csmfotoblog

Nate + Ashley

2011-11-15T20:28:00.007-05:00

Nate and Ashley are recent graduates from ECU and we have had the privilege of knowing them for the last four years. We have been encouraged greatly by their love for Christ and for each other. Nate and Ashley are one of those couples that we can't wait to see get married. We have watched their relationship develop over these many years and it will be a blast to be part of their big day. Occasionally there are people you meet where you might say to yourself, "I hope my kids will be like that person." Nate and Ash are "those people". They gave their engagement session a lot of thought. I think their attention to detail (in props and outfit choice) made these images ROCK. These are our favorites. Enjoy!

I love watching Ashley and Nate interact. He adores her and she thinks he is funny . . . which is hilarious.

Ashley has an amazing 'zoolander' face.

*Hint, hint* save the date . . . 8/04/12.

I love the black and white version of this image.

Fedora Hat. Loose Tie. Sequined Headband. Nice.

Nate and Ash, we are so thankful to the Lord for His work in your lives. May these images serve as a sweet reminder of this time of engagement as you prepare your hearts for a lifetime together.

Our Family

2011-05-10T14:51:00.010-04:00

I fear that my kids will wonder where I was when they look at family photographs. I'll have to say, apologetically, "Well, I was there, I was just behind the camera." However, as time continues to cut away the years I am finding that Kim and I are increasingly absent from the family photo album. As a photographer this is frustrating. We consistently give clients photographic art for their families and the walls of their homes, but never have that for ourselves. No matter what people say, it's just impossible to get several artistic family photos relying on a timed shutter release and a tripod. When taking a photo of a kid, I'm lucky to get a laugh or smile with an assistant jumping and making faces behind me. I'll let you just guess how successful it is to say to a four year old, "look that way at the tripod and smile." So, you see the dilemma. For years we have just shrugged our shoulders and said, "Ohh well, I guess we'll worry about it someday." "Someday" came to us a few weeks ago when my wife said to me, "I want family photos for Mothers day." Now, my wife is a great photographer, but she is an incredible mother and wife and if her heart longed for family photos, I was going to get her some family photographs. Please keep in mind, we could hire a photographer and go that route. We value photography and value the skill of a great photographer. However, photographers inevitably want their ideas to be implemented in the photographs. I know this because I'm a photographer. We frame it the way we want, we take suggestions and ideas, but ultimately it's the photographer's creativity and artistic eye that people pay for when they hire a photographer. Otherwise, it's like hiring a great chef and then telling him how to cook your meal. It defeats the point of hiring a chef.

We wanted a certain image and a certain look. So, we asked our good friends, Melanie and Jeff Mansfield who we think are incredibly talented photographers but also humble enough to let us direct what we wanted. We offered them a meal with us, in exchange for their time and skill. I know what you're thinking, that is an incredible offer: several hours with us, including the meal for the stress of trying to create another photographers vision of a family photograph and making certain that it's technically perfect. No, it was not a fair deal. Yes, Jeff and Melanie totally served us. They deserve far better. That's the kind of people they are. They sacrificed a night off with their kids, money for gas, and exchanged it for the stress of taking our pictures. They both are so generous that they give until it is detrimental to their business, literally. It is rare to meet people like that.

So, we scouted all the locations, got dressed to the nines, and came up with a few poses we wanted to replicate from client sessions we had photographed like the Lowry's and the Hollowell's. We just needed someone to click the shutter and give us the memory cards. Melanie and Jeff worked hard to give us images we wanted and then we just let them tell us what to do. We experienced what our clients experience when we are getting to tell them how to stand and pose. It was fun!

In the end we got some great family photos and then we laughed with our friends until we cried sitting around our kitchen table until 3 a.m. We feel fortunate to have friends like the them. If you want to see the Mansfield's take on the session and the images they edited, you can see their blog post about it here. We want you to look, they're good . . . and so are the pictures.

We want to hear from you. We love all of the pictures below that Melanie and Jeff took for us. We are having a hard time deciding which one to have printed on canvas and hung in our living room. Post a comment letting us know your favorite and why. It would help us out!

We also wanted some more recent pictures of our children. This was a task we can easily accomplish on our own, but rarely do. So, we dressed them in the same outfits and went to the same locations a day earlier and took our time photographing our children. It was fun, and challenging. Below are some of our favorites. We'd love for you to let us know which one you like the best for us to put in our home by posting your vote and why in a comment below! Enjoy!

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

Slockbower Family

2011-05-09T15:31:00.006-04:00

Brandon and Erin are from California. They chose to move to North Carolina for Brandon's work and see how the other side of the country lives. They are super friendly and down-to-earth folks. We met them at our church and connected with them right away. To date, they are in the running for the most patient clients we have ever had. We asked them (including Erin, who is preggo) to climb what looked like a small hill from a distance but was actually a small mountain. They did so without complaint. We asked them to wander into tall grass and weeds. They did so without complaint. They calmly flicked spiders off their clothes and kept smiling. They brought props and thought through what to wear and coordinated like champs. I thought I might have asked too much of them. But they firmly believed that "art is pain" and worked hard for some family photos. These guys were such great sports. Enjoy!

Meet Parker

Meet Erin and Brandon

Brandon's grandfather served in the Marines and fought in major battles like Guadalcanal. He was a wartime photographer and also enjoyed art. At the completion of his military career he made a collage of his metals, papers, and patches. This is a family heirloom that Brandon treasures and looks forward to passing it down to Parker one day. As a collector of World War II items I found this to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Seriously. By the way, Erin is expecting Slockbower #2.

Erin and Brandon: We hope these images help you to preserve the precious memories of this season in your lives. Thanks for going above and beyond for these images. We hope you think it was worth it.

Canvas Sale

2011-05-03T13:57:00.003-04:00

Great News! We are offering a KILLER discount on Gallery Wrap Canvases to all of our 2010 clients. I've never seen the prices this low.

Our professional printing lab is offering a MAJOR discount and we are passing those savings on to you. Honestly, this is as cheap as these canvases EVER get. We are personally planning to take advantage of this discount for our family. This offer lasts until MAY 26th. One Month ONLY.

We are offering three sizes for these incredible savings! All pricing includes the shipping cost. Take a look!
28x42 is $290 INCLUDING SHIPPING.
32x48 is $355 INCLUDING SHIPPING.
40x60 is $465 INCLUDING SHIPPING.

These three sizes are Full-Frame, which means, nothing is actually cropped out of the image. The FULL image is wrapped around the canvas.

These are NOT PAINTINGS. They are your digital images put onto a canvas wrapped around a wooden frame so that no framing is needed. They come with the hanging wire already attached on the back. You simply hang them on your wall. Trust us they look gorgeous.

Here are the details:
1. Email us and let us know you want your gallery re-activated (at no charge).
2. Select as many images you want to have blown up into canvas prints to put in your home and email us the file numbers. (We can help you with that).
3. Get a crazy discount and pay up to 49% less.
4. Get your Canvas in a few weeks.

We LOVE HUGE IMAGES and we think they look great hanging on the walls of our home. We thought you might want one or two of your favorite images from your photo session on a canvas hanging over your couch or to give Grandma as a gift.

In fact, the Image below shows two canvases in our home. The two canvases are 24x36. This is a bit smaller than the 28x42 canvas in the sale. However, we think they ad a lot to the room and we are always being asked about them.

We appreciate your business and are happy to offer this discount to our wonderful 2010 clients!

Lowry Family

2011-05-02T14:26:00.005-04:00

The Lowry family are dear friends of ours through our church. We were honored when they asked us to take their family photos. They all put a lot of time and energy into preparing for the photo session. There were several phone calls regarding outfits and locations. Jerry was corralled into a dressing room where he was forced to try and tons of outfits. I seriously felt sorry for him. The ladies have a blast with that, but guys, we tend to suffer through it. Jerry is a Marine and serves our country proudly. He doesn't spend lots of time in dressing rooms. He spends his time preparing young men for the most horrible conditions possible. We are grateful for his service to our country! It was wonderful to capture some family memories for Jerry and Claire and to document the lives of their precious children. We think all of the advanced effort and the hours in dressing rooms paid off in these images. Check out a few of our favorites from the evening. Enjoy!

Meet Caelyn, eight years old, and Connor, almost three.

Here is precious Emmy. She's nine months old and all smiles!

Jerry is so great with his son. He stands on a wall for his country, but doesn't let it harden his affection for his son.

Caelyn is a natural for the camera.

What a fun family!

Mom and dad are often behind the camera. We think it's important to take a few just for them.

Jerry is a huge OH - IO State fan!

Jerry and Claire, we had a great time with your family. We hope you are pleased with the images and that they help you remember this wonderful season of life.

Grady + Tiffany

2011-04-20T12:34:00.003-04:00

Whenever you ask Grady about his fiance, Tiffany, he can't help grinning. You can tell that he is completely head-over-heels about her. I've known Grady a while and nothing gets him smiling quicker than Tiffany. I consider both of these individuals good friends. They are both world-class people. Seriously. I'm honored to have the opportunity to watch them say their vows to one another in just a few short weeks. It was so much fun to do these engagement photos for them. Enjoy!

The bride-to-be. Tiffany!

Grady and Tiffany: We hope these images will serve as a reminder of the cherished memories of this season in your lives. We look forward to more Settlers game nights and watching you grow as husband and wife.

Courtney & Austin

2010-12-24T03:14:00.002-05:00

It's Christmas Eve . . . Merry Christmas to you and yours!

This was an excellent session to end the year! Courtney called us a long time ago for a session wither her brother, Austin. They wanted to give their Mother some photos for Christmas (shhh . . . it's a secret). Unfortunately, the weather had forced us to reschedule at least three times. So, with 48 hours to go until Christmas, the clouds parted and we set out to make Mom happy and deliver a Christmas gift.

So, Mom, if you're reading this on Christmas morning . . . . Merry Christmas! Your children nearly froze to-death taking these images. They went all-out for you. I can honestly say, it was the coldest session we've ever done. We hope you like this sneak-peak at the images coming your way.

Courtney and Austin, thanks for being patient with us and KILLING the Zoolander pose. Stay warm!

Felicia

2010-12-23T22:22:00.003-05:00

After having to cancel and reschedule three times due to inclement weather, we were very happy to meet Felicia and get her in front of our camera. She has been anticipating her Senior session for weeks and came prepared to give us sas, serious and smiles even though it was freezing cold outside. Her images are stellar and she rocked it for us. You can't even tell that she was shivering between locations. Check this lady out!

Boo-ya!

The train passed by and this is what happened.

Congratulations Felicia! I know your friends and family are so proud of you for working hard and getting your degree from East Carolina University! What an accomplishment.

Brassine Family

2010-12-07T22:26:00.005-05:00

We met up with the Brassine family last Friday afternoon which happened to be Brian's birthday. I'm not sure if this is what he imagined doing for his birthday or not but I do hope he is pleased with the pictures of his beautiful family. Rachel and Brian wanted the focus of the shoot to be on Gwyn as she recently turned three years old. Gwyn has lots of personality, very verbal and she's gorgeous. Happy Birthday to Brian and Gwyn!

As a side note, you can see I have incorporated a new logo into my website and blog. I love it. A BIG Thank you to Brian Jacobs for my working on this NEW logo. He is an excellent graphic designer who went above and beyond for me. Check out his work.

Gwen just chillin'.

Gwyn loves some Mommy and Mommy loves some Gwyn.

Gorgeous Gwyn!

Boo-ya!

Thanks for hanging with us through the cold of the setting sun. We enjoyed our time with your family and we hope it was a great Birthday!

Hollowell Family

2010-10-24T22:43:00.005-04:00

Allison and Daniel have been married for a few years and thought it was time to get some new family pictures. I remember talking with Allison a few weeks before their shoot and she was very excited about trying to incorporate an antique couch in a rural setting. I thought maybe her grandma had one she was going to use but NO - she went out and bought a beautiful antique couch just for this photoshoot! We were impressed and pretty stoked when we saw it in the back of their truck. I have to say, this is the first time we had someone buy a couch for their session. Allison and Daniel were lots of fun and it felt like we were on a double date as we talked, laughed and happened to be taking pictures along the way. Here are some of our favorites. Enjoy!

Chloe is their "baby" for now and she knows it.

The sunset pictures were our personal favorites from the night.

Check out the little dipper in the top left of this image.

Allison and Daniel, you guys are awesome. We were serious when we said we should hire you to consult with future clients to give them fashion and prop ideas! You guys were incredibly prepared, fun AND your images are stellar. Thanks for choosing us and we hope to work with your family in the future!

Genesis Workshop

2010-09-18T13:24:00.002-04:00

Kim and I had the distinct privilege to attend a photography workshop that was put on by our good friends Melanie and Jeff Mansfield. They have been such an encouragement to us over the years as we have tried to build a photography business carefully and slowly. They have often shared with us how they are inspired by looking at the work of Sam Hassas, Tony Hoffer and Evan Baines. When Melanie told us that she was going to be inviting all of those photographers to join her and Jeff in putting on a three day workshop, we knew it would be well worth attending. It was! It was called the Genesis Workshop and it took place in Durham, NC and we were able to use the beautiful Carolina Theater and the urban setting of downtown Durham as a backdrop for our images. That was so much fun.

We were reinvigorated with photography by learning from these excellent masters of the craft. I've attended workshops before. But this one was different. It was incredibly hands on. Learning from the teachers directly. Often, I have had a vision for an image, but honestly I just couldn't pull it off. That is so frustrating as a photographer. It was great to have time with any one of these great photographers and say, 'this is my vision, show me how to pull this off'? I can't tell you how much I learned by having someone take the time to help me think through the vision and then create it. The workshop gave me new ideas and a new passion for the art of it all. That alone is worth it to me. We made some great new friends and I was honestly sad to leave. So, below are a few of our pictures. Let us know if you like 'em!

Here are the group photos taken by Sam Hassas.

Wilhide Family

2010-08-30T12:08:00.005-04:00

Haleigh and Randy were excited to have their family pictures taken the week after Conleigh's first birthday. They wanted us to do a family shoot with a few of Conleigh by herself to document turning one. Haleigh did a wonderful job thinking thru the shoot beforehand and coming prepared. The whole family looked great and Conleigh was well rested and ready for a playdate with the photographers. Take a look at this gorgeous family!

I'm loving the colors in these two.

Isn't Conleigh absolutely adorable? I love the tutu, headband and her shoes . . . so stylish already!

So sweet.

Haleigh and Randy, we had a wonderful time with your family. Conleigh is beautiful and she's so much fun to be around. I love her dance moves . . . you have to catch that on video while she is young! We hope to serve your family again in the future. Thanks for choosing us to capture your family during this season of life.

Levi

2010-08-24T09:45:00.006-04:00

Kendal called a few months ago to schedule some pictures of her little boy, Levi. Hans and Kendal both work for the University and say that they love living in Greenville. They wanted the pictures to reflect the country & rural setting that Greenville has to offer. The focus was on Levi as he just celebrated his first birthday a few weeks ago. Levi is a very happy little boy and full of energy. He has just started walking so he preferred to be down on the ground than held and carried around. We like it that way . . . kids tend to explore and give real expressions when left alone.

Hats off to being one!

Red Converse - sweet.

I love how Levi's smile shows off his four top teeth and his four bottom teeth!

Love it!

I couldn't leave out the family picture . . . Levi wouldn't be here without mom and dad!

Hans and Kendal, thanks for choosing us to capture the smiles and personality of Levi. We enjoyed spending time with your family and we hope to see Levi as he gets older!

Scarlata Family

2010-07-13T17:59:00.002-04:00

We love repeat clients. The Scarlata family has used us for their MATERNITY pictures, Brandon's NEWBORN pictures and this year's family pictures. It has been great spending time and getting to know Curran, Audrey and their boys. It's always fun to see our client's from year to year. It is such an honor to repeatedly be commissioned for a family's photographs.

Nicholas and Brandon are both adorable little boys and they love to stay busy. This year we did something a little different than the last two shoots. This session happened to fall between torrential downpours that were constantly on and off again. The rain stopped just long enough for us to do a quick shoot and then it poured the rest of the night. Here are a few of our favorites!

Isn't Brandon adorable? He just turned one year old this month. Precious.

