Italy is our 3rd home behind Raleigh/Durham, and Miami. We have been multiple times and lived in Rome for 3 months! We have so many beautiful family and friends there and we count ourselves beyond blessed to know the country so well! (If you go to my Instagram, you can check out my Highlights Stories and see all our fun travel memories!) During the pandemic, I had time to get to a "wishful thinking" to-do list. One of the items was start a print shop! When I travel, I actually usually don't bring my big camera because I want to stay present with Drew. But, one of the times I did bring it along was in Italy! And I'm so glad I did because these are some of my favorites. I was never confident enough to put my landscape work out there. But unemployment pushed me out of my comfort zone! It makes me sooo happy whenever someone wants a piece of me in their home! 

The gallery is actually super cool! I have so many products you can pick from! Prints, frames, canvases, but also metal prints, boards, calendars, and cards! These Italy pictures I always imagined as a set. Like 3 in a row (triptych)  or a collage! Perfect for over the bed or couch or office. 

I love the Italian Coast Wall Art Set below so much! The Italian Triptych would is the perfect tranquil escape with calming ocean vibes and fun pops of color! 

My first trip to to Italy was to Rome, Florence, and Tuscany with my family where my mom ran the Rome Marathon! I didn't have my big camera for that trip. But, our second trip to Italy we went to Milan, Venice, Positano, Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Rome, Naples, and Ischia! The Positano wall art, Venice wall art, and Cinque Terre wall art are some of my all time favorites! Look how amazing all three Venice Frames look together! I love mixing and matching all my Italy Wall Art Pictures!

Look at all these colors! The first pictures on the left is a Positano fine art print, followed by two fine art prints from Cinque Terre!

Vespa's are quintessential Italian! I love the stone wall and bougainvillea! The below Italian Vespa Wall Art was taken in Positano, Italy!

These black and white Italian prints make the gallery wall so cohesive! We have the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Spanish Steps in Rome, and the Colosseum in Rome. I like the black and white with the wood frames because it warms them up a bit and ties in with your furniture nicely! 

I love the greenery, vines, and bougainvillea here! The left picture was taken in Positano and the right was taken in Venice! The black frames are the perfect contrast for these colorful Italian Wall Art pictures!

This is from one of my favorite views in Rome! Rome is actually known as the City of 7 Hills! I love this hazy, sunset, ancient Rome skyline canvas! I think pictures with negative space, like the sky, look awesome blown up because they don't feel as overwhelming. Who wants this Rome Skyline Wall Art over their couch?!

Positano wall art looking fine as always! Positano metal prints are a really cool way of bringing in texture without a frame!

The Florence Wall Art below is from a sneaky view from the very top of Florence, Italy! I love that you can see the ancient wall. It's Italian but not so typical, which I love. 

Again, looove black and white mix and match! This Italy gallery wall feels so classy. From L-->R. Rome, Venice, Florence, Vatican! So technically two countries! I have a lot more Vatican Wall Art in my gallery too and even some Rome at Night pictures!

Planning your wedding can be so frustrating. Planning your wedding during a pandemic, I can't even imagine how hard that that is! Dealing with rescheduling, getting all your vendors on the same page, talking to all your guests, that's a lot! Drew and I have been as accommodating as possible with no rescheduling fees. We want your safety and happiness first! Thankfully, I found a really easy website where everything you need is in one spot! Here comes Basic Invite to the rescue! There are so many cool features!

My favorite feature is how everything can match! From wedding website, to save the dates, to invitations, to thank you cards, to menus, to place cards. It's all there!

Basic Invite has an awesome wedding invitation maker (check it out HERE).

It was really easy to customize it! And I love that already had suggestions for other matching products! 
​

• COLORS: Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. You can change the color of each element on a card, with over 180 different color options. The card can be exactly how you want it, down to the littlest detail. 
• SAMPLES: Basic Invite allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their invitation so they can see the card’s paper quality and how it will print before they have to place their final order.
• ENVELOPES: Basic Invites is just as colorful with their envelopes as they are with their invitations. You can choose from over 40 different envelope colors so that they can make their invitation stand out even before it is opened. All of their envelopes are peel & seal so the envelopes can be closed quickly and easily. Yay no tongue cuts! 
• ​CHOICES: Over 900 Wedding Invitation Sets! Each of Basic Invite's wedding invitations is part of a set. They have all the wedding stationery you need, like save the dates, wedding invitations, enclosure cards, wedding menus, wedding programs, and even matching thank you cards!

