Blog

The Simonis Family - Knoxville, Tennessee - Newborn, Children, and Family Portraits

2010-03-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Facebook and the occasional wedding reception I have kept up with my friend Betsy since high school. When she called me to tell me that she and Barrett were expecting their first baby I was so happy! One thing I love so much about what I do is that I get to be a teeny tiny part of peoples' lives at the most special times. I am so happy that I got to meet Miss Lucy Suzanne and do her first photo shoot!

Lucy is one lucky Lucy! Just check out her gorgeous bedroom:

You can see more details of her beautiful room on the slide show.

When it comes to photographing new born babies I have learned a few things over the years. In my experience it seems like newborns do so much better in their own environment. I would never ask a family with a newborn to attempt getting out on location. Its just too much.

I also got some really great advice from a fellow photographer Candi Leonard, who is AMAZING with newborns. She told me the best newborn shots happen when the baby is in a deep sleep.

Lucy was very cooperative:

Lucy was sleeping so deeply that she didn't seem to notice me or care at all about my camera clicking. She also has gotten a lot of practice because her momma really loves to take pictures too.

Sleeping babies are so quiet and still. Its easy to move around them and get in close for details like this (my favorites!)

Once Lucy woke up ... we just focused on keeping her comfortable. You wouldn't believe it, but most babies really love this drawer thing. It looks pretty cozy to me!

Betsy and Barrett are such a proud mom and dad. I can't wait to see this little family grow! Lucy is already SO photogenic! Look at her staring right at the camera!

One final favorite:

Congratulations Betsy and Barrett! You guys are beautiful! And Lucy is so lucky to have you!

The Ferree Family - Knoxville, Tennessee - Children and Family Portraits - Blount Mansion, Gay Street, Photography

2010-03-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

The weather is warming up and the blog here is about to get filled up with lots of happy, springy pictures.

Just last week I met with the Ferree Family at The Blount Mansion in downtown Knoxville. It was time to do some updated shots of little Broedy. He is getting so big I can't call him "baby" Broedy anymore!

Check out his big boy teefers! He has two of them and more on the way.

Some fun with mom and dad on Gay Street Bridge!

The light that day was just gorgeous! Oh I can't wait for spring!!!!

Perfect little family portrait. Broedy was being so good!!!

2010-03-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

My first education endeavor went over this past weekend with a bang!

I taught photography once upon a time at a summer girl's camp and I absolutely loved it. Despite that experience I was still SO NERVOUS about teaching a class now. The students are not kids - they are my age! They might have questions I can't answer! I might say something stupid! Ignoring my fears ... The fact is that I get countless emails from aspiring photographers wanting to learn more about their cameras. So with a little encouragement from a few of the right people I was in. I have officially embarked on providing education to people who are interested in being better photographers. It's intimidating to say the least but its wonderful!

The class Photography Elementary this past weekend went over perfectly. With the help of Sarah - my awesome office manager, Mary - my best friend who prepared delicious snackies, and Nick - my sweet boy friend who helped with anything and everything I was able to pull of this event so smoothly with no major snags. Okay, I definitely said some dumb things ... but for the most part it was a great time!

Here is a shot that was taken by Lori Sukel. Thank you Lori for sending this one!

Here is a yummy shot of Mary's snacks:

Our host for the day was the conference center at 4 Market Square ... right above the square room. It was the perfect location and they were wonderful to work with!

Here is what some of the students have said about the workshop:

Loved the workshop, congrats on completing your first one! You did a great job and helped many people. - Carrie

It was great to meet you! I learned so much from you today. I am definitely interested in the next one in April. Thank you so much for taking the time to have the workshop. You are a doll! -Shannon

Thank you so much for the workshop today! It was a lot of fun, and it was so so helpful. Your awesome!! -Jamie

I loved class! Truly. - Ramona

I had a great time in class. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to have these classes. I'm so excited to practice everything I learned. -Renea

Thank you so much to everyone who attended! We got great feedback and I am SO excited to announce my next workshop: Personal Professional

Here is the info about it (and don't forget to notice the early-bird discount!)

