Mississippi Photographer | Erin Fults Photographer Blog

THIS IS MY LAST POST...

2009-12-21T12:06:00.002-06:00

on this blog because I have a brand new blog! Change your bookmarks and head on over to: erinfults.com/blog

All of my posts from this blog have been migrated over to the new one and I can't wait to get the blogging going in full swing after the first of the year. Make sure and head on over now though b/c there is an announcement about the next 101 a workshop which several of you have asked me about.

Merry Christmas!!

ANNA+WALTER || WEDDING DETAILS

2009-12-14T20:55:00.002-06:00

This post is a bit later than planned but here we go. Anna+Walter had some really beautiful details at their wedding and I want to share some photos. What I loved about the details of Anna+Walter's wedding was that they were not extravagant or excessive but very thoughtful and reflective of themselves.

There were several things that Anna did herself, including the mailbox setup which included a cute little owl with instructions for the guests to 'mail' Anna+Walter a postcard with their well wishes. Anna did the calligraphy for that, which was beautiful. If any brides need their invitations or anything else written in calligraphy, Anna is the lady to call!

The florals were the creation of Lesley Frascogna of Tulip Design Studio. Lesley did a phenomenal job with the florals. Anna didn't want everything perfectly matching so Lesley created a completely different bouquet for each bridesmaid and then Anna's bouquet was stunning. The colors and textures were really fabulous.

And finally the last contributor I will mention is Neola Young of Viva La Cupcake. I managed to snag a red velvet cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting (my personal fav) before leaving the reception and it was the best red velvet cake I have ever had. Yummy and beautiful, the symmetry of the rows and rows of cupcakes made for a fun statement on the moss covered table which was completed with little woodland creatures-- a pair of owls, and a rabbit.

So, enough of my rambling and on with some images...

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ASHLEY+JONATHAN ARE MARRIED!!

2009-12-08T13:21:00.004-06:00

Ashley+Jonathan have been dating since at least Jr. High and Saturday they tied the knot and are now husband and wife! It was such a privilege to be a part of their wedding day, meet their family and friends and document their celebration.

Ashley+Jonathan, thank you for having me be a part of your big day! I hope you are having a blast in Gatlinburg.

Click HERE for a slideshow of more images.

A big thanks to my friend Lindsey Scott for shooting with me.

We found a small patch of snow to photograph Ashley's bouquet in to prove that there was snow on the ground on her wedding day in Mississippi. :-)

Ashley was a dream bride. Laid back and in a great mood all day. :-)

Is she gorgeous or what!

Jonathan being all chill and handsome.

First United Methodist in Clinton is such a beautiful church building.

The Chapatoula Building in Clinton is really a beautiful venue for a reception.

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WALTER+ANNA || AG MUSEUM WEDDING

2009-11-30T15:59:00.003-06:00

There are many reasons that I love photographing weddings, but getting to know such wonderful people --a.k.a. my clients -- is one of the top reasons that I love what I do. Anna+Walter are certainly no exception.

I spent this past Saturday documenting their love as they vowed to remain by one another's sides for better or worse for the rest of their lives. My sweet friend and second shooter for the day, Lindsey, commented on what a beautiful celebration Anna+Walter's day was as we left the reception at the Northpointe Red Barn on Saturday. It really was beautiful, from their ceremony at the MS Agricultural Museum Chapel, to all of the thought out details, to their sweet family and friends that celebrated with them.

Anna+Walter, I wish you all the best as you embark on this new chapter in your lives!

Below are a few of my favorite images from the day. If you want to see even more images you can see the slideshow by clicking HERE.

PS- There were such beautiful details that I am going to dedicate a separate post to that. :-)

I love a girl that wears sassy shoes on her wedding day.

Anna+Walter opted to see each other before the ceremony. I cannot recommend that highly enough! Every couple that has chosen to do that always says that is it such a great decision **hint, hint future brides.** ;-)

You can tell Walter adores Anna by the way that he looks at her.

The Ag Museum provided a fun backdrop for shooting.

The handsome groom.

Anna working it for the camera :-)

I love this shot Lindsey caught from the back of the chapel during the ceremony.

There was a vent on the altar platform. Anna came very close to a Marilyn Monroe moment.

I love this shot I caught during the toasts at the reception.

Anna+Walter had a really fun choreographed first dance. Anna changed into her dancing shoes. If you look closely she had her toes painted peacock blue. :-)

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COUSINS

2009-11-23T16:51:00.003-06:00

Being close to family is such a sweet thing. Julie and Mandy are sisters and best friends and their boys are close in age and right on track to being best friends as well. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph them one morning while they played. They did everything from riding trikes out on the driveway, to picking little tomatoes in the garden, to reading books. It was a fun time and the boys are so precious!

A favorite pastime -- taking cushions off the couch.

A trike race

Yummy Charlie. :-)

Little Robert has to be the cutest, most expressive little boy I have ever seen! Most babies ignore me, he kept studying me and my camera as I moved around the room.

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CHICKENS, SUCKERS & AUTOMOBILES

2009-11-22T21:37:00.003-06:00

Photographing families in their space is one of my favorite things. Children are definitely more comfortable in a familiar place but more importantly, in my opinion, what a beautiful way to document life as it is hanging out where you spend most of your time.

Recently I had a blast photographing Jackson and Jude in their favorite place to play...their huge yard! These boys live out on many acres of 'yard', a little boy's dream place to live-- and maybe a mama's too. I know there has been many a mama that has pointed her little boy to the door and said 'Go play!'. My guess is that it is only a matter of a couple of years before Michelle will be pointing her two boys to the great outdoors to get them out from her feet. :-)

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MS PHOTOGRAPHER || THE WATERLOOS

2009-11-17T16:05:00.005-06:00

You may recognize little Lela Beth from the session we did a couple of months ago. This time she decided to bring her sisters along for some fun. :-) Every time I am around a family with multiple small children I wonder how they do it, which is a little funny since I am one of eight. Emma keeps my hands full enough that I wonder how I would manage if we had another one.

Emily and Trey manage just fine though. Their precious girls are so full of energy but they divide and conquer and all is good. I had a great time photographing their session last week. Here are a few of my favorites...

Evelyn loves giving kisses

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MS PHOTOGRAPHER || JOSH+KRYSTLE

2009-11-14T15:35:00.003-06:00

I really enjoy photographing couples, which is one of the many reasons I love photographing weddings. I was really excited when Krystle asked me to photograph she and Josh. They have been married for several years and wanted to shoot a 'just because' session-- which I love! We had a great time. Josh+Krystle are really fun and photogenic and have a very defined sense of style, which I also love.

Thanks so much for letting me photograph you guys! Here are a few of my favorites...

I love me some red heels! :-)

This is one of my favorites from the session.

Work it Krystle, work it!

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || THE RANKINS

2009-11-13T14:28:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was blessed to photograph the Rankin family. This session is a part of a project I am doing, as I mentioned in my last blog post. I went to hang out at their house for a bit and the following photographs are a few of my favorites that I got while we hung out. At the end of the post the slideshow images are from a trip to Campbell's Bakery we took after hanging out at their house. I was really excited about photographing them at Campbell's because they go there for a Saturday morning treat pretty regularly.

Enjoy...

As I mentioned above the slideshow images are from the trip to Campbell's. Each image in the slideshow is a spread from an album design.

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || ASHER+EVIE

2009-11-11T08:36:00.004-06:00

Poor blog, I am sorry I have neglected you. :-( I spent most of last week in New Orleans at Pictage's PartnerCon meeting other photographers, learning and being inspired. It was a great time of refreshment for me, and I am already looking forward to next year. I have some ideas swirling around in my brain right now regarding my business that may very well mean significant changes on the horizon for Erin Fults Photograper. As a result my blog has taken a back seat and I am still playing catch up.

That is not really what this post is about though... I want to share a few images from a shoot I did several weeks ago. This is my friend Meg's two kiddos. They are really fun and very active. Although I spent most of our hour together chasing them I think it resulted in some fun images. Meg, thanks for sharing your family with me.

This shoot is part of a project I am doing. This image below is a shot of Meg's living room and I digitally inserted these framed images to see what they would look like on her wall.

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || CARLEY+LOCKE

2009-10-29T14:59:00.003-05:00

This isn't the first time these two cuties have made an appearance in front of my camera. I met up with Carley, Locke and their mommy last week for Locke's 6 month photo session. It was cold and pretty dreary out but we made the best of it. :-) Here are a a few from their session...

