A little sneak peak at of Kayla and Scot! Kayla and Scot, two wonderful souls that sound like a novella set in the south. We spent some time with the engagement shots out a Scot’s family farm. With rolling hills and some historic barns and buildings that have been have been in Scot’s family for generations, we had the perfect location for engagement photos! Even with a little rain, the weather cooled down and gave us the perfect backdrop. The whole setting was perfect for this young couple! From the perfect boots (a gift from Scot of course!), his favorite cap, and stories about this couple has humor, history and fun where ever then seem to be. October is coming fast, but this sweet couple is enjoying every minute!
I shot this with my 40D and a 70 250 IS lens.
12:42 PM GMT | Read comments(0)Week 4
Summer Tyne…this is the shot that will be up for auction. I shot this on a very sonny, hot day. The kids and I had been waiting for a blue sky as soon as the grass had been cut and rolled in to bales. Everyday was almost too sunny. This was around 4 pm in the afternoon and it rained the following day and I pulled over with the car running and the kids in the car, hopped out for 3 shots and went home. I pass this field every day in the summer and it just jumped out at me when I would drive by.
New Years came and New Years past…given our crazy life style, I have decided to commit to a picture a week. I love my craft, but I also love my life with three wonderful and busy kids. As my mom always said, you can be great at anything…just not all in the same day! I think the commitment to one finished shot will make me pull out the camera and pull out of the daily routine to “see” what I can shoot. Anyway, that commitment and insight came week three so I can pop up week three and four. I will still put up family photos and any other that grab my eye, but as of now, my trusty 40D is riding shotgun in the big red mom van.
Yeah! Between starting school, sports, trips to the lake our little family has been BUSY. Shifting gears a bit…I just got confirmation “Reduced” a piece I worked on with the help of the Nashville Humane Society (Thank you Lisa!) will be part of Chromatics exhibit highlighting “Signs of Recession”. This was truly an inspired piece. When the subject of the an exhibit of this nature came up, I wondered what the photos would look like. I expected poverty
but the exhibit selections really tell a story, some of hope, some of loss and some the far reached effects on everyday families.
Reduced as a concept piece was about a pet, a family member that was given up. That was my intention when I went to shoot at the Nashville Humane Society. As a no kill shelter, they have seen an uptick in families that for whatever reason have to reduce cost to the effect that they can no longer provide a home to their pet. As soon as I saw Lucy, everything changed and the title became “Reduced” the family, her price because even though she was in a family with a small child, our economy, our humanity. Poverty is a terrible thing, but the step between middle class and poverty seems …well…reduced.
The folks at the Humane Society were great and willing to help in any way. My trusty assistant Spencer, and handsome son to boot, helped me take this image. Some of my other selections are below as well.
I am honored to be in the company of some of the other photographers. Hopefully, everyone will go see this exhibit. I know after seeing the images I feel incredibly grateful and thankful for the blessings I have every day.
Not your every day garden, not your every day child. Thanks to Mary and Janet and their beautiful garden. Their little garden it inspired this photo and this setting. As I wandered through their paths and streams, I couldn’t help but wonder where the fairies were? There were all sorts of areas for them to play in. Ella, this sweet little fairy, reminded me of all the magic of childhood. Day can be night, butterflies can speak, and most of all, every child is a secrete fairy!
Ella danced and played and brought a little bit of the child in all of us out this day!
I have had had the pleasure of working with Little Miss Grace before! She was one of my original dancers photos and has worked her way into two or three other collections including my Fairy Tale Collection.
Grace is a classic beauty with a flair! She is spunky and vivacious and it comes through in every photo. You just look at her and want to smile too.
Here are a few of my session favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Such beautiful skin! This young lady was ready to go…she loved the dance portraits and had a blast changing from some very dramatic poses to pumping up the volume and getting into the little leather vest. We have known Miss Helen since she was four and it is amazing to see the young woman she is turning into. She was so versatile that she could go from a serious pose to something crazy in the flash of an eye. All along showing flashes of the many facets of her personality. The garden shots reminded me of a young Julianne Moore!
What a great day. I had so much fun with these young ladies! We had a couple of chocolate lovers and they were fantastic about trying on different outfits and acting out parts . I had planned to do more in-studio work but when God gives you perfect light...USE IT. I'm not certain who had more fun...me or them.
We started outside, with the idea of getting in some shots before it began raining. Camden and Mary kicked off their shoes, fluffed each others hair and then took turns letting me pose them. No matter where I put them, they just glowed! This one of Mary is one of my favorites. She is such a go-getter that I wanted to show her how beautiful she is when she wants to be! Thank goodness for digital, as soon as I showed her how the photos were going to look…she happily tried everything I asked! Plus, I told her we jump around inside after the studio shots!
What a great time we had.
What a blessing these two wonderful women are. They are so warm and welcoming to anyone in the neighborhood, especially the kids! After the Alley session, Mary invited us back to take photos of the garden. It was lovely and no matter where you look your eyes experience an explosion of color and fragrance. If you look carefully, you can almost see the fairy dust and magic in this special place. I'm going to go back on a full moon to see if we can catch one!
Sometimes you get the chance to work with a family that is full of joy and affection...that is when you understand how blessed you are to be a part of their time to capture special cherished moments.
I have had the the chance to Grace and do a portrait of her...but it was a treat to work with the rest of the family.
Regan their oldest had the most beautiful brown eyes and they carried over that same sparkle I found in Grace’s! Hayes, the older son couldn’t seem to take a bad shot! Their youngest son, Otis well what more can you say! There always has to be a mom shot and dad jumped in too! When HE leads the way, every picture is easy! Be well and be blessed!
She is beautiful...this little girl was 3 when she was in my wedding! Now look at her. We are all so proud of the smart, confident woman she has become.
Okay, what was I thinking...three kids under the age of 10 in the bib apple for sight-seeing? Exhausting, memorable and somewhat painful. If you were on the train about 9pm...sorry for the tired 4 year old throwing a tantrum! Still managed to sneak a few pics! Most of them were great photos of my kids breaking rules about staying behind the ropes the Museum or Natural History or my parents placating my kids with Skittles! Yes, caffeine for mommy and sugar for the kids! That is how you know it is a memory.
We left for our East Coast week. Connecticut was beautiful. This is the first “easy” trip we have had. All the kiddies are old enough to hang out on a plain…no bottles, no diapers, no trouble. Well, we still get the “gimmies” when we pass any gift shops, but that I can deal with! Lou lives in Old Lyme, which is pretty much everything you expect in a small northeaster town…everything is quaint and just has that “New England” feel. Visited Old Saybrook and have some fantastic ice cream at Sweet Peas. Blue Raspberry is THE way to go and I’m not even an ice cream lover! The water was wonderful, and the kids actually got in. I’m not sure what the temperature was…but I’m pretty certain that kids don’t feel cold the way adults do. We had to force them out of the water or they would have stayed in until they were little ice cubes.
After realizing how fast our "baby girl" was growing, we created a book to look at the girl before she became a teenager. The timing was perfect. However, a little sibling rivalry kicked in and my son began asking when I would to photos of him. Together, we talked about the photos we liked and that led to this photo session of Spencer! These are a few of his favorite photos!
Little Dancers are floating in my brain. Here are a few recent photos of some graceful girls that I had the pleasure to photograph. Definitely some amazing girls. Planning some June projects. A week long trip to Connecticut and a spot of time in the Big Apple. I'm not planning the event, but waiting to see what reaches out to me. Then back to Nashville for a bit more "garden" planning!