liana's bananas photo blog

Blog Facelift : Update your RSS feed

2009-10-09T13:54:00.001-04:00

Liana's Bananas has undergone a face-lift - which is why this is now showing up under a different domain!

Please update your RSS reader with the following link: http://lianasbananas.com/feed/

All future posts can be found at: www.lianasbananas.com

Fire Val

2009-08-24T21:38:00.002-04:00

Today we photographed SEVEN models all around West Midtown for a special project. It was an awesome collaboration combining designers, local businesses and talent. More on it coming up, but I'll be posting sneak-peaks in the meantime.

Crazy Bananas Booth at StudioWed Yesterday

2009-08-24T10:19:00.004-04:00

Thanks for everyone who came out to the BIG event yesterday at StudioWed!

We had a blast and good laugh doing our Crazy Bananas Photo Booth, and you can ***CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PICTURES***

We must be officially "bananas" today too, because we're offering digital downloads and prints at about 1/3 the usual price!

Thanks to the ladies of KIS3 Event Planning for being our test subjects. They did henna for participants throughout the event - super fun!

Of course Mikey and I had to try it out too...

This is my "I need a haircut REAL bad" look!

This little girl had some sweet moves, and did I mention attitude!?

Check out her henna!

If you'd like for us to bring the Crazy Bananas Booth to your next wedding or event, give us a holler! Any bookings for the rest of 2009 get a sweet discount!

BIG Event this Sunday - StudioWed Grand Opening & Inspired Bride

2009-08-21T12:19:00.004-04:00

The Atlantan Brides and StudioWed Atlanta cordially invite you to

THE INSPIRED BRIDE

an interactive bridal event at StudioWed

Sunday, August 23rd, 4:00pm-7:00pm

Register to attend at http://studiowed.eventbrite.com/

We will be there - look for our stuff in the back of the studio, and look for ME outside!! We'll be running the crazy-bananas photo area! Come have a run through to see all the fabulous tables our vendors designed together, have a tasting of cake and catering, and some tasty cold beverages... then come by and get crazy with pictures!

Hope to see you Sunday! Don't forget to register - we're booked up and JUST released a few more openings!

Meet Longinus Fernandes, Choreographer for Slumdog Millionaire

2009-08-14T09:19:00.016-04:00

Last night I had the awesome experience of learning Bollywood dance from Award-Winning Choreographer Longinus Fernandes at Dance 101 here in Atlanta.

While I've studied or tried about every type of dance under the sun, I've concluded that Bollywood has to be one of the most FUN styles, and WOW it gives you a good workout!

We learned the same closing credits dance sequence from Slumdog Millionaire - featuring Academy Award Winner for Best Original Song, Jai Ho.

Here's a clip from one of the local news stations yesterday:

Of course, after learning most of the dance, my photographer-urge kicked in and I pulled out my camera for a few pics and videos. Aris, the founder of Fernandes' agency Xcel Talent, and Ofelia, the owner of Dance101, were awesome to get me right up front for some great shots.

Dancers of all ages and backgrounds came to learn from Longi

Afterwards he took the time to answer questions and snap some pics with the group.

Since my camera settings are not normal to the average user, I attempted a snapshot of us in the mirror - me all yucky from dancing and apparently making funny faces while trying to focus in a mirror. LOL

Last, here is a pic of the people that made this happen.

From left to right: Aris Golemi of Xcel Talent, Ofelia de La Valette founder and owner of Dance101, Longinus Fernandes Award Winning Choreographer, and Bubba Carr Artistic Director of Dance 101 and known for many things including work with So You Think You Can Dance and Fame the TV show.

Slumdog Millionaire Dance Routine taught by Award Winning Choreographer at Dance101 from Liana Hall on Vimeo.

Great Article: To Hire a Pro Photographer for your Wedding, or have a friend do it?

2009-07-31T00:32:00.003-04:00

One of the writers for Seattle Bride Magazine, Cody Ellerd, writes an article about her experience photographing a wedding among the pro wedding photographers. She's had some experience taking pics from the magazine, but not a full time wedding photographer.

***CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE HERE****

I love that there are pictures taken from the same scene (from her and the pros) at the bottom.

An excerpt:
I now disagree more than ever with the digital-age adage that “now everyone is a photographer.” Tens of thousands of dollars in education, equipment and experience separate me from the pros. Professional photographers, like any other artists or business owners, need to spend money to make money. When you hire them, you’re helping them pay for their investments.

“Photography is a very equipment-intensive business, and the equipment is expensive,” says Scott Squire of NonFiction Weddings, a Seattle-based photography team with 10 years of experience. To each wedding, he and his partner bring six or seven top-drawer lenses, a handful of strobes, three camera bodies, one backup and innumerable accessories. (In contrast, if my equipment had failed, my backup would have been my camera phone.)

Staying on top of new technology in the digital age is its own challenge, one that takes a professional commitment and expense. “The rate of change [in digital media] can be stupefying,” laughs longtime Seattle-based wedding photographer Sharlane Chase. She keeps up with the flow of information at annual weeklong workshops and seminars, and it shows in her final product.

Congratulations Jessica and John!

2009-07-19T08:52:00.002-04:00

Jessica and John got married here in St.Simons Island, GA yesterday and it was such a wonderful day despite the rain and change of wedding locations. We somehow managed to get a bunch of pictures outside still - between thunderstorms - and their hotel made an awesome backdrop for the first look.

Here's a sneak peak of a portrait from right after their first look.

Laura and Mark are Married!

2009-07-18T12:04:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Laura and Mark were married at Mt.Paran Church of God in Atlanta, GA with a reception following at the Cobb Galleria.

They have such and amazing story how they came together at the perfect time - when Mark had turned it over finding his wife to God and Laura had just moved to Atlanta and also was at the same point. Their ceremony was one of the most emotional ones I think we've witnessed. You know that moment when the groom first sees his bride walking down the aisle? Even though we did a first look with Laura and Mark earlier in the day, I must say that moment during the ceremony was JUST as emotion-filled. WOW.

We had a team of four of us covering this event as it was rather large. Dana who is working with me this summer came along as did Scott who teamed up with Mike.

Now for the pictures to tell the story, starting with their first look.

Mike captured this one at the same time I captured the photograph above. The following image is Scott's.

There are SOOOO many other pictures I wanted to blog - it would take up five posts!! To see more, check out their client page where you can see their slideshow and album too!!

Laura and Mark, it was a huge honor to be there to document this day for you and your families! We wish you the best of luck in your new adventures together in California!

What Changing Names and the death of my MacBook Pro have in common...

2009-07-18T11:49:00.003-04:00

What does Changing Names and the death of my MacBook Pro have in common??

(Part of) the cause of my silence on Liana's Bananas lately!!

I have LOTS of stuff to blog including:

- Three Awesome Weddings
- Adventure Portrait Session
- Portraits of one of my favorite wedding client's TWIN girls!
- StudioWed happenings
- How I added 5 lbs to our waistlines since we got married and spoiled my hubby rotten with hearty meals
- How to create a emergency back up plan for when your computer burns your hand, then dies!
- Why it's good to pick a business name that you don't have to change when you get married and change your name.
- How to make a jalapeno plant and herb garden grow 3-feet in three weeks
- Recipe for my new "secret sauce" that me and Mikey put on everything now!
- Pics from Jessica and John's wedding that we'll be capturing in a few hours here on St.Simons Island

While my name change is still in limbo, l and I do not have a computer to use (and must beg Mikey for use of his).... business goes on and blogging shall too!

Laura and Mark got Married Tonight! Sneak Peak!

2009-07-12T00:03:00.001-04:00

A random final photograph we made this evening at Laura and Mark's AMAZING Atlanta wedding. This was taken about an hour ago. Now we are home, and the computer is heating up as an unmentionable number of images are downloaded overnight. More coming soon...

Sarah and Charles are Engaged!

2009-07-07T16:31:00.005-04:00

The past few weeks I had the opportunity to do not one but TWO engagement sessions with Sarah and Charles!

Sarah is the amazing owner of Pampered Pet Care Atlanta (rated #1 in by Atlanta Magazine!) - needless to say she and Charles are huge animal-lovers so they've got four darling pups of their own. After our first session together, she didn't feel quite right that they didn't bring their canine companions along for the ride - so we promptly schedule Part II with all six of them!

I couldn't believe how well-behaved these guys and gals are! We even managed to get smiling portraits of each one of them with Sarah and Charles individually and they sat for group portraits too!

Here are a few of my favorites from the two sessions. ***CLICK HERE*** to view a slideshow with more!

This one took some creative shoot-without-looking balancing!

We opted for a 7AM start time for the second session - it ended up being the PERFECT time of day to shoot with glowing light and without being too humid and hot out.

They were all so smiley!!

This restaurant that they are standing in front of is where they'll be having a bridal shower so it was neat that we got to take pics there (before security chased us away!!)

The Whole Family

At the end of the session we did a special portrait - Sarah's had this little lady since she was 14 years old!! They were great sports and went down by the river with me for a few final pictures. We have lots of smiley pics but I love this one especially because it's one of the in-between shots that shows their personalities even better.

You can also check out the draft for their Engagement Signature Guest Book ***CLICK HERE***

Virginia Highlands Engagement Session : Laura and Mark

2009-06-25T23:17:00.005-04:00

Last week Mike and I had a fun evening capturing Laura and Mark's engagement pictures in the Highlands. Their first date was here and they even wore the same outfits from that day - the great thing is Laura is all about bright colors (love it!) so how perfect is it!?

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - it was really hard to narrow it down!

Love ROCKS!!

This is the bench where they sat for hours upon hours after dinner on their first date, talking, getting to know each other. There was quite the crowd around there for this shot and of course they were curious why we were taking pics. So cute!

Love this B&W series!

While I grabbed a few more pics with Laura, Mike was nearby capturing a few more of Mark.

We saved the best for last - the spot where they got dessert on their first date - Paolo's Gelato!

Thanks Laura and Mark for getting Mike and I out on a "date night" too - we can't wait to capture your wedding next month!!

Happening This Week

2009-06-23T16:18:00.006-04:00

Ahhhh... when do I ever stop being behind in blogging!?? LOL. June was supposed to be my month for catching up on big projects like the new website and figuring out when the next Boot Camps will be... but alas LOTS of last-minute things always come up. It's SOO good to be booked up, I'm just in desperate need of help!!

