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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green no more! – my bedroom is a sweet haven now.

So, if you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll remember that I had a crayon box house. Red, yellow, and now green…. omg… i wished it all away, and it worked. ;D

You can click on these links to see my rooms I’ve repainted and somewhat redecorated. (Yellow no more…) & (Red no more…)

So today, I want to share with you my bedroom. It was green, and brown. And actually it wasn’t as bad as the other rooms I’ve redone. But after drooling over Anthropologie and Pintrest I was wanting to redo it with something light and romantic yet, I wanted some rustic in there. I still have so many more things I really want to add. But this is the start to something….

So here is before… :p

Notice the dresser please…

You wanna see the new improved room??

Drumroll……………………..

TADA!

Cloudy Gray Sherwin Williams paint.

Curtains from Ikea. cheap, cheap! ;D

My bedspread is from Anthropologie.  (yes, you can be jealous)

My wonderful husband and I sanded and repainted that dresser, added fabulous Anthropologie knobs. Didn’t it turn out great? (We swear we will never redo furniture ever again.)

The old windows above the dresser: Me and my friend Shelley were driving through a small town near Asheville and we saw them for sale on the side of the road. $10 each.

My old windows above my bed, a friend of mine gave me from a torn down house.

Fabulous prints of my hubby and I, by my friend Shelley Paulson.

The old school desk, is probably going to end up somewhere else. I want to put this Ikea Chaise in that corner, once I save up the money for it.

Dried flowers in Wine bottles, Ikea metal and white vases, Value village vases, and the lantern is from the Sleepy poet.

My yellow bench is a gift from my girlfriend Tara Mauldin. <3

And Miles.. well… he just looks good anywhere he sits.

We are hoping to get REAL overhead lighting at some point.

I also bought this door knob from Anthropologie that I’m waiting to put up. I need some special parts for it, and we have to order it..

I hope you likey!! ;D

 

I do!

 

 

 

 

 

Candace & Oscar Wedding

Asheville, North Carolina. Gorgeous!! It all started when I picked up my friend and mentor up at the Charlotte airport. She flew in from Minnesoooota  (as they say) Shelley Paulson has a been the biggest influence in my journey of photography. Countless hours spent being mentored, taught, and critiqued. She has had patience with my growing. I’ve had the honor of shooting quite a few weddings with her the last three summers. We’ve somehow always found a way for me to visit her in MN or for her to come to the Carolina’s. She had this gorgeous wedding booked in the mountains of North Carolina and wanted me to second shoot and assist her. I jump at the chance to learn from Shelley. I’m blessed to have her in my life. (for real— <3 you Shelley!)

We had a wonderful weekend in Asheville, getting lost every time we got in the car together. The roads in and highways in Asheville are insane!

When we arrived at the rehearsal of Candace and Oscar’s wedding we were stunned at the view surrounding the venue (The Fields at Blackberry Cove).

The wedding was just so, so beautiful. Every detail was perfect and totally “my kind of wedding”. I have posted quite a bit of details from this day. Mostly because I just loved them so much. Candace and Oscar were so wonderful to be around. I’m so happy that I was able to be at their wedding.

The day after the wedding Shelley and I were able to spend the day in Asheville and surrounding cities shopping, and giggling all the way home. It was a fabulous weekend.

I shot quite a few rolls of black and white film with my Canon Elan 7. So I’ve mixed in a few here and there. I hope you enjoy these photos. I really love them.

Congrats Oscar and Candace! I’m so happy I met you both!

 

 

So the night before we shot this wedding, Shelley was teaching me about “Rim lighting” (The photo below) I spent quite a bit of time at the wedding looking to find rim light and learn how to expose for it. It is yummy. I need to use/do it more often.

 

 

 

Please check out Shelley’s photos from this wedding!

Joanna Reyburn May- November 2008

I wanted to re-edit these photos just a bit and re-share them.  I feel like they are worth sharing all over again.

I took these election evening in 2008. Shelley Paulson took me out on our first real mentoring session to shoot portraits of our close friend, Joanna Reyburn May. It was a gorgeous November night with tall grass full of golden light (a few of my favorite things!). This session taught me so much about lighting and composition. Joanna, is such a natural model and so full of spirit. After upgrading my camera, and learning so much more since then, these photos still remain to be some of my most favorite.

Check out Joanna’s Wedding that Shelley and I shot in May of this year.

Of Seasons past…

Although these were taken over the course of last summer to this summer, I still get really excited about them! I need to blog these more often…

Want a few more? Click here

A Carolina baby Shower! (Part 2)

So… my brother and sister-in-law’s baby is due in just a few weeks. Jessica looks great, she is an absolutely beautiful pregnant woman. And she works out like crazy. She just got dreads last week, and if you know anything about Jessica.. its perfect for her.

This photo was taken just last week… we got to see him all big and chubby. so cute.

We did a baby shower for Sam and Jess last month (blog here) in Dallas with Jessica’s family.But since we all live here in South Carolina, we wanted to do a pool party/baby shower for Sam and Jess with all their friends here in the area. We had the shower at our dear friends “The Webbs” home. And we had such a great time just hanging out..

Lilly Webb skyped in from Argentina.. we miss her so much!

Nothing like a good sword fight…

And we tie dyed a ton onsies and burp clothes. oh jess…

Baby Gatlyn should be coming soon…..

Jessica Gatlyn Prego!

So, Jessica is my bestest friend and, to go along with that, she also married my brother in September. (See some of their wedding pictures – http://www.tirzahphotography.com/2009/09/samuel-and-jessica/ ) Now we are sisters!!! Jessica  and I spend just about every day together. I’m seriously over at her house every day, or she’s at mine. We eat a majority of meals together  and we share the deep places of our hearts with one another. It’s so good that my best friend is going to be my best friend FOREVER–she’s stuck!  haha….

Jessica and Samuel found out they were pregnant back in December, and it took us all by surprise. Brandon and I got to go see Jess’s 3D ultra sound a few weeks back. Pretty excited to find out that we are going to be an Aunt and an Uncle to a feisty little boy who looks just like my brother.

Now, I’m a little strange about maternity pictures. First of all, I have never been pregnant. Second of all, I feel like so many photographers make BEAUTIFUL pregnant ladies look horrible.  And… the bare-belly, half-naked maternity pictures often seem so tacky, and even cheesy.  I’m on a journey of trying to figure out how to take maternity pictures in a way that hasn’t been captured yet… where men who aren’t your husband feel comfortable looking through you’re photo album.  I definitely haven’t arrived in that journey of creativity, but two days ago, I took Jess to an old abandoned house and I shot pictures of her.  She is 24 weeks prego right now, and I’ll probably shoot more pictures of her when she gets closer to her due date in August.

I feel like so many photographers have seriously missed capturing the beauty of a mommy “with a baby in the oven.”  I like to look at it like this:

“I’m shooting a portrait session.

PS: She just so happens to be pregnant.”

Enjoy, and leave me some love!

These last two I think are my favorites…

A Tea Party

Before I left Missouri to move  back to the Carolina’s, Brandon’s grandma, mom and sister invited me to a quaint tea party. Grandma Sharon spent days working on making it super special for us all. It was so fancy, and lovely.