Nicholas just turned four years old this month. His energy, happiness and curiosity shine through in many of the images.

Curran and Audrey, I know it was wet and muggy for our session, but thanks for hanging in there with us. We are thankful for the opportunities you give us to photograph your family.

Webster Family

2010-07-09T12:47:00.008-04:00

We have known the Webster family for years and they have become very dear friends of our family. We are so thankful that we go to the same church and are able to be involved in each others' lives weekly. Scot and Anna are a great encouragement and example in the way they love their Lord Jesus, each other and their children. They have been faced with an unexpected trial as Anna has recently discovered that she has cancer. She has gone thru surgery and is about to start chemo-theraphy. Anna asked if we would take some pictures of their family before this part of the journey and we were honored to be able to do this for them. As usual we had a great time with lots of laughter and natural smiles.

We took some time to get a few pictures of just Scot and Anna and each of the kids.

Meet Clark. He's the big brother of the crew and a great example to his siblings of what it means to respect, honor and obey his parents. He loves being funny, exploring nature and competitive swimming.

Second in command is William. He is a spittin' image of his dad. It's funny to watch the kids all together . . . William has so much energy and loves to make his family laugh.

Braston is the youngest but he keeps up with the big boys! He's hilarious, full of life and loves his mama.

In the middle of all these boys is sweet Margaret. She's a great helper to her mama, loves her brothers and has a very fun personality.

When I think about the Webster family the word FUN comes to mind. I think many who know them would agree . . . life is fun in the Webster household no matter what they are facing. It all has to do with where their hope comes from.

Clark and William are close in age but also as friends.

We love Margaret's face in the second vertical image to the right. It just says, "this isn't nearly as exciting as I had hoped."

Keep running the race. Finish strong. Persevere to the end.

We love you and will continue to pray and walk alongside of you as God unfolds His sovereign plan for your family.

Molly + Rich

2010-06-29T09:41:00.010-04:00

We always enjoy meeting new people and giving our clients a little taste of Eastern North Carolina. Molly and Rich are both from 'up north' so we took some time to introduce them to the beauty we enjoy here in the south. This couple was fun and we really enjoyed getting to hear their story as we spent time with them. Rich has served in the military for seven years and even did two tours in Iraq. I'm so thankful for the men and women who willingly defend our country. Molly is full of laughs and she is going to make a wonderful school teacher and wife. They are getting married next July and I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding. Molly & Rich both seemed very in love, as you will see below.

This takes me back into the history books . . . very classic.

My favorite from the whole session.

I love the sun flare in this one.

Okay, another favorite.

Molly & Rich, we had a blast with you guys. Thanks for choosing us to capture this sweet time in your lives. You guys are great - have fun this next year as you plan. Molly, we're glad you're a Pirate now. We hope to see you around town or even at a Pirate Football game this fall!

NC Plant

2010-06-09T21:44:00.007-04:00

My church, Integrity Church, recently hosted an excellent conference, called 'Vital', at the Greenville Convention Center for Plant NC which is a network committed to planting more churches in North Carolina, to provide support, training, and resources for pastors and leaders. NC Plant is led by Will Plitt and their vision is to plant 30 new churches in the next three years. They asked me to take a few photos for them and I was happy to support anything like that. I fully support the need for healthy churches in North Carolina, especially east of Interstate 95. It was an excellent conference packed with wonderful content that pastors could really benefit from. They heard from Alvin Reid who is professor of Evangelism and founding Baily Smith Chair of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Winfield Bevins who is the pastor of the Church of the Outer Banks. In addition, everyone enjoyed some worship music led by former professional surfer and excellent singer/songwriter Jesse Hines as well as great vendors who could address specific needs for new churches. It was great to have people there like Send RDU, Plantboxx, and sixty1.org. To close everything out they had a panel of guys including Winfield Bevins, Mike McDaniel from Send RDU, Jonathan Aikn from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, and a gentleman from the SBC. I was happy to attend and these were just a few of the shots I liked from the conference.

Registration, which displayed the incredible graphics designed by Plantboxx. Later, Will introduced Jesse Hines to lead everyone in Worship.

Alvin Reid shared with those in attendance.

Winfield Bevins.

The panel.

Everybody soaking it in.

A Big thank-you to Will Plitt for letting me come and enjoy the conference and his patience with me as I took way longer than I should have to get these photos to Him. I'm encouraged by this ministry. I look forward to seeing Integrity Church be part of planting 30 churches and joining with you in that vision. May God continue to bless your efforts.

Edwards Family

2010-04-11T18:14:00.005-04:00

Brian and Jenny called us a few days after their son was born in hopes that we could come and take some photos for them. We had a wonderful time getting to know the Edwards family. They are blessed to have a beautiful, healthy and very laid back baby. Seriously, he slept the entire time that we were there. Meet Brennan.

Jenny's grandmother had this little crib made for her when she was a baby. I think it's neat that it is being passed down to Brennan.

At the end of our session we went outside to take a few pictures. The sun was high in the sky and it was actually hot out. Thanks for bearing the heat! I think it was worth it.

Brian and Jenny, thank you for asking us to capture the sweet joy that comes with being first time parents. We enjoyed meeting you and Brennan. You have such a peaceful place there in the country. Have fun watching Brennan grow up learning how to "live off the land".

Johnson Family

2010-01-10T01:52:00.005-05:00

We met up with the Johnson family a few days after Christmas. They wanted some candid pictures enjoying their two beautiful children, Ashley and Mary. We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day - deep blue skies, lots of sunshine and the weather was chilly but not too cold to play. I love this first picture . . . Ashley was such a big girl going down the slide by herself - feet first of course.

I caught Esther having a sweet moment with her girls.

I haven't met a child yet who does not like the swings!

Seriously, Mary is the most content baby I've ever been around. She only had a 1/2 morning nap . . . and it was almost 4pm. There were no tears on this shoot - only smiles.

Ashley has fun written all over her face!

Rob and Esther, we enjoyed spending the afternoon with your family. Thanks so much for asking us to capture these sweet moments of you with your girls. It was a pleasure serving you and getting to know you more. We look forward to keeping in touch!

Watt Family

2009-12-07T16:32:00.003-05:00

Tonya has been following our blog for some time now and always comments on what we post. She has been very encouraging of our work and has dabbled in photography herself. She decided that she wanted some family pictures and we were very excited she hired us. She was proactive in thinking thru outfits, ideas and trusted us with the location. Her son, Dylan is 7 years old and one of the most handsome little guys I know. He was a ham for the camera, full of real laughs and was even able to muster up some great "serious" faces.

These two were so funny together. We laughed right along with them as we took pictures.

These are awesome! It was hard to pick just a few to post . . . Tonya, we can't wait for you to see your gallery!

I love this moment. I say it most every time, but there is something special about a mama and her son.

The sunset was gorgeous . . . look at those pinks and oranges! We had a blast with these two and even made a stop at the KK (Krispy Kreme) for some donuts and hot cocoa when we were done. We always give 100% on each shoot but I have to say, this session ROCKED!

Tonya, thanks for always being an encouragement to us. We hope these images serve as sweet reminders of the great joy Dylan brings to you. We love you and Dylan and we feel honored that you chose us to capture the incredible bond between a mother and her son.

Baby Trent

2009-12-02T13:58:00.005-05:00

Brooks and Crystal came to us a few months ago and we had the privelege of doing their maternity pictures. You can see those HERE. There were lots of laughs that day because Brooks is just a riot! A few days after Baby Trent was born, they gave us a call and asked if we would come to their home and do some newborn pictures. They had to reschedule our original shoot so we didn't get over there until Trent was one month old. However, I think they turned out just as beautiful as the 2 week pictures and we were even able to get a few pictures of him awake. He's a handsome fella, has a sweet demeanor and his mom and dad are so proud! The first one is our absolute favorite of the day . . . we couldn't decide between the color version or the black and white. Which one do you like the best? Please let us know in the comment section!

Crystal bought these little boots for Trent . . . aren't they precious? A country boy is in the making!

They had this beautiful bean field behind their house which made for some great sunset shots!

Brooks is so natural with his son. This picture is beautiful and rustic.

I love how Crystal is looking at her son so intently. It's amazing how a new mom has the perfect "cradle hold" for her new baby.

Safe in daddy's arms!

Thanks for trusting us with such monumental seasons in your family's life. I hope that you treasure these images for years to come and look at them often.

Manning Family

2009-11-20T08:48:00.003-05:00

We have been good friends with Steven and Candi since our wonderful college days at ECU. We had a great time taking pictures of them with their sweet twin babies, Berkley and Meredith. Candi loves theatre, especially musicals. So, when I saw this wall I knew it would be a place she would love! She has as beautiful voice herself. There were many times during the shoot that she would belt out a song and immediately the babies smiled and were captivated by their mom. (We might need to hire her to come along on other family shoots.)

I can see a Christmas card now, "From our city to yours - Merry Christmas!"

Steven and Candi are also East Carolina Alumni . . . and they loved the idea of going on campus for a few pictures.

Berkley and Meredith are twins and they have the same beautiful smile! However, I have to say that Meredith looks a lot like Candi and Berkley is a spittin' image of Steven. WOW!

These two images are stunning.

I'm a softy when it comes to seeing a daddy with his baby girl . . . it gets me every time!

Steven and Candi, it was great spending some time with you and the babies. Your family is beautiful. I hope you look back on these images for years to come and treasure these tender years. As you know already, time passes quickly - so, enjoy those gummy smiles, wet kisses and belly laughs. We look forward to watching your family grow!

Baby Harper

2009-10-25T14:45:00.006-04:00

Craig and I love that we are able to do photography together. Family shoots are among our favorites and that includes newborn sessions. There are few sweeter seasons in life than welcoming a new little one into the world. Sweet baby Harper made her appearance on September 27th. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Jennifer and Jamie are absolutely in love with their baby girl. It's always such a privilege to capture first time parents caressing their newborn baby, talking to them with such a sweet voice and beaming with excitement and pride as they simply stare at their child sleeping. The quiet joy a newborn can bring to a home is precious and truly a gift from the Lord.

Jamie is so tender with Harper. I love seeing how fast a daddy's heart melts for his daughter.

Simply put, Jennifer is a natural.

Jackson was their "first baby" a few years ago. He is so sweet, full of kisses and is learning to wait patiently while his new "friend" grows up. It won't be long buddy.

Jennifer and Jamie, it was great spending time with your family. Thanks for asking us to capture this sweet season in your life. It was an honor to enter your home and watch you enjoy each other. Craig and I hope to see y'all around town and marvel with you at how fast Harper has grown!

Sutton Family

2009-09-09T12:26:00.007-04:00

Crystal called us months ago looking to book a maternity session. She was certain what she wanted and that was a maternity session in Bath, N.C. She and her husband, Brooks, love to be on the water with their boat. It only made sense to do their session in a place they loved. I'm sure their baby boy, Trent, will grow up wake boarding and skiing before he's in school. Trent is due to arrive in November. We can't wait to meet him. Enjoy!

Boo-Yaa. I love this image.

Baby Trent's room is decorated in a nautical theme; lots of sailboats and navy blue. So, we did our best to capture several images that were nautical in theme or captured the beauty of being on the water.

What is Eastern North Carolina without soybean fields and tractors?

Barefeet and Sunsets. Who says summer is over?

The sunset was gorgeous and the colors in the sky were quite captivating. We were on our way out of town and couldn't resist pulling over to get a few last shots on the bridge.

Brooks and Crystal: We had so much fun with you both. We can tell you are both going to be great parents. Thanks for trusting us with this precious memory. Brooks, you're hilarious! Thanks for keeping everyone laughing. Let us know when baby Trent arrives.

Baby Sophie

2009-08-23T22:22:00.005-04:00

Elizabeth and Kevin gave us a ring earlier in the summer. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sophie Nicole and wanted to schedule some precious photos of her. Sophie was born August 12 and weighed 9 pounds 12 ounces. Women everywhere who just read that took a deep breath and winced a little. Elizabeth deserves applause. Sophie is a beautiful baby and Kevin was very natural with her. These were some of our favorites from the session. Enjoy!

Isn't she just beautiful?

I love these two images . . . her eyes are engaging.

Elizabeth and Kevin: Thanks so much for trusting us with images of your beautiful baby. We enjoyed meeting you both and the new 'Grandmamma's'. We hope these images will be precious to you as you watch her grow so quickly. Before long, she will be asking you for the car keys and to go on dates.

Turner Family

2009-08-13T15:19:00.007-04:00

Chris and Lauren drove into town from Apex, NC for a photoshoot of their family. Collin, age 3, and Robson, age 1, are full of life, love to explore and greatly enjoyed the 'farm'. The Turner's wanted to capture some beautiful memories with their two boys. Children grow so fast! Here are a few of our favorites!

Lauren's laugh is contagious and Chris knows how to bring it out.

Chris and Lauren have fun with their children. Smiles across the board . . .

I think this is my favorite.

Turner Family: Thanks for sweating it out with us. We had a great time watching you enjoy each other. We hope these images will serve as great memories of these young and tender years.

Baby Brandon

2009-07-27T17:39:00.005-04:00

Audrey called us the day Brandon was born. Following her maternity photographs she asked us to be prepared to get her call for Brandon's first photos. She had been awaiting his arrival for month's. So, we rolled over to their home and met this little guy! He was a pretty content baby and happy to be in his mother's arms. Nicholas is now a big brother and thinks Brandon is worth the wait. I could tell he wanted Brandon to be able to play right away. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy!

Audrey and Curran: thanks so much for choosing us, again. It is always the highest compliment to be considered the photographer of choice for a family. Brandon is adorable and we look forward to seeing him grow and run around with Nicholas very soon.

Bell Family

2009-07-22T10:45:00.004-04:00

Matt gave us a call and wanted us to mainly focus on capturing Isaac, who recently turned two. You may recognize Matt from a local band he is in called, spare change. We went to their home and photographed Isaac in his element. This little guy is full of energy and doesn't stop for much of anything. Matt and his wife Heidi mainly speak to Isaac in Spanish so it was wild for us to have Matt and Heidi translate what we were saying back to him. Isaac is your typical two year old. He loves trains, sand boxes, being tossed in the air and his tricycle. Later we took them all to a beautiful tobacco field for a few family photographs. Nothing says 'north carolina' like tobacco. Since they are from Texas, this added a little local flavor to their images. Enjoy!

Saweeet! Yea, this is my favorite too.

Yea, Isaac really is that adorable.

To the Bell Family: Thanks so much for choosing us to capture Isaac's second year. We had so much fun getting to know you both. I am still impressed with the customized violin. That was awesome!

Live Integrity

2009-07-10T14:32:00.005-04:00

I've been attending Integrity Church for a while now. In fact, you may remember a post I did a while back with images I took for their website. Well, that site didn't really work out so good. So, I suggested to them that they might consider taking some staff photos and re-designing their church website and adding a blog. Well, they took me up on it. So, I took some photos for them and implemented a new website for them as well. It is a very sleek website and I think it fits the personality of our church well. Drop in and take a look at the website and new church blog.

This is the group, three interns and our pastor. Tyler, Ben, Jake and Mitzi.

Here is the killer website thanks to ITDR.

To Integrity Staff: Thanks for trusting me with this. I'm so thankful to be able to be a part of this church and pursue Christ alongside each of you. I'm excited to see what the Lord will do in our city through this church.

Commercial Shoot

2009-07-08T11:48:00.000-04:00

Charlie needed some pictures for a brochure he was putting together on his new company. It was a last minute thing as Charlie wasn't going to be in town very long. We ended up doing the shoot at seven in the morning under constant threat of rain at his family farm. All the guys were supper friendly and fun. I want to thank Jeff Mansfield for helping me out on this shoot. Getting up at 6:30 in the morning to lug around lights and help out says a lot to me. You're a true friend. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Charlie: Thanks for trusting us with these important photographs. We loved meeting everyone.

Williams Wedding

2009-05-19T12:04:00.003-04:00

Here is a look at Justin and Beth's Wedding that Kim and I photographed back in May. You may remember Justin and Beth from their Engagement Session or Beth's Bridal Session. We had so much fun photographing their special day. Justin and Beth opted to see each other prior to the ceremony. It was a sweet moment to see Beth get teared up to see Justin for the first time on her wedding day. Their reception was held at the Bob Martin Agricultural Center in Williamston, N.C. The slideshow is below, or you can jump right to it, here. . Enjoy some of our favorites!