New York City

2010-02-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

The streets will make you feel brand new. The lights will inspire you.

Its true. New York City is the most exciting place I've ever visited. Nick and I went up for a long weekend. We had so many people to see and places to go. This was the first trip I've taken in two years that was strictly personal. That's right! No weddings, no scheduled portrait sessions, and no one paying my travel expenses! I wasn't sure how I would handle myself on a true vacation. Turns out - it was wonderful!

I have so many pictures to show you ... and I will warn you some of these were taken with my point and shoot camera so don't judge the quality! I was on vacation!

I will begin with Travis and Zak! Travis is one of my best friends from college. I've been wanting to visit him in NYC ever since he moved there. He and Zak have the most awesome (and big!) apartment in Brooklyn. They welcomed Nick and I and were the most gracious hosts I've ever had! They baked bread, made coffee, and gave us their home for the weekend. Love them! Thank you Travis and Zak!

Upon arriving (last Thursday) Zak promptly took Nick and I to get a huge slice of pizza. Nothing says "welcome to New York" better than that. Following that ... we met Travis in Union Square for some drinks and appetizers ... then we met with Nick's cousin Ryan in Chelsea. Lots of conversation and yummy food for our first night in the city. Exhausted after all the traveling that day ... we subwayed ourselves back to Brooklyn pretty late and had no trouble sleeping despite the noisy streets!

On Friday we had a nice slow morning. I don't care if this is New York City ... we were in a hurry for no one. We lunched in Little Italy (oh ravioli and calizones) and then milled around at the Natural History Museum.

Now, the big reason I had been itching to get to New York City is because another friend of mine from college was cast in the Broadway revival of HAIR! (They won the Tony for the best musical revival.) The show is actually leaving New York and going to London for six months. When I found out I only had a month left to see it, Nick and I made plans immediately.

Friday night was the night. 8pm. We were on the 2nd row!

Let me just say that NOTHING is more thrilling than seeing a wonderful show on Broadway! NOTHING! My heart still swells when I think about it. I had purchased the soundtrack to HAIR months before the show so I knew all the songs by heart. Adding the live action and the storyline and the energy of the crowd and the thrumming of my heart made it an experience I will never forget. It was such a beautiful show!

And the best part was that my friend Alli recognized me during the show - sitting in the second row. She ran up to me after the curtain call and told me to meet her back stage! She took us through the dressing rooms and showed us all the props and costume areas. It was so exciting! Thank you Alli for doing that!!! I also got to have dinner with Alli a couple nights later ... that picture is coming soon.

After the play we met with Travis and Zak, Nick's cousin Ryan and his friend Laura, and Nick's best friend since 1st grade Erik. We had the most yummy desserts and coffees and conversation at The French Roast. It was a very New York night!

Here is me and Nick and his friend Erik. I am so happy I finally got to meet you Erik!

On Saturday morning Nick and I took a train to New Haven, Connecticut. We visited Nick's cousin Bonnie and her husband Jalloul and their tiny brand new baby who is 5 weeks old. They took us to a winter festival where we ate apple pie and drank cider. It was a very nice change of pace for a day.

It was also the first day I got out my big girl camera. This is the Connecticut countryside.

Saturday night was complete with dinner in China Town with Ryan, Laura, Nathan, and Erik - including frog porridge, seafood in a pineapple boat, and the best sesame chicken ever.

On Sunday I was happy happy happy because this was the first day we didn't have plans. I told Nick I just wanted to take pictures. I didn't care where or what of. So we went-a-wandering ...

We are so in love.

Like the average tourists ... Nick took some pictures of me ...

And I took some pictures of him (lots and lots actually!)

But I really loved the freedom to just snap snap snap as we walked and walked.

(this horse one is one of my favorites ever)

My favorite place we went was down to Pier 17. The boats!!!!

Even better than the boats was the view of Brooklyn ...

(very romantic!)

It was finally time for dinner and we met up with Alli and Travis on 9th Street. I can't remember the name of the place but they had everything. Nick was so happy because they had meatloaf. His favorite! I was happy because the food was good and I loved visiting with Alli and Travis and reminiscing about college days. So fun.

