Avonlee Photography

Lone Star Wedding

2012-02-01T12:29:00.001-05:00

Laura and Jess selected a spectacular location to hold their wedding nuptials - the Vintage Villas just outside of Austin Texas. I traveled down to Austin on the Thursday before the event with Laura's sister Sarah and her husband Nath (whose wedding I had photographed in 2009). Austin was experiencing one of its hottest and driest spells in decades and this fact became obvious the moment you left the cool confines of the terminal.

It is always nice to work outside your normal environment and be exposed to new and challenging situations. The Texas landscape and sunsets have won me over and I look forward to a return trip there very soon!

Here are some of the images we captured.

Album Colors

2012-01-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

The following are album color options for both our Coffee Table and Panoramic Album collections. Due to differences in monitor calibrations the color seen on your monitor may not be exact. To see the leather swatches in person, please call the studio to schedule an appointment at 301-946-4656.

Bethany Beach Engagement Session

2011-12-29T15:35:00.003-05:00

We love to photograph in new places. This session took place during a hot July evening on the Bethany Beach Boardwalk. Maddie and Will were great fun to work with and we found some wonderful locations to shoot in.

Commercial on-site photography at Visionary Opthamology

2011-06-13T14:55:00.003-04:00

The following images were taken at an Ophthalmology Center in Bethesda Maryland. They demonstrate on-location real life situations.

First Secret to Great Wedding Photography

2011-04-06T12:02:00.000-04:00

If you're a bride who wants her wedding to be PERFECT, and the most romantic, beautiful and emotional day of your life; if you want to enjoy every minute of your day; if you want to be the most ravishingly beautiful bride your friends and relatives have ever seen; if you want to spend wonderful, quality time with your guests; if you want to remember with happy tears in your eyes all the love, emotion and joys of the day...
Then this is going to be the most exciting blog post you have ever gone to - Really!

      At Avonlee Photography we LOVE weddings! We’ve been photographing them for 11 years - not because we have to but rather because we WANT to, because we love the emotion and romance of weddings.

SECRET #1: How To Guarantee Your Wedding Lives Up To Your Dreams.
Believe it or not, the photographer you select to photograph your wedding can make or break your wedding day. Yes, I kid you not, your wedding day - not just your photographs! Why? Because he's THERE - with you and your family, in person - interacting with all your family and guests - and representing you every minute.

Now, HONESTLY, we're not just talking about photography here - we're talking about YOUR WEDDING - how YOU FEEL on your wedding day, and how smoothly and romantically everything goes. You see, your photographer determines this, by the way he helps you plan your wedding, the way he treats you and your loved ones, and the way he conducts himself throughout the day.

Amazing Secret Revealed - What Other Wedding Photographers Don't Want You To Know!

So here's the secret: Meet the photographer - IN PERSON - before you hire anyone to photograph your wedding! Most brides don't realize that many studios hire part time photographers to photograph their weddings for them - high school and college kids, friends, relatives, etc. This means that you go to a studio, talk with a salesperson, look at their samples, and make a decision - without really knowing who will be photographing your wedding!

   And if it's not just the right person doing the photography, and interacting with all your family and guests, everything can be ruined!
So, when you're talking with a potential studio, ask them the following questions:
      1. Who did these photographs you are showing me?
    2. Who, by name, will be photographing our wedding if we hire your studio?
    3. We want to MEET this person, BEFORE we hire your studio.

Then, when you meet this person, ask him or her the following questions:

      1. How will you dress at my wedding?

      2. Did you do ALL the samples of wedding photography we saw in the sample books?
          If not, show us YOUR work, please.

      3. How long have you been photographing weddings?

     4. How long will you be at my wedding?

     5. Before you leave our wedding, who do you check with first to see if there's
            anything else we would like you to do?

      Then, decide if you REALLY LIKE HIM, as well as his work! Because he's going to be spending a lot of time with you and your family and friends, on your important day.

By the way, just so you know, here are my answers to those questions:
I'm the ONLY photographer at my studio. I will be photographing your wedding personally.

I will dress in a nice suit (NOT A TUX, AND NOT JUST SLACKS AND A SHIRT! I don't want to take anything away from your groom and groomsmen and the fathers, and I also don't want to dress casually, and not represent you professionally.)

