A Hiking Portrait

My second portrait on Saturday was with the Land's. As I mentioned in my previous post, I photographed this cute family last February at their home. This time, mom thought it'd be fun to head outside and explore the outdoors with their son. We met at The Roswell Mill and I must say I was completely unprepared for the hike we had ahead of us. Not realizing that the area is mostly gravel, tree roots and dirt, I wore....flipflops. Not so smart. By the end of the day, my flops were so torn up that I had to throw them away. But nothing kept me from enjoying the unbelievable views, the perfect weather and the curiosity of this adorable three year old.

It's so fun to watch little ones enjoy and be fascinated by everything around them, from playing in the river to discovering new bugs to climbing on rocks. Just goes to show how the best photos are the ones that capture you doing something you enjoy and not just posing for the camera.

Ahhh, the open air. The sound of crashing water at the waterfall was so refreshing.

We had such a great time and this new portrait location is sure to be a repeat. Thanks again!

Take a look at their slideshow here.

A Growing Family

I had a busy day on Saturday. It started with the Gotham's at their beautiful Atlanta home. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. And I swear I'll have to find out if I can use their backyard again for future portraits. It was an oasis of beauty - large hydrangeas, lush grass and huge mature trees.

They are pregnant with their third and they couldn't be happier. It's so nice to meet families who share so much love. I have the best job!

Mom and Dad

A kiss for the baby


playing on daddy's legs

Thanks for sharing this special time with me. I can't wait to meet the little one in a few months!
Take a look at their slideshow here.

Gearing Up

I'm gearing up for some really busy weeks ahead. This weekend I am photographing three portraits - I think that may be a record for me. It's funny how all three portraits represent different milestones for each family.

The first is a maternity & family portrait - the third child for this growing family. I'm so excited to photograph little hands on mom's belly!

The second is a family who I photographed last February. Trip is so adorable, so full of energy and is so expressive. Here are a couple of my favorites from that shoot (before I had the BLOG to post pictures.)


And the third is a portrait for a great couple that got married a few years ago. I was going to photograph their wedding, but they decided to change their local plans and have a very small destination wedding. Just so you know in the future, I love destination weddings and I'm happy to follow wherever your plans take you! So they wanted to get some great couple's portraits since they were less than satisfied with their wedding pictures. I am especially honored to photograph them because Kristian works at PPA (Professional Photographer's Of America). You know she could have asked any photographer so it's super cool that they've asked me to photograph them.

Next weekend, my parents are coming to visit to help us make a final decision about the venue for our wedding. I am excited to confirm the date so I can start doing other things. I think I'm most looking forward to the cake tasting! Mmmm....cake. I wonder how difficult it is to get an ice cream wedding cake. That would be the best.

Sniffle, sniffle, cough, sneeze...

Back on the road to being healthy again. I've been sick for like... forever it seems. I got sick with a nasty cold about four weeks ago. It lasted a week and then I got better for two and then I got the same thing again. I am finally on anti-biotics as a last resort and am feeling a lot better. Nick is always pretty resilient to everything I catch, but this time he couldn't avoid it. During band practice last week, he actually lost his voice. (It's weird, but I always wanted to lose my voice when I was young. I thought it was so cool, but now, not so much.) He had a gig on Saturday so not having his voice was not an option. We took a fun trip to the doctor on Friday and he fixed us both up. While the doc talked to Nick about his music and his CD, he mentioned that Usher is a patient there. Pretty cool.

It's been an exciting week aside from all the coughs and sniffles. We finalized our plans to renovate our kitchen. It's going to be beautiful. Dark wood cabinets, stainless door handles, quartz countertops.... I have to admit though, that I am really nervous about the actual construction. I remember when my parents' kitchen was renovated back in the late 80's I think. It seemed like it took forever and cooking everything in the microwave got old really quick. Since I do a lot of cooking, working from home and all, I am not looking forward to cooking on whatever appliances we can plug into the dining room. I know it will be worth it so I am just hoping that my patience lasts longer than I anticipate, or even better, that the kitchen is completed super-fast! I'll be sure to post some before, during and after pictures.

Puppet Fun

On Saturday, I headed to The Center for Puppetry Arts to photograph a fun day for AutoTrader.com. I enlisted the help of two friends, Bonnie Heath and Jenni Girtman of The Decisive Moment and the AJC. They are both really talented photographers and it was great to have them on my team. The event was really fun with dinosaur hand-puppet give-aways, make-your-own-puppet and Dinosaurs, the show. Here are some pics from the day.

Watch out! Pinocchio's going to step on you!

Happy raffle-prize winners!

Rebecca Watson demonstrates how cool the dinosaurs are, with sound effects and all!

How cute is this hoolah-hoop contestant?


Hand-made dinosaur puppets make great shadow puppets.

See you next time!