jenmphotographyblog

New Website

2010-06-23T11:18:00.002-05:00

Hello! This is my old blog and I'm no longer updating it. If you'd like to keep up on all the jenm.photography shoots and happenings, please visit my website AND blog at www.jenmphotography.com . Don't forget to update all your bookmarks as well! Thanks!

Engagement Session- Brad & Alicia

2010-04-16T13:42:00.003-05:00

My long-time dear friend and roommate Alicia is engaged and getting married in a few weeks! I was so excited to go out with her and her fiance Brad last week and do an engagement photo session. I'm in the wedding, so I won't be photographing the actual wedding, but I know our friend Katy is going to do an amazing job (she's an awesome photographer in the Baton Rouge area if anyone needs a photographer there!). After doing this session, I'm actually a little jealous of Katy that she gets to photograph them on their big day! But it will be fun to just sit back and enjoy a wedding. It's been awhile since I've been able to do that :)

Anyways, Brad and Alicia and I drove out to Leiper's Fork area and had so many options for backdrops, I was going a little crazy. There are a lot of pictures in this post, but mostly because I know you all want to see them. So here we go...

Isn't Alicia just SOOOOO beautiful?!?

Awww, look at how sweet Brad is to Alicia....

And of course, we had to take a few with the sweet little pups!

I am sooo excited for Brad & Alicia's wedding in just a few weeks! It's gonna be a great celebration and I'm so honored to be apart of it. And don't worry, even though I'm not photographing the wedding, I will probably take my camera along that day and take a few pics. And I promise to stay out of your way Katy!!

Baby shower - Melissa

2010-04-14T10:07:00.001-05:00

Melissa is about to have her first baby girl, and she contacted me to photograph the shower her lovely friends hosted for her a few weeks ago. Her friends did a wonderful job decorating with lots of pinks (and some blues), and had an easter/spring/birds theme throughout.

They had a sweet bird cake made by Puffy Muffin Bakery, and the baby will be named Presley June. What a sweet name!

Melissa is glowing with excitement for her baby girl, and she had a lot of fun opening all the sweet gifts from her dear friends.

Congratulations Melissa! I can't wait to meet (and hopefully photograph) Presley June!

Baby session - Maddie

2010-04-12T09:35:00.001-05:00

Spring has finally showed up in Nashville. Welcome back, Spring. We have missed you. This might be my favorite time of year, especially for setting up photoshoots. I just want to be outside all the time! The sun in shining, the trees are blooming, the breeze is a-blowin' and it makes for a beautiful backdrop for photos.

I recently spent some time with a sweet little girl named Maddie in Centennial Park. Her mom Emmy contacted me about doing some 6 month photos of Maddie, and we thought the park would make the perfect location. I was so excited when Emmy showed up with a lot of fun spring outfits for Maddie and props for the shoot. Here are a few of my faves from the shoot.

I really loved these of Maddie in a basket.

Engagement Session- Jesse & Camille

2010-04-09T09:41:00.001-05:00

I am so excited about these photos...I can't believe it took me so long to post them! I did this session in January before I left for India, but got distracted with the photos from my trip.

I heard about Camille through many mutual friends, all of them swearing that we must know each other. She's a photographer and it seemed like we should of met each other long ago, but we just met for the first time at Davey & Erin's wedding back in August. Long story short...we met, hit it off, she saw the photos of Davey & Erin's wedding and booked me to photograph her and Jesse's wedding in May! I was really excited because they are such a fun, creative couple, and I knew Camille would know how to work it in front of the camera since she spends so much time directing people from behind the camera (p.s. she is an AMAZING photographer). Anyways, I met up with Jesse and Camille in downtown Franklin and our first stop was McCreary's Pub, (location of their first date) where we had a pint and captured these awesome shots.

Then we just took a stroll down main street and Jesse and Camille did their thing.

Camille is gorgeous and her eyes are this piercing blue color. I loved these two shots.

And one more fun shot.

I'm so excited to photograph Jesse & Camille in a few weeks at their wedding!

Family Session - Jon/Kelley/Isaiah/Aaron

2010-04-07T10:17:00.002-05:00

I've really been slacking on the blogging lately. I've done a few shoots over the last few months that I have not blogged about yet! I know my 10 followers on here are DIEING to see what I've been photographing lately ;) So to my ten beloved fans/followers, I am sorry. But I have some good stuff to post! I'll start with the lovely, amazing Owens family! They have been featured on my blog before, but they've had an addition to their family. Meet sweet little Aaron.

Of course, I had to do a few fun shots with the full-of-life-and-fun Isaiah. This kid cracks me up!

Peace out!

Paris

2010-03-25T10:40:00.000-05:00

On our way back from India, Jan and I decided to stop in Paris for two cold, but fun-packed days in what has now become one of my favorite cities in the world! I've been to Paris before, but maybe I was young and didn't appreciate it as much, but I could not get enough of it while we were there. I've been thinking about it a lot since we've come back and can't wait to visit again.

This is how Jan and I started every day: amazing coffee and delicious croissants in a quaint cafe!

The first day, we had a full day. Walked from our hotel so we could see more of the city, and visited Notre Dame, with its beautiful exterior and interior shots. I was having to refrain myself from taking too many pictures!

Then we headed to Sainte-Chapelle to see the gorgeous floor to ceiling stained glass windows, and they were worth the price and the wait in line to see them in person.