I have been photographing weddings, as I mentioned earlier, for _____ years. Can you fill in the blank? Just checking to see if you're paying attention! It's 11 years!

I'll be at your wedding until both you and your husband (how exciting - your "husband!"), say that you have nothing else for me to do. I NEVER will leave your wedding without checking with you!

There are six more Secrets to Great Wedding Photography. To view them visit our website at http://www.avonleephotography.com/html/wedding_secrets.html

Capri Album Color Options

2011-03-29T16:12:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody,
This post is intended to help our Wedding Clients with their Capri Album Cover Color options. Your order forms will indicate which leather option is available to you. Upgrades to different leather options are available - please contact the studio for pricing information.

New Wedding Guest Book

2010-10-20T21:20:00.003-04:00

The Image Guest Book is proving very popular with our Brides and Grooms. It features five 8x10 images taken from your Engagement Portrait session in a beautifully hand crafted leather bound album. Guests leave their congratulations and messages to you using silver Sharpie markers on the black pages that face each of the five photographs. The album will become a great talking piece on your coffee table for years to come. Additional blank pages are available for weddings with a larger guest count.

Amanda and Erik

2010-10-14T11:31:00.005-04:00

October 10, 2010 - Turned out to be a spectacular day for Amanda and Eric. Their wedding at the Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland was bathed in wonderful sunshine and filled with surprises, including a visit from the 'The Bird' of Oriole's fame. The ceremony was officiated by the Cloisters very own Annie Applegarth. Catering was supplied by the Manor Tavern. For the second time in a month, I had the pleasure of working with the very professional Tom Gavin of DJ Delights. Here are some more images from the day.

Brittany and Loring

2010-09-27T17:28:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday's wedding of Brittany and Loring took place at the lovely Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland. The ceremony took place in beautiful sunshine outside in the Cloistered courtyard. Reception followed inside in the main building. Squires Catering provided the wonderful food and service. The happy couple had a great send off in a 1954 mint condition Ivory and Classic Bentley from Lasting Impressions on Catonsville. The following are some images from the day - hope you enjoy them.

Cache Wedding Album Styles

2010-09-23T16:43:00.000-04:00

This post will detail the various cover styles and colors available for our Cache Wedding albums. All packages come as standard with a plain design album. Upgrades to other styles are available for a fee. Please call the studio for upgrade pricing - 301-946-4656.

Cover Styles

Plain Design

Image Cutout

Wraparound

Two Tone

Raised Frame

ImageVue

_______________________________

Album Colors

The following leather colors are available with our line of Cache Wedding albums.

Amanda and Dale at the Cloisters

2010-09-17T14:32:00.009-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Amanda and Dale's wedding at the Cloisters Castle recently. This is one of my favorite locations in which to photograph a wedding with its many unique settings and scenes it makes for great photo opportunities. Both the ceremony and reception were held at the same location. Amanda and Dale had 125 of the their dearest family and friends in attendance and I was honored to help them capture their special day.

Diana Venditto of Eventi Planning, did a wonderful job coordinating the wedding and Tom Gavin of DJ Delights provided great music throughout the night. It was great working with them both. Craig Hasslinger and his team from Hasslinger Golden Clipper Catering provided the delicious food and service throughout the evening. Please enjoy some images from the wedding:

Michelle and Tim at Historic Oakland

2010-09-16T09:45:00.004-04:00

August 28, 2010.

Michelle and Tim celebrated their wedding at the beautiful Historic Oakland in Columbia Maryland. The ceremony took place in the small garden to the side of the mansion under the large oak trees. Reception followed in the mansion with Simply Elegant Catering providing the delicious food and great service. Shelly's Blossom of Baltimore (410-961-4199), provided the spectacular floral arrangements and the cake was supplied by Sugar Bakers. Music was provided by Chris Uhi of Absolute Entertainment. The following are some images from the day.

Parent Albums

2010-06-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Our standard parent album is either a 12 or 24 page matted album. Each page holds either one 4x5 or one 5x7 (depending on the size of album you order). An example of a two page spread is shown below

Each photograph is mounted behind a mat (one photograph to a page). A metal corner piece on each page provides a convenient way to turn a page without fingers coming in contact with the surface of the photograph.

