Some of you faithful blog readers may remember seeing sweet Sophia early last spring when she was not even a year old. You might also recognize her from the cameo appearance she made as the cutest pumpkin in town back in October. She is the daughter of our friends Brian and Grace. We are so thankful to know them and their story as we are on our own journey toward our family. Sophie is an absolute delight and the best part is...she totally knows it! This was another one of those photo shoots where I wished I had a video camera to capture the parents and grandparents behind me singing, clapping, waving puppets, whatever it took to earn some of these priceless smiles. (I am pretty sure Sophie would have given the smiles anyway...I think she just wanted to see just how silly she could get them to be!)

farewell to fall...

So, I got home last night from a really fun weekend in Memphis. It seems like the last of the leaves fell off while I was gone--it looks so wintry outside! I guess that's in perfect time. Here is another session from fall...The Fullenwider boys were so much fun to photograph. The day of their shoot was one of the most glorious fall days I have ever seen. The light was perfect, the reflection of the leaves in the water was unbelievable. Not to mention that the boys were perfectly behaved! I don't think I could ask for more in a shoot...

Also, stay tuned for some weddings from this fall that I am excited to post.

sweet family of 3 (for now!)

I'm running out of days to make my Christmas posts! Here is one that I love from this fall. One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet all of these families and see the way they laugh together. Enjoy the Blakes.

Here is one last picture that I love from this session...

twins for day two...

I confess. I have been wanting to photograph Lily and Kate for a long time. I guess their mama and daddy finally tired of all my pleas and decided to let me! It was even more fun than I imagined that it would be. I have never really had the chance to spend time with them and it was so cool to see their different personalities. I love their sweetness and their silliness!

on the first day of christmas...

Sorry for getting that song in your head. I found myself singing Frosty the Snowman to Attie--our dog--this morning and realized I had no idea where I'd heard it. Signs of the season, I guess. Attie liked it better when I changed the words to include his name. He wagged his tail and gave me his best I really love you even though I think you're kinda crazy look.
Anyway, enough of that. Here is a really recent session of two beautiful girls with beautiful spirits to match. I hope you enjoy! (Click here for show.)

beyond measure...

Okay, so my husband informed me tonight that it has been nearly a month since I posted on my blog. Wow. The truth is that we have been buried under Christmas cards, photo shoots, moving boxes, slideshows, uploading, downloading, and still more Christmas cards. It has been a whirlwind of a month! It would not be true if I did not acknowledge that there have been days when I really did not think it was possible to get it all done. My husband has worked countless hours on photography orders and editing all the while preparing a place for us to live. And though we are still trying to figure out why the plan was to move at exactly the height of our busiest season, we are more thankful every day for the home that God has provided for us and all that is ahead for us and our family to be. (That being said, no real adoption news to report. My fingerprints did finally arrive--awesome news--but now we are waiting for a couple of other things to get wrapped up. The chaos has definitely helped the waiting and I am grateful for the grace in that.)

So, I think that is the update on where I've been. I am excited to tell you that I am excited to launch "erin nolen photography's 12 days of blog posts" in anticipation of my favorite holiday of the year. I originally thought I would post for 12 consecutive days leading up to Christmas and though that is still my goal, I have decided to let this mean that I am vowing to post 12 times before Christmas. That gives me a little extra wiggle room and I am working hard these days to give myself a little more grace (is that sentence completely contradictory?).

I really want to enjoy Christmas this year. I always love it...I can't help it, I just do. Here are a few things I'm really looking forward to...

*Having our first fire in our new house.
*Finding the perfect present for someone. (I seriously have NO good ideas this year, which is really not like me. But I am hopeful that the flash of inspiration is yet to come. After all, I have not even begun my shopping.)
*Decorating the gingerbread house with Alex. (If you have ever bought a gingerbread house for a 5-year-old and then told her she has to wait to decorate it...just be ready.)
*Having people over to our new house. And being okay with the fact that it's not decorated exactly the way that I want it.
*the Andrew Peterson concert at church. I have been waiting to see this show for years. Literally.
*Going to see the Nutcracker with my mom. It's been a long time since we've been together and I cannot wait.
*Looking at Christmas lights.
*Just enjoying being with people that I love. I am so thankful for all that this year has held. I know it's cheese and cliche' but when it all comes down, it's just true. Our year has not been what we expected. There have been some tough spots. But when it all comes down, we are blessed beyond measure. Way, way beyond measure.

a little bit of color...

It's time for a little color on this blog! The trees have just been glorious lately and the sky seems bluer against all these reds and oranges. Jake was so much fun to photograph and the setting could not have been more perfect. I loved his curiosity and watching him explore his world. One of my favorite things was watching him collect leaves and acorns and then asking him mom to hold his "discoveries." What a great word to describe such treasures. I know that Jake is treasured by his mama and daddy and it is easy to see why.

checking in...

