Behind the Scenes / 2021
I finally got around to pulling some behind the scenes photos together from this past year, (how is it February already??)
2021 was another interesting year...but business picked up quite a bit, which was a huge blessing after 2020. We had so much fun looking back through the year, at all of the good, the awkward, and hilarious moments. :) We hope you enjoy getting to see some of them too!
If you are reading this blog, you probably know that for our wedding photography, I, (Bri), am the lead photographer while Holly second shoots & assists, and for our newborn photography, Holly is the lead photographer and I assist ... Here are some behind the scenes shots of Holly doing what she loves. <3
snuggling the babies
swaddling the babies
shooting the babies
Holly getting selfies with all the babies
Holly's daughter, Sam, even got to get some baby snuggles in! The perks of working from home!
And lucky me, I'm all hands on baby during newborn sessions!
tiny little fingers <3 <3 <3
me posing with someone else's baby
using a squeaky dog toy to try to get the newborn's attention...not sure why I thought that would actually work.
you don't mind me in the photo, right?
there are a LOT of hands on that baby, haha!
Sam is not too sure about me holding his baby brother
Getting peed & pooped on frequently is part of the job
We practice safety first during our newborn sessions and always have hands on baby, (or babies!)
helping babies hold babies <3 <3 <3
THOSE CHEEKS!
In fact, here are some behind the scenes of what photos actually look like before Holly edits them...I never take my hands off baby, but I change the position of where I am holding the baby so that Holly can make a composite of the several photos taken.
Shout out to Heather, one of Holly's besties, for assisting during a newborn session when I was not able to be there!
Some things we can't go without in the studio are heat, pacifiers, and the "baby shusher," - you can download the app on your cell phone ;)
she's not too sure about all of this...
we also can provide snacks to bribe siblings to pose with the new baby :)
We love kids!
We love when Cake Smashes get messy!
We have several "attention getters" that we use...she does not seem amused HAHA
sometimes there's nothing better than having your mom pose in the photo with you while watching your favorite show
someone fell asleep during their photoshoot
let's read a dinosaur story!
let's not eat that...
let's not pull your sister's headband off...
Holly's son, Lucas, helping us out during a sitter session ;)
We even have stickers to give out to kids after their session!
The stickers are for kids, Jason, but sure...you can have one too
Here are some essentials for non-studio sessions...
stool/ladder, clippers, & fabric spray
Walkie Talkies
Coke! During this wedding the Bride's mom made sure that there was Coke in the fridge for us to the wedding day - how thoughtful is that?!
So many times I will set up my stool and then not even use it...there's my stool hanging out by itself on the right side.
We're full service here at Mellonberry....
we'll feed your babies
clean
set up chairs at your wedding
help you with your shoes
take photos with your dad's cell phone
carry your coat
There are so many things that Holly helps me out with on wedding days and I don't know what I would do without her...
Her veil throwing and dress fluffing are on point!
Holly takes this job very seriously...see her concentration?
and check out that form!
Sometimes the Bride's veil falls off...
or Holly pulls it right off...
but don't worry, she always helps put it back on
Sometimes we use each other to check our lighting...
I think that's a little overexposed
Check out the expressions of the people in the pews on the left side, hahaha
Here are a series of photos of Holly cheesin' it up...
Heart diffraction glasses! So fun!
Take notice that Holly and I weirdly posed the EXACT same way in this photo, and I only realized it now looking back on these photos.
The front of Holly...
the back of Holly
Anxious Holly
Holly from the hood with her hood...
Holly here...
Holly there...
Holly everywhere
This photo makes me uncomfortable for some reason
Don't know what to do when the time comes to cut your cake? No fear, Holly will guide you!
When it comes to posing, we'll take care of you! ...Hopefully we don't look like this all the time when we are posing clients, haha
the bridal party is not too thrilled about whatever Holly is asking them to do
Holly is pointing and nobody is listening
Am I dancing?
We'll do whatever to get the perfect shot
Lay on the ground
Shoot in a parking lot
stand out in the rain
Cross the river with my giant camera bag. Next time, I'll try to remember to take my backpack instead and wear proper shoes LOL
Stand on top of cliffs
I'm literally sitting in a pile of snow
There I am laying on the ground again
I got attacked by chickens for this one
You can't tell, but there were SO many BUG SWARMS on the cliffs during this session, it was so gross!!
This is my favorite and makes me laugh so hard - we weren't allowed to fly a drone over top of the Bride & Groom at the venue we were at, but I really wanted a photo of them laying in the field from up above...so Holly suggested that I climb on her shoulders and take the photo...we couldn't stop laughing and we never made it up the whole way, but I got this shot of the couple with Holly's bun head in it hahahaha we must have looked SO ridiculous!!
Holly is extremely helpful when it comes to family photos during weddings
Wait, come back!
But sometimes Holly gets distracted by animals...
Sometimes Holly likes to play with smoke bombs...
Sometimes Holly makes friends, (other than animal friends)...
Sometimes Holly has trouble with trees...
Sometimes Holly sleeps on the job...
Okay, the Bridal Suite at Stoneybrooke IS really comfy....
We just love being silly!
Me posing with the Bride & Groom's bike and then adding it into their wedding photos without them knowing. ***Don't worry this was a friend's bike and I knew they wouldn't mind me touching it
Holly was trying to get a photo of the full barn at the reception and I kept getting in the picture and was laughing hysterically - I can't remember why
Me falling. Whenever I fall or hurt myself, Holly always decides that taking photos of me embarrassing myself takes priority over helping me.
trying to sneak into the limo with the bridal party
These next set of photos are....I don't even know
karate chop
Point that toe!
one of my least favorite things to do is try to get the bride or groom's attention while they are trying to talk with their guests
what is Holly even doing?
stretching while shooting
oh heeeeeeyyy
Sometimes we get in each other's way...
"GET OUT OF THE WAY, BRI!"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY, HOLLY!"
Run, Holly, RUN!
Can you spot the photographer in this next set of photos?
Can you spot Holly's legs in these next two photos?
We love when our husbands get to be involved in what we do. My talented husband, Chris, is Mellonberry's videographer <3 <3 <3
Here are some shots of when Holly's husband, Matt, was invited to the wedding that we were photographing...
They look like secret agents
Telling secret agent secrets...
???
We love weddings!
There is always yummy food!
Of course here I am hanging around the dessert table
Should I eat those Macarons off the ground with someone else's rings on them after we photograph them?
The answer is Yes. They were so good I have no regrets.
We love seeing people we know! These are some of my nieces <3 and my brother is the one beside them looking at the camera with a perplexed expression LOL
I get bridal parties to cheer for me sometimes
One of my favorite parts of the day; when the dancing starts!
The time SWOOP showed up to Ryan & Jonelle's wedding! So fun!
And we love our clients!!
They go along with our crazy ideas
Say what?!
Photobomb!
This photo was taken after Holly slipped and literally fell on the ground in front of our clients. I didn't get the photo soon enough!
What a gentlemen helping her with her heels!
Oooooooo the chicken feed feels nice!
We appreciate them going to dangerous places with us
I think Holly wants in on that fist bump
That's it for 2021! We are excited to see what 2022 has in store for us. Thank you to all of our amazing clients and the people who have supported us as we continue to grow our photography business. Being full time moms and trying to run our business has not always been easy, but we are thankful to be in this together and we appreciate all of YOU so much!
Bye for now!
-Bri
