addy | senior portraits

“The earth has music for those who listen.” -Shakespeare

One day this summer I was feeling dry creatively, and kind of sad I didn’t have anything lined up to photograph. That exact day I got a message from a mother…”I'd love to talk with you about Sr pics for one of my girls. She's my fairy spirit hippie violinist. I think hopefully a good fit for your style.” And then I jumped up and down and closed my eyes real tight because I was smiling so much. You see…I myself am a fairy spirit hippie violinist and I couldn’t wait to capture her in this inhale before adulthood.

When I met Addy I was drawn in instantly by her warmth. It was so genuine and had such depth, something I don’t usually see in girls her age. I loved her instantly, as I think everyone who meets her does.

We spent the afternoon skipping around the forest just letting Addy explore and play her beautiful, soulful music. On top of Black Balsam it echoed through the mountains and in the river it was accompanied by the sound of the water trickling over the rocks. I nestled her in the roots of the big tree I love, her fresh face so bright in contrast to the weathered bark and the twisted up roots. It felt like a dance, it felt like a song, it felt like a part of my heart being given new life.

tyler + madison | a quarantine wedding

In the very middle of quarantine when everything was sideways, Tyler and Madison rolled with the punches and shifted their big wedding to an intimate gathering at the Air b and b Madison’s parents had rented to stay in. It was perfect.

I felt like I had entered a different world as I stepped into this day. Preceding it were endless days of isolation and heaviness. This day was rich with family and love and celebration.

Tyler and Madison have been through it together. Hard, hard, hard times in between the goodness. So seeing them say their vows I knew they knew what for better or worse truly meant. I get chills every time I think about it.

The day was so relaxed. Amber with Blush and Blossoms Events worked so magically behind the scenes that there was no rush, no surprises, just space. It was so lovely.

After the touching ceremony (I cried), dinner was served on the most beautiful veranda with a little stream nearby. And then incredible toasts by nearly every person there. The parents and their love and support for the bride and groom moved my heart in a very deep way.

As the sun set, there was a little bit of dancing under the twinkly lights and I stepped back into the darkness and just watched and breathed. The warmth and tenderness of the day will never be lost on me.

the power of the fleeting

Every day, moments come and go only to be lost in the chasms of our brains. Sometimes it becomes a memory but often times it’s simply gone.

The way your daughter’s loose tooth wiggled and the way she squints her eyes so tight when she smiles, the smell of your mama, the way it felt when your daddy squeezed you with his strong arms. The season when all they would wear was a super hero cape and worn out boots, that time it was so hard to stay married but you did. These moments come in and out of our life and we try to grab hold of all we can but we can only hold so much.

When I first started photographing families 15 years ago, my goal was to have everyone still and smiling. I searched for days for interesting backgrounds and used props to add interest. People hired me yearly to catch that Christmas card picture and it was sweet and beautiful.

It was about 4 years ago that I woke up and realized there were tons of photographers that could capture that Christmas card picture, but I had a gift for seeing and holding these fleeting moments that go unnoticed and I needed to use it. So I do.

I do and it fills me right up and every time I deliver an album and I know that those photos will be loved. But that a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now they will be held and cried over with big happy tears. I know they will bring back a rush of emotions felt during that little sliver of life that passed so quickly.

So what are you waiting for? Are you waiting to loose a few pounds, or for Ella’s tooth to grow back in? Are you waiting for the time that will not come when you don’t have any unexpected bills to pay? Are you waiting till you aren’t fighting with your spouse, your teenager doesn’t turn their back on you, or a season when you aren’t tired in your bones?

The time is now. The season that will bring you to your knees when you sit, wrinkled and longing, over your worn out album is now.

I realize that this strange year is the time we most need to document and yet it’s the time when money is the tightest. In holding onto the value of my work, instead of offering mini sessions I want to offer a payment plan for anyone that longs for these images and yet can’t imagine making it work. I want to make now a possibility. Photos can be taken now and payments made in the months following.

The power of the fleeting is now.

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