Yay for 3 blog comments! I know all of you blog writers would agree...it is so exciting to get comments. I keep trying to think of ways I can entice people to leave comments without sounding pathetic. I haven't come up with it yet...(see?)
But anyway, thanks for the comments.

I am excited to say that I am posting from our new house! After many very frustrating hours on the phone and with the service people, my incredibly capable husband has us up and running. We are both sitting in what will be our office surrounded by boxes, photography equipement, and haphazard furniture hard at work. Feels like home already. Probably my photography blog is not the place but I would be remiss in not thanking all of the tons of people who helped us move over the weekend. Our friends were unbelievably kind to spend their Saturday working for us and there are truly no words to thank Corey's family for all they have done (and are continuing to do) to help us. Anyone who has been here knows that we truly could not have done it without them.

I wanted to post another show for tonight. Not that my two posts in one day is a sign of things to come...

I actually don't even still have the pictures from these shoots on my computer since they were so long ago (don't worry, they're backed up in several places) so you'll just have to watch the shows!

The Ross Family
The McClellan Family

a few things...

Okay, I thought I'd post a quick update and a few things to know with Thanksgiving and Christmas upon us. Can you believe that it will be Thanksgiving next week?

Our furniture is officially in our new house but unfortunately, we are not. Corey's parents are graciously letting us stay there for a few days, which has been great. Hopefully, we will have a functioning kitchen and bathroom by the end of the week! What's bad is that it's much more important to us to have working internet than it is a working kitchen sink! So, Corey is working fervently to make that happen today and I am working fervently to spend my spare hours at local places with free wi-fi to try to respond to all my emails! Keep them coming and I will get back to you today or tomorrow.

For now, here's a slideshow of one of my all-time favorite families, the Kellys.

MIA: daylight

So many fun shots from this shoot. Maggie is so full of life and joy and energy. We had a great time hanging out in downtown Helena. Which is, as the new banners proudly say, the #1 city to live in in Alabama. However, we are moving on Saturday (actually I am not because I will be out of town taking pictures). I feel like the craziness of our life right now has helped me to sort of disassociate from all the emotions that I have from leaving our house and our town. I don't know if that's good or bad but it's getting me through right now! I would say our house is about 20% packed at this point. Not too bad for only having 3 more days left...is it? Anyway, enjoy sweet Maggie and all of the sights of our pretty little town. I'm still claiming it for one more week...





There is definitely more to say and much more to post...but not nearly enough hours in the day!

happy halloween!

I promise that I am going to start posting some slideshows again soon. I have had so much fun taking costume pictures this week! Here is the cutest fairy in the whole town...our sweet niece, Alex. We were so happy that she let us go trick-or-treating with her tonight.

finally!

**I have added numbers to go with each sample to help with identifying the card when ordering!***

Here are the last Christmas card samples! I am also including the other samples at the bottom of this post. I know I have been promising more comprehensive information on how to choose and order so here it is...

All of the card choices are now in a gallery that you can use to see them in detail. You will be able to see them individually this way. If you have had a session recently or have one coming up before Christmas, I will email this link to you with your gallery link. If you are a current client and have had a session in the past few months that you would like to use for a Christmas card, email me and I will send the link to you. If you are not a current client but are still interested in viewing the options, drop me an email as well. There are still some sessions available in time to have Christmas pictures made. Please call or email me with any questions!

Just to confirm, here are the prices.

25 cards...$50
50 cards...$100
75 cards...$125
100 cards...$150
All prices include 5x7 flat cards and envelopes.


First, the new ones...

last call...

I just couldn't resist this one.

I have opened up a few more spots for costume pictures this week. Call me if you're interested!

I can hardly believe I've been photographing Grayson since he was 2 weeks old! He is growing and changing so much. These sessions with him are so relaxed and easy. Once we make it to a year, I'll have to post pictures as he changed every few months.

I wanted to try to get in an early post for the weekend. We're off to Athens for a wedding today. Looks like it's going to be beautiful...

It has been a cold and rainy day. Isn't it weird how all of a sudden you go from wearing your flip-flops to wearing your sweaters? I know that it's not really cold here. But it's plenty cold for me and it feels cozy to have the heat on. It's also making me sleepy...

In an effort to throw some color in an otherwise gloomy day, here are some cute girls I've photographed over the last couple of months.


Libby



Anna Kathryn


Both of these girls are beautiful and well-loved daughters. It was a privilege for me to get to photograph them.

i heart fall weddings.

