These girls and their mom have such a sweet friendship. One of my favorite things about this shoot was seeing how each girl's unique personality unfolded during our time. I hope that comes through in the pictures! Enjoy the Welch girls!

joy continued...

Seriously, have you ever seen bluer eyes in your whole life? I feel like I am always saying what a delight the children that I photograph are. Part of that is that I really love being around kids and I really love taking pictures and that doing it all at once seems to be more fun than I even know what to do with.

The day that I photographed Eric was a beautiful afternoon and it was just so....easy. Really. He just smiled and loved on his mom and his dad and charmed everyone in sight. He has to be one of the happiest babies around.

sweet sunshine...

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Tiffany and Noeun's wedding was a beautiful May day from start to finish. I love this picture because you can see her happiness all over her face. They have the sweetest of stories and are totally and completely head over heels in love. Though it was a little on the warm side, Tiffany's prayers for no rain were answered and the day was filled with sunshine. There were so many things I loved about this wedding but I especially loved the laid-back, relaxed feel of the whole day. It was probably the most stress-free wedding I have ever photographed!

joy x4...

I am WAY behind on posting all of the sessions of the last few weeks but here is one of my recent favorites. Photographing this family was an absolute delight. Over the short amount of time we were together, I felt like I really got to observe each of them and the unique and irreplacable role each child plays in their family. I hope that I will get to know them better in the coming months. Mary Catherine, the mom, is actually on a mission trip right now with our church. Hearing her story and the way she has stepped out in faith to serve and be away from her family for these days was an added gift to me from the day. Enjoy the Godfreys! I hope you can see their joy.

here comes the bride...

I am so excited to make my first post of a wedding from this season. I have really loved photographing all the weddings over these last few months. The experience of photographing a wedding is such a rich one for me. I am so grateful to get to witness these relationships and attempt to make a record of such a special day. It is clear to see that Ashley and Daniel are incredibly in love and surrounded by many people who love and treasure them.

introducing...

...custom collages! We are excited to introduce this as a standard ordering option. Prices are based on number of pictures in the collage. You have the option of choosing the pictures you want included and we will design a custom collage for you! Here are some that we have finished lately. Please contact me if you are interested, even if your pictures were done several months ago.

henry...

Henry's mom and dad were two of the first people Corey and I met when we started going to our church five years ago. We met them in the newcomer's Sunday school class and have enjoyed knowing them ever since. It is really fun to watch our friends transition from couples to families and I loved getting to spend the time photographing Henry. I always feel like I get to know not only my friends but also their kids in new ways through the experience. I am really thankful for the opportunity and hope that I captured Henry and where he is (pacifier, animal crackers, occasional tears and all...) at this sweet time of their lives.

appliances?

So...yesterday was our 4th anniversary. Four years. What a weird number...is that a long time or not at all? I can't figure it out. I think that, for now, it does not feel like four years is a very long time. Life feels so new these days. Having a photography business--and together of all things--is definitely not where we were when we met 9 years ago or really even when we married in 2003. These days everyday, even it's chaos and busy-ness, feels like such a surprise that we're really getting to do this. I feel like I am always learning so many new things about Corey and as I learn those things, I realize that I love him even more than I thought that I did. I am a big fat scaredy cat and I know that I never would have taken the chances that I have without his encouragement and faith in me. I have seen him be so willing to sacrifice for me and to serve me when it's definitely not the easiest or most convenient thing for him. Also, he totally puts up with me when I come home overwhelmed and freaking out. And he listens and tells me that it's going to be okay. And also, he has been incredibly kind about the fact that I have not cooked dinner in about 8 months now. Anyway...there are definitely really hard days and it always seems that just when I'm feeling so good about how awesome and fun my marriage is, we have the hugest fight of the century. So, yeah, it would not be true to say that it's never hard. But I would not trade it for the world. For the whole wide world.

All that to say, we went to Atlanta last night to see the Cubs play the Braves. Anyone who knows my husband knows that he loves the Cubbies and loves to see them play. It was a beautiful night for baseball and we had a ton of fun using our zoom lenses from our way up high cheap seats. All in all, a great 4th anniversary. And we both love our new appliances. (Which is a weird choice on the anniversary gift list, by the way.)

little monkey...

Ethan is so full of life and energy. Sometimes the overstimulation of being outside and being barefoot and having a strange person pointing a camera at your face can be hard on a little one. Not Ethan. He was totally in his element as he explored the gardens and chased his ball everywhere. One of my favorite things was watching his half-walk, half-crawl that he used to get wherever he was going. He's unbelievably fast! One of my first remarks was, "you're just a little monkey!" and his parents assured me that that was in fact what they all called him. He just might be the cutest little monkey around!

brothers...