Then we had some silly fun in Times Square. Travis took this one (thanks Travis!)

Our last night in New York ended with some tea and beer in Greenwich Village with Nick's cousin Ryan.

I'll leave you with just a couple of my favorite night photos of the city.

Good night New York! I'll be back again soon. I promise!

A day in San Diego with Julie

2010-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

I meant to post these pictures a month ago! You have no idea how many folders upon folders I have full of personal photos that I always mean to blog but somehow never get around to it.

Well if you are the least bit interested in scenery, travel details, or my personal life then this is your lucky day! If you follow me on facebook then you know I just returned from a trip to New York City. Before I let myself post those images I must post these from San Diego. This has been a year full of travel for me (which I love).

I visited San Diego years ago and spent a little time in La Jolla Cove at the seal beach. I knew I wanted to go back there this time and take a few pictures. This was the first image I shot that day. I love it there!

So yeah, there are a ton of seals and they just roll around on the beach there. Its kinda weird looking from a distance - maybe even a little gross like dead fish or something. But if you are patient and you watch them you can catch little moments. I love animals and seeing their personalities develop ... so sweet!

You can't get very close to them. These images were shot with my 70-200 zoom lens. So I seem close but I was pretty far. That's the best way to photograph animals because you don't freak them out as much.

Dis wittle one was sweepy. (wuv the gween moss)

So here is a sad story. Later that day I was planning to meet with a beautiful lady and her family at balboa park. Her name is Christine and she is friends with my friends Julia and Adam. Christine was going to model her wedding dress and then do a mini family session with her husband and babies. The sad part is that they were driving from LA and the traffic was atrocious and they actually weren't able to make it to meet me.

I know Christine was just as disappointed as I was ... but what's a girl to do? I just decided to wander around Balboa park and get familiar with the place in the event that I might have a chance to photograph there in the future.

I found an orchid garden.

Then I found a bride and groom!

I'm not kidding! There was a gorgeous wedding going on and I just happened to catch the bride and groom getting out of the car and preparing to enter the reception. They had to wait for a few minutes for their real photographer before they could enter. Like a complete weird-o I asked them if they would mind if I took a picture of them. They were getting all kinds of requests like this from other tourists so they just smiled politely and let me take their picture. Just one. Here it is:

So thank you San Diego for being so beautiful. I love your sunlight and I am determined to photograph a bride at Balboa Park eventually. Mark my word!

Baby Beau Brannon - Julie Roberts Photography - Knoxville, Dandridge, Tennessee Baby Photos

2010-02-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

I've been photographing the Brannon Family since 2007.
Just a few months ago they had a brand new addition ...

Baby Beau

Its obvious, but I have to say that I love baby feet.

Baby Beau was such a good boy during his session. He reminds me of his older brother Lawson. Very pensive and curious about me and my camera.

brand new baby brother!

This one is my favorite of the day:

2010-02-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a little something to show what I have been so busy with for the past couple of months. Obviously I haven't had a ton of sessions but that doesn't mean I have been bored. I took some time off in December to begin the huge task of designing the albums from the weddings of 2009. It was incredibly daunting but I am pretty much caught up. You have no idea what a relief that is! My goal for the coming year is to design the albums within a month after the wedding is shot. I think I can do it! I like posting it here because you can help hold me accountable.

Enough jibber jabber ... here are the links to the wedding album designs for 2009. Click the images to view the designs.

Julia & Ben Davenport:

Robert & Elizabeth Schwarze:

Ashley & Ray:

Izzy Hudgins & Martin Ward:

Katie & Devon Knox:

Jenny & Andy Henry:

Cliff & Hallie Mahala:

Jeremy & Emily Jinnett:

Marshall & Cassandra Grace:

Brandon & Tasha Watson:

Jared & Valerie Faul:

Ryan & Christine Fitzgerald:

Tommy & Lauren Morgan:

Rebekah & Darrell Greer:

Laura & Justin Singleton:

Ashley & Brandon Kittrell:

If you are a client from a previous wedding and you did not have a storybook credit included in your package but you are interested in getting a storybook please email me! julie@julierobertsphoto.com

The Runaway Roberts Kids ... Hobos in Knoxville ...

