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Carolyn + Owen//Atlanta Engagement

February 1, 2012

I kinda feel like I’ve been friends with Carolyn and Owen for awhile even though I just met them. I realized while I was shooting their engagement pictures that I was having fun with them because I could hardly hold the camera still without laughing at something they were doing. Carolyn is a UGA graduate and Owen went to Wake Forest (then Princeton for seminary… a theological prowess!!). We took pictures near the Fox Theatre and in Buckhead, but I realized that the pictures I love the most aren’t necessarily the shots you can see the city in. I love the pictures where you can see big smiles, laughter, intimacy, and nuzzles. Yes, I just used the word, “nuzzles.” But those are the shots that give me a window into a relationship and make me feel like a 3rd wheel on a date. I love that I get to hang out with people and capture the relationship they cherish so much that they are committing to it for a lifetime. I am a such a sentimental, gushy person, so this work fits me perfectly (as opposed to being a dentist which I had considered for a day). Carolyn is really fun- my favorite picture is when they were walking down Peachtree Street and she turned around to give me a crazy model face… She totally worked it and it turned out awesome! And Carolyn has great hair- so much so that I think I might need to ask her to donate it for Locks of Love and give it to me! Owen was great to work with, doing his own model faces from time to time and making sure he got Carolyn to laugh. I was excited to hear that Owen helped pastor a church in Northern Ireland near Belfast since husband and I spent a few weeks there helping churches with children’s ministry a few years ago. He had some good stories about it and it made me want to go back. All this to say, I’m big fans of Carolyn and Owen and so glad that (a) they’re getting married and (b) they asked me to photograph it! Here’s a wee peek into their engagement session…

Okay, I need to say how much I like the picture below… I love that you can tell Carolyn’s really laughing (note body language- she’s even got the knee pat laugh going on!) and that even just the slightest shot of her face shows a huge laugh. Love it. That’s a good laugh.

Owen making a funny face, Carolyn watching and smiling…

and here it is… America’s Next Top Model!!!

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Daily Life//the Woodard’s House

January 28, 2012

I am totally drawn to pictures that show ordinary life in a beautiful way. I’m also drawn to portraits of people who have walked this earth a long time. I think I love both the ordinary and the elderly because they are compelling to me. Pictures of ordinary days help me see the beauty of daily life. What often feels dreary or boring is so much more; it’s the kind of stuff I will one day really miss. And I love the elderly for lots of reasons. One reason is because I have a huge growing respect for elderly people. Each day that I attempt to love my husband, parent my children, clean the house, fix dinner, learn how to fix broken things, keep up with bills, maintain friendships, I realize that growing up is hard to do, or at least hard to do well. So people who have done all of those things and more throughout the years are like superheros to me. I just want to hug them. And cherish their wrinkles, because I think for many they’ve been earned. Lord willing when I am 70+ I will have good stories to tell and someone will take my picture. So today I took pictures while at our close friend’s house, the Woodards. I could write a lot about them, how they have been such a big part of Jared and I’s story, how they have loved our kids and us with meals, babysitting, phone calls, and lots of chocolate chip cookies. So today I took Ethan and Andy over to their house to visit, and I brought my camera along in hopes of taking pictures to capture our daily life. Bapa was there visiting from Minnesota (i.e. Kenneth Rocky, Alice’s dad, but known to us and the grandkids as Bapa) so I got to see him and asked if I could take his picture, too. He just celebrated his 86th birthday. Bapa is a neat man with lots of stories and quick wit. He’s traveled a lot, lived in India, raised 2 children, and given a lot of himself and his resources to help others. I think Alice told me that he sailed at 17 and lived in South Africa for a time. I’m sure there is so much more that I haven’t heard. This man has had many ordinary days, and I felt lucky to capture this one. I was able to get some pictures of him doing his crossword puzzle, and some of him and his little girl, Alice. I thought I’d include some of my little people, too. Andy sat on the couch watching TV while Ethan played the piano. Oh, and some of Ethan making cookies with Alice. This ordinary activity happens a lot more frequently than you might think, and anyone who has had Alice’s cookies knows why Ethan asks to have them EVERY time he goes over there. I am learning to enjoy my daily life, and somedays pictures help me to do that more. Here’s a toast to the ordinary, knowing that someone day it will be the very thing that was most precious about my life…here’s my little andy. he is precious to me

notice the necklace in the above picture and the below painting. same one- it is generations old…

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Mr. + Mrs. Dykes//Atlanta Wedding