Then we had a bit of lunch and wandered around the George Pompidue Museum for a few hours, taking in some art, and rode the escalators to the top to see this view of the city.

We ended our day at the Eiffel Tower. It was gorgeous at night!

The next day, we headed to the Louvre, only to discover they are closed on Tuesday. We still took a few photos outside of it.

Decided to stop for some espresso and a crepe.

Next we headed to Montmartre, and climbed up the streets and the stairs to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur and saw a group of children getting ready to release balloons. We weren't sure what it was all about, but it was fun to watch.

It was adorable hearing all the children say "Au revoir!" to the balloons as they floated off into the sky.

The rest of the day, we just wandered around the streets of Paris and enjoyed it all.

It was sad to go after only two days, but I will definitely be back. If you'd like to see even more pictures of Paris, click HERE and enjoy!

India : Jaipur

2010-03-23T10:55:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm finally blogging about the last day of our trip in India. After Varanasi, we had planned on having a day in New Delhi before heading to Paris for 2 days and then flying home to the States. Our original plan was to take a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but after talking to a few people around India and friends who had visited India, we heard that we might want to skip the Taj Mahal and opt for a day trip somewhere else. One friend told us we should check out Jaipur, in the state of Rajasthan. We found a tour that would pick us up in New Delhi, drive us the 5 hours to Jaipur and have a tour guide for us there, who would take us around to see the city. AND, the tour included a ride on an elephant, which I was VERY excited about! Our driver picked us up at 6am and though I was not excited about being up so early, the beautiful drive to Jaipur put me in a better mood. We witnessed an unreal sunrise (which I stupidly did not take pictures of) over the colorful fields of mustard seed plants.

Once we were a little closer to Jaipur, I was thrilled about our first camel sighting!

And then we saw the elephants!

Once in the town center, we picked up our tour guide and had a day full of palaces...

Driving around and taking in the city...

And more camels, elephants, and monkeys...OH MY!!

We ended our day with our elephant ride up to one of the palaces. I don't have a picture of us on the elephant, but here's a few of our view from atop the elephant.

Visiting Jaipur was a perfect ending to our trip. It was a beautiful city and had a look and feel about it that matched up with what I imagined India to be like in my head. Each place we visited had something else about it that gave me more of an appreciation for this country, and Jaipur definitely added to it. I really loved that we spent our last day here.

If you would like to view more pictures from Jaipur, click HERE.

India : Varanasi

2010-03-14T12:13:00.006-05:00

After Goa, Jan and I headed to Varanasi to tour around the world's oldest living city for a few days. We had about an hour drive from the airport (which was by far the smallest airport I've ever been to) to our guest house. Once we arrived at Rahul's Guest House, we were excited that they had a restaurant on the roof and were REALLY excited when we saw that this was the view.

We met Raj at the guest house and he offered to take us out and tour us around the city for the few days we were there.

He offered an excellent rate and was super nice and informative. The first day, he took us in his rickshaw to visit some of the many temples in Varanasi. Unfortunately, a lot of the temples do not allow you to take photographs inside, but I got a few shots as we drove around the city.

Raj took us to a few of his friends shops. The first place we stopped was Ashwini's shop, where he taught us all about spices and essential oils and aromatherapy.

We also visited another friends shop, where they sold beautiful hand made scarves and bed covers. The guy who ran the shop was awesome. When we first arrived, he offered us chai and wanted to hear about where we were from and who we were.

That was probably my favorite day in Varanasi. I just really enjoyed meeting and spending time with the people in the shops and just driving around a lot of the city. Varanasi has a crazy, hectic feeling about it, but its very exciting at the same time. The next day, one of Raj's tour guide friends took us to Sarnath, a neighboring village, where we were able to see the Dhamekh Stupa and Dharmajajika Stupa, which are ruins of a Buddhist temple and where its believed that Buddha preached his first sermon.

We also saw a few other Buddhist temples that day.

The next day, we took a ride across the Ganges River, on the scariest bridge I've ever ridden across.

We went to tour around Ramnagar Fort.

Jan and I both got a little sick that day, so we took it easy for the next day and half. Our last evening in Varanasi, we decided to take a boat ride/tour down the Ganges River. We had some pretty epic views, which made for some incredible photos.

We got to see a Hindu ceremony performed at one of the ghats.

Here are a few more random photos I snapped in Varanasi that I really liked.

There are more pictures, and you can view them on my Flickr page here.

India : Goa

2010-03-05T11:37:00.003-06:00

We spent three days in Goa, a resort-y beach town on the west coast of India. A few locals in Mumbai told us that Goa was beautiful and we found out its where most of them go to vacation, so we thought we'd check it out. We stayed in a part of town called Candolim at a lovely guest house that was a 5 minute walk from the beach and the main street in this part of Goa. There was lots of shopping and good restaurants and of course, the beach, so we just kicked back and relaxed for the few days we had in Goa. We hired a driver to take us to Old Goa one day and we walked around and saw a lot of old churches. Not too much happened in Goa, but I was able to get a few good pics. Here are some of my favorites.

I loved how they displayed the seeds, flowers and spices.

I know I already posted this picture a few blogs ago, but there were cows everywhere in India and I thought this was hilarious to see this cow chillin' on the beach.

Beautiful churches of Old Goa.

I have a few more pictures and more details about each on on my Flickr page. If you want to see more, click HERE.