FREE is the best word. Especially when it comes to weddings! Basic Invite wedding websites are completely customizable! Check out their wedding website maker HERE.  They're mobile friendly and super easy to use. You can instantly upload all of your wedding details, along with images, and a convenient map with directions for your guests. It's soooo helpful to have a website, especially when everything is up in the air with planning! Choose from 180 custom colors, and a design suite to match your wedding invitations!

Upload all our pics from our engagement session together!! It will be so personal and gorgeous! 

Another awesome perk is their Free Address Collection Service - Use Basic Invite's free address collection service to request your addresses with just three simple steps. Share a link via social media or email, collect addresses, and get free envelope printing.

Now that you have your save the dates, wedding invitations, your wedding website, your addresses already collected, it's super easy to log into your account and send custom Thank You Cards! See all the cute styles HERE! Match the style of your wedding invitations and save the dates! Upload our pictures from the wedding onto the cards and send them out to all your guests. 

Drew and I have had about 15 weddings need to change dates due to either venue restrictions or family unable to travel. Thankfully, Basic Invite has so many CUTE options to let your guests know about Date Change! Again, really easy to customize! Check them all out HERE! 

If you see anything you like on Basic Invite, you can get 20% off store wide by using my discount code in the graphic below! There's so much to chose from! Wedding invitations, save the dates, change the dates, thank you cards and even wedding day paper items like menu, place cards, programs, and even coasters! 

Be sure to visit Basic Invite's website and follow them on social media @basicinvite!
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Hellloooooo!

Drew and I have some fun and exciting news! We bought a house in Durham, North Carolina! Drew and I are both from Raleigh, NC and we are really excited and ready to be near family again. We have absolutely loved our 3 years living and being wedding photographers in Miami and around South Florida, but we are excited for this next chapter! This is not goodbye to Miami, we have tons of weddings that we can't wait to fly back down for! 

Drew got an amazing job with Duke University where he will continue his research on how parenting and families are similar and different all over the world. Did you know Drew is currently writing a book on his findings? YEAH! So cool! The Doctor, Reverend, Author Drew is doing big things! 

House Hunting in Durham, NC:
Once Drew got the Duke job we started looking on Zillow and Redfin for houses. We also thankfully have an amazing realtor, Mary! House hunting while we were in Miami wasn't as challenging as we thought We are so blessed to have our realtor and friends and family go through a few houses and take video and FaceTime us.  The most challenging part was the pandemic. Right during our house hunting window everything shut down which meant no walk throughs and very few listings. We honestly thought we'd have to extend our time here in Miami. But, a little miracle happened. We had been seeing some cute houses go under contract within hours of them going live so we were worried that by the time we flew up for houses it would be gone. BUT, due to the restrictions, there was this one house that we fell in love with that was just accepting digital walk throughs, so it didn't fly off the shelf as fast. First day it went on the market we bought tickets to fly up the very next day. Our realtor was able to get us in to see the house in person while we wore all the PPE and bathed in hand sanitizer to keep everyone safe. We immediately put an offer in. After a little battling, we got the house!! We are learning so much through this whole process! It's been so fun!

Why Durham?
Drew grew up in Cary and I grew up in Raleigh. We both went to high school in Raleigh. I went to UNC in Chapel Hill and Drew went to State in Raleigh. The Triangle is home to us. So we knew it would be somewhere in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill area. There are so many reasons we picked to zone in on house hunting in Durham. 

1. Family, Friends & Work
My sister and brother in law and most of of friends live in Durham and all love the city. We are super social and of course want to be near everyone for dinners, cook outs, and hangs! Also, Duke is in Durham so it's a quick drive for Drew. 3 amazing companies I've been working with, Better On, Pathos Ethos, and American Underground are all right in Downtown Durham!

2. Diverse City With Small Town Pride
Durham is so cool. There's SO much. To all my Miami friends, it's like a mini Wynwood with outdoor restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, character, wall murals, and an artsy/hipster feel. We honestly are less familiar with Durham! That makes it really exciting! While only 30 minutes from Chapel Hill where I spent 9 years, and only 30 minutes from Raleigh where we grew up, there's still SO much to be discovered about Durham and we love that! We already have a list of restaurants, shops, and places to visit and check out! Durham is amazing because it has all the perks of a city while also a really supportive and active diverse base! I love that I can walk around downtown and still hear several languages and see a mix of people. As a diverse couple ourselves, living in a diverse city was important to us.

3. Community Building 
The small town pride that we love about Durham makes it the perfect place to plug in, plant roots, and give back. Drew and I love giving back to our community! We love volunteering and supporting grassroots organizations. Durham has tons of non-profits and opportunities and we can't wait to give our time and talents back to the city! We've loved how Durham has come together and united for Black Lives Matter protests and events and how supportive the community has been of locally black-owned businesses. We are stoked to continue that love and activism! 

