Alana is one of the coolest kids I've met in awhile. She is so funny and matter of fact. I love that she loves to read and also play softball and also twirl around in her pretty white skirt. She is also far more stylish than me and brought more clothes for the photo shoot than I've ever seen! We had a great time.

How cute are these two? I loved meeting the Windhams last weekend at the gardens. We had a great time wandering around and even venturing into a few gardens I had never even seen before. There are so many times lately when I just look around and can't believe I'm getting to do what I'm doing.

Let's talk Mother's Day...

So...Mother's Day is coming up and what better gift than pictures of the children they love? I know my mom, for one, still never gets tired of pictures of us. I know the big day is almost here but I still thought I'd throw a special deal out there. For the next 10 people who book a session and mention this special, I will add a free 8x10 to your order! Also, I am now offering gift certificates for sessions that will come wrapped and ready to give. Just email me at erinnolen@gmail.com to set up your session!

On a different note, I love these pictures of Emily and Jake. There is something so full of life in these two. I really hope that these pictures can communicate that in some way. This bottom picture kind of makes you think it was a calm afternoon but you'll have to see the rest of the pictures to figure out the whole story on that! I love hanging out with them and never knowing what's going to happen next!

blue eyed girls...

It has been a week of blue eyes! Between Grayson, the Dreschers, and then these two, I couldn't believe it. I think that little Lily actually wins the prize for bluest eyes EVER. They are so pretty. I had a great time hanging out with the Turners this week and love the way they laugh together. It won't be hard to see that they love to be silly!

The Dreschers are one of my all-time favorite families. We joined their LIFE group (our church's version of small groups) just as soon as we started going to Oak Mountain, while we were still dating and not even engaged. I immediately fell in love with their oldest (and at the time, only) child, Will, who is just the cutest, coolest kid ever. Since we have known the Dreschers, they have added Zach and Carly to the family. Char let me photograph the boys right when I first started trying to really do this whole photography thing and she was really nice even though the pictures were horrible. They have always been a real support to me. The sad news is that they are moving... and all the way to TEXAS! We will really miss them. I am really going to miss watching their kiddos grow up. Anyway, this slideshow has special significance for me in light of their leaving...I hope you enjoy the pictures.

growing up...

Okay, I guess you wouldn't really call it growing up but here is Grayson, now 3 months old! I photographed him at 2 weeks back in January. I can't believe how much he's changed already. He is a complete joy and I could photograph his blue eyes all day long. Grayson inspired me to start offering a package that would offer several sessions during a child's first year or first few years. Details coming soon!

april showers...

Well, it is a rainy and dreary Saturday here (perfect for staying in to catch up on all my work!) but I thought I'd post one of my recent shoots from a not so rainy day. The wedding season is just around the bend and I am really looking forward to it. I really do love doing engagement pictures. It is great to feel like I really get to know and observe the couple before the actual wedding day. It is also really fun to watch the guys figure out that taking pictures doesn't always have to be a bad thing! Rebekah and Michael are getting married this summer so stay tuned for the wedding pics!

a day in the city...

Molly and Lucy

Thanks so much for all the fun comments to my last post! It really is fun to see who's reading. Here is another way belated post from week before last. This shoot had been on the calendar for months and months and we were so sad when it turned out to be in the middle of the record cold front for Alabama in April. We had some kind of adventure chasing sweet little Lucy all up and down the street. Molly is an incredible big sister and she worked so hard to help me get some great pictures.

wondering...

The flowers at the gardens could not be prettier than they are right now. I love to watch the way things change with the season. There is something new blooming every day. Annabelle is an absolute doll and I loved photographing her last week. And how cool is her name? Her smile makes me smile.
On a more random note, I really like to post on my blog. It sometimes has to come pretty far down on my list of things to do but I still enjoy making the updates and sharing my latest experiences. If you are someone who visits my blog, I would love to know it. I would love any feedback that anyone has and always welcome any comments! It helps me to feel like I'm not alone out here during my hours behind the computer screen...

sweet baby...

Claire

huntsville take two

The Johnson girls were my last session of the Huntsville day. They were so sweet and totally just went with the flow. I love to take pictures of sisters and watch the way they interact with one another. These are 3 girls who love each other a lot.


I can honestly say that photographing Maggie was one of my most fun shoots ever. The place where we took the pictures is called a living museum and the back part is like a farm where you can pet all the animals. I loved watching Maggie's delight as she explored. She thought that the baby goats were puppies and so cutely called them "puppy goats" once she was informed what they actually were.

huntsville whirlwind...

The Owens

I got to spend all day last Saturday taking pictures in Huntsville. It was a whirlwind of a day getting to each place but in the end, I am so glad that we did each of the pictures somewhere different. It is always so much fun for me to take pictures in a new place. One of the highlights of the day was meeting baby Claire, who was in her mama's tummy the last time I saw them for maternity pictures in January. The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me. There was such joy for life in all of the families I met last Saturday and I am thankful for the opportunity to glimpse the way they love each other. Here is one slideshow to start with...many more to come!

springtime craziness...

