Jan 09 2012

heather and christian: a few weeks later

Posted in Weddings

Let’s be honest – while the bride and groom spend lots of time and energy planning the wedding, they typically spend even more energy trying to remember the wedding. The day flies by, they wonder if they said “hi” to everyone who attended, and when the day’s over, they think to themselves, “Did we even get pictures of just the two of us?” Of course, that’s the photographer’s job. But as the bride and groom, what if the schedule simply doesn’t give you the best chance to get many photos together? That tends to happen. With guests to consider and family photos to take, sometimes there’s just not enough time.

Enter the After Session. (Still trying to think of something clever to name this one. “Bride and Groom Session” is the best I’ve come up with. So original.)

So, I had the chance to photograph Heather and Christian a few weeks after their wedding. While there was a surprise (to us, at least…) wedding at their original venue on the same day of our session, we found a great location for their pictures. An old silo made of stone, a barn we probably could’ve pushed over, and shade. Gotta love shade.

So here they are again – dressed in their wedding day apparel, smiling as if it was their wedding day again, with the perfect set of pictures that they didn’t have to worry about on the actual day. We were able to take our time, not worried about guests getting antsy or first dances to be had.

Thanks again to Heather and Christian. It truly was a pleasure working with you both!



























by Brian

no comments

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Dec 28 2011

jamie and daniel

Posted in Engagement / Couples

Meet Jamie and Daniel, a fun-loving couple from up North. I say “up North” because that’s also where I’m from. We’ve each found our way to Chattanooga for one reason or another, but their’s is love, and mine also happens to be love. (Awww…) So that’s really just one reason but it’s a darn good one. There was literally frost on the ground the morning we decided to do this engagement session at The Tennessee River Place, a beautiful location for weddings and photo shoots. Granted, it was cold and early, but you gotta do what you gotta do. We had a grand idea of lighting the lanterns and floating them on the river, but we made it halfway to the bank and the ground was more marsh than anything else. Not a good idea with three hours of shooting ahead of us. We opted for a little pond, but you wouldn’t have known the difference had I not said anything. At one point my boots looked like I had been walking through snow and my hands were sticking to the camera (slight exaggeration), but thankfully Daniel had about 107 hand warmers in the back of his car (not an exaggeration). In the end, we managed to forget about the weather and came away with some great photos! I can’t thank these two enough for agreeing to meet me so early in the morning.

I think my favorite is the tree photo. Although, the picture of Jamie brushing Daniel off after I made them sit in dust is a close second. :) Congratulations on your engagement, Jamie and Daniel, and thank you for letting me be a part of it!



























by Brian

1 comment

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Dec 16 2011

the jackson five

Posted in Families

The Jackson Five. We’ve all heard that before. But you haven’t met THIS Jackson Five. They’re way cooler, and if you gave the boys the choice, they’d probably rather play football than sing. As you’ll see in the pictures, Bo, Luke & Nathan brought their favorite football team shirt. Unfortunately for me, we didn’t have a Colts fan. (!!) That’s alright though. The Colts aren’t much to cheer about this year. In any event, the Jackson’s joined me on another frigid morning, and I made them walk through fields and get their shoes wet. And by “wet,” I mean soaking wet. The boys got smart and put their socks under the blow dryer in the bathrooms. If only I could’ve done the same thing. We had fun though, and in the end, that’s what matters.

The last picture is definitely one of my favorites, as you see Nathan climbing up on the train at the “Imagination Station” in Collegedale. That’s really what it is, as you can tell it becomes a place for children to dream the second step foot on it. With all that being said, enjoy these photos of the Jackson Family portraits, and a big thank you to the Jacksons for a great photo session!















by Brian

no comments

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Dec 02 2011

the buttram family portraits

Posted in Families

Meet the Buttram Family! A big, loving, laughing, happy family. They were so much fun to photograph, even if it was below freezing for half the morning. One interesting fact that I learned about them is that they happen to be split among the Vols and the Tide. I have a feeling I’ll run into that a lot living in Chattanooga. They were all nice enough to meet me on game day, and by “game day,” I really mean “scrimmage day,” because that’s what it turned into for Alabama. Not a pretty game if you’re a Tennessee fan. But college football aside, I knew it was going to be a great morning when they showed up with Dunkin Donuts. :) Again, they really are a happy family. Siblings from every generation, cousins everywhere, and mostly smiles. Mostly. That might have changed by the end of the day, but we had a blast, and I think the pictures show it.

Thanks to the Buttram Family for a great session! I hope you all have a great Holiday Season!
















by Brian

no comments

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend
Nov 29 2011

the cooke family portraits

Posted in Families, Kids & Babies

Now that the leaves have officially fallen from the trees and the rain continues to pour down on Chattanooga, I figure it’s as good a time as any to finally get back to the blog. What better way to celebrate Cyber Monday. While I can’t offer a great deal today, I can offer you the Cooke Family. A wonderful family I’ve had the chance to photograph a few times now. They are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Their little daughter Eva has a bigger smile every time I see her. From what I hear, she LOVES to smile, and that’s evident in these photos. She and Walker will make a pretty cute couple someday!

We spent the afternoon at the park, and I managed to find a great purple chair at a liquidation sale just before the shoot. I think I’m going to have to figure out a way to reupholster the thing, as I’m not sure it’s the most versatile color for photos. Nonetheless, it worked great for this session. While we couldn’t get Eva to sit in it on her own, we’ll get there eventually, and I imagine her senior photos in 17 years, in that exact location, sitting in that exact chair. (Sorry, Kelly!)

As I mentioned, Eva just turned one, and her mom and dad were nice enough to ask me to take pictures of the party. So much fun! We couldn’t manage to get her to smash her face in the cake, but maybe that’s a good thing. She remained lady-like and kept her manners. :) So here you go! The first several photos are from the family session, with the slideshow at the end from the party. Happy (belated) Birthday, Eva!

















And now, for the birthday bash!

Eva’s First Birthday Party from Brian Shakley on Vimeo.

*Taylor Swift – Never Grow Up

by Brian

no comments

add a comment
link to this post
email a friend

« Older posts

© 2005-2011 Brian Shakley Photography | ProPhoto Photography Blog by NetRivet Blogs

N o w   B o o k i n g