Lilian

A cute, wet, orange face with a huge smile was send in an email and three girls instantly fell in love. No, it wasn't a picture of some hot model guy coming out of the ocean with a fake tan. This is what happened when Brittani, Dana, and I got Lilian's submission for our Charleston model call. Lilian is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who apparently spends as much free time as possible getting wet and going swimming. Her mom was super excited at the thought of getting pictures of her when she was actually dry! Luckily for her, we were more than happy to oblige. :)

Lilian, aka Lily, often causes quite a stir when she's out in public and people tend to flock to her because of her unique qualities. I'm personally a sucker for her happy smile...

Oh and the feet. I just love the feet. So girly and feminine! This almost makes me wish my hands were hairy. Then I remember I'm a person.She's just a beauty...She also has a Princess Leia impression. She puts her ears back to recreate the hair effect. Pretty awesome!Thank you so much, Lily, for staying dry for us while we photographed you. It was an honor!

Rocky the Rockstar

Rocky the Rockstar. That's not really his nickname but he has always a big hit on this blog and Facebook. Last June, Rocky had his first photo shoot at the beach and was now looking for a location a little more "manly". Our impromptu shoot took place in Spartanburg, SC at the old Anderson Mill and I think it suited his needs perfectly! Rocky, you look so handsome and masculine and I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! Rocky is a moo cow!!!

This shot might not be super "manly" but you know I had to get one with some gorgeous sunlight!

And last but not least, Rocky being his silly self (must have flash to see the animation)...

Photog note: Because of the unplanned nature of this shoot, I only had one lens with me - the 85mm f/1.8. Not a lens I use a lot but I love the quality it produced! I'll have to pull it out of my bag more often!

Charlianne and Homer - Engaged!

I've know Charlianne for many years as she is best friends with my two younger sisters. Charlianne and my sister, Ronnie, even flew out to Phoenix to visit me when I lived there. I introduced them to the Grand Canyon and we went camping together on the shore of Lake Powell. As a side note: I like to rough it when I'm camping. So, if you can hang with me, we're cool. We even got discriminated against at the Denny's in Page, AZ (I'll save that for another blog post). LOL! Charlianne attended my wedding and we were both bridesmaids in my sister's wedding. Long story short, we have a history. Needless to say, when she approached me about shooting her engagement photos, I had no other choice but to say yes. Even though its not typically what I do, rules are made for breaking, right?

I warmed up by photographing what I'm most comfortable with - their dogs! Their furbabies are Addison, a sweet chocolate Lab, and Teddy, a little ball of cute energy...

Once the dogs were finished, it was time to concentrate on the love birds. Charlianne has known Homer since high school but they only started dating after chatting it up at a friend's wedding a few years ago. That must have been a sign because she has waited for the ring ever since and had no doubts when it came time to say YES.I love everything about this image. They just look so happy and genuinely in love...

Congratulations to you two on your engagement! I hope you enjoyed your sneak peek!

Nathan and Mia

Saturday afternoon was hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms. Thankfully, the storms never appeared and I was fortunate to photograph Mia and Nathan in some gorgeous late afternoon sunlight. The photo shoot took place on some beautiful farmland in South Carolina, surrounded by pastures, barns, and friendly animals - a true play land for young children. Many thanks to Mia and Nathan's family for picking such a picturesque location. Also, many thanks to Nathan (for helping me push the button) and Mia (for putting up with getting your picture taken). I hope you enjoy your pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! On to the photos...

Mia is a gorgeous little girl and a "firecracker" (her mom's description). She had on the cutest dress and was more than happy to show it off for me.

Nathan is a true 7-year-old country boy and was totally in his element on this 30-acre spread of land...

I grew up with three sisters so I don't know what it would be like to have a brother. I figure it would be like these pictures below - lots of teasing and rough-housing...

After a quick change of clothes, it was time to feed the animals. How cute are Mia's boots? They were hand-me-downs from Nathan...

Mia got to ride on the Rhino out to the pasture...

...while Nathan got to drive his 4-wheeler...

Time to feed the horse, donkey, and goats...

...or just chase them around...

I gave Mia some flowers for being such a good model. I think they made her day...

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to grab a few shots of Nathan and Mia together...

What a beautiful ending to a beautiful afternoon...