One of the great blessings of living in Virginia is the cold weather. Sarcasm. I think cold weather is the worst. I might even hate it more than spiders and loud breathers. I digress… From about November to March-ish, shooting gets a little tricky for a couple of reasons. First of all, I know very few people who want pictures of themselves wearing parkas, which means that they end up freezing their butts of during a shoot. Secondly, as a result of #1, discomfort comes across in pictures. Most of the time, if someone is freezing, they will look freezing in their pictures. Thirdly, when my hands get super cold, I’m not super speedy with handling my camera and changing settings. To all of you northern photographers who have mastered the art of shooting in weather under forty degrees, props. Major props.

When Tyler & Andrea decided that they wanted to do their engagement session in December, right before Christmas break, I got a bit nervous. I mean, obviously December is better than January or February, but still… Its December in the flippin’ mountains. Bottom line, if they were up for it, then surely I could suck it up for a couple of hours. The day we shot was in the mid-thirties, and I was slightly afraid that Tyler & Andrea’s expressions would only read, “Holy crap. I am cold.” That would be no bueno. But alas, they were like flippin’ models. Looking at these pictures, you would have no clue that it was so cold. Reason #487 I have the most awesome clients ever: They’ll rock the heck out of some cold weather.

Here’s a little bit of obvious information about Andrea… She is stunningly beautiful. Beautiful dark hair, perfect complexion and electric eyes. Can I please steal your face?? Some of her friends call her “Disney Princess”. For good reason too. I’m pretty sure if Disney ever makes a cartoon about a Canadian Princess, Andrea will have everyone and their moms petitioning for her to get the job. And her Prince? (Don’t judge me, Internet… I had to.) Well, Tyler is a phenomenal musician. He just a released his first single to iTunes called, “Never Letting Go”. Imagine Keith Urban & Lincoln Brewster having a music baby… That’s Tyler. Awkward? Maybe. You should buy it here, for real.

I am so incredibly excited for Tyler & Andrea’s May 18th wedding in the OUTERBANKS! Holy beautiful location, Batman. I had a very difficult time choosing a reasonable amount of their pictures to post, but here are my favorites…

Sidenote: For anyone interested, all of these were taken with my new 135mm f/2L. Its a ballin’ lens, for sure.

One of the questions that I get asked the most is, “What should I wear for my shoot?” Tyler and Andrea’s outfits are great examples of what to wear. #1 – Pick clothes that are in somewhat of the same color-pallate. This does not mean to totally match. Being too matchy-matchy can sometimes make the pictures look a little dated. #2 – Don’t wear anything that is foreign to you. If you’ve never worn a dress in your life, then its probably a good idea not to wear a dress. You want your pictures to be a reflection of YOU. #3 – Have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to try bold colors, textures (textures are my favvvvvv), funky shoes, etc. As you can see, Tyler & Andrea’s outfits totally follow this guidelines. :)

Blingggg!

So sweet. :)

These are some of my favorites. Andrea, YOU ARE A FLIPPIN’ MODEL!

What I do when people are changing… :)

Maybe my favorite? I don’t know… I can’t decide. But this would be PERFECT for a canvas… Just saying. :)

Love these next few oh so much.

Favorite silhouette picture I’ve ever taken. Ever.

  • February 15, 2011 - 6:02 pm

    Spencer - this is quite a step up from the previous… good job. i want the starbucks card!

    spencerhightower@gmail.comReplyCancel

  • February 17, 2011 - 11:03 am

    jim and mary garris - Kelsey, great job. Grandpop can’t get over the sharpness and detail.

    Love you,

    Grandpop and GrandmomReplyCancel

I don’t even know where to begin with 2010. At first, I thought I would just post some pictures I’ve taken this year and be done with this little recap. As I began looking through files that date all the way back to January, I was so humbled. Looking through picture after picture was a perfect reminder of God’s favor and blessings in my life. I still can’t explain it, but for some reason, people have trusted me to capture some of the most important moments in the lives. When I started with all this a short while ago, I pretty much had no idea what I was doing. Even now, I certainly don’t know close to everything, so I am SO SO SO grateful to everyone who has hired me this year. I know I’ve said it a million times in about every post, but I truly believe that I have the greatest clients in the entire world.

In 2009, I had 3 official shoots. In 2010, I had 24. Seriously, I couldn’t be more grateful/humbled/blessed/happy/etc… And 2011, I fully expect you to be flippin’ phenom. Here’s a look back at my 2010…

Crimson & Matt…

Cecily & Robby…

Katie & Madison…

Danielle & Langston…

Lauren & Jack…

Elisha & Jeremy…

Beth & Hunter…

Erin & Rob…

Whombo Wackjobs…

Sabrina…

Rachel & Shane…

Victoria & Cory…

Abbey & Cory…

Baby Rilynn…

Becca & Cody…

Miranda & Lee…

Jordan…

Kristin & Kyle…

The Ryans…

Jessica…

The Alexanders…

Christi…

Andrea & Tyler…

Doug & Stephanie…

Humbled, joyful and blessed,

kelsey

I honestly can’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t know Christi. My mom has pictures of me and my brothers having play dates with Christi and her siblings. Think Sesame Street sleepovers, dress up, etc. Yeah, we go wayyyy back. Her two older brothers are some of my very best friends. Between that and my last two years of interning, I can say that I know Christi pretty well.

First observation… She is STUNNING. I could go on, but the pictures speak for themselves. Second, Christi has this spunky/happy/hysterical personality that was SO much fun too shoot. Third, prepare yourself for the cheesy spiritual line… She has an even more beautiful heart than her outward appearance. I don’t even care that its cheesy cause its so true! If you ever meet her, you will just see that the Lord’s love just shines through her. She is a great daughter, sister and friend… AND she’s coming to Liberty next year!!! Hollerrrrrr. :)

Christi… Thanks for letting me document this awesome time in your life. I had a blast, and I’m super blessed to call you a friend. :)

Christi… I think you might be the cutest person I have ever seen.

These are Christi’s girls. They support each other, encourage each other, laugh a ton, and look super good all together. I’m so glad they were able to come along for the shoot. Its always nice to have an extra set of eyes… Or six. :)

Are you kidding me, Christi?? Please be a little more gorgeous. FAVORITE.

They may or may not be starting a band. But probably not.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture… I think it totally captures Christi’s spunky, fun personality. :)

I’ll say it again… Christi, you are BEAUTIFUL, and I had so much fun during our session. :)