Still going through some of our favorite shots from last year while we gear up for the new year. Thanks for visiting our blog. Tell your friends about us.
Highlights from Bluff Mountain 2009
Bluff Mountain Inn is an all inclusive wedding and reception facility, as well as serving as our magnificent outdoor photography studio. While we’re settled in for the winter and busy booking events for next year, we thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our favorite events from the past year or so. This is a bit of a long post but I really enjoyed putting it together. It shows you just how many options there are for photos in the mountains.
It was cold out that night so we had to shoot quick!!!
Some drop them as they go. Others have their own technique...
On their way to the reception.
Kathleen and Jeremiah tied the knot.
Afternoon reception.
In addition to the sites at Bluff Mountain Inn, just around the corner are some incredible photo locations. We love to get out and shoot in the Smoky Mountains.
from Ashley and Andrew's Engagement Session
Ashley and Andrew's Wedding departure.
Fall colors make for wonderful photos.
Beth and her girls decide to take the plunge after an incredible evening. This shot on location at Smoky Cove.
Beth and Pete's wedding on the lawn.
Natasha and Roberto share an intimate moment before their wedding.
Catching the bouquet.
Hattie and Jason were always up for a fun shot.
LeAnn and her bridesmaids on the front porch.
Scott and LeAnn on the hillside.
Kathleen and Jeremiah's Engagement Session. This shot on location in Sevierville.
These were just some candid shots at a reception. We love capturing magical moments that most people don't see.
Meagan and Richard's Fall Engagement session
Beautiful autumn wedding at the pergola.
We love photographing kids, especially cute ones that love puppies! Three generations of this family came over from Nashville for this fun afternoon shoot.
These images are from a family reunion who wanted to remember their wonderful vacation in the Smoky Mountains. The view is from their cabin in Pigeon Forge.
What a great bunch of people they were. We're so fortunate to be able to work with happy people at such a special time in their lives.
Becky and Nick on a borrowed bike.
Here's our hillside wedding site and a reception in the pavilion on a beautiful summer evening.
Tramaine and Ladawana were married at a local chapel then came to us for some unique wedding day portraits. You can just see the love...
Lori and Joshua were two of the happiest newlyweds we've ever seen.
Lauren and Scott made great use of some rose petals at their reception.
Thanks for visiting our blog. We also say thanks to all of the great couples who put their trust in Bluff Mountain Inn and RIK Photography for their weddings. Have a great 2010!
Today’s Fun Fashon Shoot
Thanks to Elizabeth and Toschani for pushing the limits of their comfort zones this afternoon and allowing me to get some fun shots. What a couple of beauties… also thanks to Liz of Fringe Salon for hair and makeup.
Actor’s Bridge Studio
My lovely cousin, Vali Forrister, is artistic director for Actor’s Bridge Ensemble, a theater company in Nashville. While taking some publicity shots of an upcoming performance I was able to get her to pose for some new publicity shots of her own. What a lovely cousin I have, both inside and out…
Here are a couple of the candid shots from the rehearsal and around the studio.
I guess my Aunt Caroline had the best comment…
Dana downtown nashville
Today I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon shooting photos of my friend Dana Romanello in downtown Nashville. Dana is a beautiful lady both inside and out and an amazing talent. We have worked together for the past couple of years at the Opryland Hotel’s Country Christmas show featuring Louise Mandrell.
I feel like Dana will be a big star one of these days, so when I was planning this shoot I wanted to take her around the places that are the roots of country music. Lower Broad Street in Nashville, the home of the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium, along with some pretty famous bars and record shops. It was a fun walk around the block…
- Cool stuff bro! Saw you on the Pictage Forum and wanted to drop by and say hi!December 22, 2009 - 6:34 pm
- Great work by you both Rick! No doubt it was a fun time!December 24, 2009 - 7:29 am
Engagement session in Nashville
Hannah and Mike live in Nashville are going to be married at Bluff Mountain Inn in June. When we were trying to figure out a time for an engagement session things just worked out right to be able to do the shoot in Nashville. We went to Union Station, an old train terminal that’s now a 5 star hotel. What a great place… what a great couple!
Thanks to Hannah’s mom for the location suggestion. We look forward to seeing you all in the mountains in June.