Boo Yaa!

I loved the stain glass windows.

I thought this was unique.

Seeing each other for the first time. It was a tender moment.

The Groom and the Father of the Bride.

I LOVE this image.

You gotta have tractors.

These guys were a total riot.

Charlie's Angels.

They had a blast at the reception. They even cut into the UNC groom cake (even though Justin claims to be a die hard ECU fan) . . . I told you I'd slip in a jab somewhere.

Below is a slideshow of some of their wedding day images put to a song that was meaningful to both Justin and Beth. Maybe they can share why in the comments section. If you'd prefer to see the slideshow a little larger or have the link, click HERE.

Justin and Beth, Thanks for choosing us to be a part of your special day. We wish you many years of happiness and Bojangles.

Elizabeth Bridals

2009-05-16T00:01:00.003-04:00

Now that the wedding is over {images coming soon} we can show you some of Elizabeth's Rock'n Bridal shots. You may remember Elizabeth from her Engagement Session. She said she wanted a little of both the urban and rural feel to her Bridal Portraits. So we started off with the urban look. I thought I might have to encourage Elizabeth to take a few shots in environments that were a little more risky to her dress. Not the case. She was up for anything. . . literally. In fact, she was willing to risk her dress beyond what we had planned. We were all very careful, and I think the images turned out beautifully. I love it when our clients let us take them to our favorite spots and try new things!

Boo-Ya

This is the SMACK-down.

For the last shot of the day . . . Stop'n traffic.

Elizabeth, thanks for having so much fun with this and not worrying about the dress. We loved how willing you were . . . it made it so much fun!

Scarlata Family

2009-05-04T12:44:00.005-04:00

I first heard from Audrey back in February. She wanted to schedule a maternity shoot. She is due in July with her second baby, Brandon. Audrey wanted to be careful to get something scheduled with us sooner than later. She missed out on having maternity photos for her first pregnancy with her son, Nicholas, now three. She went into early labor at the eight month mark with Nicholas and was determined to have some maternity shots this time. So we scheduled them early, like at the six month mark early. Even so, the night before our shoot Audrey went to the Hospital, but it was a false alarm. So, we were determined to give her some images that would equal double the image goodness we promise our clients, {Unique, Colorful and Captured}.

Audrey wanted a split session with half of our time focussed on maternity and the other half focussed on her family and son, Nicholas. So, after the Maternity shoot, we all jumped into the car and went to one of our favorite locations. Nicholas had a blast and loved running through the fields as the sun began to set before our eyes. It's always so fun to photograph young families! Nicholas was promised a happy meal if he cooperated with the photographers. He was so easy. So, chalk up another good session to Mickey Dee's. Enjoy!

Boo - YAA. This is da bomb diggity. Can we say 'canvas wrap'?

Audrey also wanted some family shots as well as some of her son Nicholas. So we took some time for a few Rock'n shots outside.

Here's a few of Nicholas, who is adorable.

Boo-yaa. It's like deja vu with the Rock'n imagery. I L-O-V-E this.

Audrey and Curran: Thanks so much for trusting us with this special season of life for you both. It's the greatest honor for a photographer to be trusted to deliver the images a client dreams to own. We hope these are the images that always bring a smile to your face and a memory to your mind.

Integrity Church

2009-05-03T12:35:00.002-04:00

Sorry, I've been so slow with these pictures . . . several people have been asking me to post them to the blog. So, the world can go back to normal now.

So the story is this: I was asked by my pastor, Ben, to take a few photos for our church website. Our church, Integrity, is a relatively new church plant in the area. It has been exciting to see our church blossom over the last several months. Ben wanted something for the website that looked aged and worn as well as some basic shots of our service. We are a church that focusses on being authentic, relevant and missional. Our family loves living life with these wonderful folks (yup, that sounded country-fied). You can also see these pictures on the website, liveintegrity dot org. Enjoy!

This is Ben. He is pretty cool.

This is Integrity Church.

This is our outdoor Easter Service.

This is just cool. We celebrate with Jaysue!

cool website. It's currently still 'under construction', but you can check it out liveintegrity dot org.

Laura + Mark

2009-04-29T15:47:00.001-04:00

Recently, we went up to D.C. for an e-session with Mark and Laura. The trip was planned a few weeks in advance and it was the only weekend that worked for us both before their wedding in June. Well, on the way up it started raining. It was very overcast and drizzly the whole time but I must say, it didn't spoil the fun for this couple! We made the most of it and were able to capture some great moments.

We spent some time on Capitol Hill and the historic National Mall. Mark and Laura both live in D.C. and there were several spots that were special to them all around the city.

Mark proposed to Laura at Capitol Hill Baptist Church,which is where they met and fell in love. They re-enacted the real engagement for us so they could have some pictures to remind them of that special night.

They also wanted to spend some time in Georgetown. I love the street lighting in these images.

We ended the night in the famous Union Station. I'm not real sure what Mark said to Laura but it made her laugh HARD!

Mark and Laura: enjoy these last few months of preparing for marriage. Thanks for asking us to come up and capture the two of you before the big day!

Lydia Turns Two

2009-04-20T18:50:00.003-04:00

Craig and I enjoyed celebrating Lydia's second birthday with friends. I LOVE planning parties for my children . . . I think its the teacher in me. We had a Teddy Bear brunch complete with teddy bear pancakes & fruit, teddy bear play stations, a teddy bear cave, teddy bear hide and seek and best of all: a quick visit from Grandma bear. Enjoy the pictures!

You guessed it, Lydia took a bite out of her candle.

Here are the kids waiting for a special visit from Grandma Bear. You can see the suspense in each face - they are not sure what to expect.

Caleb knew it was grandma in that suit . . . and he was the first to greet her with a huge hug!

Each child brought their favorite bear and we played hide and go seek with them. It was so fun to see the kids running around the house looking for "their" special bear. We had quite the collection as you can see.

Here is Caleb with two of his buddies, Terry and Kaleb. He loves his friends . . . just like his mama does:)

I love this picture of Caleb and Lydia. He looks so proud to be her big brother - complete with her new pink sunglasses on.

Eight Years

2009-04-17T12:10:00.004-04:00

This week Craig and I celebrated eight years of marriage. My husband is so sweet. He sent me the most beautiful flowers I've ever received. He made reservations at the restaurant we went to on our very first date in January of 1998. He even arranged the babysitter (thanks Matt and Michelle). We enjoyed a nice and "quiet" meal together as we reflected on all we have seen and done since we first met. We've seen quite a bit of the world together and we've learned a lot about each other and ourselves. I'm so thankful for the husband God has given to me. He complements me in many ways. Here are just a few pictures I took in attempt to capture the beauty of the flowers before they withered and died. Thanks to so many of you who have walked alongside of us on this journey together.

Here is the precious diamond ring Craig gave to me in October of 2000. I LOVED it then and I LOVE it now.

Our sweet son, Caleb is curious about everything. I guess he had to "touch" the dragonfly in order to believe it wasn't real. He thought the flowers were "butaful".

To the Love of My Life: You are the most loving, thoughtful and gentle yet strong man I know. I love you.

Baby Daniel

2009-04-04T15:11:00.003-04:00

I'll keep this short since so many of you scrolled directly to the pictures when you saw the word "baby" in the title. I just wanted to give a brief introduction to my new Nephew, Daniel. When you look at the images, you're welcome to mumble a quiet 'awwww' . . . it's alright, nobody's listening.

Now tell me this isn't Rock'in!

I want to give one of these pictures (below) to Daniel's two year old sister, Grace. I want to tell her this is a picture of where we found Daniel when he was first delivered to us by the Storks.

To Baby Daniel: I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. By the way, I have all kinds of stuff on your daddy.

Christina+Anthony Wedding

2009-04-03T09:51:00.015-04:00

About a year ago we first heard from Christina as she had just moved to Greenville from Florida. She said she loved our style of photography and wanted us for the small wedding she was planning. Kim loved Christina from the start, and was determined to make it work for us to photograph Christina's wedding. Last October we had a blast photographing their e-session. You can take a look at those images HERE. So, we knew their wedding would be filled with some great moments.

Christina and Anthony planned a very small wedding in Bath, North Carolina which was North Carolina's first town ever in 1705. They were married in North Carolina's oldest church, the St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Bath has so many neat historical facts. For instance, Bath was home of the famous Blackbeard the Pirate. Needless to say, we were very excited about Christina and Anthony's wedding. They had a small reception at the historic Inn on Bath Creek and Catered by B&K Cakes and Catering.

Christina LOVED her red shoes - and so did we.

Christina and Anthony had cokes in the bottle and boiled peanuts at the reception. An old time favorite of Christina's.

The Bride. and The Groom.

Taking a little peek before she walks down the aisle.

Mr. and Mrs. Futrell . . . she looks mighty proud to be Anthony's wife.

After the reception we had some time to take some pictures of just the two of them.

I think this is probably my favorite image of Christina - the lighting, the colors and her expression tells the story of their beautiful day.

To Christina and Anthony: Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your special day. We have loved getting to know you both.

Below is a small overview of the day. Enjoy the slideshow and music. If you want to see it in a separate screen click HERE.

Layla + Charlie

2009-03-23T17:46:00.003-04:00

Layla stopped by our booth at the Bridal show back in February. She took the time to fill out an info form which made her eligible for a free engagement session and 25 'save the date cards'. Well, she won and decided to bring along her fiancee, Charlie, too. I think that Charlie would have rather watched paint dry than have his picture taken, but in the end . . . I think we won him over . . . he even started smiling. We had a blast with both of them. I love it when our clients let us try some of our whacky ideas.

For the picture, bottom left, we told Layla to give us some "sas". She was a natural in front of the camera. I love the lighting in that picture.

The picture in front of the tires is my favorite. There's just something about being in Eastern North Carolina where there are certain things people get excited about: Trucks, Football, Nascar, and . . . Tires.

Kim says this picture is, "Good old country lovin. In a field, blue jeans, and your man's hands in your back pockets." Maybe all we were missing was the General Lee.

Charlie and Layla laughed a lot and we LOVE that. Like we've said before, we aren't really funny, we're just easy to laugh at.

To Charlie and Layla: We had so much fun getting to know you both. We hope these images help capture a special time for you both. We were glad to have been able to play a part in your special day.

Landscapes

2009-03-22T16:16:00.002-04:00

This is probably not what you expect to see when you visit our blog. However, taking photographs of landscapes is what got me interested in photography years ago. In fact I have a separate portal on my website dedicated to 'everything else' that I like to photograph. It's my 'Artsy' stuff'. Check it out. I've always been drawn to an interesting view of a sunset, a mountain ridge, the wide expanses, and beauty of this planet in general. So, when I passed by this home I had to stop and grab a quick photo. I thought it was a perfect image of what I see regularly living in eastern north carolina. It was also a tad creepy. Can we say Freddy Krueger?

Jordan

2009-03-15T03:39:00.004-04:00

Jordan is the type of girl who has always been very outgoing and initiative with everyone she meets. She is such an "easy going, up for anything, loves to laugh" kinda gal. We had a blast with her. She let us try some new things and was SO patient with us. I thought that was very cool. So, we hope she digs these.

Did I mention she likes to laugh? {FYI: When you look at images like these where people are genuinely laughing and seem to be having a great time having their picture taken; we can't help but assume that the photographer must be really funny. For other photographers that's probably true. Not so much with us. We're not really that funny, we're just uncoordinated and people can't help but laugh at us.}

There's nothing like an antique fire engine that says 'welcome to simpler times'.

The image bottom left . . . thats a fav' . . . it rocks. The one bottom right . . . well, it makes me think of Top Gun. I doubt Jordan was even born when that film came out, but some things live forever . . . like aviator shades.

The image bottom right . . . fyi, that was Jordan's idea. It made us nervous . . . but she was right, it looks pretty cool.

Jordan, you might consider this photo an attempt at sabotaging our friendship with you, but we seriously thought it was a cool picture.

To Jordan: Thanks for being so cool and patient with us. You totally rocked it.

The Progression of Happiness

2009-03-02T01:00:00.002-05:00

Caleb is my bud. As the men of the house we stick together. He awoke from his nap, came to find me and gave me a hug. He laid his head onto my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my neck. Without looking at me, he said, "I love you daddy." I told him I loved him too. Then he pulled back looked me right into the eyes and asked "Can I have a cupcake?" {Kim had made some earlier and he noticed.} Now, I realize he was totally buttering me up. But honestly, there aren't a lot of things in the world much better than getting a hug from your son and hearing the words, "I love you," even if it is for a cupcake. Of course I gave him the cupcake. But you have to watch his facial expression change from getting up on a rainy day to the display of pure joy over a sweet a delectable cupcake. Can you even remember when the thought of a cupcake made you this happy? Ohh, the beauty of children. Enjoy the evidential progression of happiness.

Waking from a nap. Waiting for the cupcake.

"This is Awesome!"

"I'm going to pack it all in. Chew later."

"chewing . . . with a slight overbite"

"yeah!"

The Progression of Moodiness

2009-03-02T00:40:00.003-05:00

Having a little girl is rocking my world. She's turning two this month. I seriously thought she'd be laughing at my funny faces, playing dress-up, and thinking I'm the best thing that has ever existed until she turned 12. The other day she crawled into my lap, looked me dead in the eyes, grabbed my face with her two hands and said 'Holla, Holla". Folks, It doesn't get much sweeter than that. However, she has also discovered that she likes the thought of being in-control. I have documented the progression of a recent mood swing. Enjoy, and witness 'the progression of moodiness'.

Waking from a nap. "Lydia, would you like a cupcake?"

"Wow, Daddy, this is delicious."

"Daddy, that seriously made my week . . . you're the BEST!"

"Let's have another!"

"What do you mean 'no'? I thought we were friends."

Senior-i-tis.

2009-02-28T01:06:00.004-05:00

Yearbooks have a way of living forever. Why not submit an image for the school yearbook that won't make you cringe in ten years? By the way, we're opening this up to both High School and College Seniors. Spread the word and Bring it!

Referral Cards

2009-02-27T17:42:00.002-05:00

We have been trying to think of a good referral system for our loyal clients. We are slow sometimes. Forgive us. Many of you have been very cool and have referred us to your friends and family already. The highest compliment you could ever give us is to refer a friend. For those who do that going forward, we wanted to do a little more for you than just say 'thank you'. We wanted to add a little ka-ching to the pockets. So, here is what we have cooked up.

If you have been a client of ours, you are eligible to receive $50 credit towards prints and/or sessions for every single family/person you refer that books a session with us. Bottom line, you send someone our way and they book a session with us, we'll give you $50 credit with us for whenever you are ready to spend it. Here is the only rule. (I can hear you groaning.) Whomever you refer, they must give/mail/ship/or hand deliver to us a referral card, at the time of their booking, with your name on it. Thats it. Simple. Easy Money. Potentially, you never have to pay for photography again . . . you just need others to pay. A little basic math gets most people excited. So, here goes. If you refer two families that book with us, you just made $100. If you refer five high school or college seniors and a family, you have $300. Now you're cooking with gas.

So, if you have been a client of ours and want to start getting credit for all the referrals you are sending us, all you need to do is request some referral cards from us and we will mail them out to you ASAP.

Isaac Turns One

2009-02-11T23:41:00.009-05:00

The kids and I have been a part of a playgroup here in Greenville for two and a half years now. It has been WONDERFUL for Caleb and Lydia not to mention how good it has been for me. There are about 12 of us moms who have become very close friends as well. Just today we were at a birthday party for one of the many kids in the group and we were laughing because we could easily be a hit reality TV show. I can see it now: Playgroup Moms of Pitt County instead of Housewives of Orange County. (Our lives don't consist of fancy restaurants, tanning beds and big jewelry . . . we wipe noses, hineys & tears away as we do laundry, prepare dinner and proudly wear our jewelry from the Piercing Pagoda kiosk in the mall.) There is always some excitement when our group is together - lots of laughter as well as tears. The kids range in age from 3 1/2 to 6 weeks old as well as a few buns in the oven. As our families grow our group grows and it's a sweet thing. I took a few pictures today at the party . . . enjoy entering my world.