India : Mumbai

2010-03-02T11:11:00.004-06:00

I've been back from India for about three weeks now, and have FINALLY gone through all of the pictures and had some time to process the experience and wanted to post a few blogs about it. I figured I would break it down by each city we visited and show some pictures and tell some stories from each. I hope you enjoy these next few posts!

As I've been home the last few weeks, I've had a lot of family and friends ask about my time in India...what it was like, did I like it or not, what was like working at the orphanage and with the kids, what did I learn, how did I grow? So many questions and sometimes, I've had a hard time answering it. Overall, I LOVED the experience I had in India, but there were things I did not love about it. There were days that I wanted to just hop on a plane and come home because I felt so out of place and uncomfortable. But I'm really glad I didn't. And now that I am home and have had time to reflect and look over the pictures, I miss things about India. I miss the colors and liveliness of the country. I miss how new and different everything was compared to what I'm use to at home. I miss the food and the chai (mmmm, the chai!!). But mostly, I miss the people.

Our time in Mumbai was mostly spent at St. Catherine's School/Orphanage. The main purpose of our trip was to spend time with the kids and staff at the school and to do some practical tasks for Sunshine Kids International (a ministry organization based in California that supports St. Catherine's). Jan and I were blown away by the hospitality of the staff and children. We went over to serve them, and the whole time they were going above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and had what we needed. This was the first example of the people of India, and it showed that they are such a warm, kind, genuine, serving people. I was humbled. You wouldn't know unless you were told that the kids were orphans. They had such joy and were so full of life, that it gave me a renewed appreciation for everything I have (and usually take for granted) at home. The staff and teachers at St. Catherine's were SO giving, constantly putting the kids first. As we had conversations with the staff during the week, all we heard about was how they worked on ways to help the kids have a better life. A lot of their work has to do with teaching the kids that they are valuable and encourage them to dream about a future. Brother Joseph (the man who runs St. Catherine's) told us when the kids first come to the orphanage, if you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they don't even answer you because they've never thought about BEING something when they grow up. They only know life on the streets or in the slums and they do what they need to do to survive TODAY, without giving much thought about tomorrow. But as the staff works with them, they help the kids realize that they have a future, and they can be apart of shaping their future. As we talked to the kids during the week, we saw hope and excitement in their eyes as they told us they wanted to be a teacher or a flight attendant or a doctor or a dancer when they grow up. Before I went to India, I thought I would be sad or heart broken over what I would see and experience at St. Catherine's, but I actually felt the opposite: I felt hopeful and excited about the future of these kids. It was so inspiring and encouraging! After spending a week at St. Catherine's, I feel that they are doing something really special, and I was honored to help these kids in the small way that we did.

I've already posted quite a few pictures of the kids in the last blog, but I thought I'd share a few more of my favorites, so here they are:

LOVE the drawn on mustache!

The kids LOVE to dance and they were all involved in a dance program called Happy Feet. Jan and I tried to sit in on as many of the classes as we could. The kids have AHHH-mazing dance skills! Here are a few photos from the dance classes.

The kids love Michael Jackson and his music. Here is an MJ impersonation!

There are more pictures on my Flickr page and you can view them here. AND if you want to be involved with Sunshine Kids International and sign up to support what they are doing or even sponsor one of these precious kids, please go here.

INDIA!!

2010-01-31T21:45:00.010-06:00

I think all of you who actually read and follow this blog know that I am in India with my dear friend Jan. We landed in Mumbai on January 19th and have been traveling around and enjoying all that India has to offer. I'm not going to go into all the details on this blog entry, but a few of you have been asking to see more pictures, so I wanted to post some of those.

We spent the first week in Bandra, a neighborhood of Mumbai, working at St. Catherine's orphanage. We went as a part of Sunshine Kids International to serve them, as they continue to support St. Catherine's through sponsorship. At first, being around the kids was a bit overwhelming. There are over 200 kids at St. Catherine's and when these two light skinned girls came into the courtyard where the kids were playing, they would all run up to us, yelling "Deedee" and grabbing at our hands. But after a few days with the kids, and getting to be around them and talk to them and play with them, Jan and I developed a quick bond with a lot of them, and were so moved by their stories and personalities. For me, I was so surprised by the amount of hope and joy all of the kids have, in spite of coming out of some really bad situations. It was easy to see, even after spending only a few days there, the staff at St. Catherine's is really doing something incredible with these kids. I could go on and on, but I will wait till we get home to tell more stories. Here are some of the pics of some of the precious kids and from our time in Mumbai.

We LOVED watching their dance classes!

View from our balcony at night at the orphanage. We could see the city of Mumbai.

Went into the city 2 days and got to see the Taj Mahal hotel and life in the city.

After Mumbai, we traveled onto Goa, a beach town on the western coast of India. We spent 3 days in Goa, exploring the town and hanging out near the beach (it was HOT and we did not pack appropriate beach gear, so we stayed in the shade). Here's a few pics of Goa.

Cows are everywhere here in India. EVERYWHERE!

We just arrived in Varanasi last night, so no pictures from here yet. We'll be here the next 4 and 1/2 days and then onto New Delhi for our last 2 days in India, then to Paris for 3 days, then back to the states! I may try to post a few more pics this week if I can, otherwise, there will be a lot posted when I return! Hope you enjoyed this brief update. We've had an incredible time here so far and can't wait to share more stories and pictures.