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || BRETT+ASHLEY+JACKSON

2009-10-26T15:55:00.004-05:00

One of the things that I love about being a photographer are the wonderful people I get to work with. I really enjoy getting to know my clients a bit. Ashley+Brett are no exception. I have really enjoyed hanging out with them over the past couple of months. They are such precious people. Ashley is so sweet and genuine and Brett is laid back and witty-- they make a great pair-- and then Jackson is as cute as a button and busy as a little bee. :-)

Here are a few of my favorite images from a family session I shot a couple of weeks ago...

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || THE LUTER FAMILY

2009-10-22T23:25:00.003-05:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this fun family a bit ago. Christi contacted me about arranging a session of she and her husband Andrew along with his brothers and mom and dad as a birthday gift to Andrew's mom. The Luter's are such a fun family and the guys were good sports because let's face it how many guys get excited about a family photo session. :-)

Here are a few of my favorites from the session...

Christi and Andrew having fun.

I think this might be my favorite of everyone together.

The brothers.

Mr. and Mrs. Luter

Daniel

David

Andrew

Christi

At the end of the session someone suggested a jumping shot. A couple family members protested but were overruled. Daniel, don't be mad at me for posting this. :-)

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || ANDREW+JILL

2009-10-22T23:12:00.003-05:00

Andrew+Jill are such a fun couple. Andrew I have known for as long as I can remember because we grew up at the same church. Jill I have known only for a few years-- her brother married one of my best friends. I had such a great time photographing their engagement session last weekend. Since I have really only known them a bit each separately it was fun to finally see them together and get a glimpse into their relationship.

I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding here in Jackson in December. I know it will be beautiful!

So, onto the images-- here are a few favorites...

One thing is for sure-- Andrew keeps Jill smiling and laughing.

Jill and her adorable, stylish self. :-)

They are really silly together always laughing and goofing off.

Jill playing hard to get. :-)

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || WALTER+ANNA

2009-10-19T21:21:00.003-05:00

I have been looking forward to Walter+Anna's engagement session for several weeks now. Anna emailed me awhile back and asked what I thought about shooting their engagement photos at the MS State Fair. Well, let me think about it ummm..... YES!! I knew we would have a blast, and that we did.

I really enjoyed getting to know Walter+Anna a bit more. They have so much fun together and I loved how attentive Walter is to Anna. They are both talented artists themselves. Walter is a writer and Anna a musician who also dabbles a bit into photography. I can't wait to photograph their wedding next month at the MS Ag Museum.

So, here are a few of my favorites from our session. I posted a few more than usual-- I couldn't help myself. :-) Enjoy...

This is one of the first images I took. I really love the colors and sun flare makes me happy.

I love the shoes Anna wore.

Is she adorable or what? :-)

Yummy lights.

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MS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER || SISTERS

2009-10-17T21:13:00.002-05:00

Jenny and I have known each other since we were in high school. We both worked at the same summer camp for about 5 years and oh the stories we could tell...little children, campouts, thunderstorms, 4 wheelers, mud pits... those don't all combine to make one story by the way but many, otherwise that would be a bit disturbing. :-)

Anyway, I was really excited to have the opportunity to photograph Jenny and her sister Leslie. They are the best of friends and a riot when you put them together. Thank you both for a great time!

Here a few favorites from their session...

Jenny and Leslie in usual form. :-)

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CANTON, MS WEDDING || TRENT+KIM

2009-10-15T13:13:00.002-05:00

I had the honor of documenting Trent+Kim's wedding at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Canton last weekend. Although there was a threat of rain all day, it held off for the most part and everything turned out beautifully. All of the wedding party got ready at the Jiggett's Home which is right across the street from the church and is also where they had the reception. The logistics of that worked great. :-)

The Jiggett's Home is full of Southern character and charm which made for a fun place to photograph.

Trent+Kim, thank you so much for having me be a part of your day!

Also, a 'thank you' to Aaron Phillips for shooting with me.

So, onto a few images. Click HERE for a slideshow.

The beautiful bride.

Sacred Heart is gorgeous on the inside. I felt like I had walked into one of the churches from my college art history books.

The happy couple. Trent sighed a big sigh of relief once the ceremony was over. :-)

I will leave you with this image. The guys managed to find a TV at the Jiggett's Home to watch the football game. What can I say--Southerners love their SEC football.

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HOLLY+SCOTT || MISSISSIPPI ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

2009-10-08T21:17:00.002-05:00

I met up with Holly+Scott for their engagement session a week or so ago and had such a great time! They both said that they aren't very good in front of the camera, but I must disagree. :-)

Holly+Scott it was great getting to know you a bit and I can't wait for your wedding in April!

Below are a few of my favorites from our session and you can click HERE to see a slideshow with a few more.

I mean really- could they be cuter together or what? :-)

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MISSISSIPPI PHOTOGRAPHER || A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

2009-10-07T16:55:00.006-05:00

I can't believe that it is already October! Finally things are cooling down a little bit here in Mississippi. I love fall, it is definitely my favorite season. This is a super quick post to let you know what dates I have remaining for portrait sessions through the end of the year. I will not be scheduling any sessions during the month of December-- so if you want pictures before 2010 here is your opportunity. Your Creation Fee is required in order to reserve your session date.

Monday, November 9th

Saturday, November 14th*

Tuesday, November 17th

Monday, November 30th

* Please note that weekend sessions are $150 as opposed to a weekday session which is $100.

One more deadline--- all Christmas cards must be ordered by Friday, November 27th. All framed pieces must be ordered by Friday, November 20th if you would like to receive it in time for Christmas.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

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MISSISSIPPI PHOTOGRAPHER || REBECCA

2009-10-05T15:22:00.002-05:00

I have been looking forward to my photo shoot with Rebecca because I knew we would have a lot of fun-- and fun we had! Rebecca is such a beautiful girl both inside and out and I can't wait to see where the Lord takes her in life after she graduates from high school this year.

Rebecca-- thank you for having me document this exciting time in your life!

Here are a few of my favorites...

I mean really-- are her eyes gorgeous or what?!

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ANNIVERSARY || MISSISSIPPI PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-10-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

Happy October everyone! I have been looking forward to this blog post for several months now and the time has finally arrived. October marks the the official one year anniversary of Erin Fults Photographer! It has been quite a year-- I have learned so much about photography, myself and the ins and outs of running a business.

I have had the privilege to work with some amazing clients documenting their weddings and families. All of you that have invited me into your lives, thank you. I am only able to do what I do because of all of you that encourage me in my work and like it enough to hire me. :-) You all have blessed me. Ultimately, I am blown away by God's amazing graciousness in His blessings!

Ok, this post isn't going to be all sappy-- I have some exciting announcements...

The first one I am going to make some of you have already discovered, but I have officially launched my new website! I have been working on this site for several months and though it went live a few weeks ago I have just finished up some last changes to make it ready to announce. :-)

There are several people to thank that played a role in making my new site possible---

-- ShowIt is the fabulous platform that the site is built and runs on.

-- Nick at Spilled Milk Designs took my initial design and made some tweaks to speed it up and make it more user friendly.

-- Robby Piantanida with Borrowed Productions is responsible for all the video on the site.

--And a huge thanks to Robby Followell, a super talented photographer here and Clinton and

a new friend that took all of the photographs of me on the site.

So, without further ado, go check it out at erinfults.com, I would love your feedback.

And finally, my last announcement...

I can't wait to see what year number two has in store!

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MISSISSIPPI WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY || ASHLEY+JONATHAN'S ENGAGEMENTS

2009-09-30T16:40:00.002-05:00

I have had the privilege of documenting the love of some of the best couples ever and Ashley+Jonathan are no exception. They are adorable together! Always laughing and having a good time, they are both easy going. I know their wedding December is going to be wonderful!

Last weekend we met up for their engagement session in Clinton. Here are a few of my favorites...

I think this might be my favorite. It captures their relationship so well, I think. :-)

101 a workshop || Recap

2009-09-28T08:49:00.003-05:00

Wow, it is hard to believe that the workshop has already come and gone. After announcing it several months ago and receiving such a great response I was really looking forward to it. There were a great group of women that attended and I was so encouraged by them.

A BIG THANK YOU to Lindsey Scott for all of her help. She kept us well fed throughout the day and was a huge encouragement to me as I prepared for the workshop. Lindsey is also to thank for the first 3 photos in this post. :-)

Also, thank you to Angela, our model. She did a great job modeling for us and having lots of cameras pointed in her face. :-)

Thank you to all of you ladies that joined me on Friday. It was a blessing to get to know you!

Our fabulous group!

These next two of me talking are a bit funny. Clearly I like to talk with my hands. :-)

These next few shots I grabbed of our fabulous model Angela.