This week:

- Dana has come to my rescue and is diving in head-first getting trained and helping me with the day-to-day operations.

- two amazing weddings and a few fun engagement sessions to blog.

- dad is in town so we may have a belated Father's Day cookout on the back deck

- I'm super excited to meet and photograph the baby twin girls of a wedding client from over two years ago!

- another meeting with my savvy accountant/bookkeeper to get the new system set up finished

- doing a private consultation/class for a super talented portrait photographer who's flying into Atlanta later this week

- hosting a dinner party here for my Spain Mission Trip group

Since posts are more fun with pictures, here's some from around the house lately...

Two little bundles of love, cuddling together on the back deck.

A quick 5D Mark II lesson and lens-testing session with my friend Leigh. She's smart and is trying out different lenses before purchasing.

Grace got Mikey a perfect gift... an electric fly swatter for when she lets bugs get in the house from the back deck and can't reach high enough to get them herself. Don't worry - no batteries in it yet - she's just sniffing and rubbing up against it.

Mikey's Birthday Breakfast on the back deck last Friday. We had waffles and bacon. Fake-bacon for me, really crispy bacon for Mike!

Cupcakes for my Sweetie's Birthday

2009-06-21T22:10:00.004-04:00

Friday was Mikey's 30-something Birthday and we celebrated his getting-older-day with LOTS of food, goofy gifts, and an evening out with a group of 20+ friends.

At about 3PM my Martha Stewart cupcake baking gene kicked in and I went on a cupcake-experimenting spree.

It was pretty funny walking into the restaurant with 100+ mini cupcakes in 5 different varieties. While signature ugly carrot cake is the standard favorite for birthdays, this went over pretty well. It's so easy to share mini-cupcakes and it was fun because we got to try a bunch of different kinds. We will need to be going on a diet after this weekend!

Here is what I managed to mix up:

Oreo Cupcakes had cookie crumbles in both the cake AND the Icing

White Chocolate cupcakes were one of my favorites. I melted Ghiradelli white chocolate to use in the frosting which surprisingly also had cream cheese in it to mellow out the sweetness.

The Key Lime Cupcakes I made on accident. I thought for sure Mikey loved Key Lime, but I was wrong! LOL. I don't particularly care for it either so I made some just-coconut and I actually enjoyed it. Fluffy and light. The meringue on top is made with egg whites and I had to make it twice because the first time I forgot to shake the egg-white carton and got mostly water. Opps!!

The next batch I call French Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcakes. They are injected with Nutella. MMMMMMmmmmm. I made a Ganache for the first time too and it was actually pretty easy. We had it in our wedding cake and now I'm addicted! Once the ganache cools a bit you simply dip the cupcakes in it - you don't need much because it's really rich!

Last but not least, Butterfinger Cupcakes! These were Mikey's favorite since it's his favorite candy and like the Oreo ones they have candy infused into the cake and icing. VERY sweet. Mmmm. We're out of these or I'd be eating one right now.

I used box mix as the base for ALL of these recipes so it was actually very easy and fun experimenting with adding in puddings, candies, and spices. Splitting the batter in half and using one mix for two different types also allowed me to make a variety without having 500 little mini cupcakes tempting us for weeks!

Join us next THURSDAY for a Summer Social at StudioWed Atlanta!!

2009-06-18T11:05:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I haven't posted about StudioWed before!

Earlier this year an awesome new studio launched in West Midtown Atlanta. In fact, it's a concept my mom swore up and down we needed when planning my own wedding this past year. A handful of top-notch vendors in each category, all under one roof. You can have breakfast with a baker and sample cakes, meet with photographers and planners at lunch time, and sample dinner menus in the evening with a caterer. Planning your wedding would be so much easier if you're not running all over town!!

I was honored to be asked by Michelle of Lemiga Events to become part of StudioWed Atlanta. It's been a whirlwind preparing for the grand opening as the storefront opened the same day we had our wedding shower in March... and we were gone for all of April for our own wedding and honeymoon. Now we're in the middle of busy wedding-season and have just a few more things to order before the BIG official launch in August.

In the meantime, the vendors at StudioWed have been having a blast getting to know each other and others in the industry. Almost every month is a different event. This month they're going over the top as usual with a Summer Social that's bound to be good fun!

You are invited to attend and may RSVP at: http://studiowedsummer.eventbrite.com/

Thursday June 25th, 2009
starts at 6PM
StudioWed Atlanta
1000 Marietta Street Suite 124
Atlanta, GA 30318
www.StudioWed.net

Hope to see you there!!

Join us as we celebrate the release of the Weddings Unveiled Summer 2009
issue at StudioWed Atlanta where you’ll find tons of ideas and inspiration
for your wedding. You’ll meet all the StudioWed vendors while cooling off
with unique beer and wine options from Hops City Craft Beer & Wine. Enjoy
appetizers from ultra-chic Soiree Atlanta Catering & Events and desserts from
Sweet Sensations, Sugarplum Visions, and Dreamy Gelato & Chocolates.
You’ll be pampered with hand and back massages from Luxe Beauty Co.
while listening to live music from Laura Coyle. All attending brides will
receive swag bags that include a copy of the new Weddings Unveiled
Summer 2009 issue and other lovely goodies. Brides will also be entered to
win a selection of fantastic prizes and giveaways.

In A Single Second...

2009-06-18T00:01:00.007-04:00

WOW. That was a GORGEOUS wedding. Not just the decor but in the emotion that was thick, rich, and very very present at their wedding ceremony.

Heather and Carl choose a very unique circular-set-up for their ceremony. Here is a sneak peak. I was on one side with my 70-200. Mike roamed in after Heather then shifted to my 10-o-clock with his 24-70.

The following four pictures were taken within a single second. Three are mine and the black and white one is Mike's. This picture of Mike's took my breath away when I realized the composition with the beautiful art in the background and how everything lined up perfectly. During this point in the ceremony Carl's Best Man stood in front of them and read 1 Corinthians 13. I was trying hard to hold back tears - whenever I see someone cry I get choked up too!

If you look closely to #2 and #3, you can see a bit of me in Mike's pic, and him in mine.

17:34:09

17:34:23

17:34:21

17:34:45

Rohn and Elisa got Engaged this Morning!!

2009-06-14T17:07:00.004-04:00

After the wedding we photographed last night, Mike and I both noticed we had urgent text messages from our mutual friend Rohn. He didn't say what he wanted, but Mike and I BOTH had a hunch it had something to do with him popping the BIG question to his girlfriend, Elisa. We decided to take our cameras to church with us this morning... and sure enough Rohn proposed on the balcony of Buckhead Church (where they met for the first time) and she said "of course"!!

On our way to go celebrate with the happy couple. Here's a few pics I snapped.

Congrats Rohn and Elisa!!!

Carl and Heather are Getting Married Today!

2009-06-13T10:24:00.002-04:00

Here's a glimpse of their engagement session we did a while back at One Midtown Kitchen. I love that they picked one of their favorite restaurants for their engagement session - it had such great afternoon light!

Bubbles and Summer Chores

2009-06-07T07:55:00.006-04:00

Summer is here! Okay, so not officially yet, but it sure does feel like it!

This weekend was one of the first where I didn't have a wedding or session. We had extra time to get a bunch of stuff done around the house so we scrubbed, painted, stained, washed, weeded, and shopped. Mike had a grand old time attacking the old birds and bees nests on our front porch with the power washer. I got dizzy on paint and stain fumes and my skin looks like I have rare-stain-disease. Our house numbers on the mailbox post needs HELP now. Who would have thought you'd get repeated nasty-grams from you Home Owner's Association for not painting your mailbox/post often enough? Who knew using a makeup brush for painting numbers isn't the best tool? LOL.

Anyways, no post would be complete without a picture... so here's one I found from Robin and Keith's wedding last weekend at Seaside (more pics coming soon). Nothing better than a magical summer night...

Lynne and Doug are Engaged!

2009-06-05T11:01:00.004-04:00

Lynne and Doug and I headed to Piedmont Park and the 10th-street area for a quick engagement session this Spring. It was a matter of days before we left for our own wedding, hence the delay in blogging, but we got to shoot amongst the beautiful Spring blossoms which come out for a short time every March/April. It was a beautiful day and we even were able to head west for to capture a few shots of the sun wrapping it's rays around them.

Thanks Lynne and Doug! Can't wait for your wedding this fall!

Dan and Leeann's Fabulous Fox Theater Wedding: Part II of II

2009-06-04T20:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I posted the pictures from the first look and happenings right before Dan and Leeann's wedding at Cathedral of Christ the King here in Atlanta, GA. Today, I'll continue with pictures of the ceremony and their reception at the Fabulous Fox Theater.

Mike captured these images of Leeann and her dad at the start of the ceremony, while I took position inside the sanctuary

The church was fairly dark and we almost never use flash during a ceremony - but I really like how these images turned out

Here comes the Bride

Dan watches her come down the aisle...

Mike captured these next two images

After the ceremony, they went back into the sanctuary to sign the license.

Then it was on to the Fox Theater. Some of their reception details

There were no other events at the Theater that evening, so we had full reign to take pictures wherever we wanted. Unfortunately the air conditioning was turned off in the other parts of the building, so we had to be super-quick. It was as hot as a sauna!

The first dance

Love this shot of Leeann's dad tearing up the dance floor...

...and the ladies grooving to their own tune.

Thank you Dan and Leeann (and your families) for making us feel so welcome and for choosing us to document your big day, rain or shine.

Dan and Leeann's Fabulous Fox Theater Wedding: Part I of II

2009-06-03T16:33:00.000-04:00

Dan and Leeann were married Memorial Day weekend at the historic Cathedral of Christ the King here in Atlanta, GA with their reception at the Fabulous Fox Theater. Again, I've pulled WAY too many pictures so I'll be breaking this down into two different posts.

We started off at the newly remodeled Georgian Terrace Hotel - and WOW it's got a whole new modern look - love it!

Dan and Leeann made the choice to do a "first look" and see each other ahead of time so they'd have great light for pictures and lots of time to relax and have fun at their reception.