The cover of the album has a number of title options and an example is shown below.

Album color options maybe found at this link

Receiving Lines - do you really need one?

2010-03-19T17:05:00.001-04:00

Is it absolutely necessary to have a receiving line?
I always hate having to wait through them when I attend a wedding reception. Isn’t there a better way? A receiving line is usually in order for a very formal wedding; otherwise, there are several more relaxed alternatives. One very nice custom is to have the bride and groom, as well as the other members of the wedding party, “float” around the reception, speaking to each cluster of guests. Another custom, rather new but quite enjoyable and comfortable for the guests, is to have the guests remain seated in the church or synagogue until they are personally greeted and dismissed by the bride and groom themselves. This could be called the “lazy man’s receiving line” because the guests remain seated until it’s time for their row to stand and file past the bride and groom, hugging, kissing and wishing them well as they exit their pews.

Disposable Cameras - Are They Worth It?

2010-03-17T11:34:00.011-04:00

This question keeps popping up on both bride's internet sites and in my meetings with prospective clients. Will these cameras give you worthwhile quality photographs? Let's think about who will actually use the cameras - most likely either kids or somewhat inebriated guests are the ones drawn to them. As a rule neither of these groups make good photographers.

Lets look at the true cost of these cameras:
Each disposable camera will cost you about $6.
Let's say you have 15 tables at your reception.
Total cost of cameras: 6x15 = $90

After the event or wedding each of these cameras will have to be processed and printed. The average cost of processing and printing each camera is $8.
Total cost of processing: 8x15 = $120

Your total cost for purchasing and processing 15 cameras is therefore $90 + $120 = $210

This may not seem like a lot of money, but think about this for a moment. What kind of a quality image do you expect to get from a $6 camera, made of plastic with a plastic lens and a flash that has a range of about 5 feet? The answer is NOT GREAT! You will be very fortunate to get 3 good photographs from these 15 cameras - which, if you break the cost down, works out to $70 per photograph!

My advice - DO NOT WASTE your money on these cameras. Your professional photographer uses equipment valued at thousands of dollars to capture you looking your best and will certainly do a far better job than these disposable cameras.

Maryland Wedding Album Photographer of the Year 2009

2010-03-05T15:37:00.001-05:00

Michael Dunphy receiving his award for
2009 Maryland Wedding Album Photographer of the Year
from Nizam Mohamed, Print Competition Chair
for the Maryland Professional Photographers Association

Hi Everyone,
What a week! This past Wednesday I was awarded the Maryland Wedding Album Photographer of the Year Award for 2009 from the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. This is my third year in a row to receive this award. I want to thank all my great couples for allowing me to enter their albums in the competitions held throughout the year. As always I am indebted to my great clients for allowing me to record their most important moments.

Best wishes,
Michael

LoriLea and Rick's Wedding

2009-09-22T14:08:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,
LoriLea and Rick had a great day last Saturday for their wedding. Beautiful weather and a wonderful couple makes my life easy.

Their wedding took place at the recently renovated Hilton Hotel in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The Hilton's Catering Sales Manager, Cathy Peck, and her staff did a great job organizing both the ceremony and reception. Cathy may be reached at cpeck@hiltongaithersburg.com or by phone at 301-591-9907.

DJ Elon, of Double Mobile Music, provided great music throughout the evening ensuring a full dance floor at all times. Elon may be reached at www.eemobilemusic.com or by phone at 301-644-3370.

The wonderful wedding cake was provided by Nancy Chinnock of Custom Cake Design. Nancy may be reached by phone at 301-216-1100.

I hope you enjoy some of the images from the day.
Best wishes,
Michael

Jess and Aaron at the Key Bridge Marriott

2009-09-08T16:05:00.015-04:00

Hi everyone,

I had the great pleasure of photographing Jess and Aaron's wedding on September 6, 2009 at the fabulous Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. This is a super location for a wedding with great staff and a view that is second to none.

My thanks to Alaina Austria, Senior Event Manager at the Marriott for taking such good care of the vendors - thanks Alaina! You can reach Alaina at alaina.a.austria@marriott.com - tel 703-284-1469.

