Megan & Michael | Falls Park Elopement, Greenville, South Carolina

Megan & Michael eloped on a sunny, early fall day in the Falls Park of downtown Greenville, South Carolina with only myself and their officiant there to witness it. We met the week before in Travelers Rest to discuss the plans and I found out Megan and I have a ton in common! From bloodlines in Upstate New York to a love of kayaking and having quiet, low-key personalities. Plus, her freckles are lovely.

Megan and Michael compliment each other in so many ways and it was very evident how in love they are as they said yes to forever together.  From the tiny, smile Megan had walking to meet Michael and the smile he never dropped once she met him to their giggles and dancing beside the creek as we took photos. To my new friends, I loved this evening so much and I am so pleased you asked me to capture it for you! Here's to many more beautiful days and months and years together. ( Excited for our next game night! ;) )    

Alyssa & Daniel | The Barn and Stables at Forevermore Farms, Moore, South Carolina

 When I met Daniel during my time in the Visual Arts Program at Greenville Technical College I had no idea he would design my logo or that I would be photographing his wedding the next year, but here we are! Daniel and Alyssa have the coolest style and I knew we would be fast friends when our meeting for coffee lasted over three hours. Plus, Alyssa does roller derby and basically held my hand while giving my bangs. I owe a lot to this awesome lady. 

Daniel & Alyssa got married on a semi-over cast day last October at the The Barn at Forevermore Farm in Moore, South Carolina. The rustic white barn was a great counter to their edgy vibes and the banana pudding inspired cake still makes my mouth water. Their family embraced Brett and I with hugs and their laid back wedding party had us laughing all day. These two are some of my forever friends now and I couldn't be happier for them and I'm so happy they seem to like me as much as I like them! ;) Thanks to my second, Brett Wilbanks, for shooting with me! Some of his images are below. 

Emily & David | Lindsey Plantation, Taylors, South Carolina

I could say so much about this couple, but we could be here a while and I think we should get to the photos as quickly as possible! October 16th, 2016 has been one of the longest days of my career as a wedding photographer. I don't mean that the actual day was really long, but that this day was thought about, prayed about, and worked towards for so long by so many hands and hearts and it couldn't have gone smoother. Emily & David were married on a warm Sunday morning overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by their closest friends and family. They had a personalized Sunday paper with details of the day, hand made bouquets made by Emily herself, and a large brunch waiting for everyone after the ceremony. There were pancakes, tea cups, hand made ribbon wands, a pie bar and some swing dancing to finish off the day. Emily & David, ya'll are some of the best people I'll ever know and I love running into you around town and I'm still waiting on my dinner at your new home! ;) Thank you for having me capture each moment in this big year of your lives and thank you for being such incredible friends. 

Thank you so much, Christa Rene Photography for shooting with me! Some of her beautiful images can be seen below.  

Alyssa | Bridals at The Barn & Stables at Forevermore Farms, Moore, South Carolina

Alyssa is the bride every vendor looks and wishes for when they get inquiries. Every time we've met for coffee it's been a 4-5 hour chat over tattoos, wedding plans, boys, life, and everything else you can probably image. She's super easy going and trusted me completely with her bridals. Not to mention the amount of laughs that were had in-between photos.  She even trusted me to make her bridal bouquet the day of-using all Trader Joe's florals. ($12, holla!!) These photos will always be some of my favorite for their edge and all that sass that she brings to the images. I hope you know you're stuck with me forever now, Alyssa! We met as strangers, but are leaving as true friends.

Melissa & Luke | Fall Engagement Session in the Pisgah National Forest

In the very early beginning of fall Melissa & Luke took me up, up, up, to a spot that resides deep in their hearts-the Pisgah National Forest. This area of the forest, The Pink Beds, is where they first camped together and we decided it would be the perfect area for their engagement photos. It was a very chilly morning that quickly warmed up with our exploration of the trails and streams. I was trying so hard to urge them to just go ahead and elope in the middle of this gorgeous spot, but they weren't having it. ;) We ended the morning with a ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway and lunch at the coolest Jamaican restaurant in Asheville. I CANNOT wait for your wedding, Melissa & Luke!!! Thank you for taking me to such a special spot and for having some fun with these photos!

