meagan

I know I’m not the best photographer around – though I feel I’m pretty good in my market. I work very hard to improve my skills. And, I love photographing people. So many clients say, “Oh I hate pictures of me – I’m not photogenic at all.” My reply is always, “You just haven’t had the right person photograph you and I’m going to change that right now.” I love people – and working with people. I love being able to show them the beauty that is uniquely theirs. And I’ve found that I especially like working with seniors. There is some innate quality these seniors share – self-confidence combined with innocence – that makes me very happy. And somehow, I manage to attract seniors who are fun and gorgeous.

Yesterday I went to the beach with Meagan, her mom and Dana (who you may remember from last month’s blog). This was my first beach shoot since the weather turned cool. The fall air was crisp – but not too terribly cold. However, the days are getting shorter – so I have less good light than I did even a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Meagan was a quick change artist so we were able to get a lot of pictures taken in a very short amount of time. Meagan has one of the best “serious” looks I’ve ever seen. Her eyes are simply amazing – sometimes brown, sometimes with a hint of green, but always penetrating. When editing her pictures, it looks like she’s looking right through the monitor into my soul. She was an absolute joy to photograph because she’s very comfortable in front of a camera. All of those years performing as an All-Star cheerleader have made her move well and be sure of herself.

Meagan, here’s your preview. There will be lots, lots more in your gallery.

OK, does anyone other than me think Meagan looks like Eva Longoria in that last picture?

a proud aunt

I have quite a few nieces and nephews . . . and I love them all dearly. But, this post is about my niece, Andrea.

Andrea always knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life and she was willing to work exceptionally hard to make her dreams a reality. After attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (my alma mater, I might add) and graduating with a PharmD degree, she completed two residencies in clinical pharmacy. And her hard work is really paying off these days. Andrea learned a few weeks ago that she will receive the 2008 American College of Clinical Pharmacy New Clinical Practitioner Award. This is HUGE! Not only is it a national award given by the premier professional organization for clinical pharmacists – she is the first ever recipient of the award. And if that isn’t enough, Andrea has been selected to travel to Japan in February to provide professional development seminars. I am so proud of Andrea, I’m singing her praises constantly.

Andrea needed a new head shot for the award she will receive. So of course she came to me. I may not be the best photographer around, but for her I’m certainly the cheapest. We were going to be together at the beach for Anna and Johnny’s wedding, so we decided to do a very quick shoot while there. The problem was to make the pictures NOT look like beach pictures. And that turned out to be a little more difficult than I expected. I actually liked the ones of the ocean in the background the best because they are SO Andrea. Anyone who knows her knows how much she loves the beach. But, we weren’t altogether sure the American College of Clinical Pharmacy would appreciate her passion for the ocean. So, this is the picture Andrea chose.

You and I know that Andrea is actually sitting in the sand – but hopefully when others see the picture they will see a beautifully mottled muslin backdrop.

Here are a few other pictures from the session I really liked – but couldn’t use for obvious reasons.

I was hoping converting the pictures to black and white would make them appear less beachy. That didn’t work – but at least we got a usable head shot. And, now I know what to give her mother for Christmas!

Oh, and for any of Andrea’s other aunts who may read this blog article . . . I want you to know that I am DEFINITELY the favorite aunt

anna + johnny

Yesterday was my 3rd wedding in 4 weeks. But this one was VERY different from the other two. I actually attended this wedding as a guest – not the photographer. Somehow I had forgotten how much fun weddings can be when you aren’t working! I was actually able to drink beer since I didn’t have to worry about out-of-focus pictures. And, I got to Cha Cha with my brother, Eddie. And even better . . . this wedding was at the beach – which is my favorite place in the world. What more could a person want? But even though I wasn’t the hired photographer, I had my camera with me and took quite a few pictures. Professional photographers have a name for guests who bring their cameras and try to record the entire day – while often getting in the way of the professional. We call them Uncle Bobs. Often these friends/relatives are serious hobbyists and have very nice equipment. I didn’t want to be an Uncle Bob (or should I say Aunt Bobette) yesterday, so I tried to stay out of the way of the “real” photographer. That meant I wasn’t often in the position to get the great shots. But, I still had fun.

There were lots of other things that made this wedding unique. Anna and Johnny wanted to keep things simple – the way they live their lives. Anna was escorted by her father, Steve, and brother, Nathan, down an aisle lined with seashells with the beautiful Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop. The flowers were purchased from local growers. Friends and family helped assemble the table decorations by putting the flowers into re-usable Mason jars. And the food was mostly organic – purchased from local farms, co-ops and the like. Another difference, and one that made a significant impact on me, were the vows. Anna and Johnny wrote their own vows speaking to each other about trust, love, and commitment. And when they exchanged rings, they stated “I am honored to be your wife/husband.” WOW. Just WOW! And when Steve gave the toast, he mentioned how wonderful it was that two such decent people managed to find each other in the crazy world in which we live. And he was so right. Anna and Johnny are two very decent people who have definitely found their soul mates. And I am honored I was there yesterday to be a part of their wedding.

