Pumpkin Patch Kids!

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 10th! Pumpkin Patch mini sessions are here! Mini-sessions will take place at Cross Landing Garden Center! Call today to reserve the time that will work best for you!!

The Foster's

Luke always keeps me on my toes during a shoot. He's so fun and has the cutest expressions. Come November Luke will be expecting a baby brother! I can't wait to meet him!

Get Excited!

I hardly ever watch TV, but Grey's Anatomy Starts Tonight and I'm so excited! Looks like this season is going to be another great one!

Amazing. Rewarding. Inspiring.

...Are three words that barely explain the experience I've had here at Learnfest. I am truly honored to be in the presence of four top photographers on my list (Tamara Lackey, Lena Hyde, Audrey Woulard, & Laura Novak). I've also spent the past 2 days not only learning from these incredible women but there are 60 other photographers here that are so willing to offer their help and suggestions as well. I think everyone has learned SO much from the four extremely successful presenters but also from each other.

Although I'm from NC I've never been to Bald Head Island before. It was such a treat. No cars are allowed on the island so you park your car on the mainland, take a ferry over, and drive around in golf carts!

Here's the house I've stayed in...



Perfect! Right on the ocean! Here's the sunset that I captured tonight before dinner. I love this image because you can still see the distinct line in the sky as the sun is setting and that gorgeous pink-orange color is rising. :)



More to come about learnfest as well as some recent sessions soon!

Kira + Paul = LoVeShOOt

Kira & Paul are getting married next summer. We met up for their engagment shoot at Little River Park in Wendell. The day was iffy with rain and clouds but when Kira called just before they were leaving the skies in Wendell were sunny! The closer it was to their session the darker it began to get. We jumped out of our cars to get started before the rain did. This lady who just happened to be hanging out in her car at the park got out once she saw my camera and decided she'd tell us where to take pictures. It was pretty interesting! Here's a few shots we got before the rain came...







Since we could only shoot for approx. 20 minutes before the rain began to come down we decided to reschedule for a few days later. This time we met up at Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount.











Kira really thought it would be fun for them to jump into the fountain. We knew we could get in trouble but I think they were willing to take that risk until they realized how deep it was.



Aren't they just the cutest couple?! Congrats on your engagement Kira & Paul!

Fall Newsletter

So I'm trying a quarterly newsletter. The first issue went out today via email.

If you didn't receive a newsletter but would like to, please send me an email and I'll be sure to send one your way!

# 72....Check

# 72. Can at least 10 jars of tomatoes.



I love tomatoes! This weekend my Mom and I not only canned 10 jars, but 20 jars of tomatoes. Last Thursday I went to the Farmers Market in Raleigh and bought 75 lbs. of tomatoes. Saturday Mom and I dove in and ended up with 20 quarts full of those delicious red things! Yummy!



I'm always borrowing canned tomatoes during the winter from my Mom and Grandmothers so I can make spaghetti and veggie soup, so this year I was determined to can my own to have.



Not only did I mark one thing off of my 101 things to do list, I also got to spend some QT with my Mom!!

And baby makes three...

Justin and Samantha welcomed a new baby girl in July. She's precious!

Baby on the Way...

This couple is expecting their first child. It was a pleasure to photograph them on the beach. Stephanie is a radiant pregnant woman. I can't wait to meet baby Wesley.















Leave a comment and let us know which image is your favorite!

She sings....

...and she does so beautifully! Becky is great friends with my aunt and gave me the opportunity to photograph her for her upcoming album that she is finishing up. This is her second album and it will be a Christmas album. We tried to create a wintery scene with a heavy coat, a wreath, scarf, snow, and a cup of cocoa, but it was a little difficult to get into that feeling when it was 90 degrees outside!

Bellies & Babies

I had an awesome opportunity to go to Sandy Puc’s Bellies and Babies Tour on Sunday and it was so worth it. I learned a lot from “Sam"! She is an AMAZING photographer and a very GENUINE person. Sam is the owner of Expressions by Sandy Puc' in Littleton, Colorado and is also a co-founding member of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.

Sam covered all the aspects of creating a successful pregnancy and babies’ first year portrait series. She also covered things such as marketing, customer service, product lines, and posing. I have 9 pages of notes that I took and can't wait to put some of the things I learned into practice!

Sam definitely touched my heart, soul and spirit. She shared so much emotion and honesty that you cannot help share a connection with her. Her show was full of quotes that I loved! This one really stood out to me…

“What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.”

I can’t wait when she comes back to Raleigh in March of ’09 for her next segment that will focus on photographing children (“tots to teens”)!

Scuppernong Gazette

For all of you Scuppernong Gazette readers, the September issue is out! My adorable nephew is featured on page 2! Enjoy!

Kinshasa

Kinshasa and I went to school together and became good friends while we played volleyball together during our 4 years of high school. Since high school I have probably seen her once or twice so it was nice to hang out with her for a couple of hours and catch up. Here's a few shots from her portrait session.

Which is your favorite? Leave a comment and let us know!

Yearbook Yourself

Ever wonder what you might have looked like in the past? I found this really funny website: Yearbook Yourself, that took care of that for me. You upload an image of yourself and you can see yourself with classic hairdos and outfits through the decades. Here's what I came up with... whatcha think?

1952

1960

1966

1972

1976

1984

1986

1990