I Need Your Opinion...

So, I have this goal... I guess you could say it's on my bucket list... I want to visit each continent sometime during my life.  I've always said though that Antarctica wasn't really in that mix because while I'm not a fan of this 100 degree weather we've been having, I much prefer it to -100 degree weather.  Hands down!

As of right now, not including Antarctica, I have two continents left to visit: Australia and Asia (and it just hit me that I have the "A" continents left... how funny!).  But, when I found out about this contest through National Geographic and realized the prize was a two week photography expedition to Antarctica, my mind changed a little about the super-freezing-cold-southern-most-part of our planet.

But I need your help deciding which picture to enter!  It has to be a photo I took on a previous National Geographic Photography Expedition, hence the photos from Provence last fall.  So, let me know which one you think would help me win a trip to Antarctica!

Baguette Ancienne

Abby Arch

Leaning Towards Autumn

Trumpet Player

Dancing With the Bulls

Olives to Order

Cheese Tasting

Backdoor Chef

maternity | kelly & baby harper

If only I could express how much joy is inside of me as I post these pictures.  If only I could convey how thankful I am that this day is here!  If only I could express in words how much I love my friend in these photos and how much I already love the beautiful little girl, Harper, that's growing in her belly.

My sweet friend, Kelly, called me not long ago saying she would be coming back south for a weekend visit and asked if we could do maternity pictures.  I mean, the only way I would say no is if I were in a galaxy far far away and warp speed hadn't been invented yet.  In other words, I said YES!

Kelly was one of the girls in another freshman Bible study during our freshman year of college.  I knew her because we all sort of knew each other, but it wasn't until the next year that I got to know her, especially after we spent the summer after our sophomore year in Atlanta doing our own internships.  It was also that summer that this guy named John was working with a ministry to try and start a church that focused on Georgia Tech students.  Kelly knew John better than I did so she and I would go to the Bible studies and we slowly got to know our little summer group.  As we all hung out, studied scripture, went to the laser show at Stone Mountain and went sky diving, John and Kelly were getting to know each other better.  And then one day, it happened.  He asked her out... and much girly screaming ensued :)

And here we are, ten years later, about to celebrate the birth of their amazing baby girl!  Harper isn't due until October (the best birthday month of all) but she's big enough now that we were able to get some adorable first pictures of her and her mommy.

Kelly, I love you so much and I can NOT wait to meet Harper and watch you and John become amazing parents.  Muah!

This, dear internet, is some beautiful backlighting for a beautiful woman.

Kelly, you are gorgeous.

By the way... I still love your bling.

married | cody & seth

It was hot.  Like, h-o-double-t hot.  When I stopped by the Rock Quarry to take pictures of the site before heading to where Cody was getting ready, a few gray clouds loomed overhead and my prayers continued to ask for no rain during the ceremony.  Well, God certainly heard that prayer!  Not only was there no rain but the sun was blazing.  As we waited outside for the ceremony to begin, Seth was glistening, not from nerves, but from the heat pouring from the sun.  But, I think he would tell you that it was worth it.  Or at least that's what the smile on his face said when he saw his bride walk into view.

Cody and Seth's laid back and natural style was seen everywhere you looked.  And it was gorgeous.  The rustic tables that held glass bottles of lemon, cucumber, and mint water were perfect with the outdoor setting (as well as for the guests, wedding party, and photographer!).  The J.Crew attire that the wedding party wore was fabulous.  The simplistic center pieces at the reception at Huguenot Loft had Cody and Seth's names written all over them.  Even the small rustic table where the couple shared their first meal as husband and wife fit perfectly with the theme.

Sharon Smith of On Top of the Table did a fantastic job, not only with coordinating the wedding, but with the flowers as well!  This woman is so talented and I loved getting to work with her.

Cody... who would have thought that a year after our venture to Peru that, instead of pouring concrete, playing with children and singing Soy Libre at the top of our lungs that we'd be standing outside at a park in Greenville as you married your best friend??  I've loved getting to see snippets of your life over the past year and how God has worked in all of it.