Family Session - Chris/April/Avery

2010-01-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

I met Chris & April through my sister and I instantly loved their warm and fun personalities! And when I met their sweet daughter Avery, I was so excited they wanted to set up a family shoot while I was visiting Indianapolis for Thanksgiving. Avery is one of the happiest babies I've ever met. I was hanging out with her for about 5 minutes and she acted like I was her favorite person and gave me lots of laughs and smiles. I love kids like that! Here are a few of my favorite shots from their session.

Avery's grandmother got her this adorable santa outfit and I was loving all the poses Avery was pulling out in this outfit. Here's a great one!

Family Session - Shane/Angela/Nolen

2010-01-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

While I was in Indianapolis over Thanksgiving, I also got to do a photo session with my friends Shane & Angela and their little boy, Nolen, who is a true boy!! Full of energy and spunk, I was wore out at the end of the session because I was chasing him through much of it, but we got some great shots that I think truly capture Nolen at this very fun and exciting age.

I don't know what Nolen was more excited about, hanging with his dad or eating that cookie!

And this picture pretty much sums it up! Haha!

Engagement Session- Dwayne & Jenese

2010-01-22T10:00:00.001-06:00

Jenese found my website and contacted me about doing engagement photos of her and fiance, Dwayne. They are getting married in Dallas in the spring, and they've set up a photographer there for the wedding, but she wanted to do a few engagement photos to use for their wedding invitations and website. We booked the session for a Saturday in December, so I was a bit concerned about the weather cooperating with us. It ended up being a sunny yet bitter cold day, but Dwayne and Jenese were such good sports and we had a great time shooting in downtown Nashville. Dwayne had me crackin' up with all his talk about going to IHOP after the shoot for a big breakfast and all of the laughter kept me warm enough to get these shots.

Such a fun couple! I wish them all the best with their Texas wedding and marriage!

Family Christmas Pictures

2010-01-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

I know these are terribly late, but I wanted to share some photos I did of my family for Christmas. The downside of having a family member that is a professional photographer is that you constantly have a camera up in your face. The upside is that you usually end up with awesome pictures for things like Christmas cards and such. I don't think my family minds too much :)

I spent Thanksgiving in Ohio with my brother and his family, including his SIX adorable children. Yes, they really have six children. I might be a *little* biased, but they are some of the cutest kids I've ever seen. I got this idea for their Christmas card this year and my brother and his wife agreed to let me do it.

I also spent some time in Indianapolis with my sister and her husband and my nephew-pup Gus and got a few good ones of them too.

And finally, one more picture I took for my roommate Alicia of her little pup Libby, all tangled up for Christmas.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and is have a happy 2010!

Pregnancy Photos - Clay & Hannah

2010-01-18T10:00:00.002-06:00

I was so excited when I saw Hannah at a baby shower a few months ago and she told me when she started showing, she wanted to schedule a pregnancy photo session with me. I don't get to do a ton of pregnancy photos, but I love when I'm asked, especially with first time moms. I just think pregnant women are soooo beautiful, and when its their first child, there is such an excitement and anticipation, I feel like it shows up in the photographs. And I love it!

Clay and Hannah are such a fun couple and I knew we would have a blast during the shoot. Even though Hannah kept saying she didn't feel like she was doing well, once she got in front of the camera, she was rockin' it! Clay's fun personality only helped to bring out more natural, comfortable poses and you can just see how excited they are for their baby to come into the world. Here are a few of my favorite shots from their session.

I mean, how gorgeous and adorable is Hannah in the photo below?!

I LOVE pregnancy shoots, so if you are pregnant and want to schedule a shoot, please call me!

Family Session - Charlie/Emily/Rush & Canon

2010-01-14T10:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, first I must apologize for not blogging for awhile. I've been shooting the last few months, but have been slacking on the blogging. But there will be some blogs posting over the next few weeks of those shoots and possibly a few posts while I'm in India. So stay tuned for those...but let us begin with a precious family shoot I did in the fall.

Emily saw the engagement photos I did for Carson and Megan, since Megan was one of her boys teachers, and she contacted me and told me they had not done proper family photos since her two boys were very young. We decided to meet first at the school where Charlie teaches, and then finish up at Percy Warner park. Charlie is a football coach and his sons have taken on his love for football, and I was so excited when Emily suggested we do a few photos of the boys playing ball with their dad.

I love it when my clients come up with ideas that truly capture their family in memorable moments. I know years from now they will look at these photos of their boys and have great memories of what they were like at this age.

We finished the shoot at the park and here are a few more of my favorites.

Such a sweet family!

Engagement Session-Travis & Andrea

2009-11-25T10:00:00.002-06:00

When I met Travis & Andrea in downtown Franklin and started their engagement photo session, I loved that I could instantly tell that they were a genuine, warm and fun couple. We chatted and strolled along the main street and were able to capture some great images of this couple in love. Let's just say there was a lot of smooches exchanged during this session...and I LOVED it!! It makes my job so easy when a couple in head over heels in love, and you can tell that's the case with Travis & Andrea.
{Just look at the pictures}

I'm excited for this couple's wedding next June. Stay tuned!

Family Session - Nick/Erin/Ross

2009-11-20T10:00:00.005-06:00

We're almost to the end of the autumn season here in Nashville, and I'm so glad that I've been able to do a few shoots while the leaves were in their prime. I spent an afternoon with Nick and Erin, and their sweet little boy Ross at Radnor Lake and were able to capture some great family photos. Here are a few of my favorite vibrant shots!

Even though the leaves are almost gone, there is still plenty of time to set up a holiday photo session with jenm.photography. Call today (917.922.2940) to get beautiful photos of your family to send out with your holiday cards.