I love my little brother. Really, he is not that little (he's been taller than me for longer than I can remember now) and it's still hard for me to believe that he's actually a grown-up with a real job and a (super cool) wife. He can make me laugh harder than just about anyone in the whole world but he also thinks deeply about things and loves great music and movies and books. And also mountains. He loves the mountains and I always like that in someone. All that being said, I really love the relationship between a brother and a sister. I get to see that relationship with children a lot but it was really fun to get to photograph Meagan and Matt a few weeks ago. They had the sweet idea to surprise their mom with a photo shoot for Mother's Day. We had fun exploring the city and trying to make it not look like an engagement session!

sparkle...

These two were just plain sparkly. From their eyes to their smiles to their sweet personalities, I just loved photographing them. Enjoy Daniel and Ellie!

update

Thanks to everyone for being so understanding over the past few days. We really miss and will continue to miss Corey's Papaw Jack for a long, long time. As hard as the last week has been, I have been so grateful to be a part of this family and to see the way that they love each other so well. The legacy that Corey's grandfather has left is an inspiring one.

We are jumping back into our routine starting tomorrow (well, really tonight's all-nighter will be more like the routine I know and love!). I know that I owe a lot of people slideshows, gallery links, orders, emails and messages. Please trust me that they are all coming! I know that many of you have been very patient and for that, I am thankful.

Due to some recent family events, I am going to be a little hard to get in touch with over the next few days. If you have emailed me about orders or other things, I will do my best to get in touch with you but it may be a little later than usual. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. If you were supposed to receive your order this week, it will be next week before I can get to that. Thanks for understanding!

erin

feedback...

Any thoughts from anyone on the new blog changes? Really, please tell me the truth. It won't hurt my feelings.

Here are a few more from Huntsville. All of these families were awesome to work with. I still can't believe that I had a whole day (six full sessions!) of easygoing, totally cooperative kiddos. I could not have hoped for anything more. I just hope that they all love their pictures as much as I loved meeting them!

Maddie and Connor

Hallie and Ethan

Abby, Gracie, and Will

america's next top model...

I've never seen that show but I think I've found the winners...don't you agree? The Holdens were SO much fun to photograph! Can you believe those eyes?

Talk about naturals! These two were awesome. I've learned that you never really know what you're going to get when you photograph babies but this one seriously could not have done better. He looked straight at me almost everytime I wanted to take his picture! And his big sister is definitely no stranger to the camera. I hope you enjoy the Walkers!

just the beginning...

It's true that some photo shoots are harder than others (more on that later...) but these two really were angels to photograph. They were my first session of my day in Huntsville a couple weeks back and they could not have been more cooperative and sweet. Enjoy the show! (Click on the highlighted words to see the show.) I have a lot of slideshows to post so check back soon!

Moving on...

Today was my last day of teaching kindergarten. A lot of you don't know that as well as being a photographer, I have also been a teacher. I am so amazed and so grateful that my photography business has taken off the way that it has and I am so excited to be able to take another step toward pursuing my passion. Tonight I watched my class perform their end of year program and watched them "graduate" from kindergarten. A cheesy tradition, I will admit, but there is definitely something powerful for me in sitting back watching my class as a group. I am so proud of them for how hard they have worked, that they are all reading so well, and that they have grown in the way they treat one another. As I got in my car to leave tonight, I cried as I realized that I'm not a teacher anymore. I have identified myself as that for so long. I know that it is incredibly exciting to be identified as a photographer and I am so excited to see what is in store for this new chapter of my life. But it is always hard to leave people that you love and a place that feels really comfortable. I know that the experiences and relationships I have made over the past 4 and a half years will continue to be a part of my life as I begin this new adventure.

happy friday!

The Millers are great friends of ours and Leah was a huge encouragement to me as I began this photography venture. I am so grateful for her support and kindness to me. Her boys are precious and I am so excited that there will be a third Miller to photograph come this fall!

I have to admit it...I was really nervous the first few times I photographed brand-new babies. Obviously, spending time with kids is one of my favorite things to do but I just wasn't used to being around itty-bitty babies. Now it feels like second nature to me and everytime I do it, I am amazed all over again. There is something so incredible about these new little ones who are so intricate and beautiful and dependent all at the same time. Meeting Olivia and watching her parents so head over heels in love with her was one of the highlights of my week.