I hate to beat the proverbial horse here, but I really want a studio to work out of. Sort of. I think. Well, yes and no. Yes when it is over 90 degrees, 90 percent humidity, no wind, no clouds, too much wind, 40 degrees, rain, yada, yada, yada. You get the picture. And when it’s not like that? Well, of course, outside is the way to go. Unless I want a pure color background with Cyclorama wall complete with beautifully constructed lighting that never changes unless I want it to. But outside of that pure color background, there is no way I could spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars for backgrounds when if you just walk outside and look, you have hundreds of “studio” backdrops available virtually anywhere you go. It’s one reason I can’t understand photographers that go to the same places again and again. There is only so much of the train tracks, depot, or Savannah Rapids before I go nuts.
Read MoreAugusta GA Portrait Photography: Rebekah Too
We shot Rebekah two years ago, and it is a wonder to see her change. High school is behind her, and she is on to her first year of college in the fall. She has the loveliest gentle spirit, and a delight to be around.
Read MoreAugusta GA Portrait: Christina all grown up
I sat across from her about a month ago, scrutinizing every inch of her face as she spoke. We were eating an incredible meal: bread warm from the oven, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, pork tenderloin. It was the meal of a lifetime- one that we could never have afforded 15 years ago.
I couldn't believe she was sitting in front of me. I imagined us, walking to and from train stations. I imagined us lying on the ground miserable, holding our stomachs on a Tuesday after prematurely eating most of what we had rationed for Friday.
Read MoreAugusta GA Family Photography: bravest we know
Patrick and I are expecting our second child this fall, and we could not be happier. Six years will divide the two of our little ones, and as far as we can see: our second child will complete our family.
We bustle around the house in preparation, once again imagining all of the primary colored apparatuses that will fill our living room. We will move the love seat out of our bedroom to accommodate a crib, and we still haven't decided whether cloth or disposable diapers will smell up our existence. We are excited, anxiously waiting the day an 8 lbs. child will once again wreck "our" lives.
Read MoreAugusta GA Family Photography: Paris Family
I study faces. Hair first, and then a deep examination of the face. We might be talking intently about our children, but in the silence I am wondering how I would apply her eye shadow. The reality is, the season in which i live is shared by women who wear little more that mascara and lipgloss. We are working hard. We are raising children. We don't give much time to primping and prepping, except maybe on Sundays.
J and I met during a book study, and I caught myself inspecting her deep-set eyes while she was speaking to someone else. I don't believe makeup is necessary for looking beautiful (as I probably wasn't wearing any at the time, either), I just like to imagine what I would do with someone's face if I had the opportunity to make it up.
Read MoreEvans GA Portrait Photographers: wildflowers
There is something to be said for cowboy boots and tall grass- for flowing dresses, cascading curls, and the sun pouring from behind an old barn. Patrick and I were both born and raised in the South, and we have settled in the marvelous southern city of Augusta, GA. Here there is a sweet country song on everyone's lips, and many to most photo shoots have the either the canal or railway tracks as a background.
Read MoreAugusta GA Family Photographers: Smitten
A year ago we did portraits of this beautiful family, and this year they asked us back again.
In a word: smitten.
The Andersons are a treasure to us, and finding them was as likely as pulling a pearl out of a smelly oyster, or a diamond in a lump of black coal. Patrick met Mrs. Anderson during his coffee days, and from under the brim of his hat he convinced her that he was legit across the drive thru.
Read MoreAugusta GA Senior Portraits: on a misty monday
On a misty Monday a few weeks ago, we met Emily at a barn in Harlem, GA.
I am embarrassed to say that prior to this afternoon, my only experiences with horses were on a trail ride in Tanglewood Park at age 10. and a pretty extensive "My Little Pony" collection. Besides sitting in school and trying to determine which girls rode horses based on the unruliness of their pony tails, I never gave anything equine a second thought. Horses can be massive, and I was small. I was afraid to fall off of one, and lets not forget that they are outside (which I never really cared for, anyway).
Read MoreEvans GA Family Photographer: heart strings interwoven
These two...
It is not easy at 5 AM to look at two faces and pinpoint the exact succession of words I should use to describe our time with them. This is especially true in this case for so many reasons, including the fact that this shoot happened about a month ago.
Read MoreEvans GA Portrait Photography: the deepest well
Being gone for a week can, and usually does cause the weary traveler to declare "I need a vacation from my vacation." We tried so hard to keep work at home, and we were successful most days. The only problem is that a to-do list deferred maketh the mind a bit overwhelmed. Fortunately, working these two friendly faces into a blog post was task #1.
Read MoreEvans GA portrait photographer: when dreams pursue
Today is a special day. Monumental, if you will.
Patrick and I met nearly 10 years ago at a coffee shop on Calhoun Street in Charleston, SC. He would be my manager, and later my boyfriend, fiance, and finally my husband.
Although I laid down my coffee shop apron years ago, he has continued to wear it; sometimes with joy, and other times with disdain. In more recent times, as we have seen undeniable success behind the camera, the smell of coffee on his clothes has become a complete nuisance.
Read MoreAugusta GA Family Photographers: heart like an ocean
A softy through and through, this kid melts my heart every time he says "Mrs. Yachel."
I have know his family since Brayden's little beginnings, and my heart expands for him more and more each time I see his sweet face.
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