Spoiled...

No, it's not a client that's spoiled, it ME! I was spoiled over the weekend with two six month photo sessions. On Friday afternoon I photographed Grant, whom I hadn't seen since he was a newborn. He has grown into quite the handsome little guy! On Saturday morning we did a six month session for my niece, Paige. As always she was gorgeous and a bundle of personality! Having two six month olds in two days will spoil a photographer. They can sit up and smile, but they can't usually crawl or run away! They are also pretty easily amused with funny noises and rattling toys. And that's not to mention their adorable baby rolls!!

Here's Grant:





Here's Paige:




Wouldn't they make a cute little couple--maybe one day I'll be photographing their wedding! Just kidding, Greg (that's Paige's daddy and I don't think he would want me to be arranging a marriage for her just yet).

Don't forget to snap a few pictures of your little ones in their Halloween costumes and email them to me. You have until November 1st to send me the pictures and I will choose someone to win a 10x20 storyboard with images from their next session.

Three Months Old

It doesn't seem possible, but little Stella is now three months old. My little "assistant" Claire and I decided to get a few shots of Stella today. I had been putting it off because Stella wasn't really holding her head up well yet (remember, she was 5 weeks early). But just in the last couple of days she is getting better with it! So here are a couple of Stella at three months old:



And just so you can laugh as much as I did, here she is in this little hat I bought for her. I had visions of it being cute and trendy, but the hat is too big or too puffy or something...and I think Stella ended up looking like a little acorn! Maybe I should put it on her and dress her as an acorn for Halloween!


Speaking of Halloween, I also wanted to let you know about this month's blog contest. I just have to see what all of my little Uppercase cuties are going to be dressed as for Halloween, so here is how the contest will work. You will have from now until November 1st to email me a picture of your child dressed up in a costume. If you don't have a child, feel free to dress up your grandchild, dog, husband...whoever you can get into a costume! After the deadline has passed I will choose one winner to receive a free 10x20 storyboard of images from their next session. The 10x20 storyboards are my most popular custom designed item, so I know you want one! So get out those cameras and email me your costumed cuties!

Holiday Session Information

Can you believe that it's time to start thinking about holiday sessions already?! I wanted to share with you some handy information regarding holiday sessions and ordering cards. I have a couple of new studio backdrops that I ordered with the holidays in mind. I forced my kids to let me snap a few pictures on them so you can see the colors.
This is a crimson red:


This color is more of a burgundy that would look great with the silver or gold metallic colors that are popular in the stores right now. It would also look great with green, black, etc but, of course, we wouldn't pair it with red.

This is a neutral tan color called "wheat."

I think this will be a versatile color that I can use year round, especially with my wooden floor set-up.

Of course I also have all the usual colors of white, black, brown, etc.!

Now for holiday cards--Most people order one-sided 5x7 cards that are printed on photo paper. These cards will be $48.00 for the first set of 25 and $24.00 for each additional set of 25. If your print order from the holiday session (not including the session fee) totals $100 or more, you will receive 25% off this price. Each card is custom designed to your liking, but here are a few examples so you can get an idea of what can be done. Some of these are samples I have been working on and some of them are cards from last years clients.






If you don't have time to squeeze in a holiday session, you can use pictures from a previous session for a Christmas card if you'd like. Just email me and let me know what you'd like. Also, I am almost completely booked between now and Thanksgiving so be sure to email me soon if you'd like to reserve a session date.

I hope you all are doing well and I am looking forward to seeing many of you this fall. Be on the lookout for an October blog contest coming soon!

location, location, location

After spending the entire day in the car with Tory and the kids on the way back from Wilmington, including over 2 hours in a barely moving traffic jam, I was happy to get out and stretch my legs this evening at Tanglewood. Sweet little Landon, my three year old subject, wasn't too keen on the idea of pictures at first. We started out at the aboretum, but as you can see Landon wasn't quite in the mood (although I love this photo and would never toss it, the bottom lip is priceless!):


But as soon as we decided to head up to the train at Tanglewood, Landon had his happy face on. What is it about boys and trains! Landon had a great time exploring the train and even met himself a new little friend. He let me tag along and take a few pictures as well:




And the only thing that could possibly drag him away from the train was the promise of horses, so we headed down to my favorite sunset spot at Tanglewood to see the horses.


