Drew & Elizabeth Anne Engagement

Drew & Elizabeth Anne are great friends of Matthew & Lauren (See wedding here). Elizabeth Anne wanted to do their engagement session at her childhood home in Gastonia. It’s being sold and the property holds dear memories for her. A big red barn, a sweet white home, her mother’s rose garden (her mom passed away a few years ago,) her horse, her twin labs, and a beautiful little pasture.  I almost choked up when she told me how much it meant to her.

Their wedding is next June in uptown Charlotte at the Charlotte City Club. Exciting!! ;D

Congrats Drew & Elizabeth Anne!

 

*Bottom photo: I didn’t photoshop this photo to look like this. I brightened it a bit. I actually shot through flowers and plants and it created this yummy texture. hmmm… I like

 

Bahama Beaches and Blizzard Biking

Yeah, so it’s been a very long time since I’ve done a very personal blog. And by the end of this you may feel like you’ve become connected with what October was like for me. But, it’s your choice as to how far you keep scrolling. You won’t hurt my feelings.

As I said last year, fall always has the way of making you feel reminisc(ee)–haha! As soon as pumpkins start coming out and color starts happening on my front yard trees, I want to kick up the leaves and remember this year. It has been an extremely insane year. Busy, busy, busy. And I don’t think that “busy” for the sake of “busy” is necessarily a virtue. It doesn’t make me sound cool saying… “Oh, I’ve been so busy.” But the truth is, busy is what puts food on the table, and makes life “happen.” I’ve also had extreme heart hardships this year. Never in my life have I experienced more growing through heartache. I’ve grown in confidence, in identity, and in perspective.  My business has done extremely well this year, and in the end I can’t believe that “I did it!” haha! I’m not quite at the end of my weddings for this year, but I am very proud of me. And that feels good to say.

So, with all my busyness and my husband working 50 hrs a week in the translation industry, and seeing him only on some evenings when I’m not working at my small part-time job, and on the weekends I’m not shooting…we needed a vacation. Back in April when we went away for our anniversary to see my best friend, Sharon, Sharon and I schemed that in the fall we should all four go on a cruise. Sharon and I talk on the phone almost daily. I love, love, love this girl. So the thought of going on the cruise with her and her hubby along with my man and me. wow!! Well…we did it. In August we booked our tickets on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Sea cruise to the Bahamas. Four nights, Two stops. Yes please.

During the second week of October, Brandon and I drove down to Jacksonville, FL to meet Sharon and Ferrill. We then drove down to Port Canaveral to catch our ship.

*Disclaimer: I shot mostly with my iPhone on this trip. And I’m okay with that. So, you’ll see the dance between high resolution photos and the crappy photos from the front camera on the iPhone 4. But… no worries, If I can handle it, you can too.

See that pile of wings…. yeah, they killed it.

*Below: Sharon is so ready to go!

So I have never been on a cruise before. And I could NOT stop smiling. Getting our cards for the boat. (It was like a credit card!)

We had a drill, that didn’t include wearing the vests… but we put them on anyways…

My first of many pina coladas …

This is our boat baby!

Sunset over the ocean. So amazing.

Can I just say, there is nothing like being in the middle of the ocean in a hot tub in a rain storm. ammmmazing.

Every evening we got to dress all nice and go have a three-course dinner at the fancy restaurant. We had steak, duck, my husband ate snails, fruit soup, pasta, chicken…. oh man!

Below: Our first dinner…

So the story goes: we stayed up till 2AM dancing on a dance floor. yeeeep. And we were so tired. I set my alarm for sunrise time, I was determined to watch the sun rise over the Bahamas. I mean… who gets to do that!?

Brandon decided to come along. He was happy he did.

Our first stop was Royal Caribbean’s private island “CoCo Cay.” The cruise boat anchored in the middle of the ocean and we took small ferries to and from the island. The island itself is a bit touristy. Bright colored signs, straw huts, beach chairs everywhere. The water is to die for. So clean, so clear and so blue. We snorkeled, and got to see big bright fish hanging out over the ruins of a 4 seater airplane crash under the sea.  Fab! I also almost ran into a jelly fish. eeeee….

Halfway through our time there, Brandon and I decided to walk across the island. We walked a little less than a mile and came upon the most beautiful private beach I have EVER seen. No one was there.  Giant shells EVERYWHERE! It was a sand bar that reached out so far, and next to it was deep water where you could dive. Unbelievable. We ran back to our locker to grab my camera and Ferrill and Sharon. We spent two hours or so having the most amazing part of our cruise. The four different shades of water that you could see crystal clear straight through–it was heaven. I was in a vacation commercial.

Sunset that evening…

I loved dinner that night. We got to get really fancy. I primped all up for our fabulous dinner. oh man! sooooo fun!

The next morning we docked in Nassau, Bahamas. We prayed for a really great day. And oh yes, twas amazing!  As soon as we got off the boat we met a man named “Byron” (Which is the best name ever… considering my fav youtube video is HERE) He offered to give us a two-hour tour of the island and then drop us off at the amazing Cabbage Beach. We had the most incredible time driving around the city of Nassau with Byron.

