Raleigh Senior Portrait Photographer | Maggie

Jul 27 | Evan | Comments Off |

As we inch closer and closer to school starting again, my inquiries about high school senior portraits have been coming in so I fast I can barely keep up! My first senior portrait photography session for the high school senior class of 2011, was with Maggie. The only way my 2011 senior sessions could have started off better would have been if the temperature was in the mid 70s instead of the mid 90s! Yikes! Unlike me, Maggie held her composure quite well in the heat and humidity and together we got some great shots. I had almost forgotten how fun senior portrait photography is…even on unbearable hot days in Raleigh! Thanks Maggie and hope your senior year is a wonderful one! I still have some senior portrait sessions available, if you are interested in having me photograph your senior portraits, please contact me!

Evan vs Humidity in Mexico | Mexico Destination Wedding Photographer

Jul 19 | Evan | Comments Off |

This was such a one sided match up! The humidity and heat in Mexico totally owned me as I just had to walk outside my room and the sweat would begin to flow! Although, that didn’t stop me from photographing Adam and Jessica’s beautiful wedding at Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort and Spa, located near Cancun, Mexico (although my sunburn from my first day there almost did)! Everything from the welcome kits for guests, that included anything one might need for a trip to the beach – even intertubes – to the hand painted maracas that were used to get Adam and Jessica to kiss instead of tapping a glass, was extremely thoughtful and fit this lovely couple perfectly! Adam and Jessica had planned a very intimate wedding and even though I was the wedding photographer at their beach wedding, they really made me feel more like a guest! Photographing their wedding and engagement photography session on the beach was an unforgettable experience and I am so thankful I was given such a wonderful opportunity! Thanks again to Jessica, Adam and their families and congratulations on your beautiful wedding!

Couples like this are the Best | Pavilions at Angus Barn Wedding | Raleigh, NC

Jun 06 | Evan | Comments Off |

All the brides and grooms I have been the photographer for have been awesome. Meeting so many great people is one of my favorite parts of being a wedding photographer. This past wedding I was the photographer for, was no exception. Megan and Danny’s wedding at the Pavilions at Angus Barn had all the ingredients to make for a perfect wedding. Gorgeous (but hot) weather, beautiful and unique location, wonderful vendors, supporting family and friends, and most importantly, a sweet, loving couple. To be honest though, Megan and Danny are so in love that no matter what the details were, their wedding would have been perfect. It was wonderful to observe and capture all the lovely moments that they had during their wedding and had a lot of them! Sometimes, as a photographer, I have to “encourage” a few of special moments to happen, but at Megan and Danny’s wedding, I could just do what I do best, freeze their special moments in time! Once again, congratulations and thank you to Megan, Danny and their families for trusting me to be their wedding photographer. Finally, can I just say that dancing grandmothers make my heart melt!

What do Ligon Middle School, Chubby’s Tacos, All Saints Chapel and Sarah & Nick’s Wedding have in Common?

May 27 | Evan | Comments Off |

For many reasons, all the weddings I have photographed have been special. This last wedding I photographed for Andrew Bryant Photography at The All Saints Chapel, in downtown Raleigh, was no exception. I could go on and tell you about how this wedding was super original, from the Krispy Kreme donunt wedding cake, to the hokey pokey mother/son dance and so on and of course all the original details made this wedding special for me, but this one goes a little further. Even though Sarah and Nick are die hard NC State fans (it’s possible that the phrase ‘die hard’ might be an understatement), photographing their wedding was extra special for me because I have known Sarah since middle school, which I am sorry to say, at this point in my life, knowing somebody since middle school means I have known them for more than half of my life (how do we slow this train down btw?). To have known her for so long made this wedding extra rewarding for me to photograph. Seeing a friend get married is beautiful, but to play a part in preserving the memories from of one of the most important days of their life is humbling and rewarding beyond words. Sarah, I am so happy for you, Nick and your families and looking forward to our future gatherings at Chubby’s Tacos… as old married couples! I know you will enjoy these handful of photographs from your wedding!