Emily | Mountain Top Bridals | North Carolina

Emily & I had been planning this day for months! Many conversations over coffee and tea, looking at photos and locations, talking about the feel of the images-all for it to work out perfectly up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the hills and mountains of North Carolina. Along with the planning of the images, the actual dress was a process on its own. Emily bought this dress, several sizes too large, and had it entirely redone to look like the one of a kind dress of her dreams! Lace and mesh and lots of pink were added in and the dress perfectly suits Emily. Emily, thank you so much for asking me to be the photographer for every moment of this season of your life. I loved spending this time with you and am thrilled with what we created together! 

Ann Marie & Senthuran | The Westin, Greenville, South Carolina

This is the second part of this couple's big day! Back in August they had a very small and intimate American ceremony for their family , featured previously on the blog, and the next spring they finished it off by having a very large Hindu ceremony and reception! This was my first time shooting a non-traditional wedding and let me tell you-it was amazing! Senthuran had family flying in from all parts of the world and Ann Marie's family was following all of the beautiful Indian customs along side his. My brain was overwhelmingly happy to learn so many new culture traditions and to be apart of such a cool day. From the two hour Hindu ceremony, seeing so many beautiful sarees, trying so much new Indian food, tp hearing new languages and accents, seeing traditional Indian dances, and just being WELCOMED fully and completely this wedding day was a blast and full of so much happiness. 
 
Ann Marie & Sen, this wedding journey with the both of you and your family was terrific! I learned so much and was so blessed to be apart of both your ceremonies. I cannot thank you both enough for trusting me and inviting me into your lives. I'm so excited and happy for what the future has in store for you! 

Hanging with Creatives...

Being a creative myself, I love to meet and hang out with people that are also creative! Whether it's photography related or not! Being around other artists is a chance to have open conversations about our work, get critique, share ideas, and to have a friend who understands certain kinds of struggles that come with being an artist.
 
I met Lauren, of LC Photography, back at the very beginning of the year. We met in a very large networking group one night at Coffee Underground and have gotten together several times since for coffee and photo hangs. We've even shot a wedding together! A very hot, very humid, very June in South Carolina wedding. She's a true delight and I've loved getting to know her over these past few months.

The last time we got together we went to a little park and took some portraits of each other for fun. Thank you so much for letting me shoot with you and for the coffee and the "I'm having an internal melt-down over business" talks that we've had, Lauren. I'm super excited to keep working together and sharing our business advice and woes and everything in between!    

Courtney & Tommy | Easley Presbyterian Church/Clemson University

I've known Courtney for more years than I can even remember! We go way back into our teen years and maybe even before then since we grew up just two streets away from each other. She was someone on year book staff in High School that I looked up to and I have photos of us exploring Table Rock and from fun nights when she was a student at Clemson University. It's amazing how life can come full circle sometimes. In 2012 Courtney and I both attended a wedding for a very dear friend of ours at the Madren Center on Clemson University's campus. This is the same wedding where Courtney finally introduced me to her boyfriend, Tommy! Fast-forward four years and Courtney & Tommy are having their wedding reception at the Madren Center of Clemson University. When Courtney introduced me to Tommy four years ago I never would have envisioned I would be fortunate enough to be documenting their big day in that very same location!! 

The entire day was a dream. The flowers were stunning, the dress was a classic, the food Southern, and Courtney & Tommy were both glowing with excitement and love. We began shooting in Easley at the Easley Presbyterian Church before moving to Clemson University for a few shots and then off to the Madren Center for the party of all parties. If you want to throw a good party, just invite a large group of Clemson alumni, the Clemson mascot, and you're good. The reception was amazing! The Madren Center has lake side views with nice gardens, so the guests were able to enjoy some garden games along with dancing and dining before a bubble send off for the bride and groom.

