Here are things that Haley is:
a) kind.
b) a babe.
c) hilarious.
d) a loyal friend.
e) gentle-hearted.
f) a fierce lover of Jesus.
g) an incredible photographer. (linked, go check it out)
To say that I love this lady is a vast understatement. She's been a pillar of strength for me to call on whenever I needed her. She's a giant encouragement whenever I need some scripture to remind me of the plans that God has for me. She's giddy and filled with this child-like passion for Jesus that I've never seen.
We had some fun a couple of months ago and just went out and made some pictures.
From Katie (the designer): "I had the incredible fortune to be asked to create a paper wedding dress forEngage!13 at the Biltmore Estate. It was to be inspired by Cornelia Vanderbilt, who's wedding reception was hosted at the Estate in the 1920's. The dress was on display for the grand Great Gatsby-esque Gala on the last night of a several day conference. Emily was wonderful enough to tag along and document the process and final installation of the dress!"
Oh hi guys! Here's a little preview from a session today with my sister-in-law, Sara, behind the lens! She's been wanting to learn photography so we went out and I taught her the basics.. I would say she did a phenomenal job. Can't wait to share the rest.
I follow more photographers that I could even tell you, and I keep seeing the "Best of 2012" posts... and I knew that I needed to do one, too!
I'm not a huge blogger, but one of my many promises to myself is to blog more this coming year.
So, as I sifted through my hard drive, month through month, my eyes started to well up with tears about halfway through the year when it really hit me how blessed I am.
And when I say blessed, I mean that I've been truly and deeply gifted with amazing friends and memories and experiences of this past year.
I think it's easy to get caught up in the negatives of life. We are such a whiney society. Oh, I had a bad day. A customer was mean to me. I don't like my body. I wish I had more money. My instagram feed won't load. My wifi is being slow. The person in front of my is going too slow in the left lane. I'm bored. I'm lonely. Blahblahblah.
What we don't realize (and it's not to minimize a bad day or a bad moment) is that even with those thoughts running through our minds, we are above all, insurmountably blessed just to be alive.
I was just talking to a dear, dear friend of mine who recently had a pretty bad car accident this past weekend about taking things slow and enjoying moments. And as cliche is it sounds, why do we COMPLETELY avoid doing so?! We speed down the highway, we text instead of call because it's easier and faster, we send e-mails because it's quicker. We do everything we can to cut 15 minutes off of a drive.
I'm done speeding through life. I want to be intentional with my words and with my actions. That's my "resolution" for this coming year.
Anyway, getting back to being blessed... those of you who have supported my business this year truly don't understand how thankful I have been for you. You have paid my rent some months. You have nourished my creative spirit. You have allowed me to do what I love. Thank you for you letting me into your lives, your moments, your (mostly happy) tears and your laughter. Thank you for your encouragement.
I had a really, really hard time picking what I wanted to put up as my "best of 2012"... so I'm doing it my way. This is a REVIEW of 2012. I went through each shoot from this year and picked my favorites. There are so. many. pictures. in this post... I'm sorry! 2012 was such a fun year for me. It was my first real year of doing wedding photography. I took my first huge adult vacation to Portland and made a couple pit stops in California with one of my close friends, April. We went to Storyline and I learned who I wanted to be. I also learned that I belong on the west coast and will hopefully make that happen at the end of the next two years. I made a handful of really amazing friends who I can't imagine not knowing. I met and developed friendships with some incredible photographers that I cherish as friends and look up to. I learned and had to trust in who God is, as a Provider. I saw places I never thought I would. I saw a ton of really amazing concerts. I captured so many people in love, saw so many secret smiles passed between loves, I realized what I'm good at and what I'm not. I could go on and on!
So grab a cup of tea/coffee/whiskey and settle in.
Here is my year in chronological order.
Thank you for a fantastic year. Here's to 2013!
I can't figure out the audio player so you should definitely listen to this youtube video while scrolling through. It's my favorite song and I listened to it when I flew back home after our epic vacation out west.. it's the kind of song that flutters and settles in your chest, clicking you into place for that moment. People who love music know that feeling.
Oh, and if you're one of those clients.. would you mind either "liking" this or sharing this link? I'd love for people to see my favorite shots of you ;)
// BRIDES // Due to the insane number of emails I've received about Cameron's all lace dress (which is apparently all over Pinterest) -- I figured this would be easier. It is made by Justin Alexander! Thanks!
Oh hi guys! Here's a little preview from a session today with my sister-in-law, Sara, behind the lens! She's been wanting to learn photography so we went out and I taught her the basics.. I would say she did a phenomenal job. Can't wait to share the rest.
