I was looking back through a lot of our work and hatched a cool idea that I just shared with Jeff. I’d like to choose one image and hail it as “Our Favorite Shot” for that calendar year. Once it’s chosen, the couple will receive a copy of it in print form as a thank you for letting us shoot their day! To get the excitement stirred, I thought I would retro-choose an image from 2008. The criteria that we look for is a combination of the following:

• Creative concept

• Personal satisfaction

Taking all of this into consideration, last year’s winner is a no-brainer. It’s the dress shot from Lesley Connell Nunn’s wedding. Some of you know the story, but I’ll share it for the rest of you. Lesley loved our hanging dress shots… but she lamented that the tiny church she grew up in didn’t really have a place for anything dramatic. After searching every nook and cranny, we finally agreed with what she had already tried to tell us. That led me to go outside… and there was the bough, hanging just out of our reach. But it was just too pretty of an idea to give up so easily. That’s where her grandfather, his ladder and a pick-up truck came into play.

What you DON’T see is our assistant crouching underneath, ready to catch the dress if it fell. There was REAL wind blowing and it was gusty at times! But the combination of the blue Virginia skies, the breeze and that wonderful dress, gave us a shot that I still get giddy over when I see it. Mainly because I knew it was MY idea… and it fit the bride of the day perfectly!

So who will win for 2009? We have five more weddings this Fall before I even have to think about it!

This past Thursday was the “Contrast” art show opening in my home town of Cleveland, Mississippi. Jeff and I decided that we wanted to fly out, just the two of us, and spend a whirlwind 30 hours back home so that we could attend opening night and see all of the different pieces that were entered from around the country. And I’m SO glad we did! Not just because the show was a hit (and it was!), but also because I got to see some faces that I haven’t seen in many, many years… some for as long as 20 years! I laughed, and cried and hugged and squealed. I really haven’t experienced that kind of joy in a while… and it was amazing.

First, thanks to Will Jacks for pulling everything together for the art show. It was totally his brainchild and we were just honored to be asked to participate. Will and I went to high school together, but we never knew we had anything other than age in common until a couple of years ago, when our mothers reunited online and shared what their respective kids were up to. Once “Miss Beth” (who hasn’t been a “Miss” in 40+ years, but that’s what we say in the South) told Will what I was up to, he e-mailed and we’ve stayed connected ever since. He’s a great encourager and I’m just thrilled to have been able to see the show in person.

While at the show, we were able to see lots of familiar faces, but none shocked me more than those of Mr. and Mrs. Ballard. I literally burst out crying when I saw them. Aside from having a son that I was TOTALLY crushed out on all through school (he was SEVERAL years older), Mr. Ballard was my youth group teacher for pretty much the entire time I was in 7th-12th grade… and he loved us dearly. I haven’t seen him since I graduated 20 years ago… and he and Miss Merry Lou (again with the “Miss”) looked exactly as I remembered. I was so thankful that their beautiful daughter, Merry Claire, called them to let them know about the show. I love them so much!

Our friend Greg stayed around Cleveland after work on Thursday so that he could meet us for dinner. We ended up hanging out until 10:30 that night just catching up on everything that’s happened since we last saw him in college at Delta State. I think Jeff enjoyed his company most of all because he go to talk music and guitars and gear… something that rarely happens here in North Carolina. Greg is special to both of us, and we have Facebook to thank for THAT reconnection. Hopefully, we can convince he and his family to come visit us!

Without slighting other people that we were able to speak with, I want to skip to the one that really made the trip so fulfilling for me… my “Bird”… Andrea Dallas. I don’t even know how to summarize what she means to me. I just know that when she walked into the restaurant Thursday night, I wanted to squeeze her until she couldn’t breathe. But that wouldn’t have turned out as nice as I would have intended it to be. Andrea is the constant friend that I had all throughout my junior-high and high school years. We attended Immanuel Baptist together and have so many shared memories that it’s just not something we can get through in one trip! I love her to DEATH! And it was a rare treat to not only see her, but to shoot she and her adorable little boy, Lee.

I know this is long… and most of you couldn’t care less! But these are the people who made me who I am today… they’re the ones who have nurtured me, loved me and even reproved me over the years… and it’s so important to how I turned out, both Spiritually and artistically. I can never express in a blog entry the kind of impressions that they’ve left on me over the years. I can only say thank you… and hope that they know what wonderful, amazing friends they all are to me.

Below are some of my favorite images from the shoot I was able to do while in Cleveland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was just a lovely, lovely wedding. When we first booked it, we thought it was going to be IN Charleston, but as it turned out it was outSIDE of Charleston at Seabrook Island (where the bride grew up vacationing with her New Jersey family). I hope to get to shoot at this venue again some day… it’s too good to just go once!

We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day… or a prettier bride… or a prettier location for getting ready! The family is just so sweet and we’re blessed to have been invited along! It’s one of those fairy tale weekends that doesn’t seem real, until you see the pictures and can prove that it DID happen after all! We hope you enjoy these highlights!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

We have two beach shoot openings for the month of August! The cost is $500 for up to two hours of shooting (proofs included). Preference is for families with children who can actually play in the ocean (older than toddlers) and who love our style of beach shooting (see below). Call or email the studio for more information!

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Recently, we were able to take the Johnson family to Atlantic Beach for an afternoon of fun! I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating, our style of beach shooting isn’t what most people imagine when they think of family photos in the sand. There are no white dresses or grassy dunes in sight! We just like to cover families hanging out together, doing something they enjoy doing! That can be hopping waves, building sand castles or flying kites… but whatever it is, it’s fun and action packed!