This is the face I get when I tell Lydia to smile. Can you tell she's the daughter of a photographer?

I love Anna Belle's face in this picture. It seems as if she is thinking, "What's that smell?"

You gotta love dirty little feet. Look at those toes!

Meet Isaac, the birthday boy.

Isaac makes the cookie monster look like a chump. Way to dig into that cake sweet boy!

Erica + Justin

2009-02-02T17:10:00.005-05:00

Erica and Justin have been eager to take their engagement photos for weeks. We had originally scheduled to do their e-session weeks ago, however it turned out to be the coldest day of the year . . . so I postponed it. The second time we had it scheduled I was laid up in bed fighting off Pneumonia. {That was some pretty awful stuff}. So, the third time's the charm. This time, although still quite cold, everyone braved the weather. Erica and Justin were troopers and were willing to let me try out some new ideas on them. I had so much fun photographing these two.

Saweeeet!

This is such a 'stud' shot.

This was my fav! Total sweetness.

This was my first attempt at this kind of photograph. For a first try I thought it wasn't so bad.

This was my second attempt.

My second fav. Rock'n.

There's nothing like being in love and catching a sunset.

To Erica and Justin: Kim and I had a blast with you both. Thanks for being so patient with us. I appreciated the slice of pizza you bought me. I didn't really let on how awesome it was. Thanks for suggesting we try some. Can't wait for the wedding . . . it sounds incredible.

Snow Days

2009-01-24T08:58:00.007-05:00

Snow tends to bring out the kid in us all, don't you think? This week it snowed between 4-6 inches here in Greenville which only occurs every few years. It was so much fun to see the excitement in the kids eyes as they woke up to find "white stuff" all over the ground. Craig and I were excited to take Caleb and Lydia out to play in it since it was their first snow ever. Caleb, three and a half, had a snowball fight with daddy and he thought that was super cool. And Lydia, who will be two in March, was into eating the icicles and tasting the white powder. We had a great two days playing in the snow . . . I'm glad because it could be another 3-5 years before we get this much again!

They both wanted to ride their bikes in the snow. As you can see, it didn't work very well.

Caleb could hold his own against daddy in the snowball fight. I think it actually took Craig by surprise.

I made snow angels and a snowman. I was not going to put the picture of the snowman up because I was so embarrassed of how he looked. Craig insisted - so here it is. Our yard is full of pinestraw so he looks like he's a snowman/scarecrow. If you look really hard you can see the tiny carrot nose that Caleb put on him. All we had was baby carrots so it had to do.

After an hour and a half of playing outside, Caleb was cold and ready for some cocoa.

I love those little feet next to Craig's.

Word to the wise: sometimes fun comes at a high price. Caleb and Craig have both been very sick. High fevers, bad colds and bed ridden. Craig has bronchitis and was on the verge of pneumonia, according to the doctor. I just asked him if playing in the snow with our kids was worth it and his answer: YES. That's saying alot because he hasn't been this sick in the last 11 years that I've known him.

Allie Noelle

2009-01-18T13:51:00.007-05:00

A friend of mine, Abby, had her baby on December 22, 2008. Her name? Allie Noelle, which means Sweet Christmas. What a sweet Christmas gift this was to the Whaley Family. Allie is beautiful, sweet and a miracle according to doctors. Abby has another daughter, Madalynn, who is Caleb's age. It was so much fun to see Madalynn anticipate her new little sister's arrival. She is so gentle with Allie and very eager to help out mommy. I love this family very much and enjoyed capturing some of the tender moments between Abby and her daughters.

What a sweet moment: Allie holding her mommy's finger while Abby gently kisses her on the head.

Congratulations Brock & Abby! Get ready - it's just a matter of time before the boys are knocking on your door.

Justin + Beth

2009-01-13T23:09:00.006-05:00

Stick with me, this will have a point. I like Bojangles. I do. THE BOJO is addictive. Those of us who are secretly addicted know that this addiction is not something you share with people . . . until you eat with them at THE BOJO. The confession almost always occurs in a situation like this: As both of you are cramming the signature seasoned fries in your face you hear a comment like, "Man I really like Bojangles", {emphasis on "really"} or "I eat here, like, all the time". It is usually at that point that one or both of you share how truly addicted you are to the BOJO. Ok, here comes the connection. Last year, I met with Justin and Beth for a consultation at Bojangles. I mentioned it as an option in conjunction with other places, "We could meet at Bojangles, Panera, or Starbucks." Justin kinda jumped at the chance to eat at Bojangles. It was then that I knew, I'm going to like this guy. Justin said later, "If Bojo had a fan club . . . I'd be in it". {Did you know that Bojangles has an online store?} He about lost it when I mentioned that I once went to a wedding that had Bojangles cater it! Beth, a very soft spoken and fairly agreeable young lady, quickly stepped in to curb Justin's excitement before it got out of control and led to a Bojangles smorgasbord on their wedding day.

All that to say, this couple is a lot of fun and they were up for anything for their e-session. They requested that we go to the ECU football stadium {yea, they're fans. This was another moment when I said, "I think I like this guy."} Turns out, the field was freshly painted and greener than I've ever seen it. We hiked our way to the upperdeck and once we caught our breath, we started shooting. The sky was perfect which made for some rock'in images. After shooting at the stadium we headed off for some cool urban shots.

Justin and Beth: We are looking forward to the wedding and can't wait to see how it all comes together. Personally, I'd love it if you had some seasoned fries, bo-berry biscuits and God's nectar: sweet tea.

Liberty Bowl

2009-01-11T17:37:00.011-05:00

You knew I was going to go . . . and I did. Memphis, Tennessee home of Elvis and world famous Ribs. By the way, I can not believe how many people are completely INSANE about Elvis. Seriously. Check out the craziness here. The Pirates of East Carolina University, my alma-mater, was playing Kentucky in the 50th Anniversary of the Liberty Bowl. The tickets and plans had been made back in December. It was Kim and me along with my folks and the infamous Bob. Bob is my Dad's good friend and he has been traveling to bowl games with us since as long as I can remember. So, we all hopped on a plane in Raleigh and headed off to Memphis. Upon landing we pomptly headed over to Beale Street, THE place in Memphis to hang out. The Liberty Bowl Parade was in full swing when we arrived.

You gotta see the other King in Memphis, B.B. King and his club.

During the Parade all I heard was "This is a Boweevel".

I would assume it feels strange walking in a parade without a costume, cool car, float, or even candy. No, none of that, just waving your pom-poms and expecting people to be excited about it. Well, the Kentucky cheerleaders thought it was pretty incredible. So, I guess I'm alone in that thought. I just pointed to my ECU hat I was wearing as they walked by. I think they tried not to look at me. (I realize the ECU cheerleaders probably also did this, but I am going to pretend they didn't).

This is my good friend Denny. He writes about the Pirates for a local website called Bonesville. I really enjoy reading what he has to say. Check out his article on the game HERE. He was taking in the festivities and stopped for a picture. It's always great to reunite with friends at a Bowl Game.

Ok, here's the story. We wanted to eat at a certain famous Beale Street Restaurant and enjoy some world famous ribs. But, of course it was packed so we opted to try a different restaurant, one we had heard of from friends called Corky's. We were asking a local guy for directions when he just said, "I'll take you in my Limousine." Now, I'm not accustomed to riding in limo's. In fact, I think I've ridden in a limo twice in my life. Both for funerals. About the only thing I know about a limo is that they are fairly expensive to ride in. So, sensing a scam we asked how much. "Thirty dollars", he replied. We all looked at each other and thought to ourselves, "thats a pretty good deal." (In retrospect I now know not to agree to a price before you actually see the vehicle you will be riding in.) He led us over to his limousine. Once the limo came within sight I thought it looked more like a hearse than a limo. A really old hearse. I would have sworn I saw some bullet holes in the side of it. So, before we stepped into our semi-white chariot, we had to take a photo like true tourists. I think my mom is laughing at the smell that's coming out of the hearse . . . I mean limousine. As we rode down the highway the exaust fumes began to trickle into the limo. Seriously, it felt like we had left the car on and parked in a closed garage. Of course the automatic windows didn't work. You should have seen the faces of the crowd waiting outside Corky's as we pulled up. I seriously thought the engine was going to blow like a scene out of "Uncle Buck". We all had quite a laugh from the ride.

Game Day. Pirate fans are always a fun bunch.

I 'll let you create your own caption for this one.

I thought this was a "cute" shot of my folks.

Pee-Dee!

Planes flew over the stadium all night.

You gotta love Pirate Fans!

Game Time!

Bald and Beautiful.

After the first half, Pirates lead 16-3.

Night Game.

At the very onset of the second half I began watching my team self-destruct. (But, Kim's still having a good time). This was only the beginning of the slow roller-coaster ride that was to be my life for the next 24 hours. Here's the play-by play: The morning after the game I awoke at 8 A.M. Once at the Airport at 9:30 A.M. we learned of the four hour delay for our 11 A.M. flight out of Memphis. After spending $20 on lunch in the Memphis airport we were cleared to fly to Atlanta which was completely shut-in with fog. As we cruised into Atlanta, I looked out the plane window and I seriously didn't see the ground until we were 25 yards from touching down on the runway. Felt a little scary. From there, a 'brisk' walk through Atlanta International Airport to make our connecting flight where we literally walked to the gate and directly onto the flight to Raleigh. Once comfortably crammed in the seat directly behind the exit row, we waited another hour and a half on the tarmac where we were # 31 to take-off. Upon landing in Raleigh we actually waited for our luggage, hoping for the slightest miracle of seeing it . . . which of course didn't make the flight. Exhausted, we piled onto a crowded bus to take us to our car. Lets just say we finally made it home about midnight. Ohh, and at 1 A.M. the airline called to tell us that if we wanted our luggage (which was to be delivered in the hour) that we needed to put a note on the door. So, as you can probably tell, a Pirate win would have REALLY gone a long way.

Ok, so that is the longest post I've ever done. So, if you read the entire thing you're a champ. Leave me a comment. Also, if you want to see other photos I've taken this year of the Pirates including Chris Johnson, ECU baseball and football stadium pictures you can click HERE to visit my 'everything else' site.

Seriously, I have not seen my team give away a game like that in a while. It was painful to watch. But the ribs in Memphis . . . the ribs are totally worth it.
Some of you are now concerned if I can be a good sport about the loss. Well, here goes. Congratulations to Kentucky on their win. The Kentucky fans I met were great fun and handled their win with class . . . Go Louisville!

Christmas Goodies

2009-01-06T19:57:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Christmas a few different times with our family. Craig and I hosted the annual Edwards' family Christmas Dinner, which entailed an evening of good food, fun family games, lots of laughter and a cookie contest. After dinner was cleaned up the men sat down at a table and judged 5 different cookies. They had to rate each cookie on a scale of 1-10 for taste, texture and overall score. I am proud to say that my entry won! It was fun to see the men really concentrate as they took a bite into each cookie. They took this contest very serious - it was almost comical to watch.

Caleb joined in on the fun too! He said that one of the cookies had worms in it . . . which evoked lots of laughter.

On Christmas Eve we went to my sisters' house to be with her family and my parents. The kids had a blast playing, as always and they even got to open a few gifts from each other.

My parents loved the picture of all of their grandchildren sitting on the bench eating popsicles.

On Christmas morning it was just the four of us. We do this every Christmas and it's nice for us to take our time as a family, enjoy the moments and reiterate to our children why we give them gifts on Christmas. We do not do "Santa" which Caleb understands this year. He has eagerly told people that santa does not come to his house but that his mommy and daddy give him gifts because they love him and celebrate Jesus' birthday. It's interesting to hear his thoughts as they come out - which gives us great insight into his heart and mind. Lydia hears us talk but I'm not sure how much she understands. I'm sure the conversations will get more in depth as they get older, which is a great opportunity to share WHY we do certain things in our family.

The theme for Caleb was Spider-Man and for Lydia it was baby dolls.

Caleb is really into to playing Policeman so this gift was a hit!

Lydia was eager to try out her big brother's bicycle. She didn't know that she was getting a bike too - from Gram and Gramps.

I got Craig a sweatshirt with our logo monogrammed on it - I think it was the only thing that was a surprise. He figured everything else out.

Mom and Dad, (Gram and Gramps) came that afternoon to enjoy some time with us. We went in with Craig's brother and his wife on a gift for them. What do you get someone who has everything they need/want? PICTURES of their grandchildren! So, Todd and Ginger sent us a disc of images of their little girl, Grace and we made them a book and a calendar full of pictures of their grandchildren. Did they love it? Oh yes, and there were tears of joy streaming down moms' face! I think we scored and we know what to do from here on out:)

Gramps, you are under arrest!

And now for the grand finale! Gram and Gramps got Caleb a real drum set - yes, that's right - a REAL drum set. For those of you who do not know, Caleb has some real natural talent when it comes to drumming. I know, every mom thinks their kid can do something special. We have had neighbors come over to hear Caleb play the drums because they can't believe the natural beat and rhythm. Needless to say: HE LOVED THEM! Just so you know, they are staying in the garage and he can practice to his hearts' content.

Watch out world! His face says it all.

I hope your Christmas was as good as ours. Happy New Year!

A Christmas Mess Can Still Be The Best

2008-12-24T15:01:00.005-05:00

On the Eve of Christmas we wanted to post some images that would be sure to make you smile. Our children are a constant source of amusement . . . among other things. As our loyal blog readers know, our children have a knack for getting into things. Proof of that can be seen here. Lydia is constantly exploring and you have to keep a close eye on her. Well, the other day, just before bedtime, she found the Vaseline. Lydia took gobs of it and smeared it all over herself, her hair, and our bathroom floor. It took 15 washes over the course of four days for her hair to stop looking greasy. I'm sure some of our Christmas day will be spent cleaning up messes. But, we realize that before long they will be all grown up. So, we are going to soak it all in . . . even though sometimes it is a little messy. We hope you will make the most of your Christmas messes. So, from our family to yours, have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your Christmas Eve!

Get first dibs . . . join the e-mail "list".

2008-12-19T23:27:00.008-05:00

Now you can join our E-mail list. Just click the 'Links" button above and then click on "Join our E-mail List". Type your e-mail in the box that pops up and we will add you to our list. We will not sell or distribute this list. It is just for us.

Why be on "the list" you may ask? So, I did some thinking and I came up with a few reasons why YOU should join "the list".

1. Our "list" will receive advance notice (prior to posting on the Blog) of any offers or specials we run . . . so you get first dibs.
2. We will let you know in advance of any unique sessions we are doing like the Holiday Sessions. . . . so you get first dibs.
3. Because we might do something crazy like offer a free session to the first person who responds to our e-mail letter . . . so you get first dibs.
4. As new and bigger things happen here, you are the first to know . . . so you get first dibs.
5. Because we are just so darn interesting.

Haniotes Family

2008-12-19T22:42:00.003-05:00

Sherry, Kim's sister, called and asked for some quick photos of her children in order to give her hubby a gift for the office. Our children LOVE it when their cousins come to town, so after some quick photos it was play until you drop. The weather was so warm we had to break out the popsicles to cool down the kiddos. We took some of these shots with our new camera, the Canon 5D Mark II. We are still getting used to it, but so far it is pretty rock'n.

Katelyn and Katherine

Christopher and Christian

I know . . . "adorable" doesn't seem to do this justice.

Popsicles in December. Gotta love it.

Birthday Sale

2008-12-11T22:14:00.008-05:00

We are certain that you are frantically shopping for that perfect Christmas gift. So, we wanted to let you know that we have TWO amazing SALES starting NOW until Midnight December 15th for you to consider. Craig's birthday is December 15th and he always feels sorry for December birthdays because, often, they get the shaft. The phrase commonly heard is: "Here is your Birthday gift . . . AND . . . Christmas gift."

