boys, boys, boys...

I guess this is a week full of boys! I guess that I have to admit that it would be hard for me to tell the truth if I'd had a particularly difficult photo session...but the honest truth is that almost all of the time, it is really really easy. And so...here's the honest truth...Henry was another one of those remarkably easygoing and happy boys. I loved getting to meet his mom and dad (and it actually turned out that his mom knew Corey from back in the day!) and as always I loved watching the way they celebrated the gift of their little boy.

Thanks to those of you who sent encouraging emails after my spontaneous blog post last night. I am excited about posting some of the recent shows. Here are two (since it is Tuesday, after all!)..

Little Michael is one of a kind. He approached our whole session with the expression in this picture...intent and trying to take it all in. He was a little stingy with his smiles but it was still clear to me that this is one content little boy. I wish that I had been able to capture his walk--I have never seen anything cuter.

And speaking of happy little boys, Wyatt was full of smiles during our entire session. I chose this picture because I love it so you will have to watch the show to see his all of his grins. Also, his mom brought this awesome chair for the pictures. I love it!

not responding...

I feel like the 'not responding' message is one that my computer likes to give me a lot these days. You know...the message that comes up in parentheses when nothing is happening even though you're pushing all the right keys. Like you don't know that it's not responding. I can kind of understand, though. I think I'm like my computer in this way--when I feel totally maxed out, I freak out. Though my computer seems to have the ability to just withdraw from me trying to make it do a gazillion things at once, I have yet to perfect the art of taking a break quietly. Instead, I go into emotional overdrive. And so, this is where you'll find me these days and why you haven't found me posting all of the slideshows that I promised. I feel like the theme of my life these days is my busy-ness. I don't know how to talk about that in a way that doesn't sound like I'm complaining. Trust me. I am not complaining! Starting this business and getting to do something every day that I LOVE is an amazing thing. Feeling totally energized and challenged by that love has been something I never would have dared to imagine that I would experience. Right now is just a weird, in the middle kind of time. I am still working another job and Corey is still doing all of our orders and processing stuff. We are busier than we ever have been and it is EXCITING stuff. I am so excited about what the future holds but know that the next few months will continue to bring lots of times where my scared, tired and untrusting self has a louder voice than I wish that it did.


Also, for those of you that don't know, Corey and I are in the middle of the adoption process. We are SUPER excited but also know that we potentially have a very long wait ahead of us. We are looking forward to the end of our paperwork being done this week. Also, we are renovating a house that we bought about a month ago. It was a fabulous deal and one that we were not looking to throw into the mix of our already chaotic life. My husband works miracles in old houses and I am amazed at what he can do. I do confess that the chaos of two homes, multiple businesses, an adoption, and all the other life stuff has been just as chaotic as you might think.
I know that I keep promising Christmas cards. I know that I keep promising one-year plans for baby pictures. I know that I keep promising a new show on the blog every day. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and keeps believing me even though I continue to postpone everything that I say. Thanks for trusting me that my heart is to do all of those things and that every night that I go to sleep yet again without finishing those things leaves me with a sinking feeling. Thanks for knowing that one of these days, I am going to get to throw all of my time into this venture. And most of all, thanks for continuing to tell your friends about me. That makes me feel like the future is much sooner than later.


I have so many pictures of so many beautiful children to post. Here is just one:
Bradley and Emma Claire

I am admitting defeat. It has been an incredibly long day and though I had a LOT of fun standing inside of a fountain with two-year-old twins while they swam in their best Strasburg outfits, I am afraid I just can't muster posting a show tonight. Two to come first thing tomorrow!

weave me the sunshine...

Anyone who knows me well knows that the Perry family holds a place in my heart and life that is held by few others. We moved in down the street when I was in the 4th grade and though Lizzie and Jennifer and I weren't instant friends, it wasn't long before New Kids on the Block and Babysitter Club books sealed the deal (I know...we were really dorky. Really. We know that now but we thought we were REALLY cool then.) When you talk about the friends that you "grew up with," these will always be the friends that I think of. I will forever be grateful for all of the love and laughter and conversation and understanding and sacrifice that they--the whole Perry family--contributed to my life.

One of the sweetest things about this friendship is that it's one that my whole family shares with their whole family. My brother and Blair have been best friends since the first grade. In my head, Andy and Blair are both about 13 or 14 doing cannonballs off the diving board and playing basketball in the cove. I still can't believe that they are both married.

Getting the opportunity to photograph Blair and Kim's wedding last month was a huge gift to Corey and me. Their lives and the choices that they have made reflect God's heart for justice and I am grateful for their testimony of sacrifice and service. We loved photographing their wedding in the backyard of some houses in the neighborhood where they both live and serve in Memphis. It was also just really fun to get to see little Blair head over heels over his bride!

