New site! and a comment contest!

NEW WEBPAGE HAS LAUNCHED!!!! EEE! sorry for the caps, but I am super excited about the launch of our new webpage http://www.alliebphotography.com


With the help of a darling designer friend o' mine Mr. Derek Cole.. our new webpage is everything we dreamed it would be and more! I had a small vision and Derek captured it and carried it to the next level marvelously! Thank you x 100000 to him!


I hope everyone will take the time to browse the site and check out some of the new work we have up on it, plenty more to come as well! We are going to resolve in the new year to keep showing new work and to utilize this blog more (and make it prettier!)


I just realized I use exclamation points way too much.. but hey, I am pretty excited so i guess it fits.


Take a moment and let us know what your favorite part of the webpage is and you will be entered in a random drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to use for a shoot or toward prints. Use the "comment" feature on this blog to let us know what part is your favorite on Thursday we will draw a winner and let you know who won.. if we get more than 50 comments below, there will be 2 winners! (one comment per person, only.)


Thanks everyone! and if you need us at all, email alliedbennett@yahoo.com =]

Mr. Hudson is one!

 Meet Hudson. My new favorite little one year old boy. For his 1st birthday, we did a mini shoot and cake smash! He loved that cake.. oh my goodness, it was awesome.  I love one year olds because they are not aware enough of your camera to do anything in particular, they are just themselves.. It is wonderful! Check out his pics and if anyone else is turning one, let us know! Cake smash and mini shoots start at $75 plus cake and a sheet (to smash it on!) AllieDBennett@yahoo.com to chat about it!

Holden Beach Wedding!

We met Tashina at the Crown Marketing Bridal show last March and she asked "will you do a wedding at Holden Beach?" and without hesitation, we said "HECK YES!" and on July 22nd, a wedding at Holden Beach, we did.

It was a ton of fun! beautiful weather and a great couple families coming together.  Nick & Tashina are stinkin' cute, obviously and their bridal parties were a lot of fun! The wedding itself was just down on the beach from their beach rental house with about 50 guests and the reception held in a tent out back of the house.  The last image is what they called the "seashell wish", every guest picked up a shell and threw it into the ocean while making a wish! it was a nice addition to a beach wedding, I loved it!

I hope you enjoy these laid-back beach wedding images, and if you have a destination wedding, get in touch!

Julia & Heather's Momma & Baby Session + 1 month shots

Julia Kennedy has been blessing her mom & dad since April 20th, 2010 and I have had the blessing of photographing her as she grows.  Momma has ordered a canvas of the first image, it's gonna look awesome in their house!

If you have a newborn and need photographs, we can help you out.  =] alliedbennett@yahoo.com

Pittsburgh + Chelsy & Jonathon!

We kicked off wedding season this year on May 9th, Mother's Day (My FIRST Mother's Day!) with the wedding of Chelsy & Jonathon in Pittsburgh.  With a new wedding season beginning, I was really excited and this wedding was truly the perfect start to a great 2010 season.  Tim & I traveled to Pittsburgh and thankfully, we have amazing friends that kept the babe for the day (thank you Adam & Em.)  We went to the bride's home in Weirton and it was such a nice morning! All the bridesmaids and friends & family were so relaxed! The ceremony was at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church just outside of downtown, which was great for photos with views of the skyline.  I felt the love all day with these two and their families! The reception was a ton of fun, with traditional dancing and great food! I told Tim that during that day I kept getting the feeling that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing (photographing people in love!) it was a great day, here is proof!

If you are getting married and like what you see here, you should let us know! =] 

Bedillion Wedding - Sneak Peek!

On May 22nd, we had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the newlywedded Melisa and William Bedillion at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg and at the First Congregational Church in Marietta.  They were a ton of fun and a beautiful couple!  The ceremony was fantastic, with an extremely personal message to the two of them, not to mention the church is gorgeous! (and well lit.. =)..) 

We wish you two the best of everything.. enjoy your sneak peek!

