Welcome

“The photographic expression and technique achieves its most profound impact when it is simple, direct and entirely true to itself.” ~Ansel Adams

It all started when I picked up my first camera that wasn’t in point and shoot mode in college. Channeling Ansel Adams I stalked many a cloud and scouted for the perfect landscape to fill my frame, all the while falling in love with his color palette. Two simple colors with a variety of shade.

Switching cameras and formats I started working with children. Not chasing after a cloud but rather a munchkin really demanded energy but it also refreshed my perspective on things. Most ‘little ones’ are direct and honest of the world around them and with this outlook I’m allowed the joy of capturing their wonderful personalities and who they really are. Capturing families in their home, or even on their wedding day, creates an intimacy in that it asks for me to capture their true self, the beauty of their life.

In seeking to capture the true self in someone else’s life, a connection is needed, one needs to get to know the other. As for getting to know me, well I can burn toast much to the chagrin of my husband and I can never have enough black olives on, well anything. Born and raised in Middle Georgia, my husband and I, plus our puppy Levi, call North Georgia home. No matter where I might be though, I look forward to getting to know and capture ‘you.’

Chris

My love list

August 28, 2008 – 5:38 pm

My ever fun roomie Jessica, who sported the hair full of pink streaks, started ‘the love list’ while we all attended the McWorkshop. I don’t remember when it started but I specifically remember the random comment she made one day on one of our many drives past the lake and past the infamous southern-talking guy at McDonalds. “I love trees.”  Well the whole week long she kept adding to it; windows, trees, chocolate, and so many others that I have forgotten. 

So in keeping the tradition that she started last week, I have to start my own love list. First off, I must start with Corey and Amber, the ever fabulous instructors of the McWorkshop. I just love them as they are the most fun people to be around, shoot with, and their openness to hit them up for advice : )

Secondly, I have to add infrared imaging. I can’t quite recall when I stumbled upon it, perhaps it was while in college and I was still actively using my film Bronica. The tediousness of using infrared film instantly told me that it wasn’t something that I was going to be able to master, so in that sense it has always held a bit of mystique. 

So in honor of my new old love, infrared, I have to share with you this fantastic shot of me and my third love (mountainous landscape) that the master himself, Corey McNabb, captured on our adventure on the mountain. Please take a moment and check out his blog and enjoy the beautiful pictures that he was able to capture with his converted digital camera. 

Plus the signature Amberpose that Amber Holritz herself captured that afternoon. 

~C




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Roadtrippin’ to Asheville

August 25, 2008 – 11:52 am

I have had the ever fortunate opportunity to spend the past week in Asheville while attending Corey McNabb’s McWorkshop. Somehow after all the exhaustion of thinking/talking/shooting all things wedding (and some babies)….we found ourselves trekking up the highest mountain I have possibly ever been on. My passion started out in landscape so I’m surprised I was able to keep the car on the road since every time we encountered another overlook the clouds were so prominent and we saw the longest range of mountains I have seen this side of the Mississippi. I don’t believe I have been so high on a mountain that I was looking down on fellow mountain ranges with the Great Smoky Mountains. It certainly was beyond moving and since I truly didn’t want the week to end…it gave me another chance to hang out with Corey and Amber.  : )

I will miss you guys but I shall hopefully see you soon!

~C












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Asheville or Bust

August 20, 2008 – 11:41 am

The day had finally come. Months of anticipation, several emails with fellow attendees later, one suitcase beckoning to be packed and I was battling a cold. A sinus infected, throbbing head, feeling like scum, cold. Lovely. So after heading to the drugstore and loading up on Vitamin C and sucking cough drops like candy, I headed out on my trek to Asheville. 

I was one of 8, 11, 5, 9 (the numbers changed every day as it was ever popular that it was hard to keep up) McWorkshop attendees for this week. Mariah hailed from sunny California, my roomie Jessica flew in from Louisville, another Kentucky Jessica drove in from Lexington, Will stopped in from Mississippi for a few days and we even had Maureen escape Hurricane Faye in her Florida state. Corey along with the help of Amber were so awesome with their generosity and so much fun to be with. 

It was such a whirlwind of a week comprised of photo shoots, dart throwing competitions, technical camera exercises, image critiques, magic card tricks, pomegranate martinis, shooting at the Biltmore Estates, wine tasting at the Biltmore, carpooling all over Asheville, RockBand and much much more! English major be damned, I can’t put into words the amazing and invaluable time there was to be had that week. 

I’m going to share some of the photo shoots that we embarked on. The gorgeous Tara Jordan of Weddings with Tara  was with us most of the week and we had John and his wife Lindsay Bamber of Tennessee while at the Biltmore. Thanks so much y’all!

