another poser

Puddin’, my lazy, rotten, good-for-nothing, excuse for a cat, loves it when I put a backdrop up. She loves to play under, behind, and on top of the backdrop. And if you give her half a chance, she’ll even strike a pose. When we had the backdrop up and the baby scale out for precious baby Belle’s portrait session, Puddin’ decided she wanted a turn, too.

She looks quite ferocious in this picture, but I can assure you she’s much too lazy to be an attack cat. And even though I talk harshly about her at times, like when she claws my new furniture, I do adore this cat who my husband, Rusty, has spoiled rotten.

isabelle

Becca called this week, when Isabelle was five days old, to see if I could work them in for a newborn session. I really haven’t been photographing babies lately, but decided this sounded like fun. I haven’t been shooting portrait sessions for the past two weeks since my husband had surgery on his neck, and I was so ready to take some pictures! We scheduled Isabelle’s session right away because the first two weeks are the very best time for newborn shoots. During those early days, babies sleep most of the time and they curl up tight like they were in the womb making photographing them much easier.

Well, that is most babies – not Miss Isabelle. For a week old, she was the most alert, responsive baby I’ve ever seen. I predict she is going to grow up to be a genius! She was awake for most of the session. When Becca was able to get her to sleep, it never lasted more than a few minutes. I don’t think Isabelle liked being naked in front of strangers! And she is absolutely adorable. She has the most beautiful baby skin – and red hair! I love red hair – my husband was a redhead (when he had hair) and Megan’s hair was slightly red when she was young.

We did some poses of the family, then Isabelle with Brent, Isabelle with Becca, and Isabelle alone. Here are a few of my early favorites.

And then I did some pictures of Isabelle’s pieces and parts. Baby feet are my absolute favorite things in the world. I love the little wrinkles and the curled up tiny toes. Adult feet are not things of beauty – but baby feet . . . amazing.

At the end of the session we tried to get some images of Isabelle on my baby scale. It was very difficult because she wouldn’t stay asleep and in one place. But, I think we actually got a few usable portraits. Here’s one . . .

I had a great time working with Isabelle, Becca and Brent. But meeting Isabelle has caused a problem. Now I want a grandchild more than ever!

trent + katie’s gallery

Whew, finally! Trent and Katie’s gallery is ready for viewing at www.elisebeall.instaproofs.com. The gallery will be active for 60 days.

In all the years I have been in business, I have never delivered an order late. I burned some midnight oil this week to keep my perfect record. Trent and Katie’s wedding was the longest contract I have done in quite a few years. That means they have a LOT of pictures. I delivered their prints to them earlier tonight – so now you can go view their gallery.

The easiest way to view the pictures, in my opinion, is to view a slideshow of each section. You can speed it up so that the pictures go quickly.  When you see a picture that strikes your fancy, click on “add to favorites” – then go back later and spend more time on your favorites.

And don’t forget – all photographs are on sale until August 9th.

Enjoy!

bryce and collin

Just before I left for vacation my friend, Henrietta, contacted me and told me that she would have her grandsons, Bryce and Collin, the week we were at the beach. She had the great idea to have me do beach portraits of the boys and surprise their parents with them for Christmas. So, we met on the beach after dinner on a beautiful evening in early July to take a few pictures. We had to wait a little while for the sun to go down, but it was definitely worth the wait. The light and the water were absolutely gorgeous. The Caribbean has nothing on Wrightsville Beach!

I haven’t blogged this session before now because remember – they were supposed to be a secret. However, after Henrietta saw the proofs, she couldn’t wait until Christmas to show Ted and Margaret. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I can show you a few pictures of Bryce and Collin.

At the beginning of the session, I did some posed portraits of the boys. I even did some individual portraits of each of them and a few shots of Bryce and Collin with their Nanna, Henrietta. The boys were very cooperative – but as expected they started to get a little antsy. I tried to work fast and keep them moving and we were able to get some great portraits.

After I was sure I had plenty of good “safe shots” I let the boys have a little more fun. They wanted to do some silly shots so I let Bryce and Collin each choose a pose. This is Bryce’s choice. I don’t think it’s silly at all. In fact, I think it’s very sweet – but don’t tell them that!

Collin cracked me up – as usual. He decided he wanted to Tango! Now tell me . . . how does Collin even know what the tango is? But, tango they did – and it was quite sweet, too.

My daughter, Megan, was with us on the beach. She adores Bryce and Collin and she has a great eye. She asked the boys to show her their muscles. They decided they could show their muscles to best advantage if they removed their shirts. So off the shirts came – and the flexing began.

After Bryce and Collin were tired from flexing those huge muscles, I captured what is probably my favorite image of the session. They just naturally flowed together, put their arms and around each other and relaxed. I’m so glad I was ready.

And the end of the session, I let the boys be boys. They played and wrestled, wallowed in the sand, and ended up in the ocean. Megan, Henrietta and I had the best time just laughing at the boys. Beach sessions are the BEST!

katie + tom . . . the rest of the story

As you know from last night’s blog, Katie and Tom got married yesterday. There was far more memorable about their wedding than the first dance. So, I’ll provide a few more details today.

I met the girls at Shear Magic where they were being pampered, painted, and put-together for the wedding. As always, Merry did a wonderful job with make-up and hair. There were quite a few attendants for this wedding, so Merrie had plenty of help. And there were snacks to keep the girls fortified for the long day. Elinor’s sister-in-law made a wonderful looking Turkish dish. I didn’t taste it, but it surely photographed well.

I love the details that go into making a wedding. Forget-Me-Not Flowers and Gifts did an outstanding job with the decorations for Katie and Tom’s wedding. Katie loves color, so Lynda and Terri made bouquets and arrangements that were simply stunning. And Kathy Canby’s cake was as tasty as it was beautiful. And of course, I have to play with rings. It’s one of my favorite past-times.

I have known the McRacken family for many years. This was my first chance to meet the Reeds – and they were exactly what I expected after meeting Tom. They are all quite tall, in stark contrast to Katie’s family. And even though they come from the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line, they remind me of southerners with their warm, friendly personalities – just with a funny accent. I’m sure they’d say that I’m the one with the accent.

Tom, Katie and I took a few minutes out of the hectic day to do a few portraits of just the two of them. Tom was THE easiest groom I have ever worked with. No matter what I asked, he complied with a smile on his face – then thanked me. That boy has some seriously good manners! In some of the portraits, I tried to disguise the huge difference in heights. But in others, I just let it go. Tom fell in love with a vertically challenged southern girl and Katie fell in love with a really tall hockey player from Michigan. It is what it is!

I’ve already showed lots of pictures from Tom and Katie’s first dance, so I won’t add more of those. As happy as Katie was dancing with Tom, she did tear up when it was time to dance with Larry. And just to set the record straight, I really don’t think Larry ever said that “Tom isn’t worth a lick and when it comes to having brains he got the short end of the stick.” Tom and his mother looked so good dancing together. It’s obvious how much they care about each other.

When it was time to throw the garter, more men than usual crowded the dance floor. I really wasn’t so surprised at what happened next. Notice the garter – and not a single male even making a minimal effort to catch it. And when Katie threw the bouquet – notice the stems high above her head. What you can’t see is the chandelier over her head that caught the bouquet. But the 2nd throw made it – though the bouquet was a little worse for wear.

After the formalities were complete, the DJ did a great job of getting everyone on the floor. In fact, everyone was having so much fun, the Dj stayed an extra hour so the dancing could continue. And it wasn’t just the young folks on the floor – it was EVERYONE!

Tom and Katie had the wedding of their dreams. Tomorrow they are off for an equally splendid honeymoon. I wish them all the happiness in the world. I have really enjoyed being a part of Katie’s life – and being part of their wedding was very special for me.

katie + tom

It has been a long day – and I cannot believe I am sitting at this computer writing in my blog. But, I just couldn’t settle down until I blogged something about Katie and Tom’s wedding. I have only downloaded a very small part of their day, so there will be more tomorrow. But there was something I just needed to write about tonight. You see, I have been to a LOT of weddings. And truly, each wedding has something memorable . . . something that makes me smile and thank my lucky stars that I can be a part of the bride and groom’s day. Today the memorable part of the day came from an unexpected source – the first dance.

I hadn’t asked Katie in advance what song they would dance to, and I’m so glad I didn’t. Many couples choose slow, lovely, romantic songs. Not Katie and Tom! I have always known that Katie is a real country music fan. I don’t listen to country music, so this song was new to me. Katie and Tom chose the most appropriate song imaginable for their first dance. Katie calls her new husband Tom, but to his friends and family from Michigan – he’s Tommy to differentiate him from his father, Tom. For their first dance, Katie and Tom chose the Trisha Yearwood song, Katie and Tommy.

Its starts like this:

Katie sits on her old front porch,
watching the chickens peck the ground
There ain’t a whole lot goin on tonight
in this one horse town
Over yonder comin up the road,
in a beat up Chevy truck,
her boyfriend Tommy is layin on the horn,
splashin through the mud and the muck

Now Tom does drive a truck – but I can’t swear it’s a Chevy. When the music started playing, Katie and Tom started dancing and singing. And the crowd went wild!

This was by far the happiest first dance I’ve ever witnessed.

Here are a few more of the lyrics:

Her daddy says he ain’t worth a lick
when it comes to brains he’s got the short end of the stick
But Katie’s young and she don’t give a care,
she’d follow Tommy anywhere

She’s in love with the boy
She’s in love with the boy
She’s in love with the boy
And even if they had to run away,
she’s gonna marry that boy someday

The lyrics end:

She’s in love with the boy
She’s in love with the boy
She’s in love with the boy
What’s meant to be will always find a way
she’s gonna marry that boy someday.

Well Tom and Katie were meant to be – and today she married that boy. And I’m so glad she did!

Now I’m going to take a much needed shower and go to bed. Be sure to check in on Sunday evening for more on Katie and Tom’s wedding. It was a wonderful day and I’m sure I’ll have quite a few more pictures to share.

stacy, howard, and the kids

I first met Stacy about three years ago when she hired me to shoot her October, 2005 wedding to Howard. Stacy and Howard live in Leland – on the south side of Wilmington. Stacy was a dream to work with and it was fun getting to know her. But as it happens with most brides, we lost touch after I delivered the wedding pictures. When she called a few weeks ago asking if I could take family portraits, I learned that Stacy and Howard had an addition to their family . . . Reagan, a beautiful year old baby girl. Since I was going to be at the beach on vacation, we decided to meet one night and do the portraits while I was in town. Stacy didn’t want beach pictures so we did some brainstorming to come up with a nice place to shoot that was close to me and not too far for them. We decided on the New Hanover County Arboretum, an exquisitely beautiful garden that’s open to the public from dawn to dusk. I had not been to the Arboretum in over a year and had forgotten just how beautiful it is.

This is Stacy. I believe Stacy looks younger now than she did when she married almost three years ago.

When Stacy came to Jacksonville for her bridal portrait, she brought her step-daughter, Kennedy. Kennedy was a strikingly beautiful little girl who was sweet, kind and helpful. It’s hard to believe how much she has grown up in three short years. And she’s still absolutely gorgeous.

Stacy warned me in advance that Reagan is extremely bashful – and that she might even cry if I looked at her and made over her too much. So, I started out just sort of ignoring her until she got used to me. Reagan was not bashful at all during our portrait session. She had just learned to walk – and there was no holding her back. She was EVERYWHERE – and so proud of herself.

I’ll show just a few pictures of different family groupings. We took a lot of pictures and I’ve barely begun the edit, but I’m very pleased with what I’m seeing so far. All of us were a little concerned that we wouldn’t get good portraits since Reagan was so active. But, she was a happy active – and that makes life so much easier.

I enjoyed spending time with Stacy, Howard, Kennedy and Reagan. I hope to see them again, soon.