Linton Photography

Go Ravens!

2012-01-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

While Butch and I really don't follow football (I know that's pretty unusual, but we both feel the same way about it!), you really can't help but get caught up in the playoff hype. Especially living here in Maryland.

Geena + Bill

2011-05-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you meet a bride and groom you just know. You know that they are a fun, happy couple. You know that they are definitely in love. You know that you were MEANT to photograph their wedding. You know that when you realize that you have a LOT in common.
Case in point: Geena and Bill. We met with them last summer here in our studio. We like to ask questions to get to know people better - like where they met (in college... where I went to college), what they do for a living (Geena is an art teacher... wait, I'm an art teacher), things like that. Since then our email conversations cover everything from a DJ recommendation to art lessons and calendar updates.
Scheduling engagement portraits can be a challenge, especially when the couple lives out of state. We met on Friday the 13th, and it seemed to be a comedy of errors for both of us - traffic (for them) a baby needing stitches (she's fine now!), until we met at Elk Neck State Park for the walk out to the lighthouse and the water.

Quite possibly my finest work. It really is all about timing.
Geena and Bill, I hope you had as much fun as I did. Totally looking forward to seeing you in July!

Michelle + Chris

2011-05-17T22:21:00.007-04:00

Butch and I met the groom first, which is unusual. We actually met 'Mr. S' at a conference night... he taught Malana when she was in 9th grade. He's a great teacher, and definitely encouraged her to keep up her interest in engineering.

Fast forward to this past fall... we met a lovely bride at a bridal show, and her groom is none other than Mr. S! Interestingly enough they met through the bride's uncle, who also happened to be Malana's tennis coach. (cue the 'It's a Small World' music...)

We met in Havre de Grace for their engagement portraits, because that's where he proposed. We lucked out with a beautiful afternoon, even though they were promising storms.

Oh, and the puppy. Made me realize how much I miss the puppy stage. The tail wags and their whole body moves. Thanks for the great afternoon, and we are excited for the wedding in July!

It's that time of year...

2011-01-28T15:30:00.002-05:00

for bridal shows. This is one of the best ways for brides to see many vendors in one location. I hate the term 'one stop shopping', but it is true. Even if you are only looking for a photographer, or a florist - there will be several options that you can see and compare together in one place.

We recently participated in the Timonium Bridal Expo and met many brides and grooms. This coming weekend we will be at two -

Saturday we will be at The Cloisters Castle on Falls Road for an open house from 11-4pm. This is a beautiful venue and we have enjoyed photographing there for many years.

Sunday we will be at The Richlin Ballroom from 12-4pm. Seated in Harford County, Richlin offers great flexibility and a venue that can host many guests. The crab dip here is one of my favorites, too. There is a huge dance floor so if you are hoping for a party, this is a great place to look.

Snow Day(s)

2011-01-28T11:26:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we enjoyed the snow day here in Maryland. Well, as much as Butch can enjoy plowing our driveway, two of our neighbors' driveways, then over to clear out my mom's parking spot. We brought the kids for a bit in the morning - the reactions?

Katie LOVES the snow. She would spend all day outside if we let her, provided we brought the hot chocolate to her. At last check, her gloves were still outside...

Alex isn't so sure - he doesn't like walking without holding my hand - and I think that's because the snow was deeper than his boots. But he did enjoy eating the snow that stuck to his 'finger slippers'.

Evie did not like the snow. She did not like wearing mittens, and she did not like the snow on her hand, either. She did like sitting in the sled... for a few minutes. She did enjoy the popcorn we ate when we came inside.

The kids have only had school one day this week, so remind us how much we enjoyed these days in June when we make them up!

Leslie + Rich

2010-11-23T00:53:00.005-05:00

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day for a wedding and reception on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Leslie and Rich timed the wedding perfectly so that we could arrive at the Suicide Bridge Restaurant for the reception with time for some photographs outside at sunset. Both of them were fantastic to work with, and they were so open to having fun taking photos. Thanks for letting us be a part of your day.

Kate + Greg

2010-08-10T11:11:00.004-04:00

When we talk to brides and grooms about engagement portraits, we often suggest taking them at a place that is meaningful. Where he proposed, where you vacation, even where you met. Butch and I met in Sears, and no, we never took portraits there (even though I was working at the portrait studio at the time). This time Kate made the suggestion to go to where they met - high school. We got permission to go inside and have some fun.

Christine + Rob

2010-07-18T19:09:00.002-04:00

This had to be one of the hottest weddings of the year, and I don't just mean the weather! The colors were perfect, the flower girls were adorable, and we had a CANNON! Christine and Rob, thank you for letting us be a part of your day.

Becky + James

2010-07-03T22:33:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Becky and James! Your wedding was beautiful.

Renee + Dan

2010-03-28T12:31:00.005-04:00

Wow. What an absolute blast we had last night. Renee and Dan put a lot of thought into how they wanted their wedding to be -and it was spectacular. It centered around their family and dancing, lots and lots of dancing. We were at the Hotel Sofitel in Philadelphia - and I learned that Philly has a French Quarter {Which explains why they answer the hotel phone in French!}.

