Thanks to the power of the internet, I got to work with this fabulous couple from Florida last November capturing their engagement. Actually, not only did I get to shoot their engagement session, but I got to document the very moment she said "yes!" Matt had emailed me a couple months previously saying that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend at the Biltmore Estate and would love to have some photos to remember the whirlwind event and as a lover of proposals, I jumped at the chance.

The Importance of Laughter

All the time I get the question "What is your favorite subject to photograph? For the first couple years of my career I would waffle between "Oh, I just really like photographing people" and "Well, I don't think I can choose - I love everything I shoot!" But that's not entirely accurate. I shoot everything from weddings to athletic events to product shoots to landscapes to maternity sessions professionally - sometimes all in the same week - but over and over again the shoots that I enjoy most and specifically the images I am happiest with are those that include laughter.

Jodie and Surain's Arboretum Wedding

Through our planning process, I knew Jodie and Surain were looking for simplicity in their day - to focus on their union and their new family. They were a perfect couple for me to work with because this gave me the freedom to focus on their emotions; their excitement at seeing each other in their fancy wedding outfits, their happy tears through the ceremony, their content smiles during portraits and their giddy excitement during the reception when the realization of their new life together had started to set in.

January 27, 2017 Wedding at Highland Brewing Company

I cannot say enough how much I love intimate weddings! Morgan and Mike met while Morgan was studying abroad in Ireland (more on their sweet story in their full blog post in a couple months.) With so many unknowns surrounding the visa process, they had to plan their wedding rather last minute as they had 90 days to get married once Mike's visa request was approved; we only began discussing wedding photography a few weeks before their ceremony!

Janel and Corey's Fall Wedding

The name of the game with their wedding album was creating lots of full-page spreads to showcase their many beautiful portraits. The best part of these full-page images (aside from gorgeousness!) is they give me plenty of space to add in text, like the Bible verses Janel and Corey included dedicated to creating a happy marriage.

The Hecks || Family Photo Album

While this album is perfect for leaving out on the coffee table now and looking through anytime someone walks by, I can just imagine the family years from now looking back at the images and reminiscing or even retelling baby stories as Abby looks through the photos with a child of her own.

The Hecks Home Session

One of my very favorite subjects to photograph is love and what epitomizes love better than two parents with their 10 day old newborn? A few months ago two of my good friends brought their beautiful daughter into the world and instantly fell in love with this sweet bundle of joy. Because we all know that kids grow up entirely too fast, Parker and Kendal wanted to capture this first part of their journey so that when Abby takes her first steps or goes to her first class or has her first child of her own (Parker and Kendal - don't read that part, it's years away, don't worry!), they can look back and remember this quiet (or not so quiet?) time with her.

Goals for 2017

We're a week in to the new year so it's about the time that outrageous new year's resolutions have run their course and realistic goals begin to take shape. For me, I spent the week (when I wasn't working on clients' work) crunching last year's numbers, analyzing what worked and what didn't and especially journaling about the direction I would like my company to go. As this long term vision is starting to take root (I'll keep the details to myself for now, wouldn't want to spoil the fun!) I've narrowed down a few of my goals for 2017 to get me on my way:

The Rogers || Couple's Photo Album

As one of my favorite shoots of the fall, I've been meaning to sharing this album for a while, but wedding season certainly kept me busy. Now that I've got some time, here's a look at The Rogers' album from their couple's session around Waynesville.

The Rogers || Couple's Session in a Pumpkin Patch

I've said it before and I'll say it again: a man who gives his wife a photo shoot and album for her birthday is a man who knows what he's doing! I met Ashleigh at Kudzu Brands so I had actually photographed her before, but it was fun to do so in a more relaxed setting.

Kim and Matt || Wedding Photo Album

As I'd photographed for 12 hours on their big day, narrowing down the images to fit into 50 spreads was quite difficult (and luckily not my task as Kim picked out which images she liked best!) My goal was to weave together the images in a way that would showcase their vibrancy and attention to detail while highlighting the importance of family and this newly-combined family's love for each other.

