Rodney & Katie's engagement

Rodney and I have been very good friends for a few years now, so I was super excited when he told me about his plans to do a surprise proposal. Katie had originally booked a couples photoshoot which worked perfectly for Rodney's proposal!

Katie and Rodney brought along chalkboards to the shoot. They each wrote down one thing they loved about each other. Katie first started by writing that she loves Rodney's laugh. Rodney turned around to see what Katie had written down as I took photos of his reaction. 

Now it was Rodney's turn to write one thing he loved about Katie, but instead he chose to write "Will you marry me?" As he revealed to Katie what he had wrote I was able to capture the emotions and feelings that were happening in that moment.

I am so excited to spend this weekend celebrating the marriage of Rodney and Katie. I wish them all the best in their future together!

Carvins Cove Snowfall

December 9th actually started unlike most Saturdays for me. Usually I'm very busy and have plans, but didn't this Saturday.  Partially because the weather man kept saying we were supposed to get snow so I didn't plan much. It's Saturday 12pm and no snow like they said we would get at that time so I'm thinking great... I didn't make plans so I'll have nothing to do most of the day.  Fast forward to Saturday morning when I got up and there is a nice blanket of snow on the ground.  Perfect, now I really want to do a shoot but nobody could make the day work so maybe I'll take some landscape shots.

Well thankfully pretty early on in the morning,  my phone goes off and a lady named Cara was asking if I had openings for photos! She had seen some other snow photos I had done of another family and really loved them. So of course I couldn't pass up that opportunity and quickly responded yes I'd love to do photos! And she even asked about doing them at one of my favorite places, Carvins Cove.  (below are some landscapes I captured before they arrived on location.)

Cara and her family arrived, I grabbed my camera and we had at it!

This shoot was such a joy to do! Thankfully everyone cooperated extremely well, and was happy running around and playing in the snow.  Usually when I shoot families with little kids, I prefer to capture them in their natural element of running around and just being kids.  I've found that this gets the best results and makes the photos look natural.  Don't get me wrong, I love posed photos and there's a time and place for them.  But with little kids it's not always the best for families to have more than a few posed photos. Mainly due to the little people being easily distracted and not wanting to stand in one spot too long.  

I'm super thankful for Cara and her beautiful family braving the cold and being amazing for these gorgeous snow photos! 

Jared & Holly

I first met Jared and Holly through a mutual friend of ours. Holly messaged my photography page on Facebook to ask about my pricing for weddings and whether I would be able to travel to North Carolina to shoot their wedding day. Of course I was more than happy to accommodate for them and capture their special day! The more experience I get the better! Traveling to North Carolina was a great opportunity to market that I am not solely based in Virginia. I offer my services in many other surrounding states as well as Scotland in the United Kingdom. I met with Jared and Holly at our local Starbucks not too long after messaging over Facebook. It was nice to sit down with them both and learn more about them as a couple, their wedding and what they expect out of their big day. 

I like to set up a meeting with my clients to sit down and get to know them. That way I'm not simply showing up on their wedding day where we both don't know what to expect! I aim to make this as enjoyable and as comfortable for my clients so that we both have the best experience on the day. You would be amazed how much better you can capture the special moments if you take the time to learn about their individual personalities. This is what really shows in the photos and captures those unforgettable moments!

On the first meeting with Jared and Holly, I offered to do an engagement session for them in the spring time. I knew it would be beautiful weather and everything would be green and in bloom. We set up a location and time that worked for them and snapped away! This created a beautiful contrast between their engagement and wedding photos by shooting in two different seasons!

Fast forward to fall. It's October 14th 2017 and this puts us in beautiful Emerald Isle North Carolina, ready to capture Jared and Holly's special day. I was thankful to have Jacob and Kayla, both great friends and owners of J&K Photography helping out as second shooters for the day. As always they did an amazing job and really worked well alongside me using their own unique ideas. 

The day started out early afternoon with some pre ceremony shots of the bride and her wedding party getting ready, the groom and groomsmen, guests, and family as they get ready to watch two people tie the knot. I captured photos of the stunning house and setting for the new Mr & Mrs to remember every detail of their wedding day. I also brought my drone along to get an aerial perspective of this absolutely beautiful property. 

One thing I loved about walking around and getting candid shots of the party and venue was how friendly everyone was! Everybody was super kind and making sure all our needs were met the entire time.  That definitely makes the day easier and more enjoyable as a photographer. As fun as weddings are for us, it can be physically demanding and at times stressful. But Jared and Holly definitely it effortless and enjoyable the entire day! 

After a couple of hours of shooting before the wedding ceremony, capturing those small details, it was finally time for the big moment! The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked out and waited in position for the bride to make her entrance. It makes me extremely happy to be able to create a memory out of such a special moment in the couples lives as the groom watches his bride walk down the aisle to stand beside him and say I do!

After a beautiful ceremony, it was time for some portraits of the new Mr & Mrs, where they can take a moment to relax and enjoy these first few moments of marriage. The photography session followed on with group photos featuring the bridesmaids, groomsmen and family members. After I had taken these photos, it was straight to the reception for some amazing food, dancing, and cake!

I loved capturing this stunning couple with the waterfront background. Out of all the venues I've shot this is one of my favorites so far! I was hoping for the sun to peak out at the end of the day for sunset shots, but sadly it didn't. However, we didn't let that stop us from getting some amazing photos towards the end of the day!  

The best word to describe Jared and Holly's wedding would be... perfect! It was beautiful from beginning to end, with so much joy and excitement in the air the entire day! They both looked amazing and were most definitely so happy to be with each other. It was both an honor and joy to be present and capture memories at their wedding! I wish them both the very best on their journey as a married couple and can't thank them enough for the opportunity to be the photographer throughout their special day!