We’ve been wanting to visit for way too long and we finally took the time to do it. We started our trip by spending an entire day out on the water. We loaded Daniel’s brother’s boat with everything we needed for fishing and fun and headed out. The lighthouse at Cape Lookout was amazing. With it being a holiday weekend, it was completely packed so we just went by on the boat. I’m hoping we can pull in next time though. I would love to be able to go up to the top. Our next stop was the Shackleford Banks where wild horses roam the island. They are so beautiful and serene. At high tide, you can watch them swim from the outer islands to higher ground. It was truly a wonderful experience to watch. We then made our way to Shark Island. I was mesmerized as soon as I step foot off of the boat.  The shells you find there are like nothing I’ve ever seen. First, they were HUGE but they were almost perfect on top of that. I was lucky enough to find a few perfect sand dollars. I’ve never found a single sand dollar in my life and that’s really weird since I’ve lived on or near the coast most of my life. We ate some lunch and explored the island for a while before our biggest adventure of the day. We were riding out 50 miles offshore to do some deep sea fishing. We made it out about 45 minutes and there wasn’t a bit of land in sight. But then our worst fears came true. Sea sickness!! Gage was the unfortunate soul that got it. Luckily because we were out with Daniel’s brother, he gladly turned around. I can’t imagine being out on a chartered boat where they just make you suffer through it. Gage was so disappointed. He really wanted to catch a big ocean fish. We told him that it happens to lots of people and that there just isn’t anything you can do to stop it. All of us took Dramamine before we left and that didn’t even help him. Luckily we made it back to Shark Island and he was able to rest for a bit. He and I laid on the beach for what seemed like hours while Daniel, his brother and sister-in-law did a little fishing. Daniel caught an 18″ flounder!! When Gage finally started feeling better, we made our way back to calmer waters. He was fine as long as we stayed near land, so we decided to try our hand at shrimping. We didn’t catch a ton but it was enough to enjoy with our big flounder! And we got to watch a gorgeous sunset as we got back to the boat landing. After such an adventurous day, we decided to take it easy that night. We ordered Greek food and talked for hours about everything. No tvs, no computers, no distractions…just being together. Here are a few images of our first day. Keep in mind these were all shot using a Nikon Point and Shoot camera..nothing fancy. I brought my “big” camera out on the boat but I really wasn’t crazy about pulling it out in such risky conditions. I might have went into heart failure if I dropped it in the water. But I guess that’s why I have a great insurance policy.

The next day was a little less adventurous and a little more relaxing. Gage and I found a great little local coffee shop to get some breakfast and then we spent the morning reading while everyone else went back out on the boat. It was so nice to sit under the blue skies with the cool breeze coming off of the water. My entire body hurt from being bounced around in the boat the day before so I couldn’t have imagined spending the day any other way. By the time the fisherman had returned, it was lunch time and we were starving. We ventured into Beaufort (pronounced Bo-fort) and found a great little place called Finz Grill. The food was absolutely amazing. And with a view overlooking the marina, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. We spent the rest of the day exploring (and shopping). We really needed to walk all of that fabulous food. We found shops that offered antiques, souvenirs, ice cream and so many other things. As the sun set we remembered that we had tons of fish and shrimp to cook. So the boys cooked and the girls watched. Great times!

I was able to spend a little time photographing the area. I rarely have time to just walk around with my camera so that was such a treat. There was one particular area that caught my eye. The light was amazing so I spent a while there. But those photos are for another post:)

I have to say that going to the Outer Banks only makes me want to go back for more. We’ve decided we will be going back very soon when my daughter can go with us. We are looking at visiting Emerald Isle and going up north a little to Ocracoke Island. I can’t wait!! Thanks for sticking around for that super long post!! See you soon!

Yes, I’m bringing my camera on this stress-free vacation. Photography for me isn’t what brings on stress. It’s actually what helps relieve it. It’s the business behind the scenes that makes life so crazy. Running a photography business is much more about business and much less about photography. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. My life is wonderful and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I hope all of you have a fabulous LONG holiday weekend and I’ll see you when we get back!

We are really happy to announce our 2011 Limited Edition Portrait Series Schedule. If you’ve never heard of our Limited Editions before, they absolutely ROCK! They are 30 minute Sessions done on a uniquely themed set so every year is a different look. You don’t have to worry about having the same portraits done year after year.

