Alex and Sterling NON-Engaged (aka the most exciting shoot ever)

For the record...

K, now that we got that out of the way...

Alex and I have know each other for (oh God, dare I age us) 8 years, since I first joined Alpha Phi at JMU.  Since then, we lived together a year or so after college in the Fan and bonded over a love of photography.  Alex has been a valued friend and a patient, knowledgable and encouraging fellow photographer every since I got my DSLR.  In fact, I can honestly say that without her encouragement, I may have never bought it.  Her love for photography is contagious and when I saw the joy she got out of it, I knew I had been putting it off for far too long.  And boy, was I right!

Any how, this wonderful couple volunteered to be my models for the evening at Belle Isle and let me tell you, this was literally the most exciting shoot I've had thus far!  LONG STORY SHORT - three people got caught in the current in the James and Alex immediately called 9-1-1 and ran to meet the fire department while Sterling shouted reassurances to them from the shore.  (They're like a super hero team or something.) They were rescued, thank God, and we kept right on shooting! You CAN'T make this stuff up!!

My favorite thing about this non-engagement shoot is that the whole time people kept walking by saying thinks like "congratulations" and "you two look so happy".  I just can't IMAGINE what it will be like if (ok, let's be honest.. when) they do get engaged.  Case and point... PLEASE ignore this horrible example of photography but it's funny.

I mean these two are like peas and carrots, and EVERYONE feels the love, including the curious passerby.  But, we will all wait with baited breath for the day these two find the perfect time for THEM to get engaged (no pressure intended Sterling, really).  But PS, can I PAALEEEASSEEE take THOSE pictures too??

See what I mean!?

                                 -K

The Lloyd Family

Wow, what can I say?  This shoot was hopefully the start to an awesome thing and I couldn't have picked a better family to do it with! I mean, LOOK AT THEM. Well, read this first, then look at them :)  When I asked them what was the most important thing they receive from this shoot, the answer wasn't creative poses, perfect smiles or even just gorgeous photos.  First they said that they just wanted to have fun but it was the second thing that really resonated with me.  Mrs. Lloyd said that she often finds herself out of the family photos because she is usually the one taking the pictures and that she just wanted some photos of her with her kids. I can completely relate to that!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being the family photographer, but it isn't a rare occurrence that I enjoy a day of shooting and get home to look at the photos and realize I forgot to include myself in any of them!  

So, my ultimate goal this shoot was to provide this family with some wonderful photos where Mom was on the other side of the lens.  

                                             -K

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Lawrence!

What a weekend!  So thankful to have been a part of this adorable couples' big day.  

Congrats again to the newlyweds! 

                                                                          -K

Sneak Peak!! - The Lloyds

This adorable family is coming to the blog next!  Had an awesome Sunday evening with them, can't wait to show more!!

Um... cutest kids ever!?! 

Check back soon to see more from their shoot! 

                                -K

Rebecca and Denver

My lovely coworker Rebecca and her boyfriend, Denver, are probably the cutest little chemists I've ever seen.  Rebecca and I work together doing quality control chemistry and Denver is studying to get his PhD in chemistry.  This was literally just THE evening for science nerds to unite!  It was such an awesome experience that I am even MORE excited for the upcoming clients I have and I CAN'T EVEN HOLD IT IN!!  Weddings... families... but more on that later!

And just to get a little technical realllll quick - shot this whole shoot in aperture priority just to see if I can get awesome pictures a little faster than shooting in manual.  The answer is yes!!! But I will let you take a look and decide :)

Did I mention they have the cutest kitties?

Spring - Free As Air

Spring is finally here!! Such a wonderful time of year.  Just when we thought we couldn't handle one more freakin' snow storm... it's warm again!  Birds are chirping, trees are blooming and most of us have broken out the shorts WAY too early.  But that's for another post.

A lot of wonderful things have been happening for me in the photography realm recently (more later) and I feel like I have been getting a lot of positive feedback for my photos.  Aka actual human beings are not only LOOKING at my pictures but they LIKE them, they really really LIKE them.  WHAT!? My husband would at this point mention he has ALWAYS said my photos were good (even when they weren't) and so his title as my biggest fan remains but y'all, people actually VISIT my blog!

Is this real life!?

Needless to say, positivity fuels positivity which means I am motivated to take more pictures!

The family went down to Belle Isle, an RVA staple, and walked around on one of our first wonderful spring weekends of 2015.  I started out pretty much trying to shoot "spring" but Belle Isle ended up speaking to me in a much different way.  The tiny island amidst the rushing waters of the James has plenty of natural beauty but there are also constant reminders of the sprawling city just a mile away.

This shoot developed into a juxtaposition between the beauty of spring and urban decay without me even realizing it until after I starting editing the pictures. Talk about an awesome unplanned surprise!