Gotta Hold Your Mouth Just Right...

 This sweet boy is our nephew, Graham. He worked diligently on Christmas Eve to ensure that Santa's cookies had the perfect balance of cookie and sprinkles! One of my favorite things about two year old Graham lately is the dozens of expressions he displays in about a five minute span. It is so hard to not want to have the camera in hand for every waking minute of this kiddo's existence! The cookies turned out quite delicious (Santa shared with me!) and the cookie chef just doesn't get any cuter than this one! 

What cool light

Recently I have gotten really interested in the way that light affects the dynamics of an image. As a photographer you really just learn how to use light to flatter an image. It is so neat to watch how the light affects the overall image. Using a camera you can really create a very dynamic image by adjusting a few things. For instance shooting with a really wide aperture, which creates a lot more contrast and also blurs the background. In this image, you will see that this young man is in focus, but the background is very out of focus. This image is pretty contrasty simply because the light was very directional from a sunset. I was not planning on an image this dynamic, but it is still a pretty neat image.

What a sunset

I took this picture a long time ago and intended to print it and hang it on my wall. Sometime between then and now Life happened and I am just now getting around to it, but man isn't a pretty sunset. This is actually out of the back door of our house. The blues and oranges are so pretty in this image. For some reason the sunsets in Auburn, Alabama are so pretty. I mean they are really beautiful. Sometimes I have a very difficult time not stopping on the side of the road.

Pretty Blue Eyes

This image was taken in downtown Opelika, AL. I love the way that the yellow leaves in the background contrast with Ella Kate Kiser's beautiful blue eyes. This young lady truly has some beautiful eyes. The tree in the background has become one of my favorite backgrounds in Opelika. Check out the eyes, there are like that in every image.

I said smile and she said ok

I love when people will just sit for me and let me take pictures. I like it even better when I start to take pictures and then they get interested in how the light is falling on their face. This is a beautiful picture of a friend of ours. She is certainly beautiful and this lighting is truly fantastic on her. This is actually window light that created such a dynamic image. "Dynamic lighting creates dynamic images"Cliff Mautner says this all the time. Truly an inspiring photographer. I think I am going to shoot more natural light. Nature's light is so beautiful and soft.

Piedmont Park

After much frustration with not blogging on a regular basis, I have decided that I am going to force myself to at least post an image once a week. My goal is to plan on three posts per week. For those of you that know me, know that it probably won't happen, but I am going to try. You could call this my new years resolution. This is the first post for us, I mean Amy and myself. Most times you will know who is blogging based on the grammatical errors, but you will just have to look past that. Over the weekend we spent some time with some great friends of ours who are getting married next summer. Jeff and Laura have been the focus of a lot of our pictures in recent months. We finally got a chance to go visit them in Atlanta and we took some actual Engagement photos of them. These were planned and both parties knew what was going to happen. It is a great set of images. I know that they were pleased.

Joy Arrives

This precious image was taken of our dear friends Laura and Jeff just a few minutes after Jeff proposed overlooking quite the fall postcard view in Boone, North Carolina. Moments like this one are memorable for any newly engaged couple, however this one holds a tremendously special place in our hearts. Congratulations Laura and Jeff! Our hearts are overflowing with excitement for you and the joys you have found in this journey lately!

It's All About the Boots

Last Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed working with this engaged couple and we look forward to shooting their wedding in January. On yet another perfect fall day on the rolling plains, we spent some time taking some photos of them that capture how much fun they have together. Stephen and Danita laugh so much together! We had a blast with them and look forward to meeting their friends and family on wedding day! Now if only those fabulous boots were going to make an appearance on wedding day... :)

Fall Photo Fun

We had a wonderful shoot a couple of weeks ago with our sweet friends, Matt, Lydia and Cooper. We had the privilege of taking Cooper's newborn pictures and cannot believe how big he is now! The weather was beautiful on this Saturday afternoon and we were able to get some really nice images for this family to enjoy and share with friends and family this holiday season.

Jak and His Dad

We frequently post our favorite pictures of mothers with their sweet sleeping babies, however very few photos of Dad and sleeping little ones surface. In an effort to change things up a bit, and just because we love this particular father and son duo very much, we wanted to share this great image of our friend Philip and his son Jak. You may remember an earlier post entitled, "Waiting for Jak" from our maternity shoot with Erica and Philip. After all the anticipation, prayers and waiting, here is precious Jak! We are just hoping Jak's hair turns at as cool as his Daddy's one day!

