Desiree: Bridal Portraits - Chattanooga Wedding Photographer

I feel short on words tonight so I hope Desiree's pictures will speak for themselves.  The evening we went to the Bluff View Art District for her shoot, the light was fabulous.  There are so many beautiful areas to shoot there.  Some of her pictures remind me of Spain.  I loved how she wasn't afraid to just let it go and have fun with her dress :) I don't normally create slideshows for bridal shoots but as I was editing and listening to music, this song just seemed to be written for her. Check out her slideshow by clicking here.

I love her veil shots!

One of my favorites!

Love the colors in this one!

This next one gets me tickled :) I love when my brides play around. 

The next pictures remind me of Spain!

Just Let Me Have This Moment . . .

It is said that for your first year anniversary, gifts made of paper are to be exchanged by the newlyweds.  As the date of our one year approached, I kept hearing this "theory" more and more. When I asked, "Why Paper?," my friends replied, "Because newlyweds are generally poor."

Although my friends advised that I should ask for a gift certificate, I thought, "BORING!" Seriously, I am married to Nathan Line and as his wife it is my duty to send him on random scavenger hunts for things that I require.  So . . . after much thought and consideration, I decided that I wanted and just HAD TO HAVE a pinata :)

When I finally told Nathan that I would like a pinata for our anniversary, he smiled and said, "Alright." 

Cue car screech

"Arg! Why isn't he getting frustrated with my request?!" I thought.  Annoyed that I couldn't shake him, I quickly interjected, "AND . . . I want you to make it."

"Well," he sighed, "I don't know if I'll have enough time to make you one but I will get you a pinata nonetheless."

"Good!" I replied.  "I have a lot of pent up aggression that I need to get out and I really need to beat something.  You know, Nathan, there aren't a lot of things in this world that you can beat that will give you candy afterwards." 

Although I made my request several weeks prior to our one year, Nathan accepted the challenge and did not forget my one PRECIOUS request.  On the eve of our one year, I was out photographing a wedding.  While I was gone, Nathan pulled out the Yellow Pages and started calling around to find a pinata.  To his dismay, NO ONE had a pinata.  "People simply don't ask for them anymore," the store clerks said.  Torn as to what to do, Nathan took it to the streets. As he drove up and down Kingston Pike, he suddenly saw a store called "If It's Paper."

"A pinata's paper!" he thought.  As he pulled into the parking lot, his spirits were suddenly lifted by the sight within the shop's window.  There it was.  With one eye and half a smile, a snowman pinata stared back at him.  Excited that he had finally found a store with pinatas, Nathan went in.

As he browsed the aisles looking for a "first year anniversary" pinata, the store clerk asked if she could help.  

"Uh yes, I'm needing a pinata for my wife," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied, "we don't carry those anymore."

"But I saw one in your window," he replied.

Laughing, she said, "Oh that old thing! He only has one eye and half a smile. He's really not for sale."

"I really need that pinata," Nathan pleaded.  "How much?"

With her best poker face, she replied, "Make your best offer."

"I don't know," he replied.  "25 cents?" he shyly asked.  

"SOLD for 22 cents plus tax!" she exclaimed.  

For 22 cents plus tax, plus candy, plus a little effort to complete the snowman's face, Nathan had found the perfect gift.  On the morning of our anniversary as I burst out of the bathroom rushing to get to church, I rounded the corner to find two men smiling at me.  One was Nathan and the other my snowman pinata.  Completely surprised, I squealed with excitement! Nathan had completed his challenge . . . for me, which was the best gift of all.  Here are a few pictures that Nathan took of me beating the snowman for all its candy:

Meet the only pinata in Knoxville! You can see where Nathan added the other half of his smile. hehe!

Here I am ready to beat that snowman to a pulp.  I have a goofy batter's stance! LOL!

Take that!

Triumph!

Liz: Boudoir Shoot - Chattanooga Photographer

I have been an avid Victoria's Secret magazine reader since I was twelve.  Thus, it is no surprise that boudoir shoots are my FAVORITE session.  It's so gratifying to take "everyday" women and make them feel like supermodels. From the outfits to the make-up to the lights, it's so much fun! For months Liz was paying for a gym membership that she wasn't using.  She needed to find a reason and excuse for getting back into a workout routine.  Setting up a boudoir shoot was definitely the answer :) I can't get over how AMAZING Liz looks in her pictures.  When I showed her some images off my camera as I was shooting, she squealed with joy!  For the entire shoot she remained upbeat and full of laughter, which is her personality 99% of the time :) Anyhow, here are a few of my favorites that I can share:

I always tell girls to pull items from their closet to wear for these shoots.  The following outfit probably cost $15.  I let Liz borrow my "vest cape" for the shoot.  I got it at Express for $9.99.

Great abs, Liz! 

I love these next 2 shots!  I think they show Liz's fun-loving personality.

Simply beautiful.

I love the softness in this next one.

This next one just speaks to me.  It's so simple, elegant, and telling of a woman.  

A little disheveled hair is a must :)

A perfect boudoir model!