2010-02-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

So after a billion snow days ... what do you do to keep the boredom at bay?

My nephews and niece come to visit their crazy Auntie Julie. What will she come up with this time? Well I just wasn't interested in another trip to the movie theatre. So Nick and I went to KARM Thrift Store and rummaged through piles of old shoes and clothes. We came up with this idea for a photo shoot that might be a little more fun than the average session. Let me tell you my nephews and niece have had their fair share of photo shoots and they are kind of over it all. But this time I think we made it more interesting for them.

They were prisoners.
They made an escape.
And then they became the Roberts Runaways!

This was the story line that Nick gave the kids ... talk about theatrics!

Emma Kate:

Eli:

It was FREEZING outside. I think you can even see the snow in the air in some of the shots. And we were not without our fair share of tantrums. (see exhibit a: emma on the left:)

But she perked up when the sun came out and I got this little beauty. Love her!

Cole. The oldest.

And Thomas.

The Pink Book Blog loves me!

2010-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to Knoxville's own wedding inspiration source: The Pink Book Blog for doing a feature on me along with Tara Kneiser of Dixie Pixel Photography and Erin Brown Photography.(two of my favorite local photographers! Im so excited to be featured with them!)

Click below to see the feature and while you're there leave some love for the pink ladies!

Kelli Anderson & Chris Corwin - Key West Wedding - Knoxville Destination Wedding Photography - Julie Roberts Photography

2010-02-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

I am SO happy to show you this wedding! As some of you have already noticed ... I am developing my services as a destination wedding photographer. I am so excited to see where this development will take me (literally)! I love to travel! But one thing that I have experienced with the destination weddings that I have been privileged to do so far ... is that when on these trips with my clients and their families I get to be more involved in the events that surround the wedding day. Which results in more time spent with everyone - which I love because it gives me the opportunity to learn more about the couple and their relationships.

Kelli and Chris chose to get married in Key West, Florida. This is somewhere that Kelli's family has vacationed and made a lot of memories over the years. It was the perfect back drop for Kelli and Chris's wedding. The entire event was made of a very intimate group of family members and a few surprise friends. The Anderson and Corwin families were both SO wonderful to work with. They welcomed me like just like another member of the family. I absolutely loved spending time with them over the weekend and getting to know them.

I arrived on Friday afternoon. Kelli (the bride herself) picked me up at the airport (after I was greeted by a huge sign that said "Welcome to the Conch Republic" which made me feel like I was finally there!). Kelli and I had lunch and then she helped me check in to my room at the amazingly beautiful Ocean Key Resort where we found out that I had been upgraded (for free) to an ocean view suite. It was beyond words! Beautiful!

Before the rehearsal dinner Kelli brought her details to my room so I could take my time photographing them instead of rushing to get it on the wedding day. I am SO glad she did this. As a result there are 8 million photos of her jewelry and shoes. This makes me happy!

Hair & Makeup: Lorri Bollander Key West Hair & Makeup http://keywesthairandmakeup.typepad.com/key_west_hair_and_makeup/

Kelli's sister Misty was there that morning helping Kelli get ready. I love this proud photo of her looking on.

I haven't mentioned yet that Kelli is drop dead gorgeous.
She is.

Custom wedding rings- Michael M. http://www.michaelmcollection.com/
and C. Gonshor http://www.cgonshor.com/

We rushed to get a few bridal shots on our way to the Hyatt for the ceremony.

Bride's gown- Da Vinci Bridal http://www.davincibridal.com/

c/o I Do Weddings http://www.idoweddingsofknoxville.com/

Some more lovely details ...