Before the first look though, Leeann and her bridesmaids were presented with their GORGEOUS flowers from Larry Hammock of Foxgloves and Ivy Floral Studios. He had gotten a hold of a rare blueish-purple flower for the bouquets that grows wild JUST during a certain time of year. Check it out:

Leeann the beautiful bride

Dan right before the first look

Love this sequence from the first look

After we'd given Dan and Leeann some time apart from the cameras, we headed out onto the terrace for more pictures

My husband Mike photographed the wedding with me and took these next two sets of pictures

There were so many amazing place (with great light no less) to take portraits throughout the Georgian Terrace

I took the one on the left of them sitting in this awesome circular lounge in the front lobby, while the picture on the right is one Mike captured in the hotel bar.

Here is another sequence Mike captured of the couple checking out their names being scrolled on the Fox Theater marquis across the street.

Here they are outside in front of the marquis.

Next, we headed up to the Cathedral and a quaint duck pond park just around the corner.

How gorgeous is her ring!?

The bridal party at the Cathedral

There's a beautiful, ornate gate that leads to the bridal suite. Here's another example of Mike and my work together. I took the close-up and he captured the full length picture on the right.

Love this moment - they had a quiet prayer right before the ceremony

Next up...part II!

Tammy's Bridal Portraits

2009-06-02T10:37:00.002-04:00

In February I traveled up to North Carolina to photograph Tammy and Jon's Engagement Session and on that same day we also did a High Fashion Bridal Session with Tammy. Since their wedding was just over a week ago, and Jon has now seen his gorgeous bride, I'm now able to share these pictures.

Tammy makes my job as a photographer VERY easy and her parents are such sweethearts and came along to help location scout, position and carry her train, and drive us from one location to the next.

We started off near this lake that had a dangerous and gorgeous set of rocks just in front of a waterfall. Tammy was a trouper and climbed anywhere I requested.

I loved the painted ceiling of this porch on the nearby rec house that overlooked the lake

Next we headed towards a small walking bridge, and the wind picked up her veil for some awesome pictures.

For the second part of the session we headed into town center for a few pics including a quick stop to the railroad tracks.

Love the shoes!

And last, but not least, this awesome rusted-wall background. Not sure why but this ended up being one of my favorite images from the session - a sample canvas is being made as we speak.

Thanks Tammy for an amazing session and again, congratulations!

Tammy and Jon are Married - Part II of II

2009-06-01T17:44:00.004-04:00

... in continuation of Part I posted HERE...

Tammy's dad escorting her to the ceremony location

The location, and the doves

They're married!

The gorgeous couple, right after the ceremony and before the sun set completely.

Love the candles everywhere - how romantic!

Pics in the vineyard were a must

On to the reception next - check out Tammy's Canvas Gallery Wrap of one of her Bridal pics we had made in February.

Tammy and Jon impressed during the first dance

I can't be sure what happened during this part of the toast, but I adore the expressions in this sequence.

Dancing, party time!!

Leave it to the guys to break out the kung-fu moves on the dance floor

Gotta love the shoes

The End!

Thank you Tammy and Jon for picking us to document your big day. Sara and Sarah had a wonderful time, and we're all so happy for you!

Tammy and Jon are Married - Part I of II

2009-06-01T17:19:00.004-04:00

I am soooo excited to share these pictures from Tammy and Jon's wedding. I've known Tammy for a few years now and she's one of the sweetest people in the world - been through a LOT - it's such a joy to see her and Jon so happy!

Their wedding was held in a gorgeous vineyard in North Carolina and was one of two weddings we photographed just over a week ago. Sara and Sarah are the amazing associate team that I trusted with to take these awesome images - so ALL of these images were taken by them. (Thanks gals!!)

Next, I'll be sharing Tammy's High Fashion Bridal session that we did in February. I also took their engagement pictures on the same day which are posted HERE.

Tammy is fierce-hot in front of the camera, so it's only fitting and proper that her shoes and flowers match!

Almost Ready!

In the meantime, Jon is reviewing his vows outside, and meeting the little-ones

Her dress

Love this shot of Tammy and her mom after she puts her dress on.

A few portraits of Tammy and Jon separately (they didn't see each other until the ceremony)

Tammy and the ladies, looking lovely

Love this shot of the flower girl checking out the program before the cememony

Red-hot reception details!

Last, but not least, got to love this moment of Tammy right before the ceremony, doing her thing on the walkie-talkie

Part II up next...

Sneak Peak (from Mike) of Robin and Keith's Seaside Wedding

2009-06-01T00:29:00.004-04:00

We made it home and have a HUGE day of edits to get out the door tomorrow, in the meantime here is a sneak peak of Robin and Keith's Seaside Wedding. I actually did NOT take this picture - it's my husband, Mike's, work - Straight Out Of The Camera. All I've done is re-sized for web.

He's been photographing weddings with me since 2007 and is very critical of himself, but I think he's doing an awesome job! It's not easy photographing a wedding in such mixed lighting conditions, on ALL manual, and he's nailing it. He captured a lot of important moments that I couldn't even be at (can only be one place at a time!)

This captures the newlyweds walking from the ceremony to the reception site. I had to run ahead to capture reception details before the crowd showed up, while he stayed behind to capture this and other shots that were very important to the couple. LOVE the glow in this shot!

You make me proud, Mikey!

Reporting from Seaside, FL

2009-05-31T14:18:00.001-04:00

We are in Seaside Florida after an awesome destination wedding. Last week was the start of our busy season so we have three weddings from the past week and lots of other sessions ready to blog too... Only problem is we do not have internet here. Gotta get one last fix of coconut gelato before we hit the road...

An Afternoon in Auburn, AL: Maggie and Chris are Engaged!

2009-05-20T23:00:00.007-04:00

During a three-week marathon of rainy, stormy, overcast days... mother nature smiled upon us unexpectedly and gave us blue skies and sun in Auburn, AL.

Maggie and Chris were so relaxed and at home for their extended engagement session - probably having something to do with the fact we were revisiting the spots they first met, dated, fell in love, and got engaged. It also happened to be graduation day for Auburn University, so we had to be very strategic about where we went on campus to avoid big crowds of picture-takers. The whole family joined in on the festivities and we even got to go for a little hike at the end. Check it out!

These two had so much pent-up energy from the drive down they had a blast pulling Maggie and Chris along for the first part of the engagement session.

Once their parents showed up, we handed off the pups and walked over to campus once the crowds had dispersed.

It was so incredibly bright out, with no shade to retreat to... but it turned out great with the blue-sky-background

Love this black and white sequence

A few pictures in various gardens around campus.

At the very end of the session we headed to this hidden waterfall - they'd finally built in some make-shift steps in the path so it was a bit scary on the hike down, but we all made it in one piece.

The rocks around the waterfall were an awesome backdrop in their own right!

At the very end, Maggie had a special request. She'd seen the pictures I took of my own engagement ring and wanted something similar to send to friends who couldn't be there in person. How gorgeous is this!?

Thanks Maggie and Chris for an awesome day! Thanks for showing me the waterfall - I'll certainly go back and bring my hubby. We can't wait for your wedding!

Wedding Vendor Reviews: Cake and Dress Shop

2009-05-18T11:08:00.005-04:00

In continuation of my last post, here are my reviews/experiences regarding my cake and dress shop vendors. I actually worked with THREE different bridal shops, but this is the one I purchased my dress from.

The Dress: Victoria's Bridal Couture
Fort Lauderdale, FL
www.victoriasbridalcouture.com
4.5 out of 5.0

After going to over TEN different bridal stores in Atlanta, I found the dress I wanted, at a price tag out of my budget. My mother clued me into the online sales some stores were doing in other states, so I started calling around and emailing to see if I could get my dress at price within my budget.

Sure enough, Victoria's Bridal came through for me at the BEST price of any other store. You can order online but the service is minimum - I guess that's how they can give you the best deal possible. It took a while to get the order through because I had a special request to extend the train longer, but it finally went through and then it was time to wait.

I heard little to nothing in the 6 months of waiting, and when it came time for my dress to arrive, I called the store, and they told me it would be another month longer. This was highly disappointing but they surprised me and it came a few weeks later. Good thing I still had time for alterations and finding accessories!

The dress came via UPS and was perfect. I'd highly recommend any bride on a budget to go through this process, but put in a bit of extra time in case it takes longer.

(Images by Jessica Claire)
Dress by Demetrios

The Cake: Cake Studio
Los Angles, CA
Sonia's Listing on Wedding Wire
5.0 out of 5.0

Sonia was wonderful to work with, our wedding cake she made - just as wonderful! Everyone raved about how good it was and how gorgeous the design (it was just my style!)

My mom found her on wedding wire and made the initial contact. We were planning our wedding from out of town and met with a handful of cake designers in one day. Sonia's cakes are fluffy and dreamy and unique compared to the over-sugared-weighed-down ones most everyone else had. The fondant she makes is actually made of marshmallow so it doesn't taste nasty like most fondants. She took a lot of time during our initial consultation then again just days before the wedding to go over exactly what we wanted, and helped us come up with the design in the first place. I think we spent hours in her office during the first consultation. We ended up with a gorgeous Tiffany's-blue fondant-covered four-layer cake with ganache and Bavarian cream with hazelnut crunch between layers of white cake.

We had a VERY small wedding (40 people) but I'm a wedding photographer and I didn't want my cake to look itty-bitty. She was able to find cost-cutting solutions to be able to give us a bigger cake that was beautiful but that cost less. We simplified the design and added a fake (foam) layer to the bottom to help do this. She also helped us know what jewels and ribbon to get to her and the measurements we would need. We rented the cake stand from her as well and she delivered the cake the day of the wedding herself.

I get to try wedding cakes a LOT since I photograph weddings and ours was I think the best I've ever had. It was fresh and unique - yet beautiful too! Plus, Sonia was a doll to work with and gave us just what we asked for.

(Images by Sara D Harper)
Toasting Flutes from Tiffany's and Cake Knife and Server by Vera Wang

Wedding Vendor Reviews

2009-05-16T12:23:00.009-04:00

As a professional photographer, I know how important it is to get feedback from clients so that we can continually improve. I know I'm never perfect, and we all make mistakes, but over all my goal as a photographer is to capture my client's day as THEY wish, and that the Bride, Groom and their families are treated like Queens and Kings!

When it came time for the tables to be turned, reading reviews and having referrals really helped in the planning process. Since our wedding was in LA, I didn't know the area as well and had to hire mostly people I'd never met until we were engaged. I looked for vendors that most of all would be a pleasure to work with that ALSO provided great products and services.