{Many of you are thinking at this very moment how strange it is to have a "Birthday" Sale during Christmas time with all the "Normal" Sales taking place. This is precisely my point. It's difficult to break through the Christmas noise to celebrate a Birthday . . . this is where you take pitty on me and leave a nice comment on the blog.}

Well, to celebrate Craig's Birthday {It is weird referring to yourself in the third person} we decided to do a BIRTHDAY SALE where YOU get the gifts. Maybe you wanted that one big image to go over the fireplace, but the wallet screamed for you to stop short. Or maybe you have been wanting a custom photo session with us but have been waiting for the opportune time. So, to celebrate a Birthday we thought we would give all of our amazing clients from '08 the chance to clean up on print orders for family and friends from YOUR photo sessions or stock up on print credit for future sessions. So, from NOW until Midnight December 15th you can buy a discounted session or print credit.

So, What are the SALES you ask?
1. The "BIRTHDAY CAKE SPECIAL" (up to 50% more free).
2. The "CAN I COME TO YOUR PARTY SPECIAL"(get 15% off gift cards).

THE DETAILS

For the "BIRTHDAY CAKE SPECIAL" Buy Print Credit NOW to use on PAST or FUTURE orders with CSM Photography and we'll give you 50% more print credit Free. Buy $200 and get $300, buy $500 and get $750, buy $1,000 and get $1,500. Buy any amount you want. The minimum is $200 and no maximum. Print credit is like pre-ordering prints. Use anytime in 2009. Buy it NOW, use it LATER, save BIG. Taxes and shipping costs still apply. This offer is only available to clients from 2008. The print credit can only be used for either sessions {family, children, maternity, newborn, senior} or prints up to 16x20. Excludes Weddings and Bridal Sessions.

For the "CAN I COME TO YOUR PARTY SPECIAL". When you buy a gift card ($25) I'll give you 15% off. For example, get $200 in gift cards for a full session for ONLY $170, or give a $200 session and $100 (total $300) in print credit for $255. Use anytime in 2009. Buy it NOW, use it LATER, save BIG. Gift cards can be used to purchase sessions {family, children, maternity, newborn, senior, engagement or bridals}, prints, canvases, and any products. Excludes Wedding coverage. Taxes and shipping costs still apply. This offer is available to anyone.

TO BUY

To take advantage of the "BIRTHDAY CAKE SPECIAL" offer simply click HERE and 'make a payment'. Type "BIRTHDAY CAKE SPECIAL" in the memo box and follow the instructions. I'll send you an e-mail with your code within a few days with 50% more cash for you to use anytime you want either now (I'll re-post the images from your session for you to select the ones you want) or for a new session in 2009. Buy it NOW, use it LATER, save BIG.

To take advantage of the "CAN I COME TO YOUR PARTY SPECIAL" simply click HERE and buy up all the gift cards you want (the more you buy, the bigger the discount). I'll send your Gift Card(s) in the mail with the total or in different increments and we might even gift wrap it. Buy it NOW, use it LATER, save BIG.

Products

2008-12-11T00:08:00.000-05:00

We just wanted to show you some of the products we have been working on for our clients. We thought you might like to see what some clients are getting for Christmas . . . shhhh, don't tell.

(I'm just kidding. I would never ruin a surprise like that.)

Ok, this picture below is of our Wedding Albums. Of course you can customize it in many different ways, but this is what one client selected. I'm pretty sure this is NOT your TYPICAL wedding album. We like that. We like photography that isn't 'typical', so, it only makes sense that we would give our clients options for albums that are as "Unique, Colorful, and Captured" as the images.

Below is a very simple way to get several images from your session or wedding in a photo book.

A lot of our wedding clients have chosen a coffee table book instead of an Album to house their favorite images from their special day. This product comes with a dust jacket and a hard case to protect the book.

MANY of our clients have asked us what it would cost to get all of their session images on a CD with printing rights. You asked, so we have come up with a price. This product is now available for most sessions.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T15:39:00.010-05:00

For Thanksgiving we spent the day with Craig's family which entailed a two hour car ride. The trip up was wonderful . . . we listened to Christmas music, the kids were "content", Caleb even fell asleep and Craig and I were able to have more conversation in two hours than we typically have in two days. It was beautiful out, the sun was shining and there was not much traffic on the road. Ahhh. What a nice break. Once we were at his aunt's house I helped in the kitchen and Craig and the kids played outside with Gramps. I decided to take a break and get out the camera to capture some of the moments. After playing outside, we all stuffed our stomachs and it was time to "rest". For the kids, that meant more playing. Lydia really enjoyed playing with Craig's Nannie, which was so sweet to watch. Needless to say, Lydia did not get a nap while at his aunt's house which meant . . . a LONG car ride home. It was completely opposite from the ride up - and it felt two times longer. Lydia cried the whole time which meant I crawled into the backseat with her to calm her down. You guess it: it didn't help. Once we got home the kids both went straight to bed. It's always nice to see family but it's always at a price and at the parents' expense. I guess our parents did the same thing when we were younger - thanks mom and dad! I really did always enjoy playing with Papa and being spoiled. I hope Caleb and Lydia remember these sweet times when they get older.

Lydia is a daddy's girl and he can make her laugh like no other. She gives him lots of hugs and kisses everyday. It's precious and melts his heart. You may not believe me but the color in these outside images is all natural. The camera we use LOVES color and it shows most every time!

Nannie LOVES her great grandchildren as much as she loves her grandchildren. Lydia and Nannie had a wonderful time playing together in the sunroom as everyone relaxed.

It's a tradition for us to decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. Caleb helped Daddy with the lights and both the kids decorated the tree with ornaments. Lydia actually broke this beautiful ornament just a few minutes after I took this picture . . . sorry Abby, you made that for us last year. It was one of my favorites.

I love how you can see the details in the ornaments even though the only light source is the lights on the tree.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for looking at ours!

Tenth Avenue North . . . again.

2008-11-30T16:42:00.004-05:00

Back in October I invited some friends of mine to play a conference I was helping to plan. Their band is called Tenth Avenue North. I met Tenth Avenue North three years ago when they agreed to play our conference then (you can view images from one of those conferences HERE). Since that time they have played the conference for us every year since . . . mainly because they are simply nice guys who are willing to help (they deserved a lot more than we could pay them and they still did it . . . again). I took some pictures of Mike, the lead singer, as he led our conference in worship. I posted some for you to enjoy below. I think their sound is unique, but if I had to pin them down to a style it would be similar to Chris Tomlin. If you like him, then you'll love this.

A lot of times I can't help but wonder if some Christian bands are really "Christian" in their devotion to the Lord or just to the music industry. I can personally attest to these guys and their genuine love for the Lord. They have a unique ability to communicate their passion for the Glory of God. If you want to hear their hearts about this click here. I feel like I have this strange gift of being able to pick out music that is going to top the charts. Their single "Love is Here" is going to be big, as well as "Hold My Heart". You can check their website out here. You can listen to their music on itunes here. So, I'm a big fan and wanted to share them with you. Enjoy.

Ava Turns Three

2008-11-24T15:08:00.005-05:00

While Craig was out of town we had a birthday party celebration at our house. One of Caleb and Lydia's friends, Ava was turning 3 and all of her friends live here in Greenville. Ava's mom, Aimee, did a great job decorating and having all the "little details" covered. She had all the things Ava would love - balloons, party hats, cupcakes, pizza, candy, noise makers and trains. You know, most every child has one thing they fixate on. For Caleb, it's drums. For Lydia, it's Little Rabbit Foo Foo. For Ava, it's trains. I took a few shots at the party and wanted to share them with you.

I'm not real sure how Lydia ended up with the RED cupcake - but she did. We laughed because she looked like Betty Boop with big red lips. I wish I had gotten a straight on shot but oh well. . .

Ava took a break to play with the party favor trains. It looks like she's in her own little world. Choo-choo.

Getting a group shot of kids age 3 and under is hard - someone is always moving. However, I like how the movement shows Ava's excitement. She's as sweet in person as she looks on camera. And yes, that is Lydia on the end on the left - we had to disrobe her due to the cupcake mess.

Aimee: great party! Ava will be talking about it for months I'm sure. I'm so glad yall came to spend the weekend - it was wonderful having some face time together.

Browning Family

2008-11-18T17:15:00.007-05:00

Mary-Courtney called us a few weeks ago to book a session for her family. She loved our style and couldn't wait to get her family together in front of our lenses. So, we met at a park to capture some of the beautiful fall colors and then we headed out for a more urban style setting. The shoot involved Mary-Courtney and her husband Jason, her brother John and his fiancee' Laura, her sister Elizabeth and their mom, Barden. This family is close-knit, full of laughter and we could tell that they really enjoy being together. They were creative and brought blankets, coffee mugs, and a thermos to show that it was cold outside . . . and it actually was. Too bad there was no real hot cocoa inside because we all could have used some. Despite the cold weather, we had fun and I think they did too.

Here is mom with her kids. I love how they are all laughing.

John and Laura are engaged to be married in August. I'm sure their wedding will be gorgeous as it is planned to be held overlooking the NC mountains.

We found this awesome purple door and just had to get it in a few shots.

Mary-Courtney and Jason are also ECU Alumni and big Pirate fans!

I love this image.

Thanks to all six of you for being troopers and galavanting around town to get these shots. Thanks for being willing to try something new and different.

Warren Family

2008-11-09T22:10:00.006-05:00

The Warren Family came to us a year ago to photograph their daughter, Aubrey. We had so much fun that they came back again for us to capture their newest addition, Luke. As I have said many times before, repeat clients are always the highest compliment. As you can see below, they wanted the focus of the shoot to be on the children. What beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes these two have! Aubrey, age five, was as full of life as she was a year ago and she absolutely adores her little brother. There were many hugs and kisses exchanged. Luke was a very happy baby and if I recall correctly, there were no tears shed during this shoot. For a six month old, that is very rare. We did capture a few of Lee and Stephanie with their children because as parents, we know how much those images mean to us as we look back over the past few years.

This is a classic childhood memory, swinging on a beautiful sunny day with no worries.

Aubrey is full of love for her family. The hugs just kept on coming. I hope it's always this way.

These expressions say it all. Aubrey is one fun little girl!

I love the lighting in the photo on the left. The colors burst forth as the rest of the family peeks thru in the back. The one of Luke on the right is rockin'.

I'm diggin' these.

Lee and Stephanie: thank you for choosing us once again to capture the smiles of you and your family. I had a blast and I hope these images will take you back to this point in time as you look at them in the future.

Our State Magazine

2008-11-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

Sometime back in August I received a call from Our State Magazine. They wanted to know if I would do an assignment for their November issue. Of course, I was honored to have been asked by such a reputable magazine and one that pride's itself on great images. Our State is basically THE magazine for North Carolina. It chronicles all the interesting flavor and unique angles of our beautiful State. I was asked to visit a unique store in Jamesville, NC called Mackey's Ferry Peanuts. These guys sell peanuts, brittle, awesome peanut butter, chocolates, cookies . . . pretty much everything you want to over-indulge in. If you haven't heard of this place, you need to visit their website. They offer some sweet tasting products for Holiday Gifts and all of it is made in their store. So, once there, I met the owners, Sharon and Chris. By the end of our photo session they had me carrying a big brown bag of 'samples' out the door. It was awesome. In the end, Our State published two of my images. I thought it was pretty cool. What do you think? So, go buy a copy of Our State Magazine and read the entire article and check out all their beautiful images. They are available at news-stands TODAY!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:26:00.005-04:00

Recently, we went to a local Trunk-or-Treat with some friends Aimee and her daughter Ava. For those of you who are new to this, a Trunk-or-Treat is when people park their vehicles in a parking space and open their trunks. They decorate their trunks in creative ways and stand there and pass out candy. It's a great way to get a lot of candy in a short period of time and meet a lot of people, monsters, goblins, and in our case . . . a Chicken, Dinosaur and Flower. We had a great time wondering through the maze of cars and saying 'trick-or-treat". Lydia really got into it this year. She loved reaching into people's buckets and taking large handfuls of candy . . . several times. Now, I know what you're thinking . . . 'Craig you taught her that', and no, I did not teach her that. She seems to instinctively understand that candy is delicious and she wants all of it she can have (although I was very proud . . . and there was only one time where I told her to go and get more cause they were giving away peanut M&M's). Caleb on the other hand seemed a little more star struck this year. He was a little more aware of all the Goblins, Cowboys, Witches . . . and SpiderMen out there with him. We had to help him along because most of the time he would just stop and stare at people to the point of drooling. I guess it was too much visual stimulation for him. So, we wanted to wish you a Happy Halloween! We hope it's a blast.

Meet the "Flying" Dinosaur.

Meet the Chicken.

Meet the Flower.

You can almost see the amazement in his eyes.

At the first stop Lydia was a little confused, she tried to give back the candy. I think she couldn't really believe what was happening . . . people were just giving her candy. She was in heaven.

In the end, we took some time to enjoy the spoils.

Let the sugar high begin!

They really do grow up so fast. So, don't forget your camera.

Stocks Family

2008-10-29T00:04:00.011-04:00

Allen and Kara Stocks found out about CSM Photography through another family we photographed, the Stetter's. Kara contacted us shortly after Kaylin was born to inquire about some family photos. When she saw that we were running this Holiday Session Special she immediately e-mailed us to book a spot. They were our final family of the day and the sunlight was really beautiful. We love to shoot when the sun is beginning to set. Allen and Kara have two beautiful children, Christopher and Kaylin. Christopher was quite the ham and had been practicing his pretty smile all week. He loved the camera and the camera loved him! Those blue eyes sparkle and that curly blonde hair is adoreable. Kaylin is just as precious and happy as can be. She smiled and watched us work without making a peep. . . talk about a content baby! Seriously, she was very content and happy to just watch us.

Everyone, please meet the beautifully blue eyed Christopher.

Christopher loved finding bugs. Well, when you walk into the field on this Farm the grasshoppers jump everywhere. Like in the hundreds. Seriously, people. Making art can sometimes be scary for those who don't like bugs. Thankfully, Christopher was not afraid of bugs. In the image at bottom right, He found an enormous 'grasshopper' in the field and was so proud to have it in his hands.

Christopher is discovering so many things right now. At one point , in the image at bottom right, he was curious about his pants belt. Maybe it was too tight and uncomfortable, or maybe he just likes putting the belt through the loops, I don't know. I didn't ask him. But it got me thinking. So, I just have to say that I hate wearing a belt. I have to wear one, but I don't enjoy it. In fact, I don't think most men like to wear belts. Ok, most men probably haven't really thought about that. But, if they really did they would probably wish that pants just always fit. Christopher is just learning that its not such a blast to have a tight belt on. So, here's to you mister tight belt wearer-er . . . (can you hear the bud-light commercial?) ok, maybe this just got strange for some of you reading. Sorry. Now back to pictures.

In the image at bottom left Christopher had discovered a cricket in the grass. He got very excited about this. You gotta love children. They are so entertained by the aspects of life we just gloss over.

Oh yea, Christopher loved the tree swing too. So, note to parents: I found out that the swing is pretty much a home-run every time with children . . . just in-case you hadn't discovered the power of the swing yet.

To Allen and Kara: Thanks for choosing us to capture the smiles of your family. Enjoy these young and tender years. May these images be something you treasure as your kids grow up before your eyes. We hope they help you to not gloss over this season of your lives.

Ellis Family

2008-10-28T23:14:00.009-04:00

We have been so privileged to have such AMAZING clients. It is always an honor when our clients trust us with their family memories and return to us season after season. Paul and Lisa are faithful clients of ours. They have been with us since the beginning of our business, and we have probably taken more photos of them than any other client. In fact, they were with us in the beginning when we were exploring some studio photography. Lisa had asked us to do her maternity pictures and then returned to us when her son, Caden, was born for his newborn pictures. You can see Caden's newborn pictures HERE. We have known Paul and Lisa for two years and they have become sweet friends. They decided to jump on board with our Holiday Session Special to get a few family pictures but wanted to mainly focus on Caden since he recently turned one year old. So, they came out to the farm not knowing what to expect. Lisa is originally from "up north" and lived in Arizona for several years after that. Lisa and Paul decided to give up the unbearable hot temperatures, the scorpions, and the rampant dust storms of Arizona in exchange for a more 'normal' life replete with sweet tea, green foliage, and MUCH cooler weather. They have been living here in Eastern North Carolina for two years now and Lisa is always learning something new about "our" food, and slang sayings ( . . . it's almost like Eastern North Carolina is a different country for them). So, doing a photo-shoot in a rural setting on the Farm was a great way to show that the South is now her home . . . (can you tell we kinda tease them a lot about this?). Ironically, Paul, is actually a good ole' boy from South Carolina who can sympathize with Pirate Fans since he LOVES the Clemson Tigers and is used to having high expectations that lead to severe disappointment and borderline depression when those expectations are far from realized. As for Little Caden, he was a champ and seemed to enjoy exploring the different parts of the farm. . . his roots are being planted on the firm soil of the South.