January 17, 2012

I think Kelsey’s dad said that Bryce and Kelsey met in 3rd grade, and have been dating since high school… I have a special place in my heart for high school sweethearts considering that was my parent’s story, too and I think love that has been tested over the years is the best. Their wedding was beautiful in so many ways, and maybe most especially in the heart that was behind it all. Kelsey and Bryce love God lots. You can tell by the way they treat each other, the way they planned their wedding ceremony, and by the people they surrounded themselves with on their wedding day. The ceremony was a real worship gathering where songs about the greatness of God were sung and Kelsey and Bryce actually stepping to the front pew to sing a few songs in the midst of the ceremony. Bryce and Kelsey gave each other gifts before the ceremony: Bryce gave Kelsey a Bible with her new name printed on it, and a glass vase (that I later found out Bryce gave to her for their new life together, and that it would always have flowers in it:). Kelsey gave Bryce a super nice watch (it was time to get married!) and a journal that she had been writing to him for awhile. These were such thoughtful gifts and really said a lot about their relationship and character as a couple. I love weddings that are meaningful, and this day was so rich in thoughtfulness and love. I also love having fun (which means dancing for me:) and there was LOTS of dancing at this wedding. Young and old were gettin’ down together, and the band was incredible. I hope some of the reception pictures do a fair job telling the story that this was an uber fun dance party. The band also played some great Journey songs, which is one of my favorite bands of all times, so it was hard for me just to keep to my job of taking pictures without wanting to get out my air guitar or better yet, keytar, and start playing! One last note before the pictures… I loved hearing the bridesmaids and moms pray for Kelsey and Bryce before the ceremony. It was really special to hear Bryce’s mom pray for them. She mentioned that she had prayed for Bryce’s wife since he was born and how thankful she was for Kelsey. I think that meant so much to me because now I’m a mom of 2 little boys, and we pray that God would bless them with a spouses who will love and understand them well. It will be a very sweet day if/when (God willing we get out of diapers) I get to hug my son’s wife and tell her that she is an answer to lots of prayers. All that to say it must have meant a lot for Kelsey to hear that from her new mother in law. So here are some pictures from the day, including a little polaroid (well, actually it comes from a Fuji Instax camera that I have and love to use to get instant low-fi pictures). Notice the GA Tech groom’s cake… Bryce played football at Georgia Tech (as a quarterback) so it was fitting to have this kind of groom’s cake. Even though I live in Athens & I’m a graduate of UGA, I can appreciate our smarter counterparts from North Avenue. Thanks so much,Kelsey and Bryce, for asking me to photograph your wedding!!

Posted in Weddings

Mr. + Mrs. Hester//Augusta Wedding

January 11, 2012

Lacey and Jordan got in touch with me last year about photographing their wedding and were so on the ball with all things of the planning process. We met at a coffee shop and I mentioned I hoped to get pregnant some time in the next year so that might factor into the whole booking the wedding date thing. Funny enough, husband and I planned on trying to get pregnant around this wedding date so that I would be able to fulfill my commitment… and sure enough I got pregnant and had a baby between that meeting and their wedding date! Too much information I know, but it’s kinda crazy to know how much can change from one meeting to a wedding a year later. So almost a year passed and Jordan and Lacey got married on New Year’s Eve in the Augusta, GA area. They are a great couple, and really go super well together. There ceremony took place in Appling where Jordan’s parents are pastors at their church, and Lacey’s grandfather officiated the ceremony (he, too, is a pastor… they are all over this family!!!). These two families were incredible. There was such a good family feeling that I kinda wished I could be part of their family photos:) The reception was at the incredible Sacred Heart Cultural Center (ironically the same place I shot a wedding the night before!). The band (Stephen Lee Band) at the reception was awesome (check out their site here). I knew when I saw a harmonica and heard them playing Rocket Man I was going to like them! Side note: I may sound like a oldie but I love that song… it makes me feel like I’m an astronaut who’s life is lived partly here and partly in some cool other place. So anyways, the reception was such fun. Both Jordan and Lacey have lots of great personalities in their families so the floor was full of young and old dancing together, which is a rare sight. Lacey had an incredible dress and looked beautiful, and you could tell Jordan adores her by the way he looks at her (especially when he saw her walking down the aisle!). Oh, and how could I forget to mention Grandma Sandy??? I posted her picture earlier on my blog, but she was a trip. And Lacey’s grandfather might have been the coolest pastor I’ve ever met. Everything was so special and great except for finding out that Lacey’s family were big University of Tennessee fans. But at least they weren’t Florida fans. Jordan and Lacey are proud University of Georgia Bulldogs, so their marriage is still untainted by the orange that runs in Lacey’s family. I’m only kidding (i have orange in my family, too- my brother is DIE HARD UT graduate and fan). The groom’s cake was an amazing copy of Sanford Stadium (home of the bulldogs) and every stadium detail was on the cake! I wanted an end zone piece but go tied up taking pictures on the dance floor of all the fun guests. At any rate, thanks Jordan and Lacey for asking me to be a part of your day and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to meet all the people who are special to you- you have such great family and friends!!

Posted in Weddings Tags: Augusta, Augusta wedding photography, GA wedding photography, wedding photography

I Heart Faces “Best Face Photo from 2011″ challenge

January 9, 2012

I haven’t entered a I heart faces challenge in forever and thought it would be fun to jump back on the bandwagon that this great photography forum hosts every week. If you haven’t ever been to their website, it is really great to check out (click here to see!). They have great articles on all sorts of photographic topics and the weekly challenges are great ways to see other people’s creative work behind the lens. This week’s challenge is to enter your best photo face from 2011. I love sifting through the pictures I’ve taken to see which one really stands out to me because it reminds me of all the precious/fun/sweet faces I’ve gotten to photograph this past year. The one I chose was actually taken on the LAST day of 2011… from a wedding I shot on New Year’s Eve. It is a picture of Grandma Sandy who was the grandmother of the groom and a jewel of a person. I met her in the sanctuary before starting pictures and right away knew she was one of the cutest people I’ve ever met. Case in point: during the family photos she lifted up the back of her long skirt to show me her pink slip underneath… and to get a picture of that sassiness! Love it. I was walking around to get the ever popular ring shot and looking for inspiration when I ran into her. It hit me that I should get a shot of the rings in her hands. I get so excited when new ideas come to me because you just never know when inspiration and creativity will strike or fall flat! So here is Grandma Sandy, holding the engagement and wedding bands of her grandson and granddaughter-in-law. A celebration of marriage and life and family. As I took the picture she mentioned that her hands weren’t in the best shape, but I told her that the wrinkles on her hands were signs of a life well lived. Grandma Sandy told me that those hands had been through a lot, done a lot, and were well used. I believe it. It will be an honor for me to have hands like that in years to come. She also said if her picture ever ends up on a billboard she better get some royalties! All yours, Grandma Sandy! Check out more great faces at www.iheartfaces.com!

