Longing for things that reflect a certain kind of slowness...

I'm reading The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg Here is a quote from it:

"I make my living as a quilt artist, and for the most part the work I do is commissioned. I charge a hundred and fifty dollars a square foot, not without guilt. But I have whole days when I stand at my design board moving pieces of fabric around, and I don't sew a stitch. Then something clicks, and I hit the machine. The money I charge pays for the thinking time too; I explain this to my clients. And people do pay it, willingly--I have more clients than I can handle. The wait for a finished quilt is four to six months, but people don't seem to mind that, either. I think there is a longing for things that reflect a certain kind of slowness; perhaps the pendulum is beginning its inevitable swing back. I'll be glad if it does."

Ahh, I love so many parts of this quote. I don't even know where to start. The occupation is variable, but the principle to those who practice art is universal. In a fast paced virtual world, it is often hard to value time. At least it being slow as good. Art is a process and a dance between the artist and the art. It's beautiful as it takes shape. It excites us to see the end product and something that we don't rush.

This is something that our clients know and value as we create their images and albums. The time is part of the process and adds to the excitement and value of the piece.

A much needed Retreat

Last weekend we did something that does not happen often enough. We took time away for just us to WinShape Retreat. The founding family of Chick-fil-A has formed a foundation, WinShape. There are several different divisions. One is WinShape Retreat. We are part of the Adjunct Faculty. This retreat consisted of six couples who serve in different ways including; worship, teaching and counseling. It was an honor to be included in the group. This weekend was set aside for the twelve of us to feel valued and rested and for our marriages to be enriched. As well as really feel connected to each other. We all are normally there at different times and don't get to bond as a group. This was a wonderful chance for that. I felt so restful in our return and told Chris that we should schedule this into our marriage once every quarter! : ) Check out their site and carve some time out for your marriage too.

This part of the Retreat is called Normandy. It consists of the main house in the middle with six suites. When the Retreat was still a working dairy barn this was where staff lived.



A sweet note, goodies and roses were waiting when we arrived to our room.



A view of the beautiful table we ate at three times a day. Bill and Cilli, the Inn Keepers loved on us and patiently served us. What a joy it is to have them in our lives.



If you know me, you know I love a good massage and visiting the Chiropractor. I like for my body to be in alignment and stress free! It was a wonderful surprise when we found out we were receiving couples massages!



On Saturday morning we all went out with WinShape Wilderness who we have worked with in the past. They put us on a GPS scavenger hunt. It was so fun and the perfect challenge.



There were stops along the way that had marked challanges for each couple to do. One of the stops was a climbing tower where we were to climb to the top as a couple. Here is Monique climbing the wall while her husband cheers her on!



When it was our turn, we had a blast. Here we are going back down.



Grant, Monique's husband, is the newest Chick-fil-a Operator. He now has his own store at the Mount Berry Mall in Rome, Georgia. Everyone is so happy for him and he treated us all to milk shakes after our adventure.



A wonderful meal with all of us.



OK, so our part of what we bring to the table at WinShape is Pottery. Some know well that this is a passion of mine. It was hard to decide if I wanted to pursue Photography or Pottery in life. I'm glad I chose Photography. I am able to still explore my love for Pottery and share it with others in a form of worship. Here is a view of what the Pottery Worship looks like. It such a blessing to share it with others and always leaves me feeling relaxed and full.



Thanks to Shawn, Christina, Betty (mom), Bill, Cilli and WinShape for all that you did to make our stay so wonderful. It was also great to meet new faces and spend more time fostering the relationships with those that we already had.

love,

Katie and Chris

Eric and Anna Lauren

Eric and Anna Lauren will be married on October 20th in Rome, Georgia. It will be peak weekend for leaves and we can't wait to see the beauty of their day. They are getting married at the same place that we were married, Frost Chapel. Their reception will be at Oak Hill. They are such a fun couple and Eric kept us laughing the whole time. They are both avid nature enthusiasts. So we thought it would be fitting to take them to a bouldering location to the west of Atlanta called Boat Rock Preserve to take their portraits. We hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we had taking them!

