love it. It still needs a few touches (ceiling painted, fans/lights, etc) before I dedicate a full post to it, but it's added so much visual interest to the back of our house already we can't wait until it's completely done!

There you have it...our week in review. I can't wait to do this weekly and keep you guys up-to-date on everything that goes on with us. Some of it may be mundane, but we're just tying to keep it real and let you know that we don't only wear black and shoot weddings!

Diane + Wilson: Married | Huntingdon, PA Wedding Photographer

Diane and Wilson were married on a very hot, but oh so beautiful, day in May. They stressed to us that they are a laid-back, casual couple who prefer more of a photojournalistic style of wedding photography. I was more than happy to oblige to their request. I love....no, thrive.....no, LIVE...to shoot the emotional moments that are an inevitable aspect of weddings. It definitely takes a quick shutter finger and a sharp eye, but I totally fist pump when I capture those fleeting slivers of time.

Their ceremony and reception (complete with a bluegrass band!) both took place in their backyard, which made perfect sense for their down-home personalities. I think because it was at their home, the wedding had such a warm vibe to it. Of course it didn't hurt that their family and friends are so sweet and inviting! While shooting the details, we really allowed ourselves to incorporate Diane + Wilson's personalities by looking for things that are important to them around their house. And since we chatted with them prior to their wedding, we knew EXACTLY what to look for :)

Congratulations again Diane + Wilson and thank you for entrusting us to document one of the most important days of you life.