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JACKSON, MS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY || BRETT+ASHLEY

2009-09-20T15:28:00.006-05:00

Saturday I had the honor of photographing Brett+Ashley's wedding at St. Richard's here in Jackson. It was a beautiful day and the rain held off until it was time to go from the church to the reception. The rain and umbrellas made for some fun images though, along with the Fondren Trolley, which transported the wedding party to the reception at Union Station.

Brett+Ashley were so much fun to photograph. Their family and friends were also a lot of fun. Fun guests and wedding party and a beautiful couple in love all make for a great combination for good images. :-)

Some of the people that contributed to Brett+Ashley's beautiful day:

Soiree' (Kendall Poole)- Event Planner

Fresh Cut -- catering

The Cake Diva -- groom's cake

That Special Touch (601-932-5223) - bride's cake

Blue Silk -- band

Tee's Bartending Service (601-832-0934)

Erin Fults -- photographer

Below are a few of my initial favorite images and you can click HERE for a slideshow with more images.

I love a bride who goes with something besides white shoes. :-)

I loved this window with the frosted glass.

Work it! :-)

This was the first time I decided to try off camera flash at the reception. I'm liking the way the backlit dance shots turned out.

CLINTON, MS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY || DELIA+PATRICK

2009-09-16T15:34:00.003-05:00

I have been looking forward to Delia+Patrick's wedding. We had such fun at their engagement session several months back, I knew that their wedding would be a lot of fun-- and that it was.

Patrick is one of nine children, so between all of his siblings and their spouses there were quite a few children. Delia had 7 little flower girls who partied harder at the reception than anyone else there. Oh, to have that much energy. :-)

Delia+Patrick are so cute together. Patrick can make Delia laugh just by looking at her. It was a privilege to be part of your wedding! I hope ya'll are having a blast in TN.

A big thanks to Robby Piantanida for second shooting with me.

So, here are a few images from Saturday. You can click HERE for the slideshow of more images.

Delia's dress was really beautiful.

Patrick, trying on his wedding band for size. I'm thinking he likes it. :-)

I told you he could make her laugh.

Pat's brother decided to be funny. This shot was taken before the wedding. Pat had no idea that this is what I was taking a picture of. There were a few chuckles on the front row when he knelt down during the ceremony.

Robby caught this shot and I love it.

I have a feeling Delia is still finding bird seed in her hair. :-)

I LOVE MY HUSBAND, REALLY I DO

2009-09-14T15:44:00.004-05:00

Ok, this is a really random post, but I laughed over this last night and thought I would share. So, last night we had put Emma down for bed and I was finishing up some things at my computer and Jon comes in and asks me what I want to do. I told him that I was almost finished at my computer and would he get the clean clothes out of the dryer and start folding them and I would come in a few minutes and help.

I finish up what I was doing and go in the living room to find this...

My oh so sweet husband was so very thoughtful and helped, not by folding the clothes, but by putting them in neat stacks so I could fold them. I mean really! Can someone please tell my why you would take the time to put clean clothes in stacks and not just fold them?!

Jon is wonderful and I love him, this is just one of those things I cannot understand-- and he says I'm irrational....

:-)

6 MONTH CUTIE || MISSISSIPPI PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-09-11T15:53:00.003-05:00

For those of you that read my ramblings regularly you will recognize this little guy. He is my best friend's little man and will be Emma's best friend-- they just don't know it yet. :-)

The goal of this quick shoot was to get some pictures of Freeman with his daddy as well as some pictures to document his 6th month of life. Enjoy...

Freeman's daddy is a huge Braves fan and if he has anything to do with it Freeman will be too.

Had to get a family shot. :-)

Couldn't you just eat him up!?

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101 a workshop || Mississippi Photographer

2009-09-10T11:03:00.004-05:00

First, if you have emailed me within that last 24 hours and haven't received a response, please email me again at: erinfults@gmail.com

I have had email issues and if you emailed I didn't get it. Thanks!

Just a quick post about the workshop coming up in a couple of weeks. I can't believe September is already here! Yikes! Where is this year going?! Anyway, I have 3 spots left in the workshop. There is more info below, but if you are interested or have any questions, shoot me an email.

I'm excited about the group that is coming and would love to fill those last 3 spots! For those that are already signed up, keep an eye on your inbox the beginning of next week as I will be sending you some more details. :-)

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TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

2009-09-08T22:21:00.002-05:00

If anyone is having issues with my main site or client galleries, please bear with me. They are undergoing some changes which will result in beautiful things but is taking some time. Thanks for your patience!!

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AUSTIN, TEXAS + A WORKSHOP

2009-09-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the FastTrack Roadshow Workshop in Austin, TX, and it was awesome! I was super excited that things worked out for me to attend. A special thanks to my in-laws for watching Emma for me for a few days. :-)

If any photographers happen to be reading this you definitely need to read the book FastTrack Photographer by Dane Sanders. It is a great book and I can now say from first hand experience (not that I doubted it before) that Dane is a super cool, genuine guy that is really committed to investing in the photography community and helping other photographers succeed. I learned so much at the workshop, made some new friends and I am really excited about the possibilities of where my business is going.

Since a post isn't complete without images, I want to share a few of my favorites from the shoot we did at the workshop. Stephanie+Todd are getting married in November and they were so much fun to photograph!

This first image was shot in the front window of Stephanie's store, which is right around the corner from the studio that hosted the workshop.

It started raining at the very end of the shoot, which made for some awesome images. We were all freaking out we were so excited. It's not often that you get the sunshiny rain like that on a photo shoot.

SETH+AMANDA || TAKE 2

2009-08-24T08:04:00.002-05:00

You may remember Seth+Amanda's engagement session and their wedding. At the risk of them being totally tired of me, I asked them to make an appearance in front of my camera one more time. :-) If you have been reading my blog recently you know I am working on a new website and projects that go along with that. This session is a part of all of that, which will be launching within the next few weeks.

Seth+Amanda are so fun to photograph. They are adorable together and great in front of the camera. Thank you both for being willing to do this for me. You are fabulous! I pray that the Lord continues to bless your marriage and your ministry together.

So, here are a few of my favorites...

KIM+TRENT || ENGAGEMENTS

2009-08-14T16:17:00.002-05:00

Kim+Trent were so fun together during their engagement session earlier this week. They are the kind of couple that are always goofing off and making each other laugh. I had a great time hanging out with them and can't wait for their wedding in October. I know it is going to be a blast!

So, here are a few of my favorites. The light was so yummy and Kim wore great colors-- it all just worked. :-) Click HERE for the slideshow with more images.

I know I posted this first picture in yesterday's 'Before and After' post, but I love it and wanted to post it again. :-)

I think this might be my favorite from the session.

BEFORE+AFTER

2009-08-13T14:49:00.002-05:00

I have intended to do a post like this for awhile, but after a conversation I have had with a bride this week I decided I should delay the post no longer. :-) It is not uncommon for brides to ask me what the difference is between the unedited digital files they will receive from their wedding day and the edits I make when prints are ordered or for album images. Although I try my best to explain it is really best just to show examples.

In the images below the image on the left is SOOC (straight out of camera) with absolutely nothing done to it-- no white balance or exposure correction. The image on the right has been edited. Not full retouching (which is typically only done on close up images--blemish removal, bags under eyes, etc...) just bringing the image to life a bit.

You can see in this first example that the image on the left is a decent image with no edits. A little on the underexposed side but other than that good. The edited image is lightened up a bit with maybe a touch of a bump up in saturation-- not much if any though.

These next two examples are actually from an engagement session I shot yesterday. Kim, I promise you will get a proper post-- this one doesn't count. :-) These images have a good exposure and I just increased the contrast a bit and a bump in saturation as well as adding in a bit of black. The last one I did lighten just a bit b/c I tend to prefer lighter images.

Well, I hope that was helpful. Until next time...

JASON+DAWN || WEDDING

2009-08-11T15:40:00.003-05:00

It was another fabulous wedding weekend this past weekend. Jason+Dawn tied the knot. You may remember their engagement session from several months ago. It was a beautiful day and they were surrounded by their precious family and friends. Their wedding party was fabulous-- super laid back and fun. I expected nothing less since Jason+Dawn are pretty fabulous themselves. :-)

A big thanks to Aaron Phillips and Krystle Walker for shooting with me on Saturday.

Jason+Dawn-- thank you for having me be a part of your day. Have a blast in Mexico!

Here are a few of my favorites. Check out a slideshow of more images HERE.

Fun shoes to start. This was Dawn's 'something blue'.

