baltimore, maryland | styled shoots across america

a george peabody library styled wedding inspiration

At the end of August, I shot my first styled shoot. Amazing wedding planner and designer Heather Benge of Heather Benge Events made it a personal goal to host a styled shoot in every state. Once locations are released, photographer spots fill up almost immediately. I’m incredibly grateful I was able to shoot this beautiful Baltimore set-up as well as another one in Somerset, Virginia.

George Peabody Library Baltimore Wedding | Expressions by Jamie | www.expressionsbyjamie.com

Both of these styled shoots provided a perfect opportunity to reintroduce myself as a wedding photographer. When I had my first daughter, we decided it was best for our family if I stopped booking weddings for a while as we didn’t know what life as a family of three (now four) would look like. Now that my daughters are two and a half and one and a half, I’m excited to start shooting weddings on a limited basis again. I have brides booked for 2018 with only three more dates available and have opened up the bookings for 2019!

Our Baltimore styled shoot took place at the breathtaking George Peabody Library on the John Hopkins University campus. If you’ve never visited the library before, walking in is like stepping foot into Beauty and the Beast with it’s four stories of wall to wall books. The skylights create an effect of outdoor lighting, without having to worry about the weather elements which makes it a perfect spot to say “I Do”.

I arrived early that day as our “bride” Lissa, former Miss Alaska, and “bridesmaids” Katelyn and Alyssa (real life sisters!) were still in hair and makeup with Behind the Veil Hair and Beauty. Capturing wedding preparation shots are rare at styled shoots but makes it feel more like a real wedding.

Lissa, Katelyn + Alyssa wore stunning gowns from Francesca’s Bridal while the “groom”, Lissa’s real life husband Erik, looked strapping in a modern navy blue suit and tan leather shoes. Since we had real life relationships within our models, their chemistry on camera was perfect. Katelyn + Alyssa were smiling, laughing and having the best time spending the day with us. Lissa + Erik were so willing to take direction (from 20 photographers!), even dancing in the street for me and you can feel their love for each other in every shot.

The altar, draped in gorgeous flowing flowers by J.Starr’s Flower Barn, was simply stunning and complimented the space so well. With metallic color inspiration for this shoot, the baker, The Cake Studio, did one of the best cakes I’ve ever seen. It was three tiered and full of texture and visual interest. The bottom layer had a ribbed texture. The middle layer had a gold modge podge effect and the top layer had a hand painted gold floral pattern. Watching them complete this cake was fascinating.

One of my favorite elements from the shoot was the live painter. I have never been to a wedding with one before but Brittany Branson‘s work is just amazing. I talked with her for a bit about her process and am amazed at how talented she is. What a wow factor for any wedding!

George Peabody Library Baltimore Wedding | Expressions by Jamie | www.expressionsbyjamie.com

Heather, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this styled shoot. You did an amazing job planning and designing every element from a far!