{Personal} Holiday Bokeh!

This afternoon, I was inspired by this post on the MCP Actions blog.  This blog, by the way, has been an amazing resource for technical & business tips - photogs, you should check it out! 

I figured, if I was going to get a shot at photographing bokeh shapes, I'd better do it before everyone took their lights down. We don't have any up other than the white ones on our tree, so I had to stealthily walk right up to neighbors' bushes and snap before I got caught!

bokeh (pronounced /bɒkɛ/) is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

My shape of choice was a cross in honor of the Big Guy Upstairs. Here are the directions if you want to try it out!

{Personal} White Christmas

Little Jack just LOVES the snow! 

He said, "Mommy, can I go out and play?"

Unfortunately, he left his toys out last night and they were frostbitten. That didn't stop him from trying to play with them, though!

Our street in a blanket of powdered sugar (a.k.a. snow).

{Babies} A Christmas to Remember

What a delight it was to photograph this sleeping beauty, Savona, at only 8 days young. She had the sweetest pout on her lips. She is surely going to be a daddy's girl!

Savona's mom was featured in a previous post. Click to see how great she looked while pregnant!

{Kids} Colin is Two!

He can give serious looks with those big blues. This boy is going to steal some hearts in his life. 

I have known Colin since he before he was born and now he is two! Where does time go?

{Maternity} Glamorous Mama!

I was so lucky to have such a beautiful model today. Believe it or not, she is only a few weeks away from delivering! I know... if only we could all look like this! 

Even though the colors were gorgeous (above), I am always partial to black & whites (below).

{Kids} Amore

Isn't she adorable?? 

Miss Amore is so full of life and very smart as well! She is tremendously excited to welcome her new baby sister into the world in just a few weeks. It was such a delight to meet her!

{Kids} Fun in the Park

The Ferguson kids were ready to roll this afternoon! After each shot they said, "where do we go next?!" I got a quick lesson in thinking on my toes, that's for sure! We had a lot of fun and even got a little workout in the process. 

I can't wait to finish editing these so I can see how Mom will use them for their Christmas cards!

By the way, I think this shot is one of my favorite candids EVER.

{Kids} Mademoiselle Madison

During the Eklund maternity shoot, little sister Madison was in tow ready to take on the spotlight herself. 

Here is a sneak peek of Miss Madison giving the camera some attitude!

{Anticipation} Eklund Maternity Shoot

Despite the cold weather, the Eklunds were troopers during their maternity shoot this morning in historic downtown Waxhaw. The proud parents are expecting their first child, a girl, due at the end of the year!

Here are a few of my favorites so far...

Proud Grandma brought along a sonogram photo and teeny shoes as props (below)!

Mom and Dad share some tender moments (below).

Monkeying Around

Another package arrived in the mail today! Now the boys won't feel left out. They can sport this oh-so-cute sock monkey hat (0 - 3 months)! The best part is, it's made from acrylic, so it won't bother that delicate baby skin.

Which handsome prince will model it first?

Rufflebutts and Roses

I was so excited to receive my order from The Little Black Hat today! 

I ordered new props for my littlest clients, and there are more to come! I just adore the pink rufflebutt diaper cover and the pink rosette headband :)

Now, I just need a little body to put them on!

{Sneak Peek} The Newest Member of the Church!

Baby Shannon was baptized today in front of friends & family. I was delighted to be part of one of the most special moments in her life.  She sure liked the shutter sounds of the camera and even hammed it up for me at the end of the session :)

I couldn't resist putting up one more...baby's first prayer.

My Little Jack-o-Lantern!

This is Jack, our 1 year old Shi Tzu/Poodle mix in his Halloween costume! He is not a big fan of wearing clothes, but he looks so cute in them!

{Whitmire-Rhew Wedding | 10.9.10}

Saturday, October 9, 2010, I had the pleasure of photographing the union of the Whitmire and Rhew families. I acutally went to high school and college (go Heels!) with the groom, Adam. He met his bride by chance while on a cruise after graduation. The bride, Brittany, was described during the toasts as a planner. She planned every detail of their rustic mountain wedding at Pinebrook Manor in Hendersonville, North Carolina and it was gorgeous!

Brittany even handmade the ceremony programs (below)!

The session started in the Lord Byron suite (how poetic) where Brittany and her girls were primping & sipping champagne. Here are a few of the getting ready shots (below).

Brittany's sister & maid-of-honor assists with makeup touch-ups (above).

The bride wore boots (by Frye)!

Yes, that is a UNC garter (above)!

We went outside for some fun group shots (below).

The ladies went into hiding while the men had their session (below).

The groom pours the men a glass of scotch. Afterward, they watch the Alabama v. South Carolina football game in the library.

The ceremony was held outside in the rose garden & the weather was perfect (below)!

The maid-of-honor signs the marriage certificate and makes it official (below)!

We stole some time before the reception to pose in front of the getaway car - the bride's uncle's restored red Ford truck (below).

 

Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Adam Rhew (below)!

 After dinner, the couple cut the delicious cake, which sat atop a tree ring (below).

The flower girl, Bella, didn't want to give up those petals, even at the reception!

The Rhews' first dance (below).

The bridal party changes into boots so they can get down!

This was a FUN crowd! They had a Quad City DJs train going on below 

(courtesy of Sound Extreme DJs)

Dad teases the groom about the garter removal (below).

A little trouble getting it over the boots...

He got it!

The ladies went all out for the bouquet toss!

The bride is thinking, "why do you have a sparkler in the truck?!"

And they're off to the Dominican Republic!

All images are copyrighted as the sole property of Hayley Juliet Photography