Introducing Norah Lucille Bynum (In case you haven’t already heard)
June 26, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 22 Comments
We are proud to introduce our daughter!
Norah Lucille Bynum
Born May 28, 2007 at 7:25am
6 pounds 9 ounces
19.5 inches long
We found out about this sweet girl on Friday afternoon, but had to wait until yesterday at 4:30PM for it to be official. We went to the Bethany Christian Services office in Nashville today at 1:00pm to do paperwork, and then her interim care family brought her in around 1:30pm. This is when they first handed her to us.
I passed her off to Brad and look at this. It melts my heart to see him smile like that and look at her smile too!
After we visited with her for a while, her birthmother Lynette and her Auntie Sharon came in. We gave her Norah to hold and she held her for a couple hours while we talked, laughed, cried, and got to know each other. Our social worker Amanda prayed a blessing over Lynette and over Norah and us, and then we took some pics, said some goodbyes and made plans to see each other again soon.
We only took Steph with us, and she was able to document our whole experience. I made her get in a picture before she left - Brad took this one. Stephanie, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t tell you how much it means to us that we could trust you with this and not worry one bit about having all of the pictures to tell our story and to tell Norah about this day.
We got her home and I couldn’t wait to see her from head to toe. We even got a bow in her hair, though I am not having much luck making it stay there.
Here’s a quick family picture. Katy is adjusting nicely.
More later…give me a couple of days to return your calls and emails. We will work out our schedule really soon!
Bob & Misty, Murfreesboro Wedding at Daffodil Hill
June 24, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | 2 Comments
Oh my goodness, yesterday’s wedding was fabulous. It honestly belongs on the pages of Southern Living Magazine (if anyone has a contact there you just let me know!).
Bob and Misty were married at Daffodil Hill, a plantation home in Murfreesboro that has been featured on HGTV. It was built in 1888 and restored to its state of classical beauty by its owner Kirby McNabb, who also served as our host and coordinator for the wedding yesterday.
Misty and the girls got ready at the home of Lyndell Parks. I loved this shot of Misty’s dress in one of the bedrooms just before she put it on.
Another random favorite shot…we were out photographing Misty by the fountain in the back yard of Daffodil Hill. This little frog was sitting on the edge of the brick just taking it all in. Kind of reminds me of a fairy tale!
The girls bouquets were awesome. The flowers for the wedding were by Henry’s Florist.
Bob and Misty wrote their own vows. These are Bob’s…I like his editing.
The lawn of Daffodil Hill was packed with people. It was standing room only! The weather was warm but breezy. The sunset cast a nice warm glow to the ceremony.
The beautiful bride and groom
As dark came the house and the tent reception lit up the night. I like how the moon was small but shining bright in the sky.
Misty’s grandmother, Halley Neal, or “Granny” as she’s called more often, was the caterer for dinner and desserts, including this beautiful wedding cake. Halley’s company is Granny’s Gourmet, and all of the food was delicious. Especially the chocolate groom’s cake and tuxedo strawberries!
The band, Minus One, provided the music for the night and they rocked! I had never heard them before but apparently they are a Murfreesboro favorite and I can see why. They played hard until the police actually came and shut the party down near midnight.
See what I mean? When they got the dancing started, the floor never cleared!
Here’s Matt who attended the wedding as my second shooter for the day (thanks Matt, you’re awesome) and Chris from Trinity Video Productions at the end of the evening. We all sweated it out together but I just know the three of us were able to “make history” with Bob & Misty and their family and friends. Good work team!
And of course, you’re all waiting for this slideshow so I hope you enjoy it!
Models Needed for "Trash the Dress" Sessions
June 21, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 4 Comments
No modeling experience required 
Do you have one of the following:
1. a wedding dress
2. a prom dress or formal dress from college
3. a cap and gown
AND
Are you willing to “trash it” by wearing it for a photo shoot in any location I choose? This might be an old building, a downtown/urban location, a muddy field, or even a swimming pool, creek or lake?
Images will be mine for promotional materials BUT yours on CD for printing, sharing, etc.
I need couples and individual guys and girls. If you are interested, please EMAIL ME and I will give you some details. Tell your friends! You do not have to be a past or current BynumPhoto client to participate.
Couey Family Portraits in Murfreesboro
June 21, 2007 | Filed Under family, kids | 1 Comment
Meet the Couey Family.
