I just love it when I stumble upon vintage cars during a senior portrait session! And I get so excited to find new nooks and crannies during a shoot. We came across a few new spots during Samantha’s session. The blue backgrounds really brought out her unique eye color- she has the most amazing blue-green eyes! A few faves from her senior portrait session:
Senior Portraits Charlotte, NC - Samantha
The Knot Best of NC wedding photographers 2010 pick
What better way to get back to blogging in 2010 than with the wonderful news I received last November! A representative from the Knot Magazine called to tell me that I had been selected as one of their 2010 picks for best NC wedding photographers. Only five other Charlotte wedding photographers made the list. Check out the current issue of the Knot NC magazine to find top-rated venues, florists, cakes, etc! :)
Leigh Ann & Jesse - Charlotte NC engagement
I had been dying to shoot this rusty old car that Chad pointed out to me when we first started dating, but none of my clients were too keen on the location…until Jesse and Leigh Ann- they were up for anything! There were a ton of dogs fenced in just behind the car. They were going CRAZY while we were there- it was a little distracting to say the least! I almost lost the wires to my pocket wizards! I don’t think I’ll be returning to that location anytime soon but we got some fun shots while there.
Doesn’t she have the most amazing legs!?!
Charlotte NC Engagement photography- Kelly & Mike
Kelly and Mike are getting married at the Mint Museum in Charlotte next October. We scheduled their session just in time for their engagement party last month. Kelly teaches in Iredell county. I work with a lot of teachers and nurses- they are the BEST! I was super excited when I found out they decided to book me for their big day! I can’t wait! What a ca-ute couple! =D
Miss Luna
We went to Petco to pick up a few new toys and treats for Kaya and Luna last night. Jillian can spend hours in that place playing with the kittens and checking out the fish. Just when I think Luna has outgrown the puppy stage (I mean she did just celebrate her 1st birthday)…she surprises me! It has been SO long since she has eaten our shoes, chewed on table legs, jumped from couch to chair leaving a trail of claw marks behind…I really thought she was all grown up! Imagine my surprise when just 5 minutes after giving her a new toy, she had ingested over half of it! It was a rough morning for the two of us. She threw up from 6am-8am. Poor thing! I will have to post a few recent pictures of her later. She has grown to a whopping 50 lbs….cutest thing I’ve ever seen! (For old pics of our little troublemaker click here and here)
Leigh Ann bridal pictures Charlotte, NC
Leigh Ann and Jesse had the most beautiful wedding at Providence Country Club over the weekend. The ceremony was conducted by Charlotte Minister Rebecca Nagy. I have to recommend her to all Charlotte brides. She customized the ceremony to fit Jesse and Leigh Ann…it was definitely one-of-a-kind!! Here are a few of Leigh Ann’s bridal portraits for now. I had an amazing time photographing them. Leigh Ann is such a classic beauty, working with her was CAKE! =)
Gorgeous eyes!!
LOVE the sunlight in her hair and veil….security gave us a hard time at this location, but it was worth it!
We stumbled upon fountains dyed pink for Breast Cancer Awareness…love it!
Recent Charlotte weddings
I have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing couples this year! I still have a couple of weddings to photograph before the season officially comes to an end. When that happens, I’ll be blogging my buns off to get caught up! In the meantime, here are a few images from recent weddings:
Ashley & Patrick:
Audrey & Lyle:
Blaire & Bucky
Jodi & Jayson
Brittany & Scott
Back and refreshed
It was nice to get away for Chad’s birthday! We spent most of our vacation in the small town of Taos, New Mexico. Taos was home to primarily Native Americans in the 17th century. The natives were practically eradicated by Americans and Spaniards, but a few of their adobe communities, or pueblos, remain standing. We visited the 1,000 year old Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site. Today, you would never imagine that just 150 years ago, the Pueblo was a gathering place for rebels who opposed the American occupation of New Mexico. President Roosevelt stole thousands of acres of sacred land from the native people, but Nixon returned 48,000 acres in 1970. Only a few natives inhabit the ancient pueblo today. Small art galleries and shops that cater to tourists are set up throughout the Pueblo.