A friend commented last week that she noticed my blog entries were getting longer and longer. I could write a book about all of the wonderful things that happened at Anna and Johnny’s wedding. But, I won’t. I’ll just show you a few pictures and add a little more commentary.

Most brides and grooms wait until the end of the ceremony to kiss. But Anna just couldn’t wait! As soon as she was escorted down the aisle – she leaned over and gave Johnny a kiss. I knew right away that this would be a moving ceremony.

During the ceremony, Anna and Johnny wound three strands of rope into a circle called a grommet. The three strands represented Anna, Johnny and their friends and family joining together. Then they spoke their vows which brought tears to these old eyes.

The reception was heavenly. Good friends. Good food. Good music. This was definitely my kind of party.

After most of the guests had left and the sun was starting to set, we went back out on the beach for a brief photo session. I was planning to take just a few pictures – but everyone really got into it. The colors in the sky and water were simply incredible. At one point, Johnny even asked if we could do the “jumping picture.” Now, that’s a man after my own heart! In the jumping pictures, Anna was hindered by her gown – but Johnny soared. We took pictures on the beach until the sun had set and it was too dark to continue.

Yesterday was a joyous occasion. But many of us longed for the person who was not with us. You see, Anna’s mother, Dottie, was a very dear friend of my family. Dottie was a tremendous mother who loved her children above all else. Dottie passed away nearly 12 years ago after a valiant fight against cancer. But I’m sure Dottie was watching the celebration. When I saw the birds in the last picture, I even thought that maybe one of those birds was Dottie – coming to make sure everything went as planned – but a little late, as usual. Dottie would be so proud of the woman Anna has become. And she would love Johnny – just as we all do.

humphrey-warlick gallery

For those of you who have been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) to see pictures from Jessica and Bob’s wedding, the gallery is now ready for your viewing pleasure. And better yet, if you order pictures between now and November 2 you will receive 20% off my already low prices. So don’t procrastinate – order quickly and save some cash! I always love a sale, don’t you?

To see more – lots, lots more – go to www.elisebeall.instaproofs.com. There are a LOT of pictures, so be patient while they load. Then sit back and enjoy.

elisabeth + tyler

Elisabeth and Tyler appear to be good for the water shortage we’re having. They scheduled their original engagement session a couple of weeks ago, but were rained out. They rescheduled for today – and were nearly rained out again. Maybe I need to schedule them every day so we can get the water table back up to a reasonable level! As badly as we need rain, I’m glad we were able to do some pictures this afternoon. We didn’t get to shoot in some of the locations I had chosen because it looked like we were going to get wet at any moment, but we did get some good portraits of the two of them.

It was nice for me to have a chance to get to know Elisabeth and Tyler a little. I first met Elisabeth a few years ago when I shot her sister’s wedding. Since then she has graduated from college and is a working engineer – as is Tyler. They both graduated from State. When I mentioned that I graduated from Carolina, Tyler offered condolences. And, I still let him ride in my car! That shows that I have matured a little through the years. Thank goodness they didn’t go to Duke – I’d have had to leave them on the side of the road

I’m looking forward to Elisabeth and Tyler’s wedding in April.  It’s such a beautiful time to get married.  For now, here’s a preview of their engagement session.

mary + courtney

I know I said I wouldn’t blog Mary and Courtney’s wedding until tomorrow, but I just couldn’t wait to see their pictures. I haven’t even downloaded all my flash cards yet, but found a few pictures I really wanted to share. I’m an immediate gratification kind of person – so even though I’m tired, I couldn’t resist looking at pictures.

First, let me say that Mary and Courtney’s wedding was perfect. I truly can’t imagine what they could have done to make it better. The reception was under a tent in Mary’s parent’s yard. When Pam first told me the plans, I sincerely thought she had lost her mind. But, she explained to me that her philosophy is that if you want something, you have to try for it. It doesn’t always work, but if you don’t try – you can’t possibly have it. And Mary and Courtney wanted the reception in her parents’ beautifully landscaped yard, so they tried for it. I’m so glad they did. It was a gorgeous fall day with clear blue skies. Pam is such a positive person, she never worried that things wouldn’t go as planned. She is truly an inspiration to me.

Mary and Courtney are fun. I never saw either of them today that they didn’t have a huge smile on their face. I found myself smiling just watching them. This is Courtney with Hiram, his new father-in-law, just before the ceremony.

I really like a lot of color in weddings. Mary’s selections for bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, and decorations made me very happy. There was color everywhere! Forget-Me-Not provided exquisite flowers for the bouquets and arrangements at the church.

I don’t photograph weddings often these days, but when I do I like to play with rings. Sometimes when I (or my trusty sidekick, Karen) ask the bride and groom for their rings, I get a very funny look. But Mary and Courtney gave theirs up without a qualm. And I had a great time with them today.

In my opinion, it’s the details – the little things – that make or break a wedding. There were details galore at Courtney and Mary’s wedding. There was a huge white tent with round tables covered with white cloths and accented with hot pink and orange. The linens alone were gorgeous, but Val Darner went a step further and created a different arrangement for each table. Now, if I had taken a glass vase, added a pumpkin or two and some grape vine and put it on a table – it would have looked like something the cat drug in. But the table arrangements today were amazing. I’m still in awe. I wish I could show every single one, but I’m going to stick with just three.

As always, I have to show the wedding cake. This is another Kathy Canby cake – and it was just as gorgeous and tasty as usual. This time Kathy used a fall theme with mushrooms made of fondant and sugar paste leaves and berries. It almost looked too pretty to cut. Almost. But then, I heard that one of the layers was my favorite – almond – so I was quite happy to see it dismantled and demolished. Today, there was not just one cake – there were two. You see, today was Courtney’s birthday so Mary surprised him with a birthday cake shaped like a guitar. And all of the guests sang Happy Birthday to him.

The reception was great fun. There was lots of dancing – beginning with the traditional first dance for the bride and groom. Then, when Courtney was dancing with his mother and Mary was dancing with her father, her brother David cut in – which brought tears to my eyes. Later in the evening, the dance floor got crowded with men and women alike. The DJ was great and kept the party hopping. Then he called David to the front and told us that he had heard that David and Mary could swing dance. So we were all treated to a demonstration that boggled my mind. For a minute, I thought I was watching Dancing with the Stars!

Best wishes to Courtney and Mary. And thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day.

mary

Tonight I feel very old. I photographed a wedding today for one of the girls who was in the Brownie troop I assisted with about 20 years ago. How did Mary go from that sweet little girl to a married woman so quickly? But some things never change; Mary is still just as sweet – and even more beautiful. And she has married Courtney who obviously adores her – as she does him.

Mary is not a frou-frou kind of girl. She loves her jeans and flip-flops. I was interested to see what type of wedding gown Mary would choose. And I have to say I was a bit surprised when I saw her choice. Although I knew Mary would be a beautiful bride, I was amazed when I saw her in her gown. I can’t imagine a more perfect dress; it suited her perfectly.

As I’m typing, I’m downloading images from today – and I can’t wait to blog them tomorrow. But for now, I’m just going to share a few pictures from Mary’s bridal portrait session.

Check back tomorrow night and you’ll get to see some pictures from Mary and Courtney’s awesome wedding.

tatum

Wednesday, Tatum and I went to the park to finish her senior shoot – the one we started back in August. Bad weather brought our original shoot to a premature end, so we needed just a few shots to complete Tatum’s gallery. It was a glorious fall day and the temperature had finally dropped enough so that we actually enjoyed being outside. Earlier in the week it was miserably hot – even at 6:00. But Wednesday, it was very pleasant. I love the colors of fall. And Wilson Bay Park is a beautiful place – especially since we got a little rain last week. The grass was a rich, dark green and the leaves are starting to turn. Since the weather was nice, there were people on the pier and by the water, so we stayed on the opposite side of the park. Tatum’s shoot was very short – but very productive. Here are a few of my favorites.

david

I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few seniors this fall, but David was my first male of the season.  In general, I find that the girls would much rather have their pictures taken than the guys.  Most guys I’ve run into would rather have a sharp stick poked in their eyes than sit for portraits.  But, senior portraits are a right of passage so most go along with mom and just grin and bear it.  I’m not sure that David was really excited about pictures; however, he was very pleasant and easy to work with.  The biggest problem we had was scheduling!  I think his session had to be rescheduled 3 times due to weather or other issues – mostly mine.  David is a very busy senior.  He not only plays in the marching band, he cheers for his school and in competition.  Just thinking about his schedule makes me tired!

I always try to get to know my seniors a little, so I’m constantly talking and asking questions.  One thing I’m always interested to find out is where they want to go to college.  I hear a lot about Carolina, State, UNCW – but when I asked David I got a totally new response.  David wants to attend college in Hawaii! Hmmm, maybe I can go along to take pictures and document his experience

Here’s a sneak preview of David’s session.

trent + katie

Let’s get this straight right up front . . . I adore Trent.  I always have and always will.  Trent was a regular visitor in my home during his middle school and high school years.  He and my daughter, Megan, were very close friends.  During their senior year, every Wednesday night they would meet at our house to watch 90210.  And Trent always brought the girls he was dating to visit me.   So, I was quite surprised a few months ago when I heard that Trent was engaged – and to a girl I had never met!  But, in August, Trent rectified that situation.  As soon as I saw Trent and Katie together, I just knew it was right. They are so easy together and affection comes naturally for them.  I just had to smile watching them interact.

It wasn’t but a couple of years ago that Trent and I were discussing marriage – and he just didn’t get it.  He didn’t understand why anyone would want to get married.  He admitted last night – that as soon as he met Katie, it all became clear. Now Trent just wants to get married – and the sooner the better.  He and Katie both agree that they would be married tomorrow if they could.  But instead, they are waiting until June for their wedding.

Last night we took a few engagement pictures.  Luckily, they both like nontraditional engagement pictures – as do I.   It was really hot, but we had fun and I got to know Katie a little better.  It’s so obvious that she loves Trent; you can see it in her eyes when she looks at him.  So now, I adore Katie, too.