Lots of Laughs

This lovely couple is looking forward to their wedding in April! We had the privilege of spending the evening with  Eboni and Brandon in downtown Columbus in an effort to capture some of their contagious smiles and laughter. While we climbed in and out of fountains and warded off the vicious mosquitoes and gnats, these two shared with us what a natural, fun loving relationship they have and allowed us to catch some really nice moments! Congratulations on your engagement, Eboni and Brandon!

Built to Last

We aren't referring to Ford trucks, but rather the unmistakable joy on the faces of this sweet couple. Their ear to ear smiles and glances at each other on their wedding day, reassured any onlooker that their love and their marriage is certainly "built to last". Congratulations, Mallory and Fernando! We had a wonderful time photographing your fabulous wedding day!

Mom and Daughter

Sometimes you get an opportunity to take some really pretty images without having to do much. We have taken some portrait images of little Madison, but this was too good to pass up. I saw the picture for about 20 minutes while Amy and Erica were talking, and finally just had to go get my camera. These images, were too good to pass up. I know that Erica will love them when she sees them. Out of 90 pictures, I chose 4, kind of how it goes. I was bracketing with 5 frames per image, so it blew up the memory card, but it sure is pretty. 

Happy Independence Day

It is truly a great time to celebrate the birth of our country. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet up with the Ogle's on Friday and take some pictures of them with their awesome kid. He was such a happy boy and really took to the pictures, until his teeth started hurting. We got some really great family pictures of them, as well as just some of Fisher. Here is one of my faves from the day. There is something about a mother and child that is breathtaking to me. Enjoy

A Day at the Carraway Davie House

This would be the other charming couple from our back to back whirlwind wedding weekend in May, Lance and Sara Price. We had a wonderful day fighting the heat with these two and their lovely families. With exquisite flowers everywhere you looked, a unique butterfly release during the kiss, and the backdrop of the beautiful Carraway Davie House in Birmingham, their outdoor wedding was absolutely perfect!

In Big Spring Park

We are so excited to finally be finishing up with some of the pictures from our May weddings. We had the pleasure of two awesome weddings back to back in May. Birmingham on Saturday, and Huntsville on Sunday. On Sunday we were with Anna and Michael Whitham as well as their families. We had so much fun being a part of their wedding. This is one of my favorites from the day. It was such a hot day, but it was also a pretty day. We are still looking for weddings during the Fall. Our free photo session on Sunday afternoons kind of went away after we got busy with other things. We are still planning on offering some free sessions this summer to some of our Facebook fans, so get signed up. Thanks

Because They Ate Grasshoppers!

These are our dearest friends, Jonathan and Amanda. We took this picture of them a few weeks ago while trying out a new photo shoot spot here in town and they were gracious enough to be our models. We think they are very lovely looking and quite an adorable couple, don't you? Well, what you don't know about them just by looking at this charming photo is that they are passionate about the people of Africa. We don't know anyone more attentive and responsive to God's call on their lives when it comes to dreaming big and stepping outside of comfort zones. With that said, they are serving in Uganda as I write this and both expanded their horizons this week by eating a grasshopper. They report that grasshoppers in Africa taste like sunflower seeds! Here's to grasshopper eating!

By Chance

You know when you catch someone in a picture perfect spot by chance or accident? That is how we came across this really nice photo of Sara. She was the bride in a very beautiful May wedding at the Caraway Mansion in Birmingham. She sat down in this chair to rest a minute or two during her special day. We came through the door way to grab the next group of people we needed for photos and there she sat. We love this image of her!

Waiting For JAK

This photo was taken a few weeks ago of some of our good friends. We were so excited for the opportunity to capture some of their joy and anticipation as they wait for their firstborn son to arrive. This little boy will come into this world with quite possibly one of the neatest sets of parents we know. We are so excited for this family and cannot wait to meet Justus in just a few days!

Anna and Michael

This weekend we had the glorious honor of shooting some beautiful wedding pictures. The images so far have been nothing short of beautiful. I would first like to congratulate Anna and Michael on their marriage and also tell them that their day was awesome. The wedding party was off the chain. This was a pretty day with some cool people. The reception was at the Huntsville Museum of Art and it was blue, not in the Elvis way, just blue. The bride is apparently a fan of blue. There will be more pictures to come as well as a preview posted on Facebook. Check us out and "Like" us on Facebook. I think that the bride and groom will love the pictures.

