Fenix Photography, Design, & Events LLC

01/31/2026

A lot of times corporate and commercial work is pretty straight forward, you have a brief and you get the photos and videos needed to fit that brief to sell those products or services.

What a delightful surprise it has been that the photo and video work that Commonwealth Senior Living hires our business for has served a greater purpose. Yes, it is still promotional work. The difference is that they are going above and beyond to rewrite the Senior Living narrative and take so seriously the weight of caring for a family's loved one beyond just a sales approach. Filming interviews of residents, associates, and family members who are crying talking about how CSL has changed their life carries an important responsibility to to create a video that respectfully tells their story.

Our work has always been about telling stories, and this past year has brought some amazing ones!

01/24/2026

The answer to where’s the “perfect” place to have your photos taken is easier than you think!✨

Robert and Natalie go every December to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights, so Robert knew that’s where he’d want photos taken after they got engaged.

Yes it’s a beautiful location, but most importantly it’s a place they both are comfortable and has sentimental meaning so it doubled as a special date that happened to be photographed!

When you’re comfortable you let your guard down to soak in the moment together, so wherever you can do that is the “perfect” place to take photos!

01/07/2026

Two of Juliette’s nieces and nephews ran into the bridal suite as she put her shoes on to give both her and grandma a hug and their excitement was palpable. They weren’t posing for the camera, they just wanted to tell Auntie and grandma how beautiful they looked.

As your family ages, these are the moments you’ll want to remember. Your nephew saying he wants his hair done too, one of your nieces holding all of the other bridesmaids fur shawls while your other niece uses all of her patience to not open the big bag of chips early, dancing with grandpa at the reception, and changing into a velvet tracksuit that matches the wedding colors.

The perfectly imperfect, our absolute favorite.

Photography:
Reception Venue: .overlook
Florist: Oak and Poppy Event Design
Caterer:
Dessert: Tastefully Ever After
DJ:
Bride’s Dress:
Bridesmaids Dresses:
Groom’s Attire:
Groomsmen Attire:
Rentals:
Invitations:

12/04/2025

Are you having your wedding in a Historic Downtown like Staunton but still want some nature inspired portraits? Greg and Kristin wanted a mix of both for their Hotel 24 South Wedding so we found foliage in the most unlikely of places! With the right angles and lens we turned a small walkway in the middle of a parking lot into a Fall scene and then made an Ivy wall along the road next to a car shop into a greenery backdrop.

An example of how with the right knowledge and skillset a photographer can take scenery that’s uninteresting to the eye and turn it into captivating imagery!

Venue:

11/07/2025

In honor of October marking 7 years in business, here are 7 things to know about working with us!

1. Our faith is the foundation of our lives, marriage, and how we run our business. Our motto is “God writes the story; we just document it” because we believe that all of the occasions we capture are blessings from Him. We have a lot of experience with Catholic and Christian weddings!

2. We are Maria and Dayton: a husband and wife photo and video duo that offer both of us photographing, both of us filming, or one of us doing each. Maria can help guide you on which role(s) we can best serve you in. A perk of hiring us for both (in addition to a discount) is that we work together seamlessly the day of and it gives your photos and video a cohesive look.

3. Our business approach is relational not transactional. It doesn’t matter who you buy a scrunchie from, but it does matter who you trust to act respectfully on the day you become two in one spirit surrounded by the people you love most. Maria runs the business full-time and loves building relationships with clients so that she feels like a trusted friend.

4. Our wedding day approach is to give direction when needed and help set the scene, but once a genuine interaction begins we capture it in its purest form. No “recreating” or faking. The most emotional moments we have captured was when we were silent.

5. Our editing style is vibrant and true to color. We want your photos and video to look the way your wedding day did with a little extra pop to make the scenery feel as 3D as possible.

6. Marriage is a sacrament, not a production. We know the balance of filming moments with multiple camera angles while still being discreet. It is possible for moments to be well documented AND for us to be unobtrusive.

7. We love to travel and to photograph the incredible scenery God has created! Whether you want your love documented at a National Park (we have been to 20) or an international adventure, we are there!

Thank you to every member of our Fenix Family who chose us to capture a special season in their life: grad, engagement, wedding, maternity, newborn, family or all of the above! We are so excited for Year 8!

10/01/2025

08/16/2025

Flowers = Power
Collin and Taylor both love the color purple and knew that lots of beautiful blooms would bring their wedding vision to life. Flowers bring such a romantic and whimsical feel to a wedding and if used properly can take the place of some decor since it makes such a bold and beautiful statement all on its own. It adds a delicate feel to morning detail shots, provides great variety for portraits, and ties all of the colors of the day together in a cohesive way from ceremony to reception.

Taylor knew she’d want to remember how her bouquet looked which is why she hired to create a beautiful keepsake.

truly outdid themselves with the array of floral arrangements they artistically designed to transport guests into a garden of purple!

Photographer:
Venue:
Day of Coordinator:
Florist:
Bouquet Preservation:
Caterer:
DJ: Class Productions DJ
Hairstylist:
Makeup: Kynndal Hartt
Bride’s Dress Brand:
Bride’s Dress Shop:
Bride’s Shoes Brand:
Bridesmaids Dresses:
Groom & Groomsmen Attire:
Invitations:

08/02/2025

11 . 2 . 24

"I was so blessed to be your earthly father, but remember that you have a Heavenly Father that will take good care of you every step of the way."

