The Final Best-of-the-Best

For an explanation and recap of best-of-the-best click here.

Aaron's Picks:

Well it's finally here, the highly anticipated and often debated final post of our Best-of-the-Best series. It's been a lot of fun for Heather & I to go back through all the work of the last year and we're so happy with how our work has evolved in just the last 12 months. It was extremely difficult to narrow down tens of thousands of images to just our 3 favorites and I'm actually a little surprised that only one overlaps with our choices. Thanks again to all of our great clients that let us share their great events in 2007 and we can't wait for more experiences in 08.

As much as I enjoy engagement sessions it's no surprise that one of those pictures would take my top spot. This image means a lot to me for several reasons. First of all Cody and Tina are a fabulous couple and it's one of the weddings I'm looking most forward to in 08. Most of all though because it really shows the direction that my shooting style is going. Honest, pure, candid, & dramatic emotion is one of the hardest thing for photographers to capture because it is largely out of our control. It takes a wonderful combination of comfort with our clients and the strong personalities of the wonderful couples we work with. Throw in some interesting angles, and some urban/fashion flare and that is what you'll be seeing from Hawes Photography for years to come.

I know this explanation is getting long but telling. I wanted to add that this image has earned me the best compliment I've received in some time. A colleague of ours recently told me that when she saw this image for the first time that she instantly knew where the style was going and that we had found our unduplicatable niche. This is honestly the best compliment that any artist can hope to get and I will appreciate it for some time.

Well that's about enough of the insanely long-winded explanations. For me, this is a nearly perfect capture. The expression and great moment of indulgence is simple and wonderful. If you knew the subject, you'd understand even more.

More great expression and personality. We can't say enough good things about these two and I'm just glad we could give them a great image.

Heather's Picks:

Best of the Best – wow – it is ridiculously hard to narrow down an entire year of work to three pictures. Here’s what I’ve got and why – like Aaron you might be shocked by my choices (yes I was). For me the best of the best are not about technical accuracy, but more about how I feel when I look at them – and what emotions are captured.

I just LOVE this picture! Any couple who is crazy enough to lie on the ground in their wedding attire is perfect for our shooting style. Nathan and Rachel are two of the most engaging and warm people I’ve ever met. The welcomed us into their wedding like we were old friends.

I think this picture captures the intimacy of being in love. When you are with the right person, I think you can spend time in the simplest of locations because you are so entranced with each other. This picture makes me want to get lost in that field ...

How can you NOT love this picture. I think it is so fun! I am a huge “Thriller” fan – I intend to learn the dance someday – so this picture makes me want to hear the song and dance! It’s probably my most shocking choice, but something about it just grabs me.