Fort Fisher │Katy Maternity
Through this little camera of mine, I have been able to photograph some of the most amazing parts of my clients' lives: engagements, weddings, high school seniors, watching families grow over the years... but I do believe that maternity & the newborn sessions that follow have a BIG part of my heart! It's just a beautiful time. Katy & Peter are patiently awaiting the arrival of their first baby, a son, who is a few days past due now. We are ALL excited and I thought tonight would be the perfect time to reflect on their last photo session with baby in mom's belly. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Fort Fisher evening!
“There is such a special sweetness in being able to participate in creation.” – Pamela S. Nadav
Through this little camera of mine, I have been able to photograph some of the most amazing parts of my clients' lives. Engagements, weddings, high school seniors, watching families grow over the years... but I do believe that maternity & the newborn sessions that follow have a BIG part of my heart! It's just a beautiful time. Katy & Peter are patiently awaiting the arrival of their first baby, a son, who is a few days past due now. We are ALL excited and I thought tonight would be the perfect time to reflect on their last photo session with baby in mom's belly. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Fort Fisher evening!
Congratulations, Katy & Peter, I cannot wait to meet your little boy in the next few days when he makes his big debut! He is so lucky to have you two as his parents.
Chris & Keally Tie the Knot
With the threat of stormy weather over our heads, I definitely went to bed the night before Chris & Keally's wedding hoping for just a little sunshine at some point on their big day. What followed was one of the prettiest days we had had in weeks (phew).
Gorgeous venue, happy couple, thoughtful wedding details, this wedding was a dream to photograph! Chris & Keally, thank you for letting us be a part of your day. I wish nothing but the very best for you two in the future.
With the threat of stormy weather over our heads, I definitely went to bed the night before Chris & Keally's wedding hoping for just a little sunshine at some point on their big day. What followed was one of the prettiest days we had had in weeks (phew).
Gorgeous venue, happy couple, thoughtful wedding details, this wedding was a dream to photograph! Chris & Keally, thank you for letting us be a part of your day. I wish nothing but the very best for you two in the future.
Congratulations!
*As always, just click on any image to view larger!
Keally, absolute stunner.
You guys are ridiculously cute.
^ This, my friends, is what happens when you ask the maid of honor to whisper something inappropriate in the bride's ear! Look at the "cat that ate the canary" grin on the Maid of Honor's face afterward!
This wedding was such a coworker reunion for us: the officiant, the bride, my second shooter and I all used to work at the same restaurant years ago :) KB, you did a great job officiating, my friend! Love these girls!
Can you tell there was absolutely no fun to be had? What a shame ;)
And they lived...
Reilly M. : Beach Birthday
It's so crazy what a difference a year makes! Last year, Reilly, the fam & I headed out to Oak Island for a beach birthday shoot to celebrate Reilly's 2nd birthday.
Lots of fun, of course, but it's amazing to me how little cake actually made it to her mouth vs. her cute outfit!
It's so crazy what a difference a year makes! Last year, Reilly, the fam & I headed out to Oak Island for a beach birthday shoot to celebrate Reilly's 2nd birthday.
Lots of fun, of course, but it's amazing to me how little cake actually made it to her mouth vs. her cute outfit!
Orange Frosting EVERYWHERE! (2012)
This year, Reilly was happily enjoying the beach, feeding the seagulls, collecting shells on the beach and just generally enjoying her day.
Which of course ended with a bright yellow cupcake and surprisingly little frosting on her clothing :)
She was entirely too cute with her yellow birthday cupcake. Love this girl!
As a child, I would go to the beach with my grandparents and always make a spectacle of myself as I threw slice after slice of bread into the air, surrounded by a ridiculous amount of seagulls. One of the highlights of my childhood memories, and I still like to feed the seagulls to this day. For this shoot, I thought it would be fun to get Reilly in on the act, and to take a few seagull inspired shots for her big day.
Well, apparently my memories seem to have omitted that just a handful of bread can and will bring out a TON of seagulls!
