Luster Studios » North Carolina Photographers Craig Carpenter

Monthly Archives: April 2009

Moore Square Farmers Market / Pro Protographers in North Carolina

04.17.09 posted in: Special Events

Each month I attend a variety of photographer meetings.These are usually a mixed bag of professional meetings, casual photo sharing & critique, as well as fun group photo sessions with each other. Two of the local groups that I am excited to be a part of are the Raleigh Pictage User Group and The Wedding Photographic Society.

This week we went to Moore Square Farmers Market and Moore Square Park in Raleigh, NC to photograph two different couples. There were 7 photographers total who took over downtown Raleigh in true paparazzi style. The first couple was Joy and Jamie. Joy is a local professional photographer as well. She graced us with her infectious smile and her husband Jamie who was up for anything. The other couple was comprised of Clint and Sara. They were a down to earth, dynamic duo with yin and yang personalities that meshed perfectly!

I can honestly say that through these casual meetups, I’ve been able to get to know some of the nicest and most talented photographers in North Carolina. I don’t share this too often in the journal but I wanted to make note of a few reasons why I think it’s important for professional photographers to stay actively involved in their local organizations.

* When I’m not available for a wedding or special event due to a prior booking, I can refer those clients to someone that I trust. Also, by being familiar with other photographers style and pricing I can find the perfect fit.

* In order to stay current and not become complacent in my work I try to surround myself with talented peers that constantly help me grow and challenge me to deliver the best work I can.

* Running a successful photography business is very challenging and constantly evolving. By helping with fresh technique and constructive advice we elevate each other higher than we could go alone.

Thank you to everyone for letting me be a part of this and to our couples bravery to look down the barrel of so many lenses..

posted in: Special Events

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Joy - April 17, 2009 - 10:58 pm

Awwwww!!! These are so FUN!! Great job Craig, love your ideas and how you captured us. Glad we could be a part of the shoot :)

Elizabeth - April 17, 2009 - 10:03 pm

Craig!!! These are fantastic. Beautiful work — I love how you use the light, your posing, those great expressions! Thanks so much for being a part of PUG!

:: Jamie and Joy :: - :: JOY LYN PHOTOGRAPHY :: - April 30, 2009 - 8:56 am

[...] will leave you with a few photos that Craig, from Luster Studios took of Jamie and I a few weeks ago. We were “models” for the Pictage User Group and we [...]

UNC Old Well Campus / Franklin Street Chapel Hill (Katie + Judson)

04.13.09 posted in: Couples

I have photographed a lot of engagement sessions for UNC grad students and that’s how I met Katie and Judson. Although they both went to UNC for grad school, they actually met through Girls on the Run. She was working on the marketing for their 5K race and Judson had volunteered on race day. They had met the night before the race at the volunteer meeting and over the next 2 weeks, they went from not knowing each at all to randomly seeing each other everywhere.

As a photographer, it seems that if you do a terrific job for one couple, then all of their friends that “run” in the same circle want to have that experience as well. They hear about the fun couples shoot and see the images displayed on facebook and at their friends house and they contact me with ideas for their own shoot.

Katie and Judson are also huge UNC fans and we decided that with the recent awesomeness of UNC winning the 2009 Mens Basketball National Championship that we should photograph on Franklin Street. As I drove to meet them at the Old Well on UNC campus the sun went away and the clouds rolled in. We had discussed that this might happen but I assured Katie that an engagement photos session in the rain could be just as fun!

They have a black lab named Mason that managed to sneak his way into a few of the shots as well. Judson has had him for 6 years and, because he’s a true Southern gentleman, named him after the Mason-Dixon line. He always wanted to get a female dog and name her Dixie, but it hasn’t happened yet.

It was off and on rain throughout the shoot and Franklin Street was extremely busy and the all of the “carolina blue” stores were packed with fans eager to snatch up some tar heel merchandise. There were even a few stores that had a waiting line that strecthced out onto Franklin Street since they were too small to hold a certain number of people.

They shared with me the story of how they met 2 years ago and how Judson recently asked Katie to marry him. He was visiting Katie in Cincinnati and they had planned to exchange Christmas gifts. Despite many offers from friends to go out, he was adamant that they stay in and cook dinner. Katie shared with me that he was also strangely decisive about what we made (marinated pork chops, green bean casserole, homemade mac n cheese). After a wonderful dinner, they sat down to exchange gifts and Judson made Katie open her gifts first. They are both big fans of the show “How I Met Your Mother” and he had gotten her seasons 1 and 2. The shows tagline is “a love story in reverse” and in between the dvds Judson had inserted a card that read “I look forward to one day telling our story in reverse, but right now I’m happy to be with you at our beginning.” When she looked up, he had the ring out and proposed. She said “Yes!” of course…

carolina pride university of north carolina

posted in: Couples

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Raleigh Engagement Photography / Prelude To A Hitch (Adrian + Kyle)

04.13.09 posted in: Couples

Nothing say “Raleigh Engagement Photos” quite like a shoot at a random location… This past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph Leah and Mike’s wedding. It was an exciting and unique event and I have a lot of photographs to share soon! Kyle is Leah’s brother and I’m going to be photographing his and Adrian’s wedding this May. Their ceremony is going to take place at the All Saints Chapel and their reception is going to be at the NC Museum of Art. I had a chance to meet them at the chapel on Friday to go over details and happened to have my camera with me in preparation for a engagement session in Chapel Hill on Franklin Street.

I mentioned to them beforehand that I always wanted to take a few photos of a couple in front of business called Raleigh Hitch that is located on Capital Boulevard. I knew it wasn’t going to yield any high fashion style photos but I’ve always just wanted to shoot in for fun. Since they are getting married in Raleigh I also liked the play on words and I’m always looking to create photographs that no one has thought to make AND that is unique to the couple in some way.

We only had about 20 minutes or so and when we got there I went in an met the owners of the business. I proclaimed “I’m about to ask you the strangest question you may have ever had related to your business. I have an engaged couple out front and was wondering if I could photograph them in front of your store front.” After a few puzzled looks from everyone in the room the owner said “Sure! No problem!” I thanked him and promised to link up his website. I told him that maybe he’d be able to sell a trailer hitch or two to his new unique target market. You can visit them at www.raleighhitch.com

So without further ado here are a few of the snaps.