Swan Harbor Farm Wedding That Blew Me Away | Maryland Wedding Photographer

May 20 | Evan | Comments Off |

Erin and Dan’s wedding at Swan Harbor Farm, was on a picture perfect day at an incredible venue. The weather was in the 70s and no rain in the forcast, but there was wind, and lots of it! I’m talking gusts of 30-40mph wind! So both figuratively and literally I was getting blown away; however, that just made being the wedding photographer more fun! Some of you may remember Erin and Dan when I photographed their engagement session with their dog, last November, both that photography engagement session and their wedding were in Havre de Grace, Maryland and photographed for Andrew Bryant Photography. It is always wonderful to meet the bride and groom’s friends and families and this wedding was no exception. As I was going through my photos, I noticed a few themes that kept showing up. With clothes, hair, the veil and the tent moving in every which direction, of course the wind was one of them. The other was just how happy and how much fun everyone was having. Even with the insanely windy conditions, nothing was keeping Erin, Dan and their guests from having a wonderful time! I am so grateful I was able to be the wedding photographer and even more so just to meet so many wonderful people. Thanks again to both families and also to the great vendors, all were wonderful and would love to work with any of them again!

2011 Seniors, Get the Star Treatment from Evan Pike Photography

Apr 29 | Evan | Comments Off |

The Star Treatment is the senior rep program offered to upcoming high school seniors that want huge discounts and benefits on their awesome senior portrait session! Basically, after your FREE senior portrait photography session, you will get free referral cards (and other goodies) to rock out and share with your friends. The more referrals you get, the better star treatment you will receive. It’s that simple! Here is a quick list of just some of the benefits of being a star for Evan Pike Photography comes with:

Free senior portrait photography session

As many free referral cards with your photo on them as you need

10 digital web sized, Evan Pike Photography branded photos for your to share on FB or other online sites

Print credit for Evan Pike Photography or gift cards for your favorite store for every referral that books a session

Your choice from three different books filled with your awesome photos, for you to show off to your soon to be jealous friends

A free gift by local designer Ahpeele

Continue on for the short application.
More

Perfect Spring Day Wedding at Providence Country Club | Erin and Russ

Apr 27 | Evan | Comments Off |

As I told Erin on her wedding day, there is a very good chance she has the ability to control the weather. You probably remember this lovely couple from my post about two months ago, when we did their engagement photography session in the snow. You know, back when Washington, DC was paralyzed by the whole “snowmageddon” thing but Richmond had just enough snow to make for a picture perfect day. So lucky! Now their wedding day was scheduled about a week after the pollen really started to pick up here in North Carolina and we didn’t get our first rain until 2 days before the wedding. Thanks to the rain, what was once covered with a lime green pollen, was a picture perfect spring day. Even without taking the weather into consideration, Erin and Russ’s wedding at Providence Country Club in Charlotte, was extremely beautiful and thoughtful. Definitely a couple and a wedding that makes me thankful to be a wedding photographer! Along with Andrew Bryant Photography, we had a great time. Congratulations again to Erin, Russ and their wonderful families!

Amy Take Two | Portrait Photographer

Apr 19 | Evan | Comments Off |

For those of you following me for a while, you probably remember Amy from me previous trip to Las Vegas. Amy liked her first portrait photography session that she wanted to have me do some more portrait photography for her. Of course, I was thrilled to be her portrait photographer again! Last time, we were going for a little more of a causal look and this second portrait session was more of a fashion portrait session. Once again, it was a blast shooting with Amy and we came away with some wonderful shots. Not much left to say, as the photographs speak for themselves!

Jillian and Peter | Hilton Head Beach Wedding Photographer in South Carolina

Apr 13 | Evan | Comments Off |

My streak for meeting incredible couples continues! Peter and Jillian had a beautiful and very intimate wedding on the beach and I am grateful to have met them and photograph the wedding in Hilton Head, South Carolina. My family used to go to HIlton Head when I was a kid, so it was nice to be back as a wedding photographer for Andrew Bryant Photography. Especially for such a wonderful and loving couple. The special bond between Peter and Jillian was obvious and moving to witness. I love it when I can catch a tear or two from the groom! As a wedding photographer, I love being able to call the beach “my office,” but making new friends and seeing a couple so in love, takes it to a whole new level. Congratulations to both families and thank you for letting me photograph your beautiful wedding!