I love these next two shots that Aaron caught.

The Fondren Trolley transported the wedding party from the church to the Reception, which was at the University Club downtown. We grabbed a few shots inside before it left.

The first cake smashing at a wedding I have shot. :-)

Most brides are exhausted by the end of their wedding day. Dawn had enough party in her for she and Jason. :-)

MEET THE VICKERYS

2009-08-10T07:39:00.003-05:00

Any of you regular blog readers may recall me mentioning a new website that I am working on as well as several projects related. As part of that I needed a family to photograph that was willing to be part of that project and was so happy when Julie agreed to let me photograph her sweet kiddos.

Here are a few of my favorite images from our session. You are sure to see more of these later. :-) I love the colors Julie chose for the girl's dresses. They photographed really well against the green of the grass and trees.

Thank you again Julie!

MEET CLARA

2009-08-06T14:57:00.003-05:00

I had the privilege of photographing this little doll last weekend. Little Clara is about 3 months and is as cute as ever! She is the apple of her mommy an daddy's eyes. They are smitten with this precious girl and rightly so. :-)

I had a great time photographing little Clara along with her mommy and daddy. Thank you Andrea and Sean for having me document your sweet family.

Today I was working on a project that is part of my new website I am working on and it made me reflect on what I do as a photographer and how much I love it. It really is such a privilege to be trusted by my clients to document their children, families and weddings and that isn't something I take for granted. So, to all my fabulous clients--THANK YOU-- you are the reason I love what I do!

On to the pictures...

I can tell by the way they look at each other that Andrea and Sean are as crazy about each other as ever. I had to get a few of just the two of them. :-)

ASHLEY+BRETT | ENGAGEMENT

2009-08-04T14:28:00.003-05:00

I had so much fun photographing Ashley+Brett's engagement session. As you will see from the images they are such a fun couple. Brett knows how to keep Ashley laughing with his dry sense of humor and witty comments, that are probably sometimes inappropriate but hilarious. I love that about them. Ashley is sweet natured and laid back and they are adorable together. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in September.

So, here are a few of my favorites from our session. You can click HERE to see a slideshow of more images.

Enjoy...

Brett-- please don't be mad at me for posting this image. I think it is telling of your personalities-- I couldn't resist. :-)

This is one of my favorites. I love their expressions and the colors. It just works.

Isn't Ashley beautiful.

MEET LEVI

2009-07-31T13:39:00.002-05:00

You may remember Jeremy+Jesse from the session I shot with them back in March when Jesse was still pregnant. Well, Levi arrived safely and is growing like a little weed and Jesse called a few weeks ago and said she wanted to do a family session with me. I was more than happy to arrange that. I love having Jeremy, Jesse and now little Levi in front of my camera- they have such personality. Jesse is a photographer herself so it is fun collaborating on ideas during the session.

Jeremy+Jesse, thanks for being so wonderful! Here are some of my favorites...

The one 'must have' image was a shot of all of their feet. In our previous session I did a shot of Jeremy+Jesse's feet with their fun shoes (which is on my main site's splash page) so we recreated that a bit with little Levi at the same location. I love the way it turned out. Are those socks cute or what?!

ABSOLUTE YUMMINESS!

2009-07-29T14:17:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I have been waiting to get a call telling me that it is all ready and I finally got the call yesterday. I was so excited! If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, like two weeks, you have seen the switch in my logo and blog header. After working back and forth with a designer friend of mine, Crystal Coleman, we finally finalized the logo and designs for new business cards, letterhead, notecards, etc... several weeks ago. After the designs were finalized I could finally send everything to be printed.

I had decided that I wanted to have everything printed on letterpress, which is a hand operated press from way back when that yields gorgeous print pieces. The paper that it is printed on is a thick, cotton paper that is absolute yumminess! When the design is printed it is pressed into the paper which gives the printed pieces a very tactile quality.

Well, I picked everything up this morning and I LOVE IT!! I'm so excited! Thank you Crystal and thank you Ed Inman with Inman Printing. Ed was great to work with and very accommodating with some requests I had for odd sized pieces that required custom dies.

And since it would be pointless to write all that without pictures. Here are my new business cards and notecards. Please don't drool on your keyboard. :-)

SETH+AMANDA || WEDDING

2009-07-27T16:07:00.004-05:00

Saturday I had the privilege of photographing Seth+Amanda's wedding. I had been looking forward to their wedding b/c I knew it would be fabulous! And fabulous it was. Both of their families were so kind, their wedding party was a lot of fun and Seth and Amanda were so excited to finally be getting married.

All the details had fallen into place for a beautiful celebration. It was a pleasure to finally work with Paige Haven with Compliments of You. The florals and catering was done by none other than the fabulous Wendy Putt of Fresh Cut Catering & Floral. Also, I would like to thank Meredith Norwood for being oh so flexible and shooting the wedding with me.

Seth+Amanda, I hope ya'll are having a blast in Jamaica! Thank you for allowing me to document your day.

Click HERE to see a slideshow with more images. Below are a few of my favorites.

Seth is a musician so I thought this would be a fun ring shot to try out. Seth, I went up to your office with the intention of shooting some ring shots with Amanda's red heels that were up there. I saw your guitars and couldn't resist. Please don't be mad, I was super careful. I promise. :-)

Amanda's bouquet was wrapped in her baby bonnet. I thought that was a fun idea.

Is she gorgeous or what?!

MEET LELA BETH

2009-07-23T14:27:00.002-05:00

This sweet girl was a pleasure to photograph. There is no other time in life when chunk and rolls are quite so cute. :-) I had a great time with Lela Beth and her mom, Emily, earlier this week.

Emily and her husband own a company called Fathom Water, which bottles spring water. One of the things they do is personalize bottles of water for business and various events. Brides, if you are looking for a way to add something personalized to your wedding this could be fun way to do it.

Emily, thanks for sharing Lela Beth with me. I can't wait to meet your other two girls sometime soon!

Here are a few of my favorites from our session. As you can see, I just keep coming back to black and whites. Love it!

MEET EMERSON

2009-07-18T13:46:00.002-05:00

I was so excited to meet this little cutie. His grandmother, Becky, is a sweet friend of mine from church and she told her daughter Melissa about me when she was looking for someone to photograph little Emerson. I was excited to meet them both b/c I have heard all about them from Becky but we had never met. I'm so glad we did and I had a blast photographing little Emerson.

He definitely makes it on my list of the cutest kids ever-- well, if I actually had a list he would be on it. :-)

Are those eyes to die for or what?!

MEET LOCKE

2009-07-18T13:40:00.003-05:00

This isn't the first time this sweet family has been in front of my camera. Last year they had a session with me when it was just Carley. Well, she is 18 or so months now and has a new brother, Locke. Even though this session was mainly for Baby Locke, I of course had to grab some shots of Carley as well.

They are such cuties! Thanks Morgan and Megan for the privilege of documenting your precious family!

Locke liked his arm in front of his face. When we tried to move it he would put it right back. He kept licking it like an ice cream cone. :-)

I love this shot. It makes me think sailboat.

WHAT A CUTIE!!

2009-07-17T19:12:00.003-05:00

This post is long overdue. I did a session with my best friend Page and Freeman, her adorable little guy. Page, I am sorry it has taken me far too long to post these.

Freeman, you don't know it yet but you and Emma are going to be great friends!

On a side note-- I'm sure you noticed the new blog header. I am excited to be implementing my new logo and branding. I have a new website in the works, although it will be a little while still before that is launched. I know you are all the edge of your seat and just can't wait to see it, but you will have to wait. :-)

MORE FROM TX

2009-07-16T16:32:00.003-05:00

Well, we have been back from our camping trip in Texas since Sunday but I am just now getting around to posting a few more pictures. For those of you that are tired of all my personal posts lately I have a number of things in the line-up these next few weeks. Several portrait sessions a wedding next weekend and some other catch up blogging. The last few weeks of July have been a much needed slow down for me as May and June were a whirlwind of family sessions, trips and weddings.

These first couple of shots are for my friends that have given Jon a hard time b/c the only shot of him that made it in my last post was his behind. :-)

Emma loved playing with Chloe my in-laws little puppy. Anytime Chloe would get in trouble Emma would go over and say, "No maaa'am, Co-ee!". Can you guess who hears, "No ma'am, Emma Ruth!" on a regular basis? :-)

Settler's of Catan, a family favorite. Although some of my family likes this game a little more than me. :-)

CAMPING IN TEXAS

2009-07-11T16:21:00.003-05:00

I am writing from an RV camper somewhere in the woods of Tyler, TX. Jon, Emma and I are here hanging out with my in-laws for a long weekend. It has been a fun and relaxing time, although very hot. I wouldn't expect anything less in the South in the middle of July.

