New Blog!

I have a brand new blog and am so excited about sending you there! Here's the link:
www.marthamanning.com/blog

Please visit often :)

WPJA

I was contacted this week by WPJA, Wedding Photojournalist Association, with an invitation to join after going through an extensive portfolio review process. Reminiscent of my days in photography school where I sat through hours of portfolio reviews, I was thrilled! WPJA is a fabulous organization that includes photographers from around the world who I admire, so it is a huge honor to be there among them. Here is the description from their site...

"The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography."

Stephanie + Davis = Married!

I posted Stephanie and Davis' engagement photographs back in December. We did them in Wilmington on a surprisingly warm winter day and it was so much fun!

Well, here are some of the getting ready shots at the big event! I have to tell you a little bit about this amazing weekend at The Greystone Inn at Lake Toxaway, NC. This gorgeous resort is just outside of Asheville in the beautiful NC mountains. It is an intimate setting where there is always a view and a lit fireplace. If you ever have the chance, go!

I have known Stephanie since we were at Appalachian State University and she remains a life-long friend. I love this girl's sweet face!

Stephanie and her wonderful Mom...the candids are always the most cherished photographs.

As a surprise to wear on the wedding day, Stephanie's Mom had this jewelry designed and hand-crafted with the help of her very own exquisite taste.

I love gowns and great shoes! I also love the texture in this room at The Greystone Inn!


...and I love Davis (here in the middle of his brothers). David and I look forward to the time we'll all have together in the years to come! Now if we can only convince them to move back to NC...

Here are some last shots of Stephanie after she put on that amazing gown and prepared for the ceremony.

New studio update: Paint

Now that I have the keys to my new space (woo hoo!), the task of putting a fresh coat of paint on those walls is at hand. I want the walls to have a gallery feel to them...clean, fresh, with the focus being on the large gallery prints hanging up and the beautiful window light. But, there is no such thing as just plain white. Did you know how many variations on white there are out there? Thankfully, I'm one who appreciates creative names, so here are some that I took note of in my search:

vanilla custard, beach basket, mocha white, whipped white, bleached stone, vital spark, white crystal, white wedding, soap bubbles, clam island, man in the moon, symphony white, vermont snow...wow, the list goes on and I admit that I did get attached to the idea of painting my walls with mocha white, but I decided on clean & crisp.

I have a fresh roll of blue tape and even a brand new drop cloth, so I'm ready to go! I better get my iPod ready, too :)

By the way, did you know that an IKEA is coming to Charlotte in the spring of 2009? I'm waiting for my office furniture to ship from the DC location and was dreaming of how much fun it would be if I could just hop right over to Charlotte and get everything now. Oh, well! Happy painting!

Liz & Tommy

These two fun people enjoyed their outdoor ceremony at sunset in Fearrington Village. Their elegant reception was at Fearrington's Barn. They always do an incredible job with every detail of the wedding planning process!



See what I mean? ELEGANT!

This was something I haven't seen at a reception before. Great idea to all of you out there planning your weddings! They served yummy ice cream cones late in the night when everyone needed a little refreshment from all the dancing.

time flies

I cannot believe it has been two years since Kathryn and Jeff's wedding! These two were married in downtown Orlando, Florida and the amazing thing about their ceremony was that her Dad was their minister. It was such a touching service and I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere! This particular photograph cracks me up because Kathryn is always laughing and bringing out the best in everyone around her, even in her ceremony. Since then, she and Jeff have moved far away and have a little boy who is adorable. Thankfully, her family lives in NC and I can still catch up with her when she's in town. Happy 2 year anniversary, you two!!

Meet Cathy and Scott. These two are also celebrating their 2 year anniversary and I wish them the best in their life together! Their wedding was at the Grandover in Greensboro...an incredibly romantic spring outdoor ceremony with lots of dancing and laughter at the reception. Cathy is a professional dancer, so let me tell you, there was some serious dancing going on at that reception!

What an honor to be able to capture the details and emotion of such a historic day as someone's wedding. I love it!

something fun ahead!

I have exciting news coming soon about a new space for my business, but first a peak at something beautiful I found to hint at the design of my space....

think IKEA with a hint of anthropologie mixed in there somehow. So exciting!!

And, something completely unrelated to photography, but still fun, is the upcoming Dave Matthews Band show in Raleigh on July 2nd. I admit I was online buying tickets the first day they went on sale...after seeing them (too many times to admit) over the course of 12 years since the days they played in Boone, NC at Appalachian, you better believe that I am getting a seat this time! Woo hoo!

