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Big Cork Vineyards Wedding Photographers: Ali & Joey

A vibrant, rainy-day engagement at Big Cork Vineyards in Frederick, Maryland…
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Joey shared, “I’ve worked with you a few times (as a fellow vendor in the wedding industry).  It didn’t take long to see how talented you are, every photo is unique, your style is inspiring.”
Ali explained, “I was looking for something beyond your typical wedding photography, and wanted someone that would give me a “wow” factor.   After seeing your work I knew you could give me exactly what I was looking for.”
Thanks, guys!  While I love to play with my photography, pushing the limits of my camera and creativity, I also make sure to capture more traditional portraits as well… the wildflowers and pond made the perfect backdrop for this one:big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-2 Working with Ali & Joey was so much fun.  They made it clear that they fully trusted me from the start, so when I noticed a spot in the parking lot that offered a lovely view and incredible color, they had no doubts and went for it.  Here is the result:
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-3Joey smiled, “When I fell in love with Ali, she was (and still is) a beautiful & caring cheerleader that loved to cook. It was inevitable.  Of course, I fell in love with her. We work well together through teamwork, communication, and a touch of sarcasm.”
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-4Ali explained, “Joey is genuine, caring, smart, and funny. It was easy to fall in love with him. He challenges me and keeps me on my toes with his jokes. It’s just easy with us. Our teamwork and communication get us through everything.”
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-5Joey recalled, “One night I surprised Ali by bringing her to a jewelry store. She picked out three rings that night that she liked and I bought it the next day. Not only did I love the design, but it was a Neil Lane engagement ring, that I know Ali loves from watching The Bachelor, haha. I was also having a hard time choosing between rose gold and white gold, so the easy choice was both.”
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-6Ali shared, “Choosing Big Cork was a no brainer to me. We love visiting there with the rolling mountains and gorgeous views.”
The view at Big Cork is stunning and Ali and joey were up for whatever, which allowed me to capture them in a lovely field with a legit *purple mountain* in the distance, America the beautiful for sure!big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-7 Ali continued, “We have been going to Big Cork for a couple years for their end-of-summer bash and always have a good time. The atmosphere is relaxing and fun.”
Joey smiled, “I’m usually the one with the crazy ideas that Ali gets dragged into. Guilty. But sometimes the ideas turn out to be the best.”
I used a really unique technique here… I used a slow shutter speed and panned my camera keeping in time with Ali & Joey.  For me, it’s a visual for Joey’s crazy ideas, haha!
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She laughed, “I know the weather didn’t cooperate for us, but I’m super happy with everything you were able to capture, even if a lot of it was in a tent in the rain.”
I am used to working in all sorts of weather conditions and try my best to come prepared with the proper equipment and mindset to handle it.  If you didn’t mention the tent, I don’t think anyone would know it’s there, hehe.  big-cork-wedding-photographers-1
The storm gave us very interesting purple hues and the white wine gave a great contrast.
If you look closely in the glass you can see Joey and Ali reflected inside!
Every once in a while someone comes along who can turn your world upside down…
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-8Joey reminisced, “I met Ali at a get-together before winter break at Shepherd University with friends.  Eventually, we fell in love and a few years later bought a home on the Potomac River. We had our own boat and dock and spent most of our Summer days swimming and riding around the river.  We have been that couple that took our time with everything. ”
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He continued, “In Summer of 2019 we went on vacation to Outer Banks. The first hour we were there we went straight to the beach. We set up a small tent and I nervously snuck the engagement ring in my pocket.  We walked up to the water and I told Ali to wait and then I proposed to her right there next to the water.”big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-11Ali shared, “I was hoping it wouldn’t rain on the day of our engagement photography session, but we decided to embrace and work with it instead of against it. I’m really glad we were ‘all-in’ as it made us more relaxed and let us go with the flow.”
Joey added, “Luckily it didn’t rain the whole time and the surrounding storms made the sky look even cooler.”
I agree 100%!
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-12I carefully managed our time, realizing a storm was on its way but hadn’t appeared yet.  We got all of our outdoor shots first, then went under the tent once the rain started, then back outside to fully embrace the rain for this shot:
big-cork-best-frederick-md-wedding-photographers-13Ali & Joey, it was such a pleasure to work with you two, especially after knowing Joey professionally for the last decade, haha, and being that you were so go-with-the-flow and up for adventure, it really allowed me to get you the sort of unique images that you were hoping for, even if it did rain for half of the session!
I’m looking forward to your wedding at The Morningside Inn in Frederick next autumn!

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