Enjoy their slideshow.









It started to storm so we headed back to the city and took some more fun city pictures in Atlanta.





This couple will have an endless amount of laughter in their marriage. It was so fun to see them interact.

Eric and Anna Lauren, we can't wait for your wedding!
-Chris and Katie

Ann Marie and Wiliam

Two weeks ago Chris and I had the pleasure of traveling to St. Augustine with our dear friends Garrett, Joy and wee Graycen. We had a blast for about four days of resting and working. We assisted Garrett at Ann Marie and William's wedding. It was a gorgeous ceremony at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Augustine. Then their reception took place at the Casa Monica.

Make sure to stop by Garrett and Joy's blog to see his images.

We love to second shoot for our close friends. The understanding of how we work is their. It's calm and smooth. We are able to get those little moments that are so fun to catch.

Enjoy!

We were tagged!

OK, so in the photography world, there is a game going around. Photographers are tagging each other. When you are tagged, you have to write eight fun facts about us that you don't know. Then we tag eight other photographers. We've been dragging our feet in getting this post done and most of our friends have already been tagged! : ) Brandy and Sticky tagged us. Watch for fun times with them in September. They are coming to visit the ATL!

Starting off with a fun picture of us taken by Anne Ruthmann.



1. Katie is allergic to chicken, peanuts and mozarella...when we go out to eat, she orders like Sally from When Harry Met Sally. The only effect is a migraine for mozarella. No, it's not the end of the world, but with our profession it is! A lack of vision at a wedding is simply not an option!

2. Katie lived in "Colorado's Playground," Summit County, for a year and a half after graduating from College. She learned to snowboard, play dominos and shoot weddings at 9,000-12,000 feet.

3. Chris loves caving. He once sprained his ankle 500 feet below the earth's surface and had to make his way out.

4. Chris used to dance. His dance of choice was tap and swing dancing. He owned his own Swing Dancing company.

5. Katie was born with teeth. :) I bet that was a surprise. (supposed to be the sign of a brilliant baby) : )

6. We were set up! AHHHH! Don't count it out. Friends and family know you well, but it was highly awkward!

7. We are both mountain people trapped in a city! Instead of resting to the sounds of birds, we are soothed to sleep by trains and sirens.

8. Katie spent two months in Venezuela in 2001, she now has a passion to give back to the world with her photography....traveling and giving the gift of documentation.

Featured on Strobist

We woke this morning to an email from Matt who wanted to let us know that Flash Flavor was being featured on another lighting blog called Strobist. When I looked on the site I noticed that Matt's latest wedding adventure in Mexico as well as our exit picture was being featured. What an honor to be included. You'll have to check the site out. If you are a photographer and not already watching this blog, you need to.

Enjoy.

Fun with Family

Chris and I love family time. Probably because we think we think a lot of each person in our family. Yesterday we made a quick trip up to Asheville to see Ben and Anna (my new amazing sister-in-law)! It's been fun having four kids in our family. Now, it is quickly growing to eight with two weddings this year. Relationships with sisters are very dear to me and I love to see us getting even closer. Ben and Anna treated us to a wonderful meal at Zambras. If you are looking for a great tapas spot in Asheville, that would be it. We wined and dined for several hours over good laughs and fun stories. Thank you guys for wonderful hospitality. Hopefully we'll be back next month for the Brewgrass Festival.

Chris and Katie

(sorry Chris for cutting of your head!)

Featured on FlashFlavor.com

Our friend and fellow photographer Matt Adcock has a website that features flash technique, Flash Flavor. Him and Sol Tamargo are extremely talented and use this site to share their knowledge. They also highlight other photographers and their use of light. We were honored by them wanting to up our recent picture from Zach and Gretchen's exit.


A snap shot from their website:




Click here to read the full write up. Matt was very kind with what he wrote and you can also get our take on the image.

Enjoy!

