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we're phillip & eileen blume, a husband-and-wife photography team based in athens, georgia. through our camera lenses, we aim to capture the excitement, joy, and intimacy of life's greatest blessings -- whether they be weddings, families, children, or simple daily happenings.

so, kick back, relax, and feel free to browse around and get to know us a little better. if you see something that sparks your imagination, please leave us a comment. we'd love to hear from you!

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the big jump…

abbeyroad

if you’re very observant, you may notice something different about today’s blog entry. it’s only a little thing. but for eileen and me, it’s a big deal. any guesses? all right, here it is:  posted at 12 noon — on a weekday!

okay, so maybe that doesn’t exactly shock you. you’re probably thinking what? hasn’t this guy ever had to work through lunch before? kids are too soft nowadays! if that is your cynical opinion of me, i’m sorry to tell you that… well, actually come to think of it, you’re right. yes, now that you mention it, i am feeling quite peckish. better go make myself a sandwich. but don’t worry; through the miracle of the internets, i will be gone for what only seems a second (…)

(…) and we’re back. as i was saying, today’s blog is very special because i am writing it at 12 noon.. err, 1:45 in the afternoon — on a weekday! you may not understand why that is so unusual. but that is probably because you were unaware that, before this week, i was merely a part-time professional photographer. the other part of my time during the last three years has been spent as a high school teacher and then as full-time manager of my dad’s business, athens pool & spa (otherwise known as the “blume-bailey building and loan”).

but this week i finally made the big jump. i’m finally doing what i set out to do. i’m free! a full-time photographer free to eat bonbons, watch hulu, and post blog entries whenever the heck i want! sure, i’ve written blog entries while on the clock at other jobs, but today i can publish my work immediately — without fear of my boss knowing!! (well, technically my boss does know — but he doesn’t give a hoot. he’s me! in fact, my boss just gave me an assignment to look up the definition of a bonbon, and here it is.)

okay, so hopefully i’ve given you a taste of how excited eileen and i are about this new development. in reality, though, we have HUGE ideas about where to take blume photography in the future. and it’s not to a sunken seat on a crumb-covered couch. we’re already working harder than ever, not only to meet faster turnaround times for a ton of new clients, but also to extend the depth and breadth of our work as full-time creatives. we hope you’re as anxious as we are to see where our continuing research into the latest technologies and techniques will take our style. (never static. we wanna keep it fresh!) also, plan to hear a lot more from us here on the blog: from the busy wedding season already coming up to the personal projects we can’t wait to share with the world! and whether we’ve worked with you before or haven’t yet had the pleasure, there will be even more opportunities to meet up from now on. (like new family mini-sessions for Christmas!) are you a fellow photographer? well, then — and i’m really psyched about this — look out for personalized shoot shops and a photographer’s section on our web site just for you!

another area that is of the utmost importance to eileen and me — as products of two uncommonly generous families — is charity. at least 12 percent of blume photography’s earnings have always gone to charitable causes, but now we’re toying with ways to partner more with our clients and with you to get our hands dirty and make a difference together. feel free to comment or email us with ideas and charities that come to your mind!

the winds of change are a’blowin’. and i can think of no better way to kick it all off than with emily and ross’s engagement session. good lookin’ kids and a ton of fun. these two — along with emily’s amazing mother — represent the fourth set of clients to have us over for dinner. (now that’s a tradition i could get used to!) thanks for all your generosity and for the good time together, you two! can’t wait for your wedding!

flyers

scooter

arch2

these two are more than “ok” if you ask me… ;)

ok

standing

stairwell

redbooth

cityhall

stairs

bluedoors

downstairs

All images © 2010 Blume Photography. It’s unlawful to copy or reproduce our work in any form without our express written permission. It just ain’t right! Thanks for respecting us and our art. If in doubt about federal copyright law, please ask us. We’re happy to answer your questions.

March 11, 2010 - 12:05 pm Steve - You guys are an inspiration! I really want to go pro! Congratulations on going full-time. It's just awesome! =D

March 11, 2010 - 4:10 pm cindystreams - CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's such a huge milestone and a wonderful feeling I'm sure. Today was a crappy day at the high school and all I could think was, "Lord, when can I do photography FULL TIME." So it's very encouraging to see that He's brought you to this place. I hope I get there soon too.

March 12, 2010 - 5:29 am Sarah - so excited for y'all!!!!!

laura & robby | wedding slideshow

here it is. the wedding and encore session slideshow of one of our sweetest couples–laura and robby:

clicktoplaylaura

February 17, 2010 - 6:06 pm Robby Culpepper - Ya'll did such a great job for us. Thank you for everything.

February 17, 2010 - 7:44 pm Laurie Culpepper - This is just amazing! Thank you so much for capturing such wonderful memories in so many creative ways! You're the best!

February 18, 2010 - 10:12 am Elizabeth Coe - These were breath taking! Thanks for sharing :))

share your snow day images!

100213_blume_snow-014

i imagine that, by now, almost everyone has caught a glimpse of the record-breaking snowfall being dumped on us east coasters. of course, we georgians haven’t experienced anything like the arctic blast in the d.c. area. but in athens, where snow isn’t necessarily a yearly occurrence, we’re excited about what little we get. when four inches began to fall friday, schools and stores closed early so folks could get home before the roads turned icy. sounds like an overreaction, i know. but, believe me, you don’t want to be on a slippery road with a georgia driver. that’s almost as risky as ice skating with a drunk hippopotamus.

the next morning, i was up early to photograph what i could of the virgin snowfall before excited neighborhood kids and university students raced out to dig in for snowball warfare, reshaping the landscape into a sloppy battlefield of maimed snowmen soldiers. i wasn’t the only early riser, though. i was proud to see how many shutterbugs were on the uga campus, taking advantage of the weather to find a new perspective on our old town.

here are a few of my efforts. anybody else out there have images from the recent east coast snow storms? or from wherever you are? we’d love to see them. post ‘em online and put your link to them in the comments below. can’t wait to see what you got!