A mother's smile

Last week, we had the distinct honor of taking newborn photos of this sweet little boy and his parents. We were so blessed to be a part of this amazing time in their lives. We left absolutely sure that this little guy is melting the hearts of everyone he meets. He was the perfect subject, he slept the entire shoot! Thanks so much to Matt and Lydia for asking us to come visit. At the time of the shoot, with just nine days of practice under your belts, you were already looking like terrific parents! Your sweet son is so blessed to have you! We are pretty sure the look on Lydia's face is one that needs no words. Mommies out there can understand for sure! This is one of our favorites of this family of three! Enjoy!

A-Day

A-Day for Auburn was a success and I got to witness it first hand from the sideline. As most Auburn fans would love to be on the sideline, I got to be there with camera in hand as Auburn won. The record crowd of 63,000 was quite impressive. I got to be around many of the Auburn greats as well as some young players that will soon be Auburn greats. This is one of my favorites and I think I will hang it on my wall. Mario Fannin on a kick-off return. I will show some more as I get them edited and ready to post.

New Website and New Contest beginning in May

Over the last two years we have struggled real hard with whatt we wanted our website to look like. As many of you know, we have not been posting many blog posts, simply because we have been slaving away on our new and improved website. We really think that we found exactly what we are looking for in a website. One of our photographer friends recommended it to us and we tried it out and absolutely loved it. As many of you know, we are always looking to take pictures, and because of that we are going to start a drawing in which we will award a free photo session every Sunday afternoon that we are in town. Rules are posted on our new and improved website under "Information" and then "Specials". One of the requirements is that you must be close to Opelika/Auburn area, and must be a fan on our Facebook page, so join up. We are up for anything that you want to throw at us, well except something that might hurt. We look forward to meeting more of you and taking your pictures. Check out our new site in order to see all the rules for the "Contest".

Easter Family Fun

We had a wonderful time last weekend with our family on Easter Sunday. I can hardly put the camera down when we are with our sweet nephew. Every moment, every expression, every move he makes seems so photo worthy. I just happened to snag this sweet picture and thought I would share it with all of you. I am so blessed to be this baby's "Auntie Amy"!

Carhartt Needs This Photo

This shot was taken a few months ago and some of you may remember the faces of these sweet twin brothers from an earlier post. We are pretty sure if Carhartt jeans saw this one, they would need the rights to it! These little guys are absolutely adorable and possibly the most well behaved five year olds we know. That is saying a lot considering the fact that Amy comes in contact with approximately 500 kinders a week. Any how, we love this photo and would love to add your children's faces to our favorite photo list. We have lots of open afternoon, evening and weekend slots for portrait work. Give us a call at (334) 787-9882 to book your shoot.

After Wedding with Jami and Darren

This is one of our latest images. We had the pleasure of having an after wedding portrait session with Jami and Darren May. Some of you remember some other pictures that were from their wedding. Sometimes, you just need to pick an afternoon after the wedding to get together and do some beautiful portraits of the Bride and Groom. I think that you will agree that this is a beautiful image of the two of them. The tree they are standing next to was buzzing like a Bee's Nest. Kiesel Park was full of bees buzzing about the new spring growth. More images to come. This session was something that we do from time to time just so we can spend more time on just the bride and groom without everyone running about in a wedding day hurry. We spent about 2 hours with them on Wednesday afternoon and got some really neat images.

A Little Fun in Downtown O-Town

The last couple of Sunday afternoons, we have found ourselves out and about with our cameras in the extra hours of late afternoon and early evening light. We love to find new places for outdoor portrait shoots and have found that the going rate for models at our house is pretty cheap! Lately, I have gotten to be the photographer with Brandon being my model. Here is one of my favorites from this weekend's shoot!

Still Booking Summer Weddings

This is an image of the Groom and his Boys that was taken at Kiesel Park. The colors in the picture really pop and the flash draws your eye directly to the groom. These guys were great to work with and they were real troopers throughout the day.

War Eagle

The weather on Wednesday was really nice so I decided it was time to go to the Campus of Auburn University and take some images that I could hang on the wall.