Debbie - Nashville Portrait Photographer

Last month I received the opportunity to photograph Debbie in Nashville at Centennial Park. The Friday that we were going to have our session was a total wash so we waited until Sunday.  It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day although we had to fight a lot of traffic within the park.  Little did we know, an "Arts and Crafts Show" was being held in the park that day.  AND little did I know, Centennial Park is huge! Debbie and I exchanged several phone calls before we actually found each other.  Being a photographer certainly can be an adventure!  I feel like I've been site-seeing all year! haha! 

Debbie was so much fun to photograph! She was up for anything! She is stylish, independent, and successful in her career . . . all the things I hope to be :) I loved getting to edit through Debbie's photos.  The light was quite amazing around sunset.  I told Debbie that I was going to try really hard to shoot into the sun because I want to master that technique.  If I see that I have a weakness, I throw a lot of my energy into changing it.  When I was younger, I was told to stick with English because I wasn't so great at math and could not read graphs.  So what did I do in college? I majored in Finance and Economics :) LOL!  I don't think anyone should accept having a weak side of the brain.  ANYWAY, I got so tickled retouching the following pictures! I think Debbie could be a Talbots model or something.  I hope when she sees these pictures she says, "Mmm! I look GOOD. I just can't stop staring at myself . . . uh huh!" haha!

Very colorful!

At the Parthenon

I LOVE this picture! So Cool!

Debbie is glowing . . . literally :)

She could be a model! See!

This is another one of my favorites! I loved her purple shirt for these next shots! It really popped in her photos.  GORGEOUS!

I love the colors in these pictures! What a great fall picture!

Sneak Peek: October Weddings

Get excited because I have some great things coming up on the blog! Here's a sneak peek from my October weddings :)

Walt and Desiree: Love that I caught the moon :)

TJ and Ginny: Love those clouds! Thank goodness it didn't rain!

Ginny: Bridal - Knoxville Wedding Photographer

Before I embark upon another wedding weekend, I wanted to post a few of my favorite images from Ginny's bridal portraits.  Although some storm clouds loomed during our session, the scariest part of the day was the neighbor's dog! haha! Just as I was getting Ginny posed for her next shot, this playful puppy from next door came running over the hill.  And you can only guess who he wanted to play with!  Quickly, Ginny gathered her dress around her waist and stuck her heel out and yelled, "No! Stay!" Being that this dog was young, he didn't respond to commands very well. Thinking that the dog would soon get tired, I tried playing with him for a while. Unfortunately, I tuckered out before the dog. Thankfully Ginny's mom was there to distract the puppy from pawing all over Ginny and me.  For the next ten minutes Ginny and I were able to get some photos unbothered.  Just as I was squatting down to get another shot, I suddenly felt two furry arms wrap around my neck from behind and a tongue in my ear!  This puppy was not going to give up on us! Although his persistence was slightly endearing, I found myself pouring sweat running in between Ginny's dress and the dog for the next 30 minutes. Finally, the owner of the dog called for him.  In a flash the dog was gone.  Needless to say, I was exhausted after the photo shoot! It's not every day that I have to save a wedding dress from muddy little paws :) 

I think this might be my favorite :) 

 

I love this candid as well!

Party for 21, please!

Today is October 21st. Bethany and I celebrated our birthdays together September 12th. My real birthday was August 13th. As you can see, I get around to having a personal life on occasion. LOL! For my birthday I asked for a party as my gift and to have help taking pictures so I could remember the day. Now, I do enjoy getting "stuff." However, I've learned that memories can come with me anywhere and I can enjoy them while listening to a boring lecture, driving my car, or blow drying my hair in the morning. When Nathan and I went to Europe for 2 months, he would often find me with a small smile across my face as I would stare outside the train window. Annoyed he would ask, "Are you thinking about Sophie again?" hahaha! Although I would lie and say no, he would insist that there are only three things that can make me smile like that. He would say, "I don't believe you. You're either thinking of Sophie, chocolate, or something shiny."

See! Memories are the perfect gift! I took mine half way across the world and didn't have to pay extra for the baggage :) Anyway, the birthday brunch turned out great! We had 18 attend (21 if you count the dogs . . . which we always do). My sister Kristen even came in from Alabama and brought her little yorkie Mia! Here are a few of my favorite images from the party:

The invite from Personally Yours in Knoxville

Front door and backyard

All chairs, tables, and tablecloths from Bradley Rentals in Cleveland

Part of the centerpiece

Bethany and her yorkie Sasha

My sister Kristen and I . . . oh and Mia!

My mom being a wonderful hostess

Grilled apple salad

Apple Crumb Cake from The Bread Basket in Cleveland. It was VERY good and moist. Highly recommend :)

Quiche and cheese straws from The Fresh Market

Bethany and Sarah

I love this candid of Paige! She loves to stalk my blog so I decided to stalk her at the party. haha!

Me, my lil' snaggle-toof, and Paige

My sister Kristen and her baby Mia. I made that hat for Mia. Cute, huh?

Look at my mom in the background! She gets so tickled over Mia. Mia is mom's first "gan-baby." hehe!

P.S: If you think you might be interested in buying this house, please click here. My parents are selling!