Behind the Scenes

It's a new year and so I thought I'd show some behind the scenes from the old one. They're nothing glamorous - in fact, quite the opposite. I help make sure the people in front of the camera look fabulous, after all, nobody is taking a photos of me! Unless, of course, you're my assistant/ second shooter... Darn Suzy gets me every time!

These 6 are pretty standard. 

These two... not so much. When I'm not taking photos, my true personalities comes through. On the left, for example, I got to ride a golf cart for the very first time (a dream come true!!!) so clearly I was excited. On the right, I am clearly losing my mind.

Before every wedding and portrait shoot, bags need to be packed, batteries charged and cat's to be briefed.

I... I don't even know. Except for the last one - Gotta check my shots!

And to make myself seem not 'so' crazy, some normal photos of me at shoots and weddings

So, there ya have it! Thanks Suzy for always being ready for a classy moment!

2013 Recap

(I was going to post my favorites from this past year but had to give up - there were just too many.)

It's been an amazing year. I've been blessed to photograph many beautiful weddings in the past 12 months and meet countless great couples and families.

2013 was also a challenging year. I was let go from my full time position in March, which was, on one side, a blessing as I was extremely unhappy working there, but adjusting to life with only one stable salary also proved to be a challenge financially. We had a wedding to plan and pay for, a dying car that needed to be replaced and a pool that seemed to just swallow all our money since we had no clue what we're doing. But we made it. And we made it out quite well. Thanks to the support from our family and friends, we always had something to look forward to and in retrospect - 2013, although hard, was the best one yet.

2013 gave me the opportunity to go full time with wedding and portrait photography. It taught me to believe in myself and not to give up on my dream. This is what I want to do, and, although sometimes life plays a bit unfair by throwing us right into the middle of the action without warning, I know I can do this.

I'm excited to see what 2014 brings. More weddings, more direction and more goals.
Here's to all my amazing clients, who've believed in me and who've made this past year even remotely possible! And my husband, because he's pretty rad himself.

Happy New Year!

Engaged : Brooke + Chris

Although these two are getting married this coming Saturday (eek!) I still wanted to make sure I shared their Engagement Shoot from just a few weeks ago with you as well. Brooke and Chris are the absolute sweetest, we had a lot of fun during this session. Chris had his doubts at the beginning but he did a great job, and Brooke, well, that girl just can't take a bad picture. Isn't she gorgeous? I am already excited to see her Saturday, no doubt she is going to look amazing.

Chris, don't worry, you're quite handsome, too!

Laura + Clay : Engaged

A few months ago, when Laura first told me about her and Clay's wedding, I knew I just HAD to be there. The theme? Vintage Carnival. I mean, how could you not get excited for this one? I love when brides think outside the box and make it fun and unique.

When it came time to meet again for their engagement shoot, I was a little weary when Laura told me she wanted her horse, Savanna, to be a part of it. I've been petrified of horses ever since I fell off one as a little girl and a recent equally traumatic experience didn't leave me wanting more horses in my life. Everything went great, though! I didn't cry (yes, that may have happened before...) and I we were able to get some amazing shots. The weather was absolutely perfect with clear skies and just the right temperature. In fact, I took so many photos that I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites for this post.

It's safe to say I will be counting down the days alongside Laura and Clay for their June 2014 wedding.

Congratulations you two!

I always crack up when I see the top right image - just the way Savannah is looking straight into the camera. Probably mocking me :)

Isn't Laura a total stunner? This girl knew how to work the camera, I hardly had to do anything! She is going to make a beautiful bride.

Engaged : Kacey + Jeremy

Kacey and Jeremy are from Indiana so when they gave me complete freedom to chose the location for their Engagement Shoot I jumped on the chance to shoot at Longworth Hall. This place has so much variety, we had a blast checking out the various spots. To mix things up just a tad more, we ended the session at Eden Park.

Kacey and Jeremy have known each other since High School but didn't start dating until College. I loved hearing all about how they met! They were absolutely adorable and not one bit camera shy, they're pros! I am super excited for their wedding next year and can't wait to take more photos of the two of them. Isn't Kacey just gorgeous? Jeremy is a lucky guy!
 

Aren't they the cutest? Congratulations you two!