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I met up with Kathryn and Justin a few weeks back to shoot their engagement pictures around Duke Gardens. It was one of the first warm days of spring so the gardens were were pretty packed. We took some time to venture off the beaten track to find some space to ourselves. Here are a few of my fave pics from the shoot. READ MORE

Ceremony: Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, NC Reception: The Great Room, Top of the Hill, Chapel Hill, NC Accommodations: Arrowhead Inn, Durham, NC Florals: Tre Bella, Durham, NC Dress: Tailor-made in China. Make-Up Artist: Meijia Li, Raleigh, NC Cake & Pâtisserie: Gugulhupf, Durham, NC Stationery: Grapevine Print & Design, Durham, NC Transportation: Classy Transportation, Morrisville, NC DJ: David Edwards, Raleigh, NC Videographer: Story2movie Studio, Apex, NC Assistant Photographer: Erin Costa, Wilmington, NC Joanna and Shenduo were married at Duke Chapel on a beautiful, rainy Saturday la ... READ MORE

Joanna and Shenduo tied the knot at a beautiful Duke Chapel wedding this past weekend. The weather for their wedding day couldn't be any more different from last Tuesday's when we headed out for Joanna's bridal photography session around the campus at UNC Chapel Hill. Here are a few of my faves from the shoot! READ MORE

Ceremony: Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, NC Reception: Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC DJ: Island Sound, Raleigh, NC Florals: Ninth Street Flowers, Durham, NC Dress: Sophia Tolli, Australia Duke Chapel Wedding Photographer: Joe Payne, Raleigh, NC   Catering & Cake: Sage & Swift, Durham, NC Rentals & Linens: American Party Rentals, Durham, NC Transportation: Greenway Transit, Durham, NC Coffee Service: Event Espresso, Raleigh, NC Favors: The Mad Popper, Durham, NC Assistant Photographer: Rebecca Ferguson, Durham, NC Following up one Duke win with another, here ... READ MORE

Probably the single biggest influence in my interest in photography and the launch of my photography business was the birth of my first child, Charlotte. One of the first things I did when I learnt that my wife, Cristel, and I were going to be parents was to go out and buy a camera, some lenses and lots and lots of books. Despite the fact I was doing my MBA back then, I read and studied A LOT and took pictures of pretty much everything that moved (or didn't move for that matter) - I shot anything! Over time, my work got noticed and I naturally moved into shooting portraits for friends; families, babies, kids, head shots and from there into we ... READ MORE

Planner: Sally Oakley Personalized Wedding Planning, Raleigh, NC Ceremony: Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, NC Reception: Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC DJ: Kevin Majoros, KM DJ Company, Raleigh, NC Florals: Watered Garden, Raleigh, NC Bridal Accommodations: Double Tree "Mansion on the Hill", Durham, NC Catering & Cake: Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC Linens: CE Rental, Raleigh, NC Transportation: Greenway Transit, Durham, NC Limousine: Carolina Livery, Durham, NC Videographer: Damien Maass, Cary, NC Assistant Photographer: Jimmy Beech, Raleigh, NC 2014 was an absolutely fantastic year i ... READ MORE

Just before Christmas, I got together with the lovely Rachel for her bridal session at Duke Chapel. She and Kevin were married two days later and images from that fab day will be coming soon. In the meantime, here are a few of my faves from the sesh. It was pretty parky out so full marks to Rachel for suffering for her art. Big props to Rachel's mum, Donna, for all her help too! READ MORE

I've been a bit sporadic with my updates recently; it's been a crazy autumn and things are only just starting to slow down for me. Anyway, I plan to catch up over the next few weeks, so we're all good! To get things back on track, what better way than this recent Raleigh engagement photography session? I had no idea there were so many cotton fields around these parts! I guess I need to get out more. If this shoot is anything to go by, I definitely will be going back! Big thanks to Kelly and Cameron for being such fab people for suggesting the location and allowing me to change the date to avoid the rain and catch the best light. Looking ... READ MORE

Planner: Charyl Williams of Social Butterfly Events, Wilmington, NC Ceremony & Reception: St. Thomas Preservation Hall, Wilmington, NC DJ: Dan White, Active DJ Entertainment, Wilmington, NC Florals: Design Perfection, Wilmington, NC Bridal Accommodations: City Club at De Rosset, Wilmington, NC Groomsmen Accommodations: The Wilmingtonian, Wilmington, NC Cakes: Elsie's Sweet Treats, Richmond, VA Caterer: Pine Valley Market, Wilmington, NC Hair & Makeup: Bangz Hair Salon & Spa, Wilmington, NC Lighting: High Performance Lighting, Wilmington, NC Rentals: Party Suppliers Rentals, Wilmington, and CE Rental, ... READ MORE

