It was an honor to have a personal tour of SoulShine, an amazing child care center in Atlanta. I was surprised to find that it is located just down the road from Little Five Points......yes, this is cool :-)

I am so excited to share these pictures. So let's do this thing!

I took lots of pictures of these amazing signs.

Copper and glass 'art pieces' scattered all around.........courtesy of Rusty :-)

Glass and Copper Flower 'in the sun'

The amphitheater (& a cool dump truck)

Events !!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Sale of things :-)

Telling the truth is what ur heart tells u to do.

Rusty........my tour guide

Self Explanatory :-)

Great shot Rusty..........knowing you were minus the glasses and my camera was on manual focus lol :-)

The Look Out

A backyard Sauna, too cool. See the bamboo?

This rescued mallard came to visit with us for a bit.........when done....... he ducked down to go under the fence and headed back to the pond. (notice the 'duck' reference lol) I would of called him by name if Rusty could of remembered it :-)

Lou was hiding or in a deep sleep today.

Check Out SoulShine

Where I parked........I'm such a rebel :-)

The flower I was 'gifted' is now planted in my yard.

Community Matters

Snack Shack for the shows

So True! Once again.........check out SoulShine. I am moved and imagine you will be too.

Sheri, Patrick and of course 'Abby' were so great to work with. We went out to Burpee's Mill and took some great engagement shots together. Despite a temperature of up into the 90's it was a beautiful day and our spirits were high.

Thanks guys for hanging with me. I hope you had as much fun as I and wish you the best in all that you choose to do.

An amazing show was performed by UIW for the families of Heard County out in the open at the American Legion (thank you!) Also, many thanks to Russ Massa for his undying courage and love for the people of Heard County, to the UIW Wrestlers and their familes (U Guys and Gals ROCK) for the face painters, concession stand friends and for all of you who support and want a better place for yourself and for your children.

I hope everyone continues to support the cause to get wrestling back into the Recreation Center in Franklin, GA. Come to the Commissioners meeting this Tuesday August 24th at 6:30 PM to show your support. If you need more information contact Russ Massa.

The kids were having a BLAST

It was so rad being a part of Coweta County's Chamber of Commerce 80's themed after hours party. Junction Lanes hosted the Chamber's bowling tournament.......and Southern Crescent Solutions put together this amazing party. They even gave away a FREE 5 page Website. Too cool.

Dancing the night away to favorite 80's tunes.

Jan of Southern Crescent Solutions beautiful grandbaby. She loved the music.

Guy Web himself made an appearance!

Lots of Give Aways!

The food was great!

A big thanks to Chris, Andy and Jan of Southern Crescent Solutions. You guys are so talented. I can't wait for you to relocate to your new downtown Newnan location!

Taylor Hulsey is a sweet 12 year old who is battling a brain tumor known as a Glioblastoma multiforme. It is inoperable as it is located at the bottom of the brain stem. She has outlived all doctors expectations. Today, Hooters of Newnan, GA hosted a car and bike show to raise money and awareness for Taylor and her family. There was a great turnout. Thanks to all involved and for the support.

Fun with painted body art.

The famous 'Life Savers' car........loving the colors.

Taylor had her face painted too. She loved being a princess.

Taylor with her beloved Mom, Vickie.

With all of the girls at Hooters. They adored her :-) Don't forget to look for this image on the wall the next time you are in the Newnan Hooters.

Everyone signed Taylor's birthday t-shirt from Hooters.

A picture with all of Taylor's admirers from the Great South Harley Davidson Hog members.

Trishia was a blast to work with. We incorporated her love of shopping into some of her portraits. Much fun! She has a great sense of style and a heart of gold. Have an amazing Senior year Trishia.

Daniel is an accomplished violinist and it was so great shooting some creative images to celebrate his love for the violin. I wish you the best Daniel and know that you will succeed in all that you choose to do.

It is so neat to see Megan all grown up and going into her Senior Year.........when I've known her and her family for what seems like always. Taking her Senior Portraits was both a blast and an honor. Always follow your passions Megan and be true to yourself. This is the simple reason why people are drawn to you.

Stephanie provided me the opportunity to take some great shots at a new location..........the property of a close family friend of hers. It is always so much fun to create unique images at new places. Stephanie you are so peaceful and beautiful and I love the fact that you volunteer at One Roof ........this is so inspiring. Have a great year and may you always see the open doors, not the closed ones.......I wish this for everyone.

I enjoyed photographing these beautiful butterflies today while waiting for my client to change outfits. So many flowers and butterflies........very pretty indeed.

Alex was an inspiration to work with. Our goal was to capture his personality as well as document his achievements. I think we accomplished both.........the sky is the limit Alex.

It was incredible going to Panama with my daughter. We photographed her best friend's Quinceanera party and extended our stay for vacation time. On our way to an area called Portobelo this gentleman was on the side of the road selling live iguana's to be cooked for a meal. The female eggs are considered a delicacy in Panama. Very interesting. I passed up the opportunity possibly missing out on a great dish :-)

There were a lot of old ruins in Portobelo which was awesome to photograph.