Carson & Megan Wedding - 10.17.09

2009-11-18T10:14:00.000-06:00

I just blogged a few weeks ago about this couple and the amazing engagement session I had with them. I got to travel to Memphis a few weeks ago to photograph their wedding and it was BEAUTIFUL! I know Carson & Megan would look brilliant on their special day and they did a wonderful job with all the details of their autumn theme wedding.

A shot of when they saw each other for the first time that day.

There were so many great shots of just Carson & Megan. These are just a FEW of my faves.

They are such a fun couple and their whole bridal party was a blast to photograph.

The reception took place at Memphis Water Works and it was the perfect venue.

Friends of the couple provided the music for the reception, and Carson got up to play on a few songs. He rocked it!

And finally the send off!

Congratulations Carson & Megan! If you'd like to see more pictures from their wedding, click here.

Children Photoshoot - Olivia

2009-11-16T09:35:00.001-06:00

I'm gearing up for the holiday photo season, and one of my first shoots for this year was with sweet little Olivia Grace. She's my dear friends David & Hope's baby girl and she is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. And she has so many funny faces. Here are a few great ones from our shoot.

I mean, can you even deal with this face?!?

If you are looking to get family photos for your holiday cards, contact me today to set up a session. I'm running a special through the end of November. Just ask!!

Jeff & Beth Wedding - 10.10.09

2009-11-13T11:14:00.004-06:00

I'm a little behind on blogging these days, but I wanted to post a few pictures from a wedding I did here in Nashville last month. When I photographed Jeff & Beth for their engagement session, I LOVED the images that we captured. They both have such warm personalities and are so natural in front of the camera. Their wedding day was such a beautiful day and again, I LOVE the images we were able to capture. Here are a few of my favorites.

Beth had these amazing shoes that were here "blue" item.

They had their reception at The Cannery Ballroom and it was a great celebration!

Jeff plays drums in The Lost Trailers, so he and his bandmates played a few songs at the reception.

Congratulations Jeff & Beth! If you'd like to see more pictures, click here.

Jerry & Melissa Wedding-10.4.09

2009-10-13T08:54:00.002-05:00

When I showed up on Saturday at Raspberry Plain for the rehearsal, my jaw dropped. I've never been to Leesburg, Virginia or anywhere near that area and the scenery was gorgeous and I got very excited to photograph the wedding of Jerry & Melissa the next day. Sunday turned out to be THE perfect day, with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds and the sun was out just enough to make it comfortably warm. Melissa showed up looking like she stepped right out of a bridal magazine: hair and make up done beautifully, gorgeous dress and glowing with the excitement of the day and of finally seeing her groom. Jerry was nervously excited, and his groomsmen lightened up the situation with jokes and keeping him up on all the football scores. Once the ceremony started, and Jerry & Melissa saw each other for the first time, there was an ease and the whole day was a wonderful celebration of this couple. There were so many photos I want to share from this wedding, but I've narrowed it down to these. Be sure to click on the link at the end of this entry if you'd like to see more.

To see more pictures from Jerry & Melissa's wedding, click here.

Engagement Session-Carson & Megan

2009-10-07T11:30:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy few months with all the weddings I've been shooting all over the country. But it's been A LOT of fun. I have a few more weddings before the year is up, one of which is Carson & Megan's wedding in Memphis next weekend. I realized a week ago that I never posted any of their engagement pictures! What was I thinking?! This couple was soooo fun to shoot with and we got so many great pictures and I'm getting really excited to travel to Memphis next weekend and capture their special day! Anyways, you'll be seeing a lot more of them in a few weeks, but check out a few of their engagement pictures. I mean, how fun and adorable are these two?!

Stay tuned for their wedding photos coming in a few weeks. I have a feeling they are gonna be awesome!

Davey & Erin Wedding 08.29.09

2009-09-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

I am so excited about this blog post today!! I had the pleasure of traveling up to New Hampshire a few weeks ago to photograph my awesome friend Erin marrying her awesome British husband Davey! Erin is another one of my great friends from New York who I really got to know when we were roomies on the Upper East Side, YO! Hahaha! But seriously, knowing Davey and Erin and how creative and cool they are, I knew this wedding was going to be a wedding photographers dream job. And it was. The details were so thoughtful and unique and spoke so much of this couple's personality. They did such a great job mixing American and British cultures throughout the ceremony and reception, and the day was full of beautiful moments.

The wedding took place in a small village called Tamworth in the gorgeous state of New Hampshire. Erin, her sister and mother got ready at their quaint bed and breakfast.

Even though it was raining all morning, Erin had a calmness about her and was set on enjoying her day.

The wedding was small, with only about 50 guests, and the ceremony took place in this adorable little white chapel.

The rain actually added to the day. Lots of fun shots with the umbrellas.

And the moody, cloudy sky worked perfectly for these shots in the field in front of the church.

Onto the reception at an old sea captain's house. Amazing details like small vases of wild flowers (hand picked by Davey & Erin the day before) and a typewriter for the guests to "sign" the guest book.

Fun shots of Erin with her grandma (who makes the best sweet potato casserole I have EVER tasted) and Davey with Erin's mom (who is one of the sweetest moms I have EVER met).

More reception fun.

Finally the send off. They had their guest light and release these sky lanterns, which were like small hot air balloons. Here is Davey & Erin releasing their lantern and posing for one more shot before leaving.

