Introducing Little Miss Harper

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We have all experienced, at one time or another,  people entering our lives that we just connect with right away.  Conversations come easy and you are comfortable putting your feet up on their couch.  Amanda and Brian are these people to me.  They are creative and fun.  They are passionate about each other and their family,  and they have a timeless, eclectic charm that comes through in their style and personality. When I was started building my  portfolio I asked if Amanda and Brian wanted to do a couple's session for me.  It was my first time meeting Brian, but immediately I could see why Amanda fell for him.  He is handsome and creative, and just like Amanda, he has the warmest smile.  It was an enchanting experience photographing their love.  Those images are still some of my favorites in my portfolio.  Their passion is so real and I was lucky to have the opportunity to capture it.

When I heard Amanda and Brian were expecting a baby I was thrilled.  Apparently they got pregnant the day after their photo session,  Brian jokes that it might have a little something to do with their pregnancy! ;)

Little Harper was born April 18, 2010.  As a gift to my dear friends I wanted to give them pictures of their new baby they can cherish forever. We really had a great time making these pictures.  Once we started to get our creative juices flowing we all came up with great ideas to make the photos unique and personal. She already has great hair. :) Beautiful

Yes, little Harper has a birthmark in the shape of a heart.  Crazy, huh?  Amanda said her other daughter, Ella also had a heart birthmark when she was born.  I think it is because their mama is so darn sweet! :) This is big sister Ella.She went into her room and emerged as a little flower.  I loved it, so cute!A very proud papa! I have never seen a newborn smile so much. Amanda had this suitcase laying in a spare room and a light bulb went off in my head.  I was even more excited when I found out it was stuffed with awesome fabric swatches, perfect! The following image  was Amanda's idea.  Brian is the band The KY Struts.   We took out his other baby, a beautiful red Gibson guitar,  and replaced it with Harper for a couple of photos inside his guitar case.  The plush pink lining is so perfect for a little girl. :)  Their house is full of very cool and unique things and music is very important in their lives.  This one was Brian's idea.

Who doesn't love baby feet? Love this!Amanda and Brian,  I am so happy for you guys.   Your family is beautiful and so is your love for one another.  I am grateful to be part of it.

xoxo

If you are pregnant and would like to schedule a newborn session, it is important to schedule within the first 2 weeks of birth.  The baby will sleep a lot then and we can get really creative with props and locations around your house. :)

Book Cover!

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I am completely  honored that someone found my picture on the internet and wanted to use it as a book cover.  The book is written by Judson M. Corey..  It is an inspirational book dealing with sorrow.  He wrote it while experiencing the loss of his wife, Margaret to cancer.  I will be honest with you when I say I have not read it yet simply because I am not ready.  I know this story is going to be very powerful.  I need to prepare my heart for it.

I am so thankful to be part of such a special book.

Here is the original image. Here is the book.

Christin and Harold

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To me one of the best compliments to your work in any profession is to be referred by a colleague.  I was beyond ecstatic when I was contacted by a fellow photographer about Christin and Harold's wedding.  He was already booked on their date.  He saw my work through a friend on Facebook and was wondering if I was available.  "What?  Me? "I thought to myself, I was flattered beyond belief.  I got Christin's contact information and after a long phone conversation with her we met for coffee and clicked right away.  She has one of those personalities that makes you feel like you have been friends forever, very comforting.  As we went over the details of her day I knew it was going to be beyond beautiful.  She and Harold had been planning this wedding for many years so she was well prepared.

There were so many things I fell in love with at this wedding starting with all of the beautiful red-headed women.  Christin, her mother Sindy, and her sister Autumn are all smoking hot red heads.  I can't explain why, nor do I need to, but I was really excited about this!

Next I loved the locations we used for photos.  We started at Cloud 9 Salon in Florence, which Christin's mother owns.  The stylist and makeup artists were great and the salon is a beautiful backdrop for photos.  Sindy did a wonderful job on Christin's hair and make up for the wedding.  Sindy's house, where the girl's got ready, has a lake and a beautiful greenery so we used that as a backdrop for Christin's bridal portraits and pictures with her girls.  For Chrisin and Harold's portraits I scouted out a location near the church.  It was a beautiful farm with fruit trees, and an old barn on it, perfect for a quick, private bride and groom session.

I had such a great time at this wedding.  From the moment I walked into the salon with the girls I was greeted with big smiles and hugs, I love that!   Thanks Christin and Harold and  all of your family for being so gracious.  It was wonderful spending the night surrounded by so much love.  Thanks for allowing me to capture these special moments for you!

Sindy, Chrisin's mother did Chrisin's hair and makeup for the wedding.  Here she is with Christin having a beautiful mother/daughter moment. This was my first time working with a videographer at a wedding, it was fun.  This is Mario from Frameline Productions, he was a pleasure to work with.  If you are looking for a great videographer for your wedding, he is your man! I love this! This is Christin and Harold's daughter Adalyn.Right before the ceremony.   Look how Christin and Autumn do the same scrunchy thing with their noses when they laugh.:) The gorgeous girls! Their red hair looks so great with that green background. We only had 15 minutes to shoot their portraits after the wedding.  That is all we needed with this beautiful light. Their beautiful reception was held at the Madison South in Covington. A very sweet father, daughter, granddaughter dance.:) This is my favorite photo of the day.  I grabbed this image  right as they were headed into the reception.  I love everything about it, the color, the look, the location, Christin's beautiful hair.  (Sindy is good! ) Adalyn and Grandma Parker were literally the last two on the dance floor that night.  My kind of ladies.

