A Christmas Wedding

Images © Robert Harris Photography
As a little girl, Kendall Tate dreamed of a Christmas wedding. Somewhere in those dreams snow may have been falling. Her dream wedding did come true with over 12" of snow! Kendall and Matt celebrated their evening with close family and friends after a candlelight ceremony in Richmond. Following their reception, the newlyweds made their way to the Jefferson Hotel for the night. The Christmas tree was a perfect setting to end Kendall's dream day, now a reality.
Enjoy your honeymoon!

Home for the Holidays

As we approach the heart of the Holiday Season we pause to give thanks for the many blessings and opportunities throughout the past year. We extend a heartfelt "Thank You" to each individual, couple, family and business client who has entrusted us to create meaningful images that will endure for generations. It has truly been a pleasure to be a part of so many individual lives of capturing and sharing priceless memories in a meaningful way. May you share a wonderful Holiday with your family and friends. We wish you good health and blessings in 2010!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Harris Family
Robert, Wanda, Ashley Katie & "Gabby"

Let It Snow

Image © Robert Harris Photography
13+ inches of snow blanketed the Richmond area this weekend. This image of the Lee Monument on Monument Ave was made around 11:00 Saturday night. An 18mm lens on a tripod mounted Nikon was set for a 12 second exposure to render this scene. It was a great way to end a long 12 hour day of photographing and fighting the wintry weather.

It's That Time of Year

Image © Robert Harris Photography
A whimsical scene of the holidays was captured at Market Square in my hometown of South Hill, Va. recently. This southern Virginia town is about 80 miles south of Richmond. As I recall, the local volunteer rescue squad used to sell Christmas trees on this very spot when I was a child. Now some years later, this street corner has been refurbished along with the ongoing project of restoring the Colonial Theater (in the distance) This area also serves as a community gathering spot for special events (outdoor concerts, etc.) throughout the year.
The holidays are approaching quickly! Be sure to enjoy this time with friends and family. Don't forget to grab your camera to capture great memories. (Oh yea, be sure to backup your digital files so they don't vanish when your computer crashes)

Christmas across the Pond

Image © Robert Harris Photography
The Daglish children have been doing quite a bit of traveling recently. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, they visited their Grandparents in Wisconsin. (There mother is a huge Green Bay fan and a stockholder of the team)
For Christmas, they will be flying across the pond to visit their other grandparents in England.
Bearing gifts, this portrait will be under the tree for their British relatives to enjoy throughout the coming years.

Every little boy loves a mud puddle!

Image © Robert Harris Photography
Caleb is the complete definition of a little boy with lots of energy. We first photographed his parents when they were married a few years ago. Since then, we have had the pleasure to see Caleb every year around his birthday in November. We can always count on a lively session. If by plan, our time with Caleb this year was completed around a huge puddle. The resulting image is featured on their family Christmas card, truly capturing Caleb's personality for all friends and family to see.

Bits n' Pieces

Image © Robert Harris Photography
How do you illustrate the bond older siblings have with their younger counterparts? Well...the older kids are always showing the way for their younger brother or sister. In this case, a helping hand to sit up. Showing "bits n' pieces" of the older children speak of the security the slightly older children offer their younger sister. Yes, siblings will have their disagreements, but they will find no stronger ally than their brother or sister.
By the way, Bits n' Pieces is the name of their parent's stores located in Carytown and Stony Point in Richmond. Stop by for a special gift for the holidays.

Its Christmas Tiime

With the holidays around the corner, Wanda and I feel like Santa's elves helping to create beautiful portraits of good little girls and boys. These priceless images will find there way under the tree for special grandparents, aunts and uncles and special places in family homes. Its an exciting time of year when we "rise early" and "burn the midnight oil" to be sure these treasures are especially wrapped by December 24th. Shhhhh.....Its a secret; don't tell Dad.

The Web

Image © Robert Harris Photography
The mist of early morning fog transformed this spider web into a necklace of thousands of water droplets laced together by the tireless work of an unsuspecting spider. You have to appreciate the intricate work of this eight legged arthropod. There is a lot to be learned from this hard working creature. Each day has its own set of challenges and rewards; but only if we are willing to put in the effort.

By the way; Second round against Appalachian State in the FCS playoffs at UR stadium this Saturday. Go Spiders!!

