J. O'Brien Photo

Gladys' Bridals

2012-01-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

Meet Gladys. This is Katie's good friend from her past workplace and Katie wanted to get her a wedding present...so what better gift than the gift of some nifty pictures? I'm glad she got this for her because I had a great time working with Gladys on these. She is super laid back and had no complaints during the whole windy and chilly session, which is such a welcome quality. Plus, you always have to love shooting a bride in some chucks!

The Ethridge Kids

2012-01-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

If you think you have seen this title before, or these awesome kids before...you have! Back when I was first starting out I did a little Christmas shoot of these guys and then again as a whole family last fall. Since then, they had an adorable little addition come along so it was time to do another shoot with the new member of the family. The big three were already seasoned pros at this whole thing so it was her time to show us what she's got. After about .000001 of a second I realized she knew exactly what she was doing just like the rest of her siblings, so the rest was history!

The King Wedding

2012-01-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

After skipping all of December with blogging and keeping you guys updated on what all I've been shooting, I figured it would be good to come back and bring in the new year with a worthy wedding.
This wedding took me to the gorgeous Wilmington NC and it was my first ceremony held on the beach. I was excited to see what the weather was going to bring us and it didn't let me down. Although the wind was bringing some extra action to the pictures, the day couldn't have been prettier for Wes and Candace.
Throughout the whole day of shooting this wedding, I kept thinking to myself about how excited I was to get to go though these pictures and get to show them off. The whole weekend was a blast, getting to hang out with old friends, make new ones and getting some great shots in the process.

Ashley & Clay

2011-11-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

This shoot was an inspiration for me. Usually I like to be inspired before I go into a shoot, but while I was hanging with this couple and taking their photographs, I couldn't help but be inspired to be with my love and take her to the places we were going and do the things we were doing.

For this shoot went up to Broyhill Park in Blowing Rock and just hung out there for some pictures. This place is special to them because they have loved coming here for picnics throughout their time as a couple.

We did a few picnic shots and just walked around and enjoyed our time in the mountains while I got some pretty awesome shots. The weather was amazing and the couple was a step above amazing, they even bought me a cheerwine cake and boiled peanuts at a roadside shop on the way back down from the mountain.

They have a love that is contagious and had me constantly making plans in my head to bring Katie up there for a day visit to the mountains, with picnics, parks, and boiled peanuts included.

The Morrison Wedding

2011-11-22T15:09:00.000-05:00

You know the wedding is going to have some amazing details when you first get there when they are setting up and the bathroom has unique details in coordination with the rest of the wedding. I'm pretty sure that's a first for me.
I loved everything; the colors they chose, all of the different centerpieces, the fact that nothing was forgotten, and I especially loved the couple! Isn't that what it's really all about anyways?
For a quick moment though, let's put away the details, forget the food and cake and we have this adorable couple that is head over heels in love with each other just oozing with affection. Yes, they cared about making this day perfect, but they are both romantics at heart and couldn't wait to call each other husband and wife...that's why I loved being a part of their special day.
I hope I came close to capturing what they were offering.

The Firczak Wedding

2011-11-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

When I first saw Susan and Scott together while shooting their engagements, I could see just how much they enjoy being around each other. Both light up whenever the other comes close and it was like this all during their wedding day.
The wedding was held at Deerpond Plantation, which happens to owned by one of her many brothers, so throughout the day there was a special sense of familiarity and comfort given from everyone. It was home. It was close family and friends. It was what a wedding day is supposed to me.
With that comfort came many happy faces, little to no stress and nothing but good times had by everyone. I also had a fantastic time getting to hang out with everyone and be a part of their special day.

Mandy's Bridals

2011-11-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

The very next day after their wedding, she put back on her dress and fixed herself up for some more shots! Not every bride could pull this off but Mandy took it in stride and was a complete trooper. She actually already had the place picked out and it was an amazingly unique area off the main road of Edisto called Botany Bay. So after we took a few pictures at the location of their reception, we trucked down a long dirt road, stopped, then walked for another half a mile to get to this location. Did I mention she did this while barefoot? Well she did and it was all worth it because it made for some fantastic shots...just see for yourself!

The Pennington Wedding

2011-11-07T15:30:00.001-05:00

Laid back in the name of the game with these guys. I loved working with these two for many reasons, but a big one was because I got them. I got their humor and I got the way they interacted with each other. Not to mention the fact that they picked an absolutely gorgeous location in Edisto Island, SC. Everything from the church to the plantation where the reception was held was picture perfect.

