Weddings – Justin Thomas Photography

Meghan & Chris

One of the most important pieces of any couple shoot is getting their personalities to show up. If you can do that, the results are priceless. Meghan & Chris were a blast to work with. I was only able to do their engagement photos since the wedding was out of state. The problem with only doing the engagement photos is that after their engagement session, I really wanted to shoot their wedding photos! Personalities were huge and they trusted me to come up with great shots. I asked them if they had any shots in mind that they specifically wanted, and they said, “we just want to leave that up to you.” Don’t get me wrong, I welcome couples to show up to a photoshoot with some pinterest ideas, however I think a lot of the pressure is diverted when they don’t already have an idea of what they think their photos should look like.

Casey & Chris

From the country outskirts of Jefferson county; to the suburbs of Shelby, Spencer, Oldham, and Nelson Counties; to the amazing urban landscape of central downtown Louisville… Kentucky is full of amazing scenery. Classic architecture, urban parks, waterfront views, and the amazing history of Louisville all play a major part in what type of memories you’ll create at your Louisville wedding. I love using these things to bring your wedding photos to life! I find that every engaged couple I meet with has a different idea or vision for their wedding. I also know that it’s the time I spend with couples prior to their wedding date that allows me to see, and share in their vision so that I can produce the images they are looking for. Casey and Chris scheduled their wedding ceremony and reception right in the middle of Louisville’s downtown business district. As a photographer, this was incredibly exciting to me. It also created some anxiety because the city is big, and full of beautiful frames. What on earth could I do to bring everything they wanted into their wedding photos? In standard fashion, my sister and I went to scout some locations before the big day. Funny enough, we accidentally went downtown on the day of Louisville’s Veterans’ Day parade, when there were thousands of people lining streets and sidewalks, street closings, and a smattering of hinderances. Although it took us a bit longer than we had planned, we managed to find some of the coolest spots to bring Casey and Chris, and the bridal party for their ultimate Louisville wedding photos. There are landmarks and things that you might find in every downtown Louisville wedding photograph out there, and then there are things that come with a little bit of research, and a whole lot of planning. This was another Louisville wedding where we had 4 different locations to shoot throughout a 6 or 7 block radius. Calculate travel, traffic, and getting everyone on the same page for wedding photos, and you find yourself in a tight window to get to the reception before the guests get hangry. We managed to make it work, and here are some of our favorite images from Casey and Chris’s wedding day!

Brittany & John

Amazing scenery (and amazing weather) made for what I knew would be some great wedding photos. Out in Nelson County not far from downtown Bardstown, KY, is a beautiful farm with gently rolling acreage where horses roam. There’s a pond and a classic black split-rail fence that surrounds the property which provides a lovely backdrop for wedding photos. Adjacent to the rear of the property is an amazing piece of land that we were able to use for part of Brittany & John’s wedding photoshoot. On this property sits an incredible stone and wood barn that had to have been built in the 1800s. I visited the home and the woods and the site of the old barn and the pond a couple of months prior to the wedding. I knew that I wanted to use that barn. I had to get ideas for different frames, and see where the sunlight would be during the time we would be shooting the first look and the pre-wedding bridal party shots. I love shooting outdoor weddings, in fact I prefer it! However, extreme direct sunlight is difficult to use for wedding photos (or any photoshoot, really). Your photographer has the ability to either make your wedding photos really cool, or really not. This is one of the reasons I typically visit the wedding venue a few times before wedding day. Whether Louisville, Taylorsville, Shelbyville, or wherever your Kentucky wedding will be, it’s important that the wedding photographer understands the good stuff and the challenging stuff about where you are getting married. With Brittany and John, we had 5 or 6 different locations that I wanted to shoot inside of a 30-40 acre spread, so it was incredibly important for me to know exactly where we were going and when we needed to be there so that the wedding guests didn’t have to wait too long. Wedding photos are something you will cherish forever, and we only get one chance to shoot them. Make sure that your Louisville wedding photographer is going to work hard to make sure that you get photos that wow you. Here are some of our favorites from that day!

Kraft & Wyatt

Kraft & Wyatt’s Louisville wedding was such a joy to shoot! Each of their individual personalities came out incredibly strong as we progressed through the pre-wedding formals, throughout the wedding ceremony, and even in the reception photos. I have to be honest… reception photos are typically my least favorite of the wedding photos. I find that the newly married couple eventually agrees with that statement, however some engaged couples tell me that they really look forward to us documenting all the people and excitement at the wedding reception. Of course it makes sense to see all the things that you missed. Being the newlyweds means that you are spreading yourself super thin on the night of the wedding, and you barely remember anything you do because it happens so fast. Nevertheless, the reception photos end up being a nice piece to have, but they are rarely the wedding photos that end up in the photo album. In the case of Kraft and Wyatt, it was really difficult to differentiate between favorite photos. It’s because their personalities showed up, they were comfortable, and they were excited. There’s a lot to be said for the “first look” photo these day. When the bride and the groom decide to meet before walking down the aisle, it not only eases the tension, allowing the couple to breathe a sigh of relief, but it also creates a really intimate and special photography session. These things combined with fantastic weather, and a beautiful venue made Kraft and Wyatt easy subjects for their wedding photos. Here are some of our favorites from Kraft and Wyatt’s Louisville Wedding!