Emilee arrived to the church on her wedding day just as every bride should: dress in one hand and I think it was hot tea from the local coffee shop in the other; completely chill and ready to take on her wedding day and whatever came with it. And her and Matt’s wedding day went by without a hitch. A beautiful and warm day with a crowd of beautiful and warm people who celebrated alongside the two of them.

These two are easy to photograph… they slip into this happy little world where they seem to be the only two who exist, giving me all the time I need to work my shot into the perfect composition… thanks you two. And thanks for allowing me the great privilege of photographing this once-in-a-lifetime day.

It was a swanky/snazzy/special sort of wedding day for Nicki and Adam. The setting was Nicki’s parents’ home and the backdrop was a warm, sunny summer day. Shanna Lumpkin and Wendy Putt helped pull together the details of the day, and boy was there plenty of those. On-location catering matched with a pool-covered dance floor might sound like a logistical nightmare, but this team handled it flawlessly. Nicki and Adam were able to just enjoy the day as it flew by and (hopefully) have a blast soaking it all in.

I loved taking part and hate that it’s taken so long for me to show this wedding off on my blog, but the spectacular nature of it all is certainly something not to miss.

This might be a little bit weird, but, Emily was my formal date as a senior in college. Must mean she’s top notch, huh? Well, regardless of what that means, she IS top notch and has found a heck of a guy to stand by her. They personify a “cuteness” that’s pretty over-the-top. Some people get all awkward when I have them super close and their faces all smashed together, but these two were full of laughs and just giggled their way through the whole thing. And that makes my job wonderful.

Can’t wait to celebrate my birthday with these two on their wedding day! Some might not want to work on their birthday, but, I really would rather be doing nothing else than the job that I love with two people I care a whole lot about.

So, this little film touches on these things about one particular family I happen to know and love, the Clarks.

The Clarks are one-of-a-kind. Kelly is one of my close friends, and, if you haven’t run across her or her incredible business, you’re missing out. As a photographer, she’s one of few that always inspires me, and as a bag-designer/entrepreneur she has amazingly proven herself as someone who can follow a passion for business without letting it overrun her life. She’s a believer, wife and mother first, and a businesswoman second. And I strive for the same type of order in my own little world. I love her, her husband, and their two girls, and I hope you’re as deeply moved as I am by seeing how this family of four came to be…

Chapel’s Adoption Story | the feature from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Happy New Year?! Well, it’s Monday. My first Monday back at the studio so far this year. And, part of me wants to pout a little bit like my sweet girl here in the pic on the left as I think about the mounds of editing that awaits me (and lots of anxious clients – to each of you, I promise I’m cranking out as much as I can as fast as I can). The other part of me feels a lot like the Meg on the right: happy and content for everything this holiday season has brought our way and for the promise of new mercies awaiting us all in 2012. I want to pause a brief moment and share a couple of thoughts with you as we’re all adjusting to the newness of this new season…

1) Christmas with my growing little family was over-the-top. Meg was a trooper as we carted her from place to place and, despite still being so small, she made the holiday season even more magical. Here’s a few shots of her at her grandmother & Poppa Todd’s on Christmas Eve…

3) I’m saying this out loud (for some peer accountability)… In 2012, I will blog more. I received some blog stats from my site host last week that was great to look through. I was surprised by the number of people who have taken time to come by and see what’s going on here. One of the things that struck me, though, was how few posts I actually made. I thought I had blogged a whole lot more, and this year I am STRIVING to make that happen.

4) Thanks for your support. Keep checking in with what’s going on here and know that I literally feel your support and it keeps me so motivated. Leave a comment, say hello, and let’s watch another wonderful year unfold together.

I loved college with everything in me. It was one of my favorite times of life, and I love finding others who have a similar deep-rooted passion for their school and have have chosen to thrive and grow in a season of life that brings about such great opportunities for such. Mississippi State is home to these two and that’s exactly where we found ourselves for their engagement session. It was a beautiful afternoon and I so enjoyed getting to know these two. Amber’s getting ready to graduate with a degree in broadcast meteorology – meaning, she’s gonna rock it out as weather woman at some lucky TV station. So, I knew I had to really work in some cool cloud/sky shots for the girl who studies those things all day long. Trey is a mild-tempered guy who’s insightful and approaches life at just the right pace. Refreshing for somebody like me who tends to breeze past things a little too quickly.

I look forward to next Christmas when we’ll be celebrating together your big wedding day. It’ll be fun… and we’ll know well in advance exactly what the weather will be like, I feel sure.

These two are nothin’ but class. Quite unfortunately, I’m not gonna be the lucky dog shooting their wedding ceremony in Jamaica, but I am getting to do some portraits for them – the engagements which I’m posting now and some wedding portraits we’ll take here locally after they’re wed. Needless to say, they’re a breeze to photograph so I’m looking forward to catching up with them again after they are Mr. & Mrs. to get some more. Enjoy the caribbean, you two!

Fortunately for these two, their engagement session fell on what I would say was the peak day of fall in Mississippi. We found some beautiful fall colors, and some fantastic warm light. Better than that, though, was that Megan and Anderson were all smiles and almost uncontrollably giggly from start to finish. Megan insisted that they’d be the most awkward subjects I’ve worked with, but, I contest that the two of them nailed it and we work as a perfect team. I’m particularly excited about shooting their wedding, not only because we’re great friends, but also because it’s happening at the beach next summer and I have a sense it’s going to be one of the most enjoyable/chill/fun get-togethers I’ve gotten to photograph. Thanks for letting me barge into your families for a weekend at the beach, Megan & Anderson! Oh, and thanks for being such wonderful (non-awkward) subjects for my camera.

It’s a little unfair when two people as talented as these two fall in love with one another and get married. Sarah (“Dottie”) and Jeremy both hold degrees in music (multiple degrees, actually) who met in our college’s esteemed (and incredibly impressive) choir. There’s something so comfortable about being with the two of them. They’re not one of those couples who can’t hang out with other people or aren’t fun to be around, they’re bubbly, expressive, and incredibly intentional people. Jeremy was a great friend through college and I still claim that he’s one of the most encouraging people I know: always sure to provide an encouraging word to me and to my family. Can’t help but love people like that. Here’s a few images from their session when we roamed around MC’s campus and Jackson for some cool shots…

My favorite thing about these two is their contentment that becomes obvious only when they’re in the company of one another. I’ve actually already shot Annah & Kenny’s wedding and am just getting around to blogging their engagement session, but, both at the engagement session and on the day of their wedding, they were so in tune with one another. Kenny meets her needs in the most perfect way and Annah is–literally–giddy when she’s around her man. I mean it when I say, they’re a couple I’ll never forget.