A blog about Mondays...

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Monday, the worst day of the week for most people, has always been my favorite day of the week.  I have never been one to keep a "conventional" schedule.   I am a night owl, who enjoys work on the weekends.  Before pursuing photography full time I worked as a waitress/bartender.  As you can imagine, the weekend shifts are the best shifts.  I was always off on Mondays.  It was my day to do whatever I wanted and it is a day that Dave and I have off together.  Luckily photography allows me to still enjoy my Mondays.  I may have a meeting or a photo session here or there, but for the most part it is still my day to play! :)

I had a beautiful wedding on Saturday and rested all day Sunday, by Monday I was ready to get out of the house! :) Dave and I decided to take one of our mini road trips.  This one was full of random adventures... We had Mexican food, visited three parks, held hands, walked by a raccoon sleeping in a tree, kissed, daydreamed, drove by a llama, laughed, and sat in comfortable silence all while traveling over 200 miles through 4 different counties.  We took in every last inch of our surroundings and enjoyed each other all day long.

These are our iPhone photos of the day.

Trying out a new app on Dave.We started in Eden Park.I thought it was cool that my shoes matched  the architecture.

We stumbled onto a wildlife habitat.It is always nice getting lost in Boone County.

Gina and Mike/Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

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I have known Gina and her family for a very long time.   In fact her older sister, Amy and I had a pretty wild summer my sophomore year swimming in her pool and cruising around with boys. ;) My nephew, Austin is also Gina's cousin.  You see,  I come from a very small town where everybody knows everybody.  If you throw a rock you are bound to hit someone you are related to or someone related to someone you are related to.  When I heard through the grapevine Gina was getting married I secretly hoped she would choose me to be her photographer.  Gina is absolutely gorgeous, and I adore her mother and father Sally and Barry.  Gina is very outgoing and loves to have a good time, so I knew her wedding would be a blast!

Gina and Mike met through Sue, one of Gina's friends she met at work.  Sue is longtime friend of Mike's family, she knew Mike and Gina would be perfect for each other.  She was right, they met on a blind date, and two years later they were getting married.

When I pulled up to Gina and Mike's house, Mike was mowing not only his lawn, but his older neighbors lawn as well.  What a sweet guy!  He greeted me with a big smile and a southern draw.  Immediately I knew this was going to be a great wedding!

There are so many things about this wedding that I loved.  I loved that Gina's son Ethan was included in every aspect of the day.  I also loved the venue.  Since Sue was the one who brought Gina and Mike together they had the wedding at Sue's house which happens to have a wonderful view of downtown.  I loved how personal everything was.  Mike's best friend was the officiant, his sister did a bible reading, Gina's mother read a poem, the ceremony was very intimate with about 40 of Mike and Gina's closest friends and family in attendance.  I loved getting hang out with my old Baker buddies and getting to meet so many more wonderful people.  By the end of the night I felt like part of their family.  I loved how much people wanted me to eat.  Sometimes I don't get to eat at all during a wedding.  It was nice to have people more or less forcing food on me, which reminds me, I loved that chocolate cupcake I finally did eat at the end of the night, it was delicious! :)

Gina and Mike are throwing a huge reception/party in June so you will see them again on my blog soon.

We had a beautiful view of downtown Cincinnati.

I absolutely fell in love with Sue's house.  It is very eclectic and full of treasures around every corner, both inside and out.

Gina's dress was perfect for her laid back ceremony.

Sue has great taste in art. Instead of a bouquet Gina and Mike wore leis.

Yummy!

One of the ring bearers.Pre-shaven MikeI like the picture of Ethan in the background. Beautiful.Gina snuck in on this one, I love the way it turned out.Ethan made this for his mom and Mike, how sweet!I love the passion here!Nate, Mike's best friend since childhood was the officiant and his sister did a reading.I don't think there was a dry eye on the patio when Mike and his mom hugged.Sally and Colten, one of her 4 (soon to be 5, Colton's Momma, Nikki just found out she is having a little girl) grandchildren. Nikki, the youngest Baker sister, aren't they gorgeous?Amy and her daughter Avery.Mike's mother and father were smiling all day!Look at those beautiful eyes. Mike was such a handsome trooper. Despite his allergies, he ventured out into this field of flowers.  I love the glamourous,  vintage vibe here.  Does she remind  you of a certain pinup model? Ethan and Mommy.Mike's brother gave the toast.The beautiful Baker girls. The dads talking it up. I cannot thank you enough Gina and Mike for trusting me to be your photographer.

Your love is inspiring.

Ahhh, Spring

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All of the waiting is over, Spring is finally here!  Since it was so nice out yesterday, Dave and I decided to take a long drive down Rt.8 along the river.   It was nice to turn everything off and just appreciate each other and our surroundings.  The sunroof was open, the breeze was warm. We cruised at our own pace chasing pockets of glorious late afternoon light, my idea of a perfect day.

While we were out enjoying the day Dave snapped a few photos of me for my website.  He really is becoming a great photographer, don't you think?

Sunshine Finally!  Ahhhhh!

My Favorite

I am not really sure what i am doing with my hands, but I love this one because of the reflection of him in my sunglasses. ;)

I heart Rt. 8

I need that printed on a t-shirt. :)