WEDDING | Vanessa & David red and brown rustic golf course wedding November 2, 2013

In March of this past year my second sister, Vanessa, got engaged to her then boyfriend now husband, David!  They decided to have their wedding on November 2nd.  Since it would be fall, Vanessa wanted to somehow incorporate the season into their wedding without highlighting the typical fall color palette.  She decided on a deep red accompanied by chocolate browns with gold accents. 

David and Vanessa held the ceremony at North Stonington Bible Church in our home town.  They wrote and shared their vows to one another and were declared man and wife with many friends and family looking on!  Plus, David and Vanessa left the church in my uncle's classic red GMC pickup truck - it was the perfect getaway vehicle for them!  Both her and David loved the Connecticut National Golf Course's setting in the woods of Putnam when they visited and choose it for their reception venue.  The stone fire place indoors and a rustic exterior were the perfect backdrop for their crisp fall wedding day! 

For Vanessa and David's wedding, I had a dual role as bridesmaid/sister and as a photographer.  I tag teamed with one of Vanessa's new aunts' who is also a photographer.  Needless to say though, some of these images were taken by my husband/assistant/miracle-worker and other willing hands throughout the day when I was otherwise occupied!  Thanks to all of you for your help!

It was amazing to be see my sister marry a man who loves her and who I know will serve her in their new life together!  Congratulations you two!

FAMILIES | The Berntsen Family - New Addition

It's kind of surreal to be sharing these images!  As I've mentioned in other posts, Lindsay and I have known each other practically since birth.  Our fathers' were childhood best friends and as a result I have a best friend for life.  We've grown up, liked boys, graduated from school, and gotten married and shared some many moments over the years!  Some of our most cherished memories are from our yearly camping trips to Skycroft campground in Ontario, Canada.  We even dreamed about and promised each other that the camping tradition would continue when we started families of our own (which at the time was years away!). 

However, earlier this spring the news finally came, Joel and Lindsay were expecting their first child in October!  They were overjoyed and on October 1st their little girl entered the world!  She's perfect in every way and I have no doubt that both Joel and Lindsay will be wonderful parents!  You could just tell from their session how much they adore her already!  Even though I was in Virginia for most of her pregnancy, I am thrilled that I finally got to meet their new addition a few weeks ago.  I am beyond excited to share these precious images of them and their new baby girl, Halle Emma Berntsen!  Congratulations on your little one!

PORTRAITS | Stewart Anniversary Session

Meet The Stewarts' Al and Dawn!  Al is the pastor at The Kirk in Forest, Virginia.  My husband and I started attending there in March and its become a big part of our life this year.  We love the small community of believers and we knew right away we were home.  So, needless to say, we see a lot of these two - but their cool so it's ok :-)!

Both of them being from Connecticut like me is awesome!  Not to mention, Dawn's hometown is the tiny farm town next to mine!  It's a miracle that someone from North Stonington and Preston met each other outside the state - that never happens!  As it turns out, they got married in the fall of 2008 just like my husband and I.  They even read the same passage from C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" as we did at their ceremony - cool since it's not a common selection!

So, when they asked me to photograph an anniversary session to celebrate their fifth year of marriage - I was honored!  Pastor Al and Dawn kindly took Bryce and I out for breakfast at Carols' Place (we have awesome friends and clients!).  Then we headed over to Ivy Creek Park here in Lynchburg.  It was overcast but the rain held off until the end of their session so we got some great images! Congratulations on your 5th anniversary!

PORTRAITS | Alex, Hannah, and Mae reunion at Liberty University Homecoming 2013

These three friends were reunited earlier this fall when Mae returned to Lynchburg for Liberty University's Homecoming weekend.  So, of course, we did an impromptu friends' session to celebrate!  I had a really fantastic time with these girls.  They completely rocked it in front of the camera and they all look gorgeous!  We walked around the mansion lawns to take their pictures and even scored a fantastic silhouette shot!  Enjoy their session!

