Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone I told you!

Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I am all about coupons. Sooo....I have found one, but you can't tell them I told you!

Kaye Marie's in Greer has a brand new blog and a coupon to go along with it. Here's the link.... http://www.kayemaries.blogspot.com/

It's only good until the end of the month so don't wait too long!

Travelers Rest Miss Relay for Life Pageant

After Kent and Laura's engagement session we headed straight over to Travelers Rest High School for the Travelers Rest Miss Relay for Life Pageant. All the girls looked beautiful in their dresses! I have to say that as much as I wish I could post them all on here, I can't so here's a picture of all the winners.

Thank you to all of you who stopped by to have your picture made with us and congratulations to all of the winners!

Trash the Dress (Part 2)

Yesterday was the second Trash the Dress session Linda and I had scheduled. Dayna and Ayla were fantastic - no complaints from them at all - and they were dirty by the end of the session. It was very hot and very long but I think we all had a great time and ended up with a lot of wonderful images. I first want to thank all of the many people who were there helping us - we greatly appreciate everything you all did!!! I have so many favorites from this session - so I'm warning you - this is going to be a long post!

We started out with Dayna. We wanted to take her to a couple of very quick stops before heading up to Poinsett Bridge. The first stop was a field.

We then traveled to these beautiful vineyards for a couple more quick shots.

Marty came along to shoot with us again. Here are two of his shots of Dayna in the vineyards.

Finally we made it up to Poinsett Bridge. We were there a few minutes earlier than I expected so we went ahead and got started with Dayna. I love her serious look!

I want to thank Megan Taylor of doing a great job on Dayna's hair and makeup!

We finally gave Dayna a break and started on Ayla.
I think this is one of my favorite shots of Ayla.

Finally it was time to take the girls up under the bridge.

I like having Marty shoot with me - especially at weddings. He is able to capture those moments my camera can't see! These three shots are all his.

Although Linda and I had to wait on Marty to move and get out of the way of our shots, he got an amazing shot of Ayla from the opposite side of the bridge.

Then it was time to get a little wet!

Dayna then had her turn in the water. Here's one of mine...

...and one of Marty's.

I decided I wanted to incorporate some pieces of furniture into the shoot and be a little creative. Here's the result!

Marty got a close-up of Dayna's feet - she was a tad dirty!So I had several people laughing at our very purple chair, but it looks awesome in the pictures!
Marty got a great shot of Ayla in the chair!

One last shot of Ayla before we packed things up at the bridge.

We were hoping to get some shots of Dayna in a swimming pool but unfortunately we were running out of daylight. This shot Marty took was my favorite out of the swimming pool shots. However, I think Dayna appreciated the opportunity to wash a little dirt and mud off of her before taking her dress off!Thanks again to everyone who helped us out! Don't forget to check out Linda's blog for some of her shots.

Also to see dress trashing pictures from other great photographers check out http://www.trashthedress.com/.

Trash the Dress (Part 1)

One thing that has become very popular with brides who want to do something a little unconventional with their wedding gown is trash the dress sessions. Instead of having their dress preserved or stuck in the back of a closet, putting the dress on after the wedding day seems to be a choice brides are making and having fun in the process.

Linda Long, a fellow photographer and good friend, is home for the week and we decided to organize a trash the dress session. It wasn't hard at all for me to find willing volunteers - Julie and Allison were excited to help us out and take part in the session yesterday.

We started out at Dr. Campbell's farm in Blue Ridge. He has a beautiful place and we greatly appreciate him allowing us to shot the girls there.

We started with Julie first... I love the swing!
Then it was Alli's turn!
Alli looked great dancing around in the barn with her dress on!
After the farm, we headed up to Red Turner where the girls wanted to take their four wheelers and ride. I was a site to see two girls in wedding gowns riding in the red mud!

Alli decided she needed a flower!
I was afraid there would not be any water with the lack of rain we've had, but that wasn't the case!
Julie and Alli were a little hot in those dresses so we thought it would be a good idea to help them cool off some!We appreciate everyone who helped us out for this session. We had a great time and Julie and Allison were GREAT! They were willing to do ANYTHING we asked them to do!

And yes, Marty was there to shoot with us too so I have to post some of his shots too!He really pays attention to detail!

Alli showing a little leg for the camera!

You can also see some of Linda's work on her blog http://www.longsphotography.com/blog.htm

Miss Relay for Life Pageant

I had the opportunity to take portraits for the girls in the Miss Relay for Life Pageant at Northwood Baptist Church in Greer this past Saturday. Congratulations to all the winners - and thank you for being a part of an event to help raise money for a great cause. All the girls were very beautiful!!!

For those of you who know me know I gravitate towards the children when I am behind my camera. I can't explain why - that's just the way it is. So naturally, here is my favorite contestant who stopped by to have her portrait made...she is just too cute!

Congratulations everyone and keep on raising money to help support Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.

Angela & Bert

Back in January - the 27th to be exact - Marty and I took a trip to Columbia, SC to shoot Angela & Bert's wedding, but for some reason, I never got around to posting it on the blog. So, I finally decided that I was taking care of that today.

I loved Angela's dress!

Angela's aunt was there to help her get ready.
I don't normally get emotional at weddings, but I will admit that behind the camera my eyes got watery more than once that day! Anglea and her aunt shared the first emotional moment together before walking out the door of the hotel room.
Bert kept glancing at Angela throughout the ceremony. You could tell these two care so much for one another.

Following the ceremony, I took the couple outside the hotel for a few pictures with just them.

Back inside, Angela & Bert share their first dance as a married couple. The smile on their faces beamed with happiness.
After a search for the missing father of the bride, more emotional moments were shared when Angela danced with her dad. Seems he was MIA due to a wardrobe change!

And I can finally post some of Angela's bridal portraits.
This last picture ended up having a special meaning to it. When Angela's dad saw the picture and that we were out at Furman University he told Angela that he had laid the bricks that she was standing on. I thought that added such a special touch to the portrait.