Charlotte Branding Photographer

Dawn A. | Life Celebration Session

January 21, 2019

uptown charlotte photoshoot

Dawn A. | Life Celebration Session

Capturing life celebration sessions (aka birthday sessions) is always so much fun for me and I’m always thrilled when a client reaches out to me for it. Celebrating another year of life is exciting and something that should be captured and celebrated to the fullest. So when my friend Dawn reached out to me regarding her upcoming birthday I was ecstatic! Not only do I love capturing birthday sessions, but when it’s with people I know it makes it even more special.

Dawn and I met for her session in Uptown Charlotte and the weather definitely wasn’t ideal that day. As I wrapped up one session the clouds began to shift and the wind began to pick up. As a photographer this is definitely not an ideal situation, but we learn to maneuver some things and make it work.

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Thankfully the rain held off long enough for Dawn and I to get some great shots in front of the Mint Musuem and during the time when it did begin to drizzle we found a cozy outdoor nook by the ever so chic restaurant La Belle Helene to finish things up. Being a photographer causes you to think on your feet and not to stress and thankfully Uptown Charlotte has perfect locations, both covered and uncovered.

life celebration session

I had a wonderful time with Dawn catching up and I am already excited to get her in front of my camera again for my $100 Headshot Event (stay tuned for blog posts coming soon!). And if you’re celebrating an upcoming birthday then I’d love the opportunity to capture it for you. Email me today so that I can hear your vision and how you plan to ring in another year of life!

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K.Marie | Personal Branding Session

January 14, 2019

Shot By K.Marie | Personal Branding Session

Personal branding sessions are my passion. Combine that with shooting a fellow creative, a photographer at that, and a friend and it takes the personal branding session to a new level. When my friend and biz bestie Kristen reached out to me regarding her business rebrand I was so excited for her. I met Kristen a couple of years ago via an online photography group and we instantly clicked. Eventually we took our friendship past social media and linked up for a project she was working on called Boss Up. From that point forward we’ve been business besties and I honestly couldn’t imagine this journey in entrepreneurship being as sweet if she wasn’t along for the ride.

When she told me her vision for moving her business from Lavish Moments Photography to K. Marie Photography I knew that uptown Charlotte was the perfect location to bring her edgy, streamlined and vibrant brand to the forefront. Over the course of a couple of months we brainstormed her looks and what she was hoping to accomplish with this session and I think we were able to execute it flawlessly.

I’m so excited to see what the future holds for her. I’ve watched her grow into a confident business owner and an immensely talented photographer. It’s not often that you can watch someone’s transformation from almost the beginning, but I’ve been lucky enough to do that with Kristen and she’s the real deal! I know 2019 is going to be a game changer for her and her career and I’m so grateful that she allowed me to be a part of this rebrand.

If you’re a business owner looking to take your brand to the next level or switch things up with a totally new business outlook then I’d love the opportunity to work with you. Email me today so that we can begin planning the visuals for your brand.

Natalie H. | Rock Hill Maternity Session

January 7, 2019

Natalie H. | Rock Hill Maternity Session

Anytime I get the opportunity to work with my repeat Echo collection clients (click here to learn more about that offering) is a treat for me. But when they celebrate special milestones and occasions I love it even more! When Natalie, of Freely Nat, told me she was expecting and the ideas she had in mind for her upcoming maternity session I knew it was going to be something special. Her session ideas are always creative and true to who she is as a person, mom and blogger so I knew this shoot would be no different.

Her initial vision was ethereal and so I knew my favorite wooded area would be perfect to fit her theme. And since this area is filled with other great backdrops (which would nicely compliment her two other looks) I knew we couldn’t go wrong with our location selection.

Adorned in a beautiful, tummy-baring gown and floral crown Natalie absolutely GLOWED! I don’t have the opportunity to shoot many maternity sessions so anytime I’m presented with the chance I get so excited because the glow a mother has is like no other. Her white gown popped against the neutral tones of the woods. This look couldn’t have been more fitting or perfect for this beautiful evening as the sun spotted through the trees and shone upon Natalie in the most amazing way!

And once she changed into her other two looks, and of course we added dad, Cleveland, to the mix I knew our other two shoot locations would work out as well. I’m so thankful that Natalie and Cleveland allowed me to be a part of this special moment in their lives and as they sit and eagerly await baby Clayton’s arrival I wish their family nothing but love and lots of blessings!

One Word: Transition

December 31, 2018

One Word: Transition

Every year I start things out with a blog post all about my word of the year. It’s something that has come to mean a lot to me not only in my personal life, but also in my professional career. My word for 2018 was Leap. And boy did it ring out in almost every aspect of my life. I decided to put my fears aside and do some pretty cool things like took on my first destination wedding gig as a second shooter, I was a panelist at a business conference (and if you know me you know I HATE all forms of public speaking), and I recently began promoting my first workshop alongside Kristen of Lavish Moments/K. Marie Photography. Forcing myself to take actions on things was a great motivator to make my business even better.

And since leaping worked out so well for me it brought me to my 2019 word of the year, Transition. While taking these leaps in 2018 it allowed for some clarification in certain aspects of my business the biggest of which is ending my career as an intimate wedding/elopement photographer and putting my focus more on branding clients.

I’ve loved working with my past wedding clients and was so happy to end this part of my journey by shooting my sister’s wedding, but I’ve known for a while now that it was time to leave this behind to focus on my true passions. You may still catch me behind the lens at a random wedding or two as a second shooter so I’m not hanging up my hat completely, but moving out of this space as a lead photographer will allow me to put more of my time and energy into giving my branding and portrait clients an even more amazing experience.

My primary focuses from here on out will be brands and portraits (including families, maternity, couples and seniors). I am forever grateful to those of you that have been a part of this journey with me for the last 7 years and I’m truly excited to see what’s in store for the next 7 years and beyond. Seven is the number of completion in the Bible and while my story is far from over I am thankful for the ending this 7 years has given me. And with year 8 on the horizon in just a few short months from now I am excited about all of the beautiful beginnings! To see more of what’s in store for my branding clients please check out my latest promo video from Sierra Collins Photography:

Olivia + Brandon | Raffaldini Vineyard Wedding

December 24, 2018

Olivia + Brandon | Raffaldini Vineyard Wedding

How appropriate is it to end my final client blog post for 2018 with my sister and her big day?! It was a day filled with lots of love, laughter and a few happy tears. I was truly honored when she asked me to capture her special day, and having captured her engagement session, the first day of her son’s birth, her bridal portraits and so many other special moments in between it was only right for me to be able to capture the biggest day of her life.

I’m also thankful to have a tribe of women that know when you need a little help. My friend and fellow photograpHER, Sirena of Aneris Photography immediately offered her services as second shooter because she knew the day would be overwhelming for me being the sister of the bride and she wanted me to enjoy myself and not be tied to a camera the entire evening. And my friend Sierra of Sierra Collins Photography did a phenomenal job capturing all of the wonderful emotions of that day through video.

The intimate ceremony for Olivia and Brandon took place at Raffaldini Vineyards which holds a special place in my family’s heart since it’s a location we visit quite often for wine tastings. My niece was a beautiful flower girl and my nephew couldn’t have been cuter as the ring bearer. The weather was perfect and the wine definitely flowed during the cocktail hour.

After that celebration we made our way via limo to Maggiano’s to enjoy an amazing dinner and dance the night away! It was truly a magical day from start to finish and I’m so glad I was able to end my turn as a wedding photographer with this wedding. I wish Brandon, Olivia and Landon a lifetime of love and happiness and I look forward to capturing many more memories for them!