Gwinnett Historic Courthouse Bridal Show - photography by www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com

Come on out this Sunday January 7, 2014 from 1-4pm for the Bridal Show held at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse. Come by and say hello to Atlanta Artistic Weddings a down home wedding photographer.  It is located in downtown Lawrenceville, Georgia at 185 Crogan Street.  I have included a map of the bridal show here.




  A bridal show is a great one stop shop for your wedding needs you can find Wedding Cakes, Wedding photographers, DJ Services, Formal Ware, Floral Arrangements and other Wedding Ideas!  You can also tour a wonderful historic wedding facility in Gwinnett County.

Admission is $6 per person in advance and $7 per person at the door, and every registered bride who completes a bridal show passport will be eligible to win prizes. The first 30 brides will receive a welcome bag with brides t-shirt at check-in.
The Gwinnett Historic Courthouse is located at 185 Crogan St., in downtown Lawrenceville. For more information, call 770-822-5450 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Please feel free to call Atlanta Artistic Weddings at: (404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
Thanks again!
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 
you can also email me at david@atlantaartisticweddings.com

2015 Wedding and Enagement Photography in the Fall at Peidmont Park Atlanta, Georgia | by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Atlanta Piedmont Park by www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com

Well we all know it is cold outside!  I wanted to share a fun engagement shot at Piedmont Park that was taken recently.  I have been so blessed to be busy in the winter months.  I have been booking weddings very quickly since the beginning of the year.  I always like to add a engagement shoot to the wedding packages that I offer.  That way I can get to know the couple and know what they are looking for.  Every couple is different so you need to know what each couple is comfortable with.  I love getting to know each couple!  You learn how they meet each other and what attracted them to each other.  I also want to let each couple that I am here to help them in any way that I can.  I also can not tell them enough how much of an honor it is to be there wedding photographer on their wedding day. 

I also like using Piedmont Park because there are lot of wedding locations around the Piedmont Park so if the couple wants to we can visit their wedding venue.  There is the Georgia Terrace a wonderful historic hotel on Peachtree in downtown Atlanta.  There is the Fox Theater a historic theater with a wonderful reception hall and it is the place where I proposed to my wife.  Magnolia Hall is a wedding facility located in Piedmont Park! It is great place for wedding photography.

For your convenience I have made a map of some of the wedding facilities in Atlanta around Piedmont Park. 


Thank you so much for visiting!
Please feel free to call Atlanta Artistic Weddings at: (404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 
you can also email me at david@atlantaartisticweddings.com 

Fun Wedding Photography with the Groomsmen by Atlanta Artistic Weddings

Wedding Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com in Atlanta, Georgia

Today I am going to touch on the groom.   When photographing a wedding a lot of attention goes to the bridal photography.  Today I am going to share one of may favorite photos from a past wedding in Atlanta.  This group of groomsmen were just awesome.  They embody the spirit of a great groomsmen.  The groom was one of the nicest and tallest groom that I have every had to meet.  The guys were so thoughtful and knew how to have fun.  We were shooting at theater and I just knew we it was the place to put on a show.  All I needed to do was give the guys the stage and line them up to some great light and boom we have a great groomsman photo.  These guys are posing like they are a bunch of tough guys but they could not have been nicer or more fun. 

It is important when doing wedding photography to have two things going on.  One you should have fun!  When having fun you have the best photos!  The other thing to keep in mind when doing wedding photography are to get to know the bride and groom so you can capture their personality.  I always say each wedding is like a snow flake.  They are beautiful and no two are alike.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call Atlanta Artistic Weddings at: (404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Wedding Dress taken at Sunset by Atlanta Artistic Weddings

