August 20, 2008 by katealtmix
more pictures of toby & shilpa’s engagement session are up on the gallery page! sailing was an awesome idea for their shoot!
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it’s 3:25 and i might still be in a food coma from last night. between cocktails, cheese, wine, lamb and the dessert sampler my stomach is still so happy it hurts slightly.
after hearing about the excellent service and food a few weeks ago, matt decided that it was time for us to try repast, a little american bistro in intown. good thinking babe, it was perfect. our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and wines and cheeses -it seemed like she could even tell when i was just nodding blankly and would give a few more ingredient details- her suggestions helped us put together an amazing eating experience. she kept an eye on us from the kitchen and didn’t put our next order in until we were completely done with the previous- classy.
matt and i had a great night laughing about ‘this time last year’ and casually making a few personal goals for the next. no doubt people thought we were crazy for ordering as much food as we did but like matt said ‘we might as well, this is like christmas, it comes once a year!’ love him for that attitude. we had life to talk about so we just kept ordering things, nothing wrong with that!
the plan was to walk it off and grab gelato -and then walk that off- in the highlands but we couldn’t resist the dessert menu at repast. we sampled three- the dark chocolate terrine being my fave- extra virgin olive oil, smoked sea salt, toasted pistachios and dark chocolate- what’s not to absolutely love? needless to say i fell asleep as soon as my head hit the head rest in the honda. i’m so sophisticated.
right now we’re in the middle of one of our new experiments- scheduling our time. most of you know that this photography biz has never been a 9-5 job for us; it’s always taken up our evenings as well. when we looked at everything it was clear that we needed some time to ourselves and that scheduling was the answer. that being said, in 5 minutes it will be email checking time and 35 minutes after that we’ll be heading off to work out. so far i think the schedule is working, but really, we’re just on day 2 so what can i say? i know there are tons of people out there in the world who own businesses and work 9-5, but it’s just really hard for us to stop because keeping up with you guys is less like a job and more just awesome. we’ll see how it goes.
Posted in matt&kate | Tagged altmix, atlanta, food, photography, repast | 3 Comments »
August 19, 2008 by katealtmix
laura and jason’s engagement session has been added to the website! love how comfortable they look together, perfect!
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so woah, matt and i have been married for an entire year! no idea how that happened so fast. we’ve made it through what we had been told would be the hardest year of our lives -and we’re slightly confused why people say that- it was by far the best year of our lives so far! i know it’s trite but really i feel like it was just yesterday we were chillin in athens with all of our families and best friends at our wedding. what a good day that was!
we spent our weekend shooting an incredible wedding and then hanging out on lake oconee with good friends and adorable puppies. the weather was wonderful and the company was even better. we are so sore from tubing -yes, tubing can be intense as proven by my two busted elbows- matt and i are both struggling with everyday activities such as standing, sitting, walking and sleeping. worth it. monday we boated over to lunch at gabby’s and lounged by/in the infinity pool -expertly pretending we were guests at the lodge- and praying the little man taking drink orders wouldn’t realize we weren’t. after that lunch it wasn’t at all hard to pretend i was asleep every time he started walking toward us. such a great weekend! oh, and! i cannot believe i didn’t mention this sooner, sean taught matt to make crepes! wooo! they were excellent slathered with nutella, peanut butter, strawberries, bananas and powdered sugar -not all at once, gross- but take a second and celebrate with me that my huz has mastered crepes!
so since we spent the weekend with friends we’re celebrating just us tonight. no idea where we’re going, i’ll have to keep you posted on that. i keep begging matt to tell me and then he says ‘ok, you really want to know?’ pause. ‘no, no i don’t. let’s keep it a surprise.’ but then the cycle begins again. so far all i know is matt’s answer to my ‘what ethnicity is it? i need to start preparing myself.’ which was ‘normal.’ uh…thanks. but really, i’m excited to spend a romantic evening with the man, and the promise of quality food is the cherry on top. i’ll leave you now with a couple pics from the lake:
Posted in matt&kate | Tagged altmix, anniversary, atlanta, oconee, photography, reynolds plantation | 6 Comments »
August 15, 2008 by katealtmix
matt spent wednesday afternoon enjoying one of his new favorite things, sailing, while shooting an engagement session for an incredible couple from chicago. i haven’t been this jealous in a while; as i got dinner together, matt recounted his afternoon. i listened carefully knowing that we’d be shooting their wedding this weekend and wanting to get to know them as much as possible first. matt told me about how kind they are to one another and how relaxed and comfortable they are together. as doctors in the windy city, shilpa and toby are always learning, teaching and helping. while matt talked about how shilpa listened closely to toby as he gently taught her how to sail, i could see clearly why these two are so successful professionally and also personally, together. it will be beautiful to watch them pledge their lives to one another tomorrow.
