Cyrus McCormick Farm Wedding

BlackBird Images recently shot at wedding at the Cyrus McCormick Farm in Steele's Tavern, Va (about 15 miles southwest of Staunton, Va). It's a nice place for an outdoor wedding, with a variety of pretty spots available for the service. The couple we photographed chose to have the service in an open area near a few of the larger buildings. Here's a photo of the service, shot from a hill above:


And here they are just after walking back down the aisle as husband and wife:


Using the Farm for a wedding venue does pose one problem, though: the Farm won't let you use any of the buildings, even for dressing. The bride solved that problem by bringing a tent; she used it for last-minute makeup and wardrobe checks. So, it's a pretty place, but it's a little inconvenient, especially if you have a number of guests attending. Plus, if you're making last-minute hair adjustments, you could find yourself in a position like this.

1763 Inn Wedding

Even though the summer wedding season is in full swing, we're already getting bookings for next year... based on the fact a lot of couples are asking for advice about venues, it seems many are choosing their wedding photographer before they choose the location for their wedding. So, in the next few weeks we'll try to pass on our thoughts about a few more Virginia wedding locations the BlackBird Images photographers have visited.
Last year we photographed a wedding at the 1763 Inn in Upperville, Virginia (not too far from Warrenton, VA - about an hour from D.C.). The Inn has a restaurant, a number of dining rooms (including one detached reception hall that, we're guessing, can hold between 75 and 100 people.) It also includes extensive grounds; in the photo below you can see a number of guests and a bridge that leads to the back half of the property.

And yes, the two white spots in the water are swans.
Even though there are rooms in the Inn itself, there are also a number of cabins in the woods behind the lake - there are 18 total rooms available. The Inn offers a nice balance: it operates like a bed and breakfast, and has a very cozy feel, but it also has more rooms available than the typical bed and breakfast and can accommodate a larger wedding party.
For the service itself you can either use one of the reception halls or a large outdoor patio overlooking the lake (with room for seating around 150 people).

Why the photo of this young man? (He's inside the reception building.) Over the years we've developed a simple rule of thumb: if the location is comfortable and flexible enough that kids can have a good time... it's a pretty safe bet that everyone will have a good time. The 1763 Inn is one of those places; great staff, service that was smooth and transparent, and plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves. To check them out, you can visit their website by clicking here (sadly, their website doesn't do them any justice at all - it's a lot prettier than it appears.)

Wedding Photography Styles

We're frequently asked to describe our "style" of wedding photography - it's a question that lately seems to show up a lot in "Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer" guides. So what is our style? Our style is... making sure our clients get what they're looking for. While that may sound like a cop-out answer, it's not.

Every wedding client is different. Some couples like a photojournalistic style, where most of the photos are candid and natural. Others want a very formal style, with nearly every photograph looking as if it was posed. Most couples want a blend of styles: some posed, some semi-posed, and a number of candid photos to choose from.
We work very hard to create outstanding posed photographs, especially the post-ceremony wedding party and family photographs. What we're most proud of, though, is our ability to capture candid moments. That's why we send two photographers to every wedding: our couples get multiple perspectives, multiple angles, and the broadest and most comprehensive coverage possible.

Our style is making sure our clients are delighted with their wedding photographs and with our service. We adapt to our clients' needs; we don't expec them to adapt to a pre-conceived notion of "style."

Photography for Billboards

Many of BlackBird Images' retail clients use billboards to get their advertising message out. Photography intended for billboards is different from consumer photography; the goal is to create an eye-catching image that delivers a message... and that commuters won't get bored seeing day after day. (Effective advertising first has to capture attention, and then deliver the advertising message. And a billboard can't be cluttered - you only have a couple seconds to get your point across.) Here's a billboard we created late last year.

It works on a variety of levels, and most importantly enhances the customer's professional image. (Although it is a little disconcerting for models to see a 12 foot high image of themselves.) "Eye contact" is important - people naturally pay more attention when eye contact is made, and she definitely draws attention; this billboard was displayed in Virginia, but we've had people from other states mention seeing it.

This billboard uses a similar layout and has the same effect. (Consistency is important in advertising as you build a brand presence - customers should know it's your ad, even if the ad has changed.)
Next time you see a billboard, take a second and decide whether the photo and the design served the advertiser's purpose. Good advertising should deliver... not just look good.

Cycling News Publishes ToS Photos

BlackBird Images photos from the Tour of Shenandoah bike race were published by Cyclingnews.com, the world's most-visited and widely-read bicycle racing website. While our main goal was to help out the Tour of Shenandoah organizers, we're always pleased to be recognized for photographic excellence. Since we were donating our services, our priories were a little different than the other event photographers, though - our goal was to create images that helped showcase the event and the event's sponsors. For instance, take a look at the photo below of Brent Bookwalter, the race winner.


