Evan | North Carolina Newborn Photographer

No joke, my ovaries were screaming during this session. :) But then it was back to reality! Evan is such a sweet baby boy. It took us a bit to get him to sleep good, but once we did I think we got some great shots!









One with big sister Laney...


...and one with mom, too!

Meagan is married! | Raleigh, NC Wedding Photographer

I've been wanting to show these images since the afternoon I got home from our session (back in April). Now, Meagan is married to Clint. The wedding day is over; they have said their I Do's. The dress was reveiled as she walked down the aisle with her proud Dad by her side. Everything about the day was absolutely beautiful, especially my friend Meagan.

She and I met our freshman year of college at Meredith College. On one hall there were three Me(a)gan's. All who ended up living in the same suite together the following year. Since we both loved the campus we spent 4 wonderful years on, Meagan knew she wanted to have her bridal portaits taken there as well. Here are a few of my favorites from her bridal session.



If anyone saw the News+Observer Sunday, the following photo is the one Meagan chose for her wedding announcement in the paper. If you didn't see the announcement, click here.









The next picture is the image that Meagan chose for her bridal portrait. It was displayed at the reception in a gorgeous frame for all to see.





I was honored to be able to capture her + Clint's wedding day this past Saturday. I can't wait to post images from their wedding soon!

Brandy + Aaron | Columbia Wedding Photographer

Brandy + Aaron attended the same school but Aaron was 2 years older and they didn't know each other. Brandy told me that she made a list of guys she thought was cute and that she'd like to meet when she was in 9th grade and Aaron happened to be one of the boys to make the list. For some reason, Aaron was later crossed out and a note saying "odd" was by his name. She still has the list today.

Fast forward to many years later and something changed as they ran into each other at Poor Richards in Manteo, watching a friend Ty, and his band play. Brandy knew who he was but Aaron didn't know her. She told me that she sat next to him all night flirting with him and he kept trying to run her away but it didn't work! They soon began dating.

On Christmas Eve's eve, Aaron had planned to take Brandy to Waterman's and had even called to set up a proposal there that the staff would be in on, but, Brandy was insistent on going to Mac's for oysters on the half shell. Aaron continued with proposing but did it at Mac's Back Door Oyster Bar instead in front of lots of strangers.

Brandy planned a gorgeous wedding for the past 9 months and everything seemed to go very smoothly. She didn't seem nervous one bit. I hope you enjoy the pictures from their amazing day!

A few detail shots as Brandy's bridesmaids are helping her get ready:



Brandy + Aaron decided to do a sand ceremony during the service because they wanted to include his daughter Codi into the ceremony, beyond having her as flower girl. It was a very symbolic and special moment of joining the three of them together as family.



They're married!



Brandy got a 1940's Chevy to take her and her Dad to the church. It was also her and Aaron's transportation to the reception. I could have done a whole session with this car, but the reception was calling!





The lovely wedding party:




And a smokin' hot bride and groom! :) (Don't you just love those rainboots!)



Both Brandy + Aaron's rings are extremely special to them. Aaron had bought the diamond at the May 2009 Dock of the Bay, a yearly event that he held at the Eastern 4-H Center in Bulls Bay (same place as their reception). Someone at the event actually won the diamond and Aaron bought it from the winner. He knew Brandy loved the yellow diamond when she had seen it the year before at the same event. She kept calling it the 'Bulls Bay' diamond. Aaron designed the setting himself and Brandy was so pleasantly surprised. His ring has even more significance. It was his dad's first wedding band with his mom. His dad bought them a yellow gold set years after they were married and that is what his mom wears now. His mom gave Aaron the original white gold band which is very special to him because his dad passed away from cancer in August 2009.



Brandy and Aaron chose to dance to Brad Paisley's "Then" as their first dance as man and wife. Brandy said that they felt this song rang true to their relationship. Other special songs were used throughout the ceremony too. "Somewhere Out There" was the song used when the mother's were escorted in.  When Brandy was a kid and would go stay with her mom in Virginia she would make her play the "American Tale song" (as she called it) over and over again on the piano. The song that the bridal party came into was "When You Say Nothing At All" by Keith Whitley.  Aaron wanted to teach her how to two step and one night under the stars that was the song he played on the car CD player as they danced outside for the first time.  Brandy said it isn't uncommon for them to turn on the car radio and dance underneath the stars. She also referred to the song in her vows by saying "I knew I loved you the night that you asked me to dance with you underneath the stars."  She said that was the moment when she realized that he appreciated the simple things in life the same way she does.





The reception was so much fun with lots of dancing by all!



Brandy + Aaron,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me and trusting me to capture the beginning of your journey together! I'm so blessed to call you two friends! xoxo
Love, Megan

Stealing Digital Images

Clients have asked and I also think that some just don't know the Do's and Don'ts of using photographers images for personal use. I ran across this article today that Momtog posted a while back about the Do's & Don'ts of this issue and thought I'd share with everyone. You can read her blog post below or click here to read her actual post.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Stealing Images From Your Photographer
by: Momtog

I get asked a lot by both photographers and clients what my policy is on letting my clients post their images to their blogs and facebook account. I personally love it when my clients post their family pictures on their blogs, facebook, etc. It shows me that they truly love their images! I encourage my clients to “steal” their pictures from my blog to use on the internet. Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should think about when reposting your images:

1) DO ask your photographer what their specific policy is on taking pictures off of their blogs. Some photographers encourage it and some don’t allow it. If this is important to you this is something you should ask BEFORE you hire your photographer!