later last night while we were watching the olympics matt looked up quickly and said there was one more thing he wanted me to know about them. ‘they like the office!’ ah, saturday will be a good day!
shilpa & toby, we’re looking forward to seeing you guys tonight and tomorrow. i can’t wait to spend time with you and your family and friends!
Posted in engaged! | Tagged altmix, atlanta, engagement, lake lanier, photography, sailing | 3 Comments »
August 14, 2008 by katealtmix
anna and jason’s wedding is up on the gallery page! the emotions in the reception shots are my favorite part:
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ladies i need to know i’m not insane. guys, listen and learn. so my mind is a little out of my control- let’s call it ‘creativity’ that when i hear one little sound at night -usually the fridge- i immediately assume someone has busted through the iron apartment gate, broken into the lobby, elevator.ed up to our floor, found our specific apartment, broken in, and is proceeding to -based on the noise i heard- use our ice machine? i pull the covers up to my throat. a split second later when i snap out of it and throw the covers back, my ridiculousness blows my mind, yes, i can actually blow my own mind.
this is not a good trait- this intense, out of control, ‘creativity.’ it hurts the worst when it comes to cleaning. i hate washing dishes. matt does it. he’s amazing. but i do things too, promise. but he cleans- why? because i look at dishes and when i see bits of food clinging to a fork i immediately think of what’s in my stomach, then i’m totally grossed out and thinking about my digestive tract, then all i can see in the sink is a bunch of…well, you know. but seriously, this is a huge issue. if i use a plate and matt’s not around i turn the sink on high, flip the faucet to the sprayer and blast off all food particles without looking at or touching anything gross. i understand that’s not ‘green’ but i try to make up for it by rarely doing laundry. pfff, sort.of kidding.
so as i sat down to write this post (on something totally chic and fabulous, no doubt) that creativity took control and i snapped at matt for flipping his wedding ring like a quarter, not because he was doing anything wrong but because his ring was obviously going to flip up into the air and roll from the living room to the bathroom and down the drain in the shower. never to be seen again. all the time i put into making that ring, my grandfather’s gold, my other material costs- gone. why doesn’t he care about me!?
but i digress- this post has gone on long enough. insane? creative? other?
Posted in matt&kate | Tagged altmix, atlanta, dishes, noises, photography | 8 Comments »
August 13, 2008 by katealtmix
i’d like you to meet two of our newest favorite people, laura & jason! as many of you who have contacted us know, we’re pretty busy so it’s not easy for us to schedule shoots with short notice unless you’re super hardcore (laura & jason) and willing to get up at 5am to get ready to shoot by sunrise. ridiculous, right?! i mean who in the world looks this rockin’ at 6:30 am?! to put it in perspective matt and i, literally, dressed in the dark- it wasn’t until we arrived that i realized matt had on a light blue vneck, brown plaid shorts and orange socks with his old green pumas and i wasn’t much better. let’s pretend we dressed like that on purpose to elicit smiles and giggles from laura and jason. bottom line, our clients never cease to amaze us; laura and jason, you did a fabulous job being in love in front of the camera- we had a great time with you two:
poor jason- soccer has destroyed his knees. i’m pretty sure this look is masked pain from getting into this position in the first place. i found out about all of the surgeries after this and felt so bad for asking him to take a seat on the ground! i have perfectly healthy knees and it’s not always easy to just drop to the ground- and then there’s getting back up! jason- you’re the man.
how perfect is it that jason holds both of laura’s hands in his one hand!? i love it.
this next black and white is one of my all-time favorite engagement pics we’ve taken. i think it’s just such so beautiful of them.