FURRY FRIDAY vol. 7

It's Friday and time for another installment of the many furry creatures to be found at the Lynchburg Humane Society!  As this volume will show, sometimes the humane society finds themselves with animals other than dogs and cats - just check out KiKi below for example!   In the past rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, even chickens have all made their way to the humane society.  They do their best to find the best home for each creature that comes through the doors.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  Once again, I'm headed up to my home state of Connecticut for sister Vanessa's bridal shower!  Don't worry there will be pictures!

SENIORS | Quintora, Class of 2014

It was through cheerleading that I was introduced to Quintora a few years ago at the National Artistic Sports Academy.  I was taking a tumbling class two years ago along with several E.C. Glass High School cheerleaders from their squad of which she was one!  I got to see Quintora a few more times as I photographed a few tumbling and practice sessions and a game day with the Glass cheerleaders that same season. 

Taylor, another of Jae Studios' 2014 seniors, was also a member of the high school squad and referred Quintora to Jae Studios!  I am so glad!  If you can't tell from Quintora's images below, this girl really loves to be in front of the camera and she is really fantastic at it!  We had such a fun time in downtown Lynchburg earlier this fall - it is one of my new favorite sessions!  I also got to meet her mom for the first time in person and there was a lot of laughter and chatting about her plans for college after she graduates!  I think she's going to do fantastic!

Congratulations Quintora, Class of 2014!

CHEER | 2013 Chancellor's Cookout & Fan Fest

Welcome back to Liberty University for the new academic school year!  Of course, fall means a new football season as well.  We opened last week away at Kent State University in Ohio and came away unfortunately, with a loss.  Today is the home opener of the Liberty University football season - Flames versus the Monmouth State University Hawks in Williams Stadium this evening! 

Two weeks ago, the Chancellor's cookout prepared the incoming freshman and transfer students for the upcoming football season.  The chancellor and his wife, Alan York (the voice of the Flames), Jeff Barber (Athletic Director), and head coach Turner Gill all spoke about Liberty football traditions.  The cheerleading squad performed a short routine that highlighted stunting, tumbling, and dance.  They led cheers on the sidelines and the fight song.  All, while debuting their new uniforms as well!

Here are some images from the Chancellor's Cookout & Scrimmage! Don't forget to cheer the Flames on to victory in just a couple of hours! 

CHEER | Liberty University Cheerleading Tryouts 2013-2014

The tryout for the 2013-2014 Liberty University Cheerleading squad is a challenging three days that involve learning sideline cheers and the fight song dance and demonstrating your tumbling abilities.  In addition, it requires you to be adaptable to learning new stunting techniques and changing stunting groups and partners.  Personal interviews are held to find out more about each individual's character and whether they would be a good fit to represent the university and Christ.  All of those skills are being taught and tried during the first two days all while the attendees are being whittled down.  The final day is where each one demonstrates their acquired skills and their knowledge of the cheers and fight song.    

As we prepare to kick off the Liberty University football season away this weekend against Kent State, I wanted to share some cheerleading images from earlier in the spring.  These images tell the story of day two of the three days.  I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did shooting them (I'll explain at another time how I came to photograph them rather than participate!)

SENIORS | Taylor, Class of 2014

This is Taylor!  Some of you may recognize her (and her sister, Bailey!) from their cheer session earlier this fall!  I met Taylor when I started tumbling classes a couple of years back at the National Artistic Sports Academy here in town.  She's been tumbling and cheering since she was young and she's extremely talented.  She cheered for her high school for a few years and has participated in several all star cheerleading squads.  She's currently in her second season with FAME All Stars!

One of her best qualities (and there are many!) is her attitude!  Taylor exudes a quiet and persevering confidence in her abilities and has a humble spirit about it.  She's never without an encouraging word or suggestion to help others improve their skills.  Definitely a team player!

Cheerleading isn't the only venue in which she shines, Taylor is also smart and successful in her education.  In addition to all her cheer and tumbling practice, she maintains a heavy college prep course load.  All her hard work has finally paid off - she'll be graduating this spring from E.C. Glass High School and will head off to college in the fall! She's received acceptance from some really great universities and I know she'll succeed no matter where she attends.

We met in downtown Lynchburg and at Old City Cemetery for her session!  Good luck Taylor and the FAME All Stars this season!  Congratulations! 