I'm happy to say that a majority of our vendors did (for our own destination wedding last month). I just spent some time reviewing our wedding vendors (with the exception of photo and video since those experiences aren't complete yet) and I'd like to share my reviews here too.

We used Wedding Wire for our database and seating charts and overall organization, and also wrote our reviews here.

I'm also going to hunt for some pictures to go along with this, so it's not so much text!

HAIR AND MAKEUP by Nicole DeAnne
www.nicoledeanne.com
5.0 out of 5.0

Nicole DeAnne was AMAZING! She did my hair and makeup for the big day and I wouldn't have had anyone else!

We had a destination wedding and only had one week in LA to plan the wedding and meet with vendors. The last day I was in town, I was speaking at a convention, and figured what better time to do my test? She came to my hotel bright and early and tried different styles until we landed on what was perfect. The makeup stayed on ALL day plus a red-eye flight home to Atlanta! My hair was all in place too so I knew it would last a whole wedding day.

The day of the wedding she was a calming force in the room of all chaos and I was finally at ease as I sat in the chair and let her do her magic. At the last minute I changed my mind about the hair style and asked if it was too late to change. She loved the idea and we tried it out - and it was even better than I imagined!

I'm a wedding photographer and I've worked with TONS of vendors and I can honestly say Nicole was top-notch and one of the best I've worked with! She's completely professional, sweet, and accommodating.

(Images by Sara D Harper)

Edit: I can see now that this post would be ridiculously long if I tried to do them all at once, so I'm going to post them up individually, or a few at a time over the next few days...

Behind the Scenes from Our Wedding: Getting Ready

2009-05-12T11:56:00.007-04:00

I've got SOOO much to post about our own wedding. Pictures, reviews, stories, videos... but since I'm waiting to gather everything to do a more complete review... I figured I'd share some snippets in the meantime.

I love this behind-the-scenes pic because
a) it's hilarious how much photo/video coverage we had for our VERY small wedding and shows some of our awesome vendors in action
b) I'm caught wearing my Uggs... classic... so ugly, but so me! Haha

Sara was a guest at our wedding but couldn't help herself and shot as many pictures as she would shooting a wedding with me! Haha. We've had some fun going through her images this past week.

She took this picture of me getting ready - with our photographer Jessica Claire (love how it looks like she's hiding in the bushes - haha!), and videographer Joshua Smith of Cinematic Bride, and hair/makeup artist Nicole DeAnne fixing me up right.

Eddie and his amazing wife were with Mikey at the Maison 140 while the guys were getting ready then everyone came together for our first look. Jessica and Josh both also brought another shooter with them so there were 5 photographers and 2 videographers total in action! Stay tuned for more pics...

James' Family - Quick Lifestyle Portrait Session

2009-05-08T10:33:00.003-04:00

We're doing a year-in-the-life for this amazing family and here are a few of my favorites from their 6-month session. We only have the 9- and 12- month sessions left... the time has gone by so fast thus far. I can't wait to put together the album that shows the whole year!

We had a bit of convincing for him to get "ready" for pictures.

Little sis, pretty in pink

Sis with Mom

Sis with Dad

Sis with Big Brother

Another of Mom and Daughter

Love these candid black and whites of big brother

All ready to go

Kelly's Bridal Portraits

2009-05-07T09:20:00.002-04:00

Right before we left for our own wedding, I had the pleasure of hanging out in midtown to photograph Kelly's bridal portraits.

I'm looking forward to posting a lot of the images from March and our trip in April as well as some fun news... for now enjoy more of Kelly's images!

Love the flowers in her hair!

A few dramatic black and whites are a must-have.

The wind was a great assistant.

A few close-up portraits

These last few are my favorites.

Counting Sheep

2009-05-06T12:13:00.003-04:00

What's wrong with me!? Does the jet-lag really have me this out-of-whack? I'm usually fighting for every last second of sleep in the morning, a bear to get out of bed. But since we arrived home from Australia and New Zealand I can't sleep more than 4-5 hours at a time.

This morning I was wide awake by 4AM. Finished work by the time Mikey woke, and I had pancakes and eggs ready for him. He's going to be spoiled I tell you!

Well, here's a picture of some odd sheep-shaped building we passed in New Zealand on the north island. I have no idea what's inside.

New Zealand was the LAND of sheep - everywhere! Mikey is probably going to kill me for posting this here but I can't help it - he's just too cute in this little lamb hat!

Home, Sweet Home

2009-05-05T16:11:00.014-04:00

This weekend, Mike and I returned from a MONTH of being away from home for our wedding, honeymoon, and work abroad. We left Atlanta March 31st and didn't return home until May! Today is actually our 1-month anniversary!

Our trip was amazing, but being away that long certainly makes you appreciate not living out of a suitcase. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be home - especially after a long 30-hours of non-stop travel! The great part is that we got to ride in one of the largest passenger airplanes in the world on my new favorite Airline, Qantas. The A380 Airbus was SOOO spacious, high-tech, and QUIET. And by a stroke of luck, the lady's seatbelt next to me broke and she had to move, so we had the whole aisle to ourselves on the 14 hour flight.

They had a HUGE array of entertainment options, and since we left at 1PM from Sydney I really wasn't tired and ended up watching FIVE movies and a bunch of House episodes! LOL. So much for sleep and reading my Australian book!

We had a grueling layover in Los Angles. Between running to the restroom 100 times to wash hands so we didn't contract the Swine Flu, we dozed sitting up amid the screaming loud speaker. Ick. The ride to Atlanta was turbulent the entire way. Double ick.

But alas we arrived home late, but safe.. and were greeted with all kinds of nice surprises. The first think I noticed was our front landscaping. It had MOM written all over it... she'd come from NC while we were gone and completely redone our front beds! It looks SOOO much better than what we left which must have been an embarrassment to the neighbors. haha. Thanks Mom!

Then I walked into the kitchen to a gorgeous spread complete with an advice book they'd put together from our shower and instructions on what to do our first night home.

I found out later my awesome bridesmaids Kimberly and Susan came while we were away cleaned, got groceries, and left us all kinds of nice surprises around the house. I wish I liked strawberries - they look so yummy! My mom had even left some home cooking in the freezer for us. Sara even stayed here 4 hours waiting for the cleaners to come so our house got cleaned twice and is super-clean now... awesome!

Got to love all the Tiffany's. That is one of the wedding gifts Mikey got me. So sweet!

This one on the left cracked us up the most. They'd found our left-over table signs from the wedding and found creative use for it. Haha. And that's my tattered, Santa-Monica-Pier-Dirtied wedding dress on the right.

My kittens ran away at first but then resumed their normal behavior. Such as Grace here pretending to be laundry!

So cute!! She turned a little more brown while we were away.

Being the good wife that I am, I made - errr, went and obtained - breakfast in bed for us the next morning. We'd been craving good ol American food such as Chic fil A for a while. Mmmmm.

The past few days have been filled with the house being torn apart, us unpacking Mikey's stuff, running errands, and the 101 things to do after being gone for a month. I somehow have not managed to sleep longer than 4-5 consecutive hours since we've returned, so I'm a bit of a zombie still with jet-lag. Maybe by next week I'll be cooking real meals and back to sleeping in past 5AM.

Gosh it's good to be Home, Sweet Home!

Chloe the Kangaroo

2009-04-29T18:13:00.005-04:00

Meet Chloe the Kangaroo.

Yesterday, as I finished taking a video as Chloe hopped away, I turned to my new husband and said "now my trip to Australia is complete...I've met a Kangaroo and seen her hop!"

We've had almost two weeks here in Australia and the time has flown by SOOOO fast! We spent one week in Melbourne, and this week have been in the Sydney area including Newcastle and Hunter Valley. We only have 24 hours left to explore Sydney before we head for the airport and two VERY long flights home.

I've taught two amazing Photo Biz Boot Camps since we arrived in Australia and was somewhat surprised how crazy-similar business is here. In our in-between time we've explored some of the countryside, thus my lack of internet lately.

As much as we don't want to leave, we're excited to get home and see what it's like being married in "real life" and see our friends, fam, and of course my kitties who have probably forgotten who we are by now!

Oh yes... and that pic of Chloe... she was waiting for us where we stayed in Hunter Valley yesterday. Greeting us for breakfast!

Goodbye New Zealand, Hello Australia

2009-04-16T17:53:00.004-04:00

Today we depart from this adventure of a Honeymoon in New Zealand and head to Melbourne, Australia. We have a few more days left of our official "honeymoon" before I teach a Photo Biz Boot Camp in Melbourne, then another in Newcastle.

We're about to head out for flight 1 of 3, but here are a few pics from the last few days:

Fox Glacier

A few from our Drive from Greymouth to Haast to Queenstown to Milford Sound and back to Queenstown

Milford Sound, where we went on an overnight boat trip

View on our way into Queenstown

Update from New Zealand

2009-04-14T16:50:00.001-04:00

It's been almost a week since we arrived here in NZ for our honeymoon, and looking back – it all seems such a blur! A beautiful blur though! We're towards Fiordland on the South Island now after driving through rain forest and hiking to see a glacier at the edge of that rain forest yesterday. It's SOOO incredibly beautiful and I really want to write and post more pictures, but lack of time and the horrible internet connection here simply won't allow. For now, a few pictures from this past week....

Honeymoon in New Zealand – Day 1 - Auckland and Waiheke

2009-04-09T18:13:00.004-04:00

What a jam-packed 36 hours! We left LA on Tuesday evening, and arrived in New Zealand on Thursday at 4:45 AM. Completely skipped Wednesday since we crossed the international dateline! The flight was 13 hours and we both slept for most of it.

Viaduct Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand – views from our hotel

After an interesting adventure navigating into the heart of Auckland (Mike learning how to drive on the wrong side of the car and road!) we made it to our hotel by 5:45 AM. The Westin is awesome and I'm a frequent guest of the Starwood hotels because I love their hotels so much – they let us check-in right away even though we weren't supposed to get a room until 3PM. Yeah!

More views from the Westin, Auckland

We skipped sleeping and hit the town for some sight-seeing, even though it was sprinkling on and off all day.