This is Chris, the groom. He is so handsome ...
Groom's attire- Tommy Bahama http://www.tommybahama.com/

I love this story and I really hope Kelli doesn't mind me sharing it here! Kelli's wedding day was also her 40th birthday. (I know - she totally doesn't look 40 - but yes, its true.) She found out that her actual birth time was 10:55 am. So she determined to have the ceremony at 10:30 so she could say "I do" before she turned 40. I think we might have been about 10 minutes behind schedule but she still made it by 3 minutes!!!

As she walked down the isle she kicked her heels off so she could walk in the sand. I loved that moment! This is Chris winking at her.

Kelli's dad Charlie was so proud ...

This sweet moment when Charlie gave Kelli away he said to Chris "Take good care of her."

The setting was breath-taking.

The ceremony was officiated by the lovely Amy Figg of St. John's Lutheran Church of Knoxville, TN.

Charlie, Gale, Carolyn, and Tommy - the parents.

Flowers (and decor): Love in Bloom Florist www.loveinbloomflorist.com

This is Chris (Kelli's twin brother - Happy Birthday to him too!) and his sweet little girl Allie:

Oh my goodness ... the food.
a m a z i n g !

Catering & Ceremony Site: Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa www.keywest.hyatt.com

Cake: Key West Cakes www.keywestcakes.com

Guest Accommodations: Galleon Resort www.galleonresort.com, Ocean Key Resort & Spa www.oceankey.com , and Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa www.keywest.hyatt.com

These four guys were Chris's friends who drove all the way from Knoxville the night before to surprise Chris before the ceremony. It was a HUGE surprise!

And now for my favorites ... the portraits of the bride and groom.
I'm so happy that Kelli and Chris gave me a little time once things settled down so we could get some gorgeous shots around the Hyatt property.

Then we had a little siesta time followed by an evening out on the sea in a lovely sail boat!

Sailboat: Floridays www.floridays.org

Sailboat catering: Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa www.keywest.hyatt.com

So beautiful!

And I will leave with a few images from they very colorful Mallory Square where you can see all varieties of people and local flavor.

2010-02-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

I photographed a beautiful wedding in Key West, FL this past weekend.

I can't wait to share it with you! But there is a very exciting reason why I have to wait before I can post it. I will explain later!

Until then ... I want to redecorate my bedroom based on this photo:

OH! And don't forget this:

P.S. I want to have more contests and different things here on the blog to encourage commenting and viewer participation (yes, I'm talking to YOU!). Please comment on this post if you have any clever ideas or creative suggestions.

The Huiting Family

2010-02-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

The Lamb Family

2010-02-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Walkers

2010-02-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

I photographed Miranda and Jesse's wedding last year in Mississippi.
They are now expecting their first little baby and ITS A GIRL!

Paige Caroline will be joining her mommy and daddy sometime around the first week of March.

They are such an adorable couple ... they will make a beautiful family!

This is my favorite daddy+belly picture ever! Sweet Jesse!

The Watson Family

2010-02-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

Two become three ...

Baby Wade is one of my favorite little miracles.

Those of you who recognized his sweet little ears knew that these details belonged to Wade.

Here he is sleeping soundly. Well, kinda.

A little closer and this one is my favorite.

Rachel and Josh are enamored with their "Little Man"
They are such a good mommy and daddy pair ...

One last favorite and a slide show ...

The Booth Family

2010-02-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Booth Family has a new addition ...

These mysterious baby details (posted last week on my blog) belong to Daisy McClain:

Here she is ... all of her in her full beauty!

Eliza Mae is still a super rock star ...

Look at what a sweet big sister she is ...

lovely Daisy

2010-01-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

My first Workshop!

2010-01-26T14:33:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am doing a workshop.
And I am completely excited!

But before I post all the glorious details I want to get a little bit of feedback from anyone who is interested. I know that the workshop will be a one day thing and it needs to happen the last week of February. I don't want to knock anyone out of coming because of the date and I am pretty flexible. Should it be a week day (Feb 24-26) or a weekend day (Feb 27, 28).

If you are the least bit interested please comment below your preferred date so I can post the official details and registration. Thanks friends!

Coming soon! Plus a super fun game! Win a print credit ...