(I couldn't resist posting this cupcake shot...how cute are these????)

tuesday x2

Okay, I managed to pull it off! A two for Tuesday! Enjoy Mary Ashton and Will. For some reason, I really love this first shot. Something about the expression on her face just pulls me in... her baby brother is pretty darn cute, too! I wish I had more to write but I am falling asleep at the computer...

***Also, the rest of the Christmas cards will be launched (as well as prices and packages) by early next week. I love the second round even more than the first so stay tuned for those.

I'm in a hurry to get my Tuesday show up so enjoy cute Brennan today. Her name is one of my all-time favorites, by the way. I will try to write and post more later today...it just might be a two for Tuesday but it's too soon to tell!

happy monday!

I am going to try hard to post a session every day this week so be sure to check back! Here is a cute little family that I photographed a couple of months ago. Little Kaitlyn was one of those who loved the gardens and could not explore it all fast enough. It was a really hot day but we had a lot of fun!

coming out to play...

My favorite part of this photo shoot was the last 20 minutes or so, which is when we got both of these shots. There is almost always THIS moment in a photo session--when whoever I'm photographing finally settles in and I get the chance to really capture who they are right now, in this place and at this time. It's almost a tangible thing and I wait for it. Sometimes it happens really quickly and sometimes you have to just wait it out. Carter and Reagan were fantastic subjects--they sat wherever, smiled whenever, did whatever I asked them to do--you can't ask for more than that. But the best part was when they thought that we were done and the session was over! That's when their JOY came out to play.

delight...

Delight is the word that kept running through my mind during this entire shoot of Ann Harper. For one thing, she's an undeniably delightful girl...so sweet and happy. Her smiles light up the whole room. But this is one LOVED little girl. To see the way that her mama and daddy truly delight in her was such a picture for me of what love looks like. I still can't believe that this is supposed to be a job! Getting to step into people's lives in such a real way will never lose its wonder for me.

Well, at long last, here they are. Round one of this year's Christmas card samples! There are more to come, hopefully by early next week. When I post the next group, I will give all of the information as far as pricing and how to purchase them. I hope--especially after all the fan fare-- that you like them!

another rainy day...

Well, we are back home from Atlanta and trying to get back into the swing of things. There is lots to get caught up on. I know I have been saying for weeks how behind that I am on posting but I guess that is just how things are going to be for right now. I decided to switch things up a little bit and post a session from just last week. Kendall and Drew were an absolute joy to photograph, especially considering that over half of our session was in the rain and done in lightning speed. I LOVE all of their expressions...I hope their sweetness comes across in these pictures!

P.S. Baby Salem is recovering very well. She got to go home (well, home to the hotel) last night and is doing better and better! Thank you for praying and I can't believe some of you even posted on their website...that was a gift to me!

sweet salem...

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that these are our dear friends Josh and Keely and their precious daughter, Salem. We are actually in Atlanta right now where sweet Salem will undergo a pretty intense brain surgery in the morning. I'm writing to ask those of you who pray to pray for baby Salem tomorrow. You can read more about her journey, as well as get updates on the surgery, at their website , www.outofethiopia.com. There are also some specific ways that you can pray. These are some pictures that we took this afternoon--in the rain--literally as soon as Erika and I drove up to the hotel. You can see the slideshow here.

So...I felt like changing the blog tonight. Probably (okay, definitely) not the best use of my time but I needed a change today.

This is one of my favorite sessions as of late. Benjamin's pictures were a couple of weeks ago, right in the height of our heat wave. He was super easy to photograph and so full of wonderful expressions. He made me laugh the whole time, especially with the way he crinkled his little nose every time his mom and grandmom made him smile.

heat wave...

I'm pretty sure that everyone who reads this blog is living somewhere that is about a gazillion degrees right now. I have always loved summer...always. Though I do love fall and the changing of the seasons, there is always part of me that mourns the passing of summer. I am dreading the shorter days but I am SO ready for this hotness to end. This photo shoot with Jonathan was on one of these crazy hot days this summer. He is so much fun and has so much to say! He is the only one-year-old I know who knows the word khaki (used to describe his super cute hat!). It really was such a fun afternoon with Jonathan and his mommy at the gardens. Can you tell how much he loved playing in the water?

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

A couple of weeks ago I sent out an email to all of my previous erin nolen photography clients (and people who had recently inquired) about the upcoming fall and Christmas card seasons. I wanted them to be the first to know about the awesome Christmas cards we are going to be offering this year as well as give them a chance to book for fall sessions. I offered a $25 off special for the first five people to schedule a weekday session for any time from now until November 20 (the last day to schedule pictures in time for Christmas). The response was awesome!

