David and Tracy Family & After Session

(I am hoping that by mid February I will be caught up enough to take a day off... :o) God is really blessing me with work and I am happy to keep pressing on. I have many more things in the works so stay tuned.)

I am so glad Tracy and David were open to doing an after session and some family photos. Of course looking back you always think of a thousand ideas of things that you should have done- "after" you leave.... But any excuse for Mom's good cookin (and homemade Starbucks- and I will bring the thermos with me so I can "reuse" it.) is a good one for me... I miss you guys and can't wait to come up and see your new house... Much love. ~S.

A Chapter Closing....

I have put off thinking about Friday for as long as I could. But the time has officially come for our goodbyes... and honestly, as I write this my eyes are blurred with tears and I don't know how I am going to get through the actual farewell to Lily & Amber.

Anyone who has read more than one of my posts knows that Lily and Ayden are best friends and have been together since they were 3 months old. We joke all the time that they act like a little old married couple the way they fight and make up on a daily basis. We know the kids will be fine and will quickly slip back into their routines- it is the adults I am worried about. Hardly a day goes by that Amber and I don't talk, e-mail or meet up at the same time to get the kids and end up in the parking lot still talking well after everyone else has locked up and gone home for the day.

Ayden and I have talked about them moving and when asked if he realizes he won't see Lily everyday he thinks for a minute and says, "Hum, welll... we'll just have to get a new house." He has it all figured out. And fortunately for them, so do we. We are prearranging their marriage so that all the guess work will be taken out of whether we'll like the people they date... and more importantly, will we like the in-laws. So rather than be sad about this chapter of our life as it closes, I will rejoice in the new journey Lily and her family is about to embark upon... Love you guys and Amber you have to watch this by yourself- I cried trying to set up the music... ~S.

Kris & Ken Continued....

I have been home from San Diego for 3 weeks now from getting to spend time with my very dear friend Kristina and already I am very ready to go back. Kris and I met 5 years ago when I moved to Florida. I didn't know it when she hired me to work with her that we would have been through so much life together, but God knows I would do every bit of it again just so we could be friends. She is one of those very rare people in life who are exactly as they seem to be. For a long time I kept waiting for things to change... You know what I mean. You are friends with someone and for a while it is great and then it just isn't anymore because of one circumstance or another- And as many times as I have moved in my life- the one thing I can promise you is that you know who your true friends are if after a move they stay in touch with you. We have. Not as often as we would like being on different coasts, but isn't that the way all great relationships go?

Fast forward and enter Ken... I knew from the moment I heard the excitement in Kris' voice that I would adore Ken. He is warm, so friendly and he just loves Kris as much and more than any one person can. I am just so excited to be able to celebrate life with them now and next year when they are married. For now, I have a few favorites to share with you. Love you guys much. ~S.

Meet Micah & Megan...

So last Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Micah, Megan & Jesiah. What a beautiful and sweet family. And how gorgeous they are together! We met early on the beach and they were so much fun and so comfortable with each other that they make my job look really easy. I love how Micah looks at Megan and how gently he holds her in his hands. And Jesiah- what a handsome little guy. I can picture him on the cover of Surfer Magazine some day breaking all the girls hearts! Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to spend the morning with you guys. I wish you all much blessing and favor in your marriage, family and future endeavors. (Keep an eye out for the slide show.) Enjoy! ~S.



What a beautiful family!












I am telling you he should be on a magazine cover!


Look how sweetly he looks at her- that is love! (These are the moments I live for!)




This was one of my very favorites of the day!

New Stuff Coming Soon...

I am working really hard right now to show everyone some really new and exciting new shoots! So stay tuned... I have my first big wedding this weekend and am really excited for Cari & Andy! I can't wait to share it with you- so say a little prayer and be believing with me for a gorgeous and smooth day of creative shooting! hugs~ S.

Kris & Ken... A Sneak Peek

For now, I can only give a teaser of my trip to San Diego this weekend. Enjoy, and I will have more soon... (promise) ~S.

The Tale of One Cowboy...

Andrea & Jeff

It seems like these days I am eating, sleeping and dreaming in a spectrum of colors (as seen through a camera lens)! And thanks to Andrea and Jeff those colors are so much more vivid... Even their music choice leaves you no choice but to smile. They are so much fun to hang out and shoot with and you can really see that they have a lot of fun together. See you guys in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to it! ~S.

The Moore Family (Tracy and David cont'd)

One month ago (wow... a month ago already!) Tracy and David married in Lancaster, SC at her aunt and uncle's beautiful property. So this weekend I went up to of course visit (any excuse to hang out is good enough for me!) and do some additional photos of them that we had wanted to do on their wedding day, but ran out of light and time- life happens and sometimes it takes a couple of takes to get the images we really want. That is why I highly recommend that you do a day after session if you are getting married. Talk with your photographer (hopefully it is me, but if not ask if your photographer would be available the next day for a session of just the two of you.) I like it because it is very relaxed and there is no rush to get to the reception to greet guests and family. You can dress it down a little- if you wear your hair up for your wedding, think about wearing it down for this session (as Tracy did) maybe just a loose shirt for the groom. Either way, I think you will be so happy you did. (I am glad we did for Tracy and David!) We also took the opportunity to get some really great family photos. Many thanks to everyone for coming to the barn and being patient with me as I was trying to think of a really great shot. As it turns out, my first instinct is usually the right one, and this is no exception. Keep it simple. I am sending a teaser.

Thanks to my Lil' Cowboy for your imagination- you gave me the chance to capture what to me is the very and absolute essence of childhood. ~S.

Mr. & Mrs. David Knight

First and foremost, I have to thank Gwen for so graciously helping me with this wedding. Without her I would have been a lost goose. Not to mention she had some really great shots that I could not have had without her.

But to Tracy and David and your families.. thank you. The day was beautiful because everyone came together and worked really hard. I hope you enjoy the slide show. We are doing a day after after session this weekend, (a month later...:o) so be on the look out for those images in the next couple of weeks. ~S.

White Trash Wedding Bash. (finally)

So I have had some issues with my website being out of space because my slides were too large... so with a little work (ok a lot!) the good people at soundslides helped me to determine the issues so now I can more freely upload my slide shows. So here is one of the best parties (engagement shower) I have been to in a long time. Enjoy- and the words to the first song are great, so turn up the volume. ~S.