Wedding Dress Detail Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

It is all about the light.  I love shooting in mornings and evenings when the sun is low in the sky.  Recently I had the honor photographing a wedding on a lake at sunset.  It was raining the day before but the clouds moved away and we had a beautiful wedding day for our special bride.  When I saw the dock on the lake where the wedding ceremony was going to be held I just knew that I wanted to use it for the bride and groom shots and detail shots of the wedding dress.  It was about a hour before sunset and I asked the bride if I could please take some detail shots of the wedding dress.  It was a little breezy that day so I set up the wedding dress and waited for the perfect moment for the photograph.  The lake was lake a mirror of warmth that highlighted the wedding dress in a warm glow just like the bride.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call Atlanta Artistic Weddings at: (404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Library of Congress HABS HAER Program | Photography by David Diener

Henry Ford's Richmond Hill Plantation photography by David Diener

As some of you know I have been working with cultural resource firms for the last 20 years.  One of my roles has been as a large format photographer.  During my time as a large format photographer I have had the honor of working on some of the greatest architecture in the United States.  I have recently done several projects for NASA documenting the many historic structures they have there.  I have documented several historic properties from St. Thomas to Pittsburgh.  The photos I have taken go to the Library of Congress and become part of the HABS/HAER collection.  Here is a excerpt from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/ web site.

"The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) collections are among the largest and most heavily used in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Since 2000, documentation from the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) has been added to the holdings. The collections document achievements in architecture, engineering, and landscape design in the United States and its territories through a comprehensive range of building types, engineering technologies, and landscapes, including examples as diverse as the Pueblo of Acoma, houses, windmills, one-room schools, the Golden Gate Bridge, and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Administered since 1933 through cooperative agreements with the National Park Service, the Library of Congress, and the private sector, ongoing programs of the National Park Service have recorded America's built environment in multiformat surveys comprising more than 556,900 measured drawings, large-format photographs, and written histories for more than 38,600 historic structures and sites dating from Pre-Columbian times to the twentieth century. This online presentation of the HABS/HAER/HALS collections includes digitized images of measured drawings, black-and-white photographs, color transparencies, photo captions, written history pages, and supplemental materials. Since the National Park Service's HABS, HAER and HALS programs create new documentation each year, documentation will continue to be added to the online collections. The first phase of digitization of the Historic American Engineering Record collection was made possible by the generous support of the Shell Oil Company Foundation."


Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at: (404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Welcoming the New Family Member | Children Photography by Atlanta Artsitic Weddings

Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Recently I was contacted from one of my pasts brides.  She let me know that she just had a baby and wanted me to do some baby photos!  I was honored!  It is so cool to see a couple and their next stage of life.  A couple of weeks after the baby was born I went over to their house and saw the cutest baby ever!  These were some proud parents.  And wouldn't you if you had the cutest baby ever.  I just love the children's expressions.  Everything is so new to them and they get so excited!  This was a simple shoot I just used a simple basket and some natural light.

So at this time of year it is time to give thanks.  The honor of photographing wonderful brides and grooms and their weddings.  Also give thanks for happy healthy babies.  So like my mom says "count your blessings" and be thankful for them.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:

(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Even in the cold you can have fun engagement photos! | photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Engagement and wedding photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Even in the cold you can have fun engagement photos! Sometimes you can't help but brag.  I just have to brag on this wonderful couple.  It was down right freezing and this couple was just great! We arrived at Hurricane Shoals Park at a little after sunrise.  It was the first cold day in Georgia.  I could tell that the bride to be was cold but being a real sport.   So since it was cold and it is always fun to incorporate props in to a shoot.  So I thought a lets keep these people warm!  So we got a blanket out of the car.  So really all you need is a blanket and two people in love and you have a warm and happy couple!  The photos speak for their selves they are two people in love.  The blanket is a symbol of warmth and comfort between two people in love.  It brought the couple together and you can tell by they look into each others eyes that they are a awesome couple!

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:

(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Fun Engagement Shoot at Historic Covered Bridge in Georgia | Photography by www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com

Engagement Photography by www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com

I know it has been a while since I have posted but I had to share the most recent engagement session that I had Saturday.  As you know I like shooting in the morning.  This lighting is great and you don't feel so rushed.  This couple has been so sweet.  They meet me early in the morning and bared the cold weather that day.  The very first minute I meet them I could tell how much they were in love and were going to make a great couple.