A Beautiful Bride

I have been waiting for days to post some more pictures of our most recent wedding with Jami and Darren. They  got hitched on March 13.

The View From My Kitchen Window

This afternoon's sky was absolutely incredible. I have been home from work this week thanks to this little thing teachers like to call Spring Break and while catching up on dishes, movies, and laundry, I noticed this view from my kitchen window. I proceeded to do what any aspiring photographer does and grab my camera to enjoy the show. This is apparently what we get when we are blessed with a cloudy morning followed by a sunny afternoon. So, if you were driving down highway 169 today, maybe you saw this beautiful sky, and in case you aren't on Spring Break and were trapped at work just before 5 pm today, you can enjoy the view from here. :)

A Great Day

As our last post stated we spent the day on Saturday shooting a wedding at Kiesel Park here in Auburn, Alabama. The weather was spotty, and at night it got frigid. But there were times when the sky was beautiful with the puffy clouds as well as some really sweet moments that we were able to capture. We would like to thank the bride and groom for giving us the chance to share this time with them. Here is an image taken with my new fish-eye lens, it might be my favorite lens. Really creates a great perspective. This is during the wedding, if you can't tell. Don't forget to look for us on Facebook and twitter. It was a great weekend with some great family and fun.

Wedding Day!

We are so excited about shooting Jami and Darren's wedding today! This couple is so deserving of a perfect day. Since we have the privilege of being their friends and their photographers today, we feel an extra special connection and anticipation. Having been blessed to travel to Africa with Jami three times, we have seen truly seen what a beautiful person she is. We can hardly wait to see what a radiant bride she makes this evening! As for Darren, we know that many prayers were offered for someone like him to sweep Jami off  her feet and he has met and exceeded each request. We look forward to sharing images from day one of their married journey! Congratulations, sweet friends!

1st Year Experience

Baby season is in the air and with that comes lots of calls to take baby pictures.  Which is great since most weddings aren't until summer. We are always ready to take some pictures of a "bundle of joy". We spent part of our afternoon last Saturday with some friends taking pictures of their little one. His beautiful nursery lent itself to some great indoor pictures. We look forward to meeting them again in about three months to see how much he has grown. Don't forget that we are still offering half off our sitting fee as well as giving everyone an opportunity to win some money with our babies and children contest through our photo lab. We are also beginning to promote a baby package we like to call "The 1st Year Experience" with an initial sitting fee of $100.00. As usual, the sitting fee includes a disc of all your pictures resized to print 4x6 images on your own. If you continue out the year with three additional sessions (6 month, 9 month, and 12 month), we charge $50.00 each session, but at the end of your baby's first year we will give you a proof book, valued at approximately $150.00. The proof book will include photos from each of the four sessions. We look forward to taking pictures of your Baby.

Blue Skies and Green Grass

This amazing photo was taken last May in Washington State. We had the privilege of doing a little sight seeing in Seattle and its surrounding areas before going on our Alaskan cruise. Scenes like this one seem to be around every corner and out every window in Washington! We literally stopped on the side of the road and waited for the cows to pass by to capture this shot. We love this picture and hope you do!

Kiesel Park with my Lovely Lady

If you know me, you know that I love to play with my pictures. Most of the time our turn around time on portraits is pretty quick, simply because I cannot wait to see what comes off the camera. I recently started playing around some with a few recent images that were taken of Amy. As many of you know, she is the easiest model for me to get, so she gets lots of pictures taken of her. This image is really tweaked and my hope was that it would look like a real B&W film image.

It's the Simple Things

After any kind of photo opportunity, we enjoy choosing our favorite images of the day.  Family, dear friends, beautiful children, string music played from the heart, lantern lighting, and GiGi's cupcakes made this wedding one that stands out in our memory bank as a favorite image in itself. The bride's hydrangea bouquet in the swing is so simple, yet so special. Now hydrangeas and swings are two of my favorite things, along with post-its, fuzzy socks, straws, and chocolate chip cookies. But when I stop to think about it, those are all things that might not be that special to anyone else, but to me, they make all the difference when they find their way into my world. This picture is at the top of my favorites list because of its simplicity. Enjoy!

