Are you ready for yet another AMAZING photographer(s)?? This is my 4th Photography Vendor Spotlight - Alternative Life Photography A husband wife team with spunk and who are full of LIFE! Sharon and Bowie love their job and it shows! They have been added to my list of preferred vendors, and even though they are in ATL they come to Savannah all the time, so there is no travel fee. When I choose photographers who are not in Savannah, they must be available to come to Savannah a lot and also must be REALLY cool, talented, and like minded people for me to consider adding them to my list of referrals for clients. So here we go with our little Q&A and get to know Sharon & Bowie a little better.....Sharon busting a move
Bowie busting a move
Layla: Which are your 5 favorite images and why? 1) I love this image for many reasons. It embodies the idea of letting go or moving on. This is Emily's mother helping her with the final touches of putting on her dress. It's such a perfect moment as this is the last time mom will help Emily get dressed. She is moving on in her life and not only is it a milestone for her daughter, but also one for mom. It gets me choked up every time. What was mom and daughter thinking right at this moment? Was Mom reliving all the time in her life that she has helped Emily get dress? At the same time knowing she is all grown up and about to become someone's wife. Such an amazing part of the day and was very moving.
2) This image just makes me laugh! These two, Jessica and Jonathan, are the best couple ever. So sweet, so in love and so real. Their wedding was perfect and very relaxed. Towards the end of their reception the party really heated up. Jonathan comes around the corner with a liquid in a funky old glass that did not match the rest of the party glassware. The curious side of me needed to know what was in the glass. Once he told me it was moonshine and, that he was head for Jessica, I put my ninja gear on. I wanted to catch the moment she tasted that moonshine. I come from the south and I tried moonshine for the first time a long time ago (courtesy of my parents, thank you very much) so I knew this would be good!! I think we captured the moment nicely. Moonshine is terrible.
3) I've seen a lot of first kisses in my time but this one take the cake! I love the passion and true love that you can see they have for each other. They took the first kiss they shared as a married couple very seriously, and smoking hot might I add. It's one of those perfect moments in one life - a perfect first kiss.
4) The lasting looks between a father and daughter is another special moment on a life changing day. This one is so special, literally seconds before he takes the longest walk of his life to give her away, they took one final lasting glance. What was dad thinking at this moment? Was he thinking about all the times he walked with his daughter into school, or to a dance, knowing that this will be the last time he would hold her hand as he helps her to the next stage in her life? It's just a beautiful moment.
5) The perfect ending to an amazing day, the skyline, sparkler exit at the Ventans is one of the most memorable one for Bowie and I. Therese and David ended their wedding "in the moment." Beautiful. Magical. Perfect. You can feel all that love!
Layla: How did you two get started in photography? Sharon: It's funny where life takes you! I have been into photography for a long time - just snapshots of important events really but still loved photography my whole life. Bowie, has been working behind a camera for his whole life as well. When we first got together he showed me many of his home movies. Bowie has 5 siblings so he always had a "cast" and used his cast a bit. Through our whole relationship Bowie or I were never without a camera - video or still. We both went to college and had totally different career choices in mind. I wanted to be a physical therapist and he wanted to be a teacher of theater! Things changed and we found ourselves in line for a Graphic Design degree with a concentration in Fine Art Photography - and for Bowie a Mass Communications degree with a concentration in Film Editing. We worked in our felids for awhile and realized it was not for us. I love being a Graphic Designer and still design everyday - but Photography is my passion as Film and Photography are Bowie's passions. We just found that we fit perfectly in the wedding industry and love the field! Since it was such an important day in our lives and we relive it in each on of our clients!
Layla: What has been your favorite/most memorable wedding thus far?
Sharon: Whew - this is a hard one! I have to say that Michelle and Houa's wedding was my most memorable to date! A tradition Hmong wedding with all that comes a long with it! Very cultural and the bride and groom were a dream. Perfect - totally in love - and just fun to be around. With 700 guests at their wedding it was full of so much energy. Everyone danced, the band sang, as well as many guests and we just rocked all night long. Too fun! Here are some of the memorable photos from their big day!
Layla: When you aren’t taking photos(or working) what do you do with your time?Sharon: Bowie and I love to travel and spend time with friends. I am a shop-o-halic as well so I do spend some time at H&M, basically my favorite store. We love music and theater as well, so we do see some concerts from time to time and go to shows. Gogol Bordello we have seen the most - 6 times now! We also are crazy about roller coasters and love Universal Studios. We've gone just about every year of our life together and Bowie even asked me to be his wife in City Walk! It was awesome!
Layla: What inspires you?
Sharon: This is an easy one! Love - real love, movie love, puppy love, love for my family, love in every form. It is my life, my purpose for being, the beginning and the end of everything! Life in general is one crazy turn right after the next and without love, nothing matters. I guess it's kind of a cliche that a wedding photographer would say that love inspires me, but it so true. Other things that inspire me, my friends and family, strangers and people watching. Just about any personal interaction, good or bad inspires me to be the person that I am. My husband inspires me daily! He is the funniest man alive and knows just what to say to have me laughing until I can't breathe. Also a perfect sunset and the golden hour! A beam of light in a dark room. A cloudy sky and a peaking sun. I have an obsession with the sun! : )
Layla: Something my readers would be surprised to learn about you?
Sharon: I never created one piece of art work before I made it to college. A lot of people think that you can't be an artist if you can't draw - well I could not draw to save my life. Just ask my very generous drawing teacher! I learned everything about art in 5 years of school and I love it. I would totally kill to have a throwing wheel and a kiln in my house! Working with clay is one of the most amazing and relaxing art forms that I learned in school!
Layla: What’s your current obsession(s)?
Sharon: Thanks to my sister-in-law, Pinterest! It rocks. Also, Bowie and I found an 8mm movie camera in a thrift store and we have been playing with it a good bit. Hopefully we will have some fun stuff to share in the near future. We also are always continuing our photography education. January we are off to New Orleans for PPA's Imaging USA. We love to learn as much as we can about photography and who we are as photographers! Layla: Do you have any pets? What are their names and anything else you’d like to add about them?Sharon: Yes! I have 4 pets. I guess you could say I have a big heart. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs, Brasco, Chloe, Petey, and Cali. Chloe is our newest addition and our rescue baby. We found her through a friend and she needed a forever home and a lot of love. We could not see life without her. Brasco, our other dog, is nuts! He is the best, but he is a beagle-jack and it totally shows. Fast, smart, and very loud. We love all of our pets to pieces.