2010-01-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

***EDITED TO ADD***
YES! You can "play the game" below even if you're the parents, grandparents, family members, friends, etc. This is a chance for you to get a print credit so go for it!

Its been a while since I have done a "coming soon" blog. But here we go! Next weekend I will be doing a wedding in Key West and I would love to get all of these sessions posted on the blog in the next couple of days. This is quite a challenge (considering all the albums I am also working on - ah!!!) but its my goal and Im sticking to it.

So this weekend I did 5 photo shoots!

Beginning with a maternity session with Jesse and Miranda! They are having a baby girl! Congratulations to them!

This was my first time meeting and photographing the Lamb Family. We had so much fun!

And now for the super fun game!
The final three sessions I did this weekend were all newborn sessions. One boy and two girls:

Wade Allen, Ella Kate, and Daisy McClain

Who can guess which of these "baby detail groups" belongs to which baby?

Leave your guess as a comment and the correct guessers win a $10 credit in their proof account. You can guess on any or all of the photos and anyone can play! Good luck!!

Baby #1 :

Baby # 2 :

Baby #3 :

2010-01-23T17:04:00.000-08:00

When I knew I was going to be in California for a week I decided to call the most beautiful couple I know. Julia and Adam Franklin. They live in Burbank and I thought a session with these two at the beach would be perfect. Plus I haven't seen them in ... uh ... 6 years. So I gave Julia a call and sadly it just wasn't going to work out with their schedule. But Julia was so awesome and she connected me with another equally beautiful couple - Shada and Mason - who were willing to come out and meet me.

Shada and Mason completely trusted me even though I was a total stranger. They picked the location (Laguna Beach) which was absolutely beautiful and perfect! And they worked it like super sexy super models the whole time. Awesome! I loved meeting this couple and I hope you love these pictures as much as I do!

Shada and Mason - thank you so much for being such perfect models and for being so much fun to work with. I loved meeting you guys!!

The Venzara Family

2010-01-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Its time for you to meet the most beautiful and happy family you've ever seen.

The Venzaras:

This is Nathan, Sarah, and their beautiful baby girl Emma Marie

When I visited California a week ago they were so generous. They let me stay with them, they loaned me their car, and they introduced me to some delicious new recipes!

Nathan was one of my best friends as a kid ... we went to school and church together and for a while he was my next door neighbor. He is quite a character and its no shocker to me that his daughter is full of just as much character and personality. The two of them together are quite a show:

This was the coast just a few miles from where they lived. I love California!

After we had gotten enough of the sea and sand ... we went to a second location where there was a lot of grass and weeds and some amazing California sunlight. We just don't have light like this in Tennessee. I LOVE these:

They are just so happy. And they don't just "look" happy. They really ARE that happy.

And Emma is just the snuggliest, cooing, giggler I have ever seen. I loved her rolling around in the grass!

Sarah is studying to get her certification in midwifery. As a result she knows just about everything there is to know about mothering and all that good stuff. More importantly she is madly in love with her baby girl and it shows!

The thing that is also evident is that Nathan and Sarah really love each other. This is the core of what makes a happy family.

The Jessica Claire - Orange County - Workshop - California

2010-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

Who is Jessica Claire?
Well, she was named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world in 2008 by American Photo Magazine! That's obviously quite prestigious ... but more importantly for me, she has been a source of inspiration and education for me from the very beginning of my business. I found her on the world wide web when my business was just getting started in 2006 and I have followed her closely ever since. As it goes with blog stalking I felt like I knew her personally even though we've never met or spoken.

When I realized I needed some time off and a chance to renew myself I just so happened upon the news of Jessica's workshop and everything fell into place. It was perfect. So what makes Jessica so special? I was so anxious to find out her big secrets and unveil the "woman behind the curtain." I was nervous like I was meeting a celebrity. I'm so silly like that - but you have to know that this was a big moment for me! After meeting her I learned that there are no curtains to unveil - no big enigma to why she is so successful. She just has a beautiful point of view, she's sharp as a tack, and her laugh is truly contagious. Of course people love her. Of course I loved her. And of course this workshop was a great experience for me.