Leah McKay did the make up for all the girls - she is a great person and really knows what to do to make you look your best. She has her own company and can be reached here - tel 703-241-8402.

Pat Carpenter was both the florist and wedding coordinator - her attention to detail really helped the overall look of the wedding. Pat can be reached at patcarpenter43@gmail.com or by telephone at 703-980-2143.

Hope you enjoy some of the images from the day.

Best wishes,

Michael

Leah in action.

Stephanie keeping an eye on things.

Dress and Shoes!

Tying up the dress.

Aaron awaiting his beautiful bride.

Unity Candle time.

DC toast!

Fun times!

Free 11x14 prints from your Wedding

2009-06-09T21:10:00.009-04:00

New Rewards Program for our Wedding Couples.

Starting in July we will begin a new rewards program for all our wedding couples. The program is very simple - for every 20 reprints ordered from your wedding, you will receive a free 11x14 wall portrait. The 20 reprints (of any size) may be ordered either directly through our reprints order form or through an online order placed via our website. There is no limit to the number of 11x14s you can earn. Encourage your friends and family to place orders - you will benefit with great free prints!

20 prints = 1 - 11x14

2008 Maryland Wedding Album Photographer of the Year

2009-03-05T19:42:00.007-05:00

Hi Everybody,
This past February I was awarded the 2008 Wedding Album Photographer Award for the state of Maryland. The award is based on the cumulative points total from four print competitions that took place during 2008. We participated in 3 of the 4 competitions and in each case we won the best of show award and the first place award.

Michael receiving his award from Mary Jeanne Campanielle,
Co-Chair of the MDPPA print competition.

The award ceremony took place at the end of the Annual Convention of the Maryland Professional Photographers Association which was held in the Sheraton Hotel, Columbia, Maryland. This was a wonderful 4 day convention and featured some of the best photography instructors in the country. I was very fortunate to meet and befriend Jim Lersch of Nixa, Missouri. Jim presented two great seminars - one covering High School Seniors and the second dealing with Commercial photography. The amazing images presented during both seminars have certainly helped inspire me to further improve my own photography. You can check out Jim's site here.

Also at our convention was a marvellous portrait photographer, Don Chick, from East Rochester, New Hampshire. He presented a great program on portrait lighting to a packed room. Samples of his wonderful work can be found here.

Gift Certificates

2008-12-02T11:05:00.006-05:00

An Avonlee Photography Gift Certificate is a wonderful present to give for the holidays or any other special occasion. A gift certificate can be used toward any product or service we offer, including:

Children's Portrait
Family Portrait
Maternity Portrait
Pet Portrait
Wedding Reprints for a newly married couple

To order certificates, just give us a call at 301-946-4656 and we will be glad to take your order.

Album Colors

2008-10-30T19:40:00.011-04:00

Hi everybody,
This post will help our brides with their album color selection. We offer a number of different leather options for album covers. Please check with your album order forms to determine which leather type is standard with your package. Please scroll down the post to view all sets of colors - click on an image to open a larger view of that selection. Please be aware that your monitor may display these colors incorrectly. To see actual sample swatches of the leather please call the studio at 301-946-4656 to schedule an appointment.

Chaparral Leather Collection

Fashion Palette

Christmas Portraits & Holiday Cards

2008-10-21T10:59:00.011-04:00

This year, we are pleased to offer specials on our Christmas Portraits and Holiday Cards. Our affordable 'Quick Take' packages are for portraits taken in the studio, as shown. Sessions are a maximum of 20 minutes and will take place over a three-day period.

Quick Take Packages

Package #1: 2 - 5x7s, 2 - 4x6s, 8 - Wallets, 1 Pose $ 69.95

Package #2: 4 - 5x7s, 4 - 4x6s, 8 - Wallets, 2 Poses $119.95

Package #3: 3 - 8x10s, 6 - 5x7s, 8 - Wallets, 3 Poses $159.95

Holiday Cards: 20 - 4x8 Cards $59.95

*New Card Designs Available (see below)

Session Fee: $45 per Family

Note: This pricing is only available for Quick Take photo sessions on the dates listed below. All other dates/times are at regular studio pricing.