I work in historic preservation.  I have a passion for the historic properties and especially the historic resources of the southeast.   The covered bridges of Georgia are a vanishing resource.  When you see parks featuring them and keeping them up for others to enjoy you have to take advantage of them.  Stone Mountain Park and Hurricane Shoals Park are doing a wonderful job of preserving the past for other people can enjoy these resources in the future.

I just like the idea of the historic bridge and their engagement shoot.  It sort of symbolizes them going through life together and that they will be together for a very long time like the old bridge.  Who knows I hope they come back to the bridge with their kids and say remember when!

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:

(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Inspiring of paralyzed bride walking down the isle

As a Atlanta wedding photographer I am honored to be part of so many special days for brides and their families.  Recentlly I came across a video from KETV.  It is the inspiring story of Gina Giaffoglione.   She was paralyzed in a car accident.  On her wedding day she was determined to walk down the isle with her father. This woman was not going to be deterred.  After months of physical therapy and a specially made brace that fits under her wedding dress she walked down the isle.  To the surprise of her guests she walked down the isle with her father and got married!

I want to thank Gina and KETV for sharing this story. It is inspiring stories like this that keep me humble and honored to be a wedding photographer.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Cobalt Strings is an Atlanta area based string ensemble! | Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Cobalt Strings - Wedding Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Well folks I know it has been a while.  I have been very blessed with a lot of weddings this month.  I recently shot a wedding at historic wedding venue in Roswell.  While I was shooting there was something that caught my ear.  It was this wonderful string ensemble!  The Cobalt Strings is an Atlanta area based string ensemble who talents run deep!  They are group of talented musicians who bring a touch of class to your special occasion.   They were a wonderful touch to a great wedding.  I am a big fan of live music.  It can add so much to your wedding day.  You can contact them at www.cobaltstrings.com.  So when you want to add a touch of class to your wedding contact Cobalt Strings for your special day.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Enagagement Photography with Motorcycle Stunts! | by Atlanta Wedding Photographer David Diener

Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com and David Diener Atlanta engagement photo with motorcycle

Well folks I know it has been a while since I blogged.  I have been truly blessed with so many Atlanta Weddings!  I recently was contacted from the sister of a bride that I have shot before few years back.  She wanted me to shoot her wedding also.  What a honor!  She mentioned that she wanted to do some of the save the date photos with her fiance's motorcycle and asked if I was up for it.  I said of course!  We meet at her parents home.  It was a beautiful setting.  They have a wonderful home with a large field in back where he rides his bike and they keep these great horses.   I want to say they were awesome!  He is a talented biker and she trusted his talents.  We did a few practice runs and he knew exactly where to stop and his front stand.  Here is the final out come.  I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them.

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

The Gardens at Great Oaks by Atlanta Artistic Weddings

Wedding Photography by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

This weekend was very busy!  I am so honored to be a wedding photographer in Atlanta.  I get to go to all these great places and take pictures!  This week I went to the Gardens at Great Oaks.  As some of you may know I have been working in the archaeology and cultural management field for over 20 years.  I have a deep appreciation of history and architecture.  This venue is to be admired for all the hard work they have done to preserve the integrity of such a historic gem.  The interior is literally a museum.   As part of the wedding package you can have someone dress up in dress of the period and give tours of the house.  I saw many people take the tour and they all enjoyed it.  What a unique little bonus for your guests!

I am going to to quote the history of this property from it's website. 

"Built in 1842 by Reverend Nathaniel Pratt , one of Roswell's founders and the founding minister of the Roswell Presbyterian Church, it was the manor house of a plantation that produced sorghum, corn, and wheat. The home was to have been built of lumber but the lumber was destroyed by fire. The Reverend, determined to build a home for his bride, Catherine Barrington King Pratt, resorted to brick. The bricks were made from Georgia clay and water from a meadow stream.

