Keri & Grant were married on a lovely September afternoon at Ortega Presbyterian Church. I can always tell a lot about a couple by their friends, and Keri & Grant’s were some of the most fun & energetic I’ve encountered. And obviously, Keri & Grant were quite the fun bride & groom too. :) Here are some of my favorites…

Brides, can I just give ya’ll a little tip real quick? You have a dress that cost you somewhere between $500-$2000. You want me to take pictures of said dress, and for good reason! Invest in a nice hanger! Seriously. It doesn’t have to be some fancy one that has ‘Mrs. ______’ on it. Although, those are my favorite. Keri didn’t do anything over the top, but the nice wooden hanger with a cute bow made her dress pictures look about 120x’s better. Okay, rant over.

I couldn’t get enough of all of the gorgeous florals from Kelley’s Bloom Room

Their gorgeous reception was held at The Winterbourne Inn.

Best dance party. Ever.

This was the most epic cake smash I’ve ever witnessed. Don’t get any ideas, Aaron.

  • August 2, 2012 - 2:26 pm

    Keri - Kelsey, I just creepily googled myself and this awesome blog post came up. You did such an aweosme job, thank you so much! These pictures are perfect!ReplyCancel

I’ve come to the realization that couples are my favorite to shoot. That’s my niche, I guess you would say. So when Mindy & TJ contacted me to shoot some pictures of their 2-week old, I was a little nervous. First of all, I’d never done a newborn session before. Second of all, what if the baby hated me and just screamed the whole time? Third of all, what if the baby pooped all over them because I suggested he be nakey for some pictures? Obviously, I’m a little ridiculous, and lucky for me, baby Easton turned out to be a perfect little angel… Also, it turns out that I LOVED shooting him. Who knew? Clearly, I still have a lot to learn in the newborn department, but I feel like these pictures just scream “LOVE!”… That’s really all that matters, right? :) Here are some of my favorites…

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a grainy picture, and I just think this one is so beautiful…

This may or may not be my favorite picture of all time. I love the closeness of it.

Snuggles :)

This is definitely my second fave… And totally canvas worthy.

Sadly for him, Easton will grow up to be either a Gator or a Sooner. (GO NOLES!)

SO SWEET!

Couldn’t you just eat him up?!

Happy Thursday! :)

Almost 4.5 years ago, I began my freshman year at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. There were so many things that I immediately fell in love with… The complete absence of humidity (at least compared to ridiculous Florida), the girls on my hall, being able to use my meal plan to buy Chick-Fil-A, my Australian Worldview professor (who always yelled “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” at the end of class), Campus Church, and community bathrooms. Somehow that last sentence just turned into 5 truths and a lie… :)

One of the many reasons that I loved Campus Church so much was because the music was just so ridiculously good. Don’t get me wrong… I know that worship through music is NOT about the lights, guitars, and vocalists, but man… It sure doesn’t hurt. As a student body, our worship leader was David, a funny, dynamic, and incredibly talented musician who was so clearly in love with the Lord. Over my 4 years at LU, David continued to serve as the worship pastor.

Fast forward to this past September… Aaron got offered a youth pastor job at Cross Church Fayetteville (in Arkansas), where David had also just be hired as the church’s college pastor. Smallest world ever? I submit yes. Not only do they basically share an office space, but they also live in the same building within the same apartment complex. Yeah. Craziness. When I visited this past November I got to meet David’s wife, Rachel, who is basically awesome. You know those people who you meet and think, “This is going to be a really quick and easy friendship”?  Yeah, that’s how it was with Rachel. I foresee a lot of DIY projects, cooking (mainly her teaching me cause she should basically have her own show on Food Network), and bonding over the Lord & good coffee in our futures.

Here’s the most exciting part… David & Rachel are awaiting the arrival of their first little baby!!! When I shot these pictures a few months ago, they wanted to do a few to announce Rachel’s pregnancy. Not only are they going to be great, godly parents, but I just have a feeling that they’re going to be the cool ones too. I just have a feeling… :) It was such a fun shoot, and I seriously can’t wait to meet their little nugget in June. :)

Usually, I don’t start my posts with my favorite, but this one was the first shot I took. OMGosh to the lighting and Rachel’s fierceness.

While editing this session, I was reminded of how much I love black & white photos.

Most adorable baby mama ever? Probs…

Baby McKinney makes his/her first appearance… :)

Seriously, someone put this girl in a magazine!

:)

Such a cute little bump. :)

Ps… Can we just stop for a second so I can tell you that David picked this location? Since the area is totally foreign to me, I asked if either of them had any ideas that were natural and fieldy. David casually mentions that he knows of a place that should work. Little did I know that this would be my favorite shooting location of all time. David – You are officially hired to be my personal location scouter.

Couldn’t help it… :)

 Happy Hump Day! :)

  • January 11, 2012 - 11:00 pm

    Rachel McKinney - This post is so incredibly sweet!!! I seriously can’t wait for you to get here! We have many DIY and baking days to come! Baby McKinney must agree because he/she is kicking and flipping all over the place while I type this! Oh yeah and your photography skills are kick awesome!!!ReplyCancel