Nate and Shalane

Last Monday, my recently-engaged friends Nate and Shalane let me drag them out to the beach for an engagement session. They were a lot of fun, and were absolutely perfect models for my first shoot! Nate was good at coming up with poses, and both were good sports and willing to try whatever I suggested - even when it came to getting soaked. And they have even asked me to shoot their wedding in December. I can't wait!

Lyle Wedding

Moments before she walked down the aisle...

In July of '07, my cousin Laura married Tim Lyle. The wedding was in Virginia, so Mark, Chris, and I made a vacation out of it. It was wonderful to see that side of the family, as it had been years! Laura had already hired a professional photographer for her wedding, but I asked if I could shoot some as well, and of course she agreed. I didn't want to get in the way of her photographer, though, so I parked myself on the balcony of the 200-year old church where the ceremony was held and shot from there. She was an absolutely stunning bride, and it was a beautiful wedding. It was truly a blessing to be there.

My Inspiration

Since giving birth to my son Chris in August of '06, I have taken thousands of pictures of him. After all, it goes so quickly and I don't want to forget anything! But the more pictures I took, the more I realized that I loved capturing each moment and then having this beautiful image to look back at. I also began to think about all of the beauty that God has given us in this world (other than my son!) and how I have always felt drawn to photos that record that beauty, whether it is a stunning landscape or a breathtaking bride. So out of that came a prayer, that maybe, just maybe, God would allow me to be the one to record some of that beauty for others. So unless/until God closes this door, I am going to keep pursuing this dream.