Collins Metu Photography Blog

Kelly & Ethan Engagement Session in Washington, D.C.

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:16:43 -0600

Last weekend I flew up to DC to hang out with Kelly and Ethan. Of course, by hanging out I mean taking some cool photos to commemorate their engagement. ;-)

Kudos to Ethan for the great location scouting! The colorful and varied grounds at Dumbarton Oaks provided seemingly endless possibilities for the session. And considering the time of day we were out there, the shade was certainly welcome as well.

They did a great job of being more into each other than my camera and following my "lack of direction" directions. Here is a sample of what we got:

I'll be headed back up to the district in a couple of months to photograph their wedding. I can't wait!

Lisa & Andrew - Wimberly, Texas

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:07:22 -0600

Akil was cool enough to help me at my last wedding so it was my pleasure to return the favor for him.

This wedding was in Wimberly (near the San Marcos/Austin area) at took place at a cool location that was great for the outdoor wedding they had planned.

Mother nature had other plans and provided plenty of rain but the couple (and their guests and family) soldiered through and continued the wedding anyway! And of course if they were able to keep going, so were we. Now I must admit my Kenneth Coles were in pretty bad shape at the end of the day but that's just a part of the job. ;)

Here are a few of my photos from their wedding day that I wanted to share:

Mr. Bennett captured (and vice-versa)

A brief view of London & Paris

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:35:10 -0600

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I went to the Horsham area of England to attend a friend's wedding. After the wedding I took the opportunity to photograph some of London as we were sight-seeing. The famous gloomy weather didn't rear its ugly head much. I even saw some blue skies here and there. ;)

We also decided to visit Paris while we were in Europe. I got to hang with my cousin who lives in Paris (briefly) and a couple of our friends from Houston joined us while we were there as well. Paris was a beautiful city with a multitude of historic sites and I certainly took more photographs there. Parc André Citroën, Château de Versailles, La Tour Eiffel....so much to see.

Here are a few photos I wanted to share:

Fellow photog Jide Alakija, based in Primrose Hill, and I.

Jide shows Jide some of the views of London.

Chevonte & James's Wedding

Thu, 28 May 2009 07:57:29 -0600

Last month Akil and I photographed the wedding of one of my closest friends, James, and his lovely wife Chevonte. They've made an appearance or two on the blog and now I'm super happy to post some images from their wedding.

This wedding was special for me because the images I was capturing were of good friends I've known for years. All of the groomsmen were mutual friends as were many of the guests.

These two are made for each other (cliché or not) and I was honored to be their photographer.

Here are a few photos from both myself and Akil:

(the groom arrives - photo by Akil)

(photo by Akil)

After the ceremony, I wanted to take a few photos of the new couple. Akil got some great shots as I just watched. I try not to get in the way of genius at work. ;) These next 3 are by Mr. Bennett:

And my own contribution:

First dance (photo by Akil)

Keep me posted for when we can start talking about maternity/kids portraits guys! ;)

And thank you for the Crown Royal :D

Nicole & Tim's Wedding at the Magnolia Hotel

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:20:24 -0600

I have been looking forward to Nicole & Tim's wedding since last summer when I photographed their engagement session. We were able to get some great images that day and I expected the same to be the case for their wedding day.

This was my first opportunity to photograph a ceremony at the Magnolia Hotel and I hope I get to visit there more often. The hotel has a very distinct, modern look.

I just wanted to thank Audrey of Events by Audrey for coordinating the day and making the day so enjoyable for Eric and myself. Other vendors who provided their talents include Who Made The Cake, and Carmen's Floral.

Here are some selections from the day:

To see some more images from this couple's wedding, click on the image below:

Sally & Nathan's Wedding in Galveston

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:52:58 -0600

Sally and Nathan (whose engagement session you may remember) were recently married at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston. The island has recovered well since the hurricane last fall and while there are still tell-tale signs of Ike's arrival, things look far better than the ravaged Galveston we saw on the news and in images shortly after the storm.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Blue skies, nice and warm (but not *hot*), and a gentle breeze made for appropriate wedding day weather. Here are a few selections from throughtout the day:

After the ceremony we hit the beach to get some shots of the new couple...

And I followed them back up to their room...

before they closed the door behind them, that is! ;)

Sally, Nathan: Thanks so much for inviting me to take part in such a wonderful day. I enjoyed getting to know you, your family members, and friends. Thanks so much!