I thought that I would go ahead and post on the blog about fall sessions. I have very few weekend dates still available so if you are thinking that you would like to set up a fall/Christmas session on a weekend, please contact me as soon as you can!

I have decided to offer the same special to NEW customers! The first five NEW customers who contact me to set up a session on a weekday from now until November 20 will get $25 off of their order or sitting fee. The only catch is that the session has to be on a weekday.

I will be posting the Christmas card samples early next week so be looking for them! I can't wait to get started on them. Also, we will now be doing baby announcements! So much exciting stuff I can hardly stand it. For those of you who know me, I know that sounds like I am being sarcastic. But I'm not. Really, I am more excited about these cards and announcements than I probably should be...you can ask Keely. I made her help me decide and it took a LONG time.

And last but so far from least, and speaking of Keely, here is a slideshow that I did of baby Salem from pictures we took last April. There are lots more to come of sweet Salem and I can't wait to share them.ps...this is one of my favorite pictures ever.

beautiful day...

I have taken a lot of pictures at the Hampton Cove waterfall in Huntsville in the last couple of years. It is a beautiful place for pictures no matter what time of the year you're there. But when I was in town for a session there last month, it was prettier than I have ever seen it. It was just one of those afternoons when the light and the scenery and the subjects are almost too much for me to believe. I love what I do! These two boys are full of so much life and energy and it really was my joy to get to photograph them. Enjoy the Hales!

cousins...take two...

Here is another one of my sessions from way back at the beginning of summer. This one was extra special because little Philip is the second cousin of my friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth and I met during our days at Rhodes and she has always talked about her cousins and how important they are in her life. She even came to the shoot on the afternoon we did the pictures and was a huge help in getting little Philip to smile! There are a couple of pictures where you can tell he's looking right at her! I love these shots we got of their little family--it is not hard to see how much they delight in their little boy.

radiant...

I was so excited when Stacy and Rick asked us to photograph their wedding. They are friends of ours and it is always a gift to be given such an honor. I was even more excited when they told me where their wedding was going to be. I have always loved the church where they were married and always said that we would have had our wedding there if we had gotten married in Birmingham. I guess photographing Rick and Stacy's wedding helped me to vicariously experience a wedding there! It was truly a perfectly beautiful day from start to finish. Stacy was a radiant bride and her groom could not take his eyes off of her. I know that this part of their story is just beginning and that there are great things in store for them as a married couple.

new friends...

One of the best parts about this whole photography gig is the people that you get to meet. It's even better when you get to meet people that you should already know...like people who not only live in the same itty-bitty town as you but who also happen to go to the same church as you. All that to say I really loved getting to meet Ryan's mom and daddy on the day we did his pictures. I love love love the pictures from this session which is the main reason why I couldn't pick just one to post and decided to post all three. I could tell you how precious he is but really, you just have to look at the pictures to see that.

sweet dreams...

Ava Scott was a dream to photograph. Really she was. She was awake when we wanted her to be awake and then she went right to sleep! That NEVER happens! But I am glad that it did on the day that I photographed Ava Scott. I photographed her big brother and sister a few months back so look for their cameo, blue-eyed appearance in the slideshow.

A few months ago I started a post saying that some photo shoots are easier than others...and that there was more to come on that later. The funny thing about that is that apparently I wrote that post soon after--maybe even the day of--my session with the Duncans. I didn't think anything about it but Mandy, the mom, immediately assumed I was referring to her girls as the more difficult shoots that I have sometimes. I felt awful! For one thing, her girls weren't hard to photograph at all and were sweet and agreeable the whole time. Having your picture taken is just a hard thing for kids and all things considered--especially my 100 degree troopers the past two weeks--I could not ask for more from the children I photograph.

I didn't expect to have time to post another show today so....surprise! Hannah and Christopher are sweet cousins whose grandmother was SO excited to have them in the same city to get some pictures done. We had a great time exploring places around their house to take pictures...I love this pink wall!

cutting it close...

Okay, I really almost didn't make it this time! But with 39 minutes to spare, here's one more slideshow for the week. We're headed home to Memphis for a wedding this weekend so I don't know if I'll be able to keep up my streak through the weekend. I promise to pick it back up come Sunday night! If not before then...

In the meantime, enjoy these super cute twins! Yay for twins. I really like twins a lot and have always wanted to be one. You can see how much these two have the whole twin thing going on...

three months...plus three...

Okay, here is a great example of how behind that I am. I am posting sweet Maury's three-month pictures but we have scheduled her six-month pictures for next week. Hmmm...

Maury is one of those super easy to photograph babies...she totally went with the flow and was her sweet, cooperative self the whole time.