Mike & Julie, Engagement Photos in Downtown Memphis
July 31, 2007 | Filed Under engagement | Leave a Comment
A couple weekends ago, I headed west to Memphis to meet up with Mike & Julie for their engagement session. We met at Tom Lee Park on the riverfront to begin our time together.
It was really sunny, pretty hot, and very windy.
It didn’t take us long to decide that we needed to head for some locations in the shade that might be a little cooler temperature wise. Julie works at a cool design firm downtown so we walked a few blocks to get there and had fun exploring the streets and alleys in the area.
I had no idea that when I asked Mike & Julie to go down to the bottom of these stairs that it was a restaurant down below! Julie’s backside was totally pressed up against the glass while people were eating on the other side of the window! We had to apologize when we were done. So funny!
Julie’s two daughters, Caitlin and Samantha, hung out with us for the session also. I was able to grab shots here and there of the girls too. Here’s my favorite of each of them.
Beautiful Samantha
Glamorous Caitlin
And a quick and casual family shot
Julie & Mike’s wedding will be in mid-September at the lovely Carahills Estate. I am really looking forward to the big day! See you soon.
Ricky & Nichole’s Wedding Slideshow
July 25, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | Leave a Comment
Click the arrow below to watch Ricky & Nichole’s slideshow, or click HERE to view it full screen.
Enjoy!
A little bird told me…
July 18, 2007 | Filed Under babies | 3 Comments
Little Norah is growing fast.
I will be back to work from my attempt at a mini-maternity leave the week of August 20. I am reading emails at least once a day, so if you have an immediate, time-sensitive need/request, I will do everything I can to take care of you. The only things I am shooting until then are weddings and related sessions (engagement, bridal, FHEO).
I have a ton of folks waiting to schedule (or re-schedule) a baby/kids/family session for September & October. I will have limited appointment times when I return, so if you are interested in booking an appointment you need to email me now so I can try and fit you in. Especially if you’re interested in peak leaves week - typically the last week of October/first week of November, but that might change since it’s been SO dry this year.
Have a great day!
Ricky & Nichole, Huntsville, AL Wedding
July 17, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | 1 Comment
This past weekend I photographed the wedding of Ricky Bates & Nichole Nelson at the gorgeous Hampton House in Hampton Cove, Alabama (a suburb of Huntsville). Once again, the talented Matt Dunmore came along as my second shooter.
We began our day at the Masters Salon for hair appointments for Nichole, her two daughters Aubrey & Gabby, and Nichole’s sister and bridesmaid Ashley. Nichole’s hair looked incredible all day long - they did a fabulous job!
Then we followed Nichole to get her nails and makeup done at Terrame Day Spa. I can’t say enough about this spa. I told Matt that he should have brought his wife Erin to this place instead of leaving her behind at the hotel all day long. I wouldn’t have minded staying there myself for a manicure/pedicure and a massage! Anyway, I love Nichole’s pouty lips in this shot.
This was Matt’s idea and I jumped at the chance to capture it too. Ricky is a hunter - he had 8 mounted deer heads (I think) on the wall and also a fox or some other small animal. We put the rings on the deer antlers and I think it is a riot!
It took Ricky’s Mom, me and then Ricky’s Dad to get this flower pinned on properly.
Ricky got tickled during one part of the ceremony, which got Nichole tickled, and I love the looks on their faces during this shot.
Nichole’s two daughters are nine and five years old. As a symbol of Ricky not just marrying Nichole, but also “marrying” the girls and committing to love them as a father, he gave the girls their own rings during the ceremony. This was my favorite special touch to this ceremony. What a statement about Ricky’s priority on family. Here’s all four of them showing off their new jewelry.
Here are the beautiful girls, playing by the water after the ceremony.
Ricky was talking to Gabby, when Aubrey jumped up on his back. Apparently this is something she does regularly and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and think fast enough to push the shutter button. I love the look on Aubrey’s face!
Here’s the girls showing off their “wedding rings.”
The happy couple. Nichole looked like something out of a Grace Kelly movie. Very old Hollywood.
Love this shot of the dip at the end of Ricky & Nichole’s first dance.
Other vendors to mention:
Nichole’s dress - The Something Blue Shoppe
Florist - Arenda’s Flower Garden
Band - Hashbrown
Catering - Cyn Shea’s
Cakes - Dathern Moon
Slideshow will be posted in the next few days!
Joey & Amy, Engagement Pictures in Knoxville, TN
July 12, 2007 | Filed Under engagement | Leave a Comment
Here’s a proper post about Joey & Amy, following the sneak peek I did a few days ago. I met these two at Amy’s parents’ house (Liz & Jim) on the river just outside of Knoxville for ths fabulous session. We hit it off great. After a quick tour of the reception site, we returned to the house to finish our shoot.