Every Book Deserves a Great Cover

Image © Robert Harris Photography
Aubrey and Justin, both UVA grads were married at Justin's family vineyard, "Rosemont" in Southern, VA. We have just completed the custom design of their wedding album, including the cover for the book. This highly customized memory has been alot of fun to create. We thought it would be nice to share a few pages from their book as well as their cover that was designed just for them.
By the way, if you enjoy wine with your holiday dinner may we suggest Rosemont's "Syrah 2007" or "Pinot Grigio 2008" Rosemont Vineyards 434-636-wine

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Wilkinson Family

Through the years we have had the pleasure to photograph the Wilkinson family, but never at their vacation home on the Rappahannock River. As it turns out, we photographed this growing family on a very warm (hot) morning this past August on the river. Despite the heat, humidity and challenging lighting conditions we were able to pull off a great portrait on Dr. Wilkinson's pride and joy; his boat, "The Dr. Clawed." After the session, Dr. Wilkinson presented me with my very own "Dr. Clawed" T-shirt as my shirt was drenched with perspiration. Thank you Dr. Wilkinson; I have enjoyed my shirt and preparing this portrait for you.

Image © Robert Harris Photography

The Portrait: Ber with his sister

In a previous post we featured a beautiful child; "Ber" who is battling a rare form of cancer. We thought you would like to see the completed "oil" portrait of Ber with his sister. I also pulled out an image that speaks to this little guy's personality. Thanks to all who helped us provide these memories to a great family. (Special thanks to Lou Carrington; "artist extraordinaire")
Image © Robert Harris Photography

"Let them eat cake"

I'm sure if Graham Haddock had been making cakes during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette would have been referring to the cakes created by his company; " Cakes by Graham" when she supposedly uttered the words; "Let them eat cake". Recently, I caught Graham creating the intricate details on a wedding cake that would be completely consumed by the end of the evening. It is a shame his creations are only on display for a few hours. I'm happy to say we photographed the cake, but sorry to say we did'nt sample the results.

Monster Mash 2009

Once again, the Monster Mash 2009 was a huge success! Thanks to all who volunteered to make this yearly event a great evening. Close to $1,000.00 was donated to the South Hill Revitalization Committee from the photography of these cute little gremlins. Of course, there were a few adult goblins as well. Take a moment and enjoy the results.

Beyond the Basic Headshot

In today's business world, prospective clients no longer ask "if" you have a website, they expect one. Photography plays a vital role in the development of a professional look as today's generation will often develop their "first impressions" by your presence on the web and beyond. Often times, photographs beyond a basic headshot work best. Joseph Taylor (featured above) is a young attorney practicing law in Southside Virginia. We met briefly at the Virginia State Capital in Richmond to create a few images for his new website as he opens a new chapter in his chosen field of law. ( Mr. Taylor worked as a Page in the Virginia General Assembly as a young boy) The resulting photographs are a portion of the images that portray a traditional, yet modern look; which describes him well.
Check out the website: www.josephtaylorlaw.com
Images © Robert Harris Photography

UVA Lawn

We had the pleasure of spending a beautiful afternoon walking the grounds of UVA and witnessing a perfect day in Charlottesville, VA. This view features the Rotunda and the Lawn on the campus of the University of Virginia. The Autumn colors were a beautiful contrast to the brilliant blue sky and sweeping clouds overhead. The image is a combination of several photographs stitched together to create a true Panoramic view of this historic campus design by Thomas Jefferson.
Image © Robert Harris Photography

A Time for All Seasons

The cycle of life is always around us, but probably most evident this time of year. As the days shorten and the weather cools, the leaves that were once green display their brilliant color of crimson, yellow and gold before making their final journey ever so gently to the earth. Along the river, a leaf may travel for miles aided by the flow of the current before finding a resting place to begin it's gradual decay in the river's depths. Be sure to witness the Autumn splendor all around us; the leaves will be brown and crunchy (or soggy) all too soon.
Image © Robert Harris Photography

Laura Callahan

A successful portrait session is the result of the subject and photographer working together to create images that bring out the personality of the subject and accurately portrays the individual. In an effort to truly capture Laura's personality, I asked her to help me create a series of images that complement her traditional portrait beautifully. As Laura strolled down this stone walkway, several spontaneous moments were captured for a panel that captures her "inner spark". I can still hear her laughter as I view the resulting series of images. I'm sure she will remember the session as "alot of fun," and anyone that knows Laura will also see her infectious personality revealed.
Image © Robert Harris Photography

Portrait on the James River

Dr. Nikki Sparks exchanged vows this past weekend with her best friend, Dr. Will Perkinson on the banks of the James River at the Perkinson family home. Despite a chilly breeze coming off of the river, the 300+ guests provided enough warmth (along with propane heaters under the tent) to celebrate late into the evening. As guests entered the tent, they were able to view portraits we completed for Nikki a few weeks prior to her wedding. Both wall portraits (one enhanced with oil) were custom framed to provide Nikki with a beautiful memory crafted to last a lifetime.
Thanks for a wonderful day of celebration. We look forward to sharing great images of your wedding day when you return from Hawaii.