Just before lunch time we hopped on a tour to Waiheke Island for a “Taste of Waiheke.”
Here's a pic of us on the ferry to Waiheke:

The tour included three vineyard tours and tastings, a tour and tasting of an olive oil producer, various scenic drive-bys and lunch at a vineyard. Beautiful doesn't get close to describing the little island that's known for it's red wines and boutique vineyards. It has the same temperate climate as the Bordeaux region of France, so they produce a lot of the same wines.

Lunch at Stonyridge Winery

Stonyridge is the first commercial vineyard in New Zealand to plant olive oil and they also planted cork trees:

Our final stop was the Mudbrick Winery and I think that one was my favorite. The view is incredible!

Lots of lavender. Mmmmm.

There's my husband snapping pics too. Still getting used to calling him husband, not fiance!

Okay... time to go hit the town again before we head south to Rotoura. I hear it's smelly like rotten eggs there. LOL.

We're Married!!

2009-04-07T01:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was such a blur but now I'm hanging with my HUSBAND here in Santa Monica, CA before we fly out to New Zealand and Australia for our honeymoon. Mikey just grabbed the top layer of our wedding cake and put it in front of me to take a bite - we don't have forks so it's hilarious eating it like a giant pizza!

I'm handing my phone over tomorrow and didn't even bring my computer with me (borrowing hubby's!!) so I'll be out of the loop ... but here's a teaser pic the fab Jessica Claire sent me today. More to come, plus video by Joshua Smith! Flowers by my MOM and sister :)

Rough Schedule for April

2009-03-29T16:41:00.004-04:00

March 31 - April 7: Liana Photography CLOSED
April 5: Liana and Mike get MARRIED in Beverly Hills!
April 7-17: Honeymoon in New Zealand!
April 17 - May 2: Honeymoon and Teaching two Photo Biz Boot Camps in Australia

Again, Sara will be checking liana at lianaphotography.com (starting April 7th) should you need anything. If you are attending one of the Boot Camps and have any questions, please contact Jessie B directly. Thanks!

ATTENTION: OFFICES CLOSED Tuesday thru Tuesday

2009-03-29T16:33:00.006-04:00

Attention clients: Our offices will be CLOSED Tuesday March 31 - Tuesday April 7th as we're all headed out for our own destination wedding next weekend.

I will have VERY limited and sporadic email access for the month of APRIL and will NOT be checking my regular email accounts during this time. If it's an emergency, please email liana at lianaphotography.com (NEW email address!) and Sara will be able to help you out. Sara will be checking this account once a day M-F starting April 7th. If you leave a voicemail or send us messages via Facebook, Twitter, or Email... we probably will not get it until May. I hope to blog if time allows, and that's about it!

Thank you to my AMAZING clients who have been so wonderful about working with us to get things wrapped up earlier, and a HUGE thanks to Sara for everything she's been helping with!

This is the first time in my TEN years of business I will be away for a whole month, and it hasn't been easy preparing to leave. I owe a lot to those who are watching over things for us while we're gone getting married and on our honeymoon, and gone teaching abroad.

The Wallpaper in Heaven

2009-03-25T13:16:00.004-04:00

In a perfect world, our friends and family would ALL be there next weekend to celebrate with us as we get married. In a perfect world, our grandparents would all be alive and would be right there with everyone else.

Veils would arrive on time, work wouldn't pile up, and people wouldn't bail at the last minute. But this world is far from perfect... this is something we are aware of more and more each day. It's only in heaven that we can count on these things.

Yesterday morning I was talking to my mom and she mentions that Grandma Lehman was complaining about the wallpaper in her room at the new nursing home. She doesn't like the new place because of the wallpaper!

Last night we were told she was in really bad shape. She had told the nurses aid earlier that day "it's time for me to go." Her heart wasn't beating, just "vibrating" and she'd been put on oxygen and was unconscious for a while. During this time a women from Hospice stayed with her and said while she was out, she raised her hands to the ceiling. When she came to, they asked her what she was reaching for and she said "I could see light, I was trying to get to it." My father was already in Ohio for work, so he rushed over so he could see her first thing in the morning. We were told she would "pull through" by tomorrow or we should call family to say their good byes in the next few days. She didn't make it through the morning.

While it's a sad, sad time for our family, we know grandma is up there in heaven now smiling down. She's walking and dancing on her own and can hear and speak and write as well as she did when she was my age. She lived half her life burdened from the effects of a stroke when she was 50 but was SUCH a fighter and always wanted to be swimming and out and about even up until the last years. She's home with grandpa now and they're probably fishing and playing ball!

Goodbye grandma, we miss you both. But we know you're enjoying the wallpaper in heaven!

Sneak Peak: Kelly's Bridals

2009-03-22T22:26:00.003-04:00

I'm blogging out of order. I have an engagement session and a wedding we shot yesterday that I should be blogging first, but since I have to get up at 5AM for week #2 of excruciating "Step it Up" Boot Camp.... here's a sneak peak instead.

This afternoon I photographed Kelly's Bridal Session - and this evening we edited this and the wedding from yesterday. We leave VERY VERY soon for our own wedding so things have to get turned around FAST. Workin' ROUND the clock these days!

Tammy and Jon's Engagement

2009-03-17T21:41:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I flew up to North Carolina to photograph Tammy's bridal session (can't show you until May!) and also an extended engagement session for Tammy and Jon together.

We had a blast gallivanting around Tammy's small home-town - downtown, in the train yard, and even on a friends farm!

They're SUCH a sweet couple and I can't wait to be able to post Tammy's bridals soon too!

While I'm short on time lately, I've got TONS of pictures - so I'll let them do the talking. Here goes:

Thanks Tammy and Jon - I had so much fun - it's an honor to be a part of your story!

THE In-betweens

2009-03-12T03:32:00.005-04:00

There's something about going through a body of images, selecting the best ones that display your style as an artist, and the ones you know your clients can not live without... like this one perhaps of father and daughter...

...but one of the things I love the MOST is finding the "in-betweens." These photographs are the ones that just make you smile because you knew EXACTLY what the baby, dog, group was thinking at that moment when they thought you were done shooting (but you weren't).

They are the little gems that you may not enlarge to a jumbo canvas for over your fireplace, but they make you smile and laugh or cry...or just stop and think for a bit. I'm not claiming any of the below "in-betweens" will have the same effect on you, but since I was there... here are a few that did for me.

Little Sis: "What IS she doing!?"

All is quiet until...

Dog: "Why do THEY get all the attention??"

I've got some adorable ones of little sis posing for me, and when she couldn't hold her head up any longer, big sis came over and laid down next to her.

Little Sis: "Gosh, being a baby supah-model is tough work, I'm pooped!"

I love the closeness of this moment...totally unprompted...what I've dubbed "The Family Kiss"

The End!

In (less than) ONE month, I'll be a Mrs!!

2009-03-06T00:08:00.003-05:00

It's starting to feel really real! Last roommate moving out. Tax time so the IRS will have my returns before we leave at the end of the month.

BURIED in work because I'm trying to cram it all in before I leave.

Today I went to get my dress altered. It will be a miracle if my veil makes it here on time, in the right shade (two mess-ups already by the designer).

Right now I'm REALLY wishing I had about 5 employees/assistants!! How do brides-to-be deal!??

Snow Showers for our Wedding Shower

2009-03-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

Our wedding shower is in a few hours and we walked out of church to be
greated with snow! It never snows in Atlanta! Praying people show up
still so we don't end up with catered food for 60 to eat! LOL

Puppy Seat

2009-02-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

We just stopped off at Starbucks in SC on the way to ATL. Check out
Chloe in her pink puppy seat! It's got two layers of foam under the
pink blanket. My mom spoils her rotten! LOL

White Horses

2009-02-26T23:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I flew up to North Carolina for a Bridal and Engagement Session that I photographed today for Tammy and Jon.

It was PERFECT out - we couldn't have asked for better weather! We had so much fun taking pics in Tammy's home-town and I'll be sharing the Bridals in May... for now here's a sneak-peak of the Engagement session.

Tables Are Turned : Our Epics Coming Soon!

2009-02-24T21:40:00.003-05:00

The tables have been turned. Today Sara was so awesome to shoot part I of our two-part "real" engagement shoot.

It was VERY last-minute that we pulled everything together, and the sun did not stay up long enough for us, so I'm getting up at 5:30AM tomorrow so we can chase the sunrise and squeeze in "part 2" before I catch a flight.

Charlie and Grace naturally had to be included in part of our engagement shoot. Here's a teaser Sara put up on her blog of me getting Gracie dressed ;)

I can't WAIT to see/share the rest from this series! I'm such a dork. (And it gets worse!) LOL

RSVPs - Is this Normal?

2009-02-20T18:33:00.004-05:00

Perhaps all the fellow brides-to-be and recently-married can help with this.

Our wedding is just over 40 days away, we sent invitations out over a month ago, and the RSVP deadline is tomorrow....

To date, 40% of our list has NOT RSVPed - is this normal??

Cassie and Robert Married in Savannah!

2009-02-19T13:45:00.002-05:00

Since Cassie and Robert BOTH serve in the military, the Mighty Eight Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA was the perfect place for their big day!

Baby B: Three Months!

2009-02-12T14:38:00.001-05:00

How beautiful is this little angel in her Christmas best?

I just ran across this session and realized I neglected to post anything from this shoot we did around Christmas time. Need to remedy that!

24 Hours to Fight Stimulus : Say NO to higher taxes, more inflation and debt

2009-02-12T00:45:00.006-05:00

Want higher taxes, MORE inflation of the dollar, and the start of socialized health care? That's what we'll get FOR SURE if the so called "stimulus" package gets approved tomorrow.

The politicians just moved the vote up to tomorrow - to try to get it passed before people can actually read it! If it is passed, they are going to have to get the almost TRILLION $$s from SOMEWHERE to fund all kinds of ridiculousness (such as $88 million for ATV trails and $600 million to buy cars for government workers).

They'll be a) borrowing money from the private sector that could otherwise be invested elsewhere b) increasing taxes and WORST of all c) printing "funny money" which is going to make the value of the dollar decrease even MORE and lead to even more inflation. These are part of what got us into a recession in the first place!

There's a grassroots effort going on to get the attention of congress - go to www.NoStimulus.com NOW and sign the petition to STOP them from passing this trillion-dollar disaster bill that's disguised as a "stimulus" program.

We have less then 24-hours to get as many signatures as possible. Let everyone you know about this. You can also call and/or email your state senator to ask them to vote NO on this.

