Ben Hallissy Photography

Blog

  • Capitol Hill Engagement Session | Megan and Steve

    I’ve visited DC often over the years and thought I knew the National Mall area pretty well.  But, Megan and Steve introduced me to two gems during our engagement session on Capitol Hill:  first the Summer House with its peaceful grotto, and then the beautiful Bartholdi Fountain!  In between we caught some photos with the Capitol building and some with a silhouette of the always-lovely-even-under-construction Washington Monument.   I had a blast shooting with these two, and it reminded me of how fortunate we are to live near (or in) such a great and historic city.  Congratulations again Megan and Steve!  Here are my favorites…

    storyboard001

    storyboard002

    (more…)

  • Kayla and Dean | Olde Breton Inn Wedding

    Kayla and Dean | Olde Breton Inn Wedding

    Check out these photos of Kayla and Dean’s military wedding at Olde Breton Inn.  There was a big potential for thunderstorms, but we made it through the ceremony dry, and enjoyed a wonderful reception in the Inn dining room while the rain fell outside.  After the rain, we went back outside for some portraits at dusk.  I’ll let the images do the rest of the talking… Enjoy!

    kd-3

    (more…)

  • Laura and Phil | Oak Ridge Estate Wedding

    Laura and Phil | Oak Ridge Estate Wedding

    I met Phil and Laura just over a year ago,  when I photographed Laura’s brother Jason’s wedding, and I was so excited when Laura asked me to photograph hers as well!  They got married on a warm July day (as if there were another option in Virginia in July) at a 200-year-old Virginia estate known as Oak Ridge.  From the awesome sunflower-y decor to a unique set of vows that were incredibly sweet, to a rocking dance floor, and driving off in a 1934 Jaguar(!!!),  this wedding had it all.

    Here are a few of my favorites:

    storyboard002

    storyboard007

    storyboard006

    storyboard004

    storyboard005

    storyboard003

    storyboard008

    storyboard010

    (more…)

  • How to Light an Arch | Arches National Park Night Photography

    How to Light an Arch | Arches National Park Night Photography

     

    Arches are cool.  Millions of years of wind erosion, soft rock, and what seems like a good bit of luck combine to create these famous geological landmarks that are literally one of a kind.  Some of the most famous sandstone arches in the world are contained within Arches National Park, and I recently got the chance to travel out west to explore that area with two of my good friends, Mike and David (see this post for background).

    For a post about Arches NP, I thought I’d change it up with a step-by-step look at how some of the night photos (or wide-field astrophotography) happened.

    At times this post will devolve into photo-nerd-speak, so if your eyes glaze over when that happens,  try less reading and more looking at pictures 🙂

     

    (more…)

  • The American West – A Photo Tour

    The American West – A Photo Tour

    The Windows at Sunset, Arches National Park

    The American West is an outdoor enthusiast and photographer’s playground.  I recently got the chance to travel out to southern Utah  and northern Arizona with two good friends from college (Mike and David, they’ll be featured in many of these pictures), for nearly two weeks of camping and photography.  Rather than bombard folks with hundreds of images (out of thousands :)), I thought I’d break it up into a few smaller posts, focusing on the different areas we explored.  I must post something for starters though, so here is a hodgepodge sample – in no particular order, and with MANY more still to come!  I’ll update this post with additional links as they come up.  Hope you enjoy these photos of the old (but still great) American frontier!

    (Hit the jump below, and don’t forget to hover over images for location info)

    (more…)

  • Vicki and Joe | Elkridge Furnace Inn Wedding Photography

    Before I met Vicki and Joe, I knew exactly zero pharmacists (on a first name basis).   I now know at least two, and probably met several more at their wedding and didn’t know it.   As it turns out, pharmacists are really great folks :).   These two got married at the historic Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge MD, just outside of Baltimore proper.   We couldn’t have asked for better April weather, or a better group of people to celebrate with.   Congratulations guys, here are a few of my favorites:

    (more…)

  • Megan and Stuart | A Charlottesville Engagement

    UPDATE: Megan and Stuart’s wedding preview is now posted.

    Despite the potential for a family feud, Megan (a recent, and incredibly devoted, Virginia Tech grad) and Stuart (a recent UVa grad) decided to have their engagement session in and around Charlottesville.  We got lucky with beautiful early-April weather, took a few photos on Grounds and then headed to Charlottesville’s downtown mall for another round.  Megan’s (and my) friend Heather came along and was a huge help!  I’ve known Megan since, well, since she was born, and all of us hail from the same home town, so this shoot was a heck of a lot of fun.  I’m really looking forward to their wedding in November –  at that point we’ll be newlyweds together 🙂   Here are the highlights…

    (more…)

  • Emily and Michael | Top of the Town Wedding | Arlington Wedding Photography

    Emily and Michael | Top of the Town Wedding | Arlington Wedding Photography

    I had the good fortune to go to UVa with both of these fine people.  Mike and I studied (and possibly forgot) mechanical engineering together, and I got to know Emily separately through living across the hall from her on campus.  I was honored when they asked me to photograph their Northern Virginia wedding at the end of March this year.  This post has some of my favorite images from their wedding.

    Emily began her wedding day by getting rid of the family dog…. but only temporarily… and with a wonderful friend of the family.  We then had full reign of the house to get ready…

    (more…)

  • Bonnie and Dave – Married | Winter Wedding at Mary’s Hope

     

    Bonnie and Dave were married on an unseasonably warm (read: awesome) day in March amid family and close friends.  I was happy to be a part of their small but meaningful wedding, at Mary’s Hope.

    (more…)

  • Kelly and Will | Wedding Photography – Clifton Inn – Charlottesville

    Will and Kelly – two great friends and fellow UVa alumni were married last week at the Clifton Inn.   The weather was quite a bit warmer than in both Michigan and Ohio so I think they picked the right state for a mid-December wedding.  I hadn’t visited the Clifton before, but it’s a wonderful, secluded country inn near Charlottesville VA and was all decked out for the holidays.  I was honored to be asked to photograph the occasion, and had the great pleasure to meet many members of Will and Kelly’s families.  Here are a few of my favorites.  Hope you enjoy them, and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

     

    The gentlemen got ready at the Collina farm, a small farmhouse on the property with a basketball court (I have a hunch Will was involved in this decision)…

    After lunch, some final prep and relaxing by the fire, which was ALWAYS on.  Love it.

     

    See more of Kelly and Will’s Charlottesville Wedding →