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Mr. + Mrs. Livingston//Augusta Wedding

January 9, 2012

Joe + Kristen = a fun, laid back, and incredibly loving couple… and now husband and wife! Kristen and Joe got married at the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, which is an amazing cathedral turned events facility that looks like it came straight out of Italy. We took most of the pictures before the ceremony so we could capture the beauty of Sacred Heart before the sun went down and have a little time to get some pictures of just Kristen and Joe. They saw each other beforehand, had some time to hug and enjoy seeing each other in the middle of a chaotic day, and then smile and kiss lots for the camera:) It is so sweet to see the chemistry between couples and how we each find our home in another person. You could just tell that seeing Joe was what made all the fuss of wedding details worth it for Kristen, and that they felt a sense of relief in seeing and being with each other. They both were up for anything, so we got pictures on the grounds of the cultural center and also in the middle of the road in downtown Augusta. This was pretty funny… Kristen’s dad stopped traffic with orange cones to make sure his daughter and new son-in-law were able to pose and kiss for random street shots! Kristen was even up for sitting on the steps of the church with Joe (she said she didn’t mind sitting in the dress because it’s not like she’s planning on wearing it again!!!! love it:). I am one of those people that wants to suck life dry as much as possible, and for me it means fully using what I’ve been given. Side note: this is a process for me of learning to “suck life dry,” not trying to save it or preserve something that isn’t meant to last forever, but I’m learning more what that means everyday. What that means for a wedding day is to not be afraid of messing up a dress (within reason of course!), not saving my energy for a future moment but giving my all to what is before me. I feel like Kristen and Joe lived that out on their wedding day, having fun with pictures, not fretting about something getting on their clothes but living the day fully and enjoying the fleeting moments that would one day only be preserved in pictures. They hugged lots of people and tore up the dance floor, and when they left you could tell they had a really good time. I am thankful for couples like this who have such positive attitudes about even the huge family photos and keep reminding themselves that this day is one that will pass all too quickly, so it should be enjoyed. Thanks Kristen and Joe for having me be a part of your day. You made it a real joy for me:)

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LOVE this shot of Joe… workin’ it on the dance floor!and to match Joe’s awesome dance shot is Kristen at the photo booth… Sassy Bride!!!

some instant film pics to finish it off. You guys are instant fun… for real:)

Posted in Weddings Tags: athens, Augusta, Augusta wedding photography, GA wedding photography, wedding photography

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

January 5, 2012

I like writing Christmas letters of some sort, but this year I didn’t pull off writing/mailing a letter with our card. I hardly pulled off making/sending a card! So I thought instead of sending a letter I would post a virtual Christmas letter here on my blog to give an update on our family. On Christmas Eve we sat at our little kitchen table and toasted our glasses to, as Jared put it, “a year of chaos under God’s grace.” Chaos under the gracious rule of God in our lives. Christmas Eve had been a somewhat difficult day with Ethan having trouble controlling his anger at his grandparent’s house and then totally falling apart when we had to leave Mimi and Grampie’s to come home to Athens. The new “normal” in our lives has become lots of noise, toys everywhere, and a weekly “oh, my… the house has completely fallen apart”. But slowly we are learning that this isn’t all bad. There was a time when I thought a messy home was to be avoided at all costs, but now the mess is sign of life. When we brought Andy home from the hospital in October, our mess seem to grow exponentially. Now we have more clothes to wash, more people to feed, and more voices to be heard. But we also have more smiles than we did a year ago. Andy cried as we sat down to eat dinner on Christmas Eve while Ethan struggled to sit (not stand or walk around) during the meal, so we cheered to a life of chaos under the grace of God. The chaos part is clear when you have little ones, but it’s easy to miss the grace part. The grace of God is that we can laugh when things get really crazy (not always, but a lot of the times). God’s grace is evident when Ethan says, “mommy, you’re the best mommy in the whole world…” (I know that’s grace!!!) One particularly crazy day Jared and I were both at the end our short rope and the door bell rang. I wiped my eyes to make sure I didn’t look like I was losing it, and opened the door to find 2 friends from church. They dropped by with a Trader Joe’s turkey and 2 bottles of wine. They said they just wanted to tell us they were grateful for us. That was God reaching through our door into our chaos and giving us a hug (and a glass of wine:). So as much as we can say that 2011 has been a busy, messy, and sometimes breaking year, it has also been a year full of examples of God showing up in our ordinary lives to gives us strength and joy for the journey. That’s the inside reason I picked these pictures for our Christmas card. I picked a picture of our 2 boys sleeping and looking so peaceful because of how it juxtaposes the craziness… and at the end of most days, Jared and I peek in on our sleeping babies and are reminded that they are gift. True blessings even on the smelliest and most chaotic days.

