Carolina Girl

I work hard and I hope to love every photograph I take but every once in a while there is a shot that captures my heart. This bridal portrait of Melissa Flythe who married Michael Decker in June has been one of those photos. I think it was a year or so ago that Melissa asked me would I "please, please" go to Chapel Hill to take her bridal portraits whenever she got married. I'm sure I frankly hoped she would forget the request because that's a pretty long road trip for a bridal portrait session but, in the end, it's hard to refuse Melissa. She loves UNC so much so I took off with her mom Susan to meet Melissa and her maid of honor Wendy for the portraits. We took several all over campus but I knew she wanted to concentrate on Old Well since it's such a well-known symbol for Carolina. I did the standard shots of her standing there and then I asked her would she mind "spinning" for me. I'm sure she thought I was crazy but I just felt it would be beautiful. I think I made her spin until she was half-drunk but the end result was worth it for me. I love the beautiful profile of her face, the "swish" in her gown and her flip-flops showing underneath. It's now the first large photo you see when you walk in the studio door and it will be a long time before I'm willing to take it down. The trip was definitely worth it!