Foggy Sunrise Enagagement

A few Fridays ago, I was preparing for a day full of mini sessions the following day to help us with our adoption fees. And as I was driving down the road, I happened to tune in my ears to the radio when they mentioned fog the following morning. Didn't seem especially likely, but all of a sudden, it hit me. The location I was going to photograph later in the day would be a perfect location for a series of foggy sunrise photographs.

But then I thought, who would I shoot? It was the next morning.

Then like a bolt of lightning, I was full of excitement. My dear friends had been engaged for only a week.  I called up Beth and asked if they'd want to do it. So at close to 10 pm, we had it set. They were to meet me before sunrise at the lake.

I drove there under cloudless night sky, wondering if you can have fog without clouds. I'm never up early enough to know. My heart was racing- would it work? I turned off the highway to see a fog hovering beautifully, mysteriously over the river next to the lake.

My heart sung as I photographed in the quietness of the early morning hours.

De'Angelo and Beth were a perfect fit for this adventure.  Their comfort with each other and their enjoyment in each other's company led to a fantastic series with a great mix of sweet contemplation and laughter.

I love you guys so much and I'm looking forward to seeing how God uses your marriage!

All angles

As a photographer, we choose the best angle to shoot from, inspecting them all as we go.  This weekend, I got to use another angle.  Normally focusing much of my energy on weddings, it's rare that I get a full day of shooting that isn't a wedding day. But with our upcoming adoption, we've had a minimal number of weddings on my plate, and I got to stretch myself to see all angles this past Saturday.

A baby.

 A senior.

 And a family.

Fall Sale

We are offering two days full of mini sessions later this month- October 17 and October 25. All sales are for our adoption costs.  Space is limited, but we have room for you.

We are still arranging the details on our locations, but they will highlight autumn and be awesome. As we get confirmation we'll let everyone know our locations.

In the meantime, if you want to reserve a spot, send me an email (nikki@purplelemonphotography.com) and let me know which date and time of day.  If you are wanting the 17th, we'll have morning and maybe afternoon slots. If you are wanting the 25th, we'll have morning and late afternoon/evening slots.

This is a huge savings.  If you've been on the fence about a session for your family, kids, yourself, your spouse, your...pet monkey, this is it.  Really, if you have a pet monkey, I want to meet your monkey.

Also, we'll also have another set of unique minis coming up in the winter.  It's specially tailored to those with a sweetheart, groups of friends, and small families. Save the date for December 6.

Little E turns 1

For the last several years, I've gotten to photograph Jen and Lester through their engagement, wedding, and the birth of their son.  Recently I had the honor to photograph him as he celebrated his first birthday! He is quite the sharp little guy, talking, walking, and loving his parents to bits!

 I simply love this photo of Jen and E enjoying a sweet baby kiss!

 Such a character. Checkin' out those cars.

Baby N before she's born

Sometimes when it rains, people would be tempted to reschedule a photo session. But not Rachel. She's as go-with-the-flow as it gets, and when the contractions just keep coming, we shoot in the rain, never knowing if that sweet baby is going to stay inside another day or not.

Come to find out, she did stay put a little while longer.  And I think that it is because it gave me some more time to give Rachel and Brett a few more name suggestions. And one very special name suggestion from Eli that apparently won out among the rest.

Yep, that's right, my five year old named that sweet baby.  Just a few weeks and you'll get to see that little beauty here.

Amanda & Cameron: An Orchard Wedding

Over Labor Day weekend, my cousin Amanda married Cameron, becoming an official family with their precious daughter, C.  It was a joy to see their excitement and the smiles on their faces as they wed at a retired Apple Orchard.

 

This is baby C. I think she is just the cutest little girl ever. Full of smiles and perfect chub, and I whisked her away for about an hour during the rehearsal dinner and took a walk so I could keep her. (Sorry if you didn't know where she was, Amanda. She was in good hands.)

 What I remember from my childhood days spent with Amanda was watching her dance. Always full of life and excitement and bit of showy flair.  So when I saw these pink and yellow faded chairs outside their reception, I knew she could rock it. And she did.

 I love this candid moment of Cameron with his two oldest daughters. So sweet.

And on to the reception, a tribute to Old Glory.

A benefit to having your wild-dancing son at the reception is that you can try out some fun experiments on the dance floor.

 Stars and stripes forever, Amanda and Cameron forever.

It also would be ignoring the elephant in the room if I failed to mention the yellow jacket attack of 2014. It apparently is the season for angry wasps, as friends far and wide have been sharing their tragic stories of stings. And we got one, too.  We assume Amanda's train stirred up some yellow jackets in their nest and decided it was war. So needless to say, wasps vs. wedding party and family  and the wasps won. But the groomsmen were heroic and used their bare hands to get wasps out of my hair...and pants.  I escaped with only three stings.  A veil makes a tremendous MacGyver-styled bee keepers hat. And I sure hope everyone, including Cameron's grandmother who got the worst of it, are recovered fully.