Traditional Indian + Modern Dress Atlanta Engagement Session
The pup even had outfit changes ! Jigna + Mo are tying the knot in Mexico, and wanted to capture an Engagement Session here in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park prior to heading to Puerto Vallarta. We braved the always 50% chance of rain and lucked out with some gorgeous, glowing light in the park.
Here’s to more pops of color to brighten Summer <3
Ashton Gardens Summer Wedding
I was so grateful for an indoor Summer wedding venue, and couldn’t be happier when this couple chose Ashton Gardens Atlanta to tie the knot. The interior of the chapel’s exposed beams and floor to ceiling windows are a photographer’s dream !
Plant Nursery + Golf Course Long Island New York Wedding
Jess + Ryan traveled back to Long Island from Wilmington to celebrate love and adventure with their closest family and friends. Ryan is a professional fisherman, and tied fly fishing ties in lieu of boutonnieres for all the groomsmen. Jess’s bridesmaids wore floral crowns and muted dresses.
The entire day was laid back and sincere, just like them.
They chose a plant nursery for their first look location, and even brought their dog along !
Dinner, dancing, and tying of a sailor’s knot sealed the deal.
Here’s to letting love be the greatest adventure.
XO,
GK
Destination Weddings + Vanlife combine ! New York Long Island Vineyards at Aquebogue 4th of July Wedding
Woo ! Just took the van on a road trip up to New York to photograph two weddings on Long Island, near the Hamptons. Passing through my old home of Brooklyn was hard not to stop, but I still felt the same familiar nostalgia of my Yoga Teacher training days out on Montauk, learning to surf in the Rockaways, and escaping the summer heat in the Hamptons. This wedding between a Jewelry Designer + Marine Vet/Police captain had all the intentional details. They embraced the Americana theme with flag getting ready dresses, and old fashioned trolly ride, a vintage ice cream truck and plenty of delicious hand made pies. Sunset over the vineyards made for the perfect couple’s session and I was so stoked the couple was down to get a little dirty in the wheat fields !
I’m trying to get better about blogging and sharing so many of the incredible people and places my travels take me to. I’ve just landed in Atlanta after 6 weeks of international travel and am happy to be here with my pup, my fam, my man and some renewed creative juices.
Onward,
GK
Atlanta Cator Woolford Gardens & Jackson Street Bridge Engagement
Blossoms beginning, wisteria. Warmer sunsets. Longer days. Let the seasons of love begin.
Taylor & Jon recently booked me for their Manor Golf & Country Club wedding this autumn. I always like to gift couples an engagement session, so we can get to know each other and make some beautiful images together. These two asked for some of my favorite locations, and I was stoked to share Cator Woolford Gardens and the Jackson Street Bridge skyline with them. We chatted foodie nerdy things, the early stages of dating evolving into love, and all things Spring in Atlanta.
So looking forward to being more a part of their story and union <3
Vanlife !
I hate saying “I’m based out of _____”. Because, in all honesty, I’m currently based everywhere. I keep a place in Atlanta. Our airport is the best in the world, it flies direct and affordably to most locations. Though I’m grateful for my friends + family here, I find myself traveling for at least 2 weeks/month. This lifestyle has led me back towards incorporating more indeterminacy in my schedule, and finding the right way to do this with my dog (she hates flying).
Cue #Vanlife. Sure, it’s trendy, and I have lived out of both a Toyota T100, and a 14ft trailer before. I knew the Sprinter van wouldn’t be full-time. The joy of finding the right shell, and the right collaborator to bring these designs to life has been the big project of Spring !
My hopes are that by opening up my schedule and waiving my standard travel fees, I’ll be able to do more passion project shoots and connect with more adventurous couples along the way.
Hit me up, if you’d like to work together along this journey:
April- Asheville, NC // would love to photograph at Max Patch
May- Brooklyn, NY and San Francisco, CA
June- Morocco + Dominican Republic
July- Montauk, Amagansett + Hamptons, NY
LOVE@GIANNAKEIKO.COM
and, finally, to fully appreciate the beauty of these vans, contact my friend Wyatt of Jedi Ships to custom build your dream vessel. He’s crafted mine specifically for surf life (changing station, board storage) and photographer’s needs (fold down desks with room for Wacom tablet, bolted in safe for gear). You will be so stoked !
