Family Christmas Story: Andersons

When I was asked to head over to Scotland Neck, NC to do some Christmas pictures for the Andersons I got so excited!  I love this family!  Leah is on of my best friends and I knew having her whole family together would be so much fun.  So last Sunday morning we headed from Raleigh to Scotland Neck for lunch and some shooting around town.

I found out the each of the Andersons had picked out their own spot to be a part of our shoot.  We started out with Lacount's spot... a very cute pond and a very old, gorgeous church.

Couldn't get these crazy kids to stop laughing...

Working on a new Facebook picture for Lacount...

This whole crowd works in the church (or in church-ish jobs)  so this seemed approriate.

Now to Leah's spot- Scotland Neck, as small as it is, is full of cute spots!

Who can resist a sparkly banner across Main Street???

Now to Anna's spot- the last unplowed cotton field around!

We could not resist the green building on the way back to the Anderson's house...

As usual I had a fabulous time with you all!  I don't know how you are going to vote on which picture to use for the Christmas card... you might have to get an outside opinion.

Love Story: Lyndsey and Craig

What better way to kick off the holiday season than to do a Christmas shoot!  Lyndsey contacted me and said she wanted to get some fabulous pictures of her and her hubby of just over a year for their new house, for Christmas presents, and their Christmas card.  The crisp chilly morning air certainly got us in the mood Saturday morning.

Can't get over how dreamy a field is in autumn...

I am a sucker for Christmas lights... but I am an even BIGGER sucker for "vintage" lights.

Sweet moment.

Lyndsey said she might use this as their "We're Moving" Card... and put their new address across her leg...

We found green and red walls right beside each other- how exciting!?

Engagement/Bridal Story: Mindy and Dominic

We like to be flexible around here. It is YOUR story, so we want to tell it the way you want it told as best as we can.  One way that we show this philosophy in our business is through the way we do our pricing.  There is no list of packages, instead we choose to offer you an "a la carte" menu style pricing.  This way you choose which services you specifically want.  Another way we like to be flexible is helping you figure out what type of shoot best fits your needs, personality, style, etc.  As Mindy and I talked about her wedding day, their relationship, and the style of picture she wanted, we figured out that a before the wedding couple/bridal shoot worked better than a traditional bridal or traditional engagement shoot.  I was totally up for it!

This weekend I met up with Mindy and Dominic at the J. Wesley Vineyard just north of Fayetteville, NC.  This is a fairly new party/wedding venue that I had not heard of but am so glad I have found out about!  If you are looking for a venue in that area I think J. Wesley id definitely worth checking out.

It was freezing and very windy during the shoot but you would never know it!  Mindy and Dominic were such troopers- they just kept smiling and showing each other love while I snapped away.

I will miss fall lighting... I am embracing the dark shadow look, this is new for me.

Secret telling and sun flare- LOVE it

This little building is out behind the main house- love a funky antique look.

Taking a break...

Intense love eyes

Dance Practice

The End

Thanks for a really fun shoot!  We are really looking forward to shooting your wedding on 

New Years Eve!

Trash-the-Dress: Chase

First of all, I need to say that it is so flattering to get emails that say, "Ashley, why haven't you updated your blog this week... what else do you think I do at work?!"  I have heard your need for entertainment in the office and I have the goods.  This week alone we have 9 shoots- WOW!  So I think I have enough to work with to keep you coming back for more... every day!

I have wanted to do a trash-the-dress shoot forever.  Chase heard what it was and was like, what the heck?!  Why not!  So we did phase one of the dress trashing last weekend... the next phase happens when it warms back up so we can put her in water.  Best part?  After this first shoot I am not even sure her dress got much on it.  Love that.

Thirty minutes before this shoot we were SURE that we were going to get rained out.  The weather had called for thunderstorms all week and still said we were supposed to get them.  Then, five minutes before we were supposed to meet, the sky opened up and decided not to rain.  Hey, we'll go with it!

I think I will just let these images speak for their high-fashioned selves...