Congratulations Davey & Erin!

There are more pictures here if you'd like to see them!

Eric & Ashley Wedding 08.15.09

2009-08-25T21:44:00.006-05:00

I was so thrilled when Ashely called me a few months ago to ask if I would photograph her and Eric's wedding. I've known Ashley for a quite a few years and really became better friends while living in New York. She's a very straightforward kind of girl, and didn't really wear her heart on her sleeve. But something has changed in Ashley since she's been with Eric. I remember the first time hanging out with the both of them, at some show in NYC, and starting to see a different side of Ashley emerge. Eric has a way of bringing a calmness to Ashley, allowing her to relax and just be who she truly is, which is a beautiful, compassionate, confident woman. And Eric is just soooo happy and full of joy around Ashley, you can tell he is smitten by her.

Their wedding took place in Breckenridge, Colorado and it was a picturesque backdrop to a gorgeous ceremony and celebration of this couple coming together. Ashley grew up outside of Boulder, so her family were the gracious hosts as friends and family came in from all over the world (Eric grew up in Zimbabwe) to celebrate. I had such a wonderful time being apart of their special day. Here are a few photos from the day.

If you'd like to see more photos, click here.

Paul & Elisa Wedding 08.08.09

2009-08-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day and as I arrived at the house where Elisa was getting ready, it was abuzz with family and friends preparing for the day. When Elisa walked in, all attention was directed at her and the emotion of the day set in. As the day continued, I was moved by Paul & Elisa's story and the love of their family and friends that came to celebrate the joining of this couple. Even though I don't know them very well, I could sense that something very special was happening as Paul & Elisa said "I do." As many joked that it took 6 years for them to get to this day, everyone agreed that this day was definitely worth the wait. I was honored to capture such a special couple on such a wonderful day!

To see more photos, click here.

Musician - Cameron James

2009-08-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Living in Nashville, I have become friends with a lot of musicians. I mean, this is music city after all. About a year ago, I was having a conversation with my friend Cameron. She has been singing and writing songs for years, but she was realizing that she wasn't allowing her true voice and style to come out in her music. She told me stories of her grandmother and her generation and how she felt like she should have been born in another era. She had been experimenting with some of her songs, giving them a sound that was a throwback to 40s or 50s era, and she played me a rough demo and I got so excited for her! The song was beautiful and it seemed to fit Cameron perfectly. So fast forward almost a year and Cameron has recorded the songs and they are for sale on iTunes! You need to check out her music here and please support her by purchasing her songs!

I was thrilled when Cameron asked me to do photos for her. I love doing musician photo shoots where you get to think about hair, make-up, clothing, location and create images that say something about the music. Cameron has such a classic look about her and it was so much fun to create these 50s-pin-up girl style photos.

Anytime - Rock Star Holly

2009-07-31T10:03:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm really mean to my friends and torture them. I get crazy ideas of doing their hair and make up and making them act like someone they are not. That is what I did to my friend Holly and here is the proof.

I know. I'm mean. (Hee hee)

Family Session - Jon/Kelley/Isaiah

2009-07-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

My good friends Jon and Kelley (and their adorable child Isaiah) were in Nashville and wanted to set up a a family photo session. I was so excited to take photos of them because 1) they are a gorgeous couple and 2) Isaiah has sooo much personality, I knew I would get some great shots of all of them.

Can you even deal with Isaiah? I just love him to pieces. And his mom and dad are pretty great too ;)

Anytime - Wedding test shoot

2009-07-27T15:02:00.005-05:00

Sometime I like to do a shoot for the fun of it. I get an idea of an image I want to produce, so I find some people to work with and we make it happen. A few months ago, my friend Layne and I were talking about doing a test shoot where she could use her hair and make up skills and I could create something to make a few unique, memorable wedding photographs. This is totally a non-traditional wedding set up, but I wanted to try something different. I wanted something earthy and very antique looking. Layne recruited a friend of hers named Elise to be our model and here is what we came up with.

Would love to hear any feedback.

Wedding - Casey & Mackenzie 07.11.09

2009-07-24T14:13:00.000-05:00

When Teresa, Mackenzie's mom, contacted me two weeks before the wedding, she was in a bit of a bind. Unfortunately, the photographer they had booked for the wedding had to cancel, and she was hoping I still had the date open. I did have the date open and was so happy to be able to help them out at the last minute. When I showed up that day, it was a bit overcast, but just as the ceremony was about to start, the clouds parted and the sun came out to display a beautiful sky as the backdrop to an intimate backyard wedding. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day.

To see more photos, click here.

Wedding - Edvin & Elizabeth 6.20.09

2009-06-26T12:31:00.000-05:00

Two birds in love. Sometimes when I meet people, I feel like I’ve known them for awhile. A lot of times it has to do with the warm, welcoming nature of the person. When I first met Elizabeth, she had that nature. When I later met Edvin, I could sense it as well. And when I showed up to photograph their wedding and met their closest family and friends, I felt so welcomed, I almost felt like I was part of the family! It was such an honor for me to witness the love of this couple and the people in their lives, and to capture their wedding day for them. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

To see more pictures, click here.

Engagement Session

2009-06-23T22:21:00.001-05:00

I met Jeff & Beth through my roommate Alicia, who told me I would LOVE them. And I did. They are such a warm couple and we hit it off over coffee, discussing wedding plans and photography. I enjoyed being able to spend more time with them during their engagement photo session and getting to know them (and their adorable puppies...one of them is Libby's brother) a little better. They are a gorgeous couple and after seeing how amazing they are in front of the camera, I'm counting down the days till I shoot their wedding in October. Look at the pictures below and you'll see why!