No matter your particular palate for photography . . . this is a very cool image.

I love the sun flare.

Kim rocked the image at bottom right.

Ok, this image below deserves an explanation. I really wanted to try a shot using one or more polaroid images. (So, a BIG thanks to Amy (you know who you are) who responded to my plea on this blog for a polaroid camera and let me borrow hers). So, Paul and Lisa, were gracious enough to let me try my idea. Now, I have mixed feelings about the image, but I show it to you because if you want to be a photographer . . . well, you have to try new things. ( This is me being vulnerable.) So, let me know what you think.

Caden is definitely adorable.

This one is my favorite.

To Paul and Lisa: your friendship is special. Thanks for your encouragement, love and support. We love "ya'll" and have enjoyed walking beside you in this season of 'parenthood'.

Wilkie Family

2008-10-28T22:56:00.010-04:00

On Sunday afternoon we headed out to the farm for our first of several Holiday Sessions for the day and to meet the Wilkie Family. Bethann said they heard about us through the Woodlief family. We had just finished photographing their beautiful twin babies. You can see those HERE. Troy, Bethann, Jackson and Nora Kate looked as if they had just stepped out of a magazine with their coordinated outfits, cool accessories and beautiful smiles for the camera! Bethann wanted images that were colorful, candid and able to capture who they were in real life. So, we just followed them around as they enjoyed each other. It was fun to be a "fly on the wall" or should I say a "bee on the farm" as we watched this family run around, play and explore the beautiful farm. Jackson, who is six and Nora Kate, three, had lots of energy but I must say their parents were able to keep up. They were playing chase, throwing the kids up in the air, picking up bugs and taking their turns on the tree swing. Having children tends to bring out the kid in us all.

I loved Nora Kate's colorful stockings.

Jackson really enjoyed the tree swing.

Say it with me . . . awwww.

It wasn't until later, after the photo-shoot when I was sitting in front of my computer looking at this image at the bottom left and I thought . . . Wow! . . . Now that's an impressive toss. I'm thinking at least 5.5 feet at the peak. Dad's all over the world should be impressed by this.

Nora Kate is gorgeous and full of smiles.

To Bethann and Troy: We had a great time and hope you were able to create some memories with your family. Years from now, when they're grown, we hope these images help bring you back to now.

Woodlief Twins

2008-10-24T16:03:00.007-04:00

Scott and Ashlie came to us a few months ago to do their maternity pictures. You can see those HERE. We had a blast getting to know them and hearing the story of their two blessings on the way, Hudson and Davis. Well, once the boys were born they gave us a call and asked if we would come over and capture them once again, this time outside of the womb. We photographed them on their one week birthday - just seven days old. It's hard to imagine both of these healthy baby boys being inside together. Scott and Ashlie are both so "natural" with their boys. They make a great team.

I love how they are cuddled up together - I'm sure there is some comfort for them since they did spend the last nine months together in "close quarters".

Then we tried to undress them . . . and they didn't like that.

When we got there Hudson was wide awake. He was mesmerized by the camera.

Proud Papa.

A beautiful nursery . . . double take on everything!

They are raising their boys right . . . as PIRATE fans!

Ashlie and Scott: We know you are tired and the nights and days are probably just running together right now. But we promise you - one day you will miss it because they really do grow up FAST! One day you will long for your child to raise his hands up and want you to hold them.

Christina + Anthony

2008-10-22T16:02:00.005-04:00

Christina contacted us this past summer after they were engaged. She and Anthony were planning their wedding but hadn't yet decided on a date. We went ahead and scheduled an {e-session} for October. Both of them are lawyers. One works for the DA and one is a defense attorney. They haven't yet met in the courtroom and didn't expect that to happen. Anthony wanted their session to be in a more rural setting. I love the open fields and country farms. So, we had a blast just capturing their relationship through the lens.

I love the red barn doors.

I thought Christina had some really cool shoes.

Kim climbed a silo for this shot (bottom right). I loved it.

Christina and Anthony: We look forward to the wedding. Thanks for hanging out with us.

Holiday Sessions Are Here!

2008-10-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, it is that time of year. it's time to start thinking about Christmas. I really love the Holidays. I enjoy getting gifts for friends and my family. I like to try and find a unique gift for each of them. But then there are the "hard to buy for". The "hard to buy for" are the people that have everything or just don't give you any clue what they want for the Holidays. You agonize over what to give them and talk yourself out of every idea for one reason or another. We all have someone on our gift list like that. It is challenging. . . it really is.

So, I want to offer a solution. Why not give the gift of photos, cards or photo books this Christmas? You know that Grandma, Gan-Gan, Nannie, Gram and Gramps (insert other favorite name here) will LOVE a new family photo. If asked they probably wouldn't prefer any other gift. I'm willing to bet that the 'hard to buy for' people would love this too. (at the very least it will end the stress and worry over what to get them . . . at least for this year).

So, we are going to offer a special session to produce those unique, colorful and captured images our clients have come to love. We have decided to call these sessions our "Hard To Buy For" Session (HTBF).

We are opening October 25th and November 1st, (SATURDAYS!) to launch our HTBF Sessions. In addition we are offering a rate that is gentle on the wallet (we watch the news too). A typical family session at CSM photography is $200 + tax. However, in the spirit of the Holiday's and on behalf of all of those who struggle to buy for the "hard to buy for" people we are giving you a great rate... a 45 minute session for just $120 + tax!

You pick the time slot (or take whatever is left) and we will photograph you and your immediate family for 45 minutes at a gorgeous Farm House property (more on that below . . . you had to know we had something cool up our sleeve).

Hurry up and book, we expect these session to sell out quickly. Deals like this don't come around very often. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A SESSION PLEASE EMAIL OR CALL US.

All session times below are for Saturday, October 25th and November 1st and are first come, first serve. Those who call the studio, pick an available time slot, and reserve with credit card to secure a session and we'll let you know where to meet!

All sessions will be held at a beautiful Farm House. This Farm House was completed in 1792 and is one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. It has it all. If you're thinking Red Barn Doors - yea, we have that. Looking for the old fashioned tree swing, - yea we have that too. Looking for horse stables . . . check. (no horses though). Looking for a field to run through . . . check. Wanting something rustic and representative of Eastern North Carolina? Then this is the place. Trust me . . . nobody's going to have Holiday images like this. Hurry, I only have eight spots.

Below are the times we have available. Each is a 45 minute slot.

OCT 25 SOLD OUT
Saturday, Oct 25. - 2:15pm - 3pm (taken)
Saturday, Oct 25. - 3:15pm - 4pm (taken)
Saturday, Oct 25. - 4:15pm - 5pm (taken)
Saturday, Oct 25. - 5:15pm - 6pm (taken)

Saturday, Nov 1. - 2:15pm - 3pm (taken)
Saturday, Nov 1. - 3:15pm - 4pm
Saturday, Nov 1. - 4:15pm - 5pm
Saturday, Nov 1. - 5:15pm - 6pm

Call 252.353.5688 to book today!

SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE CALLING TO BOOK:

||All payments are due upon booking and are non-refundable upon cancellation. ||
||This is for individuals, children, and families only. Extended families will incur an additional charge.||
||You must select a time slot when booking this session. ||
||Each session is 45 minutes long.||
||Please do not be late for your session. ||
||We recommend talking about the session with children in advance and getting them excited, like a special outing. We also recommend bringing treats and snacks for younger children (and us, we like snacks too!). ||
||Each session will be edited and placed online for viewing. You will be provided a MINIMUM of 20 edited photos per family for viewing online. All prints and products should be purchased separately. ||
||You will be notified by email when your images are online. ||

Our First Kite

2008-10-15T22:48:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago we went to Myrtle Beach. The weather was perfect - sunny, low to mid 70's and breezy enough to fly a kite. We had fun laughing, running around and enjoying some time away together as a family. Here are a few of my favorite images. The first one captures my heart - there's nothing like seeing your husband have fun with your children:)

Caleb was intrigued with the kite and insisted on doing it "all by himself". We were both quite impressed that he didn't let it go.

Who says girls don't play hard? (I'm just impressed that she actually picked her hairbow up off the ground.)

They really do have fun together - I pray that they are best friends when they get older.

I LOVE her face in this picture. It makes me giggle inside every time I see it. You can see the tiny grains of sand on Caleb's hands here - and notice how he is looking a bit worried.

Howard Family

2008-10-14T09:37:00.006-04:00

Amy emailed me wanting a fun family session after a referal from my good friend Mandy Hardy (a little shout out to Mandy!). Amy shared with me that they really enjoy spending time on their boat riding down the tar river. So, that's what we decided to do . . . go on the boat. The weather started to shape into a scene out of Wizard of Oz. The sky was grey and even turned dark at one point. We were all thinking it might rain, but the overcast sky actually made for some nice light. Amy and Ken have a beautiful daughter, Caroline. She is two and loves to be tickled, paint her fingernails and drive the boat. She is a gorgeous little girl and is full of energy and smiles. She was so easy to photograph. I'm afraid that her father, Ken, is going to have his hands full running the boys off in the years to come. Their other baby is Lucky, the family dog. I love dogs. Our family has had several family dogs that have practically had a seat at our dinner table for years. So I understand wanting a family pet to be in the photographs. Now, Lucky is just that . . . Lucky. He is 16 years old and pretty much runs things in the Howard house. Lucky kinda groaned and didn't like having to ride in the boat as it was being pulled behind the suburban headed to the boat ramp (I took his seat). He's used to riding on the leather in the suburban with the family. He was a gentle and friendly dog whom they love dearly, so Lucky joined in for the photo session. Amy told me that she wanted an image for her CSM Photography custom designed family Holiday cards. I have a few images in mind that I think would work well. I'm sure Amy would love your input. Which image should she use? Post your suggestion as a comment below. Enjoy!

I LOVED these two images!

Caroline really enjoyed being tickled! The smiles just kept coming!

Say it with me, "awwwww."

Meet Lucky.

The boat. All we were missing was a little Jimmy Buffett on the radio.

You gotta love the red shoes!

I told you Caroline liked to drive.

Howard Family: Thank you for letting me enter your lives for a few hours. It was so much fun "chill'n" on the boat with you. You guys were fantastic!

Goff Family

2008-10-10T00:21:00.003-04:00

Meggan sent us a sweet e-mail last week. She had been shooting professionally for a while and had started her own business, Image Photography. She came across our website and wrote that she really liked our style of photography. She was wanting to get together and see how we handle some of our post-processing side of things as well as just kinda get some overall ideas on how we get the style/posing from our clients. At the same time she wanted a few images of herself with her family.

(WARNING: LONG RANT/EXPLANATION COMING. Contrary to Popular belief, Photographers aren't IN many pictures. I always hear comments like, where was Craig when this was taken? Did he go to the beach with you? Did he come to his Son's birthday party? Yes, I was there. I took the photos. So, sometimes, photographers have to ask others to help us capture some memories with us IN the pictures.)

Meggan hails from good ole' Conway, South Carolina. It just so happened that I was headed to South Carolina last week . . . So, we got together and made a session / "get learnt" workshop out of it (do you like my name for my consultation sessions "get learnt", I think its kinda snazzy.)

Her Husband Randy and Daughter Sophia were the models. Meggan picked some awesome locations and all three were so easy to photograph. Sophia is absolutely gorgeous. She has these beautiful eyes and long dark hair. Its hard to take a bad photo of this little girl. Here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Probably my two favorite images.

Look at those beautiful eyes. See what I mean? Ohh, did I mention that Sophia started walking just one or two weeks prior to our session. She was so fun to watch as she carefully chose her steps. I also LOVE the shot in the chair.

Sophia didn't seem to like the the way the ground felt to her feet. So, she would lift up one leg to avoid touching the ground.

My favorite shot of just the two of them.

We closed the session with a photogaph in front of the historic Conway theatre. It had a beautiful, well lit, sign that Meggan really wanted. I think it turned out pretty groovy.

Meggan: I really enjoyed hang'n out with you and your family. It's always a privilege to be the choice of another photographer. I hope I was able to help some with your questions. I'll be looking in on your website from time to time to see what you're up to. Best Wishes.

William + Kelly Wedding

2008-10-07T21:18:00.004-04:00

Back in September I visited Greenwich, Connecticut to shoot William and Kelly's wedding with my good friend Rachel, of Rachel Henderson Photography. It was a beautiful wedding. The entire day was held on the property of a three hundred year old home that had remained in the family all those years. The property was simply amazing including horse stables, a pool, the home, and several acres of beautiful greenery. The reception was quite the party held under an enormous tent where they had a sit down dinner catered by Fitzgerald's. They all rocked out the reception with a phenomenal DJ of 1,2 Step Entertainment. The dance floor was occasionally lit up by the video light from Thomas the videographer of Looking Glass Video Memories. The only thing that didn't quite cooperate was the weather. Although it was sunny it was incredibly humid. I probably looked like I had been for a swim in the pool all evening. In fact, one groomsman decided he was so hot he actually jumped into the pool. Lets just say this party was excellent and continued into the morning hours. I had a grand time photographing the entire day!

Kelly wore a beautiful form fitting dress

Beautiful place settings and lots of GREEN!

I absolutely loved the rings. Sapphire and Diamonds!

There were these beautiful boats filled with flowers floating in the pool.

The party was rolling. A little grinding for all.

Who needs a glass?

The party rolled on into the morning.

William and Kelly, thanks for letting me be a part of your special day. It was truly beautiful.

Backyard Bunnies

2008-09-26T22:58:00.003-04:00

Our neighbor found some baby bunnies in his backyard and immediately thought to invite Caleb and Lydia over to see them. As you can imagine, both Caleb and Lydia were interested in the bunnies. . . not to mention my excitement that rushed us all over there. Caleb was brave enough to hold one of them and you can see how gentle he was with the bunny in the picture below. You can also see that Lydia was a little unsure. She did enjoy "petting" them and watching them hop around the yard. When we were walking home Caleb referred to them as precious bunnies.

Rachel+Brian

2008-09-16T14:30:00.009-04:00

I've known Rachel and Brian for nearly ten years. They both attended East Carolina University with me and they've been good friends ever since. Rachel is an excellent photographer in Connecticut and is rocking weddings almost every weekend. You can check her blog out HERE. She invited me along to shoot with her for a wedding in Greenwich, CT. She also wanted me to take some photos of her and Brian, (because photographers rarely have images of themselves). I was honored to be asked. So, I came up a day early and we went into New York City to have some fun. Unfortunately, it started to rain just as we were headed out. So, we had to be creative (and dry) with the time. We ended up hanging out in the M&M store in Times Square for a while. It was a blast and they are so much fun! Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

Ya gotta love Times Square.

"Wicked"!

Rachel loved what the sign said, "This wall may be colorful but Green is the best part!"

Rach and Brian: You guys are so selfless and caring. I LOVED being with you both for the weekend. Thanks for the opportunity. Go after your dream . . . You'll be doing your own workshops in no time.

Little Tittle

2008-09-06T08:07:00.007-04:00

The Tittle family just had their second baby, Riley Kate, 11 days ago. She's beautiful, just like the rest of her family. The Tittle family hired us to do their family photos last fall. You can see them HERE on our old blog site. Amber and Ryan have been such big fans of ours and are always leaving encouraging comments about our most recent work. It was fun to have the opportunity to photograph this exciting time in their lives. Craig and I tag-teamed on this photoshoot and it's always interesting to see the different perspectives we are able to get. We had a great time and enjoyed watching Ryan, Amber and Avery enjoy their new "little Tittle" thru the lens. Thanks for having us over during this sweet time in your family's life.