We got to see some of the biggest resort in the islands–Atlantis.

That water is legit.

And at last… *sigh* the brilliant Cabbage Beach. We spent four hours on this beach. Unreal.

OMG! I drank out of a coconut. You have no idea. Best day ever.

Said goodbye to our tour guide…. =(

And then… I get back on the boat and they are selling drinks in PINEAPPLES! HOLA!

*Like my bad vacation sunburn? haha…. it’s awesome.

 

The cruise boat had a party on the top of the boat, this is at 1AM. They roasted a pig, had ice sculptures, and a giant meal.

We spent the next day and final day on the water, at sea cruising home. I slept on the deck, swam, relaxed. Bittersweet.

Woke up the next day, and we were docked in FL. All good things must come to an end. =(

Brandon and I had the most unreal vacation. So much fun. So much beauty. I can’t stop dreaming of that water. Hands down, next year we will do it again. And I’m totally going to be one of those old people who cruise all the time. yes!

So we came home to the “busy” place we call life. Two weddings to edit, back to work. yeah. Life just keeps going. But we had the Virginia Creeper trail to keep us excited. The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 17 mile bike ride mostly downhill through the mountains of Virginia.

Last weekend we left home Friday evening and car pooled with our neighborhood friends, Josiah & Nicole, up to Damascus, Virginia. We met the rest of our group (which is all of our friends) at a small cozy house that we all had pitched in and rented. There were twelve of us all together staying in this home. Brandon and I found our place on an air mattress that we later discovered had a slow leak in it. In the middle of the night we would wake with our butts touching the ground. This air mattress was connected to a button to blow it up. Brandon would lean over and say… “Beka, push the button.” We did this about four times the first night and six times the next night. haha!  (phrase of the trip…”Beka, the button!”) —->bunny trail.

So we heard that it was going to snow the next morning. And I can honestly say I like snow once a year and then I’m done. And snow in October? ah…. Well… we woke to fog and coldness, but lots of pretty color.

Our cute home…

You wouldn’t believe what was waiting for us when we reached the top of the mountain.

I’m glad I bundled up. Very cold, and very snowy. We biked through snow, and wind, and beautiful winter, down to colorful fall. Seventeen miles.

 

Cozy Nicole.

Friends!

Hilarious! The mud slinging up hitting our butts while we were biking. haha!

It really was a magnificent day. We stopped in a small town at a diner and had hot chocolate and sandwiches. It was the cutest diner. I felt like I was in a movie. loooved it.

We finished just in time to see the light hit the town and bring out all the beautiful color around.

In the evening we all sat around and laughed, getting to know each other. It really was a blast! I so enjoyed getting to know our friends more.

Ending our time we stopped in a sweet town and walked around….

Some of my girlfriends–Mallory & Alisha.

While we were in the mountains, Brandon and I took a few photos of each other. I liiiike him.

So there you have it–our October. Might I also include that we added to our family this month? (no…I’m not………….) Brandon and I adopted another sweet ragdoll kitty so our other kitty would have a friend. His name is Hans. And I’m sure you’ll see a picture here in the near future.

I hope I didn’t bore you. And if you made it to the end…. (applause) I thank you.

Happy Fall!

 

 

 

Matthew & Lauren’s Wedding

Perfect October fall day. Color everywhere. Blue skies, slight breeze…. mmmm…. Matthew and Lauren were so blessed to have the most perfect day for their wedding.

I can’t tell you all how excited I have been about this wedding. Lauren and I have become friends the last year in a half.  Shooting her day and being around her family felt like family. (See their E-session here)

Through this whole process Matthew and Lauren have not only been amazing clients but great friends to my husband and I (I love that story!)

Sooo…. their ceremony took place at Central Church of God here in Charlotte, NC. And their reception was at the beautiful Anne Springs Close Greenway at the red barn on a hill. Lauren’s mom decorated the barn with a truck load of of eclectic, vintage antiques. Mason jars personalized with everyone’s name on it. Every table was different and unique. I felt like I was photographing a magazine wedding. The barn was so gorgeous! I loooove shooting details, and what I have here on my blog is the smallest taste of how many details their really were. Gosh! It was heaven.

Another highlight for me on this day was shooting romantic photos of Matthew and Lauren in tall gold grass, and them in the sunset. I felt like flying. They are so easy to photograph.   So yes, I’m excited about sharing this wedding with you.

Enough of me rambling…

Congrats Matthew and Lauren! I’m so happy I got to shoot your day, and I’m so happy to have become  friends with you guys!

And a special thanks to my close friend and practically my sister twin/2nd shooter- Kori Hoffman. She’s the best!

PS: Lauren’s dress is a Priscilla of Boston and the bridesmaid dresses are Jim Hjelm

*Kori’s photo- bottom Left.