Jonathan was a very thoughtful husband and gave his sweet wife Cindy a gift certificate for a family portrait session for Mother’s Day. I love it when husbands do things like this for their wives - Cindy says that this is something she has been wanting to do for a while!
We met out at Cannonsburgh in Murfreesboro at 7:30AM for the shoot. It was a great temperature outside - mid-sixties- so we weren’t even breaking a sweat to do the photos!
Avery is going into the 5th Grade this Fall. When the Couey’s arrived for their session, the first thing I heard about was how much Avery liked my tattoo and then he showed me his guitar “tattoo” on his arm. I am really sad that I forgot to take a picture of our tattoos together - that would have rocked, Avery. But we became friends quickly over our love for ink.
Little Miss Maddie is so pretty - but don’t tell her that because immediately she will pull the hairbow out of her hair. It’s like “you’re so pretty” means ” take out the bow.” She has the whole family trained already at 16 months old. 
Oh, and before you ask, Cindy made this adorable dress.
Avery is a great big brother. He was so patient with Maddie during the whole photo session. It is challenging to photograph kids in the 12-30 months stage…but when you have great “baby wranglers” it works pretty well. I love this kissing picture right here.
These kids have great blue eyes. I thought these three shots would make a nice storyboard. Click the picture to see it larger. It frames out to a 10×20 and the text is customizable.
Headed over the bridge
One of the best things about photographing at Cannonsburgh is the creek. I love a quick refresher at the end of a toasty shoot. Most kids love playing in the creek at the END of our session, and it is usually a great reward for good behavior! Maddie was so cute splashing around.
Look how she wanted to play in the water, but she had a tight grip on big brother Avery for her security. He was so good with her - did I mention that already?
Jonathan, thank you so much for thinking about your wife and giving her the gift of family portraits. Cindy, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and being so encouraging as Brad and I journey to begin our family. Avery - when I see you at church I hope you won’t be too embarrassed to say hi! See y’all soon.
Ricky & Nichole Engagement Pictures in Murfreesboro
June 18, 2007 | Filed Under engagement | 4 Comments
Ricky & Nichole found me through an online search and decided that they wanted me to come to their home in Hampton Cove, AL in July to photograph their wedding. For their engagement session, they wanted to be photographed in Murfreesboro, because none of their friends or family would have photos that would be similar. That’s one of the things I love about this couple - they have a desire to be unique and do things their own way!
They loved some of the photos I shared with them from Cannonsburgh (and who doesn’t - it’s a perfect place for photos) so we decided to go there. Even though this wasn’t a new place for me, it was fresh and new for Ricky & Nichole and I love what we came up with! My goal every time I shoot a session in a place I have gone before, is to do something new that I have never done with anyone else. You’ll see a few new places that I discovered for the first time with these guys!
On the front porch of the visitor center
At the filling station
My favorite fence
Cooling off in the creek
Hanging out in a creekside tree
Thank you for coming to visit me this weekend! See you guys in just a few weeks for the wedding!
Alison’s got a brand new bag…
June 15, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Actually, it’s a sac… A Shootsac, by Jessica Claire, whose work and style I admire greatly.
As a photographer, Jessica knew exactly what kind of bag she had needed for her business…one that you could wear and keep a couple lenses and extra cards/batteries right on her body, but did not want to wear a “Fanny Pack.” She needed something that would be a fun/cute accessory while wearing it, and something that would protect the gear but be highly functional. She (and every other photographer on the planet) searched high and low but found nothing, so she just created her own! They have been so popular that they are already sold OUT! I am thankful that we got our order in while we were in Chicago!
Steph and I were so pumped that we got together a while back to grab a couple pics of each other with our sacs. (don’t laugh) Jessica is featuring different photographers wearing their sacs on her Shootsac Blog so we are sending ours in and seeing if we end up on there! These pics are totally hilarious - we laughed the entire time we were taking them.
So - here’s my sac! Along with the neoprene sleeves that make up the interior of the sac, the exterior flaps are velcro, so you can change them any time you wish! My first and favorite cover fabric is called Baroque and I thought it would be perfect for weddings. That’s what I am “modeling” for these pics.
When I flipped my sunglasses down of my head, Steph took this picture and then said, “can you wear sunglasses while you’re shooting?” Of course I can’t, but I totally wear them on my head and when I am running around outside between shots or groups I do flip them on and off. It would not be totally uncommon to see me wearing them at a wedding…
Here’s a quick shot of Steph’s sac. Her cover is the Jessica Claire Signature. She has more pics on her camera but I will let her post those!