The first two shots are so unique they're our favorites!

Ryan is still outnumbered, now 3:1. He's loving every minute of it though:)

Here are a few of the "moments" - so sweet.

Avery was so sweet with her little sister. She climbed into bed with Riley and sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She is such a proud big sister and has come to terms that Riley is here to stay.

Ric+Robyn Wedding

2008-09-01T18:02:00.006-04:00

You may remember Ric and Robyn from their engagement photos back in July (you can view those images by clicking HERE). Ric and Robyn were married August 23rd in Simpson, NC. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding next to a small pond and under beautifully blue skies. Both Ric and Robyn are huge ECU Pirate fans. So, as any real fan might do they incorporated purple and gold into their colors scheme. Ric wore a sweet purple vest and tie. They danced to the ECU fight song, had the "announcer" of the Pirate Basketball and Football games (Morgan Ahlers) as their D.J. and even the table cloths were purple. Yes, Ric and Robyn are my kind of people. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing this wedding. Ric and Robyn know how to throw a party!

My two absolute favorite images!

You gotta' love the emotion.

Uhhh, yea. This is awesome.

Robyn was so excited to be married!

The first dance.

Yes, it is Dom Perignon. They saved it for their wedding day.

The beautiful night sky.

Below is a short slideshow with images from the entire day. Take a minute to e-mail it to a few friends. You can also click HERE to view the slideshow on the web.

To Ric and Robyn: Thanks for choosing me to capture this special day, I wish you both the very best and I hope to run into you sometime in Dowdy-Ficklen.

Meet the Pirates!

2008-08-26T14:41:00.005-04:00

As you know by now, our family loves the East Carolina University Pirates. A few weekends ago we went to a big event on campus, Meet the Pirates. This is a time where the football team and coaches come out on the field to meet their fans, sign footballs and build some momentum before the season actually begins. We had a great time as a family and Caleb and Lydia enjoyed running up and down the field. So, it has officially begun - this weekend is the first football game against Virginia Tech. Craig will be traveling to Charlotte to see them play - Go Pirates! We plan on taking Caleb to a few games this season and I'm pretty sure he will LOVE it!

We were able to get a picture with Skip Holtz, the head football coach.

Craig stopped one of the players, Davon Drew, tight end, and asked him if he could pose for the camera and hold Lydia. He was very polite and Lydia went straight to him with no fuss! I think she is going to be "social" just like her big brother:)

Lydia wasn't quite sure about Pee-Dee. She didn't cry but she wasn't all smiles either. With time, she will soon love Pee-Dee, I'm sure.

Here they are - running up and down the field. They were exhausted when we got home!

Ric+Robyn . . . sneek peak

2008-08-25T03:51:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday, I shot a gorgeous outdoor wedding in Simpson for Ric and Robyn. I'll make a more complete post of this beautiful event once I catch up on all the editing. However, I know there were several folks who told me that they couldn't wait to see the images from this wedding. As always, I aim to please. So, here is a sneek peak of what's to come..

Party in the Park

2008-08-06T23:18:00.007-04:00

Kim here. As you have probably figured out, Craig's love for a good photograph has slowly rubbed off on me. Now I LOVE using the camera to capture sweet moments. Craig's been helping me learn the camera, so I thought it was time to practice in a 'real' situation outside of my own children and sleeping babies. So, I decided to document a joint Birthday Party for two of Caleb and Lydia's friends. I never realized how much "work" it is to take pictures . . . it's fun but there is a lot of sweat and focus needed to get the shot you want, not to mention the hours spent afterwards sifting thru the images and post processing. Something Craig says often: "ART is PAIN people". I am beginning to understand what he means. I learned a lot today and it was fun to see the party thru the lens as a photographer. Enjoy!

Meet Madalynn. She turned three years old this week. She and Caleb are buddies and he often refers to her as his 'best friend'. I love the "old look" of this picture - it reminds me of The Wonder Years. I LOVED that show. The Wonder Years was the best.

This is Anna Belle. She turned two years old this week. She looks like a porcelain doll to me in this image.

The party was at the park and every child seems to love the swings.

Tucker seems to think, 'out of sight, out of mind'. He'll soon learn, that is not how it works.

The see-saw is hard work. I'm guessing being out in the 98 degree heat has something to do with it. To the right is Avery, she seems a little perturbed that these presents are not for her. She'll celebrate hers again in January :)

Woodlief Twins

2008-08-03T23:28:00.008-04:00

When Ashlie gave us a call, she shared that she was looking for someone to capture her and her husband Scott as they both were about to be parents to twin boys. She shared that they had been wanting children for some time and that she was now finally a few months from delivery. It was a very special time for them and they wanted some special images to help them remember the excitement, joy, and in some ways . . . relief in being pregnant. Kim really hit it off with Ashlie on the phone and they talked about what they wanted in the session. I learned that Scott was an avid Pirate fan which endeared me to him immediately. They are young, in-love, and crazy excited about their twin boys, Davis and Hudson, due November 3rd. We spent some time in their home, and on the ECU campus. They were a lot of fun and their excitement and laughter was contagious.

Scott had requested some shots at the ECU football stadium, while Ashlie wanted some at the Cupola. As a huge fan myself, I wanted him to have an image that would combine two of lets say his . . . top three loves . . . ECU football, Ashlie, and (not pictured . . . but present . . . Hudson and Davis) . . . and not necessarily in that order :)

Every pregnant woman has what's called the 'pregnant glow'. It is a beauty all its own. Ladies and gentlemen . . . the next four images show the 'glow'.

I love the way Scott looks at Ashlie. He did it all day.

Once we were out on campus, I tried to insert a little of my idea of a unique CSM Photography Maternity Session.

Ok, I gave in and did the heart on the belly shot. Some types of shots are timeless and are just plain cute. Yes, I said cute.

To Ashlie and Scott: Kim and I had a blast photographing you both. Thanks for trusting us with this very special season in your lives. I'm always touched when our clients intrust us with their most precious memories and ask us to capture them. We can't wait to meet Hudson and Davis.

Caleb Turns Three

2008-07-31T22:10:00.005-04:00

In my effort to continue learning how to post-process images, Craig had me work on the images from Caleb’s birthday party. Last Friday our son, Caleb, turned three years old. We decided to have a Pirate Party for him to celebrate with our friends and family. This was the first year that Caleb really understood that the party was for him. One evening while out on a walk he asked me if I would call Pee-Dee the Pirate (ECU mascot) on my cell phone and invite him to his party. His request was so sincere. We did try to get Pee-Dee to make an appearance but he was “away for the summer”. I think Caleb already has some purple and gold running thru his veins. You can see his personality shine thru the pictures below. He really does have a zest for life and for those of you who know him, I’m sure you agree. We are so thankful to God for giving us three years to enjoy Caleb…we pray that there are many more ahead!

I love both of these shots – you can see the genuine enjoyment on their faces. Can you remember when life was as simple as this? All you had to do was get up and play all day and trust that your mom was going to feed you and put you to bed?

Connor and Caleb enjoy playing together…maybe it’s because they both have little sisters and need a little ‘rough-play’ from time to time. Connor loved the punch balloons. Some kids actually chased Craig around the yard at one point trying to get him with their balloons.

I love the angle from up above. Isn’t that what we see daily yet sometimes fail to capture? Our kids looking up to us. . . in more ways than one.

Here is Ava, having so much fun with the big bubbles! I love the expressions on her face and can I mention that I love her dress?

Caleb has two girlfriends named Ava, that could be trouble one day! Aren’t Ava’s eyes just gorgeous? That is the true, God-given color you see…stunning!

Our little Lydia is on the move. She is constantly trying to keep up with her big brother. I kept going back to this picture after I edited them and told Craig that it's one of my favorites - weird, I know. But, it really shows how 'busy' Lydia is and it's taken from the angle that I see alot:)

Is Ava portraying a Pirate and saying, Arrrrgh or is that a booger on her finger? The ‘zest’ is written all over Caleb's face in this image! I LOVE it – the smiles, the laughter, the energy. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze certain moments and enjoy them longer. I had a friend tell me one time that the days are long but the years are short…stop and ponder that statement. It’s true.

Below is a slideshow of Caleb’s birthday. If you want to see it on the big screen, click here. Don’t forget to leave us some blog-love!

Daniel+Meredith

2008-07-21T12:47:00.005-04:00

I've known Daniel since '97 and Meredith since around '00. They are both great friends who have shared life with us through many different seasons. Both Daniel and Meredith share my affinity for Russian culture and hope to live in Moscow someday doing ministry. Currently, they live in Wake Forest while Daniel attends Seminary. I was honored that they drove quite a ways for the shoot. They have been married for one year and wanted some anniversary images. So, we treated the session like an engagement. Both of them have their roots in Eastern North Carolina, so I thought a session that captured the beauty of a rural culture was fitting. So, Kim happened to stumble on this MAJESTIC farm during one of the times we went scouting locations. It was an INCREDIBLE farm and we spent the entire time there. We had a blast rummaging through fields and barns (with permission of course). I even found this awesome cowboy hat and asked Daniel to wear it for some shots. He loved it and wore it for most of the session. We called it his 'stetson' hat. Daniel is really kinda the all-round outdoors-man, so it fit him well.

So, it was pouring down rain when we were supposed to start shooting (thank you tropical storm Cristobal). However, it cleared up and as soon as it did we jumped into the car. What I didn't realize is that a highly air-conditioned car and intense humidity do not mix well for camera lenses. So, after about 30 minutes of letting the lenses adjust to the humidity and drying them off we got started. What we didn't expect was the incredibly blue skies following the storm. The clouds were enormous and just . . . well . . . you had to kind of stop and appreciate it. So, I did my best to capture the skies and the color.

Thank you. My name is Craig and I'll be here all week.

So, as I was taking this image below on the right a swarm of ants attacked my foot. Good art is pain people.

The impressive rings. The rings are sitting on one of Meredith's journals.

Daniel and Meredith: Thank you for allowing me to capture this memorable time in your lives. I had a blast wondering through the fields and laughing with you both. I deeply appreciate your encouragement to me as I began to pursue photography . . . you both believed in me when few did. Most of all, thank you for committing your lives to Him who holds all things together and pouring into others so selflessly.

Phillips Family

2008-07-19T13:59:00.004-04:00

I met Tameka at the Maternity fair back in March. July was the earliest we could get together {she's a busy lady!} She wanted me to take some shots of her adorable daughter, Kyla. Tameka was really interested in some shots outside in the downtown area and in her hair salon {she said that Kyla LOVED to play at the Salon}. Unfortunately, ten minutes prior to the shoot the skies opened up and it just started to pour down rain. So, instead, we started off at the Salon. Kyla was so much fun and was full of expressions! After a little while in the Salon the rain subsided and we were able to go into a field nearby and take some cute shots outside. Enjoy!

It was beautiful after the rain...the colors really popped! The grass was wet and bright green - perfect for shooting!

I love the warm "worn" look of this photo. It wasn't hard to capture a smile on this little girl - she was full of them!

Kyla does whatever her mom does - including putting on lip gloss.

Being in front of the camera is hard work - she had to stop and take a few breaks. The image on the left was one of my favorites. The texture of the wall adds alot to the image, not to mention how cute Kyla is just sitting there. The image on the right was taken thru a mirror - it turned out pretty crisp.

Kyla is not only full of smiles but also laughter. I love to capture the true "spirit" of little ones thru the lens.

Here she is demonstrating how to use the hair dryer...like a pro. Her mom has trained her well!

Tameka, I had fun capturing your relationship with Kyla...enjoy her while she is young! The time goes by so fast. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to spend a few hours with you to capture the joy you two share. I enjoyed doing something different and going to your salon - great idea!

Nunley Family

2008-07-14T00:04:00.010-04:00

It's always such an honor to have a repeat client. I try my best to create images that are unique, colorful and capture the personalities of the people in front of the camera. Repeat clients are so fun because you don't start from scratch . . . there's some history with them already. I had done a session with Amber, her husband J.B. and their daughter Aubrey a while back (to this day, one of my favorite images 'ever' came out of that session - see the image by clicking here). Amber shared her images from their session with her mother, Nancy. A few months later, Amber called to schedule a family session again, but with more family. Nancy had requested Amber to hire me for some family portraits in two of Nancy's favorite places. I was honored to be asked to capture this hilarious family who had me laughing through the entire session. At times, I had to remind myself to take pictures. It was a blast to shoot and there were a lot of great images so take your time . . . this is a long post. Enjoy!

Nancy said she has always loved this enormous tree in the Greenwood cemetery beside St. Peters Catholic Church. She said she'd always admired the tree and had wanted to have her family picture in front of it. I happen to think some cemetery's are strangely beautiful. I've even taken some photos of some cemetery's in New Bern. Nancy's right. The tree is beautiful.

Meet the Family. This is Amber and . . . J.B.

Kaleigh and her daughter . . . Annaleigh.

Nancy and . . . Aubrey (Amber and J.B.'s daughter)

And the youngest . . . Briana.

These were my two favorite group shots.

Nancy also wanted to take some photographs on a small farm where she had spent some time as a child and teenager. The place was really quite beautiful (Great spot Nancy!). There happened to be this old couch just sitting in the field. Well, you know me, I just had to have them take some photo's on it. So, the girls obliged.

Another beautiful Eastern North Carolina sunset. WARNING: RANT COMING: (Yes, I said Eastern NORTH Carolina NOT "eastern carolina" . . . there are two Carolina's people . . . two. For generations people have been distinguishing between NORTH and SOUTH carolina. I don't know where this bad habit began of calling everything "eastern carolina". Join with me and let's band together and show the world that the people of Greenville know where they're located.)

Kim was able to come with me this time and was such a huge help in capturing all the different unique moments that were happening. Here is a moment I missed but Kim caught this fantastic shot of Aubrey laughing.

This was one of those hilarious moments that had everyone laughing. I love getting a great photograph of people really laughing. . . . . At the farm, there was a very old and run-down house. There were no glass windows so you could literally photograph through the windows (or should I say "holes") to the other side of the house. So I posed Briana for this one.

Annaleigh found a cicada insect and had so much fun with it.

A Big thank you to Amber and J.B. I was honored to be asked to capture your family. I had a blast with all of you. Kaleigh, you still have me laughing. I can't believe you went to a doctor named Dr. Mystique or Mistake, either way that just seems like a bad idea.

Ric+Robyn

2008-07-12T02:56:00.009-04:00

Check out this killer {e-session} with two very fun people. Ok, seriously, I can not wait to photograph these two on their wedding day in August. Their {e-session} was a blast. Ric and Robyn are crazy about each other and totally let loose during the session. As a photographer I work hard to capture the personalities of my subjects (How people are when the camera isn't in their face.) I think with Ric and Robyn's images, you can really see their passion for each other. They are in-love and the camera ate it up. Aside from that, they both love the ECU Pirates and they love eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q. So, they pretty much rock!

Ok, at the risk of sounding cheesy I wanted to suggest a soundtrack for these images . . . are you ready . . . "Shining Star" by the Manhattans. I know . . . I know . . . I lost the confidence of some readers out there with that suggestion, but the song just grabs me . . . I can't understand it. This is one from the old-school and kind of a one-hit wonder, but it's still a great song . . . I like the classic oldies. So, for those of you who like a little music with your images . . . add this one to the collection. If you have a better recommendation give me a shout and leave a comment.

Meet Robyn and . . . . Ric. Yes, those are her real eyes.

Rock'n blue skies!

So, if you are a Pirate fan then you can appreciate this image below with the E.B. Ficklen Tobacco Company in the background. On a side note: if you say you are a Pirate fan and you don't know the word Ficklen, then . . . you're not a Pirate fan.

It got a little steamy.

To Ric and Robyn: thanks for being so fun and letting me capture this unique and colorful moment in your lives. I hope you like the images as much as I do.

Katie

2008-06-29T20:54:00.007-04:00

Meet Katie. Through a series of e-mails and phone calls Katie shared with me that she was planning to major in photography at Pitt Community College in the Fall. She was interested in learning all she could and was wondering if I needed any help on photo-shoots. Well, it was a bit strange for me to hear that anyone thought they could learn about photography from me. I still feel very much like a learner. In fact, I always get a little nervous before every shoot wondering if this will be the day that I can't get ONE good shot. She was so nice and was willing to offer a helping hand if I needed one. And well, I could use a helping hand from time to time. So, after a couple conversations and a very informal 'interview' it was decided that Katie will now be helping. The job description of 'helper' is intense and filled with long hours. But, she said she was up for it (of course I'm joking).