I thought I would share a few photos that I have taken the last couple of days. I have several others that I will share later. The wireless in the middle of the woods is painfully slow. If I try to post more than these few it might end with my computer out the window somewhere.

AUSTYN || BRIDAL

2009-07-08T15:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I hope this finds everyone doing well, enjoying your summer. Funny how summer means nothing to me anymore other than hot weather. Oh, and my birthday is in the summer so that's a plus. Several of you have asked me how the wallpaper project is coming. I am happy to report that there is not more wallpaper on my dining room wall-- yay!!-- and it is now a nice shade of blue/green. It kind of depends on the light and time of day as to what color it looks like. Once I started painting I didn't think I liked it, but it's growing on me. I will post a picture when it is a finished. I still need to paint the trim, hang some curtains as well as a few things on the wall.

On to the bridal shot. So, I intended to post this image a week or two ago, but life happens. If you notice the new blog tag, that is a sign of some new things to come. I took some designs to the printer today and should have some pretty new things to show you in a couple of weeks. There is more change coming, but it will all be revealed in due time.

This is my favorite shot from Austyn's bridal session. She had this printed large on canvas. It was beautiful-- well, she is beautiful!

REDEEMER SOFTBALL

2009-07-01T15:26:00.003-05:00

Just want to give a quick shout out to the Redeemer Church softball team. These guys finished with their best season yet, going all the way to the semi-final game in the tournament. Way to go guys!

Oh, and if you are wondering who the stud is on the front row, second from the left-- well, he belongs to me. ;-)

WHY CAN'T IT BE EASY?

2009-07-01T15:06:00.003-05:00

I always thought I would want one room in my house to be painted red, until I had one. Thankfully it was like that when we moved in and wasn't a regretted decision. I have wanted to paint our dining room since we moved into our house 2 years ago but it just hasn't happened. When I get it in my head to do something I want to do it now and I decided that this was going to be my project since I have a few weekends before my next wedding. You would think I am bored sitting at home.

Of course projects around the house are never as easy as you think they are going to be. At least that is one thing I have learned in my short time as a homeowner. So, when I decided I was so tired of my red dining room and wanted to paint it-- that turned into painting the living room as well because the color I chose for the dining room didn't match the current living room color. Then that turned into not just painting the walls but also painting the trim b/c the trim in the living room was the same color as the walls. And if you paint the trim in the living room then the dining room trim has to match b/c the rooms open up to each other. Then if I am going to paint the living room I also have to paint the hallway walls and trim b/c they run off the living room. I better close the bedroom doors now or Jon might throw a paint can at me.

So, the living room and trim are now painted and we have moved to the dining room. The only problem is that the dining room had previously had a border and then wallpaper and now the red paint. You could see the seams of both the wallpaper and border through the paint so we decided if we were going to paint it we were going to do it right, which meant down comes the wallpaper. Why do people do the things they do? It would have been so much easier to remove the wallpaper and border before the previous owners painted the first time. But no, we are doing it. Yuck! I'm very ready to be done with this project. So, a few pictures for your enjoyment. Please notice the barnyard border at the top.

If you wonder what I'll be doing tonight--- peeling barns of my dining room wall!

Even messes can be pretty.

MEET OLIVER

2009-07-01T14:53:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of this week I had the privilege to meet baby Oliver for the first time. He is absolutely precious! Dena and Andrew, his mom and dad, went to church with Jon and I while Andrew was in seminary here in Jackson. About a year ago they moved to Tchula, Miss for Andrew to pastor a church up there. It was fun to travel up and see where they are now and it was especially great meeting and photographing Oliver.

Andrew+Dena, thank you for letting me document this sweet time in your lives.

Here are a few of my favorites.

I love baby piggies.

Dena calls this his 'all done' face. He makes this face when he is finished eating. I'm glad I was able to capture it. :-)

A FUN ANNOUNCEMENT...

2009-06-25T14:40:00.003-05:00

After some encouragement and prodding from friends, I am super excited to announce a workshop I will be hosting in September. I know there are several of you blog readers that love photography and want to learn more about the technical side of it and how to use your cameras to their fullest potential. While I definitely make no claims to know all there is to know about photography, I can help those who want to learn how to go beyond 'Auto' so you can take more control over the look of your finished image.

Below is more information. We are going to have a great time. Spread the word! :-)

MATTHEW+HALEY || WEDDING

2009-06-22T14:30:00.002-05:00

Saturday I had the privilege of documenting Matthew+Haley's wedding at Lakeland Presbyterian Church. They married in the little chapel that is just adorable! Although the day started a little rocky by being locked out of the building things came together for a fabulous day.

Matthew+Haley chose to see each other before the ceremony, which I love (hint, hint future brides :-), so we could spend plenty of time getting pictures of them together. I can only post a few here but it was definitely hard to choose--there are so many that I like.

A big thanks to Aaron Phillips for 2nd shooting with me. Most of the photos of Matthew and his guys getting ready that you see in the slideshow he shot.

Matthew+Haley-- thank you for having me be a part of your day! Have a wonderful time in Jamaica and bring some of their cooler weather back to Mississippi. :-)

Click HERE for the slideshow of more images.

They say it is all in the details... so that is what I will start you off with. I loved the aqua color Haley chose. I think it looks great in the pictures.

A TRIP TO THE SCIENCE MUSEUM

2009-06-19T13:12:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a little while since the last Emma post. I'm a proud mama, what can I say? :-) Earlier this week Emma and I went to the Science Museum with the mom's Bible study group from church. Emma had a great time looking at all the fish in the huge tanks and she especially loved the slide in the pre-school room. I enjoyed getting out of the house for a few hours and being around other adults. :-)

Since no post is good without pictures here are a few from our outing. Stay tuned for bridal pictures from Austyn's fabulous bridal session from several weeks ago and also the beginning of next week I will post some pictures from the wedding I am shooting tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

This first picture was shot at ISO 4000 with my new Canon 5D MarkII. I am loving this camera!

Thanks to my friend Page for snapping this one for me. Gotta love pictures of yourself when your mouth is wide open. :-)

ROBERT+AUSTYN || WEDDING

2009-06-15T14:57:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I had the honor of documenting Robert+Austyn's wedding up in Kosciusko. If you frequent the blog you might remember their engagement session from a couple of months ago. They are best friends and so fun! The day was fabulous. Everyone was so laid back and relaxed. Austyn really enjoyed her day-- not that Robert didn't as well, he did, but he's not the one at the very center of everyone's attention. :-)

All the details were perfectly taken care of with help from friends and family. The reception was held at Austyn's parent's house. That could be a potential cause of stress for the parent's of the bride but they enjoyed the celebration just as much as everyone else! I must also mention that Mrs. Jayne, Austyn's mom, was the master creator of both of the wedding cakes. She doesn't do this professionally mind you, but has always made fun cakes for Austyn and her brother's birthdays over the years. During the wedding planning Austyn said, "Mom, you can make the cakes", not really expecting her to, but knowing she could. Mrs. Jayne decided she would and they turned out fabulously! Delicious as well. :-)

A thanks to Lindsey Scott for shooting this wedding with me. She is the best assistant/2nd shooter ever!

Robert+Austyn, thank you for having me as a part of your day. You are both so precious and I pray that the Lord blesses your new life together abundantly! Have a wonderful time relaxing in Florida.

Here are a few of my initial favorites. Make sure you also check out a slideshow of more images HERE.

Austyn being tied into her dress. At one point she mentioned feeling like she was in a scene from 'Gone With the Wind'.

Austyn's dad gave a little speech before Austyn+Robert had their first dance. He spoke about how happy they were to have Robert as part of the family and went on to say that he had tried to think of how he could demonstrate that. The result: The die hard Ole Miss fan for one time and one time only rang a Mississippi State cow bell. (Robert is a State grad) That's real love people. :-) The above picture is Robert+Austyn's reaction.

JASON+DAWN || ENGAGEMENT

2009-06-10T14:04:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week I met up with Jason+Dawn to photograph their engagement session. I had a great time working with them and look forward to their wedding in August. With Dawn's good taste I know it will be beautiful!

This was the first time for me to meet Jason, so it was fun to see he and Dawn interact. She is bubbly and talkative while Jason is laid back and more reserved, although he knows how to give Dawn a hard time. :-) They are super cute together.

Here are a few of my favorites. Make sure and check out the slideshow HERE.

I love Dawn's super cute heels.