PERSONAL | Brittany's Bachelorette Cruise

You may remember from some of my previous posts (here and here) that my younger sister, Brittany was engaged to be married!  I say was engaged because she got married on August 3rd and is now Mrs. Timothy Oberlin!  However, before she walked down the aisle she walked the plank (just kidding!) on a surprise bachelorette cruise with some of her favorite ladies!

We scheduled a sunset cruise for the Monday before her wedding out of the Mystic Shipyard on the yacht Epiffany.  We were a little worried about the weather because it started off gray and cloudy but the sun eventually came out and set gloriously while were out on the water!  The ship's captain, Chazz, and his first mate were great hosts - providing us with some wonderful refreshments and a delightful time!  I, personally, had never been sailing and I completely understand how someone could love it so much!  I would go sailing again!

Maria, Erica, Alex and I headed to the yacht early to decorate the cabin, put together the food, and queue the personalized playlist for the evening.  Vanessa, the maid of honor, picked up our bride and brought her to the shipyard.  We sailed down the Connecticut shore, dining on some of the bride's favorite appetizers and desserts.  We danced to the music and ventured out onto the bow of the boat!  Later in the evening, Brittany opened some gifts and personal messages from each of us as well!

After our sunset cruise we headed to the local Mystic restaurant, Margaritas, where we laughed and each of us took a turn wearing a sombrero!  It was a fabulous evening full of fun, friends and lots of fond memories!

PERSONAL | August Goals

Ok, I know that I never posted goals for July!  I've fallen a bit behind!  So I've decided to start fresh with goals for the remaining 2 weeks in the month of August!  Here they are!

AUGUST BUSINESS GOALS:

1. Prep marketing materials for the start of the fall!  I've gotten a start on this.  I need to finalize designs and get some posters/flyers printed.
2. Line up a couple more cheer portfolio sessions and shoot them by the end of the month if possible!
3. Continue to blog 2X per week!  I'm still doing okay with this but it still varies a little from week to week.
4. Prepare a new product and materials for an upcoming business meeting!

AUGUST PERSONAL GOALS:

1. Contact my wedding photographer about getting my own album! Still need to do this!
3. Allow time to adjust to a new work and home schedule (hubby and I are now working the same schedule and home together at night)!

I'm amazed I'm even showing this picture of myself!  And, no, I am not sleeping my eyes were just closed!

 

What do sunsets and sombrero's have in common?  Stay tuned for the blog post next week to find out!!

CHEER | Bailey & Taylor, FAME All Stars

I'm so excited to have Taylor and Bailey, sisters and FAME All Stars cheer powerhouses, to feature on the blog!  They are both beautiful inside and out!  They are in their second season cheering for FAME All Stars, an elite all star cheer gym that has several franchises in Virginia! They and their mom graciously agreed to help me out with some more images for my cheer portfolio - so here they are!  I can't forget to mention that Sean Washington of the Liberty University cheerleading squad helped us out with stunting so Taylor could demonstrate some of her top girl skills!  It was a huge help to get some of those images for my portfolio - so a big shout out to him too!

PERSONAL | Tim & Brittany's romantic coral and gold Connecticut country club wedding weekend

Previous to this post, I was sharing about Brittany's bridal shower and then a little bit later her bachelorette cruise.  I can't believe that it is finally time to tell you all about her wedding!  My sister pored over each and every detail for the entire six months of planning their big day.  It was filled with light coral colors, beautiful gold accents, chiffon, lace, and gorgeous florals.

For the wedding day photography coverage, Tim and Brittany selected Nathan Rohrer of Nathan Rohrer Photography to capture their day.  Since I had been asked to stand beside my sister as a bridesmaid that day, I could focus on just taking pictures because I wanted to and of course, I wanted to share some of the images that I took over the course of the weekend!  The celebration was filled with lots of laughter and abundantly more love, which was expressed eloquently by Brittany and Tim during their wedding vows and was evident to all who shared their day with them!

Congratulations to my little sister, Brittany, and my new brother in law, Tim!