So for a quicker run down of our year, I thought I would mentioned some highlights: Jared becoming an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), photographing weddings with my dad (the ultimate father/daughter date!), giving birth to Andrew Clay Bryant a month early, watching Glee episodes on Hulu (Sue Sylvester is my FAVORITE!), discovering Pinterest (check out my board here), hearing Ethan pray for the first time, holding 2 new baby nephews (baby Asher and Baby Charlie), seeing the birth and becoming godparents to Annalea Tillman, watching close friends get married, a road trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota to see my cousin get married and catching up with a dear friend in Madison. And now for some pictures from 2011…

this is a picture I took at Thanksgiving in Hilton Head visiting Gran + Pop’s house, and it’s Ethan sharing his M&Ms with his great-great aunt Blanche. I really love this and he really loves his aunt Blanche.
and here is Jared pushing Ethan on the swings in Hilton Head. He is a really good dad.

and Jared and I dressed up like cows for Chickfila cow day. Christmas, Easter, and Cow Day. It might be one of my favorite days because people dress up in funny costumes AND get free food. Halloween with protein.
…………

for those who you haven’t seen Andy’s nursery, here’s what it looks like!

This is a picture of Ethan from our snow week last January. We had snow much fun being together, playing in the snow with our neighbors and sitting by the fire. Maybe the best week of my life.

and this is Jared feeding Andy after Annalea’s baptism. I really like this picture because it captures an everyday moment in our lives and there something really rich and beautiful about the everyday care of children. And a husband who shares the load with me…

I need to post more pictures, especially of Andy, but I’ll have to just blog more in the future to show them. So cheers to 2012, supposedly the year of the Vespa according the Chinese calendar. Maybe I’ll wake up on my 30th birthday (this October!!) to find a blue vespa in my garage… a girl can dream:)

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Katelyn + Adam//Atlanta Engagement

December 27, 2011

This was such a great engagement session for multiple reasons… 1. Katelyn picked out the location, which made it fun because it presented a new backdrop for me to work with, 2. Katelyn + Adam are going on staff with a college campus ministry called Campus Outreach, which is the very ministry that husband and I were involved in at UGA (and was critical in helping us grow up as Christians), 3. We have a lot of mutual friends even though they went to Georgia Tech (no hard feelings), and reason #4… they both were up for anything!! We met in an area known as the White Provisions District on the westside of Atlanta, and this area has some amazing restaurants and shopping. So good that we had to get some pictures inside the stores (see the picture on the couch inside the Jonathan Adler store… with the $125 pillow that the kind people who worked there let us borrow). I just have to comment on how much I love getting pictures inside furniture/home decor stores… it’s like playing house with my camera and stuff I could never afford! I probably would have debated forever to buy a pillow like that at Target for $25, thinking that was a lot for a pillow:) The best part of the shoot was when we stumbled upon the signs on a building that read, “Really Good Stuff is Coming.” I love it when you look around in a location and find great stuff like this without even planning it out! Katelyn and I talked about how this would be a great sign for a pregnancy picture, too (maybe in a few years:). Katelyn and Adam are really good stuff for sure, and I’m so glad I’ll get to photograph their wedding- thanks, guys!

Posted in Engagement Tags: atlanta, atlanta engagement photography, engagement photography, wedding photography

Engagements + Weddings//Savannah, GA

December 14, 2011

This past weekend Jared and I dropped off the kiddos at Gran & Pop’s house in Hilton Head and drove to Savannah for a good friend’s wedding. Jared was a groomsman in Richie’s wedding, and we both had such a good time just enjoying the wedding from a different angle… Usually Jared is officiating the wedding and I’m photographing it, but this weekend was just us being husband and wife at the wedding and it was a great change! We had such a good time catching up with old friends and eating good ol’ southern cooking (the rehearsal dinner was catered by Lady & Sons, i.e. PAULA DEEN’s restaurant!) In addition to the wedding festivities, I got to catch up with my dear friend Mary who lives in Savannah and take engagement pictures of her and,her soon to be husband, Steve! Lisa, Mary, and I went out to eat and got some great time catching up, and then we drove to the wedding chapel and took some pictures before the actual wedding started. Lisa is one of the most special people to me… she was the maid of honor in my wedding and has walked alongside of me in all the ups and downs of life, so it was so great to be able to catch up with her and Justin. Lisa helped scout out some fun spots for pictures of Steve and Mary (great work Lucie!) and has committed to becoming my assistant for future shoots. Mary asked Lisa and I to be bridesmaids in her wedding, and we were so excited and honored… now we just have to pick out some dresses that fit the color scheme (and fit my post pregnancy self!). Here are a few shots from the engagement shoot, from the wedding, and of my really cute husband. It was his first time wearing a bow tie, and he rocked it. I think he might be the most handsome man alive (or dead? gross). I’m really honored to be his wife and need to write a whole other blog post about how great he is. for real. But for now some pictures will have to do. I love you buddy! And Mary & Lisa!husband (above). me and husband (below). and some pics from Richie’s wedding…

And now for some engagement pics of Mary + Steve (below)…love this one of Mary- she is one of the funniest people I know and has such a great sense of humor… her laugh is contagious, too!

and cute Lisa… work it, work itMe, Mary, + Lisa! I should post a picture of us from 10 years ago in college to see the differences… Both of these friends recently turned 30 and here I am as the young one (29). Who knew 30 would feel so young?
so happy for you and Steve!!

