Sunday’s Amazing Charleston Sunset

Did you see it? It was absolutely incredible! Textures of yellow over blue, with spikes of bright orange and towards the south, whisps of cotton candy pink over purple!

I couldn’t get a high enough angle to do it justice, and in retrospect, I regret not taking MORE pictures of it with my 5D MkII. (But I got a few great artsy shots, so stay tuned!) But for now, here are my favorite three pics I took with my Palm Pre.

5 minutes later:

and, 5 minutes after that it kept getting better:

Just minutes after birth…

Early this morning, I (Valerie) had the honor of photographing a newborn baby girl, just minutes after her birth! The kind doctors and nurses at MUSC L&D unit even let me inside the delivery room! Here are a few pics, first one of me and then a couple of precious baby Julieanne with her parents:

Katie and Neil’s beautiful Alhambra Hall wedding

Katie and Neil’s wedding is no doubt one of the weddings I was most excited about shooting this year. They are such a fun-loving couple and we hit it off from the start.

What impressed me most about these two was when it poured down rain during what was supposed to be their beach engagement photo session, they didn’t let that get them down one bit! We all we able to shrug it off and roll with the punches….and ended up getting some gorgeous shots in the rain.

Luckily, we had PERFECT weather for their wedding day at Alhambra Hall! Katie looked absolutely stunning, and all of their friends and family were a ton of fun the whole day. Everyone was so supportive and thrilled to see Katie & Neil start their new life together as husband and wife. And once this group started dancing, they didn’t stop! Ron from Jay Maxwell’s Music by Request was the DJ (www.jaymaxwell.com) and he did an amazing job leaving the crowd cheering for more!

I had a hard time choosing my favorite shots for the preview gallery…so here are just a few of my favorites. Check back in a week for their full album design!

Jen & Joey Tied the Knot at Tidewater Chapel in Mount Pleasant

On Saturday, October 2nd, I had the honor of documenting every beautiful detail of Jennifer & Joey’s big day! They are such a sweet couple, and Mell and I had so much fun getting creative with them!

Both the wedding and the reception were at Tidewater Chapel in Mount Pleasant. We could not have asked for a more beautiful October day! Jennifer carefully chose every single design detail of the day and let me say, the girl has style!

After their ceremony, Jen, Joey, Mell and I drove the few blocks over to the new Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. This was not my first time at this fabulous new park, but it was my first time doing portraits there. I have so much fun shooting at new locations!

Here are a few of my favorites….and I’ll have their album design posted soon so check back in a few days!

Adrian & Jody’s Beautiful Daniel Island Wedding at Smythe Park

Adrian and Jody had a breathtakingly beautiful wedding in Smythe Park on Daniel Island. This is one of my favorite places in Charleston, in general, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot a wedding there!

Adrian looked smashing in her wedding dress, and was cool as a cucumber all day long. Amanda Assey from Southern Chic Weddings did an incredible job coordinating the day. (If you are looking for a wedding planner or day-of coordinator, I highly recommend her services!) Also, Cru Catering did an amazing job catering. They had to bring an entire kitchen out to there; it was impressive!

Here are a few of my favorites from their wedding day:

Brandon’s shoot around North Charleston

It was last Tuesday when the Brandon and the Dynamic Duo (Mell and Wanda) were seen in North Charleston. The sky was moody all day, but the temperature told secrets of the fall weather to come. Some passersby wondered what was going on…where the laughter was coming from. Here’s a small glimpse into what exactly happened that evening:

What have we been up to

So, August has been a highly non typical month for Richard Bell Photography. Valerie jetted to Berlin, Germany to study the language and travel for a little bit. Nathan and his brother took their mom  to Europe traveling from Paris to Venice to Athens and some places inbetween. I (Mell) can’t wait to see all the photos! So what is going on at the studio?

Wanda and I (truly, the Dynamic Duo) have been manning the studio, well “womaning.” We are in the midst of updating the consultation room–thanks to some awesome bargain shopping, and Wanda’s mad painting skills. So, the studio is filled with meetings, cleaning, organizing, laughing, and yes, even some photographing. Today started with a senior portrait shoot at Cypress Gardens and ended up at a few places in the North Charleston area that we’ve had our eyes on for some time. Cecilee was up for anything, which I think made for something a little different. Thanks chica!

Without further ado, here’s a small preview of Cecilee’s Senior Portrait sessions:
Check out her senior slideshow at–http://www.charlestonportrait.com/#/cecilee/

Life in Berlin, Germany

Greetings from Valerie in Berlin, Germany!

**Friend me on Facebook to read more entries and see TONS more pictures! http://facebook.com/valeriemae ** (I will be happy to accept your friend request, no worries!)

I cannot believe I have been away from the USA almost 3 weeks now…and my journey is only just now half over! I have lots more to see, do and experience here in Berlin before returning to the States.

First of all, let me say I’m having the most incredible journey here. I have not had a slow day since I first arrived. Everything is awesome here, the people, the architecture, the food, the chocolate, the bread….everything. I am falling in love with the city, the language, the culture, the people… God is doing a great work in my life and in my heart right now, and I am both thrilled and humbled to be a part of it all!

Read more on my Berlin Journey blog: http://valerieschooling.blogspot.com and also on Facebook!

Baby Isabell’s First Birthday Party

What’s short, pink and covered with icing and bubbles? Baby Isabell at her 1 year birthday party! It’s such a pleasure to capture the moments from the sweet times in our lives like weddings and birthdays. Both involve cake, and many involved bubbles as well. There’s so much joy and love that you can’t help but smile. I (Mell) think I had almost as much fun as the birthday girl at her party.

So, Happy Birthday Isabell! Thank you for inviting me to your party and all the fun.  You were a great hostess without any tears or cranky faces. Now that your are one-year old, you are going to have to learn to say my name and then my camera’s name, Ursela. You know how cranky she gets when people just call her a nice camera…don’t get me started.

Keep up the good work with those teeth! Until next time…

Nicole and David’s wedding at Alhambra Hall, Mt. Pleasant, SC

This was my first time back to Alhambra Hall in several years.  I love going back to a location that is very familiar, but with a more experienced and creative eye.  Alhambra Hall is simple, but with  a surprising variety of lighting and scene that provided plenty of opportunities  of portraits.

Nicole and David’s families were very sweet, and you could easily see how happy everyone was for the couple.  Beautiful wedding.

Regal Catering did a fantastic job with the catering (as usual!), and Lee Edwards Entertainment provided DJ services.   Both are companies that we highly recommend.

UPDATE:  The album predesign has been posted!  Check it out!

This was my first time back to Alhambra Hall in several years.  I love going back to a location that is very familiar, but with a more experienced and creative eye.  Alhambra Hall is simple, but with  a surprising variety of lighting and scene that provided plenty of opportunities  of portraits.

Nicole and David’s families were very sweet, and you could easily see how happy everyone was for the couple.  Beautiful wedding.

Regal Catering did a fantastic job with the catering (as usual!), and Lee Edwards Entertainment provided DJ services.   Both are companies that we highly recommend.