Our Home: Spring/Summer vs Fall/Winter

I love seasons!  I love to document seasons with my camera.  Look at the immense difference in the lighting on my home.  In the summer we are almost completely shaded from sun up to sun down which is good because it is HOT here, but in the winter we have full sun morning to evening and the interior of my home is much, much brighter.  I look forward to every season here, but they sure make the year fly by.

Below is the view of the sky from my front yard.

Here is the view of sky in winter.  Hard to believe the difference.  Same trees, same view.

Below is late spring, early summer.  Almost all the leaves are full but we can still see the sky at this point of year.  Again, same tree as the first two shots.

Here is our home in June.  So lush and green.

Here is our home in late November.  Full blown sun.  Stark.  But a beauty all unto itself.  We can actually see neighbor's homes and headlights driving at night. 

This post is mostly for my California friends and family but I also love documenting seasons for me!  I didn't have seasons for 44 years so I am in awe of them.  Well, unless you consider brush fire, earthquake, flood and drought, oh and riots, to be seasons.

Claire Turns 3 {Rowan County Portrait Photographer}

This is Claire and she just turned 3.  I love little girls, they are so sweet and fun to photograph.  She loves flowers and even picked a few during our shoot which really added fun color and interest.  Good thing we shot in a garden.  

The following are a series of 3 which I edited with a vintage feel.

Doesn't she have a great profile?  So stylish too.  Well, her mommy had something to do with that.

Thanks Claire for being such a good little girl and giving your mommy beautiful shots for her birthday.

Family Christmas Portraits {Rowan County Portrait Photographer}

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 I love Thanksgiving.  It's one of my favorite holidays simply because there is no stress involved... at least never for me as I have never hosted Thanksgiving dinner (sorry mom).  

Starting tomorrow the nation will be ALL about Christmas.  In a matter of days we will all start receiving Christmas cards.  What will you do for your Christmas card this year?  Have you considered a family portrait?  Or a portrait of the kids to send to family and friends?  I just shot a couple family portraits this week in time for these families to order their Christmas cards.  I wanted to share them because they are beautiful families.

Stunning!  Does this family come with the frame?

While I love a beautifully posed family, sometimes candid shots are my favorite.  I love the B&W below of tickle-time!

I love the setting below, in front of a well known fountain in our downtown.  We shot this one right at sunset, facing sunset in fact.  Isn't the lighting beautifully reflected in their faces?   You know how I feel about sunset lighting.  A gorgeous family; I wish my own family had a shot like this.

Well, off to peel potatoes.......

The Gorgeous Cain's {Rowan County Portrait Photographer}

Look at who landed in my lap?  The Cain's, a gorgeous couple who lives down the street.  This was Devin's idea to shoot at this bridge and I love it!  See yesterday's post of their silhouette on this bridge at sunset.  I love this shot of young love (married only 2.5 years).  

Next we shot at some train tracks; fortunately the train wasn't running during our shoot.  We had a blast!  I love the playfulness of this shot; aren't they having fun?  

Have I mentioned how much I love sunset lighting?

 Sometimes a shot just calls for black & white.  It always tells a story.

Don't hate them because they're beautiful because they are actually so sweet and genuine!  Aren't they GORGEOUS?  I mean, really!

We also shot some darling Christmas photos but I'll wait until after they print and send their cards so as not to ruin their surprise.  Please return in December for that reveal.  

Off to another shoot of a cutie brother/sister.  Stay tuned......

Bridge at Sunset {Rowan County Portrait Photographer}

 I've been up to my eyeballs this week in photo shoots and editing.  I feel blessed though.  I just had to post a couple shots from today's shoot.  I don't have the client's permission yet to post so I'm just posting shots where you can't see their faces.  Once I get the A-OK, I'll post more because this couple is GORGEOUS!  

This covered bridge was the client's idea.  I just love when a client has great idea!  It sure makes my job easier.  Isn't the sunset lighting beautiful?

Please check back this week.... LOTS of new clients to show off.

Backyard Setting

Can you imagine this setting in your own backyard?  When I arrived to do Tyler's senior portrait I couldn't believe the beauty of this small lake in their backyard, complete with bridge leading to a gazebo on a small island.  Aren't the colors unreal?  Do you love water reflections as much as I do?  I made Tyler pose on the bridge and while this isn't necessarily "portrait" worthy, it is a gorgeous photo because of the setting, certainly "frame" worthy.

Check back soon.  I have a couple family portraits this week and a children's portrait too.

Tyler's Senior Portrait {Rowan County Portrait Photographer}

 I love young people!  They're just fun!  I set out yesterday afternoon with Tyler to shoot his senior portrait.  I believe it's more natural to do outdoors as it really allows the photographer to capture their subject's personality.  I would have LOVED my senior portrait outdoors in a gorgeous setting, but no, I had your run-of-the-mill "Olan Mills" studio portrait complete with my asymmetrical Cyndi Lauper hairdo.  It came out so bad my mom made me retake it.  The second portrait was only slightly better.

Here we went out to a field as the sun was setting with my Craigslist chair.  We hopped over a barbed wire fence to get there, anything for a good shot.  I loved how Tyler posed.  I can't decide if I like it better in color or black & white.  What do you think?

I love this close up of Tyler; he looks so natural and relaxed.  Nothing more flattering than sunset lighting for portraits in this gal's humble opinion.

Isn't he so handsome?  

Thanks Tyler, for the privilege of taking your senior portraits and spending a fun afternoon together breaking countless trespassing laws.  Hopefully our faces and my license plates were out of view of security cameras on the Wallace mansion property.  Good times!

Last Leaves

Are you tired of my bragging of the beauty of fall out here in the South East?  If so, this is about the end of our season here.  As you can see, many, many trees are bare which has a beauty all to themselves, but yesterday as I was editing a photo shoot I saw this view from my window next to my computer desk.  This is my back yard.  Can you believe it?  THIS is MY backyard!  All glory to God because in our wildest dreams we never imagined a lot like this, it's like our very own park!  

We have enjoyed autumn tremendously but also look forward to winter.  

Check back for winter photos soon enough.

Gracie in Autumn

Autumn leaves are in their final stages and many trees are completely bare now.  My neighbor Karen and I took our girls over to the cute little historic town of Spencer to do a final autumn photo shoot.  The leaves today were just glorious at sunset.  See the red christmas dress on Gracie?  We did our Christmas card shots today too; this one looks too autumny (is that an adjective?) but it was too pretty not to share, that's the fun part about a blog!  

It was Karen's idea to bring books and do reading shots and I'm glad she did because this shot is so sweet.  These girls are dear friends, and Camryn being the oldest, loves to read to the younger girls.  

I will forever cherish this shot as it captures the innocence of sweet little girls (before puberty!).

Happy Veterans Day 2012!