Posted in Engagement, Personal, Weddings

Kat + Justin//Athens Engagement

December 5, 2011

A friend of mine sent me a message almost a year ago telling me about this awesome girl I needed to meet who is in the photography program at UGA. She and I connected over Facebook (of course)- she was looking for a photography internship and I was looking for help with wedding photography= perfect match. We met over pizza at Your Pie (which I love, by the way. just found out they have a special on Tuesdays for gourmet pizza and drink $6 = joy). Not only do we both love cameras and all things photography, but she has a huge heart for Jesus and a love for the church. We hit it off and have been hanging out/working together ever since! Kat and I got together after she returned from a study abroad in May at a coffee shop to talk photography but really ended up talking about a particular guy named Justin. Kat had decided she wanted to date this guy, and she talked about how comfortable she was with him and how much she respected and liked him (sounded like love to me:). At any rate, every wedding we photographed after that I made sure to see what she liked about the wedding and what she wanted to include in hers… and wondered when that might be. Needless to say I was SO excited when she called me to say that Justin asked her to marry him!! Justin works with Christ Community Church and is a gifted musician, and Kat is talented photographer (check out her stuff here) with a great eye for all things beautiful. Every photographer knows the pressure is on when you shoot pictures of another photographer (they look at the picture and wonder what f/stop it was and if the ISO is too high!) but I don’t think I could go too wrong with such a photogenic and rockstar couple. Really. They both can pull off the serious model face that I am terrible at (my mouth just quivers and breaks into an awkward smile!) and just have a dreamy look to them. Here’s a few from our time- thanks guys and I’m so happy for you!!

Posted in Engagement Tags: athens, athens engagement photography, engagement photography, engagement photos, wedding photography

Ben + Madalene//athens engagement

November 28, 2011

I had a GREAT time photographing/getting to know Ben & Madalene. When I met with them to talk through wedding plans, they both mentioned how they loved more creative photography and wanted to come up with some different ideas for their engagement pictures. Then Madalene told me how they would like to go to Two Story Coffeehouse (here in Athens) for part of the engagement session. I was SO excited because I love that place, love coffee, and that made me feel an instant connection to Ben & Madalene. We took over one of the rooms at Two Story (many thanks to the baristas there who let me move furniture, come behind the counter to borrow some coffee beans, and for making the day’s trivia about Ben & Madalene’s wedding!) and it was like Ben & Madalene were on a date with me as their third wheel:) Madalene’s favorite books are the Harry Potter series (her Harry Potter book in the photos is a UK version, which makes it the real deal) and Ben loves The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Ben and Madalene go back and forth on defending which is better… I can’t weigh in on the debate since I haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books, but I do love me some Gandolf and Samwise Gamgee. I need to read the Harry Potter books so that my husband and I can relate better… he’s a huge fan of Harry. Anyways, we had fun taking pictures with their favorite books (note: I just heard of a couple who had a Harry Potter themed wedding. for real.) I love when couples bring things that are part of who they are. I feel like the pictures become more of a reflection of who you are as a couple and will be more fun to look back on years later. After our visit at Two Story we went to a field, had a little dance party and frolicked in the fields. I’m really excited to photograph their wedding in May at the Foundry in Athens… thanks guys for being so great to work with and FUN!

Posted in Engagement Tags: athens, athens engagement photography, engagement photography, ga photography

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fashionable wedding

November 22, 2011

I have a good friend from college who now works with Mocha Club, an organization that is dedicated to funding relief and development projects in Africa by giving up 2 mochas a month ($7) with other friends. Recently Marisa told me about another non-profit that she has been working with call live fashionABLE. It’s mission is to “create sustainable business in Africa so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy.” I love that. I am a huge fan of all kinds of charity, but have been thinking how ineffective charity can be when it doesn’t work towards breaking a cycle of poverty. I have worked with some organizations in Athens who collect and give Christmas gifts to needy families, and while I know children were blessed by the gifts, I’m not sure that the organization is really addressing the deeper issues of why these children are in poverty and need. All this to say, I love what Live FashionABLE is doing. They sell scarves made by women who have been marginalized by the effects of poverty & forced into prostitution. The profits of the scarves are sent back to train and restore more women, helping create and sustain businesses that benefit these women and their families. It’s an amazing cycle that is bringing sustainable business into the fashion world. I love that it helps women work, helps them break from degrading work like prostitution, helps them feed their families, and that it’s a way to strengthen a weak economy. Read more about how the cycle works and the specific women’s stories here. What does this have to do with weddings? Live fashionABLE has been promoting their scarves as a great gift for bridesmaids and as part of the wedding day outfit. I think this is great for 2 reasons- it’s practical and purposeful:) You could pick out a fun color to go with the dresses and it would make for some awesome pictures, and it would help keep bridesmaids warmier= happier if you happened to be getting married when it’s cooler. Plus, you could wear it again! And it is blessing people who don’t have much and contributing to breaking a devastating cycle. I posted the video here so you could see faces and hear the story of the man who started the organization…

Posted in Personal, Weddings

Christina//Senior Pictures

November 16, 2011

This post is the first one I have done in a LONG time. I stopped blogging around the time that morning sickness (which didn’t just last in the morning but pretty much all day) set in with pregnancy #2. I posted a few things but really was doing well to just take care of myself and my family, and then crashing early every night. So baby #2 has arrived and I’m finally ready to get back to the blogosphere. And to celebrate I am coming back with a new logo, new website and new blog!!! Some of my older posts are still here but my goal was somewhat of a fresh start. I’m excited that the first post in a long time is from a senior session with Christina Schuman. She is amazing to photograph. I’ve gotten to know Christina through her school while I was a teacher there and we bonded pretty quickly when we realized that we both LOVE photography. Christina has shot with me a few times and has incredible talent. I joked around with her the other day that most people have to go through a learning curve in photography where they take some terrible pictures and then over-edit them, but that she seems to have skipped that stage and gone straight to awesome. Hopefully she is going to be pursuing it in college next year either at SCAD or UGA, and I can honestly say she is one of the most naturally talented photographers I know. The funny thing is that most people who like to be behind the camera are not so comfortable in front of the lens, but Christina is amazing at both. She has the serious face (that I so can’t pull off!!) along with a really natural smile and funny faces. Here are some of the pictures from our time together… my favorites are the pictures of her in the red hat. Christina, you are uber photogenic and I’m so glad you asked me to do these for you. You definitely get 2 thumbs up!!!