Session Dates/Times

Friday, November 7: 10am - 4pm

Saturday, November 8: 10am - 4pm

Tuesday, November 11: 10am - 4pm

RESERVATIONS: Call now at 301-946-4656 to reserve a date and time for your portrait session.

New Holiday Card Designs!

2008-10-09T13:08:00.020-04:00

Our new holiday card designs are now available. When you have a portrait taken at our studio, you can order cards through us with your favorite image from your photo session. Choose from the following designs to create your own personalized holiday greeting.

Holiday cards (4x8 size) are available in sets of 20 cards for $59.95.

For order form, please call the studio at 301-946-4656

J-001

J-003

J-005

J-006

Call (301) 946-4656 for order form details.

Fall Portraits in the Park

2008-10-08T11:37:00.006-04:00

One of the loveliest times of year to have a portrait taken is the fall. Whether in a park or in your own backyard, the fall foliage can provide a brilliant backdrop for your portrait.

Special Offer

This year we've set aside a whole weekend for our Portraits in the Park.

Saturday, November 1 - 10am-4pm

Sunday, November 2 - 1pm-4pm

Portrait sessions will take place at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.

Sitting fee: $60 for a 30-minute session, a savings of $115 off our regular fee.

Call now to reserve your spot and discuss the details of your portrait.

301-946-4656

Charity Fund Raising

2008-09-28T22:47:00.012-04:00

LOOKING FOR DONATIONS FOR YOUR FUNDRAISERS?

In these tough economic times, we realize donations for charitable events are hard to come by. At Avonlee Photography, we would like to offer gift certificates as auction items for your fundraisers.

An Avonlee Gift Certificate includes:

- A Family Portrait Sitting - in our studio or at a separate location, such as Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland

- A Canvas Mounted Wall Portrait
Value: $580.00
We would be happy to make a donation to your upcoming events. Please call us at 301-946-4656 or e-mail us at info@avonleephotography.com to discuss how Avonlee Photography can help support your worthwhile causes.

Best wishes, Michael & Mary Dunphy

Avonlee Photography
Family Portrait

Best of Show in Album Competition

2008-09-18T19:59:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,
Just a short note to let you know that yesterday we had a very good night of competition at the Maryland Professional Photographers Association's print competition held at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia, MD. Our album 'Janet and Jim' received the 'Best of Show' award. Janet and Jim had a wonderful wedding at the Strathmore Mansion in Rockville in the Fall of 2006. Here are a couple of images from their album.

Competition Time Again

2008-09-15T23:15:00.002-04:00

Hi All,
This Wednesday evening we will be taking part in the third of four print competitions run by the Maryland Professional Photographers Association . The year long competition is heating up nicely in the various categories and we are looking forward to entering two wedding albums in the album category. The year long competition drives us to improve our photography skills. Last year we were fortunate to win the Wedding Album Photographer of the Year in Maryland

Michael Dunphy receives the Wedding Album Photographer
of the Year Award, 2007, from David Corey, President of the
Maryland Professional Photographers Association

We will let you know how we did later in the week.

Speak to you soon.

Photographs from Ireland vacation

2008-09-12T10:17:00.003-04:00

Hi everybody,
We made it back from Ireland in one piece. As always the weather was "perfect," but we still managed to do a lot of neat things and visit some beautiful locations. Our trip included a visit to the west of Ireland where we visited the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and the Aran Islands. Here are a selection of some of those images. We hope you enjoy them.

Best wishes,
Michael and Mary

Mary lives on the edge - Aran Islands

Pony and Trap - Hi-tech transportation on the Aran Islands

Sunset at the Cliffs of Moher

Our friends at Moher Hill Farm

Michael & Mary brave the Burren

The Burren at sunset, facing towards America

Fishing in Lahinch

Uilleann pipe player, Vinny Dunphy, at the Miltown Malbay Traditional Irish Music Festival

Grandad's Girls

And don't forget...Guinness is GOOD for you!!!

Avonlee Photography Enters the World of Blogging!

2008-06-16T21:19:00.001-04:00

Hi everybody and thank you for visiting our new blog. This is our first attempt at blogging and we hope you will bear with us as we get the hang of the process. Please revisit often as we intend to update the page with new images and content as we come across it.

Best wishes,

Michael and Mary

www.avonleephotography.com