What I've been up to...

Many, many things! First, let me say Happy Holidays to everyone. I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to update the blog. I have not posted many sessions here or on my client site because so many clients are using them for Christmas gifts, and of course, I do not want to spoil the surprise! Once the holidays are over, I promise to show all the wonderful new sessions I have been shooting. I'd like to give a special thanks to those who allowed me to photograph them for Christmas. I had a blast with each and every one of you.
Today, we spent the day in Madison with Michael's dad and his wife. We had the best time, it was nice to spend time with family and celebrate the season.
On another exciting note, power has been turned on at my studio! I am so excited because this is one of the final steps to opening. I plan to open in January, so please check the blog for updates and to see when the doors will open. All the decorating begins now, and I have been busy shopping for just the right decor. I look forward to welcoming everyone into my new space!
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and the new year is filled with great things.

Did I mention I love horses?

Well, I do! There is just something about a horse, when you look into their big eyes, they just seem to have something special about them. So, when Sara's mom, Stephanie, asked me is we could take some with Sara and her favorite horse, I was fast to say of course! This session was so much fun. Sara was great to work with and such a sweet and beautiful young lady. She had the best personality and so very easy to photograph. We first started with just her and then she brought out her favorite horse and we took some of the two of them. As you can see their relationship is special. This fun-filled session will stick in my mind for a long time.

Is there something in the water...

with all the newborns I have been photographing lately, you would think so! Newborns use to be hard sessions for me, but now that I have done so many, they are one of my favorite types of sessions. One reason it I just love babies and another is I get to meet so many new Moms and Dads and watch the relationship between them and their daughter or son develop. What a cool job I have. Miss Kayleigh was just as sweet as she could be. She did a wonderful job during our session and I love the results. Kayleigh was such a happy and content baby and let me do whatever I liked. It was a perfect session with a perfect little one. Enjoy!

Everyone needs a baby girl....

and since I have two little boys, Miss Kinley is mine. Isn't she just about the most precious little thing you have ever seen. Ok, so maybe I am a little biased since her Mom, Danielle, and I are great friends, but still, she is a beautiful baby. Shh...I am not going to let Danielle know that I really think of her as my own. I took her 3 month pictures the other day and she put on a show for us. And of course I love the hat, it is my favorite from the day. By the way, notice the cute pearl bracelet she is wearing, well her Mom made it and you may be able to purchase one at my studio boutique for your little one to model in her photo shoot as well...that is if I can twist her Mom to start making them for me! I have a feeling that Miss Kinley Chapel will have a camera in her face a great deal of her life with her Aunt Kelly around!

Very Merry Sessions

Well, it is that time of year and I have been busy wrapping up the senior season and starting the holiday one! I love this time of year, the air is so crisp and cool and the leaves are starting to change. The Very Merry Sessions have been a big hit with customers and I am loving all the Christmas colors and outfits I have been seeing. While I will not post any of the sessions on my blog because I know many of my clients like for their pictures to be a "suprise" to all their friends and families, I will say, we are having a blast taking them. So just a little note to say if you have not booked your session and are still interested in having one, let me know. I have decided to extend the dates since I was not able to get all the request filled because I booked up so fast. Just call or send an e-mail with a date that will work for you and your family and I will fit you in.

What a session...

Last week I had a session with a senior named Chase. Ok, so this was so neat. He and his Mom came to do his formal session first before we did his casual. I had never met Chase and his Mom, Twanna before this. After the formals, Chase wanted to go to his house to take the casuals. So they told me where they lived and I knew the area well as we use to own a farm in the area. So I followed them out to their house and you would not believe it...but it was our farm. I have to say, I got chills and teared up as I drove into the long drive way. I have so many memories of the farm, from hayrides to birthday parties and camp outs. We spent at least one day out of the weekend going to the farm when I was little. My grandfather loved that place so much, it was such a part of him and he would be so proud to see how beautiful they have it looking. Chase, his Mom and I quickly found a common connection and I loved talking with them about the farm. The leaves had started to change and air smelled so fresh, just like when I was a child. I am so grateful I was able to do this session and able to see a favorite childhood memory, not to mention work with a great family!

Family Fun!

