Solais Photography Blog | Weddings & Portrait Photography | Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, New Orleans

Engaged! David + Julie’s Sneak Peek

Kara — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:41:29 +0000

Here’s just one from Sunday’s engagement session with David + Julie. Aren’t they cute?

stormy weather

Kara — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:20:27 +0000

I love extreme weather of all sorts. I sometimes, in my crazier moments, wonder what it would be like to sell everything and take up life as a storm chasing photographer. Then I remember that I don’t really like camping, cheap hotels, or bad diner food.

Every now and then, though, extreme weather comes to me. This evening as I was cooking dinner, the tornado sirens at the high school went off. Being the sane and sensible person that I am, I ran outside with my camera to photograph the clouds. The other sane and sensible people on my street were great in pointing out the various cloud formations and potential tornadoes. Nice to know my neighbors are as crazy as I am!

Digital Collections for Portraits

Kara — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:57:46 +0000

I’m really excited to announce the addition of Digital Media Collections for portraits. For many years we’ve offered the high resolution digital files to our wedding clients – either for purchase separately or part of a package. This year we’re adding the option to purchase digital files to all of our portrait clients as well.

We’ve put together 3 different Digital Media Collections: One allows you to choose 4 files, one allows you to choose 10 files, and one includes all of the files from your portrait session. Each media collection is delivered on a USB drive and includes a bordered 5×7 “match print” of each image. The prints are for you to use to match color quality when you have enlargements made; but they are also full quality prints that are suitable for framing or as gifts.

We’re excited to offer digital files to all of our clients so that they can control and archive their family memories. If you’re interested in scheduling a session, please [email], use the form on our [contact page], or call us.

Wedding Insurance

Kara — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:41:13 +0000

Just a quick break from image posting and fun stuff to strike a serious note.

I read wedding planning boards and magazines to keep current with the trends and what brides and grooms are looking for. I think any serious wedding vendor does. Recently I ran across a situation where a bride had to cancel her wedding for a very valid reason – the groom died. Some of her vendors wouldn’t return her deposit when she canceled the wedding. As you might imagine, feelings run high on this situation, with vendors trying to explain why they are not being totally heartless to not return the deposit (or only to return some of it) and brides and grooms being outraged that the deposits weren’t returned.

There is a solution here and I think one that more couples should be aware of. It used to be that a wedding cost a few thousand $$ and deposits were small tokens that didn’t amount to much. Nowadays weddings are big events and prior to the day a couple may have spent tens of thousands of dollars in deposits, booking fees, and retainers. In most cases those retainers are NON-REFUNDABLE for any reason.

With weddings costing so much and the amount of money a couple puts out prior to the event being so high, I STRONGLY recommend to my clients that they look into wedding insurance. I know most people have never heard of it … but there are several companies that offer event and wedding insurance in case of cancellation or postponement. The most popular one is WedSafe.

For around $150-$250 (depending on the level of coverage you choose), you can purchase insurance that will reimburse you for your vendor deposits if you have to cancel your wedding for any reason.

Now some people will think that it’s crazy to spend another $150 on your wedding for insurance for something that will probably never happen. Me? I think that if you’re going to spend $10,000 or $20,000 or more on a wedding, then it’s well worth $200 or so (around 10% of the total cost of your wedding) to make sure that you’re protected in case of a death, a natural disaster, or any other event that might cause you to have to cancel or postpone your wedding.

It’s not a fun subject to talk about – just like life insurance, making a will, and other serious things that you should discuss when you join your lives together – but I think it’s important. I really encourage you to look into wedding day insurance, either with WedSafe or another company. I truly believe it’s money well spent.

[Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with WedSafe, I haven't received any compensation for posting this, and I don't know anyone who works for them. I just know their name and have heard good things about them. They don't even know that I'm posting this.]

Details | Dresses + Shoes

Kara — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:10:08 +0000

A lot of times when I meet with a potential client, I’ll find that a bride has picked out her dress (and even her shoes and other accessories) before almost anything else. And why not? A woman’s wedding dress is often the most personal part of her wedding planning. It’s something that many women keep forever, passing down to their daughters and even their granddaughters. Even if the dress isn’t worn again, often the fabric from the dress is made into christening gowns for babies and grandbabies. Very few things hold the symbolism and meaning that a woman’s wedding dress does.

As a photographer I always try to get lots of photos of the dress and the accessories that go with it – both on and off the bride. Very few women will wear a dress like this again in their lives and I think it deserves to be properly documented!

Anticipating Spring

Kara — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:54:42 +0000

We’ve had crazy weather here in Georgia this past week. Sunday gave us 5 hours of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. By Wednesday it had all melted. And tomorrow it’s supposed to hit a high of 75. Although I really enjoyed the snow while it lasted, I’m very much anticipating spring; I’m ready for warmer weather, digging in the garden, flowers and green (not brown) grass.