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Brayden + Ana // Atlanta Engagement

November 8, 2011

I’m really excited to post these pictures from Brayden & Ana’s engagement shoot because they were an awesome couple to photograph! My friend Carrie Jo of Texture Photo came to visit and we decided to shoot their engagement session together… so the pictures ended up being a combination of both our work (and she is a rockstar photographer = rockstar pictures). Here are just a few from our time together in downtown Atlanta!<

Posted in Engagement Tags: atlanta, engagement photos, ga, Piedmont Park, wedding photography

Adam + Gina

February 26, 2011

Adam & Gina BLAKELY. I am so happy for these two, and am grateful I got to be a part of their special day. Gina was stunning all day… even when she was getting ready she looked like bride beautiful. Adam was such a hero groom, seen best when he dipped Gina and kissed her when the pastor announced that he may kiss the bride (see picture). It was nothing less than epic (and so very Adam if you know him)! The two of them are just really cute and SO in love. The wedding day was planned out with lots of class, from the fun red shoes Gina and the bridesmaids had on to the amazing band they had at the Biltmore in downtown Atlanta. One of my favorite parts of the wedding was during the ceremony when they sang the doxology (and asked everyone to join in). It was really special to me because we sing that with Ethan at night before bedtime. Ethan has recently started to sing along with us (after 3 years of hearing it every night) and his version is really funny:) But what made it so special was to think that people everywhere, in wedding ceremonies and nighttime routines are singing this same song about a God who is worthy of praise and pours out blessings on his people. I thought about someday Ethan singing that same song at his wedding, knowing it had been the anthem under which he slept for most nights growing up. At any rate, the other part of the day that meant so much to me was having my dad help me shoot the wedding. As I’ve mentioned in lots of other posts, my dad was a wedding photographer in the 80s and 90s, and is a technical genius when it comes to photography. He has helped me so much and it was such a special experience to be able to shoot Adam & Gina’s wedding with him there. My dad even did the manual labor jobs, like carry my cases around and holding light stands up in the air during the reception to help me brighten up the room. This wedding was incredibly meaningful on so many levels, and was such a great time. Thanks guys for letting me be a part of it, and I’m so glad that you are now officially Mr. & Mrs. Blakely!!

Posted in Weddings Tags: athens, atlanta, ga, wedding photography

helpful photography blogs

February 24, 2011

One thing that has helped me almost MORE THAN ANYTHING in learning about photography is reading other photographers’ blogs, especially blog posts that give you the ins and outs of how they took the shot and practical photography tips. I feel like I need to mention a few that have helped me, because it is all about learning from each other- first, Pioneer Woman (oh, I know… EVERYONE loves this woman- some for her cooking, or homeschooling advice, but lots for her photography stuff, too- true renaissance woman for sure). Her blog has great tutorials on understanding concepts like exposure, composition, equipment, aperature, etc.). She also has made free (i.e. NO CHARGE) actions for photoshop (and elements). The first time I read the word “actions” on a photography blog, I had not a clue what it meant. So in case anybody is in that same boat as I was, an action is a file you can download into Photoshop (or presets as they are called for Lightroom) that edits your photo in a particular way once it is applied to your image. So you might see actions that make the image look vintage, or brighter, or more colorful, etc. Some people like au natural editing, and others love a certain look that an action might give. An action just simplifies the process of editing (it is a way that all these edits are put into one simple click) to get a specific look. Another great resource for free photoshop actions is The Coffeeshop Blog . Rita, the oh so generous woman who started the blog, shares so many free actions and give tutorials on different edits. I love it. Okay, so moving on beyond free actions… I have mentioned before, but can’t mention enough, how helpful Morgan Trinker’s blog has been. If you check out the posts in the “FAQ for photographers” you will find so so SO much helpful info. I am so thankful that Morgan’s philosophy is to share the love, not to keep “secrets” as to the formula for her pictures. She makes a point to remember how much she learned from others sharing advice and tips and does the same for others. A lot of times people can be pretty protective of their photographic knowledge, so Morgan’s blog is a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stuffy field. Another photographer in the same vein, the legendary Jasmine Star, also posts not only FAQs on her blog, but she also started making videos that answer questions people ask her about photography. She strives to be authentic and herself, and that is one of the most encouraging things I have taken away from reading her stuff. And her work is amazing. She has a section of her blog devoted to FAQ for learning about photography. I should say that there are so many other photographers I love and like to keep up with their work, but when I have a question about my settings or depth of field, I usually am able to find some good answers when I check out these blogs. Another great web resource is ProStudio Supply on Facebook. They post great links to articles on all things photography and photo business stuff. Finally, when I first got interested in learning more about photography as a business, I talked with my friend Jessica Villemain and she helped me SO much. I went to visit her in Augusta, with lots of paper and a pen to pick her brain about everything, from photography website help to different types of lenses she likes. I shot my first wedding with her, and I feel like I owe major thanks for all the advice & help she has given me. She is also the one that took our family pictures in November that now live on our fireplace, and I am constantly aware of how grateful I am that she shared the love with me. That is one thing I strongly encourage someone who is interested in photography to do, that is, get together with other photographers and ask lots of questions to learn from each other. I hope to post more info on helpful things I have learned along the way, and talk through commonly asked questions. More to come!

