Daddy's Girls

This shoot was an extra special treat. It isn't often that you find a father who wants to spend an hour of his afternoon taking pictures with his girls, but, that's exactly what Ricky Pittman asked for when he called about a photo-op for Hannah & Brooke. Of course I was only too happy to oblige. Though the sisters portray a look far more sophisticated than what is, they both playfully got dad involved in the photo-op and even got him in on a wardrobe change! The weather acted right and the results were fantastic! See for yourself...

Meet Princess Personality

Emilie Grace Hayes is absolutely one of the most beautiful 5 1/2 year old girls I've ever seen and not only that -she is also whip smart and absolutely hilarious. In fact, it was she who informed me of her Princess title as she demonstrated back walk-overs, one handed cartwheels and a variety of "cheerleading" moves. I see nothing but the spotlight for this gorgeous blonde haired green eyed girl's future. It was so much fun capturing her impish smiles and energy within every shot. To Richard & Tiffany (Emilie's parents) & my personal friend, her Uncle Barry - get your guns loaded now because this girl is going to be a major heartbreaker!

The Swanners & Jen

Today I had the priviledge to photograph one of my dear friends and her "brood". In a twist of fate, the three of them were home this weekend in celebration of her "29" birthday and as a gift to herself she gathered them up for an impromtu photo-op. Included in those captured was Ms. Jennifer Cobb - Tyler's (Twyla's eldest) special one, and we were gifted with the opportunity to do the shoot in Twyla's very own secret garden. Anyone who knows Twyla can forsee the endless possibilities she and each of her unique children could offer in artistic photography and with that in mind, we preceded to do just that. Here are a few of my favorites also featuring Tayler and Tyren and the family cat, Izzy, who would not quit jumping in and out of her own shots at random. Happy Birthday Ms. Twyla and 100 more!

I've met a future Ms. America!

Sunday I was introduced to Caitlin Rene' McMichael whom at just 16 months has already begun the circuit of pageantry. Her mom Christi called wanting some natural and then more "glitz" type shots for the upcoming MS CoverGirl State Beauty Pageant in Jackson, MS and while this was my first experience with an official "beauty queen" I think these glamour shots turned out just precious. Good luck to Caitlin - with those gorgeous baby blues I know she's sure to go far!

Sarah & Chad Are Engaged!

This past weekend was one I'll never forget. I was commissioned the job of photographing two of my best friends in the world, Sarah Money & Chad Craft. Their engagement has been a much heralded one and if you know anything about either of these two people, you understand why. Chad was the lifelong bachelor whom most had given up the idea of even trying to set him up or see him "married off" but Sarah had different plans and this new year's eve found Chad down on one knee in Jackson Square proposing to her as 2009 rolled in. They are perfect together and though I'll readily proclaim what a great guy she is getting- he could not have found a better girl than Sarah. We joked throughout the day about her non-stop beautiful megawatt smile which to my delight often brings out a huge grin on his face as well. She is bubbly and sweet and just an incredibly wonderful lady and she makes him happy as he obviously does for her. Because these two are such great friends to me and my husband, we decided to make a day of it in New Orleans, (the place Chad and Sarah call "their city") and as a result I ended up with hundreds of pictures. Gotta say, I don't envy them a bit in trying to decide on their favorites but in the meantime, here are just a few of mine. Congratulations to Chad & Sarah! I love y'all and wish you a blessed and full life of happiness and love.

NEW YORK CITY 2.19-2.21

Thanks to a very special person, my husband and I were given JetBlue plane tickets for Christmas and decided to spend them on a weekend get-a-way to one of our favorite cities, New York. Let me first say this was our first time on JetBlue and we were very impressed by them. Roomy seats, plenty of baggage allowance, in-flight entertainment and S&B service were all terrific and I highly reccomend flying with them when you book your next flight. If they're reading this (yeah right), they can mail me my complimentary tickets at their convenience.

