Asia Trip: Shanghai | Raleigh Photographer

So, if I was late in posting Talah's birthday pictures, I would certainly be late in posting pictures from my trip to Asia in July. I'll break this into three posts because there are a lot : ) This was in every way a business trip, but I did have small pockets of time here and there to do some things and I definitely took advantage of that. How could you not?

The first stop was Shanghai. There wasn't much free time here, but I did bring my camera with me when I went to lunch and walked around. We also went to the Expo one night, which was pretty amazing. The creativity exhibited there is just out of this world! I had heard that people who went during the day often stood in lines for 6-8 hours just to get into one pavilion. When combined with the sweltering heat and massive crowds, I can't imagine that would be much fun. We were there at around 8pm when the crowds had died down (but there were still PLENTY of people there) and the heat was more bearable. You can see more below.

House numbers : )

This is at the Expo. Can anyone explain this to me?

These are some of the exhibits we saw at the Expo. We only went in Mexico, Spain, and Norway because of time constraints, but it was fun just to see them from the outside to appreciate the fantastic architecture and lighting. The one below was Chile.

These were on the wall in Mexico. There was a whole room filled with art displays by Mexican artists.

We ate dinner in the Mexican Pavilion. I was tempted to get the "Evil Spicy Shrimps."

The picture below is not a good one. There's way too much stuff going on in the foreground with the railings and umbrellas. Unfortunately, there wasn't anywhere else to stand. Still, I had to show how cool the UK pavilion was. It was closed.

I can't remember which pavilion this was, but I loved how the ceiling looked like undulating seaweed. Unfortunately, I could only see it from the outside because the line was too long.

Switzerland is below. The netting had red plastic balls sewn in.

Spain was one of the few pavilions we were able to get into. I was very impressed.

The beginning had a movie going on all the surrounding walls. It started with the running of the bulls and then turned to soccer. They also had bones hanging from the ceiling.

This wasn't a big part of the exhibit, but I loved how creative they were in using hanging string as a projection screen.

They also had a huge animatronics baby, which attracted a lot of attention.

Sweden below.

Below is Norway. It had beautiful wood details throughout.

Next post, Beijing!

Rich + Elle | Raleigh Wedding Photographer

Rich and Elle were married at The Aquaduct in Chapel Hill, NC. It couldn't have been a more gorgeous day--and the location was gorgeous, too, as you'll see below. I was, again, fortunate to be second shooting for the wonderful Michael Moss.
Rich is from England, so there were fun touches throughout the day, such as the tea that was served as the bridal party got ready. They also incorporated some really personal touches, like special songs that were sung at the ceremony by family and friends. They wrote their own heartfelt vows, which had the wedding party in tears. All in all, it was a lovely day and ceremony : )
Congratulations!

Priscilla | Raleigh Photographer

It's always nice when you can go out shooting with another photographer and just have fun. That's what Julie Lindsey and I did. Her niece, Priscilla, was so funny and sweet. Her look reminded me a lot of Taylor Swift (especially in the 4th photo). Actually, when I was taking some of the last ones shown in this post, she was reminding me of Hayden Panetierre. And in the second to last photo, she reminds me of Claire from Lost. By the way, imagine I'm saying "Claire" with an Australian accent, like Claire's mum : ) So, perhaps we could just agree that she's versatile? And, obviously, extremely photogenic.

So nice to meet you, Priscilla! And, Julie, looking forward to getting together again soon!