Posted in Photography FAQ

anxiety finds relief

January 30, 2011

For the past month or so I have been thinking a lot about anxiety, why we have it, what to do with it, etc. I wouldn’t normally say I am an anxious person, and have had to help friends through anxiety and worry issues but would say that I don’t tend to be a worrier. Well, as it turns out life different stages of life tend to bring out different struggles, and I’m realizing I too need help in the area of anxiety. And as I thought more about it, I don’t think anyone is immune from wrestling with worry, fear, unrest, or uneasiness in some area of life. I’ve heard moms talk about the daily fears they have about the safety of their children, wives living in constant worry that something might happened to their husbands, students having consistent bad dreams about failing a class or missing an exam, etc. Many of my closest friends and I have had so many conversations about what to do when we become obsessed with what people think of us. I would label all this under the banner of anxiety. Technically, anxiety is defined as being vexed or troubled. For some people this troubling is constant and intense and drives them to seek medical help, but for most of the population its just that sick feeling we get every once in awhile (or sometimes lots at a time) about something that happened or may happen in the future. In writing this I really do believe everyone has or will battle with anxiety. It’s the beating yourself up after you messed up feeling that you can’t escape, or the fear of what someone might think of you when you do this or that.

I have experience more anxiety with trying to please people the past few months than ever before, and it has been directly related to my learning curve with photography. Even deciding to join my worlds together with personal and photography blogging (which I posted about here: http://kaitiebryantphotography.com/blog/?p=1834) is partly because photography has been one of the main vehicles God is using to really grow me up personally, and I think sharing that could be a huge benefit for me and others going through the same thing. So anxiety seems to strike pretty consistently after I take pictures for someone, as I’m editing them and mailing them off. God has been pleased to make photography his gym for getting me to excercise some faith and learn more about what it means to be a child of God. I wish I could better condense this whole experience for me, but I’m still processing a lot of it.

So here is what it looks like: I am about to photograph someone who is paying me money for a specific end product, i.e. fantabulous pictures of their family, their event, their wedding, their children. As much as I love the camera, I love people (for the most part:), and love the interaction, I hate the pressure I feel of knowing that I must deliver something I can’t promise. I mean, I might take some photos that turn out great, but many times people don’t like to smile at the same time, or there isn’t enough light to make a great image, or what if I forget to get a picture at a wedding that was really important to a grandparent? What does it mean to be an imperfect human who is being paid to deliver mostly perfect images? This gives me unrest and uneasiness (i.e. anxiety) pretty often in the area of photography.

I looked up more on anxiety as I was thinking about all this, and saw that medically speaking, anxiety is often grouped into categories such as “social anxiety,” “choice anxiety,” existential anxiety,” or even (gasp) “performance anxiety.” That is my particular battleground. Performance anxiety is the fear of failing at a task and being negatively evaluated by others. This plays out a lot for students but is equally difficult to battle in the workplace, or the home in whatever role you fill. It also connects to the “people pleasing” or “fear of men” labels, i.e. when you are way to preoccupied with what people think of you and fear their opinions. I feel like I’m becoming a little bit of an expert on these battles:)

So inevitably I have made some mistakes with photography, including missing important shots and not getting the right exposure for portraits. The learning curve has been more like a learning rollercoaster, and I wasn’t really prepared mentally to know what to do with these new fears and unrest I feel when I make a mistake. I am being way honest here, but I know that most people experience this in a new context they find themselves in (new job, new mom, etc.) The pit in my stomach mostly relates to people paying me for something I fear is not up to par…

God has been REALLY good to me in this learning rollercoaster. One morning I woke up after photographing a wedding and was in a cold sweat, realizing I missed a critical shot that I should have taken. I couldn’t do anything about it (somethings just can’t be photoshopped:). It happened to be a Sunday, which meant a day of rest and worship but my heart felt busy and preoccupied with my mistakes. I knew the drill: pray, read the scriptures, and find hope. One thing I kept coming to during the day was that God loved me, forgives me of my wrongdoing, and that we are definitely cool. But what about other people? What comfort is there for me when I mess up, not in “sin” but weakness more than anything, and people might not forgive? That is what bothered me most. I couldn’t connect my good standing with God because of his mercy and grace in Jesus with how that impacts my relationship with other people. I struggled with a huge disconnect between my peace with God and my unrest with people.

I had dinner that night with my dear friends John & Caroline Norris. We talked a lot about this, and what God has to offer people with these battles that seemingly do not involve him. One thing that John has really “preached” (literally, he preached on it at Christ Community Church:) is that we need to know the promises of God and act on them. So the next day I went to read the Bible and searched it out for promises that related to peace and comfort as I was feeling discomfort in regard to my own personal weaknesses in photography. I wrote down a few, including Jesus’ somewhat cut and dry statement: “which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to your life?” (okay, Jesus. so you’re telling me anxiety doesn’t produce anything). I found that God really does care about our anxiety, and that this emotion or state isn’t some 21st century problem but ages old, as Jesus taught his disciples “not to be anxious about your life… what you will eat or drink or wear…but to seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you…” Matthew 6:24-34 ish. Obviously God knew we would battle with uneasiness and worry. Jesus tells the disciples to look at the flowers of the field, the birds of the air, and recognize that they don’t worry or fret and yet they are taken care of daily. He tells them that people, made in the image of God, are of so much more value than birds and flowers, so how much more will we be taken care of specifically as his children. Whenever I write about this stuff I always feel like I need to explain so many things, but I think I might get off on a tangent if I go into a theological explanation on what it means to be a child of God. Sufficent to say that Jesus taught that he came and died that we might believe in him for eternal life and thus become children of God, not orphans lost in this world to our own devices, but saved by grace and given a place in God’s forgiven family. So as I was thinking about what it meant to be a child of God, I thought about what it means to be a child…