After celebrating 9 years of dating just a few days prior on Halloween, Cole and Callie gathered their friends and family for their Fall wedding day. Family is important to both of them and was beautifully displayed by Cole's grandfather officiating their wedding and his dad singing during the unity candle lighting which all of their parents lit parts of prior. Callie surprised everyone by instead of tossing her handmade crocheted toss bouquet at the reception, giving it to her mom who she thanked for everything she has done over the years. Those are just a few of the many beautifully emotional moments they shared with loved ones throughout the day.

The Fall leaves were the perfect accent to their color scheme and the venue's scenery combined a variety of aspects they love about the outdoors: fall leaves, water, mountains, and animals. They were blessed with great weather for their outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour and a beautiful sunset with mountain views.

Cole and Callie have a deep love for animals and their two adult dogs joined them during their ceremony and their puppies joined the dance party later with a very fitting entrance song of "who let the dogs out". As a sweet nod to their canines, they had doggie treat favor bags for guests to take home to their dogs too.

They were followers of our work when we first started out, so it means the world to us that we were the ones they chose to photograph and film their special day!

Watch to see the couple's choreographed first dance!

Photography & Videography: Fenix Photography, Design, & Events LLC

Venue: Four Winds at North Mountain
Catering: Take Out 250
Florist: https://www.shopshelbytheflowergirl.com/
DJ: https://www.classprodj.com/
Day of Coordinators: Susan Hoover Jacobs and Nikki Sprouse
Hair: instagram.com/moriahbarger
Makeup: instagram.com/brandedmusemua.olivia
Desserts: instagram.com/grammiescakesandbakes
Bride's Dress Shop: Amanda's Touch Bridal & Formal
Bride's Shoes: https://www.kaileep.com/
Bridesmaids Dresses: AZAZIE
Groom's Suit: StudioSuits
Groomsmen's Suits: https://classictuxedos.net/
Invitation Design: Cole Ogden
Invitation Printing: moo.com

https://youtu.be/_A8lTxCfLb8

11 . 2 . 24"I was so blessed to be your earthly father, but remember that you have a Heavenly Father that will take good care of you every step of the way."A...

07/15/2025

This first photo has become one of my favorite moments on a wedding day. The walking down the aisle moment is beautiful, but what feels extra special to me is when the couple turns away from the crowd to take hands and walk to the altar, and the look of sheer adoration on the groom’s face for his bride is palpable.

It’s not when you expect cameras to be capturing your reaction like when the doors first open and it’s not a sea of people and phones capturing your grand aisle walk, it’s just the two of you taking your first step towards the altar hand in hand while facing towards the cross that you’ll say your vows under.

Something I love about capturing ceremonies is that it’s all real. No one is thinking about the timeline, trends, perfection, or aesthetics. It’s just real moments with those you love most which is where true beauty lies.

Photo & Video:
Ceremony: Holy Family Roman Catholic Church
Venue & Catering :
Florist: .ny
DJ:
Baker: Rolling Pin Bakery
Bridesmaids’ Attire:
Groom’s Attire:
Groomsmen’s Attire:
Invitations:

03/14/2025

The biggest compliment is when a wedding couple invites me back for future sessions whether that’s anniversary, new home, maternity, family, etc!

Matt and Kelsi welcomed a sweet girl at the end of summer and we got so lucky with a stunning sunset a few months earlier for their mountain view maternity session.

They’re always a joy to work and have been fans of our work since the beginning which is so sweet. Kelsi laughs at all my jokes even the really not funny ones to the point you’d think I’m paying her and Matt will even crack a smile at them which I always appreciate hahaha.

New life is a beautiful miracle from God and it’s so special to watch our Fenix Family grow!

01/24/2025

6 . 15 . 24
"If I could only give you one thing in this life, I would give you the ability to see yourself for how I see you."

Andy and Skyla met at 16, reconnected at 21, and after one official date said they were falling in love! After 4 years of dating and 10 years of friendship they became husband and wife on a warm and sunny June day at Alturia Farms. They combined their country roots with boho accents to create a fun and stylish look for their day!

One of the beautiful emotional moments we witnessed was when Skyla surprised Andy by having a cross soldered onto the chain his late mother gave him in honor of her memory. Another tender moment was when Skyla did the first-look with her step-dad and told him she was officially becoming his daughter even though it had already felt that way for years.

After the tears were shed and vows were exchanged, they put on their cowboy/cowgirl hats for their upbeat reception filled with lots of laughter, personalized koozies, photo ops with their LOVE sign, and dancing leading up to their sparkler exit!

It was a pleasure to bring their upbeat country wedding to life through film!

Videography: Fenix Photography, Design, & Events LLC

Venue: Alturia Farm
Photography: Brittany York Photography
DJ: https://www.bluenotedj.com/
Hairstylist & Makeup Artist: https://autumn-moore.square.site/
Dress Bridal Shop:

https://youtu.be/bPBVTuWQx7g

6 . 15 . 24"If I could only give you one thing in this life, I would give you the ability to see yourself for how I see you."Andy and Skyla met at 16, reconn...