Bring on the Sunshine

Doesn't the sunshine just make you smile and feel a little more friendly? In hopes that all positive thoughts about sun and sand will bring some warmer weather our way, we are posting this fantastic beach photo. Brandon took this picture at a stunning beach wedding last summer. This great couple could not have ordered better beach wedding weather and had an absolutely gorgeous day.  Here's to thinking warmer thoughts....

Auburn Baby

As most people know, Auburn fans love to dress their children up into the cutest little Auburn outfit that they can find. This is a great little picture of a young Tiger Fan. I know that all Auburn fans appreciate this, and many of us probably looked like this at some point or another. This cute little thing is even named after Auburn. I know that her mom and dad will be so proud of her. She was one of the most well-behaved babies I have ever been around. Don't forget our Baby and Children contest, as well as half off our normal sitting fee. War Eagle.

Heroes

Some people are real big fans of selective color in images. Personally I am only a fan when it brings some emotion to the image. This an image that was taken of a bride and groom after their wedding day. I took this picture showing the bride's wedding rings on her man's chest. After I got done and began to edit the pictures from the day, I decided to try out a little selective coloring on the american flag. I think that this is one of my favorite images of all time. This photograph really meant something to the couple because of what the United States of America means to them. God Bless all our soldiers on the front lines. I heard a quote from Troy King, Attorney General for the State of Alabama. "These men were not heroes because of how they died, they were heroes because of how they lived". I pray that God would walk along side our soldiers overseas and keep them safe.

Absolutely Delightful

Absolutely delightful is what we walked away thinking after this couple's wedding. We had a blast meeting them capturing their wedding.  Their reception was complete with none other than a Bruster's Ice Cream Bar. Excellent idea in our opinion! We are currently booking weddings for 2010. We would love to put your name on our calendar! We even promise to keep taking pictures at your reception while everyone else is eating ice cream!

What a day!

The last few days have been the first glimpse into Spring that anyone has seen since a year ago. Its really hard to believe that only a week ago we were gathering our snow suits to go out into the four inches of snow that blanketed the ground. We were able to go out onto the campus of Auburn University and take some really neat images of Samford Hall in the Snow. We don't do many landscapes so it is always a nice change of pace for us. We will post some of those images once we get done editing and choosing. This image is a little bit older and the last few days reminded me of the weather when this image was taken. It is a pretty neat image that has had the colors bumped a bit to create almost a fantasy world. We are still looking for weddings for the summer and are always looking for families and children to take pictures of. Don't forget the contest that is coming up. Get with us and we will setup a time to meet with you. Thanks and enjoy the weather while its like this.

Contest beginning soon

This image is an image of a baby that was actually taken last fall and is an amazing image of a beautiful baby. Some of you might have seen it before, but it is what I consider art and is exactly what this contest is looking for. Beginning March 1st our Photo lab is hosting a children and baby photography contest. Any images that are taken during that time are eligible to be sent to the lab for judging. Give us your best ideas and we will join together to make the best image possible. The first prize winner gets $2,000.00, so its well worth the $50.00 sitting fee if you ask me. We are currently charging $50.00 for the sitting fee to have your child photographed for this contest as well as images for you to keep forever. Please contact us and setup an appointment to take some pictures of your little ones.

Engaged and Gettin Hitched

We have an awesome wedding coming up in March. We had the privilege to get together with the Bride and Groom, who happen to be friends of ours, and take some great engagement pics to be displayed at their reception. I will obviously not post the best of all, because it will be on display at the wedding. There were quite a few more that turned out pretty good. This image was taken in downtown Opelika. We can't wait on the wedding to get here.

Contest!!!

I hope that the cold weather has everyone dreaming of warmer days in April when Spring begins to come out in full force. Our Photo lab is currently holding a contest for children's images taken in the new year. The contest begins March 1 and the last round of the contest does not end until June 30. So there are lots of opportunities to get with us and take some pictures. We are also running a special on our sitting fee which is half price through the end of April ($50.00). This is really an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with the most original idea that pops in your brain. If anyone has any interest in teaming with us to win you some money please let us know. The Grand Prize is a whopping $2,000.00 with 2nd place getting $1,000.00, and $750 for 3rd, Honorable Mention gets $500.00. We will get together and with your help choose the image that is the best to send in for the contest. Please get with us soon about this adventure in Photography. We are also booking weddings for this summer and still have several openings in June and July, as well as a few in May and August. Thanks so much for stopping by. We are going to work hard to keep the blog going more often.