What starts with "P" and ends with "arker'?

Not the most creative title but let's just focus on the fact that I am finally posting Wes and Sara's sunrise photo session!! I think I've explained this several times already but for clarity's sake, Wes and Sara are our neighbors and some of our best friends and the four of us had the most awesome vacation in St. Augustine back in June.

What we DIDN'T know then as we ate pizza and laid in the Florida sun and shopped and took pictures like crazy is that in six short weeks Dylan and I would be moving away. Looking back it makes our trip- and all the pictures we took- that much more special.

Sara is an amazing photographer here in Columbia and we traded photo shoots while we were there. She got our session posted at lightning speed. I, on the other hand, have been slow.

We headed out bright and early and wandered around the marina (note to self: some people actually sleep in their boats and do not appreciate loud photographers at 6 a.m.) before finishing the shoot at Castillo de San Marcos, a gorgeous old Spanish fort on the water.

If you know Sara personally or follow her blog, you know that she likes BIG POSTS with lots of images. : ) So in true Sara Parker fashion, here goes- this is a lot more than I usually post! Prepare for your socks to be rocked off, cause this is one attractive couple.























These next two are some of my faves

















How AWESOME would this be as a huge canvas??














What a perfectly matched couple. Equal amounts of ridiculous.

















I guess it makes sense that I post so many. It was, after all, the most images I have ever shot in one session. And the longest session I've ever done. And really awesome locations. And such beautiful light. And some of my best friends. And it just would have been hard to choose less.

I'm sure at this point you are wondering why I am not sobbing uncontrollably. It's called DENIAL people, and it's not just a river in Egypt. Clearly I plan to pack Wes & Sara up along with our house and take them with us. Duh.

Cause everyone needs a little bit of this in their lives.

Starfish and seagulls

Any time I book a new client over the phone I'm a little nervous to meet them in person, but when I got to the Isle of Palms recently to photograph Leisa's family on their vacation my fears instantly vanished. This was one of the happiest groups I have worked with! They were so sweet and treated me like a friend from the moment we met.

Here are a few of my favorites, starting with the whole family- Leisa and her husband and daughters, her sister-in-law and brother, and her parents





My husband thinks this would make a fantastic great big canvas over the fireplace. I would have to agree.








Sometimes families bring props to their sessions. Sometimes nature provides them (though breadcrumbs do help).














Love the sister shots











Thanks guys- I had such a great time. (And it's always nice to have an excuse to go to the beach.) Special thanks to Kati for coming along to assist me!

Leave my burrito alone!!

If you've been looking for me I haven't gotten swallowed up by moving boxes- actually I haven't even started packing. Dylan and I are in Maryland on a quick trip to get him ready to start his job and find a place to live. We've spent the last two days mostly in the car, driving straight from Columbia into Baltimore yesterday and checking out apartments all over before crashing at my cousin's up in North East, MD, and then all over the city again today.

I had big plans to start packing before we left (didn't happen), big plans to get totally caught up on photo sessions (still in progress), and big plans to find a new home in a brand new state in 48 hours. As place after place we visited didn't work out for one reason or another, we definitely started to feel the pressure. We're moving in less than three weeks- it would be nice to have somewhere to move to.

When we realized it was 5 p.m. and we'd had nothing but Goldfish crackers to eat all day, we thought it might be time for some dinner. We parked the car and started really exploring our new city for the first time. And by "exploring" what I actually mean is desperately looking for somewhere to eat. We were hoping to stumble across some cool "local" place but quickly abandoned that plan and headed into one of the first places we saw- Chipotle.

We took our burritos outside and sat at a little table by the harbor, absolutely exhausted. I felt a little better with each bite. After two long days of driving in circles stressing over where we will live and how it will work, I stopped worrying. We don't have all the details ironed out like I thought we might by now, but I trust that God has a plan for us. Everything will be just fine.

I was able to take a deep breath and just enjoy the fact that it was breezy and 81 in the middle of July, and that the city buzzing all around us was going to by MY city, and that I had my best friend by my side the entire way. My mind quickly shifted to the more important task at hand- keeping THIS guy from getting my dinner!!