Courtney & Tommy, I cannot thank you enough for the honor it was to photograph your wedding. My heart was so full and continues to be full from the memories I have of your big day. I felt so included by each family member and guest and you both will forever be in my heart.

Thank you, Sophie Hopkins, for assisting me this day!  

Ann Marie & Senthuran | Mary's Cottage, Greenville, South Carolina

Technically I shot this wedding last year, but I only just started blogging and it's too good to not share!! I met Ann Marie & Senthuran at a wedding I photographed last summer in Charleston, South Carolina. I remembered them right away and was instantly excited when they asked me to photograph their wedding because he and Ann Marie have some amazing dance moves! Their wedding was beautiful in so many ways-from the attire, to the location, to the weather. They were married in front of a small group of friends at the beautiful Mary's Cottage in Fall's Park right here in downtown Greenville. Everyone wore blue and enjoyed cake from Brick's Street Cafe! The hugs didn't stop and neither did the fun. Ann Marie & Sen, I had such a sweet time with you and your families! Soon to be blogged is their Hindu ceremony!  

Jess | Spring Bridals | North Carolina

It's not every wedding where you meet such a free spirit like Jess who says upfront "Let's just do it!" when you throw ideas at her for the photos. I mentioned I knew a place with a river and some mountains and she said, let's go and we did! This girl is an adventurer and my time with her had my heart singing. She climbed into a river bed and lugged a chair up a giant hill with me (in her wedding dress)!! You're amazing, Jess! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the time and adventures we had together! 

Emily & David | Spring Engagement | Easley, South Carolina

When Emily approached me about shooting her wedding I about scream/cried because I'd been waiting for this moment for YEARS! She and I were stand partners in our high school's orchestra class and have been long friends ever since. Emily and David are the sweetest and we had a BLAST shooting this 'Up!' inspired engagement shoot on David's family's land in Easley. There's nothing like hopping on the back of a mule with all of your equipment and a dozen balloons and having an enormous amount of land to choose from to shoot! Best part was I wasn't trespassing, or going to have to explain why I was standing in someone's yard shooting photos! Ha! Emily & David, I had such a wonderful time and every day we pass is a day closer to your beautiful wedding! I cannot wait for October!    

Jess & Jordan | The Music Camp, Spartanburg, SC

If you're into a forest-bohemian styled wedding, then this is it for you! I met Jess a very interesting way back in the winter but knew instantly it was a blessing in disguise. From that first initial meeting to a playdate with her baby goats and driving to North Carolina for bridals, all the way to the gorgeous wedding day, it has been the most incredible adventure and I am so happy I was asked to be there to document it all. Jess & Jordan had a love-filled wedding day and I left feeling, not only happy and excited but so full of love and thankfulness to see such a wonderful group of people that came together to celebrate this couple. The entire day was filled with such amazing details from the hand-made tambourines (HAND-MADE BY THE BRIDE, Y'ALL!), to the flowers in the guests' hair, to the hand-made dream catchers as favors, and let's not forget the brick oven pizza cooked on site! This wedding was over a month ago and I am still giddy over it! Thank you again, Jess & Jordan! These images are truly some of my favorites, and I'm so blessed have been a part of it.  

Shelley & Matthew | Camp McCall, Sunset, South Carolina

I met Shelley and Matthew at a small coffee shop in Easley over a year ago. We had some good coffee and laughs over remembering some yearbook staff days at EHS and got to business talking about their upcoming spring wedding. When Matthew began explaining their wedding venue I was very curious and excited at the thought of shooting their day at a boy's summer camp up in the mountains behind Pickens. The wedding day was everything I had pictured it to be! Quaint little chapel on the top of a mountain; filled to the brim with friends and family supporting Shelley and Matthew as they took this big jump into the future. They finished the night dancing in the mess hall and with a fun sparkler send off. Thank you so much for having me be with you on your big day, Mr & Mrs Trotter! It was a delight! Thank you, Sophie Hopkins, for being my second on this wedding! Some of her photos are below!