Sweetwater Creek Sunset Engagement Session
Laughing so hard my face hurt. That’s not how I always leave a workday, but it sure was how I spent my session with Sarah & Nick. These two had known each other since high school, parted ways, and reconnected. Deciding to say “forever-ever,” they chose me to capture their wedding later this year at Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery. We decided on Sweetwater Creek State Park and Home Depot for their Engagement Session. One location I’m very familiar and confident with, and the other admittedly a creative challenge.
It was so great to wander in the light with these two, and I cannot wait to capture their love story this autumn !
Atlanta Ritz Carlton and Ambient+ Studio Wedding
Yasmeen & Nick’s Atlanta Ritz Carlton and Ambient+ Studio wedding blew everyone away. So many thoughtful details incorporated, sentimental touches and sincerity with planning. Every moment from gift exchanges to first look and their choreographed dance was fluid, natural and just so them. i’m grateful to have captured their story in such stunning locations.
Onward,
GK
Santa Barbara, California Courthouse Elopement
ELOPE ! Seriously. There is nothing quite like the energy of two folks madly in love deciding to just do the damn thing. Thankfully, these two let me (and my camera) come along for an hour of the ride.
Call me when y’all have a party ?
Dwell Hotel Chattanooga + Cloudland Destination Wedding
Destination weddings simplify a lot of things. Guests arrive with a sense of wonder and relaxation. Everyone’s eyes are fresh to the surroundings. Stepping into Chattanooga and the Dwell Hotel was like entering another time, altogether. It was honestly the closest i’ve come to photographing in what felt like a Wes Anderson set. I could just run around and get lost with my camera all day.
Thankfully, the weather cooperated and cloudy skies parted for perfect hair light. Kisses on a swing, in a barn and afoot the mountains. Romance abound !
Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico Winter Vanlife Yoga + Surfing Retreat
Some of us are lucky to find places and people that touch our souls. For me, a bi-annual journey to Baja has become just that. Todos Santos first whispered to me as an invitation to photograph an intimate, destination wedding of an old college friend. I think I booked my flights before she signed her contract, to be honest.
Needless to say, exploring the small town and surrounding beaches during that Summer trip was a dream. I remembered being struck by the simplicity of things, people, food, and the freedom I always feel when I have a camera in my hand in lieu of a cell phone. I surfed my brains out, indulged my taco obsession and happily stumbled upon live music and local art.
Fast forward a few months after that wedding, and I remember being haunted by the feeling that I had somehow left my heart in Baja and needed to go and find her. I began brainstorming a winter reprieve, and through the Yoga + Wellness retreat community I’m a part of, I was connected to a local angel who graciously helped my pieces of the puzzle come together.
The last-minute flight gods were kind, and plane fares were affordable. There just happened to be an opening at an ocean-view one bedroom apartment close to the best surf break in town, and my friend could even rent me his truck. It was meant to be. I just had to Go. Do. Be.
There’s a feeling I get, when I get out of my own way. My therapist referenced it yesterday as the still, small voice. It comes from outside of my self, but it is somehow a feeling of more myself. Some of you may call this Holy Spirit. That’s awesome ! I call it consciousness or, presence. That feeling was with me this February. That feeling is still somehow in me, as I sit in a gray, landlocked Atlanta basement. The feeling allows me to be open to new people, random conversations, sing alongs by campfires, making new penpals, and an overall connectedness to humankind. It breaks down the barriers to entry that screens somehow create. I often feel like even though technology is so incredible, it can make us feel even lonelier. Laughing after sunset yoga with a new friend or letting a stranger on the beach sing in French and play guitar to me, or talking to the same dude in the surf lineup every morning and never learning his name but remembering his dog’s… that’s the good stuff. That’s the small town, beach vibe, heart centered stuff. That’s my stuff.