The photo is of Brent's interview with Joe Lemire of Harrisonburg's Daily News-Record. The goal of the photo was to show the media covered the Tour and to highlight key event sponsors like discoverbath.com, the Homestead resort, and of course the Tour of Shenandoah. We were able to place the photo on Cycling News, creating additional exposure for the Tour, its sponsors, and Brent... so everyone wins (including Brent's mother, who called to request a copy.)
If you'd like to check out the Cycling News photos, click here. If you'd like to see the BlackBird Images Tour of Shenandoah photo gallery, click here.
If you're a rider or team sponsor, use this form to contact us and we'll provide you with image files from the Tour at no charge.

Wedding Cakes - Go for Form AND Function

We've seen a lot of wedding cakes. A few are gorgeous, many are very nice, and some... well, some are neither. Couples ask for our opinion about wedding cakes more often than you might think, and while we aren't pastry chefs - far, far from it - we've attended many weddings and we've seen (and tasted) many wedding cakes.
Most couples focus primarily on how the cake looks. Our advice? Choose a cake that tastes good, that you'll enjoy eating... and then worry about how beautiful it is. You can have it both ways: this cake was made by the Joshua Wilton House in Harrisonburg, VA for a wedding BlackBird Images photographed - it was delicious and looked gorgeous.


You may not realize it, but many guests won't even see your cake before they try a piece. Even if it's prominently displayed, your guests are busy speaking to you, to family members, to friends... and few will make a point to check out how great your wedding cake looks. You may have spent a tremendous amount of time obsessing over cake choices, but your guests haven't... and most are more interested in talking to the people at your wedding than they are in how beautiful your wedding cake is.
They will, however, almost always eat a piece of your cake. That's why it makes sense to focus on taste first.
In the end it's your wedding - pick a cake you'll enjoy eating and you think looks great and you can't go wrong. In this - and all decisions you make about your wedding - don't worry too much about what your guests may think. You'll enjoy your wedding more if you make choices that make you happy.

Tour of Shenandoah - Final Stage Photos

The final stage of the Tour of Shenandoah bicycle race was held yesterday in Waynesboro, Va, and since the BlackBird Images team had so much fun at the opening day's events, we decided to attend. The weather was gorgeous, the city of Waynesboro did a great job of creating a safe and exciting course, and the riders didn't disappoint. Here's Jeremiah Bishop, nationally- (and world-ranked) mountain biker and Harrisonburg resident cresting the steep uphill section.

If you'd like to know more about Jeremiah and the Trek mountain bike team, you can visit his website by clicking here. (Since BlackBird Images photographed his wedding last year, we know him on a more personal level, too.)
We can't stress enough how fun the event was. We know next to nothing about cycling, but we didn't need to know anything about the sport to appreciate how talented the riders are. It's always fun to watch people who excel at what they do - whatever their sport or skill. It's also hard not to admire anyone who is willing to put up with this level of pain.

We've posted over 250 photos from the Tour of Shenandoah on the BlackBird Images website - to see more, click here to go straight to the gallery.

Tour of Shenandoah Bike Race - Photos Online

BlackBird Images photographed two stages of the Tour of Shenandoah bicycle race today: the Dayton, VA time trial and the Harrisonburg, VA criterium. We volunteered to photograph both events and donate images to the Tour organizers. The Tour of Shenandoah is a small (but definitely growing) grass roots bike racing organization staffed mostly by volunteers, and we were happy to help them out. Here's a photo from the Harrisonburg stage.


To see more photos from the first day of the Tour, visit the public gallery on the BlackBird Images website by clicking here.
Our photographers had never attended a bike race and were amazed at the speed and power of the athletes. (A Dayton police officer's radar clocked most riders at between 30 and 34 mph - on a flat section at the start of the race.) The atmosphere surrounding the event was even more impressive: the riders were friendly and accessible, the spectators had a great time, and the events were professionally-run while maintaining a casual, small-town feel.


The Tour runs through April 25th and covers most of the southern and central Shenandoah Valley. Click here to visit the Tour of Shenandoah website. If you can, see one of the races - they're definitely worth checking out; if you can't, take a look at some of our photos by clicking here. Congratulations to Dave LeMay and Matthew Butterman of the Tour of Shenandoah for putting on a great event.

