(once like a spark) Featured On District Weddings!

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 15, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), california, east coast, OLAS loves, weddings | 0 comments

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Big thanks to District Weddings for featuring Courtney + Patrick’s epic DC wedding shot by Michael at the DAR building. Loved this one!

OLAS LOVES :: love day

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 14, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), engagement, OLAS loves, weddings | 0 comments

Hello OLAS lovelies!

You didn’t think we were going to let Valentines Day come and go without a special edition OLAS LOVES blog post did you?! Not a chance! We olas-ers work in a company whose whole purpose is to celebrate love and do our very best to capture it for lifetimes to come. Thus, since we absolutely love, “love day” (obvi!) –> we’ve decided to give you a little gallery of some our favorite/sweetest olas moments this year. Get ready for some seriously amazing couples shots and soak in the love.

Happy Valentines Day OLAS family!! We heart you.

Take It From Us….What We Would Do Differently

Posted by (once like a spark) on Feb 8, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), From the Creative Director, OLAS loves, weddings | 3 comments

A long, long time ago (ok…. not that long ago), before (once like a spark) photography ever existed, we all got married. None of us were involved in the wedding industry at the time, and we all had vastly different weddings. Now that we all get to spend our days looking at photo after photo of the most amazing weddings we could ever imagine, we all spend a lot of time thinking about what we might have done differently if we knew then what we know now. Here are just a couple of the things we came up with…..

Leah Case – National Sales Director, Booking Wonder Woman

Hip, City Wedding and Reception in Atlanta, Georgia

I would definitely try to come up with more creative, interesting things for the tables for my guests. We’ve seen SUCH cool ideas from our brides, and I wish I would have thought about it more!
I should have eaten more than one bite of cake (the one my husband fed me!) I totally missed out….and I bet it was yummy.
I never developed a family shot list for my photographer, so she didn’t know who in my family needed to be in specific photos. (Shameless plug for (once like a spark) – We walk you through this WHOLE process, and give you a suggested family shot list as a starting point!)
I would have incorporated more meaningful, sentimental details into my wedding day (something of my mother’s, etc). We see some really powerful stuff that our couples come up with – it’s such a great reminder of meaningful people in your life!

Brittany Davis – National Director of Client Relations, Brides’ Bestie Forever

Church Wedding and Historic Venue Reception in Richmond, Virginia on Tobacco Row

- - - - I would have stopped worrying about trying to make everyone happy and compromise the things that were important to me.
        
        I would have thought about how the weather would affect my hair - it was over 100 degrees outside…and I wore my hair down
        
        I wish I would have added more creative details at my reception – I’m blown away by the creativity of our brides. The details they come up with never cease to amaze me.
        
        I definitely would have gotten a photographer that didn’t use FILM!(Yes, you read this right….and I didn’t get married in 1975!!) Shameless plug for (once like a spark) photography: We definitely do not use film. HA!
        
        I was so busy chatting at my reception, that I only ate a stuffed mushroom and some shrimp! I wish I would have taken some time to enjoy the food I worked so hard to select!

Emily Mayo – Art Director, Expert in All Things Pretty

Rustic Farm Wedding near Athens, Georgia

I would have planned for some time with just my husband and I right after the ceremony to soak in the fact that we just got married….even 15 minutes to ourselves to enjoy our excitement and focus on each other before the party got started!
My mom made some AMAZING white sangria for cocktail hour, and I only got 1/2 glass before it ran out! I wish I would have thought to have someone save a glass for myself and my hubby!
I wish that we would have thought through some of the logistical details for our actual ceremony. For instance, we didn’t even think about the fact that our musicians may need to be mic’d so our guests could hear them!
I wish we’d done a few more creative and personal things for the ceremony and/or reception – looking at how crazy creative our clients are has made me super aware of all the other things I could have incorporated (are you noticing a theme here?)

Ashley Steele – (once like a spark) co-owner, Mama OLAS

Mountain Resort Ceremony and Reception (In Front of A Waterfall) in North Georgia

- - - - I wish that I had taken a quick second to walk through the reception area after it was all set-up. There were a couple of things I would have changed, but it was too late when I saw it for the first time – walking in with my new husband
        
        I should have thought about some of the logistical details a bit more. I got married in front of a waterfall, and found a beautiful quartet of girls who sang an a cappella version of Canon in D (with their voices). The only problem is – no one could hear them over the waterfall! Sad!
        