Our Casita!!
Our house is SO CUTE. It's not too big, so going from a 1 bed 1 bath apartment won't be too overwhelming. It is open concept which is perfect for hosting all our friends and family. And there are 2 spare rooms so we each can have an office, which will be a huge change and upgrade! (I'm currently typing this from our bedroom while Drew is doing a tele-health therapy session in the kitchen haha)
Our backyard is perfect. A small decks and lots of room for gardening! 
Our house is also walking distance to downtown! 15 minutes on the beautiful Greenway/American Tobacco Trail and we are right in the heart of Durham. We're close to baseball games, breweries, awesome restaurants, and small businesses. Walkability is something we'll miss the most about Miami Beach so it was really important that we weren't too far from the action! 

We are just really overjoyed for this next chapter! We officially move end of July! We can't wait to fly back to Miami to photograph weddings and we can't wait for all our awesome couples and weddings in Raleigh too! 

​Durham, NC (aka Bull City!) here we come! 

I love being a Miami wedding photographer and living on South Beach! Daniela + Zhen were cool enough to wake up at sunrise and meet me in the Art Deco district on Miami Beach! The beaches have sadly been closed due to the pandemic and the curfew. But, Ocean Drive was closed to cars so we were able to take some pretty cool photos frolicking down the the empty world famous street!! The college sweet hearts met through Cuban Students Club at school and are about to move to New York City for Zhen's residency. They both proposed to each other at a Harry Potter murder mystery party Zhen threw! They both wear engagement rings, heck yes! I loved that they leaned into the Covid situation and brought masks, a measuring tape, and Corona beer! I love even more that they brought a Darth Vader mask and were down for some "force" pictures haha. Just the coolest!! It makes me so happy when couples are so happy and are themselves! I'm not a posey photographer, obviously, and I love making sure each engagement session is perfectly unique to you! I love showing off your personality and your story. Sometimes that story involved champagne and Star Wars and that's really rad. 

Of course I had to get in on the fun!

I love being a photographer on Miami Beach with so many gorgeous locations right in my backyard. The pandemic has been tough on my wedding photography business, but I'm using this time as best I can to do complete projects I've had on the bucket list for years. I'm so excited to offer fine art prints and open my print shop! I am offering fine art prints, fine art beach prints + frames (perfect for gallery walls), beach canvases, beach metal prints, and even Miami Beach greeting cards! Right now, it's full of Miami Beach photos from lifeguard stands, to the blue ocean, and to colorful umbrellas. Today, I want to show off some of my favorite Lifeguard Stands from Miami Beach! One day I went to take pictures on South Beach at sunrise and it was cloudy. Then, a few weeks later, I finally caught a sunny day! Each block, the lifeguard stands are decorated differently and uniquely! I love these printed on their own or in sets. Hope these beachy prints bring some warmth and joy into your home! 

Visit my print shop and get 10% off your order!
https://bit.ly/laurasprintshop

In honor of Earth Day, here are 10 tips for a sustainable and ecofriendly wedding! There are so many ways to go green on your wedding day! Big and small, all way 

​1. Sustainable Wedding Venue
This is usually the first choice you make when planning your eco-friendly wedding. Try having your wedding at one location so guests and vendors don't have to travel between two places.
You can see if a venue is green by checking out this site!

• ​Is it designed with energy efficiency or sustainable power?
• Do they pay workers a living wage? 
• Is there a lot of built in decor or natural outdoor space that doesn't require a lot of extra sprucing up?
• Do they give back to the community?
• Is there a lot of natural light so you can cut down on power?

​2. Ethical and Ecofriendly Wedding Clothes - Wedding Dress, Wedding Jumper, Wedding Suit
The fashion industry is surprisingly a top polluter due to the amount of water consumption, fabric waste, micro-plastics, chemicals and dyes, soil degradation, and green houses gasses emitted during production. Also, many working conditions are not ethical and many are not paid a living wage. The good news is there are tons of amazing options for a sustainable and eco friendly wedding dress and suit!