CHEER | Brianna, Amherst High School Lancers

Brianna is a student at the National Artistic Sports Academy here in Lynchburg and that is how I came to meet her! She's attends Amherst High School and has just started cheering for FAME All Stars this year in addition to her high school team.  You always see her with a big smile which just demonstrates her incredibly upbeat personality!  She's also extremely bright and works very hard to improve her tumbling and cheer skills to be her best! 

I love to photograph cheerleading and I'm working on expanding my portfolio so I asked her and her mother if they would be interested in doing a session.  They excitedly agreed and I was thrilled!  I met up with Brianna and her mom at the Amherst High School football field in early August!  We decided to piggyback my session right after the official team pictures since she'd already be dressed in uniform.  Seeing the team dressed in maroon brought me back to my own high school cheering days at Wheeler High, where our colors were also maroon and white.  It was ridiculously hot that day but she worked the camera like a pro and looked gorgeous doing it! 

Good luck to Brianna, the Amherst High school cheer team and your FAME All Star team this season!

ENGAGEMENTS | David & Vanessa summer evening engagement session at Buttonwoods Farm

This is a couple very near and dear to my heart and so I'm very excited to share their engagement session with you all!  The main reason being that the bride is my younger sister, Vanessa!  I haven't been home during a lot of their engagement since I live in Virginia but while I was home for my other sister Brittany's wedding in August (check out her posts here and here) - I managed to snag them for a quick 30 minute session!

The sun was going down over Buttonwood Farm in Griswold, Connecticut where we had just gotten ice cream and the backdrop was perfect!  I'll be sharing pictures from Vanessa's bachelorette weekend and bridal shower soon so keep you eye on the blog!  Here are some of my favorite images of this beautiful couple and the gorgeous ring that David gave to Vanessa when he proposed!  They will be married on November 2nd, which is getting closer and closer by the day! 

FURRY FRIDAY vol. 6

Hey!  I know that I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks on the FURRY FRIDAY posts!  I HAVE still been photographing at the Lynchburg Humane Society each week - minus my bridal shower weekend in Connecticut!  So, here's installment number 6!  Enjoy some furry friends before your weekend!

Bailey!

Georgie!

Roxy

Snap

Ace

Gabe - while his surgery was healing!

Gabe - now!  He's really getting around!

Jackie!

Shay!

PERSONAL | Brittany's Bridal Shower

I shared with you all in my March post that my sister, Brittany is getting married!  We are now about 2 weeks away!  Last month, I traveled up to Connecticut to celebrate with our family and friends at her bridal shower!

Britt decided she wanted her shower at the Wheeler Library.  It was originally the secondary school and now houses the public library for North Stonington, CT.  I loved reading and spent a lot of time there!  I had one of my first paying jobs there and for a while wanted to study library science in college.  Honestly, I really love researching and finding information!  I did homework after school and discovered my love for nonfiction books on the World War II era.  It was fantastic to be back after so many years!

Since we were in a library, the decor had a vintage feel that utilized the books and some other library items - such as a card catalog!  As always, my mom, my aunts, grandma and friends did a terrific job with the planning and decorating - spending countless hours working on each detail!  Friends and family made tons of beautiful cookies as favors for the guests!  We, the bridal party, planned all the games for the afternoon!  The whole day was filled with a lot of love, laughter, gifts, and reunions with family and old friends!  Read on to see some of my favorites!

 

FAMILIES | Meeks Family Session

I LOVE this session!  Terrie wanted to gather her family together at a place significant to all of them, so we decided on Camp Hydaway, where they work each summer.  I've shot there one other time (for Jon & Jackie's couple session!) and let me tell you, it's quickly becoming a favorite location - so many completely different areas!  We spent our time in the upper part of camp for this session! 

As the sun went down, the light was just to die for!  Of course, we had to get some images of this whole family together!  There isn't a more polite, friendly, easy going and fun bunch of kids than these four - which is a tribute to their mom!  It's no wonder it was super easy to spend a Saturday evening with all of them!  They laugh a lot and get along tremendously well!  A couple of months ago, I shot Tyler's senior pictures and Terrie wanted to make sure that we got some individual portraits of Trevor, Kaitie, and Kaylie also during this session!  Here are some of my favorites!