        I absolutely should have purchased an album from my photographer before my wedding….and this is not even a sales ploy. I always assumed I would make one afterwards…4 years later, I still have no album, and my mother sends inquiries through our website asking me to finally put one together! HA! Shameless plug for (once like a spark) photography: We produce AMAZING albums for our couples and their parents using some super-creative, really unique materials. We always encourage our clients to think about these things before their wedding…so you don’t end up like me!

Amy Savage – Director of Finance, Controller of the Dolla Dolla Billz, Ya’ll

Elopement (Woohoo!) On a Tropical Beach with Just Her Husband!

Even thought it was just my husband and I, I definitely wish I would have realized the importance of still expressing more of my own style at my wedding. I literally just took my dress, and got married.
I didn’t do much planning (because there wasn’t anything much to plan!), but I wish I would have thought through some things a bit more. For instance, I got married on the beach….and didn’t put on sunscreen (oops!) Made for a painful few days.
I wish I had gotten married sooner! My husband and I waited 8 years to finally tie the knot, but we both knew we were meant to be together from day one!
I wish I had hired a good photographer. I didn’t think about it at the time, but I know literally have ONE (yes, one) photo that I am willing to share with others, and it’s still not very good. I wish I had better photos to share with my boys and everyone who wasn’t there with us. Shameless plug for (once like a spark) photography: I promise you’ll have more than 1 semi-OK photo. That can be guaranteed. You’ll end up with a collection of beautiful photographs you’ll be proud to share with generation after generation!

(once like a spark) photography::our resolutions for 2012

Posted by (once like a spark) on Jan 6, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), From the Creative Director, locations, OLAS loves | 0 comments

Here at (once like a spark) photography, we do a lot of dreaming and visioning and talking about what we want our company to stand for. We hosted our annual OLAS retreat at the end of 2011 and spent most of the time talking about how we would be intentional in 2012. This week is always SUCH an amazing time of rejuvenation and inspiration (not just because of all of the Diet Coke, wine, and baked goods that are involved), but because it feels good to regroup and enter a new year with a new set of goals. We made some resolutions for (once like a spark) for 2012, and it occurred to us that we should share these with you, our (once like a spark) family. All of you, whether you’re a former client, a current client, a fellow photographer, a personal friend, or just an observer, make up the heartbeat of who we are as a community, and we want your help in achieving our 2012 resolutions. Have an idea about how you can help contribute? Know a contact that may be interested in one of the resolutions mentioned? Have something you’d like to add? We want to hear from you in the comments section or at info@oncelikeaspark.com. So here they are….our 2012 OLAS resolutions.

1. OLAS will truly give back (and give back big!) We believe that photography is powerful in validating the essence of a person, a relationship, a family, etc. and we want to provide that to others. We’re considering contacting local Habitat for Humanity chapters to offer free family sessions and prints for the families who are the recipients of new homes, so they have something meaningful hanging on their walls from day 1. Have any other ideas? Know a way we can help? Email us at info@oncelikeaspark.com

2. We will expand to new markets around the country, add to our family of crazy-talented photographers, and provide a community where our photogs learn and grow from each other. Any aspiring OLAS photogs out there? We want to hear from you as we grow! It’s not only our resolution to add to our photographer family, but we want to create an OLAS photographer online resource center where our handpicked photographers can learn and grow from each other.

3. We will work with more of you. Plain and simple. We can’t wait to meet and love on an entire new set of amazing couples this year. If you’re interested in working with OLAS for your wedding day (or if you know someone who is!) be sure to email us at info@oncelikeaspark.com or through our website.

4. We will be a source of inspiration for couples who are planning their weddings. We see a lot of weddings (a LOT) all over the country, and are consistently amazed at the creativity and resourcefulness of our amazing couples. We want to share all of that with you! That’s why we’re committed to a few different things in 2012.We’ll be pinning our favorite ideas to our Pinterest boards (you can find them here), and we’ll be blogging a LOT more often. Not only will we be showing beautiful weddings, but we’ll be giving tips, tricks, and advice. Lastly, look out later this year for The Spark Guide – a weekly dose of wedding prettiness delivered directly to your inbox.