*Kori’s photo (above)

*Kori’s photo (above)

*Kori’s photo (above)

*Kori’s photo (above)

 

*Kori’s photo (above)

*Kori’s photo (above)

 

*Kori’s photo (above)

*Kori’s photo (above)

 

 

That’s all Folks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waking up the leaves

So this past weekend one of my closest friends Sharon Gallaway came to visit me. It just so happened to be the peak week of fall here in South Carolina. Everywhere we looked was sorta like magic floating around.

Brandon, Sharon and I took a little hike around Anne Springs Greenway here in Fort Mill, SC. As we were about to start walking we heard a little girl kicking up colored leaves yelling.. “Mom! Its time to wake up the leaves!” I love that..

So this post is to let you in on our little hike Saturday, and make you all wish you lived in my state.

PS: Sharon I miss you already. =(

If you would like to order prints please contact me at artist@tirzahphotography.com.

Manor Lake Fall Festiveness Part 1

We have the best neighborhood ever. Manor Lake Condominiums is the place to live.

All of our neighborhood friends planned our “1st Annual Manor Lake Pumpkin Carving contest.” Bring a pumpkin, a dinner dish, and money to hit the corn maze after dark. We started around 4PM and went till almost midnight. We carved pumpkins, ate dinner, drank hot apple cider… Around nine PM we hit Anne Springs corn maze. So much fun! Hiding in the corn and waiting for someone to come so you can scare them takes great patience. But oh so worth it..it was fantastic. We then ended the evening with a nice warm fire.

So I thought it would be fun to document this day.  I hope you enjoy!

Rebecca & Jesse Graston did such a great job of making it feel warm and cozy in their home.

(I love the man on the left.) So Josiah (to the right) had an advantage over all of us… he’s a carpenter.

Little Mr Pumpkin.

Jesse started us all out by making up a bunch of rules that we had to go by. We had an 1.5 to finish our pumpkins.

So Brandon and I began.  (It was our 1st time ever doing this, we cheated with a template)

Mrs creative…

Time continues on, and Dusty and Heather carve a clock (Dusty works on clocks for a living)

Here are a few of the finished pumpkins. The winner is Josiah and Nicole (which is the middle pumpkin) Mine is the owl on the bottom right.

Heather and Becka

This is my brother with his little man.

Apple time!

Sleeping babe.

Started getting cold…

Light ‘em up!

And on to the corn maze…

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Fall festiveness… coming soon.

Leah Rose

Joel and Laura Teel are close friends of mine. I’ve known Joel thirteen+ years and he’s always been a big brother and a dear, dear friend to me and my brother growing up. His character has always been very consistent in our friendship. We shared so much of our childhood and teen years together, that its fun to reminiscence together.

I had the privileged to be able to photograph Joel and Laura’s little girl, Leah Rose. She is a two and a half year old full of energy and life. I would also dare to say she one of the most beautiful little girls I’ve ever seen.  Leah kept me on my toes for about an hour and a half, as I chased her with my camera through tall grass and woods at Colonel Francis Beatty Park in Matthews, NC. She would not sit still, not even for a moment. She was always finding leaves, sticks, stones, and flowers to pick up. So adorable.

This was my first time photographing this age, and I was sore the next day from bending up and down and crawling on my hands and knees. I was also able to catch a few portraits of Joel and Laura.

I hope these make you smile..

sometimes I love blurry.

Joe and Angela Gerics

I have known Joe since I was born. His family has been super close to our family for forever. I remember having nerf gun wars in Joe’s basement with my brother and his brother, Steve. We also played 007 golden eye till late into the night, when our parents would talk for hours.

I met Angela on a mission trip back in 2002. We spent about four weeks together that summer, and we did just about everything together. I laugh hearing Angela laugh, it cracks me up.

Angela and Joe met on a mission trip to the United Kingdom a few years later. They met, fell in love, and married all within a year. Joe is a history teacher in a high school and Angela is in college working hard. They both are from up north and I’m hoping that the Carolina sunshine might persuade them to move a bit closer. I so love them, I couldn’t be happier when Joe and Angela fell in love. It is absolutely perfect.

Angela emailed me a few months ago and told me that her and Joe were going to be in North Carolina for a wedding and they wanted to see if I could take some fun romantic photos of them. I was super excited!

I found an old burnt down camp ground that I pass everyday and behind it was tall grass, and on a bit of a hill. We started here and ended at the peach orchards by my house.

I’m excited to share these!

I love you Angela and Joe!

Stacey Veit Bridal Shoot

Back in November my dear photographer friend Kori Hoffman asked me to come second shoot a Bridal Portrait session with her. We went to Noda in Charlotte, NC to a boxing warehouse. There was very little light in the building, so we played with some shadows and reflectors. We also took a trip outside and played in the tall grass. It was still fall, and the leaves were still changing beautifully. Stacey and her family were incredible to be around. She was gorgeous to photograph, and was a total natural.  On March 20th, Kori and I got to shoot Stacey Veit’s wedding. It was absolutely fantastic.  (Pictures to come…)