MATT+LIZ || ENGAGEMENT

2009-06-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

I have known both Matt+Liz for awhile, but I knew them both in different contexts. I met Matt first; we worked at a summer camp for five or so years together. Then Liz and I met in college while running cross country together. I was so excited when I found out they were dating and then even more so when I found out they had gotten engaged!

Matt+Liz both just finished school-- Matt a masters from seminary and Liz a degree in nursing. They have also just moved to Ft. Worth to begin new jobs. I was super excited when it worked out that Jon and I would be in Ft. Worth to see family just after Matt+Liz moved so we could shoot their engagement session here in TX.

We had a great time hanging out near the Trinity River and then to the downtown area. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in Atlanta in January! So, here are a few of my favorites. Make sure to also check out the slideshow HERE. :-)

Liz was totally working it for the camera. Love it!!

LITTLE M+S

2009-06-02T14:32:00.005-05:00

Last week I got to meet Baby S for the first time. His is so precious and is starting to get in the smiley stage, which is so fun! I photographed his big sister M several months ago when Rachel was still pregnant with him. I was happy to be able to go over and photograph them again now that Baby S is here!

Here are a few of my favorites.

Boys always get the pretty eyelashes. :-)

Even though this session was mainly for Baby S I couldn't go without a few of little M as well.

BEN+JAMIE || WEDDING

2009-06-01T14:57:00.006-05:00

This weekend I had the privilege of photographing Ben+Jamie's wedding up in Southaven. Jamie and I knew each other way back in Jr. High. Oh the stories of basketball team drama we could tell! :-) I was super excited when I found out she was engaged and wanted me to be a part of she and Ben's big day!

The wedding and reception were held at the Snowden House in Southaven, which is really beautiful. All the details of the day were fabulous from the food catered by Ty Thames of Restaurant Tyler in Starkville, to the flowers by The Petal Pushers, and the cake by Lynsey Braggs of Icing on the Cake.

It was a fun day of all of Ben+Jamie's family and friends gathering to celebrate. Ben+Jamie were both so laid back and enjoyed their day, which makes the day fun for me because when there isn't high stress it is much easier to come out with good images. :-)

So, here are a few of my favorites and definitely check out the slideshow HERE.

We grabbed a few more pictures of Ben+Jamie after the ceremony and the light was fabulous! My favorite! :-)

I love the colors in this shot.

Yeah, Ben grabbed the garter with his teeth. Nice. :-)

MEET SAFARI

2009-05-30T09:13:00.002-05:00

Ok, time for another post of randomness. Last week my family went out of town for a few days and of course that means I get to go over to check the mail and feed their cats everyday. No problem. Well, just before they left my mom tells me that my little brother, Noah, has a hermit crab and could I feed it as well. Hermit crab? Well, sure I can feed that as well. So, the hermit crab was brought over to my house in its' little cage, aquarium thing and lived on my kitchen counter for a few days.

Everytime we passed by the crab Emma would say, "Hey cab." It was rather adorable. After a day or so of the crab living in my kitchen and not seeing it move as well as no missing food from its' shell dinner plate I started to get worried. Go figure, the would crab come to my house for a few days and die on me! How would I tell Noah that Safari died! I mean I did everything he told me to do. Everyday I refilled the sponge with fresh water and gave him fresh food-- even though it weirded me out a little bit. He even got star treatment with a photo shoot! Thankfully the last day I had it I spied it trying to venture out of its' shell. The crab lives!

Since no post is complete without pictures here are a couple of the shell the crab lives in, again shoot with the Lens Baby.

SWEET TOOTH

2009-05-28T15:24:00.003-05:00

In an effort to keep my blog from feeling neglected I have several random posts coming up with stories and pictures of what I have been doing lately besides my usual photo sessions. I also have some fabulous bridal pictures that I can't wait to post of two of my brides, but it will be a few weeks. Definitely can't post those before the wedding. :-)

So my first post of randomness... I love sweets. Anything with sugar I will consume, especially chocolate. No chocolate in my house warrants a grocery trip regardless of what else is in the pantry. Last night I drank a glass of chocolate milk because Hershey's syrup was the only kind of chocolate I could find and putting it in milk was the only logical way I could think of to ingest it. It's not just chocolate though, I love any kind of dessert. I also love baking desserts and if it is something that looks pretty and tastes good all the better!

So, in keeping with my love of pretty sweets I decided I wanted to learn how to make petit fours. Last week the church small group that Jon and I are a part of threw a baby shower for one of the other couples in our group. As we were planning the party several weeks ago I decided it would be a great excuse to learn how to make petit fours, so that is what I volunteered to bring. Thankfully I know a sweet friend that is awesome at making them and was kind enough to teach me how.

So, below is a picture of my finished product. I shot this picture with a new lens I recently bought called a Lens Baby. Basically you select your focus point and everything else is blurry. I bought it to shoot macro detail shots at weddings. It's a pretty fun lens, kind of touchy though. I'm still figuring it out. :-)

Oh, and if you want to learn to make petit fours my friend Elizabeth taught herself how to do it following the instructions she found on a blog. Come to find out the lady who writes the blog lives here in Clinton too! How random.

JOHN+STEFANIE || THE REAL POST

2009-05-26T13:19:00.004-05:00

My poor blog has been neglected all week! I have no good excuses really, except that life is busy and being on the computer while Emma is awake is impossible. :-) I finally got the kinks worked out of Photoshop after my computer issues so I am finally posting a few of my favorites from John+Stefanie's wedding that was a couple of weekends ago. I posted a slideshow right after the wedding, so if you missed that click HERE.

The Castle Hill Pavillion is really beautiful. I love the clouds!

Stefanie wrapped her bouquet in the hankie her grandmother carried in her wedding.

The lighting under the gazebo was perfect. Isn't Stefanie beautiful!

This is one of my favorite shots from the day. Yeah, I ordered the wind to come in and blow Stefanie's veil at the perfect moment. :-)

JOHN+STEFANIE || WEDDING

2009-05-17T20:13:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of photographing John+Stefanie's wedding in Florence. It is the 3rd outside wedding I have shot this year and each of those wedding days have threatened rain. Not ideal for the bride, clearly, but it's not ideal for the photographer either. :-) Thankfully I can now say that all three of those wedding days have turned out wonderfully! When the rain came it came at the best time it could have come...when we were inside already and the outside photos were done. God is so good. I love that He cares about the little things like a bride having a rain free wedding ceremony.

John+Stefanie's wedding was held at the Castle Hill Pavilion in Florence, Miss. It really was beautiful out there as you will see in some of the pictures. All the floral design was created by the super talented, and sweet friend of mine, Sarah Skidmore with Sweet Scents Floral Design. She had this idea to put fish in the vases, brillant! The yummy as well as beautifully arranged food was provided by Premier Catering.

The day turned out to be just fabulous! John+Stefanie, thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of such a memorable day!

Also, a thank you to my dear friend Jesse Mayfield for shooting with me.

So, on to the pictures... I am having issues with Photoshop b/c the operating system on my computer had to be reloaded so I will be sharing photos in a blog post soon, but I do have a slideshow of my favorites to share. I hope you enjoy!

JOSH+EMILY+BOYS

2009-05-12T22:29:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week I enjoyed photographing this fun family. We had originally planned to have our session at a park but the weather was a bit touch and go so we decided to do the session at their house. I shot both outside and inside which always adds an interesting element for me. Shooting inside is always a bit more challenging, especially with children, b/c the light can be tricky. The boys were super cute and just precious. Little B, the oldest, is all boy-- running, playing, squirmy. :-)

Thanks Josh+Emily for sharing your family with me. :-)

A few favorites. Enjoy...

I think this might be my favorite from the session. I can't help but wonder what his little mind is thinking about.

PATRICK+DELIA || ENGAGEMENT

2009-05-10T15:03:00.003-05:00

I had a great time with Patrick+Delia last week photographing their engagement session! They are so much fun and are constantly laughing and joking with each other. Knowing how to laugh with one another is a great way to go into marriage-- it also makes for some great images.

I can't wait until Patrick+Delia's wedding in September! Here are a few of my favorites and you can click HERE to see a slideshow of some more of my favs!

Enjoy...

MR.+MRS. MCNAIR

2009-05-06T16:12:00.004-05:00

Here I am finally posting some images from the wedding I photographed last weekend. I had so much fun with Caleb+Bonnie at their engagement session a couple of months ago and I knew that their wedding would be a lot of fun...and I was right! It was a beautiful (hot) day and everything was just wonderful.

The music for the ceremony and reception was provided by the Jackson Jug Band. The beautiful and yummy food was done by Pretty Presentations Catering and many of the other details--- flowers, videography, coordinating-- was done with the help of a number of Caleb+Bonnie's friends.