5. We will offer resources and workshops for other wedding vendors starting their own businesses. We’ve learned a lot in the past few years, and we’ve learned how to market and manage hundreds and hundreds of weddings a year. If you’re a wedding vendor and are interested in learning more about branding and marketing, managing workflow, connecting with your clients, etc. look out for an OLAS workshop near you this year. If you know that you’d be interested, please email us at info@oncelikeaspark.com asap.

6. We will ensure our couples are featured in more blogs! Our brides and their weddings are awesome, and everyone should see them! Be on the lookout for our brides to be showcased around the blogosphere in 2012!

7. We will be more green. We’ve made a commitment to running our company as “green” as we can – we work remotely/co-work, use all electronic documents, and work with Finao (one of the most environmentally conscious album providers in the industry), but there’s always more we can do. We’ve made some important shipping changes, and are going to continue to make going green a priority in our business.

8. We will establish an internship program. As we’ve grown and expanded, we’ve come to realize there are some excellent real-life learning opportunities for college students and recent grads interested in entrepreneurship, marketing, art direction, finance, and sales. We’re excited to offer internship positions in 2012. Stay tuned for more info, or if you know you’d be interested email us at info@oncelikeaspark.com

9. We will support other small businesses in every capacity possible. From choosing Etsy vendors for our whimsy package contents to networking with other wedding vendors, we are committed to the growth of small businesses in any way that we can.

10. We will help YOU get to know US better. We’re considering hosting fun social events in our markets around the country with our photographers, former clients, current clients, or anyone else who wants to chat with us. Happy hour anyone?

Anthony + Christy::Surprise Proposal::Atlanta

Posted by (once like a spark) on Jan 4, 2012 in (oncelikeaspark), engagement, OLAS loves, southeast | 5 comments

When Anthony contacted us and asked us to participate in his proposal to his then-girlfriend, Christy, we were beside ourselves with excitement. Would we be a part of it? You BET we would!! Anthony had decided to propose to Christy at FAB (French-American Brasserie), an amazing restaurant in Atlanta, and knew that he wanted beautiful photos of the whole experience that he and Christy could treasure for a lifetime. Jen, one of our absolutely amazing Atlanta photogs, was chosen for this covert operation, and Anthony set up his plan. Jen arrived to FAB early and was placed at a table directly facing where Anthony and Christy would be sitting.

Anthony and Christy came in, sat down, and Jen acted like a normal diner until the second the Anthony got down on his knee. Then BAM! Jen got to work doing her thang….and we are all in LOVE with the result. We are so blessed that Anthony asked us to be a part of this….and that after this experience Christy and Anthony asked us to shoot their wedding as well! Enjoy, sweet OLAS fam, and leave Anthony and Christy some love!

NotWedding….Part 2

Posted by (once like a spark) on Aug 8, 2011 in (oncelikeaspark), OLAS loves, weddings | 0 comments

OK guys….here it is! Part 2 of the NotWedding. In case you’re just tuning in, here’s all of the info.

The NotWedding is a “fake wedding to inspire real brides”. It’s essentially a collaboration of some of the most innovative, creative wedding vendors in the city who all get together and throw the ultimate wedding. NotWedding “guests” are brides-to-be who get to see the vendors ideas actually put to work, and who attend an “actual” wedding, complete with food/drink/ceremony/reception…you get the point. We were SO honored to be selected as one of the photographers for this years event. Not only did we get to participate during the NotWedding, but we also were able to shoot and style the official engagement session for the NotCouple. You may remember that session shot by killer OLAS photog Jen, and if not, you can see it here on our blog, and here when it was featured on 100 Layer Cake. (once like a spark) photographer Carla shot the NotWedding event in Atlanta, and her talent continues to absolutely BLOW US AWAY. She did a KILLER job – from the details, to the portraits, to all of the candid moments in between….just you wait. The NotWedding was the culmination of such crazy talented vendors, and we highly, highly recommend that you check all of them out. You can find the full list of selected vendors here. Check em out, and send them some love!

On a side note….We loved working with Caroline, the NotBride, so much that she is now officially a member of our team working closely with clients helping them coordinate all of the bazillion details involved in wedding photography. We are SO blessed to have been a part of such an innovative, creative group of people – ya’ll check them out!

One of our FAV components of the whole event was the complete look that came together for the bridesmaids. Killer outfits by Dress Your Core, Hair/Makeup by Claudia Mejerle, Accessories by Fine and Fleurie, and Flowers by Gertie Mae’s