The beautiful DeCameron Beach Resort.......we were only able to stay for one night and would LOVE to return someday for at least a week!

Happy Father's Day to all of those amazing Daddy's out there!

This past Saturday I had the honor of photographing Stephanie and Landon's beautiful lakeside wedding. It was held at the bride's Mom's home and across the lake you could see where their brand new home is being built. The flowers were gorgeous. Created by Nancy's Flowers in Franklin, GA. Though the temperature was into the 90's everyone was in great spirits and enjoyed the moments of the day.

All of the guys hanging out on the back porch in the air conditioning!

I love hands.........and feet!

The sand ceremony.

April came to the rescue............How is that you ask? Well, the wedding cake originally had a big pink bow wrapped around it. Like the strip on the bottom but BIGGER around the middle. As unfortunate as it is, the bow simply melted off of the cake, icing and all. So while the bride was distracted, April worked her magic and filled in the area with these beautiful flowers. It was gorgeous. Kudos April! You saved the cake............then the bride was told that her cake was going to look a little 'different' than she originally thought it would and all was well!

I LOVE sunset shots. This one is enhanced with an oil painting filter.

We had a lot of fun with this old car. By the way............Stephanie and Landon were so great to work with. I would have been more than happy to accompany you guys to Jamaica for Honeymoon Pictures!

All we need is LOVE, ..............love is all we need.

~ John Lennon

It was amazing to work with this band. They were so great and hardly complained at all about the things I asked them to do....kudos guys! Hopefully no one suffered too bad from the poison oak and we didn't have to make any rush trips to the ER which was a plus. You guys were awesome and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to take your band pics. Check them out here.

I really enjoyed working with Vince.........he has a great look and comforting energy. His features remind me of Edward from the Twilight movies. What do you think?

Coweta County's third annual fundraising event to benefit The Community Welcome House was a huge success. Each year the event gets bigger and better.

Here are the stars! First to dance were Cynthia Jenkins, Mayor Pro Tem, with her instructor Tony Duke performing the Jive.

Here we have John Cunningham, Assistant District Attorney, with instructor Peggy Bern performing the Rumba.

Lana Mobley of Nu-Link and instructor Wayne Wilson performed the West Coast Swing.

Lory Pendergrast of The Heritage School and instructor Ed Desmond performed the Waltz.

Jenny Rice of Georgia Power and instructor Bill O'Keefe performed the Swing.

Chad Wood of Newnan Police Dept. and instructor Kristi Fenninger performed the Salsa.

Ebell Hseih of Shiloh Church and instructor Guy Garrison performed the Hustle.

Mac McKinney of McKinney Builders and instructor Carol Carson performed the Cha Cha.

Steve Madder of SouthTowne Motors and instructor Rachel Ferguson performed the Fox Trot. A big thank you to Rachel's Dance Connection. Without you this would not be possible!

Rusty Russell of Coweta County Water Dept. and instructor Beverly Ferguson performed the Paso Doble.

Kristoffer Kirkpatrick, accompanied by local musicians entertained the crowd while the judges made their decisions.

2009 Coweta's Dancing Stars performed a reunion dance as well.

Congratulations! Chad and Kristi won the 1st place judges award!

And finally what it is all for........to benefit the Community Welcome House. Over $45,000 was raised! Thank you to everyone involved and for all of your hard work!

Beautiful Brianna!

Last month I had the opportunity to work with Brianna and her Mom as we created her Quinceanera pictures. We used the pictures in her custom announcements and also a DVD to be shown at her 'princess' ball. We are going to do a growing up DVD as well. The celebration will be held with all of their family (and friends) in Panama next montn. I hope you enjoy these images as I had so much fun creating them!

It was a blast working with Seth and his girlfriend this past Saturday. We got some great shots and it was a beautiful day too. Also, Congratulations Seth...Class of 2010!

Dee Dee.........thanks for all of the support through the years. It has been a great journey............and will continue to be great. I wish you and your family the very best.

There is still time to book a session with our baby bunnies. Now through Easter! You will receive a 20 minute session with the bunnies, online proofing plus (2) 5x7's and (8) wallets for only $50. Additional prints and products are available for purchase. Call today 770-252-4704

Dad teaches percussion, that is why! It made perfect sense. She did pee on the drum but Dad said it was okay because it was from his own collection. It was cold.

I LOVE itty bitty baby parts!

It was a pleasure to work with this beautiful family. I wish you guys many smiles :-)

Traditions and customs.........modern weddings have tons of them. Flowers, rice, something old, something blue........you know the drill.

Have you ever thought about how all these wedding traditions originated or what they actually mean? Here's the meaning behind some of the most popular wedding customs and rituals:

Wedding Tradition: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Lucky Sixpence in Her Shoe

This popular rhyme originated in the Victorian area. Something Old represents the link to the bride's old life and her family. Something New signifies the couple's new life together as well as their hope for the future. Something Borrowed originates from the idea that borrowing something from a happily married woman will impart similar happiness to the new bride. Something Blue - represents fidelity, love, and purity. Lucky Sixpence in her Shoe signifies wealth, both financial wealth and a wealth of happiness.

