Happy Graduate

Well, she did it. Four years after she moved into that first dorm room, Annie has completed her Bachelor of Arts at Oglethorpe University. And summa cum laude at that. We are so proud of her. And although it rained as we huddled under umbrellas on the quad , we didn’t mind. (Although Johnny does look a little annoyed. It is an act.) We were so happy to see her walk across that stage, beaming and happy. Just look at her!

We believe she has a very bright and promising future ahead of her. How could she not? She holds the world by the corners, and God is holding her. Love this birdie!

Here are a few more of her exciting day.

Pomp and Circumstance

There she is!

Under my Photography Umbrella

Sweet Smile

Shaking Hands with the President

( and yes, that is Ted Turner seated on the stage!)

Greystone Background

With Grandma Ann

Sister Hug

Walking with Daddy

Proud Sister

With Sweet Beth

Traditional Pose

How they really feel

Daddy!

Ty's Sweet Family

Together

A Place to Rest

I am so excited about my little Leica D-Lux 3 that I purchased from Jose Villa. Yeah, that’s right, Jose Villa sold me a camera. If you know of him, then you know he is an amazing photographer who only shoots with film. I saw a post on twitter  that he was selling the Leica and emailed him. The next thing I knew I was chatting with him on the phone getting the details. He bought this little camera for the beach and birthday parties, but only used it three times.  He is such a nice and genuine person. Thank you again, Jose!

It arrived today and I was so excited to play with it. I have been wanting a little camera to take places that I could shoot both in manual and raw modes. This one fits the bill. Love it already. Of course it is not the quality of my DSLR, but it is also not as heavy. It does allow me to focus to as shallow as 2.8 and also has a great wide shot. I can control the iso, aperture and shutter, as well as the focus. So nice, all in this lovely little compact camera.

Hello little Leica.

Here are a few more shots from my practice session today.:)

Brighter Days

Down the Road

Thistle Flower

Skippy Shot

Puffs of Summer

Thistle Profile in Light

Summer Flare

Watching and Waiting

I love this image of little Wyatt Cooper as he is lost in curiosity. Something has captured his attention, his little hands still clutching his favorite books.

I can relate. I have been seeking, searching for answers for awhile now, asking God to show me some  specific things. I yearn for answers about my calling and purpose. And so like little Wyatt I stand at the window and wait, gladly forsaking toys and activities to hear from my Father.

Still praying.

Matthew 11:25 ~”At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

Reflecting

Caught Up

Perfection

Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 185 mm focal length, 2.8 aperture, 1/160 shutter, 100 ISO.A 580 ex ll speedlight flash was used off camera in  a 24 inch square softbox

This series of photos was taken of my beautiful Annie last summer in Charleston, SC while I was working on project for a perfume company. While they are a departure from my typical “image of the day” for this project, the things I am learning concerning this season and this shoot are relevant to me today.

Until recently, I have not been able to really look at these images without feeling some level of angst, even though they are of my stunning Annie. They have represented failure to me. Yes, hard to believe. To look at her, standing gleaming in the sun, eyes as stormy and blue as the sea, how could I see anything but her? Her beauty and brilliance?

A large perfume company had found me through Flickr and hired me to do a shoot for their new line, and they wanted Annie as their model. It was incredible, really. I believed it was an opportunity only God could give, so I leapt into it with everything I had. We drove to Charleston, hired an amazing make-up and hair artist, (Miss Ashley Brook Perryman), found a place to stay, and shot on location at Seabrook Beach. I thought we nailed it. I put too much on the line.

Some things should never be put on the line.

Gorgeous Girl

I didn’t know it at the time, but my self-worth was part of the tender that was being exchanged. I simply cared too much about succeeding at this job. The client ended up not liking the images. I did not get the job, although I was somewhat compensated for my expenses. I was floored. I cried many tears, and lay in bed night after night wondering what I did wrong. I questioned God. It felt so personal. Why? What did I do wrong? I tried so hard.  I thought God was in this. I failed Annie, I failed my client. I failed.

Yes, I did. So?

Classic Beauty

Just because something doesn’t turn out the way you want it to does not mean God is not in it. My belief that my value was equated with what I did was on trial. Was I going to allow this to level me? The pain was deep, and very real. God was having His way with me, with my heart. I now believe He allowed this string of events to occur for my benefit. He was setting me free, pruning deep into beliefs that have ensnared me my whole life. I thought I was getting my big break. I was, but not the one I thought I was. God was setting me free.

Seashore Sweetness

I am learning I am not what I do. But more than that, since then, I am learning to more readily listen to my heart, and trust the God who dwells there. He has created things specifically for me to do, like honor and love Him through my work, but now I know He will only give me things that will be for my good. He cares about my wholeness. The job itself was a good job. It was my beliefs at the time that were all wrong. I believed that the job could speak value into my life, that it could say something important about me. Only God can do that. Once I learn this truth in the small things, perhaps He may give me bigger things to do. But if He does not, than I am still in His hands. He alone keeps me and holds my heart.

I hope I am on my way to understanding these things now. May my whole life be a song for His glory, an image of His beauty. I belong to Him and He may do with me what He wishes.

Psalm 31:14,15 ~” But I trust in you, LORD;  I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands; “

Sparkling

Water and Sunshine

Shining in Silver

My Annie

The Shot

Surrounded by Love

I love this image. It is a wonderful representation of the place this beautiful baby girl has in her family. She is absolutely the center of attention, and rightly so. She is pure princess, through and through. She giggles and coos and everyone swoons.  She can command a room with the sparkle of her blue eyes and the curve of those pink lips. Can you tell I was also under her spell? She is Princess Reese.