Here we are together - it was kind of warm, so we were a little sweaty!
Steph got a shot of my new tattoo with the Shootsac. If you want to read more about the tattoo and why I got it, read here. Too fun!
I also have the Festive cover for when I am shooting babies/kids. Check out the other covers and let me know which one you think I should get next! She’s also got 12 new fabrics coming out next week!
Can’t wait to wear this sac to shoot this weekend and maybe next weekend at Bob & Misty’s wedding in Murfreesboro maybe Matt can grab a shot of me in action to show you how it’s working out!
Lanie Ann’s Newborn Portraits
June 11, 2007 | Filed Under babies | 1 Comment
Here’s little Lanie Ann, 3 weeks old and looking beautiful. Of course she stays decked out in her bow (if you’re looking for some tips on keeping a bow in newborn hair, just ask - it’s not as hard as you think…) and her baby jewelry. So sweet and dainty, she is the perfect complement to this family.
Christy’s wedding band shows you how small those tiny toes are.
Here’s Lanie Ann wearing her Great Grandmother’s baby ring and a monogrammed bracelet. Lanie Ann was named after her Great Grandmother, Ann McMurray Cooper (otherwise known to everyone, myself included, as “Grandmother.”)
Catching some beauty rest.
Oh yes. And then there’s the proud Big Brother Landon. Brad has taken to simply calling him “Big.” He is playing the role perfectly. It wasn’t hard to get him to hold her and kiss on her at all!
I think Landon already looks way older than these pictures that we took in late February for his birthday party invitations.
Christy and I are working on a beautiful custom designed birth announcement for Lanie Ann, so these pics are ones that aren’t getting used on it. I bet you can’t wait to see the rest!!! Watch your mailbox - I hope you’re on the list!
Out of the Office…Here’s Why
June 7, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments
You might have emailed me this week and received an auto-response that said I was out of the office for some “personal business.” I was hoping to have good news to report, but I do not. 
Click HERE if you would like to read about the latest news with Our Adoption Story.
I will be working to get caught up asap. I appreciate your understanding and patience.
Don’t hesitate to email me if you need anything, because I am back at it today.
Steve & Donna, Wedding at Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin TN
June 7, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | 1 Comment
Saturday Mom and I joined Steve & Donna at the beautiful Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin, TN for their wedding and reception surrounded by family and friends.
Donna & Steve work together at LabCorp and that’s how they met. This is the third wedding I have done for folks in their office. It started in October 2005 with Joe & Kara’s Wedding at Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, and I got to see Kara’s parents, Joel & Katrina at the reception. Then in October 2006, I shot Sean & Dana’s Wedding (you might remember this as the one I shot the day after I broke my arm…) at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Franklin. Sean & Dana were at the reception, and they are expecting a little girl in October 2007 (wahoooo!). Dana is glowing and looks so beautiful. All of that to say, if you work at Labcorp and you’re engaged…you should probably call me because I love all of your friends!
Here’s Donna’s dress, hanging beautifully in her bridal suite at the Marriott.
Something old (sixpence), Something new (tiara), Something borrowed (grandmother’s ring) and Something blue (UK garter)
Donna’s daughter Krystal and her husband, who came in from Alaska for the wedding. They have only been married 6 months. 
Here’s a shot of the happy couple, making out in the lobby after the wedding ceremony. I love how these guys interact with each other.
Um, a favorite moment from the night. Donna wanted to adjust her tiara, and the only mirror that could be found was the one from under the flower arrangement on the head table. Donna’s sister LaVette was the resourceful co-matron of honor who came up with this idea and it worked great!
A little cake…Steve was nicer than Donna.
Everyone loved the Chicken Dance! Can you hear the music in your head?
I love this shot of the awesome DJ, Ken Bodin, who is one of the best I have ever worked with. He kept this party alive until Donna & Steve were ready to drop. It was great to meet you Ken!
Mom grabbed this shot of Donna & Me just before the end of the night. 
Thank you for inviting us to join you on this wonderful day! Slideshow is below, or click HERE to see it full screen. Click HERE to register to view the full gallery of wedding pictures when they are released to the public!
Donna & Steve - Quick Pick
June 3, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | 2 Comments
I have a busy day ahead of me and won’t be able to do a full post on Donna & Steve’s wedding until later, but I thought I would do a “Quick Pick” and pick one that would give you a taste of the day.
Congratulations Donna & Steve! Have fun in St. Thomas!