The Gardens at Great Oaks features an unusual divided "good morning" staircase, which has four separate flights of stairs leading from a common landing located between the first and second floors. Two flights  ascend, east and west, to the upstairs bedrooms. One flight descends east from landing to the center hall, while another goes north from the landing downstairs to the side entry. The arrangement affords privacy to a family member who might wish to go from the upstairs to the kitchen without facing possible guests in the parlor.

During the Union occupation of Roswell, The Gardens at Great Oaks was the headquarters for Garrard's cavalry. Prior to the arrival of troops, Reverend Pratt's sons ran the blockade to be sure everything was safe with their parents. Arriving home, they went into the third story of The Gardens at Great Oaks and loosened the wide pine boards leading to the eaves. They called the space on the south side of the house "Augusta" and the space on the north side "Macon". Everything of value was hidden there and then the boards were slipped back into place. The hiding places were never found during the two-week occupation. When asked about various items, their truthful response was always given: "It was sent to Macon or Augusta."
Structurally, the house has been altered very little. In 2002 , The Gardens at Great Oaks was sold to James Hugh and Linda Lively who are the current owners of this Roswell Historic District centerpiece. It is with pleasure that they are now able to make the house available for very special events. This significant historical landmark has been and should remain entwined with the life of Roswell and the surrounding area.
It has been suggested that no home in the South has extended more true and simple hospitality than The Gardens at Great Oaks. The 18 inch walls of solid brick and mortar are surely one of the reasons it remains standing after 160 years.
During renovation, several letters were discovered that had slipped under the floorboards! All are from the 1800’s and subject matters range from lumber bills during original construction to religious and political discussions."

 You can find out more about this great venue at www.historicgreatoaks.com.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy shooting at historic venues in and around Atlanta.  They give your wedding that charming character that makes your wedding a day to remember.


Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Naylor Hall by Atlanta Wedding Photographer www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

I have to share with you the latest wedding I did.  As you may know that I work for a cultural resource firm.  I have a deep passion for history and architecture.  On Friday I shoot a rehearsal dinner at Naylor Hall in Roswell.

Let me tell you this is one beautiful event venue.  The first thing that you notice is the driveway and the stately columns.  They have a wonderful foyer for greeting your guests. Seperating the foyer is the bar and then you enter in the dinning room or ball room.  This area has hardwood floors and gorgeous windows. 

The venue has a rich history and I am quoting their website.
"The original part of the home, a four room clapboard cottage with a central fireplace, was built in the 1840's by Barrington King for H.W. Proudfoot and his wife, Euphemia. Mr. King, son of Roswell's founder, employed Mr. Proudfoot as a bookkeeper in his newly constructed Roswell Mills, which would later become famous in its own right for its production of Roswell Grey cloth used in Confederate uniforms.
Reportedly, in anticipation of Sherman's march, huge supplies of Confederate uniforms were taken from the mill and secretly stored at Naylor Hall. In the summer of 1864, the Proudfoot's home was heavily damaged by Federal troops. After occupation, Proudfoot began to rebuild. He remained with the mill, and in his home, until his death in 1871.
In the late 1930's Colonel Harrison Broadwell purchased the property, naming it Naylor Hall in honor of his wife's family. He also added the columns, the handcrafted woodwork, and the portico encompassing the original structure."

What really makes a great venue is the staff.  Their staff was top notch.  Everyone was so gracious and just made you feel at home.  If you are looking for a great historic wedding venue you must check out Naylor Hall.  You can visit their website at http://www.naylorhall.com .


I can't tell you how much I enjoy shooting at historic venues in and around Atlanta.  They give your wedding that charming character that makes your wedding a day to remember.


Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Great Historic Wedding Venue and Staff at the Pace House in Vinings, Georgia | by Atlanta Wedding Photographer www.AtlantaArtsticWeddings.com

Historic Pace House located in Vinings, Georgia.  Photography by Atlanta Wedding Photographer www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com

As a Atlanta wedding photographer get to shoot at a lot of Historic Venues in the Atlanta Area.  This week I had the honor of shooting at the Historic Pace House located in Vinings, Georgia.  It is a wonderful historic venue with a hardworking and gracious professional staff.  Katie and Leigh were just awesome!  Leigh gave me a little tour of the property and gave me brief history of the property. It is a real gem of a venue!

You can learn more of the property at their website located at: http://vinings.org/our-properties/pace-house.  There you can learn about the history of the property.  The painstaking restoration of the historic property.  It is very insightful on how much the community has rallied around this historic resource.

I am going to share some quotes from their website.  They can tell you the history much better than I can. 

"If you're looking for the perfect place to hold your wedding, family reunion or celebration, look no further than the Pace House, Vinings' most historic and beautiful location. The Solomon and Penelopy Pace House and Old Pavilion offer an oasis of old Southern small-town charm right at the doorstep of Atlanta.

This historic house was built with the remains of the 17-room antebellum home of Vinings founder Hardy Pace. The house served as General Sherman's temporary headquarters where he planned the siege of Atlanta. Hardy's son, Solomon Pace, returned home after the Civil War to find the home in ruins. Sometime between 1865 and 1874, Solomon painstakingly rebuilt the home—albeit more modestly—from doors, windows and remnants of several small cabins that survived the fire of the main house.

Today, the Pace House consists of three rooms: a parlor, a dining room and a bridal room. The adjacent Old Pavilion, itself a Vinings landmark, offers ample event space bathed in natural light in a historic setting. The facilities include a catering kitchen complete with refrigerator, warming stove, and sink as well as moveable tables for food preparation and assembly. Two male and two female restrooms are provided on-site. A spacious open deck connects the buildings. Lush trees on the lawn provide shade during the day and at night choose the exterior lighting or the moonlight above.

As of May 2009, the Pace House has been added to the National Register of Historic Places."

I can't tell you how much I enjoy shooting at historic venues in and around Atlanta.  They give your wedding that charming character that makes your wedding a day to remember.


Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com 

Skype, Face to Face and Google Hangouts Bring Your Wedding All Over the World! | www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Skype wedding to Israel and two other countries by www.atlantaartisticweddings.com.  Can see the bride and groom looking at the iphone and her Dad's face on the screen.

Well it is time to embrace technology!  As a Atlanta wedding photographer I privileged to see so many cultures and weddings.  A lot of my clients come from all over the world such as Israel, India, Germany and Japan.  It is very expensive to travel to the United States for a wedding but very inexpensive to share your wedding with friends and relatives all over the world with the technology you hold in your hand every day.  A few years ago it was very difficult to transmit a wedding but with wifi almost everywhere and the higher internet speeds on your phones now a days it is easy to transmit video to almost any where in the world!

In the picture above you see one of the guests holding her phone and using iphone's face time feature transmit the wedding to her father in Israel.  You can see his face in the phone and the couple and Rabi looking at him. I thought it was a great way to share their wedding with some one so far away in another country.  

What the person did was logged on to the local wifi and just transmitted the wedding.  With the wifi connection there was no delay in the video and no cost to the phone's data plan.  There are several programs to use for mobile devices to transmit your wedding.  On iphone and android devices you and use Skype.  It has been around a long time and is very reliable.  The advantage of Skype is even if the person in another country does not have a smart phone they can still log in to skype on there computer and see the wedding.  Iphones have the feature face time and if the other person has a iphone and wifi the video is almost seamless.  Android users can use Skype or Google Hangouts. The adavantage of Google Hangouts it that you can transmit the wedding to multipule people at once. 

In closing take advantage of today technology and share your wedding all over the world!

Thank you so much for visiting! Please feel free to call me at:
(404) 578-6982
and I will be happy to help you in any way that I can.
David Diener
www.AtlantaArtisticWeddings.com