Cutie Pie Two Year Old!! – Birmingham Alabama Child Photographer
Posted on September 9, 2011
I love two year olds! They are so honest, you can not fool them! They either trust you or they don’t! This little guy was such a sweetheart and we played all around the Birmingham Botanical Gardens looking for water!! Mom and Dad weren’t planning on joining in for the portraits but I think I bamboozled (did I just say that?) them into joining me for a few. Little man was so full of energy yet listened to me so well for a 2 year old!! The weather was amazing, perfect… really. Who could ask for more???

2 year old sweetheart at the beach! – Gulf Coast Portrait Photographer
Posted on August 4, 2011
I first met this family with little man when he was six months old. I have to admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw him today. He is so grown. How did that happen? He has the sweetest little man haircut! I am so blessed to be connected to this family is a small way that I get to watch him grow up in my lens. It makes my heart smile big! I was so excited to hear we would be at the beach at the same time!
I am so in love with this light… sunset on the gulf. Summer will be gone before we know it (I know it is hard to think about that when it is so hot!). We will be all stuck in our house wondering if it will snow or if the roads will ice over.We will be begging for summer. I want to remember the sunset on the gulf. Perfect. God is an amazing creator.

I GET how important it is!! – Birmingham Alabama Photographer
Posted on May 26, 2011
I remember saying in my high school business class that I wanted to work with the public. I love meeting new people, hearing their stories, seeing how families interact together. It is so exciting to me right before a wedding or portrait session (and nerve wracking too!). And there is one thing I never want to take for granted…. every thing you did to be at our session. I know how hard it is to get ready for a portrait session. I know it shouldn’t be but as a mom and bride 10 years ago… I know it wasn’t easy for you to come see me for your session. Of course, I can tell you that my sessions are laid back and we try to have fun and if something isn’t working, we do something else…. etc etc. BUT, I know that before I ever see mom’s or a bride’s face that you are nervous and probably have had to fight tooth and nail to get there. I know how much time you spent thinking about what to wear. You want your portraits to be about you, not about what you are wearing… but you want to look like you do in her head or better.
If you are a mom, I know that you are most likely on edge. There is so much riding on this portrait session. You have studied my work for months. What would YOUR family look like through my lens? Of course, the world is not going end if the portrait session doesn’t go well. But, you have planned… dreamed, cleaned your kids, ironed your clothes, pumped up your kids for a portrait session, promised treats if everyone behaves, you are running late or almost running late when your precious 18 month old found the perfect outfit you carefully picked out and smears gold fish crackers down the front while it is still hanging, you get in the car and fight traffic, go somewhere unfamiliar and sometimes you are meeting someone unfamiliar (me!), etc etc… by the time I see most moms I know the panic in your face. I have been there. IS my kid going to act right? They are kids and we are asking them to do something a little strange. Meet this person you don’t really know and smile pretty at her big black box. And sometimes there are toddlers involved or newborns… and frankly all bets are off! I have been there and my little precious angel did not mind me or Cory one bit. She was bad and didn’t want to do anything we wanted her to do. (she has done this at two separate portrait sessions!) My son gave them a weird smile and it took a while for him to warm up. And you know what… my son refuses to look at the camera. (He is getting better!). But I so cherish those pictures today. As much as I hate to be on the other side of the camera, my family portraits are so very important to me and I put much thought into every detail. I know how moms feel. (both photographers that did our family session did any amazing job and I OF COURSE had nothing to worry about!).
If you are a bride, I know how much your engagement session means to you. I still have my pictures on our wall. It was such a sweet time in my life. I had no idea what I was doing but I was so in love. I look at those pictures today and I am so grateful for that time and for the journey it took to get where I am now. I know our brides will one day do the same thing. And at your wedding, I know how important every detail is to you. I know you want to remember it. I know that as a bride you spend months planning every single detail as a way to celebrate how much you love each other. My wedding portraits are one of my most valuable possessions. Yes, I know and I remember what it took to get to the pictures at my engagement and wedding. It is very personal to me. I know one day you will show your children the images I take of you and your husband (to be). I know it is a big deal.
BUT even though I know how hard it was for you to come see me (or us at your wedding) I also know how excited I am to see YOU and your family (or husband to be). I can’t wait to see what you are wearing, I can’t wait to find out more about your family, and I can’t wait to take awesome pictures that you worked so hard for. During my family session, things weren’t going well and I was nervous. We had invested so much into our session and my Sarah wasn’t doing anything we needed her to do. Then as we changed locations, my loving Cory said to me, “how often has this happened to you? The kids weren’t listening, the mom was stressed… and you still took fabulous pictures. RELAX and let her do her job”. He was right and I had lost sight that I had hired a professional. And they knew what they were doing. I was in a good hands. And my pictures were fabulous and I even LOVE the one of Sarah acting out. It is so her and makes me laugh every time I see it.
This is my advice to you as a mom and a bride to be… RELAX and know that you hired someone that knows exactly how you feel and I know how important our session is for you. If your kid is bad, no big deal. I will figure it out. If your husband is known to be is a blinker and never gives a real smile… don’t worry, I am here to make you look lovely (and him too!).
That is why you hired me and I totally GET what your time with me means. I love my job.
And because you HAVE to have pictures on this blog… here are a few favorites from this week!
