photography

Destiny & Wyatt – Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, VA

| Erika Fletcher

And then my soul saw you and it kind of went, “Oh, there you are. I’ve been
looking all over for you.

I am so behind on maintaining this blog. I have been to so many weddings, met so many beautiful people this year, and I am looking forward to slowly sharing those here. I will be kicking things off with the first summery wedding of the year, Destiny and Wyatt’s at Old City Cemetery right here in Lynchburg.

Now when I say cemetery you probably said – UMMMMMM!
But hold on. This cemetery is historic, and one of the absolute best places in Lynchburg to take photos. There are gardens, cobblestone streets, a chapel, a swing – you won’t remember it’s a cemetery at all. They even have a small bridal suite available.

While only suited for smaller weddings, if you are looking for an intimate ceremony location I would suggest this one! (Visit https://www.gravegarden.org/weddings/ )

Taking a look inside, you can see just the minimalistic white of the chapel is such a pure, vintage charm.

Inside the Comfort House (the Bridal suite!) they have tastefully decorated. It feels like a vacation home, with summery colors and comfortable seating areas. I will warn you it’s a little tight though, so maybe not best for a large bridal party!

Destiny did a great thing by starting me off strong early in the year with Father/Daughter first looks. I always recommend this to brides who are close to their fathers. I’ve also done brother/sister first looks if that relationship is greater or equally important to you! It’s just a special moment between bride and father, and gives you a chance to pay attention specifically to Dad and make him feel special.

Again, Old City Cemetery works well for small weddings. The space is tight to work in, so I did have to get quite close to our lovely couple, just to maneuver the space. Still, the light streaming in from the stained glass and windows is really gorgeous!

Now, you are asking, where in a cemetery would you take pictures that you won’t see a headstone? But take a look! Not a grave in sight. AND Destiny is a genius who coordinated her bridesmaids dresses with flowers actually in bloom. So complimentary.

This is one of my favorite bridal portrait sessions to date! Check out how great the cemetery can be for solitude, sweet moments, and UGH to die for lighting. Spring at the cemetery is surprisingly life giving.

I need to get back to editing October weddings, but can’t finish this without a shout out to Blackwater Creek Catering and Venue. This was the first wedding in their pavilion area, and it was really a great spot! Scroll through to see some fun times. And visit them at https://www.facebook.com/blackwaterchef/.

Thanks for reading! For more thoughts on this venue or a quote for your wedding photography, please contact me.

Robin Dreeke, a tale of two headshots.

| Erika Fletcher

I’ve known Robin for at least 4, maybe even five or six years now. He was one of the first people to believe in me and my work and I will be forever honored that he not only let me do his headshots, but that I got them published with him in his first book, The Code of Trust. (Available on Amazon) The fun thing is that it was a lucky shot. This was before I really knew what I was doing and shot everything on instinct alone. It’s still a great shot in my opinion. But it was one of maybe three great shots in an album of 40+ photos.

“We rise by
lifting others.“
– Robert Ingersoll

Not only was I honored that Robin gave me the extra credibility of being a published photographer so early in my career, but I was so honored that he came back for more! We’ve been talking about doing a second headshot session for almost a year now and we finally arranged our busy, entrepreneur schedules to make it work! And this time. Boy, oh, boy! Three years, a photography minor, and a lot of hard work really showed. Instead of two good photos in an album of 40, it was, instead, a struggle to choose the best of the best, cream of the crop photos!

I love having shoots to compare to see how I’ve grown and although usually those shoots are children and families, this one was a really unique and inspiring shoot for me. When I first started as a hobby, I never intended to keep going more than a year or two. Somehow, however, a hobby turned into a love and passion that I will never give up.

So this is to the young entrepreneur. Artist, chef, florist, investor, musician- You can do this. Find the people that believe in you and trust you. Learn through your failures and never – absolutely never- give up. If this is your dream you have it for a reason. Find your why and never lose sight of why you love what you do.

Learn more about Robin and what he does at http://www.peopleformula.com/