From Key Largo to the Smokies
Here are some recent engagement photos of Cheryl and Craig, an amazing couple from Key Largo. They’re set to be married in March and we’re really excited about their wedding because we’ll be traveling to Key Largo to shoot it on the beach!!! Rhonda is handling all the wedding planning and Amanda and I will be taking the photos. What a great opportunity for all of us.
Natasha and Roberto
What a beautiful and interesting couple. Rather than try to tell the story, we asked Natasha to do so. In her words…
“I am from a small provincial town in Siberia (called Zhelesnogorsk) and Roberto is a city boy from Buenos Aires. Roberto studied aerospace engineering at UT and I participated in the student exchange program.
Roberto’s best man who was his roommate at the time (who also later married my best friend) invited my friend and I to a party at their house in Knoxville. Roberto was there. I was not in the mood to meet anyone, but he liked me and we started dating.
(When he proposed) He was soo cute. Took me to our favorite restaurant and said that it has been a long time since we have been out and we really deserve a nice time togther. He had everything set up, the whole restaurant knew what was going on. I, on the other hand, was completely clueless. He wrote me a letter, the best I have ever gotten. I cried as I read it. And then there was a ring. And then he flew to Russia to ask my parents permission to marry me.
“Planning a wedding from far away and on a tight budget is a tough thing. Especially, if you have to gather all different vendors together. I googled a few places in Sevierville-Gatlinburg area before I found Bluff Mountain. So, I had an idea what I was looking for. From all the places, Bluff Mountain offered the most complete service that fit into our budget. I had a friend drive by and take a look. She loved it and said it would be perfect for us. And when we came in October to look at the place, there was no plan B, and there was no need for it, we loved it from the minute we saw it.”
“We had people from USA, Russia, Argentina, Georgia, Cuba, Switzerland, Serbia, and Puerto Rico, for the total of 8 nationalities and 5 languages (Russian, Spanish, Georgian, German, and Serbian).”
“Thank you so much for all your work! We truly had an unforgettable day, we enjoyed every minute of it, and everyone in the party had a blast! The place was set up perfectly, we could not ask for anything better. And the snow added a perfect touch. Don’t know if you had anything to do with it ….. 
:):) I cannot believe it really happened, out of all the days. People say it is for good luck…..”
It was a great day and we appreciate these folks so much. We wish you many years of happiness.
A different view of the world as we know it
Saturday night I had the opportunity to enter a world completely foreign to me, thank God. How it all came about was through my very talented cousin, Vali Forrister, who is a gifted playwright, teacher, actor, director, producer, you name it… long story. But here’s what I’ve seen evolve in the past year.
Act Like a Grrrl is a project Vali started a few years ago were teenage girls get together for a few weeks, form relationships with others in their age range, write about themselves, share what they’ve written and learned through sharing these thoughts/ideas with their peers, and the end game is a performance. I attended a performance last summer and was amazed at what was coming out of these young people/performers. Coming to grips early on with everything from boys to Mom and Dad, the future and the past. They wrote songs, they read performance pieces, and I’ll never forget the incredible 2 headed parent monster.
Vali is also a professor at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, and DLU sponsors an educational program at the Tennessee State Women’s Prison. Here’s a link to see details. So without trying to dissect this event too much, what happened was an 8 week course of study that took place within the confines of the TN Prison for Women. Participants were prisoners, correctional officers, DLC students and collaborators on the Actlikeagrrrl project.
Last night, Sat. Dec. 5,2009, a performance was given by all these women to an audience mixed with inmates and free world people. The participants were allowed by the warden to wear free world clothes as part of the performance. Some had not had the opportunity to wear anything other than a prison uniform in 10-20 years. It was an emotional experience to both performers and the audience, and I was allowed access to document the event. A few of my observations follow…
the sky
This was not an episode of Lock Up or other prision documentaries, but people who made bad choices working to improve themselves.
Singing
An inmate wearing free world clothes for the first time in 15 years.
A poster promoting the event. Our Stories, Our Selves.
The Circle prior to the performance.
the audience
the bow
Hearing these people’s stories really makes you think, which is what it’s intended to do. I’m thankful for the opportunity to document this day and I wish the very best for all who attended or participated.
- That was beautiful. I was an original member of the first lipscomb group. I was released in 2008 and continued to go to lipscomb. You really captured the meaning, feeling, and need.December 7, 2009 - 1:51 pm
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