Brooke & Brian

These two are such sweet people. Brian was in a wedding I photographed last spring at the NC Museum of Art and Brooke was, of course, his beautiful date at that wedding. I'm so excited to have the honor of photographing their wedding in May!

We did their engagement session in downtown Raleigh and ended up at one of the striking historic churches with the perfect archways. It was so much fun! I cannot wait for their wedding because Brooke has shared some amazing ideas with me...colors, dresses, decorating, even the details of the fun cocktail hour! But, I can't give anything away, so here are these cute people for now :)

album layouts

Here's a sneak peak at a sample album I'm currently working on. If you are looking for a photographer, I would love to set up a time to hear more about your wedding and show you my sample albums. Each of my albums are designed with clean, fresh layouts that can create a more modern or traditional look depending on your specific tastes.

A parent's love

I received a phone call from a father of the bride last week and was so impressed that he was helping with the wedding plans. As we talked, I was struck by how much he loved his daughter and that his act of helping just naturally flowed from his love for her. I am so thrilled to be photographing his daughter's wedding this August at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC! The following photographs are a taste of what I have the honor of capturing at weddings...the love of a father.

A new girl in the house

We were long overdue to adopt a family dog, so here she is! I am no longer outnumbered by boys in the house :)

Zuzu was rescued by C.A.R.E. (Chatham Animal Rescue and Education) when they found her and her sister abandoned at a house with a "sold" sign in the front yard. Her sister was adopted right away, but Zuzu was just waiting for us to discover her.

She is amazing with my kids. Noah loves having someone younger to play with!


It is so hard to be famous and always have your photo taken...

By the way, check out my new logo designed by the fabulous Karen Dahlquist at Happy Fish Design. Karen is an incredible designer who is so in tune with her intuition, she was able to create a design that incorporates my personality, my colors, and even represents the theme of photography that has run throughout the seasons of my life. Thank you, Karen! You are absolutely amazing!

The highlight of my winter!

He has been called "the great wedding photographer of our day" by Town and Country and "the finest wedding photographer of his generation" by Photo District News. Denis Reggie, the legend, opened up his home in Atlanta, for 8 of us to come and learn from him. It was truly a remarkable three days for me!

I can point to Denis Reggie as a great inspiration for my love of capturing weddings in a photojournalistic style. Back when I finished my undergrad degree in Photography, I remember seeing that famous photograph of Carolyn and John Kennedy coming out of the chapel that he took and I said to myself, "If I can photograph weddings in that candid way, I will do it." Thankfully, Mr. Reggie paved the way for photographers to capture the true story of a wedding day by observing, not intruding, and coining the phrase "wedding photojournalism."

He is an amazing man. For someone who has achieved so much, he is also incredibly humble. Needless to say, this was the highlight of my year so far, as I have wanted to spend time learning from him in a small group for at least 10 years. Thank you, Mr. Reggie, for your incredible hospitality and for sharing your wisdom! You are a remarkable man!

Something sparkly

Valentine's Day is coming up and it reminded me of how much fun it is to be engaged! For those of you out there who are engaged, congratulations and remember, it is okay to stare at your new ring at the most random of times :)

Erin and Sedberry

How cool do those names sound? And to make it even better, their last name is Olive (which Erin admittedly told me makes her long for a dirty martini when she hears it)! This girl is hilarious, by the way, and has become one of my new favorite people to keep in touch with. These two were so much fun, as you can tell in the photographs.

Claudia & Brian

Take two wonderful people, Claudia and Brian, add the always elegant Governor's Club and the amazingly talented Karen Clark at Something Borrowed Something Blue to the mix, and you have an incredible event to remember forever. The gifted Rev. Barbara Lodge (www.ncweddingminister.com) presided over the vows at this touching ceremony with friends and family from all over the world. Here is a web show of favorite highlights from an elegant day...enjoy!

fun slideshow!

I love these web shows! Here is a fun wedding I photographed in the fall. These are some highlights that the bride and groom can send out to their friends and family. :)

Amy & Brian + Twigs & Sprigs

This was a joyous celebration of love and connection! Twigs & Sprigs www.twigsandsprigs.com has this incredible ability to turn flowers into complete masterpieces. This was a great combination for a fabulous celebration!

Check out a detail shot of Amy's bouquet...

and for the flower girl...

during the ceremony...

Twigs & Sprigs turned the already beautiful Carolina Club into a colorful ballroom...

and the dreamy black and white...

look at all the detail on this cake!

a black and white that shows off even closer details...

a great example of my photojournalistic approach to wedding photography (I was standing across the room completely out of sight when I grabbed this shot)...

I'll end this with their sweet first dance. All the best in the world to you, Amy and Brian! Thank you for letting me capture these important memories for you :)