I think the first photo is my favorite from the day, I love how the wind lifted Renee's veil!

Brandee + Lee

2010-03-21T18:35:00.005-04:00

What a beautiful day for our first wedding of the year! Rock Hall, Maryland is not too far from us, and it was the perfect setting for Brandee and Lee's wedding.

I love limes, and they were just beautiful floating in the bottom of each vase.

Such gorgeous spring colors of clover and watermelon!

These two were just adorable! Very fun, and very willing to smile for me (as long as I let them see the photos on my camera afterwards!)

Thank you both for letting us share in your day.

Techno savvy

2010-02-10T13:15:00.002-05:00

We are enjoying another snow day watching a movie. It was made back in 1991 (which isn't that long ago), but way before cell phones and iPods and all the technology that our little Evie will grow up using!

On the subject of technology, I wonder how much planning you are doing online or on the computer? From our end, we have our website and our blog as our way to communicate with you. But there is also Facebook and Twitter - I wish there were more hours in the day to keep up with all these options.

So let us know what you are using, what has been helpful to you?

Bridal Shows 2010

2009-12-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite ways to meet brides and grooms is at bridal shows. Sometimes they can seem crowded and hectic, but it is good to have a plan, comfortable shoes and a friend or two! Plan on spending some time walking around and talking about your day.

We often ask when your wedding will take place, and where your ceremony and reception will be - that helps us check our availability. If you haven't set a date yet, no problem! We can still talk about how the two of you met, and what you are looking for in your wedding photographs.

Here is where we will be (as of 12/29):
Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10: Timonium Bridal Expo, Timonium MD
Friday, January 15: Turf Valley Resort, Ellicott City, MD
Saturday, January 16: The Cloisters, Baltimore, MD
Sunday January 24: Richlin Ballroom, Edgewood, MD
Saturday, January 30: The Cloisters, Baltimore, MD

Saturday, February 20: The Cloisters, Baltimore, MD

More will be added soon!

Blog? What Blog?

2009-12-29T16:30:00.005-05:00

Well, I missed the rest of the summer, and all of the fall, hopefully I can do a better job at updating the blog through the winter and into 2010.
I think my focus for this upcoming year is going to be discipline - to get into a routine for being productive and organized with our family and our business.

I got the idea for this word from Ali Edwards' blog. Scrapbooking is a hobby of mine (when I had free time), since it combines a few of my favorite things - photography and art, and family and stories.

Well, here's my excuse for being absent here:
She arrived on a Saturday in November, and it was easy to fall in love with her. We all have - even Alex who has taken to kissing her on the top of her head.

Check back here soon - we will be adding the list of upcoming bridal shows shortly, and we have some great plans for 2010!

Megan and Chad

2009-07-07T22:57:00.001-04:00

I met Megan about 7 years ago when we photographed her sister's wedding. It was really great to walk into her parent's home on Friday and see a portrait that Butch and I took hanging over their fireplace. Megan was definitely an outdoors girl - we took the majority of our portraits outside, and I'm so glad the weather cooperated! Chad's family hosted the reception on his family's farm, which was decorated with lanterns and candlelight.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and the fireworks were fantastic!

Maggie and Eddie

2009-06-24T22:05:00.001-04:00

Love the colors. Love the breeze we had (when it wasn't storming). Love those cupcakes! Love the fun you can see in your photographs.

Ashley and Jake

2009-06-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

Planning an out-of-town wedding can be difficult and sometimes stressful. Butch and I got married in New Jersey where I grew up, and we relied on my parents for help in finding things like the caterer, florist, etc.

Ashley and Jake were living in VA and planning a wedding ceremony in PA and the reception in MD. Everything went well - and they had a great day for it - it was my birthday!

Two days later, we met at Longwood Gardens for some portraits - we attracted a bit of attention - could be the gorgeous bride and groom, or the cute baby in a stroller. Here are some of my favorites:

Jenn and Mike

2009-06-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

I met Jenn and Mike at Mike's sister's wedding last fall. They are super relaxed and fun, and I think it shows in the photos. The sudden rain showers didn't put a damper on their day! I was pleased that the sun came out so we could take photos outside!

Angela and Will

2009-06-14T22:40:00.000-04:00

We had such a beautiful day in Baltimore for Angela and Will's wedding. I am so glad we had time after the ceremony at the Old Otterbein Church to make a stop at Federal Hill for portraits with the bridal party. Then off to the Pisces Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency for some fun.

Where have we been?

2009-06-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize that we haven't posted in months! Since May, we've been super busy, between weddings and portraits. School finishes up next week, so that will change our schedules a bit, and hopefully for the better.

We have had some wonderful weather for weddings and portraits lately, despite the feeling of constant rain this week. Here's more proof of some of our fun:

Tiffany and Virgil

2009-05-11T23:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to a wonderful couple!

To view the portraits online, click here, just ask Tiffany and Virgil for the password!

Katrina and Dave

2009-03-02T14:05:00.001-05:00

We went to Chesapeake City for photos - and what a beautiful day we had!

Enjoy!

