Dan & Resa :Engagement

I am soo beyond excited for these two to tie the knot... mainly because they are some of our closest friends. Dan & my husband have know each other since they were in diapers and we have the photos to prove it. Starsky & Hutch would be a nickname that stuck to those two boys. I have known Dan and his family for over half of my life. He was the lucky "grill master" at one of my birthday cookouts and that was when I met Resa. From then on it was history in the making. I never thought that one day Resa and I would be marrying Starsky and Hutch!  I couldn't imagine our pool, boat and floating down the James River days without them... and those rowdy Mexican nights. No doubt in my mind these two are always there to help us out when in need so when Resa asked me to take her save the date photos I was beyond thrilled! They have supported my photography from the start and I finally got to return the favor with these photos! I look forward to our future adventures as the old married couples of Blackwater! 

Gracie the loving labrador : Personal

Well folks today is our little fur baby, Gracie's 6th birthday! Not an April fools joke either ;) She definitely has the personality of a trickster but is also the most lovable, snuggle bear around! She has been the most documented subject behind my lens. She has taught me patience (for sure!) and always models for me when I need it. Today she posed while I learned the ropes with my new light set up... such a good pup... of course her favorite treats were close by (her brother decided to take his treats and run). I figured it would be appropriate to use her birthday pictures as my personal weekly post because my only goal when I received my first "nice" camera was to take crisp, clear and vibrant photos of my little lab puppy <3

                               Hey there... wink wink ;)

                     

Miss Lainey: Birth story

March 17th, 2014 {St Patrick's Day for all of you green beer lovers ;)} the world received a little lucky charm, and her name is Lainey! I was so honored to be apart of this experience. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever photograph a live birth... it was beautiful and awesome (awesome because I didn't pass out- I told Kaylan I could not promise I would make it through the whole thing- luckily I did!).

I met with Kaylan a few weeks before Lainey's arrival and she explained to me how all of her family lived in California and could not make it out to VA for the birth. Kaylan wanted to photograph the delivery to make a surprise album for her mother for mothers day... but really who could wait that long to keep these pictures a secret? That secret was shared shortly with her mother a couple days after Lainey's arrival and now I have permission to share this amazing experience with you all.

 It broke my heart to think that Kaylan's mom could not be there for the birth of her granddaughter. With that being said, I knew I had to give this a shot. I mean who knows if I would ever get the chance to capture a moment like this again?

I received a text message at 4:30 am that morning reporting that they were moving to the triage (I must have been dreaming good because I did not hear anything go off and I snoozed until 6:30 am). When I woke up to that text I freaked out! Brushed my teeth, threw my hair up, grabbed a snack & popped on whatever article of clothing I could get my hands on and then some (due to the call for snow... again) then set off to the SPAH. I, being such a rookie at this baby thing, had no idea that there was plenty of time between 3cm-10cm especially with baby #1. I arrived at 7am and Kaylan ended up being at 9cm (we thought man this is going fast!). We were all convinced this baby was going to make her appearance before 11. Then we waited and waited... Finally it was go time and at 1:15 pm that sweet gal entered the world weighing 9lbs 3oz. Perfect time for dad to get his green beer!

Thankfully Kaylan was a rockstar during the birth of her first child and did not scar me from wanting to have children one day (Thank you Kaylan!). Steven didn't do to bad himself!

Yesterday I revisited this new family of 3 to snap Lainey's newborn photos and with no surprise she owned it. One of the best baby models around... I cannot wait to share those with you all in a couple weeks ;)

Enjoy my first ever Birth session...

 

Hutch & Morgan :Engagement

I got together with these 3 last weekend at the Back Bay wildlife refuge... It was one of those freezing cold days (then the next was 70 degrees). We actually made it through our shoot without frost bite... just some little pink cheeks. Hutch & Morgan plan on having a June wedding... hopefully it is much warmer for them that day ;) By the way check out morgans amazing ring! The sapphire under the middle stone is so beautiful!! Good job Hutch!

Lucas 2 yr Birthday shoot :Portrait

I absolutely love it when I can get together with previously families and document their little one as he/she grows. As for Lucas I met him when he was just 6 months old and we shoved him into a galvanized bucket which was one of the cutest things I have ever seen!! Now he is rolling around with his john deere tractor and carhartt overalls and work boots, chasing bubbles, trying to start up his tractor with daddy's truck keys. He is such a little cutie with his big blue eyes!