Wedding - Tanner & Shelby 6.13.09

2009-06-19T16:29:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Panama City, Florida to photograph Tanner and Shelby's wedding. I know Tanner and Shelby from my time living in New York and I just LOVE this couple! They are two of the sweetest, most authentic people I've ever met. It was so much fun to capture their special day. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Congratulations Tanner & Shelby! I'm so happy for the two of you!

If you'd like to see more photos from the day, click here.

Babies

2009-06-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Janine that I use to work with in New York has a sister that lives in Nashville. I met Jennifer (her sister) a few months ago when Janine was visiting Nashville for her niece's christening and I took some picture for them. Jennifer asked me to come back and do some photos of her two girls in thier spring dresses. They are so sweet and great in front of the camera. I had such a good time hanging out with Jennifer and her sweet girls.

Had fun swinging in the backyard!

I love this last shot because of the pure joy and excitement on Madeline's face.

Engagement Session

2009-06-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

I met Elizabeth a few months ago for lunch to discuss the details of her wedding, and we clicked right away. We talked about New York and photography and modeling (because she use to be one!) and I was so excited they booked me to photograph their wedding. We met up a few weekends ago to shoot their engagement session and it made me even more thrilled for the wedding. What a beautiful couple! And so much fun to photograph!

Elizabeth warned me that Edvin is quite a bit taller than she is since he use to be a professional basketball player, so I brought a chair along for her and I love how this one turned out.

This last shot is my favorite. I told Elizabeth to kick up her foot and Edvin did it instead. So great!

Stay tuned for wedding photos of Edvin and Elizabeth coming in a few weeks!

Family time

2009-06-01T14:34:00.000-05:00

I spent Memorial Day weekend in Indiana and Ohio with my family. I've been trying to carry my camera around a lot lately and capture the everyday moments. Lucky for me, my brother has 5 adorable kids and my sister has a really cute dog! Hahaha! So I took some photos while I was visiting and maybe I'm partial, but I think they turned out really well. Mostly due to the fact of how cute all my subjects are!

My sister and her "baby" Gus.

Watched the kids practice tee ball and play at the park.

The kids are total hams and love to make silly faces!

And finally, I even jumped in one picture with the kids. They love their Aunt Jen!

I love capturing everyday moments, so if you and your family are going to the beach or having a family day at the park, wouldn't you love to have that documented on film to cherish the rest of your life? If so, contact me and we'll set up an Everyday Moments Photoshoot.

Photos featured on Schmap!

2009-05-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I just got an email this week that two of my Hawaii photos are being used on the website Schmap. Its this cool website that allows you to get a unique integration of maps, photos and place reviews for your phone. They are using this one from Dole Plantation in Honolulu.

And this one of the Na Pali coast on the island of Kauai.

You can view the Honolulu guide here and the Kauai guide here.

If you want to see more of my Hawaii pictures on Flickr, click here or here.

Babies

2009-05-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

I've been photographing the Faught family for about a year now. Brooke contacted me to do family photos and pregnancy photos when she was about to give birth to her second child. I've had the pleasure of photographing them every few months and watching their girls, Clara and Lily, grow up. Here is the latest shoot I did with them.

Fashion test shoot

2009-05-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I had the idea that I wanted to do a shoot with a motorcycle and a guy. I racked my brain trying to think of some guy that I know that has a motorcycle and would be my model for a test shoot. Enter Jeremy. We actually did this shoot a few months ago, in the dead of winter in Nashville. Jeremy was a trooper driving his bike in the bitter cold. But I hope it was worth it to get these stellar shots.

This was my fave from the day.

Thanks Jeremy and Harley Davidson.

Babies

2009-05-06T16:42:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when my friends Allison and Holly wanted to give the gift of a family photo session to their friends (and now mine) The Grimsleys. I got to meet Charlotte for the first time and she was like a little angel. She slept a lot during the photoshoot, but it made for some sweet shots anyways. Here they are.

Here's one where she's awake and you can see her bright, beautiful eyes!

And one final shot of the whole family.

Babies

2009-04-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

My friend Kacey just gave birth to her second child, William, a few weeks ago. While visiting and meeting William for the first time, I persuaded Kacey to let me take a few photos of him. First of all, he is ridiculously adorable! He has this amazing, thick black hair and he makes these faces that look like a grumpy old man. It kinda reminded me of my grandpa (who was nicknamed Grumpy) so that made me happy! Here are my faves from the day.

Babies

2009-04-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

I took a trip to Jacksonville, FL to visit some friends and had the opportunity to photograph an ADORABLE baby! Meet Bella.

And here is my FAVE!

She is a really happy baby and the smiles were non-stop! It was so fun to photograph her.

Engagement Session

2009-04-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

While in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, I had an engagement photo session with Paul & Elisa. I will be shooting their wedding in August and this was my first time to meet them in person. I realized over email that Elisa was quite a firecracker and I had a good feeling that we would get along great once we had the opportunity to meet in person. I was right. Elisa IS a firecracker and we DID get along great! Paul was equally as fun and feisty and we had a great time going around the city to capture some amazing engagement photos. It made me really excited for August and what is sure to be a fun, full of energy wedding! Here are some of my faves from the session.