“Instead of focusing on three major issues – job creation, housing and compassion for Americans who have lost jobs through no fault of their own – to boost the economy, this bill has morphed into a bloated government giveaway,” said Chambliss. “The majority in Congress has been in runaway mode when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars. This legislation is yet another sign that Washington is more concerned with pet projects than with the welfare of taxpayers.”

Sore Legs! What to do?

2009-02-11T13:42:00.004-05:00

Last week, I started back with the trainer again... I have over a dozen pre-paid sessions to use up still... and it makes sense to use them up to keep me accountable before the BIG DAY...

BUT I'm also doing lots of activity on my own...and I think I took it too far yesterday. I can hardly MOVE today I am in so much pain! Agggg.

- Cleared out office on Sunday (lots of heavy lifting)
- Killer workout w/trainer on Monday (sore already after that)
- Walked/jogged 4 miles yesterday AM
- Painted office yesterday PM... this means lifting a leg onto 3' stool, boosting myself up.. in essence a HUGE leg and body exercise over and over and over again.. to trim around the top. Mikey came to my rescue and finished when my legs gave out under me and I fell into a wall. Opps. Bump on my head hurts too!

I haven't felt this sore since the day after I ran a 10k!

By last night, I could hardly move. Every move shoots pain through my body. I'm supposed to go to another training session tomorrow. Should I reschedule it and rest, or go through with it?

Hotwire, Trust, Weddings, and Money

2009-02-05T00:44:00.006-05:00

When you're planning a wedding, it's painful to look at the budget... because every little thing adds up. You budget, prioritize... but in the end you're still knocking yourself on the head over the fact that what you could have paid off your 2nd mortgage with what you're spending on a small wedding!

Priorities are clear. Marriage counseling, photography and videography are the frontrunners.

STILL every little detail is part of what is cherished, remembered, enjoyed. I want to stay in a gorgeous room for our first two nights as Mr. and Mrs. I don't care if it's big and fancy... I just want it to be to our taste.

So we booked the Viceroy Santa Monica. Simple, elegant, modern yet traditional all at once. Boutique. Beautiful. By the Beach.

This weekend after a particularly convicting talk about money, I canceled our reservation. We can afford it, but I know better. ALL the better uses for that $$! I wanted SOOO bad to justify the fact that it's our WEDDING NIGHT accommodations... but we'd already picked where we would splurge. I set out on a mission this week to find the perfect, affordable place to stay instead. Nothing was really what we wanted. Found an agent that gave us better rates at these places...

Mondrain is funky, modern, fun...

The London is raved about, and you get a whole suite... still not quite right...

So I finally rolled the dice tonight and bid on an unknown hotel on Hotwire. When you book with Hotwire, it's like Priceline. The identity of the hotel is not revealed until AFTER you pay and commit. No changes or refunds.

I bid on a hotel near the beach - at 1/4 of the cost of what we'd originally planned to spend. It's funny how God works when you trust Him and try to make the wise choice. Not your choice, but the one He'd have us make. How He turns things around and makes it 10x better.

Guess which hotel we got??

The Viceroy!!!

***insert happy dance here***

The Honeymoon Planning Puzzle

2009-02-04T00:29:00.000-05:00

Planning a honeymoon out of the country, where we are gone for a whole MONTH is turning out to be quite the puzzle!

I know this is traditionally the groom's responsibility, however we've sandwiched our honeymoon in the middle of our destination wedding and teaching two Boot Camps in Australia. Since work is taking us down under, I've been working on filling in the puzzle our April schedule has become. Plus, Mike insists planning is one of my strong points so I should do it, whereas he excels at finding the perfect travel luggage and reminding us how everything "looks just like California!" LOL!

Mike and I started the research back in October, and are STILL planning away!

From the time we get married, to the time we get home:

26 nights of accommodations needed
2 nights in California
10 nights in New Zealand
14 nights in Australia

So far we will be staying:

9 nights compliments of hotel reward points (thanks parents & my Starwood stays!)
3 nights with hostess in Australia (so gracious of them!)
5 nights in a Bed and Breakfast (yummy breakfast included, and less than a hotel!)
2 nights on a Qantas plane since we loose a whole day in-air!
1 night on a boat in Milford Sound!

Only 6 more nights to plan for!

Here are a few of the places we will be going:

Rotorua, New Zealand

Milford Sound in New Zealand Fiordland

Hunter Valley Wine Country north of Sydney, Australia

The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne, Australia

Attention Clients: April 2009

2009-02-03T23:38:00.004-05:00

ATTENTION CLIENTS: Mike and I will be GONE (out of state/country) for ALL of April 2009. April is the lucky month we are tying the knot, honeymooning, and teaching Boot Camps in Australia!

This means NOW is a great time to schedule that shoot early or get that order in! We will be in touch of course between now and April to make sure you won't miss us.

Sugar Blues

2009-01-31T11:01:00.004-05:00

"Usually I'm exhausted, run-down, and feel like I've been run over by a semi-truck after traveling back and forth to the west coast and teaching two boot camps back to back. It's NOT like that this time." was my comment as I walked the streets of Portland yesterday afternoon after the conclusion of my 16th Photo Biz Boot Camp taught.

I knew part of it could be that being in the company of these photographer over the past week has kept my spirits up, and my mind sharp. Somehow it was not as exhausting as usual. But I wasn't getting extra sleep, that was for sure!

Then I realized... the SUGAR! Perhaps it has something to do with the Sugar!

Almost two weeks ago I gorged on my leftover Christmas chocolate, while watching the Bachelor online, immersed in my guilty pleasures ...because I knew the next day I'd be throwing out ALL the sugar in my house that I'd be tempted with.

You see, my mom gave me this little dog-eared book from the 70s as I was packing up after Christmas... with a disclaimer I can't remember now... and it wasn't until recently that I picked it up and realized my addiction.

I am an honest-to-goodness Sugar Addict!!! (step 1 haha)

It's been over a week now since I've denounced refined sugar from my diet. I have:

- traveled for over 20 hours this week,
- gotten the SAME amount of sleep as usual (not much!),
- worked crazy hours teaching,
- neglected to exercise at all this week,

and I feel like I have SOOOO much more energy than I usually do!

- I'm not as moody.
- Don't feel that "must take a nap" sensation a few minutes right after I eat.
- I don't feel like I've been "run over by a semi-truck" like I usually do after this kind of trip!

This book is an interesting mix of history, personal experience of the author, cold hard facts, case studies, and even recipes! The history alone is awe-inspiring. When you find out how sugar was introduced into our culture, and kept here... WOW.

I admit, it hasn't been an easy start. I sat in front of a plate of Biscoff cookies and chocolates for the first few days of this experiment and was proud I walked away without partaking in a single sugary delight!

I hear it takes up to a month for the cravings to go away. I was able to cut all coffee, Coke, and other caffeinated beverages out of my diet 9 years ago (yes, the last Coke or Pepsi I had was in 1999!!!)... and still going strong on that. Water is my #1 drink. I have a feeling sugar isn't going to be as easy...

My Hello Kitties

2009-01-28T16:28:00.006-05:00

I'm in Vancouver, WA now teaching a Boot Camp and just about everyone here has mentioned their quirky cats already... and it reminded me of this pics I caught of Charlie and Grace I have not posted yet.

Mikey brought me this girly Hello Kitty balloon one Sunday and the kitties had SUCH a blast batting it around and chewing on the strings.

Charlie's Turn!

Gracie is mad that we put the balloon up... and plotting a way to jump off the bed to grab it!

Okay, enough of my dorkiness posting kitty pics online!

The Forumula for Success

2009-01-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success."

- Thomas J. Watson

Wedding Countdown

2009-01-26T00:29:00.005-05:00

If you haven't noticed already, I've been a little MIA in 2009. For good reason. You see, it's like I have another FULL TIME job... planning our wedding, preparing for marriage.

I don't think I could count the number of times I was like "okay, time to quit...honey you can plan the rest of our wedding!!" or "let's elope" or simply broken down in a mess from the stress of it all. Not really self-induced stress, more of tradition- and others-silly-expectations induced stress. Haha. Spent a WHOLE WEEK in 2009 already inhaling glue from the invitation-making going on at my house. Ick!

Well, a lot has finally fallen into place...

- Catering company booked, have final "walk through" in just over a week - over the phone!
- Photographer booked
- Videographer booked
- Flights scheduled
- Coordinator scheduled to come out
- SWEET vacation rental booked. It's where Tyra, Simon, and Jennifer Aniston all reside. A 47-second drive from our wedding location. Super excited about that convenience!
- Wedding night suite booked
- Most of our New Zealand / Australia flights and hotels booked
- DRESS ARRIVED this past week. Fits perfect!
- Completed our Buckhead Church 2-to-1 premarital mentoring program
- Lost 6 lbs so far this year - only a few more to make my goal!
- LOTS of "nesting" taking place (to be revealed in a future blog post)
- Flowers discussed
- Linen fabric purchased
- Cake decor in-hand, along with the lovely Vera Wang servers both Mike and I agreed on
- Invitations sent out. Still wondering why no one in NC got theirs yet, including my parents?
- Shower and party dates picked, plans in the mix
- Shoes that I bought months ago match the dress!
- Wedding website updated

A few things I'll be working on these next few weeks:
- Finding the right earrings
- Planning seating charts and logistics as RSVPs come in
- Tracking down the dozens who are sure to fail to RSVP! LOL
- Finalizing menu
- Finish booking honeymoon travel
- Workin' out!!
- Planning the day-of time-line and lists for coordinator
- Continue with Grace Ministries premarital counseling
- Figuring out readings, verses, songs, and other elements of our ceremony
- Hmmm... anything I'm forgetting? I know I am!

Well, have just under 69 days to figure it all out. All of this for a few hours of a very special day! I'm glad we've got the best in the business to document it so we can remember what 9-months of planning and work went towards! LOL.

Union Hotel

2009-01-25T12:21:00.004-05:00

Last night I flew into San Francisco and met up with Laura Meyer who flew in from Chicago for the Photo Biz Boot Camp we're having out here in Cali this week. The drive over to Benicia was not bad and when we arrived at the Union Hotel (there are only two hotels in this town it is so small!) our secret codes were taped to the door with our names on it!

My room is PINK, and Laura got the blue room. Check it out!