Image © Robert Harris Photography

Janie

Janie is a Senior at Powhatan High School and a cheerleader for the Indians. She wanted to include a few props that reflect her school spirit in her senior portraits. More importantly Janie wanted a few photographs with her boyfriend, Alex who was home from collage (Hampden Sydney)

Game Day

Ryan Bendele paid us a visit to create his Senior Portraits even though it was Game Day and Homecoming at Blessed Sacrament; Huguenot. Ryan does double duty for BSH in Powhatan by playing linebacker as well as fullback for the Knights. He is also a huge fan of his favorite collage team, the Oregan Ducks. In fact, he will be traveling to Oregon on the 31st with his Father and brothers to be in the stands as the Ducks take on the Trojans of USC.

Image © Robert Harris Photography

A Beautiful Child/ an Epic Battle

Image © Robert Harris Photography-
When you first meet Ber van der Meer, "Bear", you see a witty young five year old boy with a lively sense of humor and a heartwarming smile. Underlying however is a young boy battling stage IV Neuroblastoma ( a rare form of cancer that is diagnosed in only 600 children each year) Since 2007 when Ber was diagnosed, he has undergone several rounds of treatments and operations in New York where he will be visiting again at the end of this month for further treatment.
We had the pleasure of photographing Ber and his family on a beautiful morning before his next round of treatment and tests begin. A special thanks to our daughter, Katie who helped with the session and Kara, (our volunteer associate for the day) for helping as well. I especially enjoyed Ber's "high five" and his sister, Lizzie's hug (with a pat on the back) at the end our time together.
Let us all enjoy each day we are given with our families as the van der Meer family demonstrates so well.

To learn more about Neuroblastoma or to wish Ber well, you may visit his mother's blog:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/ber

To support NB research: www.bandofparents.org

Brotherly Love

Brothers by nature are often at each others throats. In this case however, the choke hold is a loving embrace. An older sibling is often the one that shows their younger brother or sister the world for the first time. From them, they learn how to walk, run, talk and generally mimic their older brother or sister. Through all the pains of growing and sometimes rivalry, they will often be the closest of friends.

Image © Robert Harris Photography

An International Family

Michelle (far right) enjoyed a wonderful weekend with her family whom she has'nt seen together for a couple of years. She studied in the US and worked in fashion in New York City before starting a family and settling down in Richmond. Her parents were visiting from Hong Kong and her brother and fiancee made the trip down from New York to share a family visit and create a memorable portrait. It was a pleasure to share a brief time with them to create portraits for this international family. We will be sure to carefully package the finished wall portraits for the long trip overseas.

Image © Robert Harris Photography

The Eighteenth Green: Hermitage CC

A wedding day is full of excitement, emotion and a host of beautiful visual moments. Each Wedding day is unique with only one thing in common;one of the most important days of the couples life together. Ashley and Matt were married at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on River Rd. Hermitage Country Club provided a stunning vista as the sun set over the 18th hole. To end the day, another golf cart was employed as Matt and Ashley begin their life together.

Photographs © Robert Harris Photography

October Road

Photograph © Robert Harris

"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature,music--the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."
Henry Miller

Wedding Album Design

Album design is as important as great images. The featured images captured at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, showcase the wedding cake and related vignettes to complete a chapter in this wedding album. When designing an album, its important for each spread to become a "chapter of the day." In this case, the use of three images work better than one simple picture of the cake. Album design is an artistic feature included in every wedding we photograph. With over a dozen awards for wedding photography and six "Best Wedding Album in Virginia" awards, we are delighted to offer our "best" to every client.

Images © Robert Harris Photography

Kayaking on the James

I enjoyed a couple of hours kayaking the James River on the morning of Labor Day. A point/shoot camera stuffed inside my life jacket and a polarizing filter made it possible to capture a few images along the way. Nice way to spend a day off.

Images © Robert Harris Photography