Growing up I knew that if I got into trouble, my parents were there to save me. I knew that if I made a mistake, my parents would cover for me. I thought about the time I stole a doughnut from the grocery store, and told my dad that I never paid for it. He went back to the store and paid them for my doughnut. My dad is pretty cool. I started thinking about Ethan and what Jared and I would do for him. If he makes a big mistake, I want him to come to me and know that I will help him, I will cover for him, I will be a place he can hide as he experiences the growing pains of life. Not that he doesn’t need to “feel” the pain of mistakes (that’s kind of a given), but that he doesn’t face them alone and I will always work to help him. It was in these thoughts that God gave me HUGE comfort. How much more, as God describes himself as our heavenly father, am I to be taking care by HIM. As I worried and feared people’s disapproval, I was acting like a weak orphan who had no one to comfort & protect me. God was reminding me that he is with me, that as much as I desire to cover and protect and comfort and care for Ethan in the midst of difficulties, God desires it so much more for me and even better, is able to carry it out. This led me to verses that talk about God being our refuge, a very present help in trouble, commands to make our requests known to God and the promise that the peace of God will guard my heart and my mind (i.e. anxiety’s breeding ground), that he will restore my soul, that God will supply my every need and strengthen my inner person (Phil 4). I started to see the promises in the scriptures that accompany commands. Words like “make your requests known” (i.e. pray) and God WILL give you peace. Promises that those who trust in God will never be put to shame (i.e. trust in the Lord that he will work out your difficulties). That the mind set on the spirit brings life and peace (Romans 8:1-11). Psalm 10 talks about how God strengthens our hearts in the midst of our difficulties as we trust in him. All of this was like a waterfall of blessings on my head. I remembered what it meant that God hide Moses the cleft of your rock, i.e. God provides a hiding place in himself when something is too great or too much for him. All of the references to God being a strong tower, a rock, a fortress, etc. are referring to God being our home in the midst of battles where he protects and keeps us.

There is so much more to the idea of how to battle anxiety and fear, but this is a piece of what I have been learning. I am seeing the practical side of the battle, that is, to not set my mind on my mistakes or fears of what others may say, but to set my mind on things above. I need to draw closer to heaven than to earth, especially if I want to be of any good on earth. And I need to step out on faith, believing God’s promises of peace are really true and for me as I trust him to take care of me even in the midst of personal weakness and failures. I may not be able to fix a terrible picture, but that doesn’t mean my mind and heart have to be in a state of unrest. What it does mean is that I have the opportunity to come to Jesus and put all my hope in him and trust that he ordains whatsoever comes to pass. And he ordains it for my personal good and his personal fame. The work of faith is trusting God and casting all my cares on him. He commands us to do that. Pushing my cares off my back and unto to one who is much stronger and wiser than me. Jesus commands us to come to him in our weariness, and we WILL find rest for our souls… for his yoke is easy and burden is light. Understanding what a yoke is helpful here (b/c I always pictured an egg:). A yoke is a wooden beam that was used to connect two oxen for the purpose of helping them pull a load. My faithful bestest friend Lisa Driver told me recently how she learned that in the pair of oxen, one ox is stronger and helps pull along the weaker ox. That just solidified the beauty of Jesus’ words for me. Here was God in the flesh saying, “be yoked to me.” In saying that, he was saying let me help you bear the load, and you will find rest for your oxen soul:) I am not alone. God is saying I will carry you, I will take that load and you will find your burden to be light. I am not alone in facing my fears of people, and that makes all the difference to me. Not only am I not alone, I have the help of the God who made the universe with a word…. which means he is pretty powerful and my doughnut mistakes are not too big for him.

This has been especially a long train of thoughts, and even more could be said. But I think this is one of those never ending lessons I will be learning. I read in The Valley of Vision yesterday a prayer that said, “Raise me above the smiles and frowns of this world, regarding it as a light thing to be judged by men.” I am hopeful and experiencing the peace of what happens when I begin to see God for who he is, that is, a powerful & good eternal father, and people for who they are, a significant but imperfect community that came from dust and to dust will return, certainly not to be feared. So thankful that God uses all my endeavors, like photography, to bring me closer to him.

Posted in Uncategorized

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I Heart Faces “Innocent Wonder” Challenge

January 24, 2011

This week’s theme at Iheartfaces photo website is “innocent wonder.” The first picture that came to mind was this one from our trip to the Georgia Aquarium for Ethan’s 2nd birthday. He loved it, big time. It was incredible for all of us, mostly because Ethan was just captured in awe of it all. This particular picture was taken as we walked into one of the aquarium viewing areas where a huge wall (probably at least 25 feet high if not more) was in front of us, with huge sharks and really tiny fish swimming together. Ethan just stood there with his head up for a long time and watched. I know that everyone says how great it is experiencing the world again through your child’s eyes, and that really is so true. I am so thankful to experience wonder through my son, and I can’t thank God enough for giving me opportunities to enjoy this world. Check out more great wonders at www.iheartfaces.com!

Posted in Personal

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