Posted in engaged! | Tagged photography, altmix, atlanta, engagement, sunrise | 8 Comments »
August 12, 2008 by katealtmix
saturday was a perfectly beautiful day for a wedding, really cool for august and sunny as can be. absolutely nothing could damper anyone’s spirits- not even the fact that many of us stayed up until the opening ceremonies ended and the groomsmen’s tee time was at 8:45- it was just that beautiful outside. while the men golfed (much to anna’s surprise, ‘jason doesn’t really golf?’) the ladies enjoyed some quality time and amazing southern cooking at sally’s, a cozy little house turned restaurant. the next stop for the girls was the salon to tell stories, laugh, drool over purses, and take turns with candie, their favorite stylist. i’ll quit talking for now and share a few of our fave images:
after everyone’s hair looked fabulous and a purse might have been purchased the ladies made their way to the church to finish getting ready, relax and grab a few little snacks before the ceremony:
we really really love taking time with a couple to grab some shots of the two of them together, soaking in that this is the day they’ve been anticipating for so long. it’s always so sweet to watch the couple forget the hustle and bustle and focus on each other…and it makes for such honest images!
the band started and the party began, and oh, so many happy people everywhere! there were glistening eyes all around as anna and jason, high school sweethearts and now husband and wife, were introduced. here are a few of our favorite moments:
anna & jason, congratulations! in all your years as a couple it seems you only fell further in love and learned better and better how to care for each other. watching your families celebrate your marriage was a beautiful thing and we thank you so much for asking us to be part of it. enjoy the caribbean and relax together, we wish you the best!
Posted in the wedding! | Tagged altmix, atlanta, golf, photography, thomaston, wedding | 5 Comments »
August 7, 2008 by katealtmix
carly & chris are rocking the gallery page! …and rightly so! check out their love here:
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as usual, matt stabbed my last bite of dinner waving it at me and begging ‘eat me’ in a voice eerily similar to that of most inanimate objects around here. fighting flashbacks of asparagus and peas i laughed and shook my head…he persisted…i ran out of laughter…he held it there and begged long enough for it to become funny again before eating it himself…
this is his way of taking care of me.
some days- usually those days when i’ve downed a shockingly diverse (disgusting) combination of foods- he knows the only solution is a multivitamin. his game is smooooth- he catches my attention, ’so kate guess what?’ -holds my gaze while handing me pill and water- ‘i just got this amazing email from client x and she has decided’ -i mindlessly put the pill in my mouth- ‘to have cotton candy’ -swallow- ‘at her reception!’ it’s a lie, but the vitamin is down and his purpose achieved, it’s no matter i’m crushed that everyone’s favorite spun sugar will not be available at client x’s wedding. gosh, he’s good. i’ve tried this tactic on him, you know, offhand- ‘hey babe, i read that starting your own microbrewery’ -slip two receipts into designated bowl- ‘will actually be possible in our tiny apartment! aren’t you excited!?’ -immediately- ‘what did you buy?’ bust.
i try lots of little games around here and always the same outcome- busted. i keep a seriously concentrated look on my face ‘going through my client emails’ and ruin it by giggling at someone’s blog. busted. maybe sometimes i even leave enough paper on the roll for one last use and forget that matt, well, doesn’t really need it and i end up, well, stranded. -matt says this last one is a weak example, duh he says that, he has no idea!-
all this to say -i’m laughing that i’m even considering bringing this post to a poignant close- we play. it’s not all work around here, we couldn’t pull it off…thank goodness. people ask us often what it’s like to work with your spouse all.day.every.day and our reaction is always the same; stifled laughter at our own ridiculousness, slight embarrassment because -again- we’re ridiculous and a sincere attempt to explain how we work like dogs but distract eachother often enough to love it. that’s just how we roll.
Posted in matt&kate | 6 Comments »
August 6, 2008 by katealtmix
i was around 3 when my obsession with teeny things became obvious. while mom shopped, i’d intently scour the department store floors for ‘treasure’ such as sequins, crystals (tiny pieces of quartz probably brought in on the bottom of a shoe), beads, buttons and the occasional diamond (rhinestone). before leaving the store i would evaluate the day’s finds; throwing out the dull pieces and clenching my fist around the best pieces to be tucked into my jewelry box at home.
i mentioned it off-hand a few posts ago and i should have explained it. i’m obsessed with glittery details. my degree from uga says ‘bfa, jewelry and metal design’ and yes, it’s real. :) working with fascinatingly small cut stones, shiny silver, powdered glass and teeny hammers is inspiring and calming to me. my eye for detail that began developing on the floor at belk’s had found it’s home…for a while…until i realized that i spent more time photographing my jewelry than actually making any…until i realized that i thrived on human interaction…until i realized that i wanted just take pictures and interact.
all this to say, if i ask for your ring don’t worry. 