The highlight of the day was the photo shoot that we did as a group. Which you're about to get a big eye-full of if you haven't already skipped past all my yaking!

The photo shoot would never have been possible without this amazing team of incredibly talented folks. The vision and communication that it took to put this thing together is beyond me! I have already listed their names and sites in my previous sneak peak post ... but I just want to list them again through out these images because these folks seriously need to be recognized for all the really hard work they did.

First of all we did these getting ready photos in Jessica's bedroom.

Event Design, Production, Vendor Coordination, Bride & Bridesmaid Styling, Graphic Design:
Lollipop Events & Designs (www.ilovelollipops.com; www.ilovelolliblog.com)

Bridal Headpieces & Bridesmaid Bolero Jacket: Alisa Benay (www.alisabenay.com)

Our gorgeous models: Troy & Aimee Grover: http://blog.troygrover.com/

Gowns: Joan Shum Bridal (www.joanshum.com)

Groom Suits: Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com)

Floral Design & Groom Styling: Isari Flower Studio

Upcycled Vintage Bridal Jewelry, Accessories & Heirloom Jeweled Bouquet:

Noaki Jewelry (www.noakijewelry.com and www.noaki.etsy.com)

This is Lindye Galloway
She is an amazing event planner but today she was an amazing model! She was our "bridesmaid" model. But her dress was pretty enough to look a bride too. I loved it!

Bridesmaid Dress: Swoon (www.swoondress.com)

Hair & Makeup: Vivian Tran, All Made Up: http://www.allmadeupteam.com

Rentals: Fete Accompli (www.feteaccomplievents.com)

Dinnerware, Flatware, Flutes & China: Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com)

Message Box Favors: Lucky Bug Handmade Paper Delights

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/HBeliveaux)

Laura Hooper: http://www.lhcalligraphy.com

Cake Designer: Erica O’Brien Cake Design (www.ericaobrien.com)

Other thanks to Be Inspired Public Relations: (http://www.beinspiredpr.com/)

And my own personal special thanks goes to Jessica for being so willing to share what you know and how you do what you love so well. It was so wonderful to meet you and get to hang out! Thank you for everything!

California ...

2010-01-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

A while back I posted that I would be taking some time off during December and January. I really needed some "me time" to refresh and find some new inspiration. I want 2010 to be a really amazing year for me and my business (which is really just me!).

So the big highlight during my time off is that I took a trip to California for a big photo workshop with one of my hero photographers: Jessica Claire, http://www.jessicaclaire.net

I have SO many gorgeous photos to post I don't even know where to begin. This is just a sneak peak because there are a TON more of these beautiful images that I will post later this week.

There were SO many people involved in the styling, decor, set up, details, etc. You just wouldn't believe! Some of the amazing folks involved are:

Our gorgeous models: Troy & Aimee Grover: http://blog.troygrover.com/
And Lindye Galloway (not pictured on this blog - but you'll see her later!)

Event Design, Production, Vendor Coordination, Bride & Bridesmaid Styling, Graphic Design:
Lollipop Events & Designs (www.ilovelollipops.com; www.ilovelolliblog.com)

Floral Design & Groom Styling: Isari Flower Studio

Hair & Makeup: Vivian Tran, All Made Up: http://www.allmadeupteam.com

Rentals: Fete Accompli (www.feteaccomplievents.com)

Dinnerware, Flatware, Flutes & China: Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com)

Gowns: Joan Shum Bridal (www.joanshum.com)

Groom Suits: Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com)

Cake Designer: Erica O’Brien Cake Design

(www.ericaobrien.com)

Upcycled Vintage Bridal Jewelry, Accessories & Heirloom Jeweled Bouquet:

Noaki Jewelry (www.noakijewelry.com and www.noaki.etsy.com)

Bridesmaid Dress: Swoon (www.swoondress.com)

Bridal Headpieces & Bridesmaid Bolero Jacket: Alisa Benay (www.alisabenay.com)

Message Box Favors: Lucky Bug Handmade Paper Delights

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/HBeliveaux)

Other thanks to Be Inspired Public Relations: (http://www.beinspiredpr.com/)

Laura Hooper: http://www.lhcalligraphy.com

Just one more favorite before I move on. I promise there are a million more of these coming soon. You have got to check back soon to see them!