In addition to our popular Day at the Beach and Field Day Sessions, we’ve added 4 more BRAND NEW themed sets for you. Our most popular Sessions are the Day at the Beach. If you’re interested in this one, you’ll want to book it fast. It always fills up first. Our Dog Days of Summer Sessions are perfect for the pet lovers out there. We make your furry friend a star and you get amazing images to show the world how much they mean to you. Tutu & Ties is all about couture & fashion. Your kids will feel like supermodels on this set! If you’re looking for a unique family portrait, you will want to book the Field Day Session. Your family + a big comfy couch + a big field = AMAZING PORTRAITS!  Our Pumpkin Patch Sessions will be done outside (weather permitting) with the beautiful pumpkins from McLeod Farms.

Our Santa portraits are getting a facelift this year. We wanted to do something totally different (and not cheesy). I know how disappointing it is to have your kid’s portrait taken with Santa at the mall. Our Santa set is going to be a full on experience for your kids. Not just a quick pic assembly line. Our set is going to be a Woodland Wonderland that your children will not soon forget.

These rockin’ sessions will become available for booking on Monday, May 23, 2011. If you’re interested in booking a session, just call the studio and let us know which theme you’re interested in. A $39 Session Fee will book your session. We will have some really great Special Packages to choose from that were designed specifically for these sessions.

We are really excited about our Limited Editions this year and we hope you are too! If you have any questions about booking a session, please don’t hesitate to contact the studio at 843-245-7320 and we’ll be happy to help. We’re looking forward to making some amazing portraits for you and your family!! Be sure to share this post with your friends by clicking the links below. You know they want awesome photos too, right?!

Over the past couple of years I’ve really felt boxed in to only shooting in natural lighting conditions. Don’t get me wrong, I love natural light..I love the softness on the skin and the eyes. But sometimes I want to try dramatic lighting….and I’d like to be able to shoot outside during the middle of the day without worrying about how harsh the sun will be. While at a photography convention last year, I saw Blair and Suzanne Phillips of Blair Phillips Photography speak about Breaking the Mold. Their whole philosophy is to try new things..things no one else is trying. Trying new things is hard. Practicing new techniques takes time. That’s time and energy most photographers don’t want to put into their craft. I do. I want to try new things. I want to push myself to learn and grow. So when I found out that Blair and Suzanne had recently started doing a Break the Mold Workshop, I was more than excited. I signed up for it right away because I didn’t want to take the chance of it selling out. Then, I had to wait more than 6 months. The waiting was excruciating. I knew this workshop would change my world. And I wasn’t disappointed.

When March rolled around, my friend Nichole of Nichole Alexandra Photography and I headed up to Landis, NC. Nichole and I do a couple of photography trips a year together and always have such a great time. We spend our free time searching for the best places to eat and talking about everything under the sun. We always enjoy the kid/family-free time to just focus on our businesses. That’s not something we get very often so we take full advantage. Of course, there’s lots of gossiping too! Oh back to the workshop.  We were blown away from the moment we walked into Blair and Suzanne’s studio. Everything was absolutely gorgeous and screamed Blair Phillips Photography. We got to meet the other 14 workshop attendees who, like us, were eager to learn.  Over the next 2 days I learned exactly what I needed to learn to bring my photography to the next level. I learned how to use studio lighting outdoors and do it well. I never thought I would be able to shoot a bride outside during midday full sun and still be able to see the details in her dress. I did it…with the help of Blair and his amazing assistants. We also were able to shoot a senior session and add that edge that I need to separate myself from the people that bought a digital camera last week and started a photography business this week. I will forever be grateful for Blair, Suzanne and the rest of their crew for sharing so much of themselves and showing us that it is possible to grow a successful photography business in a small country town. Here are a few shots of their studio and Blair working his magic.

Blair was so awesome with the children that came into the studio that day. He got natural expressions out of this little girl while their were 20 other people standing around watching…and let me tell you, that’s not easy.

Blair builds these amazing sets outside behind his studio. Awesome!

This is the dressing room. Who wouldn’t feel incredibly glamorous in this room?

Didn’t I tell you their studio was fabulous?!

This is their client ordering room. Clients are treated to a real theatre experience.

Blair always says that he would never ask a client to do something he wouldn’t do.

