tammy + marc | virginia wedding photographer

Last Friday, I had the great pleasure of photographing Tammy and Marc's wedding reception at the Rock Hill Plantation House. I had such a blast! Tammy and Marc were actually married the week before with a private ceremony in Hawaii. They decided early on that they still wanted a reception with family and friends, so one week later (after much traveling!) they put their wedding clothes back on and invited everyone to celebrate with them! I love how they tied in their Hawaiian beach wedding with all the decorations. The evening was just perfect!








After Tammy and Marc were announced into the party, they stood in the front and watched along as their actual wedding video played for the guests to enjoy.


such a sweet first dance...

... that turned into a really fun routine!


Tammy and Marc: Congratulations! I had such a wonderful time at your reception, and I wish you both the best.

the flying circus | balloon festival

This past weekend, Tim, Maggie, and I headed into Bealton for The Flying Circus' annual Balloon Fest. We had such a great time! Our brother-in-law Scott invited us along (his father has been organizing the event for over thirty years) and I can't wait to go again next time! Maggie had a blast. She loved looking at all the beautiful balloons, and Tim and I were happy to let her run loose! It was a really fun weekend...

This girl is ready for some balloons!

On Friday night, we went to watch the balloons launch at sunset. I love these next two images of Tim and Maggie!


We went back on Saturday morning to see them all launch again!

This last image is my favorite. If you look closely, you can see the moon in the top left-hand corner. Love it!

Photography Workshop.

Over the past couple of years (and especially since Maggie has been born) I've gotten a great deal of questions about how to take better pictures. Mostly, I'm approached my other moms who want to take better pictures of their kids, but people from all walks of life have had questions to ask. I've realized that a few tips (like choosing the right lighting, camera, etc.) can really help the amateur photographer! So, needless to say, I was excited when my church contacted me about leading a workshop this March for people who'd like to take better pictures.

I'm a little nervous about sharing in front of a group of adults, but hopefully my teaching skills will come back to me! You can read about the seminar here. The day will be divided into two parts: The first will focus on composition and interacting with your subjects, and the second part will go into a little more detail about the functions of your camera. (You CAN shoot manually!)

Do you have a question that you think I should answer? Feel free to leave it in the comments section. If I continue to receive questions from other moms, I may start featuring the answers on my blog as well.

And because posts on this blog are MUCH more interesting with photos, here are a few of Maggie and Brandon at the park this past weekend. Happy Monday!

Caroline's First Birthday!

On Sunday, I was so happy to capture some images of Caroline celebrating her first birthday. What a cutie! She is such a sweet baby and so hilarious to watch. Her expressions are just perfect! Here are a few of my favorites...

This series makes me laugh... See what I mean about her expressions?!

Best Friends Forever.


Cake time! I love these next two so much. She just looks so sweet in both of them!


Hmm... Should I have any more?

Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

On Friday, my nephew celebrated his first birthday! We had a party for him last night, and I wanted to post a few of my favorite photos. I tried to get some portraits of him, but he kept crawling away from me!



cousins!



This photo cracks me up... He was trying to escape!

Cake!

And finally, a picture of him with his new cell phone. Happy Birthday, buddy!

Quentin's 40th Birthday Party!

You may remember this sweet family from a portrait session that I did with them last Fall. Well, this summer Quentin turned 40, and Nicolle threw him quite a bash! The party was held last Saturday at the Inn at Vint Hill, and it was such a fun event. I can tell that Quentin is well loved! Check out the detail that went into the party...

Isn't this cake amazing?! Sweet Creations Cakes did an incredible job.

One more of the family before the party began...

So sweet.

It was so great to see how much fun all the kids were having. Nicolle and Quentin wanted to include their girls in the party, and it made me wish that I was a little younger! You can never go wrong with a pool...

Or a moon bounce...

Or a craft table!


These two stayed on the dance floor all night!

Quentin is the track coach at FHS, and these are the athletes that volunteered their time to help out with the party. Pretty incredible!


Love it.



The guests coerced the birthday-boy onto the dance floor...


Quentin and Nicolle finally had a chance to dance together at the end of the night! Quentin requested that the DJ play their wedding song for the final dance. So sweet!

Happy Birthday Quentin! Thanks so much for inviting me to be a part of the celebration.