Last week I posted some images from a fun session with Isabelle, well what I did not also tell you was I had the pleasure to photograph her family as well. When I woke up on the morning of our session, it was cloudy and about to rain. So, I called Jennifer to see if she wanted to reschedule and she said no way, it would be too hard to get everyone together again (which I know how that is) so I told her we would make it work and we did. I loved this session. It was my first time photographing the Jone's and the Graham's. They all did so well. Blake is Jennifer and Justin's precious little boy and Savannah, Grayson and Isabelle belong to Jason and Hope. I love sessions with large families, it is so fun to look at all the expressions I get in each shot. Jennifer wanted to have photographs taken for her parents for Christmas...so if you know them shhh...it is a surprise. Jennifer did tell me it would be fine to post these as her parents are not bloggers ;-)

Here are a couple from our fun filled session! Enjoy!

Out on the range...

Meet Cody. He is a senior this year and I had the opportunity to take his senior photographs. Cody wanted his session to be at his grandfather's land. I was so excited when I found out where we were going. See, Cody's great-grandfather and my grandfather were brothers and the land is right next to where I grew up and where we live now. Needless to say, I felt right at home. So when Cody asked me if I thought I could climb over the gate with barbwire on it, some may have passed, but nope, not me. Growing up on a farm a girl learns how to do many things. The cows even stopped by to watch our session. I love how these turned out, it just reminds me of my childhood memories and going on adventures in the woods. I think Cody is one of the first guys I have photographed that actually climb up a tree. Gotta love it.

Where has my baby gone?

It seems the other day while I was looking through my lens at Keaton, it hit me that he is growing up fast! It seems like only a couple of months ago I was still changing his diaper. He has become such a "boy" in the past year. He makes me laugh all the time and I love our daily conversations. Being a parent is the most challenging job in the world, but it is also the most rewarding. To watch a child go from being so dependent on you as a baby to being so independent, even at 4, is amazing. It is a job I would not trade for anything in the world. So here are some four-year shots of Keaton, who will ALWAYS be my baby. By the way, if you know me, I'm sure you have guessed that of all the images above, the last one is my favorite. I love those moody shots!

Do flowers bloom in the fall?

Yes, they sure do, and look at this precious little hat Miss Izzie is sporting. This past weekend I photographed Izzie for her one year birthday. This was my first time photographing her and she was great. Again, as many of you know, I love hats, so of course I fell in love with this one. Izzie has more than enough spunk to go along with her hat. Out of all the one year olds I have worked with, she liked her birthday cake the best. Cake sessions are always so much fun: I love all the expressions babies make when they first taste the cake; they are truly priceless. Izzie was born a couple of days after my youngest son, and they are also in the same class at nursery school. Hmmm, do I see a little girlfriend in his future?

Could it be Pebbles?

No, it is not Pebbles. It is Miss Eva! Eva has been melting my heart since her infant sessions almost a year ago. She is growing so fast, and it is hard to believe she is already six months old. I fell in love with her little pig tails the moment she came to see me. How cute are they? We had the best time and she laughed and smiled the whole session. I have to say again that six and nine month-olds are my favorites. They are just always so happy and quick to laugh at my silly antics during the shoots. I look forward to seeing how much Eva has changed at her nine-month session. She can't possibly get cuter than this!

An adventure, that's for sure!

On one of my recent senior shoots, I had the pleasure of photographing Jason. I had been to this location before with another senior, but it holds special meaning to Jason because his family owns it. It has a wonderful covered bridge and mill. However, the real adventure came when Jason said he wanted some shots at the old rock quarry. We had to drive up what seemed like an enormous cliff, but Jason is a skilled driver and got us safely up and down the face of it. I am so glad he wanted to have his session there. It's just too bad that the "senior season" is almost over.

A Festive Day

When I first met Pat, I knew she would be such a wonderful bride to work with. She was so relaxed and easy going and so in love. Pat and Ken were married a couple of weekends ago and I was there to document the day. These two were a pleasure to photograph. I enjoyed getting to spend the day with them. At our first meeting, I quickly found out that Ken is all about surprises. There was a grand surprise at the Fox in Atlanta for the engagement and many little surprises throughout the whole wedding day for Pat...from a beautiful oil painting to a chorus line routine by Ken and guest. Pat was so organized and everything down to the last little detail was perfect. I also learned from Pat and several of her guest, that it really is "all about the shoes." Instead of one large wedding cake, Pat had the wonderful idea of having mini wedding cakes of all different flavors and designs for the guest. It made for a beautiful display. The day went by quickly, but Ken and Pat enjoyed every second of it. Congrats to Ken and Pat.