Besides the "eu de mothball" scent coming from the closet, this place isn't so bad. It's more like a Bed and Breakfast - we got served a hot breakfast of eggs and toast already this morning!

Hickory, NC

2009-01-15T12:05:00.004-05:00

I'm up here in Hickory, NC this week and we're wrapping up an awesome Photo Biz Boot Camp with some fun pics of each other. A few shots from this morning...

Our hostess, Dana Andreasson, is just a few months away from delivering their first little one... here are the gals shooting belly pics of her, and also a styling shot of Ginger Moseley.

Here's a more formal shot of Sara Szotak - she's a natural.

Of course we had to take a classic belly-shot for Dana!

Thanks gals for an awesome week!!

Better than iPhones

2009-01-14T00:38:00.006-05:00

It started back the first few months we were dating - I'd fly to some remote island without cell coverage - and Mikey and I would communicate via Skype or iChat.

We had forgotten about our old means of communication when I'm out of town working, but he reminded me tonight and it's SOOO much easier than sitting on the phone trying to hear each other through bad connections.

Sometimes I catch him doing Mr.Napkin Head for me or something silly. Haha he just flashed me his bellybutton and I missed getting a pic of it! Darn!

I'm in Hickory, NC this week teaching a Boot Camp so we gave iChat another try.

Well, here are the pics I got this evening:

I'm fresh out of the shower hence the towel on my head

All Smiles (I think he's laughing at the brush stuck in my wet, knotted hair) ha!

All Seriousness

All Spooked

Our Late-night branded wear

Look, a book about Mikey! j/k

Hey... I have flare from the lamp. Niiiiice!

And last, but not least, Mr.NapkinHead!!

"Courage is Fear that has said it's Prayers"

2009-01-11T01:20:00.002-05:00

There's a VERY small white church down the street that always has the most thought-provoking statements on it's bulletin. Of course it's usually late at night or in the midst of crazy traffic that I spot these statements but I always wish that I'd written it down. So now I have: "Courage is Fear that has said it's prayers."

I like that.

Happy Candy and New Years Non-Reflections

2009-01-06T22:03:00.004-05:00

This picture makes me happy!

Old fashioned and foreign candy always puts a smile on my face...not sure why. And this week I'm trying to "give it up" for a while :(

Anyways, my new years goals/reflections I've purposefully put off thinking about until next week. While most photographers have this time of year to kick back and get a little R/R, marketing, catching-up time in... this happens to be one of the busiest times for me!

This month I'll be teaching THREE Boot Camps so I've got lots of travel ahead, and LOTS of planning and working-on-the-business time. Before that comes though, I have to squeeze in all that R/R, marketing, and catching-up time in a tiny, itty-bitty time frame. My mom is in town this week helping with some wedding stuff we're working on too as the countdown is officially under 90 days!

Okay, back to business...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:33:00.003-05:00

I've just realized in all the holiday fanfare, I've neglected my blog for the past week or two!! It's been nice taking a little time "off" however we did have a wedding to shoot last weekend and have been busy working on our own wedding stuff as well as some client work so it's been a productive few weeks as well.

We'll be back in the office going strong starting Monday, and will resume "regular" blogging then too.

Until then, Belated Merry Christmas and a HAPPY New Year!

Christmas Vacation to the Bahamas

2008-12-24T21:28:00.002-05:00

More pics from our little Christmas Vacation to the Bahamas about a week and a half ago...

Approaching Paradise Island

On our way to Atlantis

We stopped to see the fishes at Atlantis

A quick self-portrait close to the big Christmas tree out back

Atlantis from Afar

Strolling around Nassau

Look, Bananas Bay!!

Then we headed back to the ship

We're in NC where we've been all week, just finished a yummy Christmas Eve dinner and making yummy cookies.

Many blessings this evening and tomorrow!!

why YOUR world is our studio

2008-12-21T01:30:00.004-05:00

Your World Is Our Studio. I have so much more to say about this... it has to do with a business long overdue for it's launch, but for now I simply want to post these images.

This weekend was an awesome reminder of WHY I do what I do. I LOVE love LOVE capturing people in their natural environments. In fact, I dug my studio lights out of the basement, dusted off the spider-webs, and priced them out for ebay this week.

There's something about being invited into a family's home and life... and capturing them in their own environments. No bright lights or drives to the studio. No hassle or packing everything up and bringing it along. No pretense of pretending to be natural and happy on sterile white backdrops. Just opening the door and being yourself.

I was honored when the Steffe family invited to make the first portrait of their 5-month-old darling baby girl. Here are a few of my favorites.

Love this one!

I was promptly greeted with a "surprise" which needed to be changed! LOL

Mom and Dad are both in the medical field so they've done a great job converting their downstairs to take such great care of baby M.

How cute is this little hat?

More on the changing table

Look at those bright eyes!

Mother and daughter

Sleepy time!

While she slept soundly next to them, we snuck a few portraits of mom and dad together

I think she must have been having a sweet dream because we finally caught this little sweet smile while she was sleeping

The end

Rough Week

2008-12-19T01:27:00.003-05:00

I've been having a rough week. Literally. We got off a cruise ship 4 days ago and I'm STILL rocking. With the holidays around the corner, and work to catch up on, I've had a rough time getting my feet planted firmly on the ground.

Every morning I wake up "Please God make the movement have stopped today!" and then I'm greeted with the swaying motion that is in my head that I've grown accustomed too. Throwing off my equilibrium, keeping my stomach tied up in knots, and distracting me from the tasks at hand.

So here's to another nights rest, and hopefully waking up in the morning without the motion!

Home, Still Rockin' from the Cruise!

2008-12-16T10:33:00.003-05:00

We're back!!!

We got back last night after a long drive home from FL after our quick weekend cruise to the Bahamas. I've got more pics to share but here's one of our ship docked in Nassau around sunset. It was SOOOO rocky that I didn't make it to dinner on the last night and am STILL swaying even after being off the ship foe 24 hours!!

When will the rockin' stop??

Above: Picture straight out the camera (Canon 5D Mark II with 28mm f1.8 lens)

From the top of the boat

2008-12-12T15:39:00.000-05:00

Surprise we are cruising to the Bahamas!

2008-12-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

That's Mikey letting people know we are not going to Disney... We are
cruising to the Bahamas instead! I had him fooled for a bit!!

Canon 5D Mark II : Initial "fooling around" tests

2008-12-12T00:46:00.007-05:00

NO time for a detailed review, but here is a video or two of Mikey and I messing around with the fun video function. It's a WHOLE new world because it doesn't allow you to auto-focus while shooting video, so you have to balance holding the camera, changing settings, and focusing manually.

These are ALL handheld, straight from the camera (resized for web using iMovie), and have NO post-production edits. Pretty loud too.

The first video you can actually see me trying, in vain, to focus manually. Hahaha.

Mikey got in the Irish mood and did a little jig for me at the end. He says he might "hurt me" for posting this! (He IS actually part-Irish, as am I!)

A little guy splashing around in Downtown Disney.

Out of Office until Tuesday December 16th

2008-12-11T19:58:00.005-05:00

We're down in FL now a stone's throw from Downtown Disney after a long long drive (also due in part to my detour to Tampa to pick up my new 5D Mark II!!) Yeah!

I may or may not be posting updates along the way but I will be turning off the email and not checking the office line except for emergencies. Vacation time!!

This trip is a surprise as Mikey's Christmas gift since one of our favorite things to do together is travel. I seem to have a hard time surprising him though. I still have a surprise or two up my sleeve (but he can probably guess since it's obvious now that we're in the Disney-area!!) We'll see...

Jessica and John's Extended Engagement Session

2008-12-10T15:44:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited for these two! Jessica and I met a few years ago when we both traveled to Brazil for a mission trip. We became quick friends, and she is one of what I call my "goofy" friends because when you get the two of us together, there's NO stopping the nonsense and giggles. I'll spare my blog readers endless recounts of our late-night (oh and during the day too) antics!

We actually did the first part of their engagement session about a month ago. They brought Michael, the handsome pup that is SUCH a doll... well, they call him "bear" also. I've gotten to know Michael pretty well on road-trips home and even seen him catch a football in his front paws!

The SECOND part of their session we went on a double date to No Mas Cantina this past weekend and shot some more urban pics around the area then went for dinner.

I've got a gazillion things to do before leaving town tomorrow AM, so I'll let the pictures do the talking:

PART I

PART II

Curiosity

2008-12-09T23:47:00.004-05:00

As per the advice of my photography professor, it's best to title your work by the FIRST thing that comes to mind when you see it finished.

It was the very end of our family session and we were about to pull the drapes back so Marshall's little sister could nap... when he turned around to see his face mirrored in my 50 1.2. He stood mesmerized long enough for me to snap the one on the left.

Best Wedding / Marriage Advice?

2008-12-08T21:49:00.001-05:00

For those of you who are married or have been married...

What's your best advice for planning a wedding?

AND

Best advice for marriage??

Just curious ;)

My Future Husband

2008-12-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

We are chilling in the car before a photoshoot and double date...

Diva

2008-12-06T19:42:00.001-05:00

Anyone read French?

2008-12-05T14:05:00.004-05:00

I need to go to bed earlier. When I stay up late I do funny things like order beverages from France. I was wise though, even in my deliriousness, and checked the exchange rate first to be sure it was in my budget. LOL.

Anyways, anyone read French?

I know I can look up the translation but those always do a lousy job and posting here is more fun.

My guess is that it's telling me they are confirming that my order will be shipped on December 5th. Am I right??

What's this for?? You will see... in about four months!!

#8 of 101: Blog Every Day for Three Months

2008-12-05T10:23:00.007-05:00

Another of the 101 in 1001 days mini-goals accomplished!! This goal REALLY helped with my blog-slacking tendencies. I think this is one I'd like to continue with at least until I'm out of town for a month next year!

The blogging spree started in early September, with posts reporting clues about where we are getting married (in FOUR months as of today!!)

The past few months have included posts about
- cake DIY trials,
- Launching a new business
- "A Dollar Worth of Laughs"
- Lots of controversial posts
- Bridal Showers to host
- Planning our own wedding, then un-planning it, and re-planning it (always getting married, just road-bumps in the day-of plans)
- Interesting Adventures
- Some weddings and funerals
- Seeing my photography in a book you can buy at Borders
- The lens I am now obsessed with and could never live without
- Running out of Gasoline and not being able to get it for FOUR days!
- Teaching three fabulous Boot Camps that I'm about to blog more pics of this weekend,
- Lots more nonsense, pictures, work stuff, travel stuff, and personal stuff

I'm realizing now, as I go through the archives, that I still have SO much to post that I haven't yet. Namely, lots of my 101 in 1001 that have been accomplished but not posted about. Non-slacker and slacker at the same time I am!