2009-02-28T23:51:00.001-05:00

Here's a flashback to a fantastic couple from 2008. Look for more of these shows soon!

keeping busy...

2009-02-09T23:54:00.000-05:00

I've been working on album designs lately. Literally, I'm staying up late working on albums. Sometimes I get into a groove, then look up and realize that it is way past my bedtime. I try to keep each album unique - and personalize it to the individual bride and groom. The only down side is that it takes me longer to design books, since I am not just dropping photos into exisiting templates that someone else created.

With that said, let me show you what I've been working on! Meet Kristen and James, who got married in Havre de Grace last year (they had PIRATES at the reception!):

Catherine and Reidel had two beautiful ceremonies, and we had gorgeous weather both days.

Both albums are online for the bride and groom to preview before the albums are printed and bound. Thanks for stopping by!

More chances to meet

2009-02-05T00:14:00.000-05:00

One popular question we hear is, "Where are you located?" And while we are conveniently located near a major highway, sometimes it can seem out of the way to meet in our studio. (Now don't worry, we always travel to your wedding, and we don't charge mileage or travel fees!) We do have a few events coming up where we will be in Harford and Baltimore County.

On February 22 we will be back at the Cloisters for an open house. Definitely a great place to tour, and you will have the opportunity to talk with caterers, florists, DJ and photographers who are all familiar with the Cloisters.

On February 28 we will be at the Harford Mall for their Bridal Show. It is tempting for me to want to visit the bookstore while we are there :)

Call me, or I'll email you!

2009-01-28T14:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Snow Day! While the kids played in the snow yesterday and today, I spent the day at the computer. I was following up with some brides who saw us at a show recently, or those who had requested information.

Now I am an email junkie - I love to check my email, and I get excited when I have new mail. Butch much prefers to talk on the phone. We are a good balance, until we need to talk to each other :)

I ran into a few snags today which prompted this post. Whether you call us or send an email, here are some helpful tips:

If you leave us a phone message or send us an email, tell us your wedding date. That way we can check our availability first. I like putting that in the email subject line, so it is at the top of all of our replies.

Tell us how you would prefer to communicate - if it is easier to call you after work, or email you any time. I would hate to interrupt you during dinner, or at home if that doesn't work for you.

If you are signing up to receive information, make sure to write neatly - I feel badly that I can't follow up with you if I can't read your email address or phone number.

Making the most of a bridal show

2009-01-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

I have found that bridal shows can either be fun or overwhelming. When Butch and I got engaged, I attended one bridal show with my mom. Since then I've attended many bridal shows as a photographer, and I have noticed a few things that might help you make the most of a show...

Bring someone with you - hopefully that's your fiance, but if not bring mom, bridesmaid, friend - this will make it more fun and they can keep you company.

Carry an empty shopping bag with you - just about everyone there will give you information, samples, etc. Some vendors will give out bags, but one large bag might make it easier. Of course, you could always have that friend carry your bag for you! :)

Go with a game plan - some bridal events are huge with many many vendors. Maybe decide that you are only going to talk to the photographers and cake designers. Then it may not seem so overwhelming. I went to that show looking for a DJ - and found the one we used.

Feel free to talk to anyone - you might find a good deal on tuxedo rentals, or fall in love with the idea of releasing doves. Keep an open mind for something unexpected.

When you get home - sort your paperwork by type, and make a note of the things you liked. Then you can refer to the information when YOU are ready.

Where will we be this week?

2009-01-14T22:44:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year when there are many bridal shows. We are in several over the next few weeks... If you would like to see some of our work, or ask us questions, one of these events might fit your schedule.

This Friday (1/16), we will be at Turf Valley's Bridal Extravaganza. For $27, you get a seated dinner, fashion show and the chance to meet over 60 vendors (including us!). Not a bad idea for a chilly Friday.

On Saturday (1/17), The Cloisters is having an open house from 11 to 4. This is a beautiful location just north of Baltimore for a ceremony or reception (or both). Butch went there back when he was in elementary school on a field trip (it was a children's museum then)! We will be back at The Cloisters on 1/31, 2/8 and 2/22.

Then on Sunday (1/18) we will be at the Columbia Hilton for a bridal show. It's a smaller show with maybe 40 vendors - which will give you a better opportunity to speak to the individuals there. Click here to receive a coupon towards your admission fee.

What a busy weekend! The following Sunday (1/25) is the show at the Richlin Ballroom. This show in Bel Air usually has a great turnout with fun door prizes.

Looking ahead to March, we will be at the show at the Hotel duPont on the 8th. Click here for tickets, and to see the list of some of the goodies you can receive by attending.

Hopefully in a future post I can offer some suggestions - things to do at one of these bridal shows (besides tasting the samples!).

Happy New Year!

2009-01-10T14:56:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year when many couples get engaged, and begin the process of planning your wedding. We hope that our blog serves two purposes -
to offer suggestions and hints for planning your wedding - what to look for in a vendor, what to do at a bridal show, good questions to ask
and
updates with what we are doing - from engagement sessions, to weddings to album design.

We hope that 2009 is the start of something great.