Thank you, Baja. For holding me like you do. For teaching me the Hawaiian prayer Ho’oponopono. For bringing angels into my life. For bringing back that still, small voice that guides me.
XO,
Gianna Keiko
Saint Petersburg, Florida Winter Wedding
Melissa + Mark initially hired me for an Engagement session whilst they were living in Inman Park, in Atlanta. We had fun exploring the Beltline and Piedmont Park, and made the most of an unseasonably cold day.
Fast forward, and they booked me for an early summer Florida wedding. As fate would have it, they found out they were expecting their first child and had to move up the wedding date ! Fortunately I could still accommodate the change, and we got to celebrate their wedding at Nova 535 this past weekend.
I hear a lot of really wonderful feedback from clients, but I’ll never forget what Melissa told me during the Couple’s session: “Mark has not cared about a single vendor. Caterers, florals, whatever. But he knew that we wanted you for our photographer.”
Yep. I bout cried then. And I definitely cried during their cake-cutting, when the gender revealed that they are expecting a baby girl !
Magic all around, folks.
Perry + Michael's Monday Night Garage Winter Wedding
Rain. Cold. Nothing could dampen their spirits as Perry + Michael said Forever-ever. These two were seriously troopers. With a live band performance by BOTH incredibly gifted musicians, themselves, and their friends, the reception perfectly represented the joy for life these two possess. Thank you for trusting me to capture your energy and spirit. Wishing y’all the very best in these next steps of marriage !
XO,
GK
Atlanta Small Business Portrait Branding Photos
Working with Olivia Urig of Journey 10 Rolfing has been a total dream ! If you’re not familiar with Rolf Structural Integration, it is a form of bodywork that reorganizes the connective tissues, called fascia, that permeate the entire body. Rolfing Structural Integration works on this web-like complex of connective tissues to release, realign and balance the whole body, thus resolving discomfort, reducing compensations and alleviating pain. Rolfing SI aims to restore flexibility, revitalize your energy and leave you feeling more comfortable in your body.
Essentially, the Rolfing process enables the body to regain the natural integrity of its form, thus enhancing postural efficiency and your freedom of movement.
I personally received the 10 series from Olivia this Summer/Autumn and it not only transformed my body, but the way I held tension in my emotional body, as well. Allowing gravity to flow through (instead of fight against) has been such a treat when I’m carrying heavy photography gear, hiking for miles on end, or crushing it in big surf !
I was thrilled when Olivia asked me to capture a branding session for her spirit and business. Curious about Rolfing in Atlanta ? Check out Journey 10 !
2019 Travel, book your portrait sessions whilst I'm on the road !
Editing through Kelly + Duncan’s intimate North Georgia Mountain wedding has me SO PUMPED for all my destination weddings upcoming in 2019.
I love to arrive a day early and hike, check out coffee shops, and get to know the area. If anyone has interest in booking a portrait session surrounding wedding dates, do reach out !
2019-
January- Florida
February- Baja, MEX
March- Dominican Republic
April- Asheville, NC
May + June- Atlanta, GA
July- Long Island + Brooklyn, NY
August + September- Atlanta, GA
October- Highlands, NC
November + December- TBD
As always, contact me at LOVE@GIANNAKEIKO.COM
Stunning McDaniel Farm Park Maternity Session
Laura and Grady’s stunning maternity session captured the season, their love and expanding family <3
Holiday Family Sessions
With everyone gathered for the holidays, it’s always nice to book a studio session and create family heirlooms and gifts, together. I’ve loved working with my repeat clients over the years, and whilst I promote mainly weddings, I do still take on a limited amount of family portraiture throughout the year <3
If your photographer asks: "can I steal y'all for 5 minutes?" Say yes.
Take a beat and be together in the soft light <3
Atlanta Skyline Helicopter Pad Proposal
On Saturday, we had the pleasure of capturing a rooftop engagement proposal at Ventana’s Downtown Helipad. Their whole family was in attendance, and champagne toasts sweetened the deal. Congrats to these lovebirds !
Do I need a Bridal Session ?
of course. more relaxed. hair and makeup trial. nothing else to rush off to. need I say more ?