Traditional shot, suitable for the newspaper
And one that is a little more “my style”
It was a gorgeous sunny day
A couple of shots by the waterfront
Funny thing about this picture under the grapevine is that a “scorpion” fell on Joey about 3 seconds after this picture was taken and he jumped up so fast that I didn’t know what happened.
A sweet moment
You can’t even tell it was about 105 degrees on the second story porch of the house.
Love Amy’s sassiness in this shot. I can’t wait to see this girl in her fancy dress on the big day.
Another more traditional shot suitable for the newspaper
Check out this adorable dog…what a good boy!
Here’s a quick shot of Amy & Norah. Thanks for letting me bring her along, and to Amanda for taking such great care of her!
Jennifer & Darrell, Wedding at Montgomery Bell State Park in Dickson, TN
July 10, 2007 | Filed Under wedding | 4 Comments
OK - as promised, some photos from Jennifer & Darrell’s wedding on 07-07-07, the most popular wedding day of the year!
Jennifer & Darrell were married at Montgomery Bell Stste Park in Dickson, TN. It was a HOT day, but that didn’t stop this couple from tying the knot in front of a standing room only crowd.
Here’s Jennifer’s something new (her pearls) and her something old, borrowed and blue (grandmother’s handkerchief).
Here’s a shot of the bride before we left for the ceremony. Jennifer’s hair was done by Linda at Sleek Stylin’ in Dickson. It looked so graceful - a very classic style.
This is Breelyn, who was an adorable and well-behaved flower girl, despite the fact that she decided that she would rather head back down the aisle towards her Mommy and her juice cup in the middle of the prayer at the beginning of the wedding. This child is so beautiful…check out these pictures from Steph’s Blog from their session this spring.
Darrell helped Jennifer down the hill for some photos.
The whole wedding party. I LOVE the clover green dresses from David’s Bridal that Jennifer chose for her girls.
The reception was over at the King’s Court in Burns, TN. There were tents set up out back overlooking the gardens. Jennifer’s Dad David worked so hard to make sure things looked great. The food was excellent (poppyseed chicken is my FAVORITE) and there was plenty of sweet tea to go around.
We could not get over how pretty the cake was.
Darrell & Jennifer escaped their ceremony through a tunnel of sparklers, and climbed into their limo to be whisked away to the Sheraton. Enjoy the honeymoon guys!
To check out Jennifer & Darrell’s slideshow, click the play button below, or click HERE to view it full screen.
Matt was my second shooter (yay) and he posted his images, slideshow and re-cap of the day on HERE on his blog. We have done so many weddings together now that we have it down to a fine art. Matt hangs with the guys, I hang with the girls, we cover two angles of the ceremony and reception…it’s a beautiful thing. I work with a lot of talented photographers, but if you hear that it’s Matt who will be attending your wedding with me, you are in for a real treat. Check out our self-portrait on Matt’s blog - it’s a riot this week!
Thanks to the Hale & Cook families for inviting us to share the day with you! God bless your marriage!
One Great Weekend, Two Great Couples!
July 9, 2007 | Filed Under engagement, wedding | 2 Comments
I am blogging from a friend’s house in Knoxville, as Norah and I are recovering from a busy weekend.
Saturday, Matt and I shot Jennifer & Darrell’s wedding in Dickson. Here’s a sneak preview until I can get home to blog properly with a slideshow!
After being away from Norah all day on Saturday for the first time, it was fun to embark on our first trip together on Sunday. Norah and I drove to Knoxville to meet up with Amy & Joey for their engagement session. They will be married in Knoxville in late August. Many thanks to Liz & Jim for opening their home to us, and to Amanda for keeping an eye on my “sidekick.” Ha. Here’s a quick shot of Amy & Joey until I can blog them appropriately as well!
We’ll be headed home in just a bit because Norah misses her Daddy. Let’s be honest - I miss him too! 
Jake & Amy, Engagement Pictures in Franklin
July 5, 2007 | Filed Under engagement | 1 Comment
I have new respect for all of my “Mommy Friends.” I see now why new Moms say “call me” instead of “email me,” because time sitting still in front of the computer is scarce. Norah and I are getting used to each other, and as our visitors wane, we are learning how to function on each others’ schedules.
Jake & Amy were my first session to shoot after becoming a Mommy. It took me forever to get out the door to get to their session (but I was still on time) and I thought about her the whole way there.
Once I arrived, Jake & Amy were so sweet, so encouraging and fun to be with, that it didn’t take me long to snap back to photography world. And, after being in for pretty much the whole week, it was refreshing to get out in the sun. After we got a few traditional shots for the newspaper, I was so excited to have warm sunlight to play around with in several shots.
Love this one
And this one
I don’t usually blog images with the “selective color” like this one, but Amy mentioned how much she liked a couple pictures like that, so we shared the same vision for this shot. 
Aren’t Jake & Amy a great couple? They will be married in October at Old Natchez Country Club in Franklin. To pre-register to see all of Jake & Amy’s Engagement Photos and then their wedding photos, click here.