Maria and Harry Elope to the Mountains

When you think of people eloping the vision is typically of a young couple.  The groom sneaks up to the brides parents’ house in the middle of the night, puts a ladder up to the window.  She tosses her suitcase out the window, climbs down the ladder, then they steel away into the night for parts unknown.  Probably Niagra Falls, Miami, Las Vegas or the Smoky Mountains…

Well I’m pretty sure that is exactly the story here…

Our best wishes to this terrific couple.  Have many, many happy returns of the day.

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Amy and Josh

It’s been a crazy busy fall here on the mountain.  We’re working feverishly to get out all the images we’ve captured in camera, but there are just so many!

With a great looking group like this, the gorgeous mountain wedding backdrop of the autumn leaves… how can you stop???

That being said, enough words.  Enjoy some photographs.  Enjoy the wedding party and the beautiful fall colors!

A typical wedding day at Bluff Mountain inn consists of our photographers capturing the highlights of your wedding day.  We photograph the special moments where the bride and bridesmaids are getting ready, primping, laughing, having fun.  Next comes the bridal portrait session where we use the natural backdrop of these great Smoky Mountains to create photographs that you and your loved ones will cherish forever.  Bridesmaids join in, as does the family of the bride.  The groom and groomsmen arrive for their portraits, then the groom’s family.  By now the wedding ceremony is about to begin.  The entire day is documented with our own blend of traditional and photojournalistic photography.  We are constantly watching for fun, emotion, shared moments, interaction, joy… oh yeah, and shoes!

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October 26, 2010 - 12:42 pm

amy bruglio - omg… rik our pics of so beautiful i almost cried when i seen them i love everyone especially the shoe shots thank you soo mych i can’t wait to see the rest of em!!!

October 26, 2010 - 12:45 pm

amy bruglio - omg…rik our pics are so beautiful… it brought tears to my eyes i loved each and everyone one of them i have to say that my favorite ones were the shoe shots. thank you so much i cant wait to see the rest of em

In Living Color

Wow, did the colors pop this weekend or what???  Dianna and Justin hit it just right, and we had a great time photographing their beautiful mountain wedding at Bluff Mountain Inn.

The leaves have been turning for several weeks, and from what I understand they’re really peaking up in the high mountains.  But for us this was the weekend that was.  Not to say that next week won’t be just as colorful.  These mountains and mother nature seems to have a mind of their own.  But we know this… colors are popping!!!

So what’s a crop?  Well most might first consider wheat or corn or soybeans to be a crop.  But we in photography business are talking about something completely different.  To “crop” a photo is to change the size and configuration of the boundaries of the image.  For instance, an 8×10 photograph would be cropped to 8″ x 10″, even if it were taken at a 8″ x 12″ composition.  When you crop the photograph, you set the guidelines of where the edges of the images will lie when it’s printed.

Most cameras in the world capture images at a 2×3 ratio (known as aspect ratio).  That would translate to a 4×6 print, or an 8×12, 16×24, etc.  So when you order an image where the size doesn’t equal the 2×3 format, you must crop it.

We here at RIK photography don’t necessarily agree that everyone should live in an 8×10, 5×7 or 4×6 world.  Every image might have qualities which are enhanced by a crop that is not necessarily defined by a preconceived standard.

For example, a typical television crop is 4×3.  Standard movie and HDTV ratio is 16 x 9 or 16:9.

OK.  Maybe we’re getting a little technical, but the point is that sometimes images don’t look their best if we’re forced to constrain them into an aspect ratio that does not compliment the photograph.  If you looked at the images in the gallery above you’ll notice that there are not many images that fit within the preconceived ratios.  That’s because we feel that they look better this way.  We’ve cropped the image to make maximum use of the subject of the photograph and the supporting elements, and we’ve cropped out the rest.

If you’re ordering a print from our partner, Pictage.com, you may select the way the image is cropped and change it to your liking.  You can also select the option where the original crop will remain and there will be borders on the image that will make it fit into your frame.

When I grew up working in my Dad’s darkroom there was 8×10 paper and 5×7 paper and 4×6 paper, all designed to fit into a particular book.  Things have changed.  We’re not your Dad’s photographer.

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Jeff and Ashlee’s Wedding

Mountain Weddings in the fall are just gorgeous here in the Smoky Mountains.  We love using the autumn colors surrounding the Bluff Mountain Inn as a natural scenic backdrop for our photography.

Every year is a little different as to how the leaves change.  Some people say it’s the amount of rain or lack there of in the summer.  This year is seems like the leaves are changing a little bit later, which makes it nice for weddings coming up later in the year.

We had a great time photographing Jeff, Ashlee, their bridal party, friends and family.  They chose 10/10/10 for their wedding day.  That was a very popular wedding date this year.

Ashlee made a beautiful bride, don’t you think?  And the contrast of the bridesmaids’ dresses with the fall colors just made them pop.

We still have some open dates in for this fall, not only for weddings but for family portraits, senior sessions and engagement sessions.

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Sam and Steve Elope to the Mountains

Wikipedia:  “To elope, most literally, merely means to run away, and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one’s place of residence together with one’s beloved with the intention of getting married.”

We love our elopement couples.  They check in, enjoy a couple of days in the mountains, take their time, relax, get a little time in for photos, have a unique mountain wedding ceremony, a private dinner for two, a toast, a dance… after that they’re on their own.  Congratulations to Sam and Steve.  We wish you many, many years of sharing these memories.

There are still a few dates open for an autumn Elope to the Mountains this year while the colors are just crazy, so call us to reserve a date.

Here’s a little photo essay of what an elopement day can be.  They’re all completely different… that’s the beauty!

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October 19, 2010 - 5:28 am

Sam Foster - Could not have imagined my wedding to the man of my dreams any other way. As soon as I saw this place through the photo blog, I knew this was it. Great Job Bluff Mountain Inn!!!Rik and Rhonda, Thank you so much for making our day so magical!

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