100213_blume_snow-051-1

100213_blume_snow-030

100213_blume_snow-046

100213_blume_snow-111-11

100213_blume_snow-065-1

All images © 2010 Blume Photography. It’s unlawful to copy or reproduce our work in any form without our express written permission. It just ain’t right! Thanks for respecting us and our art. If in doubt about federal copyright law, please ask us. We’re happy to answer your questions.

February 17, 2010 - 7:59 am Malia - Your photos are far superior to mine, but here is one from the last big February snow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/malialia/4337982384/ and the first blizzard in December: http://www.flickr.com/photos/malialia/4198121697/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/malialia/4198123805/ in each photo it's still snowing, hence the dreary gray. Both times we got snow for over 48 hours straight.

February 17, 2010 - 8:32 am Mila - beautiful pictures!!!

February 17, 2010 - 9:44 am Elizabeth Coe - Great PIctures!!!! I LOVEEEEE the first one. :) You have such a gift!

February 17, 2010 - 10:23 am phillipblume - thanks, y'all! :) malia, amazing! i especially like the last one of the car under -- how many feet of snow is that!? makes it look like one of those top-heavy european trucks.

February 17, 2010 - 7:33 pm Malia - http://www.flickr.com/photos/malialia/4198124139/in/photostream/ about 2' of snow that time. Johnathan dug down to the hood so you can see how much is piled on.

February 18, 2010 - 11:48 am Elizabeth Sibal - these are amazing!

February 18, 2010 - 6:24 pm Jared - Phillip, As always these photos are amazing. Keep up the great work!

March 5, 2010 - 10:02 pm Eric - That one is of a friend during the second big snowfall of the year for DC. I love your work :)

March 5, 2010 - 10:03 pm Eric - Hmm, guess that last didn't work. Let's see if this one does.

March 5, 2010 - 10:05 pm Click me, I promise I'll work this time - Ok, 3rd times a charm.

space. gravity. “essence o’ chocolate.” the new fragrance.

rocks

the morning after our wedding, eileen and i spent our first full day of wedded bliss drenched in the smell of day-old chocolate syrup. no, not what you think.

actually, our getaway car had been vandalized at the reception, and gooey chocolate had been smeared behind every touchable surface — the steering wheel, the door handles, the seat adjusters, everywhere. (and if one of you chocoholics out there thinks that sounds fun, just let me stick your nose under a chocolate fountain for a day and see how you like it!) by the time we washed up and scrubbed down the car’s interior (along with every other chocolate-covered object our hands had smudged), we had only enough energy to make the long drive to our hotel and hit the sack. shocking, i know. but after all that, neither of us wanted to see any chocolate syrup ever again.

all that to say this:  when you plan your wedding, avoid our mistakes. plan the day after the wedding, too. our friends robby and laura did a much better job of that than we did. whereas eileen and i invited trouble by leaving our vehicle vulnerable and unattended, laura and robby had a chauffeur pick them up safe and sound in his chocolate-free classic car. whereas eileen and i drove exhausted through the night to make our a.m. flight, laura and robby stayed in a local hotel and relaxed the next morning. whereas eileen and i wore essence-of-cocoa sweatsuits to the airport, laura and robby showed up in style for this romantic encore session. and what a blast we had watching them enjoy their first full day of married life! i think it was a day they’ll always remember. it was like one day living in an artsy perfume ad. (as it turns out, probably more enjoyable than living the day in a nestle’s commercial — but still just as sweet!)

once again, congratulations and all the best to you both! here’s your encore!

individual_portraits

veil

corner

fountain

rings

shoe

chair

running-on-beach

sky

bouquet

All images © 2010 Blume Photography. It’s unlawful to copy or reproduce our work in any form without our express written permission. It just ain’t right! Thanks for respecting us and our art. If in doubt about federal copyright law, please ask us. We’re happy to answer your questions.

January 28, 2010 - 6:21 am Robby Culpepper - These are great; we had a blast spending the day with ya'll. I'm glad we stuck around instead of rushing to the airport in a chocolate syrup-mobile.

January 29, 2010 - 8:35 pm Tito Jody - Fairytales do come true! A cinderella story!

January 31, 2010 - 12:09 pm Sarah - These are your best pics yet! You guys are amazing!!!!

January 31, 2010 - 12:14 pm Sarah - oh, and Mandi commented that in the picture the second from the bottom, the clouds look like a giant bird flying into the sunset! So beautiful!

February 6, 2010 - 7:47 pm Chris Moncus - Ok dude. That's totally the Ocean Inn right? I wish I would have known you were going to be on St Simons. I would have loved to have met you guys. I love your work. At least you got to experience the awesome area I get to shoot in. Great work guys.

February 17, 2010 - 10:33 am phillipblume - thanks, everyone! chris, we really enjoyed looking through your excellent work. next time we're in st. simons, we'll try to get in touch. it was a pleasure working on your home turf; it really is spectacular.