Have I mentioned that I love my job?

The West Wedding

2011-11-01T15:12:00.000-04:00

You can't take a bad picture of this couple. Plain and simple.
I've been excited about this wedding simply from Alicia's contagious excitement about this day. They had tons of ideas and details thrown in everywhere I looked and I could barely keep up! I also couldn't complain about the fact that the weather finally brought a slight chill to it and I didn't break a sweat throughout the whole wedding, and that's saying a lot.
I can't go on enough about how this incredibly sweet couple made for an easy breezy day of wedding day fun, so I'll just let the pictures do the rest of the talking!

The Hager Wedding

2011-10-27T20:16:00.000-04:00

This turned out to be an amazing day. The weather was perfect, the people were smiling and the bride and groom couldn't wait to make it official! Since I didn't get a chance to do their engagements or bridals, I was curious to see how they would be in front of the camera and how we would all interact with each other while we were together for the day, well it wasn't long before I realized that they were perfect to work with. Stress free, photogenic, and when I took them aside to take some pictures of just them, they were always one step ahead of me and were already doing something cute before I gave them a direction of what to do.
The day was also peaceful, they started off with having the ceremony at FBC in Stanley and then afterwards they had dinner with all of their guests at Robins Nest bed and breakfast in Mount Holly. Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful to take pictures of, a perfect day indeed.

Hannah's Bridals

2011-10-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

I first met Hannah when we were shooting their engagements and very soon I could sense that she had a great vision for what she wanted for the whole process leading up to her wedding. I love the locations that she picked out for her bridals and I loved her bouquet that she brought to use for her bridals...and her wedding day. She knew exactly what she was doing to put together a great shoot. From the handmade hair clip, the amazing dress, the bouquet and the bride herself, this was an easy job!

The Anthony Wedding

2011-10-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

Well you may have noticed that the past 2 out of the 3 posts that I have posted recently have been these guys, well you can now see the final outcome and the official tying of the knot! We actually took their engagements and bridals all within around a month right before the wedding and it all came together wonderfully. I have known Emily for pretty much my whole life but it was good to reunite with her and Michael and get to know them as adults. They are a really awesome couple and made this whole day a ton of fun.
A huge thanks goes out to my good buddy Alex for tagging along and getting some great shots with me!

Emily's Bridals

2011-10-19T16:12:00.001-04:00

You probably recognize this lovely bride from just a couple posts ago. All of this seemed to happen so fast but it all came together so well! We decided to do her bridals at the Vesuvius vineyards where their reception was going to be held at. Right as it was time to shoot it started to rain but luckily I came equipped with my lights so we set everything up inside the extremely photogenic house and got some great shots!

Keep an eye out because their wedding day will be posted up very soon!

The Cross Wedding

2011-10-13T00:03:00.000-04:00

This couple is just flat out sweet. Back when I did their engagements and her bridals, I could tell that they were going to make their wedding day something extra special. Their excitement for the wedding was incredibly contagious and I can't go on enough about how photogenic they are. There is no such thing as a "fake smile" with these guys, they are deep down genuinely happy people and they make everyone around them feel the same. Happy people make for happy pictures and here is the proof!

Emily & Michael

2011-09-28T20:22:00.000-04:00

I've probably know Emily longer than I've known any of my other clients. She's been my neighbor since...well I'm not really sure but it's literally been as long as I can remember.

Her and Michael met back in high school decided to finally tie the knot this summer! I was really happy to hear the news and that they wanted me to be a part of their day.

She wanted the engagements to be a part of what he likes to do so we went to the golf course and got some shots there as well as a few picnic shots. The weather was amazing and so were they and the pictures show it. Congrats you guys!

The Dixon Wedding

2011-09-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

I've been anxiously awaiting this wedding ever since I shot their engagements early last year! These guys are one of those couples that have been together forever and mesh so well with each other that they make for amazing photos. Not to mention they are probably the most polite people you will meet these days, and that's always a huge plus with the people you are spending all day with!

The Earnhardt Wedding

2011-09-06T18:26:00.000-04:00

I first met Beth and Rick when I shot their engagement shoot back in January. The weather was much cooler then than when their wedding came in June, but they didn't let the heat or the rain damper their day! You can always tell a lot about a couple when it rains or if something doesn't go perfect on the wedding day, and he was cool as a cucumber while she stayed as sweet as ever! These are the types of people that make my job so much easier and makes it just another reason why I love what I do.
These guys tied the knot in the historic Rock Springs Camp Meeting and it made for amazing shots while they said their I do's.