(INSERT SCENE FROM "THE BIRDS" HERE)
So many seagulls came to our bread slice buffet that we had to have Reilly's Dad wander down the beach to give us a little breathing room!
Thank goodness for those Dads who are good sports :)
And speaking of good sports... when Reilly decided she wanted to play "Barbershop" with her Grandpa G, and pulled just a BIT too hard on his hair, let's just say I was "camera-ready". Like I said, definitely a good sport :)
Happy 3rd Birthday, Reilly! I have loved watching you grow up with my lens :)
Stacey K.: An Announcement
Do you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret???
Especially an incredibly happy, exciting, surprise like this???
Do you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret??? Especially an incredibly happy, exciting, surprise like this??? Stacey contacted me a little while ago to fill me on in the scoop: they're expecting!!! Yay! For those of you that have been following along for awhile, Stacey & Jonathan are the proud parents of Elle, the happiest 2 year old I've ever met. She's soon to be a big sister and I seriously can't wait to be that little babe's personal paparazzi! Stacey & Jonathan, I'm so happy for you two and am so excited to meet the next little member of your tribe :)
^ Stacey's big cravings? Oreos & pickles!
Stacey, you're absolutely gorgeous. I know one thing for sure, your children have surely hit the genetic-lottery ;) Congratulations!!!
Elle: 2nd Birthday Shoot
When the chilly weather keeps you inside on photo shoot day, what do you do? Well, if you're Stacey + I, you clear out Stace's front room, whip out the bubble gun and let the newly 2 year old Elle run around indoors where it's nice & cozy!
When the chilly weather keeps you inside on photo shoot day, what do you do? Well, if you're Stacey + I, you clear out Stace's front room, whip out the bubble gun and let the newly 2 year old Elle run around indoors where it's nice & cozy!
Brace yourself.... here comes the 'tude!
Oh yeah, work it, Elle! Feels very "Charlie's Angels" to me, lol. This girl is a NATURAL.
In between all of the bubble madness, we decided to make a break for it and test out the weather for a few backyard pics. My goodness is this little girl stunning, or what?
Back inside we went after it started to get a bit chilly, time to BRING ON THE CAKE! It wouldn't be a birthday without cake now would it? Red Velvet cake...my fave!
What a fun session this was! I cannot believe we're already celebrating your 2nd birthday, Elle! We ended this session with a bang, that's for sure, because Stacey had a little surprise 2nd birthday gift for you, didn't she? You're going to be a BIG SISTER! wooooohoooo! Cannot wait to meet the new family member, I have a feeling my camera is going to be very, very busy ;)
Happy Birthday, Elle and CONGRATULATIONS, Stacey & Jonathan!
Rylan L.: Downtown Wilmington 1st Birthday Shoot
Cupcakes + coffee shops, win-win, am I right?
Cupcakes + coffee shops, win-win, am I right? Well, when Jen and I talked about planning Rylan's official 1st birthday portraits, we had the downtown Wilmington area in mind because of all of the location options you can find there. But what wasn't in the plans was the 40 degree weather and what I'd like to call the "frozen tundra wind tunnel" effect we experienced every time we walked between buildings! We were troopers for a few minutes, just enough time to get a bunch of cute pics of the little birthday boy :)
BRRRRR! -------->
Even with lots of Mom cuddles and his thick hoodie, we knew it was time to get this little guy indoors.
Luckily, we were just steps away from one of my favorite coffee shops, Java Dog Coffee on Front Street in the Cotton Exchange building. Delicious coffee, hot chocolate for the kids, great atmosphere, and dog-friendly! Love this place, if you're in the area do yourself a favor and stop in :)
Once inside, we found a comfy spot next to the window overlooking the downtown area and grabbed a hot chocolate for Rylan along with coffee for the grownups. Mmm! Add a birthday cupcake and VOILA! Is it wrong that I can totally relate to the 1 year old's urge to smash my face into a cupcake first thing in the morning?
Rylan, you are so lovely, you little charmer! Happiest of birthdays to you from your favorite paparazzi!