2) DO include your photographer’s name and website under the images (a link would be super nice!). That’s just the polite thing to do.

3) DON’T crop out their logo. Unless you have paid for the digital negatives don’t alter the files in anyway. Most photographers use their blogs to advertise their work and do so as a *courtesy* to give their clients a sneak peek. If a client crops out the logo then how will other people know who took the picture?

4) DON’T edit the picture in any way. Taking the pictures is only half of a photographers job. The other half is editing. If you think you can do a better job or want to edit out some of your wrinkles or use selective coloring please don’t show and/or tell your photographer. That is super insulting. If you don’t like your photographers editing enough to want to edit it yourself than maybe you need to find another photographer next year.

5) DON’T try to print from the files on the blog. For me specifically I know that the files I upload to my blog are too small to be printed in a 4×6 size. It’s not cool to invest in a family session and then print the images off of the blog and not pay for prints. Make sure you know how much the prints cost before the session to avoid sticker shock. Same goes for scanning prints that you already bought. Not cool! Some of my family members are guilty of printing images off of my blog. It makes me cringe when I see them FRAMED in their homes with my logo still on there!

Thanks Momtog for that info! And its ok that I posted her article here. She gave permission in her blog post for anyone that wanted to use it on their blog as long as we gave her the credit! I'm all about giving credit where credit is due.
 
And since I don't like posting without a picture, here's one of Brandy + Aaron's wedding that I shot this past Saturday...
 

Thursday's Tunes

I thought I'd feature Lady Antebellum today because I'm going with some friends to their concert tonight. They have SO many songs out right now that I love but I decided to only pick one to feature here today.

*American Honey*



Nothing's sweeter than Summertime, and now that its ended and fall is here I thought I'd feature this song that was a staple of the Summer of Oh-Ten! ;)

so long summer...

...you will be missed. xoxo

So hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of fall. It sure has been a great summer. But as much as I love summer, I do love fall. Time to get out my pumpkins and scarecrows!

London has arrived! | North Carolina Newborn Photographer

Remember THESE expecting parents? Well their little one has arrived and is adorable as can be. I think this session is one of my most favorite newborn sessions in a long time. London was exactly a week old the day of her session and we went to her Grandmother's house for the shoot. There's so much daylight pouring in the windows there and her Grandmother has such neat things that we could incorporate into the shoot.















London's daddy is extremely musically inclined. I dont even know how many instruments he can play, but when he does play an instrument he plays it well. I think he's one of those that can 'play by ear'. I knew I wanted to incorporate his guitar into the session but when we got to her Grandma's I saw this piano and knew I wanted to do some with London on it. I thought it was really cool when I realized London's name is actually on the piano too! It's difficult to see in this image but I promise its under the words Collard&Collard.


And of course a shot with Daddy's guitar. I think this might be my very favorite of the session. I think this is definitely gallery wrap canvas material! :)

Thursday's Tunes

Jerrod Niemann sings this catchy tune. I like the beat of it and when it comes on the radio I definitely feel myself bouncing around to the song.



Happy Thursday!

Extended Family | Corolla Family Photographer

I had the pleasure of photographing this extended family while they were vacationing in the Outer Banks. They traveled from Washington DC and New Jersey to spend a week together and have fun in the sand. This family comes every year and decided that a family portrait was in order! I'm so glad they called me. As we discussed places for their session I suggested Heritage Park in Corolla since they were staying closeby. I've always wanted to photograph here!

Isn't the The Whalehead Club at Heritage Park beautiful?



But not as beautiful as this fabulous family...







I loved using this tree in their photographs. It was a little tricky getting the kiddos up into the tree, but I'd say well worth it!





This little one kept us all in stitches most of the time. Anytime it was time to smile he'd say "cheeseburger" as loud as he could. Then he started saying other random foods when it was time to smile. I think he even made up some sort of casserole dish at one point!



And one more extended family shot, but this time with the Corolla Lighthouse in the background!

Mason is One! | Zebulon Children & Family Photographer

It was a pleasure to meet up with Mason and his family again to celebrate this first birthday with a family session and a cake smashing session! It seems like just a few months ago I was photographing him when he was only a few days old. You can check out his newborn session here. I met them in Greenville for their maternity session and Mason's newborn session but this time they met me in Zebulon at Little River Park. I've done an engagement shoot there years ago and hadn't been back since, but I'm so glad I did.













After we played around the park for a bit we headed back to my house for a quick clothing change. You might remember from Mason's newborn session that his parents are big ECU fans!


And another quick clothing change later Mr. Mason was ready for all things birthday related...

Balloons...


Candles...


And CAKE....






Ellyn + Marc... Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your family and trusting me to capture these precious moments for you. I can't believe that Mason is one already.