The 'soon to be' Andersons

On the 29th of April, I met up with Mcki & Corby, one of our fall 2010 wedding couples, to shoot their engagement portraits.  It was the first e-shoot of 2010 and I was very excited to get going on a new year of awesomeness.  I seriously get giddy about these engagement shoots and weddings.. I LOVE my couples and this one was no exception.. from the get-go they were holding hands, stealing kisses and being all around adorable in love.. I think it shows in the portraits! for entire album go here

If you are getting married, or want to celebrate your relationship with a portrait session, email us at alliedbennett@yahoo.com

Baby Love!

April 3rd, our baby Analeigh Quinn was born!! We were so blessed with an easy labor and short hospital stay!  She is so much more than I even imagined! We, of course, had to have her model for us.  These are 12 day old photos.

My girlfriend Heather, also welcomed a little one to the world on April 20th!  Here are her first shots, from the hospital (first time momma got to hold her) and later at home (4 days old.)

It's a wonderful, amazing, indescribable feeling having a little baby with you all the time.  Motherhood rules!  I feel so alive and feel like I can love, live and express myself in an even deeper way than I have ever known.  I feel like this will push my ability to photograph emotion in a totally new direction.  Awesome. Amazing. Love it.

Facebook album - click here

If you need baby or family photos of your new little one, please contact us.  alliedbennett@yahoo.com =] 

Focus on the Future

Last March, the first official job Allie B Photography had was for the WVU Center for Civic Engagement's annual conference and this March we celebrated one year with shooting the conference again.  This year the theme was "Focus on the Future" and it was held at the Lakeview Resort in Morgantown.   The keynote speaker was Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic chairman and head of many democratic campaigns including Hilary Clinton's latest run.  He also ran for Governor of Virginia but was defeated.  Terry was quite a character and Tim actually wants to read his book, which says a lot about the stories he had to tell.  Here are some images from our time at the conference. =]

Terry McAuliffe speaking Friday night

Student Body President gave Terry a Mountaineer thanking him

WVU Students volunteering at an after school program

Playing parachute with the afterschool kids

Students learning from a workshop

THE GREAT BRIDAL EVENT!

On March 7th, Crown Marketing/ Crown Event Rentals put on a bridal expo at Elite Sports Center in Parkersburg and we decided to make it our first bridal show.  I kept calling it our "coming out" party or Allie B's Bar Mitzvah.. Tim and I spend all day meeting and greeting brides and grooms and chatting it up about what we do for weddings.  It was a total blast!

We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to our work and couldn't be more excited to get going on wedding season this year!  We started out 2010 with five as a big goal, we hoped we could book 5 weddings and I am very very excited to say that only one week after The Great Bridal Event, we have met that goal! We have five wedding contracts on the books for 2010, from May-October and several other couples currently looking over our offerings. We still have open dates for 2010, so check with us if you need to save a date.

Big THANK YOU to Keith and Michelle McClung of Crown Marketing for putting on the show and making it great! The turnout was spectacular.  Also, big thank you to Tina Nichols of Real Life Photography for taking a few pics of our booth.  Can't forget to thank my husband and his brother for building/moving and tearing down our setup and being awesome in supporting this huge journey into bridal shows.  My husband Tim was wonderful at the show, greeting all the couples and making sure I wasn't overly exerting my 9 month pregnant self.. which I am sure I did anyway, but it was totally worth it! I love you all!

Goofin' off before the couples came in..

Engagements and products

Wide shot of our set-up, yes that is my real couch at home. I love it.

WVU Center for Civic Engagement..

Where you can have it your way.. but don't get crazy!

Timmy & I are headed off this weekend for our 2nd annual trip to the CCE conference.. This year's theme is "Focus on the Future" which seems appropriate with all we have going on in our lives!  This is my friend Brett's big annual conference he is in charge of at WVU and last year we had a blast with the CCE staff and are looking forward to our trip to Morgantown tomorrow for more shenanigans and photo lovin'..

Here are a few images from Capitol Convergence last year!

Capitol Convergence 2009

Reflection of Capitol 

Banquet

CCE Staff

Brett & I, working hard =]