Daily News-Record Article

Jeff Haden, the President of BlackBird Media (the parent company of BlackBird Images), appeared in an article in today's Daily News-Record business section. The article is a (surprisingly, since he's usually long-winded) very brief look at some of the basic considerations for setting up an e-commerce website. A full-service advertising and media strategy corporation, BlackBird Media provides site design, navigation structure, text, graphics, photos, and e-commerce solutions for small and medium-cap companies. To see the article, click here.

Fairfax Hall Wedding - Waynesboro, VA

Another wedding venue that's surprisingly nice is Fairfax Hall in Waynesboro, Virginia. A BlackBird Images team photographed a wedding there in early October of last year. The Hall is located on a hilltop overlooking the town and the views of the fall foliage are reminiscent of Skyline Drive... which makes sense since it's only a few miles away from the Afton Mountain entrance to Skyline Drive. Here's a photo of the bride and groom facing towards Fairfax Hall with the city behind them.


The Hall is a very nice reception venue: it has a large dining room that adjoins a glassed porch, and there's a sitting room down a short hallway that creates a private "escape" room for the bridal party - which is also handy for checking makeup, clothing, etc.
Fairfax Hall is also a city-run facility offering affordable housing for seniors. The blend of services is in no way a problem since the reception area is separate from the rest of the building, and residents we met were very friendly and gracious; they seemed to enjoy all the activity. Keep in mind that the venue offers room set-up, but does not offer catering or other services - you'll have to contract those on your own.
The BlackBird Images photographers had plenty of room to work in and a number of pretty building and scenery elements to incorporate into what turned out to be great photographs of an really nice bride and groom. If you'd like more information, you can visit the Fairfax Hall website by clicking here.

Oakencroft Vineyard Wedding - Charlottesville, VA

We're frequently asked for our opinions about wedding venues, so occasionally we'll list some of the BlackBird Images team's favorites. Last fall we photographed a wedding at the Oakencroft Vineyard outside Charlottesville, VA. It's a few miles out of the city in a wonderful location for an outdoor wedding: rolling hills, a small lake, great views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.... The day we went to take a look at the location (we visit wedding locations we're not familiar with ahead of time) about fifteen deer ran across a hillside on the other side of the lake. Weddings can be held in the vineyards themselves (there are large grassy areas surrounded by rows of vines) or in the courtyard in front of the main building. The wedding we photographed was held in late afternoon and the light was fantastic. Here's a picture of the happy couple just after the ceremony.


A few other photos from the wedding can be found on the BlackBird Images website; to visit us, click here.
A couple things to keep in mind: The Oakencroft Vineyard doesn't handle catering and logistics; that's your responsibility. If you want a dance floor, tents, catering, etc, you'll have to arrange those yourself - in effect they simply rent the space. It's a working vineyard that doubles as an event venue, is a gorgeous site for a wedding and reception, and is a great place for beautiful wedding photographs. To visit the Oakencroft Vineyard website, click here.

Tour of Shenandoah

We've agreed to photograph, pro bono, the opening legs of the Tour of Shenandoah, a road cycling race that ranges from Harrisonburg to Buena Vista and back up to Waynesboro, Virginia over the course of five days -- picture a miniature Tour de France set in the Shenandoah Valley. Every year BlackBird Images donates services to organizations, teams, or groups we decide we'd like to help. The Tour of Shenandoah is a fairly new event that attracts up-and-coming cyclists, and we thought it would be fun to give its organizers a hand. It runs from April 25 through April 30; you can visit their website for more information by clicking here. We'll post photos we take in our Gallery section on the BlackBird Images website; to visit us (and see the photos we take next week), click here.
Last year, for example, we shot a Longwood University women's field hockey game at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Here's a photo from the game.


Longwood University is a small private college in Farmville, VA, and the ladies on the team are rarely photographed in action. They were incredibly appreciative and later sent us a very sweet card and team photo. One of the great things about being successful is that we occasionally have the freedom to do something nice... just for the sake of being nice.

House Mountain Inn Wedding - Lexington, VA

We recently photographed a small wedding at the House Mountain Inn outside Lexington, VA. The Inn is in the mountains about five miles from Lexington, which puts it a little over an hour from our offices in Harrisonburg, VA. It's off the beaten path, but it's perfect if you want a private, secluded location for your wedding. The scenery is gorgeous, it's only a couple years old so everything is spotless, and the staff does a great job. Here's a view of the grounds from a deck on the first floor.


The small gazebo to the left of the pond is used for outdoor weddings. The couple had planned an outdoor wedding but it rained; luckily the Inn has a great room that is perfect for a small wedding (I'd estimate no more than 50 or so guests, though.) There was plenty of room for the BlackBird Images team to work, too. The wedding went well and the location was great - if you're looking for a B & B setting for your wedding, check them out. To see the House Mountain Inn website, click here.