Here are a few of my favorites and if you missed the post several days ago with the slideshow you can see that by clicking HERE.

Thank you again Caleb+Bonnie for allowing me to document your day!

BRUCE+CATHY

2009-05-04T15:10:00.003-05:00

This is the final post of images from my trip to the coast. This was such a fun family! It was fun having the opportunity to photograph a family with children that are a bit older. After chasing little ones around all day (I love the little ones-- don't get me wrong) it was a nice breather. :-)

Bruce+Cathy are so kind and their girls just gorgeous!

CALEB+BONNIE || SLIDESHOW

2009-05-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful wedding today. I want to share a few images in the form of a slideshow and I will do a full blog post in a few days.

To view the slideshow click HERE.

Thank you Caleb+Bonnie!! I hope you enjoy...

JASON+MARCIE

2009-05-01T14:48:00.003-05:00

Here is another sweet family I had the pleasure of photographing last weekend. The girls are just precious!

Here are a few of my favorites.

MEET ROBBIE+ERIN

2009-04-30T14:27:00.002-05:00

This is another coast family that I photographed last weekend. We had a lot of fun. Little O is all boy and Miss Q has a modeling career in her future I think. :-)

Here are a few of my favorites!

HUNT FAMILY

2009-04-28T21:15:00.002-05:00

Here are more photos from our time on the Coast this past weekend. April+Andy and their precious kids were a lot of fun. It's always neat to see the different personalities of children in the same family. Thanks for a great time Hunt family!!

A WEEKEND AT THE COAST

2009-04-27T16:50:00.002-05:00

Friday Jon, Emma and I packed up and headed to the Coast for the weekend. Annie, a sweet friend of mine, scheduled several families to have photos taken over the course of the weekend, most of which are military families down there. We had a great time hanging out with Paul, Annie and their precious girls. It was great to just get away for a few days. Emma and their youngest are only a couple of months apart. I know if we lived closer they would be two peas in a pod. :-)

I started the weekend photo sessions with Paul, Annie and the girls on Friday evening and then had 4 other sessions on Saturday. I will have a lot to post this week so stay tuned!

Paul+Annie-- we had a great time and look forward to the next time we can get together!

I loved the colors they picked out to wear! I think they look so fabulous in the evening light and against the bright green of the grass and trees.

We had to get a few of Paul+Annie. Once you have kids it's not often that you have pictures of yourself taken.

WEDDING || HOLLY+JIM

2009-04-20T13:08:00.002-05:00

Saturday I had the privilege to photograph Holly+Jim's wedding. Is it fair to say theirs has been my favorite wedding to date? It was all so beautiful! Although they live in the DC area they chose to be married on Jim's parents farm in Byram. Every detail was so beautifully thought out, the location was stunning and God was so good in allowing the rain to pass us by all day until the very end!

They said their vows in a grove of pine trees surrounded by their closest family and friends followed by a reception under a huge white tent. Holly integrated some of the iconic South in the details of the decor. Magnolia's, lobsters, sweet tea and lemonade to name a few. Instead of a traditional guest book they had their family and friends write advice, memories and wishes on little slips of paper and pin them to a magnolia tree that they will plant in the midst of the pine tree grove where they exchanged their vows.

I had a great time with Holly+Jim and their families and friends on Saturday! It was such a pleasure to work with them.

There are some other people that definitely must be mentioned:

Deborah Simmons with Signature Occasions oversaw every last detail to make the day run smoothly. William Box with William Box Designs the creative eye responsible for all the fabulous flowers. Cindy Clegg of A Catered Affair provided the yummy and beautiful food. Stance Bingham kept everyone's toes tapping with the great music and That Special Touch created the cake which featured the fun wedding logo that Holly created herself (oh, did I mention Holly is a graphic designer)!

Last but certainly not least a shout out to Matt Dorroh who photographed the wedding with me. He is a super talented photographer based in Starkville, MS who is a lot of fun. Make sure and take a peek at his blog to see a few of the images he shot of the day.

So, finally some images since that is why you are here anyway. Be sure and check out the slideshow at the end of the post.

To see a slideshow of more images from the day click HERE.

EMMA+MIXERS

2009-04-17T13:09:00.003-05:00

I have wanted a stand-up KitchenAid mixer for a long time. My hand mixer's motor died several months ago and I just haven't bothered replacing it-- holding out until Jon would let me get the KitchenAid. Well, last week when we found out we were getting a tax refund I begged Jon to let me get a stand-up mixer. Because he is such a wonderful person and husband he said ok. Ever since I got the mixer I have tried to think of things to make that would require putting my beautiful red KitchenAid to work.

What better thing to make than chocolate chip cookies! As you can see Emma enjoyed the "coo coos" just as much as I did. :-)

The last pictures are Emma last Sunday in her Easter dress. Why is it that the photographer's child literally runs from the camera?

ENGAGEMENT | AMANDA+SETH

2009-04-13T22:11:00.007-05:00

I had such a great time photographing Amanda+Seth for their engagement session. They are so cute together and clearly in love! Amanda is fun and bubbly and talkative and Seth is a little more reserved and laid back. They compliment each other nicely.

I can't wait for their wedding in July! I know it is going to be beautiful and a lot of fun. Well, here you go-- a sneak peek -- enjoy...

I told Amanda I have been waiting for the girl that shows up to a session in red heels! Love it!

More great shoes!

SWEET GIRLS

2009-04-13T21:58:00.005-05:00

You may remember the 'Giving is Awesome' photography giveaway I did back around Christmas. Well, this weekend I was able to catch up with Julie, the winner, to photograph she and her family.

Julie has 3 precious girls and the two youngest, twins, were born very prematurely. As a result there were numerous medical complications related to that, which translates into a lot of medical bills. Needless to say, photography wasn't on the top of the list. I was excited to meet Julie's precious girls and photograph them. It was funny to see how opposite their little personalities are and 'K' their big sis is such a big help.

Enjoy...

This first one I caught of Julie+Adam. I love it when I catch the in between moments-- they are the most real.

Sweet little 'T' is definitely a momma's girl. She wasn't so sure about me and my camera.

Little 'A' on the other hand was little miss personality.

MEET MOM+DAD+BABY C

2009-04-13T20:19:00.002-05:00

Christina is one of my very dearest friends. We grew up together-- I don't remember not knowing her. We survived Jr. High and High School together and then ended up at the same college. We were in each other's weddings and are alike in many ways. Now we are both trying to figure out motherhood.

I was super excited to photograph Christina, Thomas and Baby C at the end of last week. Little C is so cute! He is at that great smiley, chubby stage...love it!!

Well Christina...I hope you like them! :-)

This shot was right after some funny comment from Thomas, no doubt, and I think it is an accurate picture of their relationship. Thomas is always making Christina laugh. He is an endless source of witty comments.

MEET NIKKI

2009-04-07T17:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of photographing Nikki's senior pics. We go to church together and she is a super fun girl who has a super fun mom who is responsible for most of Nikki's laughs in the pictures! We had a great time and Nikki was so full of personality in front of the camera-- I loved it! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that she is gorgeous either. :-)

So here you go a sneak peek...

MEET A.M.+E.G.

2009-04-04T13:47:00.002-05:00

Here is a wonderful family that I had the privilege of photographing this past weekend. The two girls are too cute. I had a great time and I think Dawn+Barry will be surprised at how many images they will have to choose from. At 2 and 4 sitting still is not an option! :-)

Thanks for a great time!!

FOR GRAM+GRAMPS

2009-04-03T15:23:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I have posted any Emma pictures-- so for you Grandma+Grandpa-- here is Emma sporting her new cupcake PJs.

STEFANIE+JOHN

2009-04-03T10:24:00.003-05:00

Stefanie+John are so cute together and I had a great time photographing their engagement session yesterday. We were supposed to have bad weather, which would have meant rescheduling for the second time (Thursdays seem to be cursed with bad weather), but thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon!

Stefanie+John, I hope you enjoy this sneak peek. I can't wait to photograph your wedding in May!

MEET GRACE

2009-03-30T20:30:00.004-05:00

This morning I had the privilege to photograph Grace for her senior portraits. It's hard to believe that Grace is a senior. I used to babysit she and her sister. How time passes quickly.

It was a beautiful morning with some beautiful light and we had a great time.

Here are a few of my initial favorites... Enjoy!

AUSTYN+ROBERT

2009-03-24T14:38:00.006-05:00

Austyn and I worked at Camp of the Rising Son together for about 4 summers. Although it has been awhile since we worked camp we have managed to keep up, although it has been sporadically. I was super excited to photograph she and Robert's engagement session this past weekend.

