Rachel ♥ Blake {Montgomery AL Engagement Sessions}

Sweet Rachel went to high school and college with one of my sons and babysat my granddaughters for the other one. She has always been a special person to us. And now she's getting married!



I was already booked when she and fiance Blake selected their wedding date, but I still had the honor of doing their engagement session.



We chose The Elms of Coosada for the location because you can never trust the February weather in Alabama! Trust me, I've arrived at that conclusion the hard way! But it turned out to be a beautiful day! So while we captured some of the more formal portraits indoors ...



...we were able to move outdoors to get some casual images.




Congratulations to Blake for the Lord's blessing in leading him to Rachel! And best wishes to Rachel! I hope you both enjoy sharing this sneak peek with friends and family while your full gallery of images is uploading.



Many, many thanks to Janel Waldo of The Elms. I can't wait to show off some bridal images that were taken there this week ... but they can't be released until the wedding day in April.

Alaura and Chris {Montgomery AL Wedding Photography}

I was so honored to photograph Alaura and Chris's recent wedding celebration. February is always unpredictable in the south, but the day turned out to be beautiful. The ceremony and reception were held at the beautiful Morningview Baptist Church in Montgomery. Their full gallery of images is uploading tonight, so this is just a little sneak peek to share with friends and family until they're ready to view.












Thank you to Alaura and Chris and their wonderful families for such a special day! And thank you to Morningview's Wedding Coordinator, Mrs. Joy Hicks, who always sees that the day runs smoothly!

Enjoy Memories 2

Here's another entry in the "Things I should get rid of but don't have the heart to" theme for this week.



This humongous, gaudy pink and yellow bear has lived with us for over 20 years now. We took our (then) little children to Six Flags one year and my husband - wanting to show he was the Icandoanything Daddy - won this for our daughter. I cannot tell you how many times I've drug him into the living room and declared that I was giving him away (the bear - not the husband .... although I've probably declared that a time or two also), only to return him to storage. I took him out today and let him enjoy the sun. Then drug him back into the bedroom where we keep the toys for the grandchildren.



How could I resist those pleading eyes?

This is his home.

Enjoy Memories

I have been on a quest this year to take a photo each day. It has been a great learning experience. The more you practice with any instrument the better you get -- true for cameras, too. So far I have not pulled from client sessions - I've focused more on family and still life (although nothing about my family is close to "still"). I've tried to have a theme each week. I haven't been blogging these but do have a FB album of what I've taken thus far if anyone is interested. However, I decided to blog today's capture ... the explanation was too long for a FB comment.

The theme I've chosen for this week is "Things I should get rid of but don't have the heart to." And here's my image for today:



I spent my preschool years on a short street with few houses in a small town. Everyone was a good neighbor. If mom had to run to the grocery store - which was in another town ... actually across a state line! - she could leave me with anyone on the street. They were all part of my family.

Directly across from us lived a retired baker and his wife. His name was Mr. Pickens, but I called him "Mr. Pick." He made my birthday cakes each year until we moved away. But it's not the birthday cakes I remember ... it's the orange rolls. I can still "taste" them today when I think of Mr. Pick. And I've never found any that compare. His name will always be associated with the taste of orange.

Mr. and Mrs. Pick didn't have any children, so when he died his wife gave his pastry set to my mom. When she died I could not bear to throw them away. They will never be of use to anyone -- too outdated and rusted. They have no value to anyone -- I'm probably the last living person who even remembers him. So they will end up in a landfill one day. I will, with some guilt for not having taken care of it myself, leave these for my children to dispose of at some point in the future. At least now they'll know why I couldn't do it.

In some ways this is sad ... to think that memories of Mr. Pick may end with me. In other ways it is joyful ... I was blessed enough to have this influence in my life and have such wonderful memories to cherish.

Ah, this may prove to be a bittersweet week of photos!

Enjoy Pink

Many years ago -- seems like so few -- when my dad died and my mom sold the house, I found a good supply of depression glass packed away. I immediately fell in love with it and have spent many hours perusing antique stores trying to complete several partial sets.



I loved these little pink cups and berry bowls, but had difficulty finding any matching pieces. My daughter - being the artist that she is - had the idea to finish the set with any dishes that had pink flowers in them ... but each plate had to be unique. We went to several antique stores in Montgomery on our quest.



I pulled in this little bowl from my maternal grandmother...



...and this little dish from my mother-in-law that I'm sure was made as a vanity tray.



And now it is a family tradition to use this set each February. And I do love them.



Mainly because they remind me of special time spent with my sweet daughter.

Life brings simple pleasures to us every day. It is up to us to make them wonderful memories. -Cathy Allen

Enjoy Float Wraps {Montgomery, AL Family Photography}

I was so proud to be able to present this beautiful canvas float wrap enlargement to a wonderful, patriotic family last weekend.



If you're not familiar with float-wraps, here are a few details. The image is printed on the medium of choice -- in this case it is canvas -- and is wrapped around to the back of the board. It is then finished with a piece for hanging which suspends it out from the wall a tad for added impact.



What an honor to be chosen to photograph this special occasion! Many thanks to this family and many others that are serving our great country.

Enjoy Guest Books {Montgomery AL Engagement Sessions}

I'm very excited about a new product for 2011 - a wedding guest book featuring images from the engagement session!



Guests can sign your book, leave a special wish for your happiness, and enjoy your engagement images.




Pages are "lay-flat" for easy display and signing and several options are available for covers.



The engagement book comes as part of several 2011 wedding collections.

Enjoy Haven {3 months}

What a great way to get back in the swing of things after being off for a month after surgery! Sweet Haven and her parents met me at Southern Homes & Gardens on Vaughn Road Saturday morning. As always, they had everything set up beautifully as if it had been done just for us and welcomed us with open arms. I've said it before on this blog: SH&G is a wonderful asset to Montgomery!



Haven is such a little doll! She was so cooperative and fun to play with.



And I guess I shouldn't be surprised with such a special mom and dad. What a sweet family.



She did get a little tired of us changing and posing her towards the end of the session. But this little pouty lip has got to be one of my favorite ever captures! Doesn't it just make you smile?



She did let us finish the session with a last photo of her in an heirloom dress of her mom's. I just love this in classic black & white.



Thank you, mom and dad, for allowing me to capture your sweet little girl's important 3-month milestone. The remainder of your images are uploading to your online gallery now and will be released within a few hours. Enjoy the sneak peek!