Wedding Ceremony: University United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill, NC Reception: The Carolina Club, Chapel Hill, NC DJ: Joe Bunn, Bunn DJ Company, Raleigh, NC Florals: University Florist, Chapel Hill, NC Catering & Cake: The Carolina Club, Chapel Hill, NC Assistant Photographer: Jimmy Beech, Raleigh, NC   A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of being the Chapel Hill wedding photographer at Alexandra and John's wedding at the University United Methodist Church and The Carolina Club in downtown Chapel Hill, NC. I always love shooting in new venues and both the UUMC and Carolina Club are fantastic places to phot ... READ MORE

Planner: Your Special Day Weddings & Events, Raleigh, NC Wedding Ceremony: All Saints Chapel, Raleigh, NC Reception: Driftwood Southern Kitchen, Raleigh, NC DJ: Scotty Williams, Unlimited DJ, Raleigh, NC Florals: Expressions of Love, Fuquay Varina, NC Ceremony Music: Arioso Strings, Cary, NC Accommodations, Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh Downtown, Raleigh, NC Cocktail Hour Music: Russ Thompson, Raleigh, NC Cakes: GiGi's Cupcakes, Raleigh, NC & Edible Art, Raleigh, NC Hair: Julie Burgess at J. Edwins Salon, Raleigh NC Makeup: Krista Massey, Raleigh, NC Transportation: A Formal Affair, Raleigh, NC V ... READ MORE

Wedding Ceremony: Duke Chapel, Durham, NC Reception: Treyburn Country Club, Durham, NC DJ: Lenny Fritt's Touch of Class DJ's, Cary, NC Florals: Tre Bella, Durham, NC   Cake: Sweet Memories Bakery, Apex, NC Hair & Makeup: Posh Salon, Durham, NC Accommodation: Durham Marriott City Center, Durham, NC Assistant Photographer: Jimmy Beech, Raleigh, NC   Lexi and Tom's Duke Chapel wedding went down in the books as being one of the wettest I have documented, both in terms of the weather and the fact I was actually moved to tears during the ceremony for the first time ever. It was Tom's sister's singing that ... READ MORE

Wedding Ceremony: Duke Chapel, Durham, NC Reception: The Cotton Room, Durham, NC DJ: The Perfect Beat, Apex, NC Florals: Tre Bella, Durham, NC Cake: Sugarland, Chapel Hill, NC Hair & Makeup: Samuel Cole Salon, Raleigh, NC Accommodation: Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Durham, NC Assistant Photographer: Jimmy Beech, Raleigh, NC   It was a really gorgeous day for Brianna and Chris's Duke Chapel wedding in mid-July. We've had a pretty stormy summer so far this year, so it was great to see the sun. A lot of photographers tend to run for the shade on sunny days, but I love working with harsh sunlight! It ce ... READ MORE

Planning & Event Design: Cheylaina Fultz, Creative Purposes, Raleigh, NC Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Private Residence, Chapel Hill, NC Catering & Cake: Cake Couture Boutique, Raleigh, NC Band: Napoleon Graves Band, Durham, NC Sound: Marty Taylor Productions, Raleigh, NC Florals: Cheylaina Fultz, Creative Purposes, Raleigh, NC Tent Rental: DeeJay's Event Rentals, Raleigh, NC Tables & Chairs Rentals: Triangle Party Rentals, Durham, NC Linens & Toasting Flute Rentals: CE Rental, Raleigh, NC Hair & Bridesmaids' Make-Up: Krystal Cherry, Roxie Kae &  All Things Beauty, Raleigh NC Bride's ... READ MORE

Dear Internets, The Raleigh wedding photography season is in full swing and that means lots of great engagement sessions to post! Vanessa and Jimmy's took place a couple of weeks back. We met up for a frosty beer (or three) at The Hive bar over the Busy Bee Café in downtown Raleigh. This was the spot the happy couple met at last year, which was great news for me as it has some pretty amazing light to work with as well as some pretty tasty beer! Once we had broken the ice, we headed out for a walk around downtown Raleigh. Vanessa and Jimmy will be getting hitched next month at Sacred Heart Cathedral, just around the corner from the Capit ... READ MORE

Dear Internets, Being chosen to document a Duke University Chapel wedding is always an honour. Being asked to be the photographer for the wedding of Duke University Chapel's Director of Worship is extremely humbling indeed. In our initial consultation call, Meghan and I both agreed that it's important for there to be a connection of minds. So it was great to spend some tome together with Meghan and Adam ahead of the big day to get to know each other a bit more, have fun and experiment. We met early one Monday morning for a cup of coffee and headed out into the early morning sunshine to take some engagement photos around the gorgeous gro ... READ MORE

A couple of weekends back, I met up with Naomi and Matt for an early morning cup of coffee and an engagement session in the grounds around Duke Chapel. The sun shone, the birds sang and good times were had by all involved. Seriously, we had a laugh and made the most of the gorgeous light to get some great shots. It was great fun! Unfortunately, I was booked for Naomi and Matt's wedding, so I won't be with them for their big day in September. I was pleased we got the time to hang out and make pictures together though. Love and best wishes to them both as they start their new journey together. Here are a few fave photographs from our Duke ... READ MORE

