Our journey with wedding & portrait photography began with a beaten up film camera waiting to be used again. We fell in love with the art of photography and with each other on the backwoods trails of Canada, surrounded by the nature that inspired us to slow down and take a deeper look at the fine details in life.

Hello there! My name is Jessica Brass and I own Common Dove Photography. I wanted to share one of my favorite shoots with you today!

I shot this at Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah, GA. If you haven't visited this place, you really should, the gorgeous trees lining the drive up are absolutely breathtaking. Though this was a styled shoot, the couple pictured is truly in love and was, at the time, recently married. When shooting anything I think one of the most important attributes is the chemistry of the couple involved.  Almost anything can look romantic if the two are blissfully in love which is why I adore couples who aren't afraid of a little PDA.

In addition to crazy in love couples, I adore shooting in film. I shot 95% of this in medium format film and it captured the light in the most delightful way.  On wedding days, I shoot heavily with my film camera and I'm able to be a lot more versatile. The film simply produces images that are not only timeless, but have an incredible fine art feel to them which I adore.

Not only was the weather perfect on this day but we had a team of absolutely amazing vendors and you can find the full list with links at the end of this post.  I hope you love it as much as I do! XO-Jess

The Maternity Session | An Understated & Under-Celebrated

Milestone

Though I am a photographer, this is written first and foremost as a mother. I never had maternity portraits done. I never had maternity portraits done….. and I wish I had.  My husband and I were over joyed and filled with love to finally be with child after our unexpected loss. He was our rainbow baby.

Whether it is your first child or your fifth, do you TRULY comprehend what our bodies are actually doing? What we are capable of?  To grow life within ourselves  is an incredible thing to coprehend. Through the exhaustion and multitude of symptoms throughout pregnancy, the ability to feel empowered can be lost.  Nine months seems like a long time, but it flies by so quickly.

Women underestimate how quickly that recollection of the bump fades. Through all the prepartation, we are so focused on what comes after the delivery that we tend to overlook our time as a pregnant woman. Enjoy it. Celebrate it. document it.

It was not until after the birth of our son that I began to realize the impact of not having my maternity portraits.  I never had maternity portraits done and I regret it.  I cannot change that now, but I have made it a point to share with others the hard lesson I learned. Motherhood makes us more sentimental than ever. You may not feel beautiful, but you are beaming.

I want to create a vision for every expecting woman in front of my lens that is just as extraordinary as the miracle of life within her.

Come into my studio and be pampered and experience first hand a luxury portrait session. Take home your folio box of your beautifully matted images that are yours to cherish always. You can display them or store them, either way, your grandchildren will be able hold those matted portraits and forever cherish how beautiful you were. Incredible images to forever celebrate this time in your life.

 Let me create the image to show you for the goddess you are.  

Celebrate life--celebrate you. 

Ashley Rufino- Portrait Photographer | www.ashleyrufino.com

Crystal Lake, Illinois Portrait Studio

COMPANY: Ashley Rufino-Portrait Photographer

WEBSITE: www.ashleyrufino.com

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