So now that I’ve shown you all of the Blair awesomeness, here are some shots I got while he was demonstrating.

I know no one is going to believe me but I did absolutely no retouching on her skin. That’s what great lighting techniques do!

So what does all of this mean for my clients? It means I have a broader range of choices for selecting locations and scheduling sessions. It means I’m bringing more to the table when I pick up my camera. And that means more awesomeness to display in your home. Set up a session and let’s get started!!

But thanks to the wonderful world of Twitter, I met Meredith who was interested in having her engagement session done at the Neon Museum. After a few emails back and forth we decided doing them at the Museum wasn’t the best plan. We opted for Red Rock Canyon and The Fremont Street Experience area of Downtown Las Vegas. It’s so funny how things work out like that. My original plan didn’t work out but the new plan was SO much better!

James and Meredith picked us up Friday afternoon and we were off to Red Rock Canyon. Let me just say, this place is amazing! Ok, I mean until we got out of the car at our first stop. I have never in my life felt winds like I did that day. We not only had to endure 40-60 mile per hour winds but it was FREEZING! I felt so bad for James and Meredith who pushed through stopping at several locations throughout the park to get some amazing images. When the sun started to set, we ventured into Downtown Las Vegas. With the buildings around to block the wind and the casinos to duck into to warm up, the second part of our session was much more fun. We found some really fun signs to incorporate into the images, along with some dark alleyways to show a more intimate side of this adorable couple.

You would never guess it by looking at these images but James and Meredith are from a small town in Indiana. Don’t they look like Supermodels that just stepped off a runway in NYC? They met in high school…the typical All-American high school sweetheart story. Only it didn’t last and they ended up going their separate ways. But their Love Story wasn’t over. As fate would have it, they ended up at the same university. After bumping into each other one day, they spent the afternoon catching up. And as they say, the rest is history. They moved out west this year and are planning their wedding for June of 2013 to take place at Red Rock Canyon. What an incredibly beautiful location for this beautiful couple!! Thank you James and Meredith for sharing a vision and allowing me to capture these images for you! Enjoy!!

So on Sunday, Nichole and I met up and made our way to Atlanta. I had just shot a wedding Saturday and didn’t make it home until after midnight so I was totally exhausted. But even with no sleep, I was totally siked for our trip. We hit Atlanta a little after lunch time which meant we were both starving. So Nichole looked up the nearest Cheesecake Factory on her Iphone and lucky us, it was only 8 miles from the hotel. We sped over as fast as we could and ate the most amazing lunch. We decided after gorging ourselves that we should walk around the mall several hundred times to work off all of the calories we took in. We had so much fun talking and shopping. We ended up staying up half the night gabbing and eating Chinese take out in our room.

Monday morning came early (especially since I hadn’t had any sleep in 2 days). But with a Starbucks Latte in my hand we ventured into the convention room. We spent the entire day learning from some of the best photographers out there. I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to hear from all of them. And the vendors! Holy cow! It’s so great to be able to touch and hold the actual products that you’re considering offering your clients. I don’t ever sell a product that I haven’t seen myself. We got to ask the vendors questions and voice our concerns. It was fabulous! Here are just a few of the images we took during the day. Thanks so much Nichole for letting me tag along. I had a blast!! I hope we can do it again really soon!

This was the amazing Damon Tucci. He specializes in wedding photography and shared some gorgeous images and information with us.

The most inspiring of all the speakers from the day had to be (at least for me anyway) Blair and Suzanne Phillips of Blair Phillips Photography. They are out of Landis, NC and have really come a long way from their humble beginnings. They made me see that you don’t have to live in a metropolitan area to grow a photography business.

This amazing photographer and business woman hosted the event. Bambi Cantrell is one of the most highly acclaimed women in our industry. What this lady can do with light and posing is absolutely incredible. She had been one of the photographers that I’ve looked up to since I’ve started so it was really a treat to get to meet her.

Here is a sample album that I thought was so adorable!

I’ve recently started offering the Gallery Float Mount shown here. They are gorgeous and are less expensive than a Gallery Wrap Canvas.

See, this is what I love about the vendor exhibits. This is such a cool idea that I wouldn’t have come across otherwise. This is a photo that was printed on metal and can be hung or placed on an easel. So cool!

This was another exhibit for metal prints. I just love them. I will eventually have these all over my house!