Conspirare- New York

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Last February I had an amazing opportunity through fellow photographer Karen Sacher, to work with a chroal ensemble called Conspirare, lead by Craig Johnson.  The group had traveled to New York to preform around the city, and Karen and I followed them for a couple days, taking photos of their performances and rehearsals.  I also did some portraits of Craig.

Listening to their group was extraordinary and deeply inspirational!  Craig is a very kind person, and is so passionate about what he does.  I loved watching him work and orchestrate the group with such love and intensity.  It was a gift for me to witness an artist so connected to and passionate about his work and craft.  I look back at this trip last February with such fond memories.  Anytime your in New York creating work, it is wonderful, but to accompany Craig and his group, it was an experience I'll never forget.

Please visit their website, www.conspirare.org, to read about their group and mission, and to see a listing of their upcoming shows in Austin, Texas.

Back in the office, and hitting the ground running!

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After an epic road trip to Savannah, Georgia, with stops in Biloxi/Gulfport, MS, and New Orleans, LA, I returned to the office middle of last week with thousands of images to sort through, and senior portrait shoots galore!  The trip was wonderful.  First stop was for a beautiful wedding in Gulfport.  After that I continued onto Savannah where I shot some bridal portraits under the iconic old oaks and moss of the South.  On the way back to Houston, I stopped in New Orleans to photograph an off-shore facility for Tana Exploration, an oil and gas company based in the Woodlands, TX.  After a hot day photographing the various activities at the facility, I flew out in a helicopter, and was able to take some ariels of their facilities that afternoon, before heading to their Lafayette offices the following day.  It was an exciting couple of weeks, and a neat opportunity to cover a wide variety subjects!

The above photo was taken at the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah, GA.

Kate and J.J.'s Bayou Club Wedding

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At the end of March I photographed a gorgeous wedding at the Bayou Club.  You might remember Kate and J.J. from their engagement shoot at Kate's family ranch, or from one of my more recent posts about the Bahamas!  I've had such a wonderful time getting to know them, and it has been a true honor to document this very special time in their lives.

We had perfect weather for their beautiful outdoor ceremony.  Kate and J.J. chose to marry under a large oak tree, and the reception was tented by SPF.  Kristin McShane with Keely Thone Events did an incredible job making sure everything went off without a hitch (as she and all of their team always do).  Events and Bloom's flowers and decor and Pro/Sound's lighting created the perfect atmosphere, while 31 Films was there to film the weekend.  Sauce brought the house down, with a special guest appearance by groom J.J. and his brother Greg.  The delicious cakes were created by the incredibly talented Susie's Cakes...can you believe that Yankee's Stadium??  Stationary and invitations were by Sicily Eason, and bridesmaid dresses were by Bella Bridesmaids.  Ceremony music was provided by Divisi Strings.

It was an unforgettable weekend to witness and capture.  I hope y'all will enjoy all of the photos below.  I've also included a little time lapse movie from their ceremony that I already posted a month or two ago...check it out if you haven't already.

Thank you, Kate and J.J.!

 

Kate and J.J.'s Wedding from Chris Bailey on Vimeo.

 

Kate's Bahamian Bachorlette Bash

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In February I traveled to the Bahamas to photograph Kate over her bachelorette party weekend.  Kate and her friends had traveled to an island called Green Turtle Cay, and I met up with them for a couple of fun days.  We had such a great time hanging out and getting some fun pictures.

On my second day there, we boarded a boat that left from Brendall's Dive Shop.  Brendall is world famous for his dive tours and his delicious cooking.  Brendall himself was our captain, and we set out with our snorkel gear ready for the day.  I of course had my cameras.

What followed was some of the most beautiful snorkeling I have ever done.  We found a large reef that was full of incredible wildlife.  Shark, stingray, barracuda, and all sorts of colorful fish swam around us.  Some of the girls even saw some baby sea turtles.  While we snorkeled, Brendall swam around and gathered lobsters for us.  It was incredible to see him work.  He would hold his breath and dive down, searching out the nooks and crannies for lobster.  As you can see in the photos below, he caught us a feast!

When we were worn out from snorkeling, we headed back to the boat to break out the rum punches.  Brendall returned with his catch, and took us to a beautiful stretch of beach on a small neighboring island.  We unloaded, and walked the beach, finding an abundance of sand dollars and starfish.  While we enjoyed the waters and wildlife, and took some photos, Brendall was hard at work cooking up an awesome lunch.  After about 45 minutes, he blew his whistle for us to return and eat.  I have never tasted anything more delicious in my life!

We returned that evening late hoping to take some bridals of Kate.  Kate had brought her short wedding dress, one that she was going to change into in the middle of the night at her wedding.  We only had about 5 minutes to shoot before we lost all light, so we moved quickly and got a couple keepers.  The next morning we woke up for sunrise to get some more photos of Kate in her dress.

Here are some of my favorite photos from an incredible weekend in the Bahamas.

Thanks Kate for everything!