• Buy from one of these ethical approved wedding dress stores
• Or one of these Dude approved ethical suit stores
• Buy a used wedding dress
• Borrow a friends outfit 
• Rent an outfit 
• Thrift an outfit
• Support a local maker 
• Choose a material that's more sustainable like bamboo 
• Sell or donate outfit after your celebration

​4. Sustainable Florals

• Reuse florals throughout the wedding, like ceremony decor to reception. Saves you money too!
• Choose locally grown flowers and flowers that are in season 
• Pick flowers that are VeriFlora certified - meaning they are grown without harsh chemicals & with ethical treatment of workers 
• Donate to a local hospital, community center, or elderly care home 

5. Cut down on plastics & waste 
Think of all those DIY projects and see how you can cut down on plastic.

• Shipping - opt out of plastic when using Amazon, consolidate orders, recycle boxes and wrapping
• Switch from paper napkins to reusable cloth napkins
• Use old wood for signs instead of new wood or plastic signs 
• Buy pre-used wedding decor (Facebook Marketplace was great for my sister's wedding!)
• Use more natural elements like leaves for table assignments instead of paper

​8. Eco Friendly Wedding favors 

• Chose to donate to a local cause or charity in your guests name
• Give out flowers seeds or small plant
• Make jam from local fruit made in glass jars
• Give a custom wedding glass guests will use all night 
• ​Give a reusable straw guests will use all night 
• Edible treat packaged with zero waste 
• Custom tote/grocery bag
• Reef friendly chapstick 
• Fair trade coffee or organic tea

9. Zero Waste Wedding Exit 
Biodegradable is key! Easy to clean up is crucial. 

• Bird seeds
• Dried lavender
• Flower petals
• Cotton pompoms
• Seed paper confetti 

​

1. Make sure wedding venue is ok with it
May seem obvious, but not all venues are dog friendly. Make sure you let them know you have a plan for how to clean up after your dog and that you will have a designated dog supervisor. Ask if there are certain places your dog can or cannot go. Maybe puppy can show up for just photos or just getting ready time!

2. Bring treats or favorite toy
We're not above bribing on your wedding day. Treats or a favorite toy are especially useful when trying to get your pup to walk down the aisle or sit for photos

3. Consider who will take care of your fur baby while you're not taking photos 
Have a good friend or family member who can be there to make sure your dog has what they need like food, water, & potty breaks. 

4. Bring a lint roller 
Let's make sure your wedding outfits, especially dark colored suits, are looking as fresh and hair free as possible!

5. Don't be afraid to move or get on their level and play and have fun!
It's super hard to get your dog to look right at the camera when there are new faces and new smells and oh so much excitement! So let's walk with them, play fetch, show off some trick with treats, and don't be afraid of kisses! I like doing photos with you dog after all our pics so it's ok if you can't resist a big wet kiss from your puppy!

6. Make sure your puppy is ok with it too
Weddings can be overwhelming for humans, but if your dog is also anxious, a big celebration with lots of noises and newness might be too much! Make sure your wedding environment is a good fit for your four legged friend!

I did a thing! Inspired by so many creatives out there, I called up my dear friend, Lyndsey (check out her profile HERE!) Drew and I met in Rome and asked if she wanted to experiment with me. Thankfully, my redheaded goddess muse said, "Yes, let's make art"! SO after some research and trial and error here is what we found on the best ways to have a FaceTime Photoshoot with your friends during quarantine:

2 ways to shoot FaceTime Portraits:

1. Taking live photos or screen shots while on FaceTime
2. Using DSLR to take picture of your iPhone with model on it

What you need for your FaceTime Photoshoot:

• An iPhone or iPad for the model 
• An iPhone or Macbook on the photographers side
• Good internet connection
• Lots of light! 
• A way to stack and lean iPhone/iPad if model/couple doesn't have a phone tripod. 

​
How to:

1. Determine if model's iPhone or iPad has better camera
2. Everyone update to latest IOS
3. Everyone turn on Live Photos while FaceTime
   1. Set both devices to allow Live Photo capture (Setting>FaceTime>allow FaceTime Live Photos on your iPhone,
   2. or – FaceTime>Preferences>Settings>allow FaceTime Live Photos on your Mac)
4. Make sure model uses rear camera because it's better than the selfie camera
5. Communicate about angles, the model will be the one moving and setting the camera and trusting you since she can't see herself
6. Start playing and have fun! 

When you click the "Take Live Photo" button while FaceTiming on either your computer or your phone, it will save to your photos. I then transferred those to my hard drive, brought them into Lightroom, and edited!

Tips:

• We found simple background and neutral clothes helped
• Just embrace that it's not great quality and edit accordingly
• Use props like mirrors and plants 
• Having the phone steady is almost better than someone else holding it because there's less motion blur
• Have fun, try new things, and don't take it too seriously! 

Inspired by Tim Dunk & Anastasia Jobin

Q: What if we want a traditional first look on wedding day?
A: That's ok too! BUT, here are 3 very important questions for you:

1. What time is sunset on your wedding day?
2. What time will your ceremony end?
3. Do you want to enjoy your cocktail hour?