i’m just capturing all of those details i spent years studying and i appreciate so much. if i smuggle your fabulous shoes outside to take a few detail shots, they’ll be back soon. if i get so close to your delicate bouquet that you’re pretty sure i’m about to eat it, i won’t, most likely. that’s just me, in my element, capturing smiles and details and diamonds and most definitely creating ‘the shot’ i want for you.
for fun, i’ll leave you with a couple images of my rings from my last semester of college. i think maybe one day i’ll be inspired to get back into it, for now, i’m taking a break:
Posted in matt&kate | 5 Comments »
August 5, 2008 by katealtmix
carly and chris are totally laid-back, fun and completely in-love, so basically the clients of our dreams. 
hanging out with them at their beautiful wedding made for a rockin’ saturday! even though carly was fighting a sore throat, she spent the day smiling, making sure everyone else (especially chris) was having a great day and even forcing a few morsels of food into her butterfly-filled stomach. good move, girl! *brides, even though you don’t want to, please eat on your wedding day, you’ll need the energy!* sorry, small tangent. moving on. the ceremony was a beautiful, the first mass i’d ever been to! holy family catholic church was wonderful about including so many of their friends and family in the mass through readings and serving, it was quite a personalized ceremony. the reception was at the church’s beautiful and huge social hall and oooh yes, the food. atlanta’s own affairs to remember put together four elegant spreads of incredible food, check them out if you’re in the market! (or if you just like reading menus…um, like me.) ok, here are a few of our favorite images from saturday!
carly’s dress was stunning; we both agreed that the bottom was our favorite part!
matt took this next image through the handle of the florist’s box. the sneak peek of the beautiful bouquets is quite tantalizing, no?
chris and his dad, relaxing before the ceremony:
i included this next image because it cracks me up. i hope it’s not one of those ‘you had to be there’ funny things; i’d hate to do that to you! but really, these two kids were convinced that they could trigger our lights with awesome dancing- they spent quite a while testing different moves to persuade it to go off. what was funny to me was matt was sitting right behind them waiting and when they did something ridiculous enough he’d take a picture and the light would flash, i could not control my laughter!
carly’s mom had this smile going 100% of the day, even through her happy tears! she was so excited for carly and chris to be married and her smile was so contagious!
carly & chris, thank you guys for asking us to be part of your day, it was perfect! we so enjoyed watching you love each-other and your guests all day. i hope maine is incredible and the lobster and laughter is abundant, best wishes to you!!
Posted in the wedding! | Tagged affairs to remember, altmix, atlanta, catholic mass, photography | 5 Comments »
July 31, 2008 by katealtmix
it ended the same way it began, at mcdonald’s. embarrassing? yes, but my options were limited. i had just gotten married and moved to atlanta. i was jobless in a totally unfamiliar city clutching a brief resume and scared to death to begin the search for my first real job.
i considered a few jewelry stores before realizing i needed a little break from that (my degree from uga is in jewelry and metal design- it’s true) and then i thought of craigslist. the mother of everything accessible to any slightly computer savvy recent graduate. and i dove in. matt and i figured out how much it would be nice for me to make (to help with food, shelter, and other luxuries ) and i realized that i was going to either work full time retail (tempting for the discounts, of course) or i would find a well-paying part time job.
so that little rant brings us to me sitting in mcd’s last september, over 45 minutes early for my interview (i was so nervous) with a small software company looking for a part time receptionist. that’s the story of how this entirely right brained jeweler ended up in tech support triaging calls. it was a great change of pace for me and at two days a week i was available the rest of the week to set up our new home…and help launch this photography biz.
today i sat in that very mcdonalds, having gotten to work before the building was unlocked and knew it was the end. matt and i had added the numbers until excel crashed (so, what, like five minutes?! i kid. i kid.) and it was clear that i needed to devote my time to our biz rather than someone else’s. i sat and waited with the same cocktail of feelings i’d experienced just 11 months earlier: excitement, apprehension, anxiety…and a slight upset stomach- totally unrelated to emotion- more related to the fried grease on grease i’d just consumed (occasionally stress related eating just happens, no?!). so to make an unnecessarily long story short, today i gave my two weeks. it might not seem like a big deal but that little bit of steady income will no longer be a security blanket for us. we are all in baby and we couldn’t be more excited to serve you better. because really, you just can’t hold a right brain down!!
Posted in matt&kate | Tagged altmix, atlanta, business, job, photography | 19 Comments »
