epagafotoblog.com bio picture
  • Welcome to our blog!

    Ladies and Gents..we are happy to have you browsing around the epagaFOTO blog! If you didn't know, epagaFOTO has THREE photographers... Jessica Roark (owner of epagaFOTO) was lucky enough to bring on the talented Jesseca Hattey and Mary Beth as associate photographers. Together, we are committed to documenting the unique moments of life and challenge each other to new levels of creativity.

    This is the place we share our favorite creations, moments, opinions, and personal stories. Thanks for joining us.

    Weddings, Wedding Venues
    2011 Bride's Choice Awards | Best Wedding Photographers, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Florists, Wedding Planners & More

kristen + chris…a yacht wedding in Hollywood, FL

You can imagine my anticipation when Kristin called to ask me to photograph her upcoming wedding…on a yacht…in Florida.  Of course, I was in (and totally stoked).  And of course, my first (well, my second) thought was the infamous SNL skit “I’m on a boat”.  You tube that bad boy if you haven’t seen it.  It’s hilarious.

So last October, I packed my gear and one of my favorite travel photo-buddies, Amy Guerreri, and we were off to shoot one heck of a fun wedding.  Happy surprise number one…we arrived to a tropical storm.  And I’m not talking “cute little sprinkle” sort of a tropical storm.  We’re talking torrential downpour, serious winds, ridiculous amounts of water.

Kristin could have been justifiably upset…no one would have faulted her at. all. But she was a champ and totally embraced the whole ordeal and in turn, we got some incredible images.

These first images were from the rehearsal dinner, which is when the storm arrived…

loved the modern, asian decor of the rehearsal location…shot the heck out of that space.
sweet moment with the parents…
all the fella’s lookin fly…
Grandpa made me smile over and over…he was the officiant for Kristen and Chris’ wedding.  how sweet.
a long night exposure by Amy G.
funny story here..Kristen has these beautiful lip-gloss smothered lips.  Nearly every time she lays a wet one on Chris, there’s a subsequent “wipe off” move.  It’s become a signature Chris move we’ve made several jokes about:)
Here begins the wedding day…we started the day by documenting the trail of rain.  It was quite beautiful, actually.
my gosh, does it get more hollywood than this?
lip gloss it, girl!  You know Chris loves it:)
happy Kristen…
At one point, we had a break in the rain and went out to take some family pictures.  The clouds opened and in 2 seconds flat we were running for shelter…I love this picture because it shows the joy amidst the chaos.  This is Chris’ mom…
we found a cool covered area and rocked out some portraits while the rain took over…
Kristen testing the rain pour before we bare it all..sans umbrella.
these boys were about as handsome and fun as they get.  Loved hangin’ with these dapper dudes.
the beauty here is unreal.
Throughout the day, Kristen transformed from a glammed hollywood star to a beautiful beach goddess…all rain-induced.  Wowsa.
details on the yacht…gorg.
i adore this photo…the backstory is this…everyone was a bit bummed that the rain was forcing the ceremony to be inside the yacht instead of up on the rooftop.  Here, a groomsmen chills with a drink while people scurry to get things ready.
guests greeted with champagne….yum.

Though the wedding was moved inside, the ceremony was as sweet as could be…
Again, I love gramps here…that smile warms a room.
it’s 9pm and it’s stillllllll raining.
and then this happened and made the entire day’s worth of rain worth it:)
another long exposure during dinner.
Oh dear.  This picture will forever haunt this poor man.  

Amy Guerreri - February 9, 2012 - 6:26 am

That ‘back of the boat’ shot still blows my mind. This was such a fun day, torrential downpour and all!

Allyson - February 9, 2012 - 5:26 pm

Holy smokes, Jess!!! That pic of them in the rain on the back of the boat is un-freaking-believable!!!! That better be printed on a big ol’ canvas for their house (and perhaps for your studio too!). Looks like a wedding full of beautiful people and sweet (and a few crazy!) moments….

melissa + blake…as hip as they get.

Melissa and Blake are my super fun hipster pair… they love style, good music, wine, and delicious food.  Blake has quite the imaginative personality which makes for random outbursts of belly laughing, while Melissa’s sweet sentiment plays along in good spirit.  For their engagement session we camped out on 39th St. (one of my favorite streets in Kansas City), and ended with some night time drama in front of the Uptown Theater (one of Melissa and Blake’s favorite music venues).  This lovely pair will tie the knot in a few short months- let the countdown begin:)

Here Blake offers commentary for comedic relief…works everytime. ha:)
Blake pretends to “explore” the land expansion in the distance (which happened to be a parking lot).   It was a very Columbus-like moment.  We were all very proud…
Is it me or does that flower pot make this shot?
Look at those eyes..daaaaaaaang.

amanda + casey…remembering fall at its best.

This time of year is bittersweet for me…On the one hand I’m deep into hibernation mode, working away on all the business things I’ve ignored during the craziness of wedding season…this is awesome. chill. relaxing. energizing. great.  On the other hand, I miss shooting, being outside breathing in whatever seasonal beauty happens to be in bloom.  I look back on Amanda and Casey’s engagement session and smile.   Not only are they incredible people to photograph, but we were shooting in the prime of the fall season.  Amanda and Casey- I couldn’t be more excited to shoot with you again come May.  Your wedding is going to be phenom (yes, I just abbreviated phenominal…just go with it:).

Undeniable natural beauty.

Marina showed up and I knew my talent would have nothing to do with making a beautiful picture.  Her classic look and clean style was a treat to document…try not to get lost in her eyes.  I dare you:)

Glam girl. Kelli takes the runway.

One thing I love about shooting senior sessions is that they inevitably become a fashion shoot….and I love fashion.  Each senior brings their own fashionista flare and my job is to tailor our shooting locations to fit their style and personality.  Fun right?  I love fashion so these sessions are a nice switch-up from shooting weddings.  Kelli came with some really cute outfits…and within five minutes of shooting I was wondering why she doesn’t do this as a side job.  Such a natural. this one:)

that’s right…work it, girl.
one of my faves.
such a look of confidence.  this may be my actual fave (for real). Love those earrings.
there’s a story here.  Right under the tracks was a cute  little mouse (p.s actually, Kelly was the one who thought it was cute…no mouse is cute in my book).  It kept coming in and out of hiding, which made for a moment of comedy.
Miss Kelli…I hope, more than anything, that you are affirmed in knowing just how beautiful you are.  I know you’ve had a lot of things brewing in life..but that joy-filled smile of yours will get you all the places you’ll ever need to go.  Enjoy these pictures…I sure enjoyed taking them.

Allyson Cheney - October 19, 2011 - 1:39 am

this girl is gorgeous for sure!!! love her bold style and the confidence she portrays. i feel like i know her just looking at these images. that is a credit to both her and to you!! amazing work.