The Riggans

You ever have a kid in front of the lens that just makes your camera melt? This little chickadee is quite the ham! Had a great time kicking off "cool leaves season" (as I like to call it) with this family!

NCS 2012 Senior Pictures - Norlina, NC

One thing is obvious when you pull up in the driveway. Family is of the utmost importance to these folks. Ms. B wanted pictures of family incorporated into her senior shoot. Sweet!



Special shout out to MaryLou Wright for taming that beast of a reflector....and doing a fabulous job with this senior's hair. Mine has never stayed tame no matter how much you fry it with the flat iron. Must make an appointment with her.



Besides the beach, farm land is my favorite place to shoot.




She didn't think her brother would be up for pictures but once he saw it wasn't absolute torture to be in front of the camera, we did get him to agree to a few. I forget how many happy meals and trips to adventure island were promised for this. Hopefully Ms. B's salary is higher than mine to make good on those promises!



We had to get a few with her jersey since she plays not one, not two but three sports.



Work it girl!









Thanks to Ms. B and her family for a fun evening in Warren County, and for the glass of tea!

Dudley family - OBX portraits 2011

More Outer Banks beach portraits! We had the prettiest light at sunset....and it went away all too fast. Wish I'd had another hour!
Saying something like "hey, you've got 3 kids I know you can get closer than that" is probably not appropriate for normal sessions. But I know this family so they actually laughed. Be warned. If you schedule a family session, I will attempt to get photos of just you and your loved one too. I don't care about statistics, I still believe in forever. Maybe because I know I have that with Scott :)




Gorgeous kiddos!




A beautiful night in Nags Head, a beautiful family portrait if I do say so myself.

The L Family (part 1) {Lake Gaston family photographer}

I couldn't ask for a better group of folks to work with. We were out in the heat and humidity at Lake Gaston on July 4th and ended up with a minimum of 40 photos for their gallery, not including black and white (which I'm about 65% finished with). I cannot say enough good about how hospitable and sweet they were. On the way there I said a little prayer that I'd be able to capture images they'd cherish for a lifetime. If I can succeed at that for every one of my clients, then I've met my goal and the rest will fall in place. I hope they'll love their photos and I'll be loading their gallery tonight.

Have a great weekend all!

Piano Recital {Baskerville VA photographer}

My friend teaches piano and weekend before last we had the privilege of attending her recital in Norlina. All of the kids (and adults) did such a wonderful job. I've always been amazed by anyone who can play musical instruments. I'm more amazed at how she juggles it all with 3 kids. This one's personal to me as she happens to also be my daughter's best friend. They've been two peas in a pod since before they were old enough to spell the word play. I didn't get to choose the lighting and only had a minute to grab a quick shot, but I couldn't resist posting it here. Congratulations A and A, you put on a wonderful show. We love you dearly and can't say how thankful we are to have you in our lives!

The J's family photos {Henderson, NC}

Many years ago when Kassi was a baby we lived right beside this family in Henderson. I don't know how they stood it as I know they heard the baby crying all day and all night. I'm gonna have to do something special for them! It's been about 8 years and they haven't changed a bit, still just as cute as ever. We met at one of my favorite spots in Wake Forest for pictures and laughed about 75% of the time. Awesome to still see sparks in a couple that's been married 10 years. If the kids hadn't been there they might have convinced me they'd just started dating. So sweet!

Stacey + Jason {Lake Gaston Photographer}

I swear you could feel the sparks half a mile away with these two. What can I add to that? Wait, I can add to it....a super cute little boy with balloons. I am one blessed photographer!

Boys! {NC Beach Photographer}

We went on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach back in June. As luck would have it, an old friend and her best friend were there around the same time. So we got together with the kids for a little session on the beach. It was a challenge, so thank goodness I had beautiful subjects! Sand was flying everywhere and it was close to 100 degrees even in the afternoon. But look how cute these little guys are....

Cute kiddos! {Warrenton, NC Child Photographer}

As you know I prefer to do most of my work outside with natural light, especially with kids. Winter rarely allows for that, so here's what we do when it's cold out. Have a reasonably sized open space in your home? Great. I'll bring the flashes and set up shop. Here's a few examples