Wedding in Philly

2009-04-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I traveled to Philadelphia, PA to attend my friends Paul & Kristy's wedding. Kristy was one of my roommates when I lived in New York and she was my travel buddy when I went to Europe for 3 months in 2006. She is a dear friend and I was so excited to be able to celebrate her and Paul's big day. I wasn't the official photographer for the wedding, but I took a few shots anyways...between all the laughing and dancing. Here are a few of my favorites.

I love both of their expressions in this one.

Our friend Michelle Barrera did the flower and table arrangement for the wedding and they were gorgeous! She is working on starting up a side business doing this in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

The reception was so fun! Lots of dancing and good times.

One last one of the beautiful beaming bride!

Congratulations Paul & Kristy!

Engagement Session

2009-04-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

My good friends Tanner and Shelby from New York recently got engaged and Tanner asked me to photograph when he asked Shelby. Tanner planned a special day for Shelby, including breakfast, time to be pampered at a spa, and a limo ride to the beautiful Cheekwood gardens in Nashville, where he was waiting for her.

I was hiding so Shelby couldn't see me and was really able to capture the moment.

We did a few engagement photos after he asked. There was a lot of kissing.

I just loved both of their shoes.

And this last one was for fun.

I'll be shooting Tanner and Shelby's wedding in Panama City, Florida in June. I'm so excited for them and can't wait to capture their big day!

Musician shoot

2009-03-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

I did a photoshoot with my friend David Dewese last weekend. He's a rock star. Here are a few of the shots from it. And you should definitely check out his music. It's great!

Hawaiian Horse

2009-03-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

I've been gone for awhile, I know. But I'm back and am going to be posting regularly again. I have a lot of photos from the last few months, but just wanted to post one from my trip to Hawaii last month. We saw these horses in this open field on the side of the road on the island of Kauai and I just loved how this photo turned out.

Quinn & Meghan

2008-12-03T14:59:00.000-06:00

I travelled down south to Gautier, MS for a wedding this past weekend. The wedding was partly an outdoor wedding, but the thunderstorms forced some last minute changes. Everyone did what was needed and the wedding still turned out beautifully! Here are some of my favorite images.

If you'd like to see more images from the wedding, click here.

R.I.P Turtle

2008-11-28T09:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Black Friday! Wow. That sounds depressing. Well, I have some other depressing news. We had a death in our household. The other day, I saw our pup Libby doing this.

Poor turtle. May she rest in peace.

I like cute babies

2008-11-17T14:06:00.000-06:00

So I've been photographing a lot of families and children for holiday photos. Its been a lot of fun to capture sweet little babies with their sweet little faces. Here are a few recent photos I've done of some adorable babies!

Recent shoot

2008-11-14T14:30:00.000-06:00

So I recently did a photoshoot with some friends that are starting a clothing line called American Viceroy. We had a blast! Here is one of my favorite shots.

Wedding at Sea

2008-10-29T10:38:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was invited by my cousin Susie and her husband JR to photograph their wedding ceremony on a cruise to the Bahamas. They just had a small ceremony with immediate family and friends in the front of the ship while it was docked in Nassau. It was short and sweet and I got these great photos below.

If you want to see more images, click here.

Bahamania

2008-10-23T10:01:00.001-05:00

I just got back from a cruise to the Bahamas. I went to photograph a wedding ceremony on the cruise ship (I'll post some of those photos later), but had some time to get off the ship in Nassau and snap a few photos. All of the buildings are so vibrant and colorful, and photographed so beautifully against the crazy bright blue sky. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Kids in trucks

2008-10-17T09:34:00.001-05:00

I always think its adorable when you take a little kid and put them in an adult situation. I mean, what's not cute about a kid pretending to drive a truck?! I know its not safe for children to be in cars by themselves, but I promise this child was supervised the whole time. But seriously, isn't this cute?

Autumn

2008-10-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

I was up in Maine a few weeks ago and the weather is cooling down and the leaves are already changing. Not so much in Nashville. I just drove by a Walgreen's and the temperature read 84 degrees. IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER!! I'm really not a fan of global warming. I suppose I will just stare at this picture and remember Maine until Autumn decides to grace us with her presence in Tennessee.

3 weddings all in a row

2008-10-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

So I've recently shot 3 amazing weddings: Branden & Wendy, Frank & Shelly and Mike & Jenny. Here are three of my favorite photos of these couples.

If you'd like to see more photos from each wedding, please click on the following links:

Branden & Wendy
Frank & Shelly
Mike & Jenny

Swell Season at Ryman Auditorium

2008-09-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

Went to see The Swell Season last night. For those of you who may not know, The Swell Season consists of Glen Hansard (from The Frames) and Marketa Irglova. They stared in the movie "Once" and did the music for the movie, and have been touring under the Swell Season. I saw them in New York last year and it was amazing, so I was thrilled to hear they were coming to Nashville. Anyways, here a few photos I took at the show last night.

This blog

2008-09-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

So I wanted to post an entry explaining what this blog will be about. I've tried blogging before and I must admit, I'm not so good at it. I'll post something and then go weeks without posting something else. But I've decided to start this blog mostly to show recent photos I've done (or sometimes I look through older photoshoots I've done and may want to post one of those). This will range from weddings to family photos to band/musicians to just personal work. Anyways, everyone loves to look at photos, so I'm hoping you will check back often to see what I've been doing lately.

And I may even post a deep thought once in a while. You know, the ones by Jack Handy. Hahaha.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!