Cody and Seth, thank you so much for the honor of sharing your wedding day with you. A thousand blessings as you return home from Costa Rica to begin your life together as husband and wife!

Loved her J.Crew wedding dress.

Cody, you are stunning.

The wedding party looked hawt in their J.Crew ensembles.

A Sharon Smith floral creation... didn't I tell you she was great?

I just love the Rock Quarry.

Mucho thanks to my friend Holly Stoy for all of her help before, during and after the ceremony... as well as for snagging this shot!

We snuck off after the ceremony (in a white stretch lemo) and snagged some pictures of the bride and groom.

Y'all are just amazing.

I know this idea isn't original, but I love everyone's expressions in this picture!

This is the second time I've shot at the Huguenot Loft and I loved it even more the second time around as I watched Cody and Seth's first dance.

I saw this idea from another photographer who had posted some images on Facebook (and I so wish I could remember who had posted it!) and wanted to give it a try.  Cody and Seth were gracious enough to let me try it. Thanks for trusting me, you two!

Click here to see their slideshow!

little ones | Wyatt's First Year Slideshow

As promised from the post of his one year old pictures, Wyatt's slideshow is ready! Below is a picture from each session we did over the year.  It has been SO much fun to capture him at each stage of his first year of life and it's been just as fun to go back and see how much he's grown.

Wy, you're going to be a fantastic big brother when you're little brother arrives this fall!  Congrats Sarah and Cas to your previous growing family.  Thank you so much for letting me experience this first year of Wyatt's life with you!

Newborn 

(and possibly one of my favorite pictures... ever)

 3 months

6 months

9 months

1 year!

Click here to see more pictures from the past year.

Bahamas Mission Trip

Just over a week ago, after shooting Cody and Seth's amazing wedding, I drove up to Rock Hill so that some friends could take me to the Charlotte airport the next morning.  The morning of the wedding, 30ish high school students and leaders from our church met up at 5am to drive to Charlotte to catch a plane to the Bahamas and because of the wedding, I was flying down the next morning to join them for the week.  I was glad to miss the 5am meet-up but sad that I was missing the first 24 hours of the trip.  But, I had an amazing wedding to shoot, so I'm glad that it worked out for me to still go on the trip!

Our purpose in going to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas was to run a Vacation Bible School and do some construction.  I love kids, but I also love getting sweaty and building things.  So, I was on the construction team.  Because I'm hard core like that.  Ok, not really, but I like to pretend.  Well, we were able to get some shingles put on a couple of roofs, which was pretty cool.  Wait, it was actually really hot.  Remember the sweating comment?  Anyway, I digress.

Other than going down to love on some people in the Bahamas, do some construction and hang out with the students from our church, I had a personal goal... photographically speaking, anyway.  Last fall when I went to France with National Geographic, I learned that it's ok to go up and ask people if I can take their picture.  I learned it's ok to capture people in their environment and I learned that I do, in fact, love trying to capture that!  So, as we worked and were in between shingles, I wandered and made some friends.

This was at the shop across the street from the clinic we worked on. And it may be my favorite.

Mangoes!

 

When we were almost done with the roof of the clinic, I wandered over to this small pink building that was facing the water.  Turns out it was the Local Government Office and General Post Office.

And being the nosy curious person that I am, I poked my head in and said hi to these two lovely ladies!  And I may have stood in front of her fan to cool off for a few minutes.  Maybe.

I just love this one...

It was so good to get out of the country with some of my favorite people.  The trip was something that I needed in order to take a breath of fresh air and remember that God is GOOD.  He was good in letting me go, He was good in allowing me to capture the trip in photographs, He was good in the relationships that we built as a group, He was good in the things He taught us through the book of Jonah, through the kids at VBS, and through the people we met while working on those roofs.

It always amazes me how much I learn about myself from the people of different cultures.  I'm so thankful for the travel I've been able to do in my life because it's let me see a side of God and His creation that I may not have noticed otherwise.

Another fabulous part of the trip was the local fruit... including these amazing pineapples this sweet lady was selling.  But don't be fooled, she didn't grow them.  At least that's what she told us when we asked :)

There are more pictures of the group and our daily happenings here, here and here.