Austyn+Robert have been dating for awhile now. They are best friends-- so comfortable together and definitely in love. I was so excited when I found out that they had gotten engaged. I know their wedding in June will be beautiful!

Austyn, sweet friend, it was wonderful to see you on Saturday. I had a great time photographing you and Robert. Enjoy the sneak peek...

BONNIE+CALEB

2009-03-23T21:47:00.003-05:00

Saturday was a gorgeous day and a great day for a photo shoot or two. I headed up to French Camp, MS with my precious friend Lindsey to shoot a couple of engagement sessions. I will post the other session with Austyn+Robert either tomorrow or Wednesday so stay tuned for that, but tonight I want to share a few pics from Bonnie+Caleb's session.

I have known Caleb for, well forever-- as long as I can remember anyway. We grew up together at the same church. A couple of months ago I got a phone call from Bonnie asking about wedding photography and as our conversation went on and I made the connection that she was marrying Caleb I was so excited! I didn't even know Caleb was dating anyone, no he was engaged! It's a wonder Bonnie called me back b/c I think I screamed in her ear on that phone call. :-)

Bonnie+Caleb met last summer when they were working at Camp of the Rising Son. That is such a beautiful and special place that holds a dear place in my heart as well b/c I also worked there for about 5 summers during high school and college. Jon actually proposed to me on the front bench out in the chapel in the woods. Sweet memories. It was only appropriate that we did Bonnie+Caleb's engagement photos out there.

The day was beautiful and they were naturals in front of the camera! I hope you enjoy this sneak peek...

VIDEO | SHUTTER SPEED 101

2009-03-21T10:06:00.003-05:00

Ok, another installment in the video blog series. I have several more that I plan to post after this one. I hope this makes sense and helps someone. :-)

I'm off to photograph two engagement sessions and look forward to posting some images from that in the next few days!

Enjoy...

WEDDING | KACIE+CLINT

2009-03-16T09:23:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was the start of the wedding season for me. I went to Ft. Worth, TX to photograph Kacie+Clint's wedding. Kacie and my hubby Jon went to high school together and Jon's mom and Kacie's mom work together, which is how Kacie and I got connected.

I was so excited for the opportunity to photograph Kacie+Clint's wedding at the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth. After lots of praying that the weather would be nice after all the rain last week, God is good, there was no rain and it actually wasn't as cold as we thought it would be.

The day was a lot of fun. Kacie was so excited to be getting married! She was all smiles as you will see in the pictures below. Clint was calm, cool and laid back. Together they are so cute--totally comfortable around each other and clearly in love which each other.

Thank you both for allowing me to be a part of your day! I had so much fun. It was all so beautiful. I pray that God uses your marriage to be a blessing to many! Have fun skiing in Colorado. Hope you enjoy the images. :-)

Kacie had her mom's wedding dress remade. It turned out beautifully!

Excited to finally be married!

MEET JEREMY+JESSE

2009-03-09T21:17:00.004-05:00

I had seen Jeremy often at church b/c he is part of the music ministry and is up in front of the church every Sunday but I had never met his wife Jesse b/c she usually goes to the 11am service and we usually go to the 8am service. We ended up connecting several weeks back when a mutual friend told us we needed to meet b/c we are both into photography and well, we would just have a lot in common.

We finally got together for coffee and to talk all things photography and instantly hit it off finding out that our mutual friend was right, we do have a lot in common. Not only do we both have a love for photography but Jesse is going to have their first child any day now and I was just there, what seems like yesterday. It's fun having friends at a similar place in life.

I was super excited when Jesse asked me about doing some pictures of she and Jeremy before baby Levi arrives. So we headed out Saturday morning to several locations in the Clinton/Jackson area. Jeremy+Jesse were so fun and such naturals in front of the camera; they made my job very easy!

So without further ado...my new friends!

MEET BABY FREEMAN

2009-03-06T13:09:00.005-06:00

Page and I were college roommates. We didn't really know each other before we lived in the dorm together but ever since we have been the best of friends. We are about as different as night and day. Actually, her personality is a lot like my husband Jon's and her husband Grant and I share similar personalities. It's quite funny and we joke about it often. Jon and Grant lived together as well at one point during college.

So, Page and Grant have been two of our most precious friends and I am excited that we will now be raising our children together. Maybe between all of us we can figure out what in the world we are doing! I have to remind myself often that God's grace is sufficient.

So, to the pictures... Page had Freeman, their precious baby boy, last Monday and I was happy to go over earlier this week to take some pictures. They grow so fast you have to document these stages quickly. :-)

Freeman, you don't know it yet but you and Emma are going to be the best of friends!

Grant's mom made this precious cradle! Isn't that amazing!

I love this look on Freeman's face as he looks up at his mommy.

Grant+Page's first baby. She's actually doing quite well. :-)

Freeman's already ready for the church choir. Hallelujah!

MEET LITTLE M + HER MOMMY+DADDY

2009-03-03T14:26:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph a precious family that I go to church with. Joel and I actually grew up at the same church so we have known each other for years and then Rachel grew up at the same church as my hubby back in Texas so they go way back. What a small world we live in.

Well, Saturday the weather was not particularly ideal for a photo shoot. It had rained all night on Friday into the early morning bringing on cold temps, so a session in the park was not going to happen. Since Rachel is so flexible and b/c she wants these pictures before baby #2 arrives, we changed plans and did the session at their house. It was a lot of fun and little M was too cute. She reminds me of Emma with all her energy. I know she has to wear Rachel out just like Emma does me. :-)

As I have gone through the images from the session many of them have ended up B&W. It's funny, I have noticed lately how many images I convert to B&W. I think part of it must have to do with the fact that I was trained using B&W film and there will always be a part of me that prefers that.

So, without any further rambling...a few of my favorites.

The look on little M's face in this one is hilarious. She's still not sure what to think of this person following her around with a camera.

MEET HALEY+MATTHEW

2009-02-24T14:36:00.004-06:00

This past weekend I went up to Starkville for the day to do an engagement session with Haley+Matthew. I had spoken to Haley on the phone a couple of times but this was our first time to meet and it was such a pleasure to meet them both!

Haley+Matthew met while working on their undergrad degrees at Mississippi State. Now they are both working on their graduate degrees, planning to finish in May, just in time for their wedding in June. We had a great time Saturday walking around State's campus finding fun backdrops for images. The only request they had was that we get some pictures where Matthew had proposed to Haley back in November. I was happy to do so!

On campus there is a brick walkway area where people can purchase bricks and have them engraved with their names commemorating their contribution to the school, or whatever they use the funds for. The engraved bricks are laid once a year in the spring. Seeing that Matthew planned to propose to Haley in November he had to pull some strings to have five bricks laid the morning of the 'big day' that said "Haley, Will You Marry Me?" Is that not fun or what?!

So on to the images, here are a few of the many I took on Saturday. Haley+Matthew, I can't wait to be a part of your wedding in June! I hope you enjoy the images.

VIDEO | APERTURE 101

2009-02-24T10:12:00.003-06:00

Here we go, another video. I haven't posted these as often as I had planned or hoped, but such is life. I am driving in the car while recording this, as you will see. My attempt to make the most of my drive time on the way home from an engagement shoot this past weekend. The shoot was a lot of fun and I will be posting a preview for Haley and Matthew in the next few days so stay tuned for that.

I hope this makes some sense. These videos are geared toward those just beginning in photography so if you have been doing this for awhile you probably won't get anything out of this but a good laugh at me on camera. :-)

Scroll down once the video is over to see some images I posted that show what I am talking about.

In these images below you can see the difference the aperture settings make in each image. The aperture setting is the number following the 'f'. In all three images I was focusing on the face of the red turtle.

Image #1-- This I shot 'wide open', meaning my aperture is open as wide is it will go with the lens I was using. See how shallow a depth of field (DOF) that is? The only thing in focus is the red turtle I was focusing on.

Image #2-- This I shot at f/5.0, which is kind of a mid-range aperture setting. Much more of the image is clear compared to Image #1, but the background is still buttery and the other two turtles aren't as sharp as the red one.

Image #3-- This image was shot stopped down as far as I could go with the lens I was using, which is f/16. Notice how all three of the turtles are basically equally in focus and you can even see the pattern of the pillows on my couch in the background.

Well, there you go. I hope that was helpful to someone reading this. All of that is a very brief overview of aperture settings. There can be a number of variables that determine the individual results of each image but this is a good starting point.

Until next time...