This has been one crazy week! I am so thankful to have had so many sessions in the last few days but I hate that that means people have to wait longer to see their pictures. That also means I have not been very faithful about posting to the blog. This shoot with David Scott was late last week. I love his energy and excitement about life! He truly could not wait to see what was behind each and every corner. What a gift.

where the wild things are...

Fischer is all boy--he spent the afternoon either down in the dirt himself or talking about his favorite thing: dirt bikes. Who knew that a 4-year-old could have a favorite dirt biker (or that such professionals even existed)? One look at these pictures and you will be able to see the sweet sweet love between Fischer and his mama. It was really fun for me to see the way that they make each other laugh. One thing about them that I especially loved is that they can quote Where the Wild Things Are back and forth, just one line after another. That is extra special to me because that has long been one of my mom's favorite books to quote to my brother and me. Just hearing Fischer and his mom tell the story of Max and his mischief brought back sweet memories. If it's been awhile since you've read it, it is worth going back.

saturday engagement shoot part II

Stephanie and Wes wanted their pictures done in downtown Helena which was awesome for me since it's like 2 seconds from our house. I really do love the little town where we live. Even though the trains can be frustrating at times (like when I'm late to get somewhere every single day), the tracks have provided endless photo ops. Stephanie and Wes were great to work with and I really hope that these pictures communicate the sweetness of their relationship. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in a couple of months!

some random thoughts...

Corey and I have been talking a lot lately about photography and how it makes us feel. As he has gotten more and more into photography himself, it has been fun to process these things together. We were having one of these conversations the other day and I couldn't come up with the words to describe my experience.
I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite books, A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeline L'Engle. The book is so rich and so real for a million reasons but one of my favorite parts has always been a poem that she quotes by T.E. Brown called "Indwelling." The first line of the poem says, "if thou could'st empty all thyself of self, like to a shell dishabitated..." It goes on to say, "but thou art all replete with very thou..." I spend almost all of my time being replete with me, thinking about myself, consumed my own thoughts and feelings and desires. But the biggest gift that photography has given me is a break from myself. I really don't know how else to describe it. When I am taking pictures, I feel like I am totally in that moment and nowhere else. Somehow, it is like being emptied of self and yet feeling more like myself all at the same time. A mystery, I guess.

All that being said, I really loved spending Saturday taking pictures of two really fun, really in love couples. I've only finished one slideshow so far but couldn't wait to get it up on the blog. Tiffany and Noeun met and got engaged at Montevallo so I thought it was a great idea when they wanted to do their engagement pictures there. (The pictures where they're in the white gazebo-ish thing is the spot where they got engaged!) I LOVED doing pictures somewhere new and felt like I could have explored new places all day long. I am so excited to be shooting their wedding in May!

Also, it should be said that the Patty Griffin song on their slideshow is my new super favorite song that I listen to on repeat all the time. I have been waiting to use it on a slideshow since the first time I heard it and today was the big day! I hope everyone else likes it as much as me because I am going to be using it a lot. I wanted to save it for a wedding slideshow but I couldn't resist using it today. Anyway, this is officially my longest post ever.

Clearly, I am trying out some new colors and stuff on the blog. I haven't made up my mind yet about the latest edition so if anyone has any suggestions, bring them on! We have been super busy the last few weeks doing some fun and new stuff. I have several things to post that I will try to get to this weekend. For now, here is one of my favorites from a session I had last weekend with Libby, one of the most endearing children ever. She made me laugh the whole time with her sweet words--she is the most verbal 18-month-old ever!

It is not hard to see Ella's energy and passion for life! I loved getting the chance to chase her around the gardens last weekend and watch her explore all the new things to see. I am so glad she let me capture this shot of the upside-down sunglasses even though I'm completely certain that she had no idea they were on the wrong way. I think that makes her expression even cuter! I am also loving her lowercase "e" shirt and wishing that I had one for my very own. Rumor has it her shirt came from ebay... More pictures to come soon...

the davidson girls

the zanoni boys

Lots of new things to post! I'll just do these two for tonight. Meeting both of these families was really fun for me. I love it when people I don't know call me to set up pictures and then when I finally meet them, we get to figure out who I know that they know. And then it's like all of a sudden I'm connected to the person I already knew even more because now I know someone else who's a part of their world. I love connecting with people! Is this really random?

Spring is on the way and things are getting busy! I am so excited to be outside taking pictures again. It has been so much fun to be out at the gardens this week and watch the way things are changing even by the day. I have a lot of stuff to post but I'm going to start with just this one for now. Getting to meet baby Sophie and take her pictures the other day was a huge gift to me. We have loved getting to know her parents better over the last year and have been so grateful to watch them transition into their sweet little family.