Category Archives: Stories

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I photographed Jessica during a trip to Mississippi in 2017.

Since I’m able to show my clients their photos only minutes after a session, I can take my business on the road from time to time, so I did that during a trip to visit my family in May 2017.

Jessica’s mom wanted senior photos, even though Jessica had just graduated. We usually do senior photos starting the summer before senior year so we have them for things like invitations and yearbook ads, but occasionally I get families who have been busy and still want pictures before their son or daughter goes off to college. The quick turnaround is great for that scenario too, of course!

Jessica is her mom’s only daughter, and for some years (until mom Jennifer met her husband) it was just the two of them. Jennifer described perfectly for me the expression she loves, when Jessica just holds her head a certain way and listens. It was a time of big change in the family’s life, with Jessica launching into the world, and her mom and dad moving to a new town. We decided to celebrate the town she had just graduated in, Natchez, Mississippi, in the photos we took.

First stop was the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. “This is our beach,” Jennifer told me. After a few light and airy photos on the “beach” we went for a completely different look, and our fabulous location was a favorite tree. It took us a while to find it, but it was well worth the search!

Jessica loves to read so books figured in many of the photos. We celebrated her love of learning, something that is of course important for Jennifer, who is a teacher.

Instead of sharing just photos, I’m sharing the album spreads in this post, so click through the photos below and pretend  you are flipping through the pages of Jessica’s beautiful senior album!

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Nike and Dot were photographed in 2016 at their home in Little Rock.

They are the fur babies of Libby and Aaron, whose wedding I photographed a few years back.

Going back even further, Libby and Aaron dated for nine years before getting married.

And Nike pre-dated their relationship.

In fact, she was with Libby way back in college, when she was tiny enough to crawl inside a tennis shoe … hence the name Nike.

Dot’s formal name is Persephone. She was fairly new to the family when we took photos. While Nike just wanted to sit in the sunlight and enjoy the comforts of home, Dot was more eager to chase a tiny fluff ball around the room.

When we photographed Nike, she was around 15 years old. She was healthy and thriving, but Libby was anxious to get photos because … well, you just never know.

The slideshow below contains all the photos they ordered for their beautiful portrait box, one of my favorite products of all time because it’s both storage and display at once.

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When I first talked to Bhakti her voice was full of joy, and that’s not a surprise. She considers herself one of the luckiest women in the world.

It seems strange to most Americans, but Bhakti and Rishi’s parents arranged their relationship and eventual marriage. They met and got to know each other, but also trusted their parents to know what was best. Both them are certain now that their parents were right!

Bhakti’s favorite part of the day is when the pair are home together at the end of a work day and Rishi makes tea or coffee and brings it to her. They sit together and talk, maybe read to the baby, and he reaches out and takes her hand.

Oh, did I say BABY? Yes, the couple are expecting a new addition to the family very soon, which is why they came in for photos. The photos show the tenderness that Bhakti told me about over the phone, as well as a young couple with a beautiful family life ahead of them.

Click any photo below to enter the gallery, and then below that, see the beautiful album they ordered. I’ve also included my favorite layout from the album, which tells that story of Rishi bringing tea at the end of the day.

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Roux got his name because he is the color of a light roux.

(Southerners know what this means. Others: feel free to ask!)

Well, seems Roux is getting older and Lisa, one of his people, realized it was time to get some great pictures of him while he was still active and healthy.

Active turned out to be an understatement, BTW!

Roux not only got a couple feet off the floor in the name of treats, he performed tricks he hasn’t performed in a long time.

Lisa calls Roux a “deople” — that is, a dog who is also “people.” He’s got personality for days. Roux has both a home and a workplace: he goes to work in an accounting office with Lisa every day. In fact, he’s known for sitting in her office like he’s the manager and everyone else works for him!

Clients and employees alike love Roux and are quick to greet him when they visit the office. In his off time Roux enjoys the relaxing at the lake.

Click any image below to launch the gallery and see how we caught Roux’s amazing energy and personality!

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Roux’s artwork is displayed at Lisa’s office where all his favorite people can enjoy it!

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Many life circumstances bring families in for photos. But it was a tragedy that landed the Powers family in my studio a few years ago.

What had started out as a fairly nice Sunday afternoon in Arkansas had turned suddenly dark and stormy. As the tornado sirens went off near their home in Vilonia, Doug Powers was doing everything he could to protect his family. There was no basement, so he brought his family into his study, where they huddled against the most interior wall of the house.

Hoping to protect them further, he dragged a mattress into the study and had his wife and two children get underneath it. Finally, he joined them as the tornado bore down.

When the noise and destruction were over, nothing remained standing of their house … except that one wall. Everyone was safe, but they would need to rebuild.

When the time came, they chose Robby Cole (then of Fairway Mortgage, now with Benchmark Home Loans) as their mortgage lender. When they closed, Robby decided a great gift would be a family portrait session, considering how many treasured family photos they had lost in the disaster.

It’s still one of the most incredible stories I have heard as a photographer. Many times as a photojournalist I have covered the other side of the story, the tragedy. What a privilege to get to celebrate with this family as they rejoiced in the most important thing: that they are together.

The featured photo is such a powerful echo of their journey. Dad, Doug, holds his arms protectively encompassing his whole family, while they nestle happy and comfortable within the circle of his arms. Their expressions are a celebration of life and togetherness.

What do you have to celebrate?

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My first session of 2018 was right after I got back from visiting my mom in Mississippi. Beautiful Mika came into the studio to do some of the same kind of glamour photos her mom had done last year.

The photos were to be a birthday present so she could see herself on the wall every day.

Mika’s mom, Yone, told me how proud she is to see her daughter’s accomplishments in running, and how determined she is to improve. Yone, herself a runner, is thrilled to be able to see her daughter working so hard at something, and to be able to offer support.

During our photo shoot, Mika was a natural in front of the camera. The confidence that her mom had told me about was certainly apparent!

Click any image below to launch the gallery and see how we caught Mika’s sparkle!

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Given so many beautiful photos, the selection and creation of Mika’s wall art took some time, but we finally settled on the collection above to grace her walls and be a daily reminder of how amazing Mika is!

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