I had the honor of photographing her the first week after her birth. She was stunning then, but now she has charm to go with her beauty.

What better way to kick off Mother’s Day week than with a photo session with these beautiful women? Reese brought along her mommy, her Aunt and her grandmother for the shoot. Oh, and her daddy got to be in some too. She didn’t want anyone to feel left out. She is a gracious and just princess. Oh, and also the fairest in all the land.

Enjoy some more photos of their precious session.

Happy

Kisses for Reese

No One Like Mommy

Mommy Dance

Gorgeous Girls

Family

Daddy's Girl

Sweet as Sugar

Mommy Snuggles

Precious

Layered Sweetness

It has been a very busy week, but I have not forgotten to stop and smell the flowers. A very sweet friend brought me some unusual flowers this week, and this lovely pink Ranunculus was in the arrangement. I was giddy. I have been wanting to photograph some of these intricate flowers but haven’t been able to find them. I was so happy to see their little faces peeping out from behind the David Austen roses, which were also stunning.

Just look at this beauty. It is easy to lose your way gazing into her delicately layered petals. I cannot take my eyes away from her. She has a sweet spirit and an old soul. I think she could tell me a thing or two about life if I listen long and breathe in her soft-scented wisdom.

Ranunculus, at last you are mine. Will you stay awhile?

Lost

Golden Girl

Sisters

Happy

Very, very soon these two sweethearts will be another blissfully happy married couple. I am so excited for them. Justin and Lauren will tie the knot on May the 13th. That is just a little more than a week away, and they are ecstatic. They came over to have dinner with us and then we went on a photo walk around the farm, (and in the studio). We had so much fun, talking about life, laughing and eating good food together. We are so blessed to know them.

Justin and Lauren, may God bless your marriage and all your years together. May you know unity and love as God designed it to be. We are  honored to walk beside you as you begin your journey together.

We love you!

Psalm 16:11 ~”You have made known to me the path of life;  you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Bliss

Funny

Joy in the Journey

Be Mine

At the Gate

Sweet Embrace

Laughter

Me And You

Almost Married

Sweet Kisses

Thank you to everyone who posted a sweet story about your mom for my Favorite Mom Story post. Thanks to random.org I was able to choose a winner objectively.:)  Phillip Dean can now choose a favorite image from my Lost in the Roses post and I will send him an 8×10 print!

Here is his sweet comment about his wife, Lauren.

“Simply seeing my “girl” hold my girl for the 1st time, amazing. It was like watching a horse stand and run for the first time, unsure, unclear, but knowing she was made for it: priceless. It’s been in Lauren’s nature to be priceless, feeble, and gallant in her life and her motherhood. Reminds me of someone else I know “

Thanks for all your sweet stories! I loved reading them.

What else can we do for Mother’s Day? Another contest idea? Send me your wishes, and I will see what I can do.

Happy day, everyone.

Mommy Love

I love this image of my friend Jennifer Stahl and her daughter Catherine Raine, still fresh from Heaven. It embodies the sweet joy of new motherhood. Being a mom is my most favorite job description. As all mothers know, it can be the most difficult and most rewarding job on earth. It marked me forever, and I will never be the same because I became of mommy.

We all have favorite memories about our mothers. I have so many about my own mom. She was always so forgiving about my bringing home creatures of all kinds when I was little. She even let me have a pet snake for a bit ( what was I thinking ?) when I was in grade school.

A story that will always stand out for me though is when I was in college. I got terrible food poisoning and was away at school in Virginia, three hours from home. I went to the infirmary and they kept me because I was so sick. I don’t remember ever being that sick before. They put me in a room and called my mom. I drifted in and out of sleep, unable to sit or stand up. My room was at the end of a hallway, and I felt all alone. Then I heard it. The familiar click-click-click of my mom’s heels on the hallway floor. This was someone coming down the hall in a determined fashion. This was my mom coming to get me. She came in, took charge, and put me in the car to take me home. I knew everything was going to be okay. My mom was with me.

I have so many more I could tell, but I want to hear yours!

And to seal the deal, I am going to give away an 8×10 print from my previous rose blog. Just leave me a favorite mom story as a comment here and  I will pick a winner at random by Sunday.:)  I can’t wait to hear your stories!

Tickles and Kisses

Fragrant Beauty

I picked them for Katie’s window, these first roses from our garden. Love and Peace. That is their name. She turned 24 this weekend and came home to see us. Broken-hearted, I watched her car disappear again down our long gravel drive. I wasn’t ready for her to go. The leaving is so hard on my mother’s heart. I never get over it.

When I walked back into the house, full of tears and grief, I noticed a gleam of pink. The roses were still singing cheer and comfort from the pink vase in the kitchen. I breathed in their soft scent and sat down beside them.

It has been a little while since I got lost in a rose. It was time.

Singing Softly

I pull my camera to my eye and study them. Instantly, I smile. I find my balance again, here with the roses. I know the same creator God who crafted these velvet petals has also formed my heart. The more I study them, the more I see Him. I let my cares go and I arrange them this way and that, playing with the flowers, finding joy in their sweetness.

I think I was born to get lost in the roses. I am grateful that my Father sees and loves me so extravagantly.  In meandering through the soft folds of a rose, I found my way back to peace. I found God.

Studying Beauty

Classic Rose

Rose Art

To Cheer You

Enraptured

Cup of Joy

Vintage Rose