The art scene is huge in New Mexico. There are galleries everywhere! The most well-known are those on Canyon Rd in Santa Fe. Chad fell in love with one piece in a Taos gallery and just had to have it. I can’t wait to share it with you all when it arrives. It will definitely raise eyebrows! In addition to visiting the Taos Pueblo and browsing art galleries, we hiked the Williams Lake trail (elevation 11,000!) and toured the ancient caves in Bandolier.
Other than that, we just took it easy and ate out every single meal. I’m not kidding! They had some great dishes in New Mexico. Breakfast was especially delicious-breakfast burritos and blue corn pancakes- yum! There is a culinary institute in Santa Fe that offers classes and demonstrations. I was hoping we could make one of the classes, but the timing didn’t work out. We were only in Santa Fe for a few days.
I bought Chad yet another camera for his birthday this year. It’s teeny-tiny and we both just love it! We normally pack at least 2 SLRs when we travel. This time, we brought only 1 SLR with 1 lens and barely used it. I forgot what a joy it is to shoot on AUTO!! OMG, the camera does everything for you! No need to worry about aperture or shutter speed or white balance…..wow! Very nice for a change. I took the last pictures below using macro mode. Really? -I can shoot macro without changing to a macro lens!? Oh yes and then some! Check out how close I was to the pine cone below. Pretty sure I could shoot an entire wedding with one of these. I’m tempted to try it- any volunteers? ;-) Definitely get one of these if you are in the market for a small, affordable camera. This one even has smile detection mode- we tested it and it works! The moment you smile at the camera, it takes your picture. What a clever little contraption! I don’t think we’ll be leaving home without it.
Here are a few pics from our trip. I asked Chad to pull over every morning near this golden field so I could take pictures of the statuesque horses roaming it.
Taos Pueblo
The “Darn Near Anything” store in Angel Fire, NM where kids enjoy 4-day school weeks:
How can anyone be this happy at 11,000 feet?! Look at that dashing smile- melts me every time! ;D
Chad’s birthday at Graham’s Grille. This was one of my favorite restaurants in Taos (trust me, we tried them all in 6 days!)..the food was amazing and our server made the night special when she included a candle in the key lime pie for Chad’s bday. =D
Macro Mode:
New Mexico, here we come!
I’m about to start packing for our trip to New Mexico for Chad’s birthday. It will be so nice to get away! I really don’t know what to expect. We’re going to spend most of our time in Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. I haven’t had any time to research any of them so spontaneity will rule this trip. I never work on his birthday weekend because we always try to plan something fun together. I was a little surprised when he chose New Mexico, but hey I’m up for anything! We always have a great time traveling together. He just completely completes me *swoon* and I can only say that because he doesn’t read my blog! =D I’ll be back to work (and refreshed!) on October 1st. Then, I have photo shoots for 4 days straight, along with a wedding on the 3rd, so things will be a little hectic. I should be back on track with print orders, emails, and album designs the week of the 5th. I hope to have a ton of amazing photos to share from the trip. …..And because I decided that every blog entry must have a picture included, here is the latest of me and my little one at the fair last week. She had a blast on the rides and I really enjoyed the funnel cake! =)
Charlotte senior pictures- Jessica
Sooo Jessica’s shoot was rained out not once, not twice, but grrrr… THREE times! She decided to fit in her senior portrait session with me (yay!) before heading back to VA to complete her senior year. When we rescheduled for the second time, the weather was perfect, but the moment I broke out the camera, you guessed it- rain! We were forced to go to the studio. I know how disappointed I would be if my senior portraits were rained out…so we set up a 3rd session a few days before she left for VA. We got a few outdoor shots before it started raining yet again.
This experience totally reminded me of working with one of my past brides- Magan. Every time we scheduled anything together, it rained! I lost count of how many times we had to reschedule her bridal portraits. It even rained on her wedding day. I think I need to get back to my Cherokee roots and take up some Native American weather-dancing. If I’m clucking in blue feathers and turquoise the next time you see me, you’ll know why. =p
- Thanks for your patience Jessica! It was fun, regardless of the rain. Good luck with your senior year. =)
- Kate, these are great! You always do a good job whether it's indoor or out. Thanks for thinking of me :).
by kate
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