family photoshoot

Last Saturday I had the fun experience of taking pictures for a lovely family....in a new location. 

It was a beautiful location, a lake with a boardwalk over the swamp. But I think that next time I take someone's pictures at a new location, I need to scout it out first. That's one of the disadvantages of not having a car. 

Without further ado, here is the Brooks family. 

I have a friend's photoshoot coming up soon. I'm having quite a fun and busy autumn. :) 

family photoshoot

Yay for Autumn! All summer long I miss doing photoshoots, then in fall, I get that first client. Yesterday I had an amazing time with the Maxwell family. They are funny, sweet, and clearly a family that loves each other. Here's a few that I edited last night. 

So excited to be back behind my camera! :) 

My first Senior photoshoot

Saturday was a day I've been waiting for at least,  two years. My best friend's senior photos. We had a great Saturday morning of going to a close friend's graduation ceremony. However when we got home, things did not go as planned. I'll admit, I got a little stressed over that, but in the end, we went away with some great pictures. 

Here's just a few I've edited so far.

I learned that it's very different posing just one person instead of two or more. It's something I definitely have to work on. But of course, the greatest way to learn is by experience. I'm thinking of doing a post on things I've learned from my photoshoots, I just have to write it all down. 

Florida wedding 12-12-12

Last month I had the pleasure of doing my first destination wedding. It was a fun trip there, with a lot happening in just a few days. I learned a lot of lessons, stressed too much, but over all had a lot of fun. After 5 hours on my feet running back and forth to get my pics, the adrenaline ran out and I was exhausted. But that was only the beginning of my job, because I then had 1,300 pictures to go through, and edit around 300 of. By the time I was finished, I had 339 pictures edited. 

Here's some of my favorites. 

~Carroll and Charlotte's wedding~

Guys, I could not have special ordered a more beautiful bridal pics setting. Everything was gorgeous, the lighthouse, the two story house, the boardwalk, the beach, the sun setting, the tide coming in, the woods, and the Blue Angels flying overhead. I was in photographer/nature lover heaven. 

the groom

yes, we blew up over 300 balloons to fill the pool. 

husband and wife :) 

I love this shot. :) 

the bride's parents 

they were so excited :) 

the front door was perfect for this silhouette picture

I knocked one of these little glasses over during the ceremony. Thankfully, they  had already poured the sand. 

the engagement ring on a stalk at the beach.

wedding rings on the bride's heel

3 generations of wedding rings. 

I had the groom pick a verse to put the rings on. 

2 wonderful friends who were a huge help to me and everyone else. 

kissing in the ring. Thank you, Pinterest!

My first wedding

I don't mean this is the first wedding I've ever been to, just the first wedding I've ever been to as a job. Of course, I felt the responsibility of taking good pictures, and I did get paid, but it didn't really feel like a job. 

Last year a married lady in my church asked if I would take the pictures for her and her husband's vow renewal. They had been married by a Justice of the Peace 10 years ago, but now they wanted to have a larger wedding, which included their 2 children, family, and friends. 

So I guess you could say it wasn't a full blown wedding, but it was just enough to get my feet wet in wedding photography. I stressed over what I was going to wear, worried over my lens and not getting good enough pictures, and was terrified of being in the wrong spot for the picture of "the moment" or saying or not saying something I needed to. Thankfully, those fears faded on the big day. I still had a touch of nerves, but as I walked around the familiar surroundings of my home church, with people I know and love, with the wonderful feel of my camera in my hands, it all felt right. And I was ok. All in all, it was a great experience to prepare me for my big wedding I'll be shooting in Florida in December.  

Now the editing process has begun, so I wanted to share a few pictures with you, of the preparations before the wedding. 

~Stephen and Cindi's wedding~  

I had so much fun spending time with friends while doing the job I love. A good friend of mine, Kathryne, did this wonderful wedding cake. Isn't it gorgeous? She's awesomely talented in many other areas as well. I told her that I wanted her to do my wedding cake. :)