Flowers Family

This post is a long time coming. My family is very patient. This is my sister and her family. We love these guys. We went to a waterfall by my parent's home. We grew up swimming in this little hole of the earth. Many, many memories are from here. My father baptized me here, we celebrated birthdays, went for little hikes and gained refreshment from hot summer days. It was fun to come back and do pictures of them there.

The kids are growing so fast. Caroline will be five in September. I have been taking pictures of her since she was in her mother's tummy. What an honor it has been. Doster just turned two and is all boy all over the place. He makes us laugh so much.

Enjoy!


Is she not just beautiful!





My little man!





Family time....I could just eat this up!




Caroline, Uncle Chris, Doster and Auntie

Bowling Family

The Bowlings are such a dear family. They have a household of fifteen, before you count any animals. There is a lot of love and an amazing amount of fun. Doug and Julie Bowling have some of the biggest hearts I have ever seen. They just adore all these children. What an example of wonderful parents!

A few weeks ago, Chris and I went to their home and did a Home Study. We just followed them around for the afternoon. We captured them playing, eating, and just having fun. In the feelings of documentation of going back to the basics in this session, we kept most of the images in black and white. There are a few in color on the slideshow.

Here are some of the images that tell the story of the Bowlings. Along with their slideshow.


Their adorable home.



They often have family meetings this is the only way to keep a family of this size up to speed.




Carpet Ball is a favorite and the kids seem to get a little competitive with it.



I love this picture of John Berry and Julie.



There are many different ages represented. Interests range from playing cards to playing with dolls.



Doug is ever watching all that goes on around their home.



It appears that to keep up with thirteen children, one would need a lot of coffee!



Lunch! They have the best screened in porch. It wraps around half of their house. I could live in it every day.



Doug and the boys are very close. This picture of Will hugging on his father is precious.





The girls all have such a fun time together. They are extremely close. I love this fun picture of just their legs as they giggle in the hammock.



Nothing brings back childhood memories like a trampoline. These kids love having fun on it.



Thank you our dear Bowling Family. We love each of you!

Chris and Katie

Pleased to Announce Mr. and Mrs. Harter

Zach and Gretchen are married! Chris knew Zach since before we met and I met Gretchen at WinShape Retreat. She works for their foster homes. They are dear friends. Gretchen has been by my side and we've had many meaningful long talks in the last few years. She is a gem, there is no other way to say it. She is amazing and paired with an equally amazing person, Zach. What a joy it is to capture a day when our friends say their vows. It was incredibly meaningful and I tried to keep back the tears during the ceremony. We love you guys and respect you more than we can express. You are an inspiration to all around you.

Click here to see their slideshow!

We love to capture the little aspects of family presence. Here is Gretchen's Great Grandmother's bible that she carried with her down the isle.



She wore the necklace that her mother wore on her wedding day.



I love this moment of Zach getting ready, collecting himself.



Their first moments together.







What a gorgeous bride she was.






Gretchen gave Zach a pocket watch as his wedding present. He was so excited about it.




A tender moment of prayer surrounded by family.



We normally stay far away during the ceremony. Gretchen asked us to be closer. We hid Chris (no one could find him), but he was able to get these amazing shots!

I love this moment of Gretchen's dad giving her away. With her family around and her mother in the background.



What a joy it was for Gretchen's brother to marry her. It was incredibly emotional for everyone.



Mr. and Mrs. Harter looking gorgeous together.




Their first dance.



The reception was at the Ford Dinning Hall on the Berry College Campus.




The grand exit.



Such sweet farewells to family. What an emotional exit it was to see them leave.




Zach and Gretchen, what an honor it was to be a part of your day. May God continue to bless you.

Love,
Chris and Katie


Click here to see their slideshow!

What is a Creation?