Asheville, NC Wedding on November 25, 2016

The day after Thanksgiving, I got to witness Terri and Jodi promise their lives to each other. While I get to see this quite often, their genuine happiness to make their vows and the pure outpouring of love from their families and friends brought more than one tear to my eye.

Terri and Jodi || Botanical Gardens Engagement Session

After splashing around in the creek, we spent the rest of the shoot walking through the gardens (and avoiding the decidedly snippy annual flower market people), stopping sporadically when I found nice light to snap more happy photos. I'm fairly sure these two laughed the entire shoot and their merriment glows through all of their images. Tomorrow I get to document this loving couple making their vows to each other and I'm so excited to capture their happiness and love once again!

Katy and Mark's Crest Center Wedding

Through either ridiculously good luck or really smart branding I've somehow managed to shoot weddings exclusively for people with whom I feel sure I could be friends. Katy and Mark were certainly no exception and I was actually sad when leaving their wedding because I would more than likely not get to see them again as they live in New York City. They may sound strange to an outsider, but as a photographer (and a wedding shooter especially) you scrutinize people waiting for the most "them" moments - moments that will capture their essence and tell their story - so I felt like I knew the lovely pair incredibly well even though I'd only spent roughly 10 hours in their presence.

Asheville, NC Wedding on November 13, 2016

Neither sickness nor cold air nor wildfires could keep Savannah and Kevin from making the most of their special day. Their deep love and admiration for each other shone through in every look, every touch, every stolen smile as they celebrated their new life together. This autumn day called for some beautiful festive fall details from vibrant shoulder wraps to warm-toned flowers to pumpkins. Thank you to all the friends, family and fabulous local vendors who helped make this couple's day even more special! Stay tuned for Savannah and Kevin's full wedding blog post soon.

Kim and Matt's Fields of Blackberry Cove Wedding

Kim and Matt’s summer wedding dawned cloudy and warm, and only got cloudier and warmer as the day went on. Many brides would have fretted about the weather, but Kim remained calm - simply enjoying getting ready with her daughters and friends - and kept her cool even when she walked out the door towards the altar and realized the sky was opening. Throughout the whole planning and shooting process during which I got to know Kim and Matt, this theme of focusing on their love for each other rather than their need for everything to go according to plan held true. And for me as a photographer trying to capture all of the emotions and ins-and-outs of their day, this made my job infinitely easier and more enjoyable!

Janel + Corey's River Arts District Engagement

The locations people choose for the backdrops to their photo shoots are often very telling of their personalities and if this idea actually holds merit, then Janel and Corey's most prominent trait is vibrancy! We scheduled our engagement shoot one summer morning to avoid the terrible heat (didn't quite happen) and take advantage of the softer light while still capturing beautifully saturated images in the River Arts District. And I'm fairly sure the in the entire hour and a half that these two were in front of the lens, they were either smiling and laughing at each other or giggling at something I said or asked them to do. I've always said that my favorite subject to photograph is laughter and these two lovebirds filled my cards with grinning images.

Asheville, NC Wedding on September 3, 2016

We couldn't have asked for better weather for Katy and Mark's September afternoon wedding! The sky was a perfect blue with those puffy clouds that look like you could sleep on them and the sun shone brightly, aluding to the bright future ahead of this couple. Katy and Mark had two subtle but personal themes in their decor: "America" and "New York" (though one could argue the two are inseperable.) The nod to 'Murica wove through the color scheme: navy bridesmaids' dresses, red and white roses with a nautical striped ribbon, and red and blue ties coordinating with gray suits. As far as patriotic color schemes go, their's was incredibly well done. Though maybe not born-and-bred, these two new New Yorkers also incorporated their hometown into the decor at their destination wedding, particularly in their table settings.