Here’s a preview of what I’ve planned for the front garden this year to whet your appetite for the coming season! (BTW, this image is available as a fine art print from my personal photography gallery. Contact us for more information.)

February’s Favorite Things

Kara — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:11:08 +0000

February was all about the beauty products. I’m not a big makeup girl. At all. A little light lip color, some mascara, and I’m mostly good to go. That’s both the blessing and the curse of a “rosy” complexion. But I am all about the pampering and enjoying good products. So this month I’m listing a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
This is the most amazing lip color. It seems to morph and look utterly perfect on anyone. And it makes my lips feel moist without the gloppy, overly shiny look of most glosses. I usually have 2 or 3 of these in my possession at any one time – one in my purse, one in my camera bag, and one at the office. They’re only $14 – worth every penny.
Neutrogena Body Oil, Light Sesame Formula
I use this every single day right out of the shower. (Hopefully that’s not TMI!) It works best when your skin is still damp to help hold all that moisture in.
Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
I really like the whole Bare Escentuals line and when I must wear makeup base, BE is what I use. But for everyday, I just buff on the BE version of face powder – their Mineral Veil. It removes shine and helps me look finished w/out looking “made up”. Rockin’ stuff this BE.
Kiehl’s Leave In Hair Conditioner
I never thought I’d ever use a leave-in hair conditioner. I”m one of those people who has to wash her hair every day or I feel icky. So the idea of putting conditioner in my hair and leaving it, made me visualize oily, stringy hair. But this stuff is amazing. I don’t use it every day and not as often during the summer when it’s more humid in the South – but in the winter it’s a staple.
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment
As long as I”m raving about Kiehl’s, let me add the creamy eye treatment to the list.

Intimates | Michele

Kara — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:23:39 +0000

Michele was the first of our marathon Intimates session at the W Hotel from last week.

Venues | Crane Cottage – Jekyll Island

Kara — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:48:37 +0000

Here’s another venue collage from a fabulous wedding I shot on Jekyll Island – part of Georgia’s Golden Isles. Crane Cottage is part of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel . Crane Cottage is an Italian Renaissance style building and has a gorgeous formal sunken garden, an inner courtyard, and a beautiful upper terrace and fountain.

Headshot | Marcel

Kara — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:05:17 +0000

It was such a pleasure to do a short, on location headshot session with Marcel after we finished the Karate school photos.

Details | Food + Drink II

Kara — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:56:45 +0000

Many couples include their favorite regional or cultural foods when planning their reception menus. I’ve been to a reception that hosted a low country seafood boil (in Savannah), a New Orleans high society bash catered by the Restaurant August, an Indian wedding that had some of the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten (and where I tasted my first salted lassi), a Southern wedding where favorites like hush-puppies and fried tomatoes and pecan pralines were served, and a Texas wedding that featured smoked barbecue.

Custom cocktails are more and more popular as well. Instead of having an open bar, many couples are designing and serving one or two signature drinks at their receptions. Appletinis and Cosmos were the drink of choice at one wedding where the colors were green and pink. A southern (spiked) lemonade was served in mason jart at a Deep South themed wedding. Champagne cocktails with a perfect raspberry in the glass were served at a brunch reception.

Details | Food + Drink I

Kara — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:47:16 +0000

In my experiences over nearly 15 years of photographing weddings, I have come to believe that the single most important detail of a wedding reception is the food. (Music is the second.) People won’t remember what flowers you had on the table. They won’t remember the color of the linens. They won’t remember what specific song you first danced to. They’ll remember the food – whether it was good or bad and if there was enough of it.

Whether you have a sit-down dinner or a buffet; whether you have plated appetisers; whether you have an open bar, served signature cocktails, or beer and wine; whether you have a simple dessert offering or a full meal; having tasty and well prepared food tells your guests you appreciate them!

Moo!

Kara — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:31:18 +0000

I love these new cards from Moo.com. These cute little cards have become my new standard business card, not to mention what I use for promotions, wedding gallery announcements, little bitty note cards, and anything else I can think of.

I just had to share images of my latest batch that came in today!

Why I’m a Photographer

Kara — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:42:28 +0000

A lot of times I get asked how I got into photography or why I’m a photographer. One of the things that really influences me is history … especially family history. Some of my most cherished possessions are the family photos that were willed to me when my parents died. I have photos dating back to the late 1800s, both of my father’s and my mother’s family. But some of my most cherished are those of my grandmother (my mother’s mother) who was a true 1920’s flapper. She danced on the stage in San Francisco in 1929, and was a model for the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1930s.

I hope that someday some woman will look back on photos I’ve taken the way I look back on these of my grandmother and feel the same connection. It’s what motivates me as a photographer.

Winter

Kara — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:45:19 +0000

The building across the street from my office is being repainted this month. As I was walking to lunch today I was really struck by the contrast of the unpainted side, the painted white beams, and the blue blue blue winter sky. Just for fun.