Brian Mullins Photography Blog

I had the pleasure of photographing some of the most tasteful and excellent Christmas decorations today. Cary Magazine contacted Gregg Thomas to get an inside view of his Williamsburg, VA style Christmas. Wreaths and garland adorned with fruit, classic nativity scenes, a 10 foot tall (guessing here) Christmas tree decked out with fruit, pine cones, feathers and let’s not forget the fireplaces and mantles. Gregg was so very accommodating to Cary Magazine. Not only did he setup his Christmas decorations early, REALLY early, like September 20th early, he welcomed us into his home and even light the fireplaces for the photography (one was a wood fire mind you, so it had to burn out on its own). Our crew was definitely impressed and delighted at the attention to detail and hard work Gregg put into his house. Here’s one of my favorites from todays session:

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the 1st Annual Southern Purse Gala benefiting the Me Fine foundation. Me Fine is a charitable organization which voluntarily provides necessary resources and financial assistance to parents and caregivers with children being treated at Duke and UNC Children’s Hospitals regardless of race, diagnosis, economic status or religion in memory of Folden Lee, IV. Folden was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in 2003 and underwent several rounds of Chemotherapy and 2 cord blood transplants. During this time, his family discovered how heavy an emotional and financial burden getting treatment for serious diseases can be. The started the Me Fine foundation in Holden’s memory.

Numerous purses and gifts were donated to Me Fine for their 1st annual gala. Names like Luis Vuitton and prizes such as a walk-on roll for the TV Shot One Tree Hill were up for auction. I lost count of the money raised but I can tell you two purses went for $2000 and the Luis Vuitton, when I left, was at $2500 and bidding was still open. All reports indicate a huge success for their first event and I certainly hope to be back next year. Below is a shot of Allison (also a photographer) modeling one of the purses at the live auction.

It’s kinda weird trying to shoot Christmas decorations in September, but so goes the life of shooting for a magazine. We were invited to view the seasonal decorations provided by Karen Bollinger of Decoration Rescue at one of the partners homes. With 2 beautiful trees setup as well as garland on the fireplace and banisters, it certainly help us forget about the 90+ degree temperatures outside. For those photographers and shutterbugs reading, I want to leave you with one thought.. how do you photograph a round christmas ornament without being in the photo yourself?

Example A - A rather unique self portrait