While I was in California my generous friends Nathan and Sarah let me stay with them for the entire week. They also loaned me a car for the entire time and fed me a lot of delicious food. Nathan was one of my very best friends through high school and its such a treat to get to spend time with him and see his family grow!!! He and Sarah have a brand new baby girl, Emma Marie. They are the happiest little family ever - so I think these photos are pretty wonderful.

Emma Marie. She is full of curiosity and personality. I am not sure I've ever met a happier baby. She smiled and giggled almost the whole week I was there! She is a beautiful baby girl with a head full of hair and heart full of wonder. I love her!

Sarah is perfect for motherhood. I love the sheer joy of this one.
And good Lord that California sunlight!

I met this fantastic couple by way of my friends Adam and Julia Franklin. Adam and Julia weren't able to meet with me because of scheduling conflicts - which bummed me out. But my friend Julia so generously connected me to this lovely couple Shada and Mason - who just so happened to be super models.

They were also hilarious to work with and we had so much fun climbing around on rocks and watching the sun set.

I am so excited about starting of 2010 with some really amazing stuff! I can't wait to show you more of these sessions this week ... then I have FIVE more photo shoots this weekend to be followed by a wedding in Key West the last weekend of this month. Its going to be pretty much fabulous and very busy here on the blog for the next while. Stay tuned my friends. And lets get some comments going in 2010 - I love to know you're out there!

From Tennessee to Michigan and back again.

2010-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas I flew up to Michigan to spend several days with my boyfriend Nick and his family. Nick's parents (Steven and Maureen) live in this beautiful house (that Steve built!).

Just behind the house is a huge pond.

When I visited last August the pond was covered in lily pads. This time it looked really different. That thing was frozen solid and covered in a foot of snow.

So quiet and cold and beautiful.

Yes, we attempted a skate on the pond. No one was permanently hurt. I don't have anything else to tell you about that experience and there are no pictures thankfully! But here is a cute one of our skates. Those evil things.

One lovely frigid day Nick and I decided to visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor with Nick's sister Melissa and her fiance' (whose name is also Nick). The botanical gardens had an indoor conservatory where it was warm and humid and full of so many gorgeous plants and flowers.

Here is an official picture of me and my sweetie:

So it turns out that I really love to photograph plants. Go figure.

I love this picture of Nick (good grief, I love it!) I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Not only is he the most handsome thing God ever made, but he also loves to have his picture taken. I am one happy photographer girlfriend.

Moving on ...

So Nick's sister Melissa and her fiance Nick got engaged on Christmas Eve.
(CONGRATULATIONS YOU GUYS!)
They came with us to Ann Arbor and I did a teeny-tiny-mini-engagement session with them.

Melissa and Nick:

I didn't realize they were super models.

The conservatory was the perfect spot for this session. It was absolutely freezing outside ... and inside here was so warm and cozy. Plus it had the look of the outdoors and since the roof was made of glass we practically had outdoor lighting too. We didn't even plan it! Honest.

Melissa is such a cutie! She will be a stunning bride!!

Here is a slide show with a few more images of Melissa and Nick:

P.S. Happy New Year from me and Nick!

Hallie and Cliff ... soon to be party of three!

2010-01-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

I photographed this adorable couple's wedding earlier in 2009. Later in the year Hallie was a bridesmaid at another wedding where I learned that she and Cliff found out they were pregnant right after their honeymoon. Surprise! And Congratulations!!!

Here are some images from thier mini-maternity session in Elizabethton - braving the cold!

They will be the cutest mommy and daddy ever!

Hallie is so beautiful!

And ironically two of Hallie's best friends (who happen to be twin sisters) are all pregnant at the same time. What a twist! They all have different due dates of course ... but what an awesome experience to go through with your best friends. Here is just a little shot of the three of them.