Country Wedding Fun - Kyle & Brandi

I have to say that having someone ask me to shoot their wedding is very special.  Yes, it is a business but I don't think you can look at your wedding as business.  When I shoot a wedding, I feel like they have allowed me to be a big part of their day.  We laugh together and sometimes cry together.  We have mishaps, wardrobe malfunctions, unpredictable guests, and more.  I'm not going to lie...shooting a wedding is stressful because you want to make sure you get every shot.  You don't want to miss a thing for your bride and groom.  Once you get past that stress, it is an incredibly rewarding shoot.

Yesterday, November 19th, I got to be a part of a country wedding.  One of the fun parts about this is the best friends in the wedding.  I've taken pictures of these girls for several years from when I was their teacher until now when they have gotten married and been in each other's weddings. 







I knew that I would get to see some creative stuff when they first asked me to shoot the wedding.  Kayla and Brandi didn't disappoint. 

The hand painted signs all around the wedding and reception added a wonderful rustic country flare.

 

I think my favorite thing was the Mason Jar Toasting Glasses .

But you also had to admire the Mason Jar Chandelier.

From the Smores station (complete with an outdoor fire pit) to the memory corner it was all so creative and memorable.

It was a beautiful, fun day and I wish Kyle and Brandi the very best. 

Thank you for letting me share in your special day!

WHAT?? You brought Dad's autographed baseball?

I got the wonderful opportunity to do another shoot with Mr. Ben Harp.  We did Ben's newborn pictures and now he is 4 1/2 months old.  He was a trooper because he wasn't feeling awesome...maybe it's time for some teeth.  Anyway, we may not have gotten a lot of smiles but we definitely got a lot of expressions from the little guy.  His Mom kidnapped the Nolan Ryan autographed baseball from Dad so we could use it for the pictures.  Ben took real good care of it.  He even spit shined it a little. 

Crawlin' on Cars

Did Part B of Bailey's Senior Session.  The Whiteley family let us use their car collection which will be auctioned off this weekend as the backdrop for our afternoon session.  It was windy and chilly but we managed to survive.  KenLea and Chelsea came along to help out.  Bailey was so proud that she had brought a prop for the shoot.... a guitar.  She crawled up next to an antique car and posed with her guitar and started to sing.  The funny part...Bailey doesn't even play the guitar.  We took the guitar away for the rest of the shoot but when I got home and downloaded the pics, one of the first pics taken was one of my favorites.  It is just so, so, Bailey.

We took more senior pictures and looked for creative poses and shots around the old cars.  It was cold but it was fun.  Kenlea even jumped in to pose for a couple of shots while Chelsea battled the wind and helped with the reflector disk.

I love shooting senior pictures.  It is even more fun when I feel like I have captured their personality in their shots.   Love this job!!

Let me introduce... Ben!!

I had the great honor today to do Ben's newborn shoot.  Ben turned 10 days old today and celebrated it with a grand photo shoot.  He was the perfect newborn model.  We only had one tinkle accident during the whole session.  His Mommy and Daddy both came along for the session.

Wes and Beth have always loved sports so it seemed only fitting to take at least one sports inspired shot.  They brought a glove and the bat and we pulled out the baseball hat.  Ben was just happy to have his tummy full and snoozed through it all!

Loved this shot of Ben resting in his Daddy's hands.

My lovely assistant/awesome sister-in-law helped out with the shoot.  Tammie has helped with almost all of my newborn shoots.  I don't know what I would do without her.  Ben definitely made it easy for us to get shot after shot today.

I am very happy for Wes and Beth.  They have two beautiful daughters and now they have little Ben to complete their family.  I am so proud that I got to be a part of it all and help them capture some memories of this very special time!

The View from My Front Porch

Ok, so maybe this seems corny to a lot of people, but for those who live in the country not much beats some good front porch sittin' time. We love our home in the holler. I don't get to sit very often but today was one of those wonderful rare opportunities to just sit and enjoy. 

Take me out to the ballfield!

Okay, okay.... so I've been a little neglectful of my blog. I promise to try to do MUCH better. It's been such a busy year! I've been working on little league pictures like crazy. I have a shoot tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that. It is so unseasonably hot right now that it makes the pictures a challenge. My little baseball/softball players are hot and red faced for their pictures. I appreciate the parents and coaches who have asked me to take their pictures for them this year.