On Saturday, May 21, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri at Tower Grove Park in the Piper Palm house Kyle and Sarah said their "I do's" in front of their family and friends.  Gara Elizabeth Photography had the honor of photographing such a joyful event.  This session was so heartfelt!  The couple meet each other in camp and from there their relationship blossomed.  From the photographers point of view I was touched to witness a union that felt meant to be.

As the artist, I believe to exist is powerful, fragile and often taken for granted.  Physical existence can slip easily away.  In my mind's eye, I see moments looked over or forgotten by others, I use photography to express my love for these moments.

I grew up in Missouri, earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Northwest Missouri State University, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Lindenwood University.  I have taught digital photography, shown and sold paintings and fine art photographs state wide, and worked as a professional studio and event photographer for over five years.  By working in both photography and painting, I continually gain fresh approaches to each medium.  Photography will capture a single moment, while the process of painting teaches patience and that there is perfection in imperfection.

Everyday I look forward to memorable moments where they are my own or those in the lives of my clients.

~Gara Elizabeth

COMPANY: Gara Elizabeth Photography

WEBSITE: http://garaelizabethphotography.com

SOCIAL: Facebook

I have been a wedding and portrait photographer for many years and can honestly say that I love this career for many reasons, including meeting and working with amazing people, the challenge of capturing a wedding day (or portrait session) through photos, and continually learning something new every day.

Every wedding has a story. This is a story of Chris and Katelyn, a couple who met in an undergraduate science class in college and continued to date through Chris completing medical school and Katelyn completing veterinary school.

It's a story of two hard working, intelligent people who are committed to each other. A couple who is very strong in their faith. A couple with supportive and strong families. Chris and Katelyn have a strong foundation to their marriage and I'm excited to see what the future has in store.

Katelyn's mom is an art teacher and used her artistic talents to plan out every detail of the entire wedding, including creating all decorations, floral arrangements, and the theme for the wedding day. She did an amazing job!

Katelyn looked stunning on her wedding day!

Although rain loomed in the forecast the entire day, the outdoor wedding went off extraordinarily well! It started raining right when Katelyn and Chris ended the ceremony with a kiss. Luckily, the rain went away and let us walk around the ground for a few outdoor portraits before the ceremony began.

COMPANY: Kelly Applegate Photography

WEBSITE: http://kellyapplegatephotography.com

SOCIAL: Facebook, Instagram

Matthew Pautz Photography  Timeless Wedding Photography for the Modern Bride

When I first created my website www.matthewpautz.com to organize the landscapes I photographed for fun, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could make a career out of photography.  In some ways, I still can't believe I have been given this opportunity.  And while over the years I have grown from landscapes, to live events, to weddings, I am thankful for each and every day that I am able to do what I love.

I have always loved faithfully recording events as they happen, and my photography style has always been candid in nature as a result.  I started with landscapes, but quickly fell in love with live events.  I enjoyed creating a record of the day's events so everyone involved would be able to re-live it anytime they wanted to.  But when I began photographing weddings, everything changed.

Weddings were the ultimate live event - One of the happiest days of a couple's lives, and a full day of celebration shared by sometimes hundreds of their friends and family members.  But weddings also introduced something new to me - the ability to incorporate artistry and new ideas into photos.  This was not possible with live events - no one wants graduation photos with an artistic flair.  But with weddings it was different.  I could photograph candidly the way I loved, but could also incorporate art in a way that would tell the story in a more unique and meaningful way.  From the first wedding I photographed, I was absolutely hooked.

I could not pick a favorite wedding or engagement shoot to share.  I love aspects of every single shoot I do, and each new shoot involves new and unique challenges .  This is another thing I love about photographing weddings: every single wedding and engagement is completely different.  You can take two different couples and put them in the same situation, the same location even, and you will get completely different results.  It is our differences as human beings that make us all unique, and I will always strive to incorporate these differences in each and every wedding I am able to photograph.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences as a wedding photographer.  I am passionate about what I do, and I hope every day I can share my love for artistic wedding photography.

If you would like to learn more, please take some time to visit my website here: Matthew Pautz Photography | Greenville SC Wedding Photographers.

I can also be found on Facebook and Instagram

All images ©Matthew Pautz Photography