The Cloninger Wedding

2011-08-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

If you think you've seen this couple before then you've probably come across their engagements or her bridal session...that or you are actually friends with these guys. Odds are you are probably friends with them. I know I bragged about these two in my other blogs but I just can't stop. These two bring a good mood to everyone around them instantly and it made their wedding day pretty stinkin' awesome. The day was short, but very sweet and I couldn't be happier for Josh and Carey and hope nothing but the best for them!

The Whiddon Wedding

2011-08-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

While many weddings often have a uniqueness to them that make them special to the couple and to that couple only. This one had a different angle to that term.
I often like to meet up with my clients the week before the wedding to go over all the last second details to make sure we are all on the same page with everything. Usually the bride has everything planned out and knows everything that should be going on, pretty typical stuff. The only difference with my meeting with Maegan was that as the end of the meeting she let me know that her parents have gotten them a surprise person to officiate their wedding, that's not quite as typical.
I was just as clueless as them until the day of the wedding when her mom pulled me outside to let me know all that was going on and my immediate thoughts were how out of left field this was...in an awesome, hilarious way.
She asked if I ever watch Tru TV, I said yes. She asked if I've ever heard of Lizard Lick Towing, I said yes, but nothing was clicking in my head yet. Then she let me know that Ron, Amy and Bobby from the show were coming to the wedding on a couple of motorcycles and that Ron was going to be officiating the wedding. This was certainly a first for me but I couldn't have been more excited to work with everyone to get everything just right.
Besides having reality stars show up at the wedding, we can't forget about the fact that it was Maegan and Harley's day. I had such a great time spending the day with both of them and the whole wedding party. Everyone had welcoming charm to them and above all else, the young couple seemed giddy over each other. You would have assumed that they just started dating each other last week and that's exactly the kind of thing I love to see when I shoot weddings.

The young ones stole the show for a little bit, couldn't help but snap some shots!

I finally found a couple with the guts to have a cake fight! Finally! (I wouldn't recommend this to every groom) haha

Callie's Bridals

2011-07-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

After working with Callie on her engagement shoot with Oliver, I was pretty excited about doing her bridals. She comes in knowing what she wants and she knows how to work the camera to get some amazing shots.
This past Saturday, Callie and Oliver had a beautiful wedding up in Troutman, NC and it just so happens that her bridal shoot was next in line to be put up on the blog so the rest of the world can see her in her dress!

Fire!Fire!

2011-07-24T18:10:00.000-04:00

To start off June (yes that's how behind I am in blogging), I went along with the men of Fire!Fire! to Wilmington NC to take some shots of them while they do a little rock & roll with Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster at The Soapbox. While I love shooting weddings and people in love, I also love going back to my roots and shooting some awesome people play some heavy tunes.

I highly recommend that you check them out if they are playing anywhere within 300 miles of you. You wont be disappointed.

The Freeman Wedding

2011-07-15T17:09:00.001-04:00

One thing I love about my job, and I've mentioned this before, is that I get to meet totally new people and make new friends! During our first meeting we realized we have a good bit in common, especially music.
Along with being a super nice couple, they can put together a fantastic wedding. They did a great job of making things fun and unique, not just for the camera, but for all the guests as well.
I brought with me my old friend Savannah to help, it was my first time having her come help at a wedding and I very happy with the outcome. I even had to throw in a few of hers below!

Photo by Savannah

Caroline's Bridals

2011-07-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

You might just recognize this lady from her engagement shoot with her now husband, Chris. We decided to do her bridals at the same location where their wedding would take place just a couple weeks later. Hopefully not too long I'll get to posting that up as well! You would never guess but just a hour after this shoot, a huge storm came and turned this place around!

Isabella's 1st Birthday!

2011-07-08T13:17:00.000-04:00

If you happen to frequent the TLC channel, you might recognize this lovely family. A couple years ago, Joshua and Jill had the once in a lifetime chance get married on a show called "Happily Ever Faster". It started with just Joshua and Jill but they soon added Isabella to the family!

It was my first time getting to meet the sweet Isabella and she couldn't be a more sweet and happy little girl.

I had a great time getting to document her special first birthday on a beautiful sunny day along with her closest friends and family and a few of my friends too!

You can never get enough pictures of a kid going full force in their first cake!

It was a fun day but a nap was much in need :)