Wedding Tradition - Bride and Groom Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

This tradition stems from the early days of arranged marriages when the bride and groom's first meeting occurred at the wedding. The two were kept from seeing each other to prevent the groom from bolting should he not like the look of his new bride.

Wedding Tradition - Bridal Bouquet

The first bridal bouquet did not consist of wedding flowers. Instead, wedding bouquets were originally made of strong herbs such as thyme and garlic meant to ward off evil spirits.

Wedding Tradition - Throwing Rice

As rice is considered a life giving seed, it is thought that by throwing it on the couple they will be bestowed with fertility and have many children.

Wedding Tradition - Bridal Shower

Tradition states that the first bridal shower was given to a poor couple in Holland who was denied the bridal dowry because of the groom's lowly miller status. The miller's friends gathered to shower the bride with items she would need to make a new home and enter into marriage.

Wedding Tradition - Getaway Car - Cans Tied To The Bumper

One wedding tradition of the Middle Ages was to ward off evil spirits by banging pots and making a lot of noise after the ceremony. This custom has been replaced by tying tin cans to the bumper of the car transporting the bride and groom.

Wedding Tradition - Garter Toss

Garter-throwing derives from an English ritual called "flinging the stocking." Guests would playfully invade the bridal chamber and grab the bride's stockings, and then they took turns sitting at the foot of the bed flinging the stockings over the heads of the couple. Whoever's stocking landed on the bride's or the groom's nose would be the next to wed.

Wedding Tradition - Wedding Ring

The circular shape of a ring symbolizes eternal love and commitment as it has neither beginning nor end, while the metal represents strength.

Wedding Tradition - Wedding Ring on the Third Finger of the Left Hand

The Egyptians believed the vein of love ran directly from the ring finger to the heart, therefore the ring was placed there to denote eternal love.

Mallory, her Mom and Grandma were awesome to work with over the weekend. I don't believe I had ever met a three year old with such an extensive vocabulary. It was amazing. Mom says that she never stops talking! When she looked at a flower she would say, "It's beautiful" slowly. Oh, to be so sweet and all brand new! Our session was full of lots of fun shots. What a joy to work with Mallory!

Here, I was encouraging Mallory to have her hands 'hug' her feet. She is thinking really hard about it. I love her with this background.

Twirling and Dancing

I was talking about all of the rain coming down. So much rain everywhere.....and she looked around and said, "Where?" Sweet.

Mallory is hugging the little blue bird I gave her to hold.

Some texture was added to this image to give some depth and create an artsy feel.

Clayton just seemed too small to be walking around. Mom said he started before he was even 9 months old! Here he is about 10 1/2 months. I know, right?

Mom set him down at this spot by the wagon and I was surprised at how long he stood there. I think he knew he was supposed to stay where Mom put him. After a few minutes, maybe less, he picked up his little feet and gingerly moved away from the wagon.

Clayton didn't lack many smiles with a game of pic-a-boo.

He LOVED this white wicker chair........and went back to it over and over.

More big smiles for his funny family!

Kenny was an amazing guy to work with. I felt a real connection with him concerning his move to Newnan, his love of music and aspirations. Great to meet and work with him and his Mom!

This was the first time my studio had seen a drum set, 5 guitars, a trumpet and mandolin all at the same time. Smiles.

It was maybe in the upper 20's when we did these pictures outside at the tracks and depot. We hung in there though!

Amber is a such a fun person to work with. Great energy and awesome to work with. We decided not to weather the frigid temps and did her outside shots the following week. It was great too because the temperature rose to nearly 70 degrees! Amazing.

Her eyes always seem to have a story to tell.

A big shout out to my Austin for referring Amber to me for her Senior Session!

What an awesome Christmas gift! I asked to take their pictures and they were all for it. A first in our years of taking pictures together. I said wear whatever you wish and meet me in the studio. Here are some of the results. I love these guys. I am the proudest Mom that there could ever be!

Here is my Autumn. She is growing into an amazing young lady. Fifteen with the world completely open to her.

My Austin is shown here with that amazing smile. Whenever he smiles the whole room brightens up. He is 17 and finishing his last year of High School. So many doors are open for him and he is ready for the future!

And here is my oldest, Dylan. It is so hard to believe that in a couple of weeks he will be turning 20. Wow, how the time flies. His love is Computer Science and he currently is working on a new direction for his goals and aspirations. I know he will be successful in what he chooses to do.

This was just a fun shot to take!

Peggy and Liam joined them, reluctantly, for a few pictures. I love all of you so much. 2010 is going to be amazing!

I have had the privelege of watching Cordia grow up during her first year. Here, pictured at nine months........she is so amazing with a budding personality and nearly able to walk! I know her Mom and Dad are very proud! It was great working with all of you! May the New Year bring many smiles your way!

Too sweet for words. I love working with Tonya, Carl and their girls. Too adorable. It is amazing to see how Carlee has grown each time I see her. Now with baby sister Bryana it is even more amazing. Thank you for allowing me to 'capture' your family.

Here are a few recent Christmas images to share. Photographed are Alexis, Lane, Daniel, Christa, Eric, Myles, Hannah and Dustin. May you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season!