Anyway, we landed early Thursday morning and boy was it brisk weather. These Southern kids were FREEZING but after checking into our fabulous hotel in Times Square we were ready to beat the streets. I'm telling you people, when we're there, we log 8-10 miles at least everyday just walking around and exploring the sights. Because we've been fortunate enough to travel here more than a few times, we decided to go outside the City and take a look around. Mitch talked me into traipsing around Brooklyn, namely the DUMBO area. For those of you who don't know what that is, DUMBO is a euphenism for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. It's a great little area with incredible skyline views of Manhattan and a dozen little galleries, shops and boutiques. Of course we had to see something on Broadway as no trip ever seems complete without, so after a game of rock/paper/scissors we chose Little Mermaid which was a great production. Our seats gave us a wonderful view of the entire stage and I found myself singing along to many of the songs just as if I were 12 years old again and watching the movie for the 100th time. We walked the Manhattan bridge which was incredibly scary as trains go flying by you and you feel the bridge sway under the weight or see grafitti in the strangest of places (one has to be high to get to where they do when painting) but the views are incomporable. Something else we enjoyed (but only reccomend in the daylight hours unless you're with a large group) was checking out Coney Island. After the subway leaves the underground rails you get to see parts of New York that you would typically never get a look at. Brighton Beach is beautiful and although cold, it was easy to imagine what it might be like on a hot summer day with the roller coaster and ferris wheels running as people skated the boardwalk and grubbed on Nathan's Famous hotdogs. The ride is a little long but if you enjoy "people-watching" I really think you ought to do this.

All in all, it was an awesome trip that ended far too soon. I love the Northeast. It has so much culture and yet, there are still parts of it where you can feel the community of it all. Enjoy some of my photos here. More will be posted on my facebook and myspace albums if you follow me there as well. Thanks for reading my "travel guide". LOL-Please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.


This is for THE'BOTTLETREE // She knows who she is =)

Stormclouds Were Letting In Some Sun. . .

Manhattan Bridge View


Grafitti over Chinatown - I love the art!



Mitch and I - Pretty Proud Of This One!

Coney Island @ Brighton Beach

The Husband - Isn't He A Hottie?

Proud of this one too! We were walking about in DUMBO

Snowclouds Not Quite Breaking Open - We Did See Flurries!

I Had Just Lost My Scarf To The Wind. It Was So Cold!

Love All The Color From The Art Though..

A Wedding To Remember...

This past weekend while many couples squeezed in reservations and last minute gifts for their "special someone", I was granted the opportunity to photograph a real Valentine moment as Lisa Gomez tied the knot with Eddie Gilmore and it was definately not a wedding I'll soon forget. These two brought together very blended and multicultural families and there wasn't a dry eye in the church as Lisa's brother brought her down the isle to her groom in place of her father whom has passed away. It was a beautiful ceremony attended by a myriad of friends and family both local and from out of state. I wish the new Mr. & Mrs. Gilmore all the happiness and a hundred more Valentine days just as special!

One of the things I love most about photographing weddings is that it gives me a chance to get an inside look at families and their backgrounds meeting all kinds of characters. I often step outside of just the "picture lady" for a wedding and become much more as my assistant this past weekend soon found out - if you're there and you're willing, many jobs can often befall you in the downtime in between photographs. You may play hairstylist, nanny, dress straightener, messenger or even a shoulder to cry on. While it can get a little overwhelming at times and often I'm ready to crash out by the day's end, when I look back over it all I am reminded of why I love my job and thank God for the blessing of being able to do it.

So you've read that I had an assistant this past weekend and I would be completely wrong to not publicly thank Ms. Toy Bourn for all of her help. She and I had the greatest time on this mini-roadtrip into Louisiana where the wedding took place; singing songs at the top of our lungs, watching the hotel hot-tub overflow with bubbles from some kid dumping in an entire bottle of shampoo, trying out Starbucks new breakfast sandwiches (which I have to give an A+ to) or driving through two cities looking for a restaurant to dine at on Valentine's evening only to wind up back at the hotel eatery. This girl is too much fun and took on the task of being my help in full stride. Thanks Toy for making the trip there and back bearable! Below you'll find a snapshot we took on the way out of town that I think will give you an idea of just how silly we got. This girl is one of the hardest working people I know and would give you her last dime if she knew you needed it but- she also knows how to have a good time. I hope this tickles you and brings a smile to your face as much as it does me each time I catch a glance. Happy Valentine's Day all!