Engagement Session in the Snow | Maymont Park, Richmond, Virginia

Feb 19 | Evan | Comments Off |

I’m not going to lie, when I heard Washington DC was supposed to get 2-3 feet of snow just before my schedule engagement photography session with Erin and Russ, I was worried that Richmond would get more than first thought. Lucky for us though, Richmond got just enough snow to make everything beautiful but not enough for the roads to be treacherous (good work VDOT)! Between the snow, beautiful Maymont Park and most importantly, a loving and fun couple, I knew we would come away with some wonderful photographs. Even better, if they weren’t kissing, they were making each other laugh, which makes my job as a photographer a lot easier and also saves them from my jokes! It turned out to be a wonderful day and I was really happy to get to know and spend time with such a lovely couple! Can’t wait to be their wedding photographer this Spring!

Evan vs Japan | Tokyo Destination Wedding Photographer

Feb 17 | Evan | Comments Off |

Once realizing that I was going to have the opportunity to return to Japan to photograph a wedding photographer, I made two lists. Friends to reconnect with and food to destroy! Unfortunately, both lists were too ambitious and I didn’t get to see as many friends nor eat as many different kinds of food as I wanted to. Although, to say that the trip, portrait session and the wedding I photographed in Japan were wonderful, would be a huge understatement! Tomoko and Kohei, were simply adorable and perfect together. Between their broken English, my spotty Japanese and gestures, we were able to communicate fairly well (it’s good to know I haven’t forgotten too much). I had a blast hanging out with them and could really appreciate their kindness. It is always refreshing to meet wonderful couples like Tomoko and Kohei and such a pleasure to see how they interact with each other, which for them, the best way I can describe is like innocent school kids in love. Seriously, they were always playing with and making the other laugh. Very sweet and adorable! More

Portrait Photography at a Japanese Restaurant … in Tokyo, Japan!

Feb 13 | Evan | Comments Off |

I am so lucky to have a job that allows me to travel! Especially, when it means I get to go to places I love, like Japan! At the end of January, I returned to Japan for the first time since leaving in 2008 to photograph a wedding. I was only in Japan for one week and had a lot of friends (and a lot of food and coffee drinks) to catch up with, but in addition to the wedding, I decided to take on one portrait photography session as well. High school senior portrait photography isn’t a popular at all in Japan, but instead, especially for women, it is common to get some portraits done for Coming of Age Day (Seijin no Hi). Wikipedia explains it better than I can:

[Coming of Age Day] is a Japanese holiday held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) over the past year, and to help them realize that they have become adults. Festivities include coming of age ceremonies (seijin-shiki) held at local and prefectural offices, as well as after-parties amongst family and friends.

So in honor of Ayumi turning 20 years old, we did a photography shoot with her wearing her kimono. As you can see, both Ayumi and her kimono were beautiful! Ayumi and her family had picked out a spectacular restaurant to use as the backdrop for our session and after we finished taking photographs, treated me to a delicious lunch (again, I am so lucky)!

Senior Portrait Photography | Olivia

Jan 25 | Evan | Comments Off |

I was contacted by Olivia’s mom with an all too familiar story. Olivia had her senior portraits done by one of the large national photography studios recommended to them by their school and was not satisfied with the cookie cutter results. So while it was a little later than usual to shoot senior portraits, we braved the cold, December weather and I really enjoyed my last high school senior portrait session of 2009. Olivia and her family were nice enough to welcome me into their lovely home and we were able to come away with some great shots! Thanks again Olivia and hope the rest of your senior year is enjoyable and memorable!

Emily and Jordan’s Wedding at Chatham Mills

Jan 06 | Evan | Comments Off |

I met Emily and Jordan a LONG time ago. It was very soon after returning to North Carolina from Japan and just after shooting a basketball game at the Dean Dome. So even though I was still having trouble making complete sentences (speaking the simplest English possible for 3+ years in Japan took a toll on my English for some time) and was all worked up after a great game, I somehow managed not to make a bad first impression! Seriously though, I immediately felt comfortable with Emily and Jordan, as anyone would with such a wonderful couple. I had been looking forward to their wedding for too long and am so happy their wedding date finally came! Their wedding was so much fun to shoot and had an incredible vibe from all the loving friends and family. Not too mention it was at a sweet location at Chatham Mills and although I shot the wedding for Andrew Bryant Photography, Andrew was off being a dad. After all, his son Stafford, was just born the day before (Congrats Andrew and Courtney)! So, I had the pleasure of shooting with a super talented photographer from Always Autumn Studios, Courtney Navey. That being said, I wish he had brought some “autumn” with him as last Saturday was a cold, cold, cold, but beautiful, winter day! Congrats to Emily and Jordan, we are all so happy for you!