LaQuandra J. Session – Charlotte, NC Photography

LaQuandra J. – Charlotte, NC Photography

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with one of my good friends, and book club members, in gorgeous uptown Charlotte, NC.  When LaQuandra reached out to me about possibly doing a solo session to celebrate her upcoming birthday I was all for it!  I’m a strong advocate for treating yourself to things like spa days, a nice meal or a fun celebratory photo session.  She’d never done anything like this and I thought it would be a great experience for her.  And honestly everyone can use some nice, updated profile pictures for your varying social media accounts.

After booking her session we decided on a location (since she lives in Charlotte, NC what better backdrop could there be than the beautiful city!) and time.  December in the south can be hit or miss as far as temperatures go and the last few weeks here have been unseasonably warm, but of course the morning of our session it was bitter, bitter cold!  But we both pushed through and got some wonderful images!  I could already tell during our session that the photos were going to be great.  She had her wardrobe together (vibrant colors always come across great on camera), had her makeup done by a professional her worked her magic and brought along a special prop as a tribute to her grandmother.  I tell my clients all the time that these sessions are all about them so when they incorporate pieces of themselves into the shoot it makes it unique and tailor-made specifically for them which I love.

I hope that in the years to come, and once LaQuandra starts a family of her own, that she’s able to look back on these photos as something wonderful that she did for herself.

Bryce’s Cake Smash Session – Rock Hill, SC

Bryce’s Cake Smash Session – Rock Hill, SC

Cake smash sessions are some of my favorites!  Since I typically don’t work with very young children without their families also being included in the portraits these sessions provide me with a unique opportunity to do something a little different.  And because each child is unique, each cake smash session is therefore unique.

Mom, Tricia, and I opted to do the session in their home and with a little  guidance from me on props and backdrops we had a wonderful set up!  She had Bryce in the cutest birthday boy outfit and Bryce himself was in a great mood, which always makes children’s sessions go great.  As with most cake smash sessions I’ve done this is the first time the birthday boy (or girl) has had a taste of something sweet and it’s fun to watch them interact with the cake.  Bryce is the second smash session I’ve had where they want no (and I mean ZERO) parts of the cake!  Mom, dad, little brother, grandma and even I tried to get him to taste some of the sweet icing and dig his little fingers into the cake, but he wasn’t having any of it!  He did, however, manage to get blue icing on various other parts of his body and then continue to traipse around the living room coloring everything from the floor to the couch to the entertainment center blue.  Mom seemed to have more icing on her body after the entire session was over than even Bryce did!

Even though the session didn’t quite go as planned, this will be a fun memory (and some adorable photos) for the Gaither family to look back on and when Bryce is about 7 years old and is in love with all things sugary they can tell him about the time they tried to give him an entire cake and he wanted nothing to do with it.

The Gailliard Family – Rock Hill, SC


The Gailliard Family – Rock Hill, SC Photography

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts I am still playing catch up from sessions early in the fall due to what seemed like non-stop rain.  One of my final sessions from that time period took place this past weekend in Rock Hill, SC at Glencairn Garden.  I think God must have been smiling down on us and wanted to make this session a hit so even though it was the beginning of December the temps weren’t too cold and it was a bright, beautiful sunny day.

The Gailliard family came prepared for their session and were picture perfect.  Being well dressed and ready to have their holiday photos taken made me that much more excited to begin.  Laken and I had been in communication with one another for weeks since booking her session so it was nice to finally put a face with the name.  And I came to find out that she graduated with my sister, which is how she found out about me.  Small communities can be such a blessing when owning a small business.  Laken’s husband Kyle and their beautiful daughter Ariyana were also ready to shoot and when the entire family gets into it it makes my job so much easier.

And can I just say that Ariyana made my job sooooo easy!  Sometimes getting younger children to cooperate and interact naturally for the camera can be a daunting task, but she was game for whatever I asked her to do.  Both Laken and Kyle have done an amazing job raising her!  And I’m sure it helped that she had a birthday party to look forward to attending later that day that helped her get through our session in a breeze.

Meeting and working with new families is such a perk of having this job and I hope that I can continue to capture memories for the Gailliard family for many years to come.

The Jackson Family – Charlotte, NC

The Jackson Family – Charlotte, NC Photographer

Over my long Thanksgiving weekend I managed to get a lot done.  Mainly eating and relaxing (don’t judge), but I was also able to sneak in a great session in uptown Charlotte, NC with one of my favorite families.  I’ve worked with the Jacksons for a couple of years now and it’s been so great watching little KJ grow up right before my lens.  I’ve always wanted to shoot a session near uptown Charlotte with the beautiful city as my backdrop so when they suggested this location for their session I was elated!  The weather was gorgeous (and unseasonably warm for late November) and thankfully the area wasn’t too crowded with holiday shoppers.  The family arrived looking stunning from head to toe!  I mean, seriously something out of a beautiful holiday magazine ad.  It’s always fun when my families come prepared and ready to rock their sessions.  I love casual attire for sessions, but every once in a while you have to get a bit more dolled up and make your session stand out from the rest.

Every year little KJ’s personality is a little different than the year before and we we get to see new sides to her.  This year she was definitely playful!  She was more interested in running around in the park than in anything I had going on with my camera, but her playful attitude allowed us to catch some great, genuine laughs and smiles from both her and mom and dad.  And once Minnie Mouse made her appearance KJ had fun directing the shoot and giving me some great moments with her having a tea party with Minnie as well as some adorable moments with her playing mom to Minnie.  Having clients that you can call friends and that allow you to become a part of their family by capturing their memories through film is such a blessing that I’m grateful for daily.

30 Days of Thanks

30 days of thanks

30 Days of Thanks

This time of year is always great for reflecting on the things that mean the most to us.  We tend to get bogged down with everything on our to-do lists and obligations that we forget about the simple pleasures in life that mean the most to us.  I haven’t done a photo challenge in a very long time, but decided to take part in 30 Days of Thanks.  You can view all of the photos on my Facebook page, but here is a run-down of what I’m thankful for this November:

Day 1. I’m thankful for rest.

Day 2. I’m thankful for at least one winning team this season.

Day 3. I’m thankful for my sisterhood.

Day 4. I’m thankful for new camera gear.

Day 5. I’m thankful for inspirational reading material.

Day 6. I’m thankful for paper packages tied up with string.

Day 7. I’m thankful for a fulfilling church.

Day 8. I’m thankful for an able body.

Day 9. I’m thankful for embracing change.

Day 10. I’m thankful for my eGroup.

Day 11. I’m thankful for our veterans.

Day 12. I’m thankful for new traditions.

Day 13. I’m thankful for quality family time.

Day 14. I’m thankful for beautiful scenery.

Day 15. I’m thankful for my bug (aka my niece).

Day 16. I’m thankful for my mother’s Christmas cookies.

Day 17. I’m thankful for small businesses.

Day 18. I’m thankful that for the holiday season.

Day 19. I’m thankful for storms.

Day 20. I’m thankful for wonderful childhood memories.

Day 21. I’m thankful for a passionate part time job.

Day 22. I’m thankful for my fellow photograpHERs.

Day 23. I’m thankful for eggnog.

Day 24. I’m thankful for my brother.

Day 25. I’m thankful for clear roadways + safe travels.

Day 26. I’m thankful for fellowship.

Day 27. I’m thankful for leftover Thanksgiving food.

Day 28. I’m thankful for good, red wine.

Day 29. I’m thankful for the arts.

Day 30. I’m thankful for my job.

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