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Brier Creek Country Club, Raleigh, NC Officiant: Rev. Kayelily Middleton, Raleigh, NC Wedding Dress: Mikaella at Maggi Bridal, Raleigh, NC Groomsmen & Bridesmaid's Attire: Savvi Formalwear, Raleigh, NC Cake: Simply Cakes, Cary, NC Florist: MEWS Designs, Raleigh, NC Assistant Photographer: Jimmy Beech, Wake Forest, NC Transportation: Classy Transportation, Morrisville, NC Videographer: Olde Road Pictures, Pittsboro, NC DJ: Melbourne Entertainment, Benson, NC Hair: Heather & Thomas, Uppercuts, Cary, NC Makeup: Stephanie Sevilla, The Makeup Culture, Durham, NC Stationery: Indigo Envelope, Dur ... READ MORE

The night before last, I was extremely honoured to receive the "2013 Best of NACE Award" for "Best Photography" at the Triangle NACE Annual Awards Gala at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, NC. NACE is a fantastic organization with the mission of developing professionals in the wedding and event industry. As such, this particular award meant a lot to me on a couple of levels: firstly, given the number of wedding photographers involved in our chapter at both the membership and board level it was judged by another chapter who didn't know anything about who we were, and, secondly, I was up against a number of other very well-est ... READ MORE

Getting the opportunity to do a Raleigh portrait photography session in the snow is not something that comes along every day. As such, when I got the chance to head out into the wintry twilight with Sonia last week, I jumped at the chance. Everything came together very quickly, but the basic remit we set ourselves was to go outside, take some photos, try and experiment a little and push ourselves to do something a bit different whilst having some fun. I'm really pleased with how the images came out and have to say a special thanks to Ashley of Radiant Beauty by Ashley for her gorgeous make-up work and to April of The Oaks at Salem for h ... READ MORE

Early on Christmas Eve, I met up with Jordan and Matt for coffee and a chat before heading out into the cold, sunny winter air for some Duke University engagement photography shenanigans around the Duke campus. Despite the frosty temperatures, it was a lovely day for shooting. The grounds were deserted and the light was gorgeous, so we took our time to explore and find some places to have fun, experiment and get some cool shots. Jordan and Matt were a fab couple to hang out with and I am really looking forward to their Duke Chapel wedding later in the summer! Here are my picks of the pics. READ MORE

I was honoured to be recently awarded first and fourth place in the Wedding and Portrait Society's annual Portrait Palooza competition. "What the heck is Portrait Palooza?" you say. Well, here's the scoop from the WPS themselves: For those of you who don't know, Portrait Palooza is a fun, annual event created by the WPS as a challenge for professional photographers. Here's how it works: the WPS secures a gorgeous local venue, wedding gowns, lovely bouquets, talented hair and make-up artists, and, of course, BEAUTIFUL brides . . . and then, invites WPS member photographers to come out and photograph them all. BUT -- there is a catch -- as a ... READ MORE

A couple of Sundays ago, I got up early headed over to Durham for a Duke Chapel engagement photography session with Brianna and Chris, whose wedding I will be documenting at Duke Chapel next summer. Given they live in the DC area, we hadn't had the chance to meet in person yet, so we got together for a cup of hot chocolate at the amazing Cocoa Cinnamon and headed on over to Duke to get some pictures in the early morning light. These are just a few of my faves from the session. READ MORE

Wedding Ceremony: Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, Cary, NC Officiant: Rev. Ben Boswell Reception: Caffé Luna, (Catering Manager: Darcey Tinga), Raleigh, NC Wedding Dress: Olga's Bridal and Formal Couture, Raleigh, NC Cake: Square Rabbit, Raleigh, NC Flowers: Every Bloomin' Thing, Cary, NC DJ: Randy Pulley, Raleigh, NC Hair: Shea Rieper, Hair Color Xperts, Cary, NC Makeup: Shannon Bissette, Hair Color Xperts, Cary, NC Accommodations: The Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary, NC I was really pleased when Lindsey and Michael contacted me earlier in the year to be their Raleigh wedding photographer. They were referred to m ... READ MORE

Raleigh wedding planner, Cheylaina Fultz, ran her inaugural "Featured Vendor" article on Joe Payne Photography on her blog yesterday. Head over to check it out. Cheylaina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism & Mass Communication with a concentration in Electronic Media. She has worked in marketing and events for nonprofit and big name corporations. In 2012, Cheylaina decided to take her experience and skill set to another level. As a Certified Wedding Planner and member of the Bridal Society, she birthed Creative Purposes by C.Fultz to specialize in weddings, design, and other special events. From birthday celebrations, bri ... READ MORE