Even though it was definitely hot outside this evening, you could start to see signs of fall. Most notably, the Festival of Lights decorations are already going up at Tanglewood! Before we know it the holidays will be upon us, so if you would like a session between now and the end of the year please email me as soon as possible. I will try to get some holiday card information on the blog this week!

My Flower Girls

Tory's sister is getting married in October and we did her bridal portraits this evening. My two older girls, Grace and Claire, and the groom's neice are going to be flower girls in the wedding. (Yes, they are actually dressing Claire up and expecting her to follow directions--if nothing else it will give us all a laugh on the stressful wedding day!) We dressed the girls today and let them take a few pictures with their Aunt Kristie. I can't show you any of the bridal portraits since you never know if the groom may be stalking the blog, so I'll show a few shots of the girls.

Here's one of all three flower girls walking together:

After about two shots, Claire wanted to do nothing but pick the flowers that you're not supposed to pick:


At the end, Kristie gave Grace her bouquet to take home and she was so excited:


I drew out a winner to the blog contest and the winner is Kelly Solomon. Congrats Kelly, you will receive 50% off any Christmas cards you choose to order this year!

Finally, I had an unexpected cancellation of a session for this Saturday, September 15th. I'd like to fill the spot with a session, so here's what I'll do. The first person to email me and book a session on September 15th will receive 50% off their session fee. This offer is only good for those who don't have a September session booked already. So if you've been thinking about making an appointment--email me quick!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

So last week was full of adorable boys to photograph, but over the holiday weekend I have had a few sweet girls in the studio. One-year-old Bailey wasn't feeling well on portrait day so we weren't sure how the session would go. But Bailey was quite the little trooper and had a great session! She was even up for her own little birthday cake at the end of the session. She dove right in and enjoyed herself. I hope you are continuing to feel well Bailey!




Today four-month-old Ella came over with her mom and dad for some portraits. What a calm and sweet baby Ella was during the session. And have you ever seen a better head of hair on a baby--I loved it!!



My own sweet little Stella is now two months old, so we needed a few shots to mark the milestone. She gave me some sweet smiles and showed off her double chin!


So has anyone else been watching a lot of football this weekend? It's been on at our house all weekend, although between all the kids and dogs in our house I don't know how much of it my husband was able to watch. In honor of NC State's first football game of the season I made this collage for my husband's office:

He is an NC State alum so this is definitely a "Go Pack" household. I think it's about time for a new contest on the blog since I am back in business, so in honor of the beginning of football season here is how it will work. Leave a comment on this blog entry saying "Go (whatever team you prefer)." For example, my own comment would say "Go Pack!" Be sure to leave your name on the comment as well (and whatever else you'd like to say, of course). On Friday, I will take all the names, put them in a hat (or some other suitable container) and draw out a winner. The winner will receive 50% off any Christmas cards they order this year. So let me know what team you're rooting for--and don't worry, even if you're a Tarheel fan I'll try not to hold it against you!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...that's what my recent sessions have been made of! I am back to doing sessions now and I have had a string of adorable little boys the last couple of weeks.
Here's precious newborn Cooper:




Adorable, nine-month-old Joshua:




Cutie-patootie, one-year-old Riley:




And handsome three-year-old Cole:




So even if my house is all about the Barbies and Princesses, I can still get my fill of little boy stuff during my photography sessions! By the way, if you are interested in an October session (which is usually the best month for fall color) please email me as soon as possible to be sure you get a spot on the calendar.