I love engagement shoots. I loved the time that Corey and I were engaged and I think I feel like I can relive that time somehow by capturing it for others. I love the sweetness and anticipation of it all. April and Jonathan are SO much fun...we are really looking forward to photographing their wedding in a few weeks. They have one of the sweetest engagement stories of all time.

Wow. I can't believe I went a whole week without posting. It's been a busy few days!

I love this season. I have had so much fun lately getting to see familiar faces and meet new ones. I have loved trying out some new places for pictures and have been in disbelief that the sky and the leaves can really be this beautiful. I am going to try (I feel like I am always saying this!) to be faithful in updating the blog from here on out.

If you want to schedule a fall session and/or pictures for Christmas cards, there are still sessions available. As long as your shoot is done by the week of Thanksgiving (and maybe the week after if you ask nicely!), you can still get pictures in time for Christmas. That leaves several more weeks for you to schedule. Also, I will be doing several sessions the day before Thanksgiving for those of you who will be in town and have school-aged kids who will be out that day.

Here is a shoot that I love from last month. Gabrielle was SO much fun to photograph. When we arrived, her mom was sure that Gabrielle would not enjoy an afternoon of playing barefoot outside. At first, it seemed that her mama was right. However--to her daddy's delight--it was not long before Gabrielle realized that she LOVED playing outside and spent the whole session running around and exploring all that there was to see and do. Also, I have to say that the highlight of this session was the incredibly entertaining rendition of 'Twist and Shout' that her mom, dad and aunt performed behind the lens in their attempt to get some priceless smiles. I think mostly Gabrielle just looked at them like they were crazy but I can tell you for sure that they kept me laughing! It was awesome to see the way they adore this little girl and not hard to see why.

fall fun...

I am so excited to offer these costume sessions this year! Let me know if you are interested...

falling...

I guess today is a good day to post about change. It feels like fall outside. During my shoot this afternoon, I promise that you could feel a tangible energy in the air.

Today is one of those scary days for me. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't post this on my photography blog--that maybe I should just always act like I've got it all together and I'm moving through each day with the greatest of calm and ease. (I know that makes those of you who know me and my freak-outs want to laugh out loud.) Is it unprofessional to tell people that sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up? I am excited to say that there are changes coming and that I am excited to finally be able to think about executing ideas that have been circling around my head for the last couple of years. I am excited to see how life will continue to unfold. If you had asked me even two years ago what I thought life would look like today, I have no idea what I would have said. But I am pretty sure that I would not have dreamed that it could have looked like this.

Brooke's mama came prepared for this one. She was loaded down with all the fun things that made this shoot such a special time. I loved seeing the sweet, sweet relationship between Brooke and her daddy.

This was one of my all-time favorite photo sessions. Beautiful family, incredible location, and a lot of laughter. Enjoy the McNaughtons.

the session that almost wasn't...

We worked hard for this one. I'm not sure who worked the hardest but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't me. Our first attempt was in the middle of July. It was thundering as we walked up. About five minutes after we started, the sky let loose and we had to make a run for it (though we did capture the above picture beforehand). It was one of those hard, unrelenting rains, the kind we haven't seen much of lately. Cade and Connor's sweet mama asked me if we could just try again a different day. The hard thing was that we couldn't reschedule until September! It did turn out to be a beautiful day and it gave me another chance to hang out with these really fun and super cute brothers.

I know. It kind of looks like I'm in a black and white phase. Really I'm not. But I do love these two pictures. Julianne was wide-eyed and sweet for our whole session. Sometimes I wish I could simultaneously photograph all of the people behind the lens who are working to make my pictures happen. Julianne had me, her parents, her grandparents, and the Golden Retriever all putting on a virtual circus for this one. It is clear to see that this is one loved little girl and it is not hard to see why!

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

So, at very long last, here are the rest of the Christmas cards! I got my Southern Living Christmas edition in the mail today so I guess that makes it officially time. (It is, after all, the second day of October.) I really like these cards a lot and hope that you will, too. This will be my first year to offer Christmas cards but I am really excited about the possibilities. The prices for the cards are listed alongside the second group of cards above. As I offered last year, it is also possible to purchase a file from your session if you would like to have your cards printed somewhere else. Please contact me with any questions or more detailed information! I would love to know what you think! (By the way, the pictures do not have to be in black and white on the cards.)

fresh off the press...

I thought I'd be spontaneous tonight and post the show that I just finished working on. I love these pictures! These two were so much fun to photograph and I love the way the pictures turned out. I hope they show how much they love to laugh and how much they love each other. This was a really fun day...this might have to be a week of Huntsville pictures. Enjoy Ian and Ansley!