Seriously, the pigeon would not go away. These city pigeons mean business.

I'm really looking forward to RELAXING tomorrow and enjoying a big family dinner at my cousin's house. I've sadly taken very few pictures while we've been here (other than this persistent pigeon of course) but here are just a few.

The early bird gets the good light

I've been trying for a while now to talk someone into a sunrise photo shoot. I am NOT a morning person but I have been dying to get my hands on some of that early morning light. I finally got my way with Wes & Sara in St. Augustine (images coming soon), but I also got an opportunity last weekend!

Lena's family session ended up getting rained out, and when we compared calendars to reschedule, Saturday at sunrise was our only option. Tired as I was, I was pretty happy about it. We started at the West Columbia Riverwalk and then headed over to the USC Horseshoe.

If you know me personally I am sure you are cringing at the thought of having to work with me in any capacity before 10am, but even at this early hour I was happy to be out shooting, and Lena and her husband Morgan put me in a good mood right away. They were so relaxed and fun, and they have the GREATEST little boy. Chapman was one of the sweetest, most polite, funny, and intelligent six-year-olds I have ever met.


I had so many from this series that I loved- here's my favorite





Told you it was early





Oh did I mention Chapman was ALL ABOUT posing for the camera?




















I loved the morning light just as much as I thought I would. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. (Maybe some coffee next time though...) Thanks for making my job so easy guys!

The last teenager

It's official- my parents no longer have any teenagers.

My baby sister Julie turns 20 today! That kinda makes ME feel old. (Sorry Mom and Dad.)





Happy birthday Bingbong! Love you!

The UPS guy

I think everyone gets excited when the UPS guy pulls up. No matter how boring the contents of your delivery, it is really fun to get packages. I feel like a kid at Christmas as I tear into my boxes, even though I know it's just the ink I ordered for my printer or a camera battery.

My favorite delivery man showed up yesterday- the one with the big smile that's not afraid of our maniacally barking dog, the one that carefully puts my packages out of view on the front porch if we're not home, the one that beeps at us from his big brown truck if he sees us running in the neighborhood, and the one Dylan always offers a cold drink to during summer deliveries.

And he brought me one of my favorite things- a print order. Check out this beautiful gallery wrap canvas that Michelle ordered from her family shoot at the beach.








Canvas gallery wraps are one of my all time favorite ways to display a portrait. They are clean and simple and don't need to be framed. Just poof, hang on the wall!





I hung it in my dining room to take a good look and get a few shots of it. Why yes, you're right, it DOES look perfect over my aqua buffet piece. I kinda wanted to just keep it. Does it make me creepy if I display pictures of other people's children in my home?

The news

Well, since I don't know how else to introduce this, I'll just dive right in.

I'm moving to Maryland!

After months of hunting and praying for a job, Dylan has accepted a teaching position at a high school in Baltimore. We'll be moving the second week of August. We are so grateful to God for His provision, and while we're a little nervous about all the changes we're completely trusting in His plan for us. We both love the Northeast so we're pretty excited about our new city.

Now hold on one second, there is no need to cry. Dry those tears! All my wonderful clients know how much I will miss them and that I can't stay away forever. And my family and best friends are here in Columbia, so OBVIOUSLY we will be returning for visits.

I can't give you any firm dates yet, but you can be sure I will periodically be opening slots for South Carolina shoots which will be posted right here on my blog. Watch for those, cause they will fill up fast!

And for those that have been meaning to schedule a session, it's not too late! I will be accepting a limited number of sessions in the next few weeks before I go. Send me an e-mail or call me pronto if you're interested. Please understand that processing time may be slightly longer than normal as I frantically pack up my house. Please also understand if I show up at your session wearing two different shoes. Really, my photography equipment is going to be the only thing I am able to find for a while. It receives special treatment of course. : )

In the meantime, I'm editing like a fiend all the sessions I've been doing lately. Here's a preview from one- check out this cutie!!