Our first order of business was for her to feel what it is like to be in front of the camera. I think this gives a photographer an honest sympathy to clients as they smile on demand, lean up against grungy walls and avoid snakes in high grass. Another reason for her to be in front of the camera is that Katie volunteered to be my first 'senior' as I try to start up my senior portraiture section on my website. So, meet Katie. You might be seeing her around.

I had been wanting to photograph in an old junkyard I found. Katie helped me with that.

These two were my favorites of the day.

If you look closely, you can see me in the reflection of those sunglasses. She had never heard of C.H.I.P.S., of course that showed my age. In the early 80's there wasn't a better t.v show.

Below, a little bonus for those of you who like the beauty of old worn down stuff.

How can you walk away from a classic?

A little info about Katie.

What's in your CD player right now? . . . . Shakira.

Your favorite College Team? . . . . "Penn State. But, I love the Pirates too." (She said that with a smile and very sympathetically. However, I learned later that her Dad is a huge ECU football fan and so I know she is at least surrounded by good influences.)

Who is your favorite non musical artist . . . Buckley Moss and Michelangelo. (Katie is a very talented artist herself. You should ask to see her work. Pretty amazing.)

If you had ten grand to spend on anything, where would you spend it? . . . "The Apple Store, Music, DVD's and Art Supplies."

If you could travel anywhere - where would you go? . . . "Ohh, first I'd want to see Rome and the Vatican. Since I'm polish I'd want to see Poland and rounding out the top four would be Hawaii and Puerto Rico."

Five Adjectives that describe you. . . . "Imaginative, hopeful, Willing, Artist, and Listener."

What's inspiring to you? . . . "Thats easy . . . music inspires me. I listen to all kinds of music. Most recently I have really gotten into Spanish music. I like to listen to music and draw the images that come out of it for me. For me, being an artist is magic. I can create places, people, and all kinds of stories . . . all through the magic of art."

Baby Powder & Desitin

2008-06-27T22:55:00.003-04:00

Today I decided to take a break and enjoy some time with my wife and kids. With two small children there is always some excitement in the house and today it involved baby powder and desitin. You may ask, what is so exciting about the two products that tackle diaper rash? Answer: they both make wonderful face masks!

Caleb and Lydia were playing so nicely in Lydia's room while Kim and I were having a conversation. It was quiet for about one minute until we both "noticed". Kim went to check on them and immediately called my name. I walked in Lydia's room and powder was everywhere! Kim and I both thought to do the same thing: Get the camera! We had to document the mess and choose to "enjoy" the moment. After all, they were so enjoying themselves and their faces were adorable.

Caleb and Lydia both had to take their mug shots.

Despite what you may think, Caleb is smiling.

Here they are caught in the act. Lydia implicitly trusts her big brother. We have a feeling that trust may run thin before she's three years old.

A cute face and the crime scene.

As you can imagine, a bath was in order and lots of vacuuming. We managed to clean the mess, feed them and put them down for a nap. When they awoke it was back to more "fun". You would think that Kim and I learned our lesson in keeping a watchful eye on the two of them. In fact, I even noticed Lydia carrying around some desitin and honestly thought nothing about it. I was going thru the mail and I heard Kim again. I think her words were, "Craig come here, you've got to see this and bring your camera!" This time the crime scene was Caleb's room. I walked in to see Caleb finger-painting his train table with desitin. Lydia looked like she had been electrocuted and giggled with excitement as Caleb ran another glob of desitin thru her hair. Kim sat over to the side trying to refrain from laughing. Caleb even motioned me over to play. That's when I began taking some pictures.

This year's entry to Baby Vogue Magazine:

Caleb and Lydia enjoyed their last few moments finger-painting before their second bath of the day.

In case you are wondering, it took four shampoos to get Lydia's hair semi back to normal. She looks like she has gel in her hair and probably will for the next few days.

On a side note, recently our town experienced some rather severe water problems. The news reported that fecal matter had leaked into the water supply. Yes, you read that correctly, fecal matter. In laymen's terms, that is human waste. Needless to say, the water was not drinkable and in my humble opinion it was also not safe for bathing. The last 48 hours we have been boiling water to successfully complete the task of brushing our teeth. I share this with you only because I honestly cannot imagine what we would have done today without the use of our bathtub and clean accessible water. The ban was lifted this morning. Talk about perfect timing! I know for sure that was God's grace and mercy in my life. I kind of stressed over the water situation wanting to make sure my children were bathing in clean water. With that in mind I found it quite funny that as I was washing my children for their third bath of the day (playing in the dirt outside. . . another story in and of itself) I noticed a nice yellow tint appear in the bath water. . . it dawned on me that my children probably bathe in urin anyway.

Seth+Jessica Wedding

2008-06-23T18:32:00.010-04:00

You may recognize Seth and Jessica. I photographed their {e-session} not that long ago. You can view the images of that here. Seth and Jessica have been involved with my ministry at ECU for several years. They have been dating ever since I've known them. I know that Seth and Jessica love the Lord and that their hearts have been changed. It has been so fun watching them share with other students what has so radically changed their own lives. I feel confident that they will live their lives to make God famous in their sphere of influence.

I was the second shooter for their wedding and had a blast watching them get married. Alan Lee (I'd plug his website here, but he doesn't have one quite yet) was the primary photographer and he let me float around and get the images I was really interested in capturing. The wedding was near Pinehurst, N.C. where several U.S. Open golf tournaments haven taken place.

I hung out around Seth, the groomsmen and Ushers for quite a while.

This wasn't in the plan but Seth let me take some shots outside.

The Bride's Brother was kicking back and ready for the show. This was the Rico Suave' Pose. Anybody remember Rico Suave' or does that show my age?

Then I headed back to get some pre-ceremony shots of Jessica. This was my favorite.

The dress. I also grabbed this shot of the guy who managed to grab the garter during the toss at the reception. He displayed it proudly.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the adorable and famous Connor and Mallory-Kate.

The Groom and . . . the Bride.

The Rings. . . ok, funny story about the image on the bottom right. Jeremy, one of the Ushers, made an announcement at the reception. He requested for everyone who had a key to either Seth or Jessica's apartments to bring their keys to them. So, of course A LOT of people had keys. Everyone had a good laugh.

Seth and Jessica, thanks for letting me be part of your special day, but more than that, thanks for living your lives to mirror Him who holds all things together.

Rainey Grace

2008-06-23T13:46:00.001-04:00

Hey Ya'll, Kim again (Craig's wife). As many of you may be able to relate, I am in the season of life where all of my friends are having their second babies. Last week one of my good friends, Shelley, had her baby, Rainey Grace. You may recognize Shelley and Taylor. Craig did a photoshoot for their family last fall. You can view those images here. I've been trying to learn the camera and post processing the images so I can help Craig with his business. Since I love babies and all of my friends are having them I figured I would start practicing there. It's been fun to be able to go to the hospital to visit and also be able to capture some images that my friends hopefully will treasure.

This first image is for Taylor, Shelley's husband. He, like Craig, loves the East Carolina Pirates. Both He and Shelley graduated from ECU, and like us, there is some pirate pride that is not optional for our children to appreciate. Taylor mentioned that he intentionally wore the ECU shirt because he "wanted his daughter to be exposed to the Pirates right out of the shoot". I love the combination effect of black and white sprinkled with a little purple and gold - arrrgh!

Here is a precious moment of Shelley with her baby girl. I'm sure there will be many more kisses to come - especially from her big brother Terry. Shelley is a dear friend and it's been special to walk alongside of her as we try to figure this thing out called, "parenting". What a privilege we have to be a "mommy".

I love this shot of Rainey Grace. The light hit her face just right and the blur of Taylor's profile staring down at her makes it one of my favorite images. The 85mm lens has to be my favorite...it's hard to learn but it's good.

Trevor

2008-06-16T16:04:00.004-04:00

Hey Ya'll, Kim here (Craig's wife). My childhood best friend, Lindsay, had a baby this weekend. I really wanted to go and take some photos of their new baby boy, Trevor. Here are a few of the best images I took. I think I did a pretty good job (since I'm learning). In fact, Craig said that since I LOVE babies so much (and because he thought they were so good . . . he acted so surprised ;) ) that he was going to make me available to do sessions like this in the hospital. (I'd love that by the way.) There's something special about capturing parents with their newborns "before" they make it home to the "real world". I LOVE it.

Here is a picture of Trevor taking a peek at me with one eye...it only lasted a moment and he was off to sleep again. If I didn't know better, I would say he was winking at me:)

This picture captures the tender touch of a dad...his hand is so gentle on his son's head yet it portrays a strong sense of protection. I could see how much Tim already cared for his son and he was only 1 day old. I also LOVE seeing Lindsay's eyes off to the side - she's such a proud mom!

I love that Lindsay is captivated by her son.

Congratulations Tim and Lindsay!

CALI-FORN-I-A

2008-06-14T21:10:00.010-04:00

I am a native North Carolinian, born and raised. I have visited MANY places around the world, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Germany, Lebanon, Bahamas, the entire East Coast, Los Angles, San Francisco, Denver, and on and on. BUT, I have never been to a place so consistently gorgeous as Orange County, California. It is the only place - so far - that I would consider moving to from my beloved North Carolina. If you know me, that's saying something.

While the main reason of being in California was attending the shootshop, the alterior motive was a much needed vacation. So, Kim and I rested, relaxed, and along the way we took a few photos.

This is the iconic california image. He was on his way home and I asked him if he wouldn't mind letting me take his picture. He said, "sure thing dude," and a beautiful image was born.

I grabbed a shot of these girls chatting away as they waited for the sunset.

Funny Story. Kim and I decided to go under the Oceanside Pier and get a photo. As I was about to snap the image a wave snuck up on Kim and soaked her. This is her honest reaction to the COLD water.

This is taken from the pier looking back at Oceanside. I went a little nuts with the Fish Eye lens.

This is the view from our Hotel on the waterfront.

A bird's eye view of San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The huge yellow circle is a hot air balloon that simple goes straight up to give you a great view of the park. Of course, it was closed that day.

I told you California was gorgeous.

A family enjoying the setting sun.

Kim, relaxing and reading. We enjoyed just sitting there and listening to the waves crash.

going . . . going . . . gone.

Palm trees, sand, cool breezes and blue skies.

The famous Hotel Del Coronado.

go see California. It's worth it.

shootshop wrap up.

2008-06-14T18:23:00.003-04:00

So, where do I begin. The shootshop with Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser of The Image is Found was a fantastic learning experience. On Monday evening we ate dinner together at the Las Olas Mexican Restaurant in Calsbad, CA. The following morning we met at Nate and Jaclyn's studio in Oceanside, CA. Nate and Jaclyn shared LOTS of valuable information from marketing and branding to client interaction.

After lunch we hit the streets to watch Nate work his magic in a couples portrait session. (When Nate posts the images from the session you can view them on his blog here.)

After the shoot Nate showed us how he handles his workflow and post processing. For me, this was the highlight of the workshop.

After that we all went to eat dinner together at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza.

I can say that this was a VERY helpful workshop and I learned a lot from two of the country's premier wedding and portrait photographers. I also REALLY enjoyed getting to know 14 other amazing and very friendly photographers from all over the country. We had photographers from Atlanta, Tennessee, Montana, Oregon, Kansas, New York, and Arizona.

So, a big shout out to all my fellow shootshoppers: Brandy, Daniel, Lisa, Neal, Angie, Kurt, Michael, Aaron, Libby, Deena, Lauren, Cindy, MinMi, and Stacey.

Micheal Andrew (one of the shootshop photographers) put together this really cool slideshow of the day. You can view it below.

Devlin part 2

2008-06-14T14:19:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm back from California (more on that very soon) and I wanted to post just a few more images from the Devlin Family photo shoot. Jennifer wanted to get some cute images of her children Brady and Aidan. So, we went to a park and enjoyed feeding the ducks.

Jennifer and Will, thank you for the privilege of capturing this time in your family's life.

Below, Will keeps Aidan from taking a swim with the ducks.

Look at Brady's beautiful eyes.

A little fisheye action.

Devlin part 1

2008-06-07T23:37:00.005-04:00

Jennifer was one of my first clients when I started seriously pursuing photography as a source of income (you can see their first session with me here). She brings her children to a play-group that our children also attend. I feel that she, along with a few others from that play-group have really helped me get going on this crazy journey of photography. It is always an honor to have repeat clients. It is the highest compliment.

Jennifer said she really wanted a lot of images of her children, specifically, Brady, their youngest. Before I left, I wanted to post a little teaser from my shoot with them this morning. I'll post more when I get back. These are some really cute ones of their two children Brady and Aidan.

I LOVE Brady's face in this one below. He seems amazed as he notices the duck.

Shoot Shop . . . here I come.

2008-06-06T21:45:00.003-04:00

Yes, thats right. I have been stalking photographers Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser of the image is found photography for almost one year now. I have been watching everything they role out on their blog. They are extremely talented. I have constantly heard from other photographers how wonderful their workshop (called shootshop) truly is. Check out their cool shootshop website here. So, I FINALLY got in (only the first 15 who register get to go). This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for me to learn from the best and improve my photography. This workshop is near San Diego, California. To go to California has special meaning for Kim. She has ALWAYS wanted to visit there. I realized that I haven't spent more than 24 hours alone with my wife since Caleb was born. My wonderful wife hasn't had a vacation (without children) in three years. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our children. But, parents who are reading this know . . . you forget what its like to hold your wife's hand and walk into a store and not worry about something breaking. So, we're making a week of it and enjoying some needed get away time for 5 solid days. I'm SO excited! I cashed in my flyer miles, organized an intense and busy schedule for the kids, booked the cheapest hotels ever on hotels.com and have managed to organize a trip to California for a very reasonable cost. So, I'll be gone until Monday June 14. If you need to get in touch with me, shoot me an e-mail at info@csmfoto.com. I will be back in time to shoot anything scheduled for the weekend June 12 and 13. So, don't worry. I'll let you know what the San Diego Zoo is like.

Danny+Brittany

2008-06-04T14:11:00.004-04:00

Recently, Kim's family invited us to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for a few days of vacation. So, I got on the phone and asked some old friends, Danny and Brittany, who were recently married and live in Myrtle Beach, if they would be willing to do a photo shoot at the beach to help me build my portfolio for my new web site of engagements and brides. They were gracious enough to accept. They are about to celebrate their one year anniversary so it was a great time to take some images. They were so much fun to photograph and were up for anything. As a result, I think they ended up with some stunning images. So, a BIG thank you to Danny and Brittany for giving me a chance to try some new stuff. You guys were a blast! I hope you love them too. I included the slideshow for everyone to enjoy at the end of the post. But, if you can't wait just click here. Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment. Enjoy!

Funny story behind this image of them in the street. I was asking them to go out in the street when there was no traffic and we would get a few shots. So, they wondered out and were fully expecting the cars to pass on by, but instead, they stopped, to be be polite, and let them cross. But, of course, they didn't want to pass, they wanted to take a photograph in the middle of the street. So, when Danny tried to wave the cars on by, the drivers insisted to wait for them to pass by, so Danny looked over at me, shrugged and decided to make a memory out of it. Well, the drivers were a little surprised and started to lay on their horns. It was a little embarassing for Danny and Brittany I think, BUT what a GREAT image! It just goes to show, sometimes you have to take a little chance to get that stunning image.

Enjoy the slideshow and e-mail it to a friend.

New Blog

2008-06-03T03:52:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my new blog. I want to thank Rudy Arpia for his design work and implementation of this site. This is really something that was started near the end of March and he had to be really patient with me as I was still having my brand and logo defined. Rudy is one of those Rock Star photographers who doesn't really need to help out the little guys - but he does. So, a big thank you to Rudy for making my ideas of this blog come to life and I thank you for taking my calls in the middle of your client consultations . . . that says a lot about your willingness to help. So, check out his site here.