After the ceremony, we typically ask family members to please stay seated so we can roll right into family photos. I like to do this so older family members can have a place to sit. Another plus, is we don't have to chase down family members. Drew and I do not know what your family members look like, so this way we don't have to send a parent or sibling to go wrangle while we just wait. Then, after family photos, if we did not do a first look, we have combined wedding party photos. Finally, we can take pictures of you and your love. All of this takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size of family and wedding party meaning you will also miss your cocktail hour.

SO that means we need your ceremony to end 60-90 minutes before sunset. 

If your ceremony ends at sunset, all photos will need to be taken with a flash. And that's ok, we've done that before and they look beautiful! Flash just has a little different of a look vs. natural sunset light. If you actually want time away from your guests and you're cool with missing cocktail hour, we get that too! Everyone needs a break! Just something to consider when you and your fiancé think things through.

If you're still undecided, ask married friends who have done both and see what they say! 

I'm always here to help answer any questions about your wedding day timeline and flow too! :D 

I love promoting that I give my couples print rights! 

It's a big part of my philosophy that with your wedding, engagement, or family photos, you have print rights. I export my photos at the highest quality so you can print big or small. Every photo I send you in your digital gallery comes with a print right, so no limits there!

Why print rights are so important to Drew and I:
When Drew and I were first engaged and looking into wedding photographers, we had nooo idea what to look for or ask. I just looked at the pictures and said, oh they look nice, let's go with them. We realized only after the wedding that we were not given print rights. The photographer wanted us to buy a very expensive 4x6 print and then with each print came a digital file. We sadly could not afford to buy hundreds of 4x6 prints from this person. We were devastated. We wanted to share our wedding with friends and family all over the world. I wanted to plaster my Facebook with wedding photos and show my friends my favorite day ever on my phone and text our best friends funny dancing moments. But because we didn't have print rights, we couldn't do that. We ended up fighting for over a year with this person and they finally let us purchase print rights but they were only quality enough for a 4x6 photo. Pictures are so important to me so it's my biggest regret in life.

​SO, Drew & I want to help you avoid that! We want to help you understand wedding photography print rights, copy right, and print releases!

​Q: What do print rights mean?
A: Printing Rights = Having print rights means you have the right to print your images for personal use.
I, the photographer, give you, my client, the right and ability to print your photos that give you in digital format for personal use such as sharing on social media and printing them out! I give you a print release (a form I'll put in your client portal) so you can have print rights! (Some places like Walmart will ask that you present a physical print release.) This way you can print thank you cards, canvases, put your face on a cake, anything that you use for you, your family, and friends.

Q: "Digitals"?
A: Photographer lingo for digital files, aka, your pictures! I send you a weblink with all your pictures as .jpg's in a beautiful digital album. Then, you can download those to your phone and desktop! Next, you can print your photos at your favorite lab and share them on social media! 

Q: "Personal use"?
A: Yup! So if you want to submit your pics to a contest or a blog or if someone wants to use or buy your photos, I'd be so stoked! Let me know and we can work together to show off your pictures to the world! 

Q: Why wouldn't another photographer let me have print rights in the first place?
A: It's very important to me that you, my clients have print rights. Every photographer has a different philosophy. I personally love giving you the option to print at whatever lab fits your budget and share with family and friends all over the world. We live in a digital age and I recognize and embrace that! I never want to hold your memories hostage! Some photographers will ask you pay additional for you to download your pictures. Sometimes you will be allowed a certain number of digitals. Sometimes, your digital pictures are only a certain size and quality so you can only print a 4x6 or something small and not big quality canvases. So these are all good questions to ask your photographer! 

• Digital photo files are included in my wedding, engagement, and family prices!
• I do not limit the amount you can download!
• My digitals are sent to you at the highest rate so you can print big and small!

​​Q: So, who has the copy right to my photos?
A: Technically, I, the photographer do. But, it's for good reason! This way, I can use your gorgeous photos to use in my marketing, blogs, social media, and submit to contests and publications! I always work with couples who want to keep their photos private or want to purchase full copy rights too so feel free to ask :) 

Q: Why is knowing about print rights important?
A: It's always important to ask your photographer about number, size, and quality of print rights and whether they are included or not in the price. This way you know the full price upfront and you know what's included in the entire photography package. All my sessions include print rights at the highest quality with no limits :D 

If you have any other thoughts or questions about print rights, copy right, or print release ask below in the comments or send me an email! I'd love to help navigate these terms with you!