Things I Like to Document Besides Weddings...

Hey all! I'm here to make a confession! I love weddings. (Ya'll know that, right?!) I love the act of loving and the hope that comes with marriage. The hope that this is all we need: just you & me. I'm here to say I love all that good stuff! It's what I thrive on! But! While these are the moments I adore to photograph, I also have a passion for shooting fine art photography. Specifically using different mediums of film.

For the past four years I've been documenting my family and my life by way of film and a few moments of digital work. I love shooting this expensive as heck film for many reasons! Shooting analog (film) takes me so much longer than when using a digital camera. It causes me to slow down and become more of an observer waiting for just the right moment. Rather than being in the moment, I am able to take a step back and see the moments happening as I prepare to shoot them. This is such a curious thing for me! Watching the light as it travels into a room and seeing the person I'm about to shoot as she settles into how she wants myself and my camera to see her. Film is also expensive as all get out and when I only get 12 shots on a roll, or 10 photos to a pack one cannot be dilly dadling about it!     

I've been experimenting with different forms of film and cameras trying to find the method that works best for me. From the toy Holga camera (the cheapest, all plastic, tiny medium format camera), to a large format 4x5 Polaroid, to a Hasselblad (The Hasselblad is the nicest film camera you can get your hands on!) Using film is the best way I've found to express myself. If I could find that happy medium and shoot weddings with film-I WOULD, but I'm positive I would have a nervous break down before the reception. With film the colors are more accurate and the images are more precise. Best of all-the moment then bcomes tangible. Tangible isn't a word we get to use much anymore and I'm trying to hold on to it as long as possible. There is nothing that can compare to unraveling a stack of freshly processed negatives and to hold the moments of the now past in your hands and to remember "I was here. This was me." 

I don't meant to get all emotional on you, but film is my love! I'll gladly throw $200 at Amazon for four boxes of film before I'll spend it on clothes or something at the mall! This may also contribute to why I will show up to your wedding consultation in a '97 minivan covered in stickers. I believe in getting full use out of the things I buy! Hence my trusty ole mini van that I refuse to trade in.  

[Below is my large format 4x5 camera. Every image below that is a furjoid (like a Polaroid) taken on the 4x5 camera in 2013. First image is my friend Dale the morning after his senior BFA show. Second image is a plate from my mother's china, image taken on our Christmas table cloth. The last image on the left of my friend Amanda.]

To see more of my film work please visit VirginiaWorrell.com
If you would like a session that is more like my fineart work or includes film, please send me an email at giniaworrell@yahoo.com All photos except the top were taken by myself using a Polaroid back on a 4x5 large format camera. The top photo taken of myself by Laci Frazier! 

Hello! A little about me-Ginia Worrell

Born and raised in South Carolina-this land is my home. My family is spread across the East Coast-from New York down to Florida, but I've never found a more comforting or better place than the hills of South Carolina.

I'm 25 years old and am working on completing a BFA with an emphasis in photography. I've been shooting weddings full time for the past two years, but have been doing photography for the majority of my life. I was handed a pink Barbie film camera on Christmas day when I was 7 and haven't been able to stop since. I began to document my family's life (and mainly my cat) in the 90's and here in 2016, this is what I'm still doing. 

While I reside in the Upstate of South Carolina, I frequent North Carolina as much as possible. I love weekends full of taking drives through the mountains and pulling over randomly explore, stopping by some family land in Highlands, and hitting up Asheville to get some food and see some music. 

Along with enjoying fine art film photography and weddings, I'm an avid reader, gardener, tattoo-getter, and vinyl collector. I drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day and am usually toting my cat around the house while Sufjan Stevens or the late David Bowie play in the background. I'm currently trying to teach myself to weave and continuing to try my hand at print making.

This is where you'll see a display of my work and my passion and hear about what I'm doing in-between.  

(Photographs below by Laci Frazier)