So here's to THREE months+ of continuous blogging and hopefully another three more at least... we'll see ;)

Remembering to Eat

2008-12-04T23:47:00.003-05:00

I have this problem.

- First of all, I'm NOT a morning person, nor do I like breakfast foods.
- Second, I work from a home office most of the time when I'm not traveling all over the place.
- Third, I have roommates and friends that offer to pick me up some food when they're driving to Wendy's or Chic Fil A or the yummy taco place down the street.
- Also, I'm engaged to a wonderful guy that much prefers eating out because he too works from home (his own home).

All of these excuses pale though in comparison to the fact that SOMETIMES (okay, most of the time) I just get too wrapped up in work and whatever task is at hand to remember to eat. This has been going on for years now. My old assistant Audrey would remind me daily and tell me to go take a break. I think I need her back!

What happens is I forget to eat then someone will offer to pick something up for me which is usually not on my list of "must-eat-healthy-foods." OR I get so busy that I ignore my hunger pains until my stomach starts screaming it's profanities at me and threatening to make me feel weak. It's usually around 3PM when I remember and I'm running out the door and grabbing fast food or something else equally unhealthy on the run. I HAVE plenty of food at hand, it's just not convenient.

None of this bodes well when you're trying to "get healthy" and on "Operation: Wedding Dress." Somehow not eating until 3PM is worse than eating a huge breakfast or snacking all day. I could buy the pre-packaged Lean Cuisines or other TV frozen-dinner variety, but they're darn expensive, most taste like rubber, and they leave you feeling hungry still afterwards. Yuck.

My solution?? Go back to my college-habits. In college, I would pick a day every few weeks and have a cooking-marathon. I'd get the kitchen all dirty making four to five different meals at a time, then packaging them to go into the freezer in individual pre-packaged portions. Each week, I'd pull out a few meals of different varieties and move them to the fridge and that is what I ate for lunch or dinner and supplemented with fresh fruits, veggies, and other meals throughout the week. I didn't forget to eat when I had those.

So yesterday I picked up the groceries, hauled an ungodly amount of food into the house, and cooked up a storm from 9PM to 2AM. I have enough meals to last me a month now and there are still more to package!

So far I have:
Two oriental dishes
One sweet/sour Caribbean-inspired dish
One chicken-mushroom savory dish
One Mexican dish, and
One Italian dish

I still have a few more to whip up in the next few days plus all that left-over turkey to make into meals so we'll actually eat it. Each "dish" makes 4-6 individual meals and Mikey is going to be a lucky-recipient of some of these because I just don't have enough room (plus he needs to remember to eat too!)

So there it is... homemade Lean Cuisines!! Much tastier and more affordable though! Convenience and home-cooking all wrapped into one.

We will see how this helps out my pocketbook, waistline, and health overall...

Piano

2008-12-03T21:26:00.001-05:00

One of my favorites from a family session I did this week...

One Vote Really Does Count

2008-12-02T23:46:00.008-05:00

The polls were quiet today. I expected a wait and found none at all. I got the vibe that the poll workers were really bored.

This Sunday after church we stopped by Jason's Deli next to the "disco Kroger" for lunch and low and behold... there was Saxby Chambliss having lunch with his wife. Just going through the salad bar like the rest of us do.

I have to admit I wrote him a letter earlier this year and told him it would be difficult for me to vote for him if he voted for the bail-out plan (he did, and I'm still not keen on it!). I also admit that I went out and did what we told him on Sunday we'd be doing... voting for him.

They just announced his win and I'm thankful that a Republican is taking one of the final Senate seats... ensuring that there WILL be SOME form of checks and balances in this government!

Chambliss’ double-digit victory dashed Democrats’ dreams of securing a filibuster-proof, 60-vote “super majority” in the Senate

The Oldest Kitty Portrait

2008-12-02T11:39:00.001-05:00

Awww... look what my sweetie sent me today...

The Maze of Planning a New Zealand Honeymoon

2008-12-01T23:47:00.005-05:00

After three days of research on the net and making a new home in the travel section of Barnes and Nobles, we MAY have a rough itinerary...

North Island

South Island

Places we may go...
Auckland
Hot Water Beach
Champagne Pool
Frying Plan Lake
Rotorua Zorbing
Artist's Palate
Polynesian Spa
Blue Baths
Tongarino Park
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Easter in Christchurch
Pancake Rocks
Lake Hawea, Wanaka, Tekapo
Author's Pass via TransAlpine Train
Hokitika
Milford Sound
Queenstown

Anything along our paths that we may have missed?? Any tips/tricks?

Operation: Wedding Dress

2008-11-30T20:52:00.004-05:00

My friend Jen had what she referred to as "Operation: Green Dress" earlier this year. It was her way of quantifying and making a goal for toning up and slimming down and dropping those last few pesky pounds. In the end, it was a huge success and she felt great in her green bridesmaid dress.

Today after church, Kimberly and I headed over to a bridal boutique in Buckhead (which will remain nameless for Mike's benefit of having NO hints about the dress, as per his request). My dress should be arriving in January, however I needed to order my accessories so they'll also arrive in plenty of time. My dress fit better today than it did four months ago which is a great sign I'm headed in the right direction... BUT it's time to kick it up a notch.

Any ideas on tips and tricks for "Operation: Wedding Dress"??? So far I have:

1. Eat more protein and veggies, less sugar!! (my weakness!!)
2. Go to gym 3 days a week for weight training
3. 30 Minutes of cardio 4 days a week
4. Detox THIS week starting tomorrow!
5. Go to 15 dance classes in December 2008 at Dance 101 - fun!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-11-29T23:48:00.003-05:00

...it's been raining cats and dogs for the past few days... so much so that it's turned me and Mikey into certified couch-potatoes. I MUST admit I'm enjoying it. Thanksgiving was the first time we went to the movies together since we got engaged in July!

We got our Bond fix in the theaters

...then devoured Once (won an Oscar for it's AWESOME soundtrack!!)....

...then tonight we vegged out again in between some wedding-planning and work... to Tropic Thunder which I think was my least favorite of the three, but still pretty intriguing to watch to see all the parodies and how Robert Downey JR transformed in the end.

I think if this rain doesn't let up soon I may be having a movie-marathon!!

Black Friday Sale on DVDs!

2008-11-28T11:35:00.002-05:00

Hi Liana,
You are a huge part of my growth as a fiscally responsible person. I gave myself your DVDs for Christmas last year, devoured them during down time, and am now enjoying a 60% growth in my business. Thanks for the inspiration.

***CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS***

Just Watch

2008-11-27T01:29:00.003-05:00

Three-minute stop-motion love story by Carlos Lascano. A couple of pencil-outlined birds escape from a little girl´s drawing, leading us through the life she dreams of.

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Nature Boy

2008-11-26T20:41:00.003-05:00

My mom went to visit my grandma this week and brought back a bunch of their music... so we are cooking dinner with the fire crackling, listening to some great tunes, including "Nature Boy" by Natalie Cole. Love it!

There was a boy...
A very strange enchanted boy

They say he wondered very far, very far
Over land and sea

A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
One magic day, passed my way

And as we spoke of many things,
Fools and kings,
This he said to me

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
is just to love and be loved in return"

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
is just to love and be loved in return"

The first time I heard this song it was via the movie "Moulin Rouge" which reminds me Baz Luhrmann has a new movie out today!

Gergana and Kevin's Engagement

2008-11-25T23:56:00.004-05:00

This evening I met up with Gergana and Kevin for their engagement session and we had some GORGEOUS light despite the quickly-dropping temperatures!

Gergana loves the camera (and I must say it loves her back) and Kevin had tons of great suggestions for locations and backdrops so they made quite the team for a great shoot!

Here are a few of my favorites:

***CLICK HERE TO VIEW THEIR ENGAGEMENT SIGNATURE GUEST BOOK***

Turkey Week!

2008-11-24T15:31:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited it's Thanksgiving week!! Among many other things, this means Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!! Can you tell I'm just a little bit thrilled it's time for turkey dinner?? It MAY just be my all-time favorite meal. I may have to hit up Boston Market in the meantime I'm craving it so bad!

Must. Get. Work. Done.... so I can go pick up the ingredients I need for later this week. It's my first time hosting a family holiday at my house, ever!!

I think I'm going to be daring and try a new sweet potato recipe. Anyone have a good one??

KImberly B is now Kimberly D!

2008-11-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

Can you believe I actually DID NOT photograph a wedding I was at/in?? I realized about half-way through the reception that I'd failed to go back to the main house where the gals had gotten ready to grab my camera... and MISSED my chance to get some more shots of Kimberly and Jason's wedding! Ugg!

Well, I DID grab just a few in the getting ready room... here's one of Kimberly putting on her veil and then taking a look for the first time in the mirror all done up. It was quite the emotional moment!

Everything turned out beautifully and I can't wait to link up some of their official pics when they are up! Sara and Brandy did a great job I'm sure!

Best Friends Wedding Today!

2008-11-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

We are up in Bethlehem, GA today for Kimberly and Jason's wedding... just starting to get ready!

Low Country Boil Rehearsal Dinner

2008-11-22T09:33:00.003-05:00

Last night, Kimberly's Aunt and Uncle hosted their rehearsal dinner up here in Bethlehem, GA which turned out to be a blast. They did a low country boil which I've never experienced before and the spices are yummy!

The gals stayed in their in-law suite over night and this AM I found an internet signal so here are a few quick pics from last night:

Their house is HUGE and gorgeous. Her uncle is a commercial contractor and built the house himself! It even has a movie theater in the basement!

The groomsmen looking on while her Uncle said a few words..

Kim's daddy and niece Lily who is the flower girl

Low-country boil in cooking-action

Dinner!

Kimberly's Aunt serving up some crab-leg

After dinner her cousins played some tunes outside around the fire

Yummy Pies!!

At the Church Rehersal

2008-11-21T19:15:00.000-05:00

That's where I'll be tomorrow (next to Kim)