To see some more images from this couple's wedding, click on the image below:

Becky & Kris' Valentine's Day Wedding

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:47:47 -0600

I've been looking forward to sharing this wedding for a long time. From the moment I met this couple and they gave me some background on their Valentine's Day wedding plans, I thought we were a great fit. Besides checking out my blog, they told me a big part of them hiring me was because of my night life photography portfolio. How cool is that? As you'll soon see, this entry is reception image heavy and for good reason--the partying was a big part of the day!

Their wedding had a variety of unique touches:
- Becky was rocking some bold Manolo Blahnik Sequin Pumps (which I nicknamed the "showstoppers").
- Becky's dress was pink to match the day's theme.
- Kris had no groomsmen, but groomsmaids (since "all his friends are girls").
- Their reception featured custom lights and pink & fuscia linens which effectively transformed the Rice Grand Hall.
- An awesome photo booth the couple made themselves

Here are a few select images (it was hard to narrow them down!) starting from the prep at the Hotel ZaZa, to the ceremony at the Rice University Chapel

I had such a great time photographing this wedding and it reminded me of the days of hitting the club and getting cool shots of the energy in there.

To see more from this wedding, click the image below for a slideshow:

The Showstoppers

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:38:05 -0600

I'm just about ready to debut Becky & Kris' Valentine's Day wedding photos, but here's a sneak peek at a particularly eye-catching detail....

James and Chevonte / John Proposes to Paige

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:56:25 -0600

A couple of weeks ago I had the awesome pleasure of being a part of a new beginning for one couple and revisiting with another.

John told me about his plans to propose to Paige at the spot of their first date, a Loews Theatre and I was excited to be asked to document everything.

Now of course a guy hanging around the front of a movie theatre with camera equipment may raise some flags, so I recruited my friends James and Chevonte (whose wedding I'll be photographing next month) to be my decoy subjects and serve as some misdirection for Paige. While waiting for John and Paige to arrive, we chit chat, joked around, talked about the wedding....and made a few images. ;)

Now here are some images from the main event. While I could hear what was being said, I could tell John's tone started to change and Paige covered her face. I was told later she said "No, John, not here." Ha! (she was like this for about 5 minutes)

After the initial shock/surprise wore off, we then proceeded to take a few engagement photos and here are a handful....

I just had to make a small cameo. ;)

Congratulations to both couples! Chevonte and James will be making at least one more appearance on the blog after I photograph their wedding in April!

Tamara at Hotel ZaZa

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:57:01 -0600

A while back while in Dallas to visit a friend, I photographed Tamara at the Hotel ZaZa. She showed a lot of range and took my sometimes vague or zany instructions and ran with them!

Here are a few of my faves:

Becky & Kris' Engagement Session

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:30:53 -0600

I just photographed this Becky & Kris' Valentine's Day wedding this weekend and after they told me their plans for their very unique wedding and what they promised to be a huge party of a reception, I was sold! It has been a pleasure getting to know them and can't wait to share those wedding photos with you.

Their engagement photos will have to do in the meantime. ;)

Featured in the current issue of Weddings in Houston

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:38:59 -0600

Just wanted to give you a heads up that I was just featured in a story in the current Weddings In Houston magazine. I and other Houston-area photographers weigh in with what we see as trends in the industry and of course offer advice on choosing the right photographer for you.

Here is a link to the story online, or you can go by your favorite newsstand and pick one up.

Sally & Nathan's Engagement Session

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:48:04 -0600

I met up with Sally and Nathan, whose wedding I'll be photographing in a little over a month, at Hermann Park for their engagement session.

Hermann is a popular choice for couples (and photographers, for that matter), but I was very much focused on trying to get some unique images of them enjoying each other's company.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

Looking forward to the big day guys!

Saying No to blog neglect

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:16:57 -0600

After a long 3 weeks in Nigeria (for vacation this time), I came back and promptly forgot about my blog. I will do better, starting today, and get on top of updating recent and interesting happenings.

Talk is cheap so with that in mind, I'll be prepping a new post in just a few minutes. :)

Diana + Ed | Hotel ZaZa and Sugar Creek Country Club

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:13:47 -0600

When Diana and Ed first told me of their plans for an intimate wedding at the Hotel ZaZa, I was excited about the prospect of photographing such a small, personal setup. Most of the weddings I've photographed have been larger and it's nice to see a bit of variety through the course of the wedding season.

They chose the Black Label Suite for their wedding ceremony and it was exquisite. The suite was very spacious and had a great view of the medical center. Their ceremony took place just as the sun set which added great mood and provided awesome light.

After the ceremony, they held a small gathering of close friends and family at the Sugar Creek Country Club. I'd like to shout out to Zoë and the rest of the staff for making things so easy for us.

Without further ado, here are some selected images: