Photos by Amelia J Moore
Style by Kayla Henley

Lillie & Brad, your day was beautiful and it’s evident that you guys love each other and enjoy laughing, dancing and being together. May God richly bless your marriage as you grow closer to Him and each other every day.

Enjoy!

It’s been my intention for several years to pour my work energy & time into my photography business, so I’ve wanted to drop this other work plate for some time… but the financial security was a little too difficult. I’ve had this graphic design job for 10 years. So in a way, being “fired” was kinda a relief. But, I’ll have to be honest, it also sucked. It stung in a way I wasn’t expecting. I experienced rejection, frustration and fear. Ironically, in the same month, my husband also found out he was loosing his job of 7 years. So our emotions were only compounded… until they finally resulted in laughter, excitement and peace. I’m not saying we aren’t still experiencing all those negative emotions, but I am saying we are both excited about a new chapter in our lives to pursue our dreams: my being photography and his documentary work (more about that in another post).

I’m thankful I’m at a place with my business and my skill level that I can (almost) confidently step into self-employment. I have a great client base and many of you get your photos taken at least annually. I’ve loved getting to watch and document your family’s growth and activities. It really is an honor to provide this service and be an important part of your family’s lives. Thank you for your business and your belief in me.

In addition to continue to offer a variety of photography session options (family, infant, engagement, seniors and artist) and weddings, I’ll also be offering a full product line and design sessions. As you may know, this is something I’ve been trying to implement over the last year, but I’m excited to spend my extra time helping you come up with a plan for your photography that best fits your needs. You have invested time and energy (and money) in your images, I want you to do something beautiful with those photos whether it’s a gorgeous keepsake album or a totally “outside the box” art wall display idea.

So over the next several months, I’ll be posting product and display ideas. I also have lots of custom ideas churning in my head. After each photo session, I’ll set up a design session to sit down with you and help you come up with a plan for your photos. And I’ll also be adding product options to my basic photography service.

So I’m excited to announce that I’ll be employed full-time by me :) And it felt really good to drop a plate!

SO… I joined 11 photographers from the southeast region in Atlanta for a day with Shannon. She started out sharing about her background and approach to her work – and how that has evolved.  What I appreciated about her philosophy is that she takes and finds jobs that she enjoys. She challenged us to really evaluate what it is we enjoy and to go after that. Many people start in the photography business just thinking if they take a lot of photos and get a lot of clients then they will be successful. Her approach is to do what you love, set boundaries and then you will be successful. Therefore, she only photographs children. She loves their spirit, creativity and imaginations and she creates environments that depict that.

Shannon also encouraged us to really study what inspires you. So i have signed up for pintrest.com (follow me!). And am trying to spend some time each week looking around – not just at other photographers, but art, design, culture, global events and “pinning” what inspires me. Then, I’ll look at my boards and collaborate with Kayla and what we might want to include in our sessions. I don’t want to copy others, but I want to find inspiration from others’ ideas. SO – Do the same for some ideas that you might like for your next photo session and send my your pinned ideas! Let’s share and inspire each other together.

And then we got to do a style shoot with Shannon together. It was fun to watch her (and other photographers) approach their work. Shannon really encourages creatives to collaborate – not just at the workshop, but in general. What I really enjoyed about her is that she is laid back and flexible. She had a plan, but if it doesn’t work out, then she readjusted. Our first set up was against a white wall. Shannon had the models draw some simple objects to tape on the wall which included dogs, flowers, balloons, kites which the models would then interact with. We shot in a studio using all natural light (she uses very little artificial light which was shocking to me). We also shot with window light – how glorious! I was reminded that this is a great resource if I need to shot inside. Look at these stunning images!

Then we shot outside in broad daylight around 1:00 in the afternoon. This is the horror time for most photographers, but she wanted us to see how she’d approach it. Her plan was to draw a hopscotch and have the kids jump on it. But the chalk drawing wouldn’t show up on the ground in a photograph because it was so bright. So we adjusted and had the kids play on the hopscotch a bit – they had fun and then we moved on. She had them pose together and then each with an object. I loved how she positioned with them with the hola hoop and skate board. Both were “natural” poses that she directed. And Shannon positions them with the sun behind them and meters their face to get the right exposure for their skin. This will blow out the background which is typically fine.

Since it was blazing Atlanta hot (and Shannon is from Portland), we had to find some shade. Shannon had brought these simple props for the kids to interact with in their shoot: tin can stilts, soda pops and of course cool hats. I’m pretty sure you’ll see me using these ideas in your upcoming shoots! Then main thing I learned during this time was to find natural light reflectors – like the sidewalk or white building to use to bounce light. (instead of using a reflector, although I love my reflector).After our photographing session, she then demonstrated her post-processing procedure. It was surprisingly simple and yet inspiring. I gained some great insight into how I might cut down my work-flow (one tip being to just shoot JEPG and not RAW… but I don’t know if I can mentally handle that yet!) Shannon then opened the discussion for questions and was very generous in sharing insight from her business to offering to critique our work after the workshop. I really appreciate her sincere desire to invest and inspire others. Her heart and creativity are genuine and beautiful.

Congratulations to all the new graduates of preschool, high school, college and all the in between!!!

New Seniors – we would love to be a part of your final year in school and capture this special moment, who you are, what you love, where you are going!  Click here to see our Senior Picture packages.

Last year, my husband and I produced a full length documentary, Reparando, on the devastation and hope that is rising Guatemala. This spring we have been on the road screening the film in a variety of cities, attending film festivals and many meetings. Most of the trips we took the boys. We had so much fun. These photos are from our trip to Grand Rapids, MI.  Mixed into the screenings and meetings we had fun with chickens, on a ferris wheel, in mud puddles, and at parades.

Tita is a main character in the documentary.  She was able to join most of the Reparando tour.  It was wonderful getting to spend time with her.

So, I have some fun news to share! I am now part of the Vol. 25 Design Team with nine other amazing photographers and designers. Vol. 25 produces “eyecandy” overlays for photographers and scrapbookers to use in their work. Jessica is the voice and inspiration behind Vol. 25. We will be working Jessica’s overlay designs into our photographs for creative input. The overlays are a fun way to add a little more personality to your photos. I’ve already been inspired by the team and the overlays. There are so many things you can do with the overlays and there’s a variety of sets. The overlays are shapes that you import into Photoshop or Elements and then you can play around the color, size and layer effects. They are SUPER EASY to use. Jessica describes the overlays like this : “eye candy overlays” are a little something extra you can add to your photographs… I kind of think of them as the icing on the cake. :) They take a really great photograph and add a personal unique touch. There are several different sets available… one for each and every occasion… and the collection is still growing. Because these are vector based custom shapes, you will be able to change they’re color and manipulate (stretch) the shapes to fit various situations without loss of quality. Here are a few examples…

So I’ll be showcasing some of my work with the overlays. The first is the “Ahoy!” set. This overlay set is available for purchase at $30/ set BUT it is on sale for $19.50 until THIS FRIDAY!! Check it out! Again, it’s a FUN way to add a little bling to your photos. Of course I was inspired to use my boys with this overlay set. So we set out to the pool to capture some shots. AND when we got there, it started to rain! This didn’t stop them from getting into the pool and  swimming the rain. After about 20 minutes, it started thundering and lighting, so we headed home. Since they were already wet, I just let them play in the rain and continued to capture more shots of my little pirates! And thankfully my husband came out to hold the umbrella over my camera. It was an unexpected shoot, but it worked great with this overlay set. Make sure to check out the site for additional ideas – it doesn’t just have to be use solely on little pirates.

Here are the actual overlays in the set:

And here’s my official  Design Team photo :

As always, it ‘s a privileged to be a part of wedding celebration as the photographer. In addition to the main events, we get to witness all the “behind-the-scenes” fun stuff – a missing ring, sweet exchanges between friends, some tears and lots of laughs. Shannon and I (and Kayla) so enjoyed photographing this beautiful family! We also enjoyed working with wedding planner, Sarah Goude of Regalo Design who provides full service event planning, consultation. (Contact owner Sarah Goude (sarah@regalodesign.com) for a free consultation.) Denise & Philly exchanged vows at the very quaint Owen’s Chapel Church of Christ in Franklin. The ceremony was a beautiful celebration of their commitment to one another. Philly’s children participated by  reading the “Velveteen Rabbit” and singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” My favorite part was Denise’s well-versed vows – she was witty, sweet and deeply honest about love, life and her new husband. Philly followed-up with a touching moment of his own vows. I appreciate the vows because it’s at a point in the day where I get to sit back and take in all that is unfolding. Sometimes in the busyness of the day, you forget that THE DAY is about THAT MOMENT: the exchange of verbal commitment and the pronouncement of marriage. It’s so significant & profound; and it happens so quickly.

On our way to the Factory for the reception, we stopped to get a few of these shots. Denise specifically requested this jumping shot! (In fact she hired me because she saw the same shot with another client – Thanks Edwards Family!) We then JUMPED over to the factory for a fun reception at the Boxwood Bistro (where the ring was pronounced FOUND! If you know the couple, you’ll have to ask the story).

Denise & Philly, Thank you for making us feel so welcome and allowing us to be a part of your day! It was a beautiful, fun day and I enjoyed witnessing your love for one another and your families.