M. Clay Photography {the blog}
Welcome to our Blog. We are award winning Charlotte Wedding Photographers that enjoy creating unique art through still images and beautifully capturing the emotions and ambiance of a wedding day. Here is where you can keep up with our latest happenings and view images from recent Charlotte weddings, engagement sessions, and portrait shoots. We are truly thankful to be blessed with the talents and abilities to document such meaningful and special memories for so many couples and their families and thank everyone that supports us, especially our wonderful clients....past, present, and future. If you are searching for a wedding photographer in Charlotte, surrounding areas, or destination wedding, feel free browse through the blog and portfolio and contact us for more information. Feel free to leave comments on any of the blog posts and be sure join our Facebook page for frequent updates. Thanks for visiting!
Sherita & TJ tied the knot a couple of weekends ago. I’ll be blogging their wedding later this week, but in the meantime….here are some images from Sherita’s bridal session at Duke Mansion. Unfortunately, it rained that morning so we were limited to indoors for the entire session. But that’s the great thing about Duke Mansion….it’s equally beautiful inside and out.
The rain cleared up at the very end of the session and we were able to grab a few shots outside…
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Be sure to check out Part I of Dana & Anthony’s wedding day…
Here are some more photos from Dana & Anthony’s amazing wedding day. After the pre-ceremony and first look, we headed to the Riverview Room for the ceremony and reception\party. They had a beautiful ceremony and the reception was ….OFF DA CHAIN!! There is no other way to describe it….you’ll see below…
We were able to step out onto the patio for a few quick shots using the city skyline as a backdrop.
Gorgeous flowers and cakes. Check out Anthony’s groom cake…WHO DAT !!!
After the formalities…the cake cutting, toasts, etc….they DANCED…and partied…and DANCED…
Had to take time out to give the fellas a cool shot puffing over the city lights…
And then…the Second Line band came in, out came the customary parsasols, and they DANCED some more…
Just when you thought the night was over….in came the Mardi Gras Indians. And they DANCED some more 
A few final shots to end a beautiful wedding day and a great celebration of Dana & Anthony’s union.
One final Bonus Image. I truly enjoy every wedding I shoot and I’m always involved and having fun while I’m at it. Here, I figured…when will I ever get another chance to take a picture with a Mardi Gras Indian ? Why not
Dana & Anthony…thank you again for allowing me to capture your wedding day. You are two truly beautiful people and coudn’t be more deserving of one another. I will always remember getting to experience first-hand how you guys party on a whole ‘nother level down in New Orleans. Let’s go ahead and start planning the 1-year anniversary meetup down there
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We had a super amazing experience last month when we traveled to New Orleans to photograph Dana & Anthony’s wedding. This was our first wedding in New Orleans and I underscore the word “experience” because it was unlike any other wedding we’ve had the opportunity to shoot. Dana contacted me early last year when she saw the wedding of a friend of her’s that we shot here in Charlotte which was my first taste of how they party down in the “N.O.”.
Where to start…well, we took a trip down there last year to do their engagement session, visit the venue, and familiarize ourselves with the food…I meant city So we had a good idea what kind of photographic opportunities the French Quarter would offer us. I was worried all that week because the weather forecast called for a 70% chance of severe thunderstorms on wedding day. I was horrified at the thought of traveling all the way to New Orleans to have it spoiled by bad weather. The forecast eventually turned into a 40% chance of scattered showers (which to me meant a 60% chance that it wouldn’t rain). We woke up to a dreary morning and slow steady rain, but luckily it let up just in time for photos and everything worked out just fine.
Dana & Anthony chose to do a first look. I’ve previously mentioned the benefits of doing a first look and the bride & groom session before the ceremony. This allowed us to have an un-rushed session and visit several different locations to get some amazing images. Here’s a look at Part I of Dana & Anthony’s wedding day…photos from the pre-ceremony, bride & groom session, and fun shots of the wedding party. The bridal party got ready at the historic Hotel Monteleone…the oldest hotel in New Orleans. We’ll be posting Part II tomorrow of the ceremony and lively reception.
Dana rockin’ a stylish birdcage veil…
I absolutely love capturing the first look. It gives the couple an intimate moment to see each other for the first time and allows them to naturally interact in a way that they can’t during the ceremony. I’ve heard from many of my couples that it helps calm their nerves for the ceremony.
We started off the bride & groom session in the always crowded Jackson Square and grabbed a few shots in front of the historic St. Louis Cathedral before moving into other parts of the French Quarter
This image simply cracks me up. I said to Anthony “Only real mean can pose with the bouquet….against a pink wall”. We couldn’t help but laugh hysterically!!
My absolute favorite shot of the day
Back to the hotel to get a few shots by the famous marquee sign on the rooftop…
And finally, some fun & stylish shots with the bridal party. I must admit, I love small bridal parties because we can get a variety of shots in a short amount of time….and I can actually remember everybody’s name!
Be sure to check out Part II of their wedding. Charlotte Wedding Photographer M. Clay Photography
9 Comments
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Shantrice Givens
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!
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Melisa
Beautiful !
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Susan Maria Johnson
Simply Gorgeous!!! Beautiful couple! Beautiful Photography!
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Travis
so amazing yall look great!
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Keisha
Love, love, love it especially the last few bridal party pics. Nice!!!
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Germaine Green
Amazing pictures!! Dana you were truly stunning!! Great looking couple I say!!
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Sean Kimble
You guys pictures were amazing!!!!
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merl taylor
Dana and Anthony yall’s wedding was simply beautiful. Be blessed. love you guys.
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Hope Hill
OMG!!!! Simply Beautiful Couple…These Pictures belong in a Wedding Magazine!
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This morning I had the chance to visit the Wells Fargo Pro-Am Tournament. I was able to get a few shots of Tiger Woods on holes #10 and 13. It was more difficult than I thought because Tiger is always the main attraction and a crowd of fans follow him to every hole. It’s extremely tough to get a good angle of him most of the time, but luckily I have long arms so here’s a few shots I managed to snag. As always….he was calm, cool, and collective.
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Eric R. Miller
You have major photography skills Michael Clay.
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I recently had the chance to do an E-Session with one of my wedding couples. Great weather + great couple = Great fun. That pretty much sums up Tina & Melvin. They have an awesome story of how they met at work….they even already share the same last name !! I couldn’t help but joke with Tina that she wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of an “official” name change. We started off at the park for a few casual photos against the beautiful natural greenery. Then hung out downtown as the sun set for a few dressy looks. I had a great time and we captured some really fun shots that capture their personality. I’m looking forward to their wedding next month at the Ballantyne Hotel.
3 Comments
Wowzers! This wedding was amazing! So much attention paid to details…love it!
This wedding was off the CHAIN cuzin! For anyone that could not make it you missed a true gathering….I had a BALL! God’s Blessings go to Mr & Mrs Anthony Roland ~
The pictures captured the essence of beauty love and all that is good in New Orleans….congrats to the both of you