There are people that ask us '"How did we come up with the name '6 of Four Creations'?" When Katie and I answer it, we approach the question telling them about the '6 of Four' part. The 'Creations' part sums up what our goal is: we are here to create timeless art for you. Now, comes a single photo, that one of us capture, that ultimately defines the word. Yesterday, we had a wedding and for the exit it could not have been more enchanting. The photo below was the outcome of timeless beauty, wrapped in the mystery of marriage. Katie pulled off this AMAZING photo by capturing the essence of what marriage is. Katie loves doing the rear exits of all of our brides and grooms and captures some pretty amazing things. With this shot, she knew that the time of day was going to be a challenge, but wanted to encapsulate a fairy tale feel. With the right lighting and precise timing, the fairy tale came to life! This picture, to me depicts what marriage is about. Your friends and family around you, the newly married couple, cheering you on, encouraging you forward into the unknown as a life together, as one, new family. This is why we love shooting together, to capture your moments, and creating art for you and your family to cherish for a lifetime. We inspire each other, and Katie has really inspired me with this work of art.
-Chris

Matt and Katie - July 28th

Last Saturday we spent the day with Matt and Katie for their wedding. They were married at the Fernbank Museum. They are such a fun couple. They love music in a big way. Their wedding reflected that as well. Each table at the reception was from different music venues from Atlanta and Athens. Their gift to their guests were CD's with music from each of their favorite shows. They ended the night with karaoke with their guests. They were so gracious to us. Their original wedding photographer was coming from California. The week before the wedding she was in the hospital with an appendectemy. Their wedding planner, Meredith with A Remembered Detail Events, contacted us to see if we were available. We were so happy to help them at the last minute and capture their beautiful day. On Occasions of Atlanta provided the floral art pieces. Carla did an amazing job and everyone loved what she created. Bold American catered the meal. We were happy to hear that they would be serving the guests. They are always at an excellent level of food and service. Liquid Mind was the DJ for the evening. With such a great selection of music by Katie and Matt, he was able to keep the party moving until late in the night.

Click here to see their slideshow!

We started the day off at The Georgian Terrace where the girls were getting ready.




Katie's dress was extremely unique. They wanted a vintage feel to the whold day. This part was just perfect. She found her dream dress at Priscilla of Boston.





This is probably one of my favorite pictures of Katie from the day. I just love how Chris captured it.



Katie and Matt were so tender and sweet to each other. This image really captures that. The composition and lighting portray the peace in their day.




There is nothing quite as sweet as fathers on wedding days. They were both honoring of their parents and excited to have them a part of their day.





Ty took this amazing pictures of the florals.



The quiet moment before walking down the isle.



Katie's Grandmother was so precious. Here she was a part of the ceremony giving advice. There are more fun pictures of this in the slideshow.



Mr. and Mrs. Kurumada!





The grand feelings are everywhere in the museum.



The guys had a quick cigar right before the newly married couple left for the evening.



The gorgeous Fernbank Museum.



Matt and Katie, it was a pleasure to be with you through out your day. We love your creativity and fun personalities. Have a wonderful honeymoon in Spain!

Chris and Katie

Creating a Picture

Photography is not just taking pictures to us. It's a passion of making pieces of art. It's extremely important to us. We are filled with excitement the day of a wedding. Watching and looking for the moments that are so dear to your family. Pictures that can tell a story of who you are in this very day and how those who came before you created that path for you.

This image is extremely important to me. Here is Matt, our Groom from last week's wedding, and his mother. Matt and Katie were married at the Fernbank Museum. For those of you who have never been there, there are three levels of exhibits and dinosaurs. It's an amazing venue. Matt's family is from California and came in for the wedding. They all seemed to have been taking lessons for dancing and the groom and his mother were anxiously practicing before the ceremony on the second level. They were inside a small entrance to an exhibit. I happened upon it and thought "oh, I have to capture this moment." Then I saw the words in the background. I knew I had to incorporate it some how. I wanted them to the left. They were dancing all over the place and backs to me most of the time. I just kept waiting and finally the moment came and I saw the shot that I was wanting. I love how they are "walking" or "dancing," through this moment in the timeline of their family in Georgia. It was perfect.

This is what brings us alive, making pieces of art for our clients.