~C


















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Christy

August 1, 2008 – 2:24 pm

Aprils Showers brings May Flowers. Whomever came up with that little nursery rhyme is right! My April wedding was met with rain storms last year and my cousin Christy’s wedding this April had a few showers that day. Nothing could dampen their spirit that day as their ceremony was held at a beautiful and intimate log cabin church nestled just inside of Smyrna.

So as luck would have it, we found a torrential rain storm threatening evening to get together and grab a few shots of Christy in her beautiful dress. The rain definitely came pouring down that evening but not before we were able to take advantage of downtown Lawrenceville and jump back in the car, just before the first drop of rain came down. Yes!

Thanks so much Christy for your time and I wish you and Daniel the absolute best in love and life.

ps. I’m in love with the red shoes!

~C










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Roadtrippin’ to Dahlonega, GA

August 1, 2008 – 10:28 am

Driving up and down the mountain side, steering in and out of the curves I have to remind myself that I’m not Danica Patrick nor am I qualifying for the next big race. No I’m not speeding so please don’t tell my husband or a cop, but it is as if my car becomes one with the road as it cuts through the mountains.
One of my particular favorite ‘qualifying’ roads to zip down is Highway Nine leaving Dawsonville to Dahlonega but you are more able to experience the ‘wow’ of the Dahlonega Mountain range if you travel down Highway Nineteen from GA400. Popping up over the hill on Nineteen really takes your breath away for the two seconds you can allow your eyes to leave the road, then you have to refocus so you don’t run straight into the McDonalds.

Nestled in the valley of the surrounding mountains Dahlonega thrives on its rich, gold-digging history, quaint shops around the square, and the ever present North Georgia College and State University. If you happen to drive through the campus to take in the picturesque school around 5pm, don’t forget to stop at the sound of the bugle and the firing of the cannon. Yes, NGCSU still has a working cannon that is fired in the am and pm. From experience, it’s is quite something to get used to when trying to sleep in and the cannon is pointed straight at your dorm when fired!

Not that you can miss the shiny beacon that has become Dahlonega, but if you look to the sky you should be able to catch sight of the shiny, Dahlonega Gold plated steeple on Price Memorial Hall. Not only is the gold on the Steeple from Dahlonega but it also covers the Georgia Dome at the Capital in Atlanta.
Another treasure in itself that continues to amaze me is the Holly Theatre located at the foot of the hill from Price Hall. Walking toward downtown the peaceful atmostphere reaches for you in the oddest of places. or walls for that matter.

So as not to impede the traffic that most cities are becoming flooded with and to preserve the wonderful history, Dahlonega has built a Round-About road to navigate people in and around downtown. “Theres gold in them thar hills!” Twenty years before California or any other location in the country became the place to search for gold, this North Georgia city was already rolling in the shiny rock. Today you can ride circles around the original Dahlonega Courthouse and step inside to take in the Gold Mining History. Walking around to take in the shops I noticed a wonderfully funny shirt at the entrance door. Oh and before you leave, if you find the Smith House crowded with folk, walk on over to Caruso’s Italian Joint. Oh my goodness, the food!

Leaving out on my Highway Nine, you can’t help but stop for a Coke at C.L. Crane which has embodied the space just off a curve for the past sixty years. Love all the Coca-Cola memories!

~C


















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Mister Causey

July 29, 2008 – 3:51 pm

Because I had Causey’s mom promise me to hold off on seeing her proofs until her surprise arrives in the mail…..I thought I would give her and everyone a teaser.

Got to love those gorgeous baby blues and the ‘Causey’ pose. He is going to knock the ladies off their feet when he gets older, lol. Love you two!!

~C




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Roadtrippin’ to Cartersville, GA

July 28, 2008 – 7:39 pm

We picked up Highway 411 as it snaked through the sleepy town of Fairmount and pointed the car’s nose southwest toward Cartersville. Fields of grass bent and rolled with the wind as we drove down the windy road taking in the quietness the empty fields offered. A town called White, so small that it was gone in an instant, offered a battered Coca-Cola sign or two that reflected the by-gone days.

Houses and businesses soon appeared more frequently as we drew closer to our destination. Prominent churches flanked the streets that lead us downtown to its inner core. A flash of red come into view and I knew we had found it. The fabled Coca-Cola sign, the first to ever grace the side of a building, was still there emblazoned on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy for all of downtown Cartersville to see. The irony of the name Young was not lost on me as I hopped out of the car to see this work of art that has watched freight trains pass by since 1884. True the paint has seen a face lift years ago, but to have such a powerful marketing sign representing one of the South’s and Georgia’s iconic companies still adorn this wall over one hundred years later, gave me chills.

Years ago I recall my alma mater’s president, Ruth Knox, give regard during a luncheon of the Munroe sister’s families’ wealth back in the 1930’s. As the story goes, the three Munroe sister’s father is said to have invested his farming money in a little known company as Coca-Cola back in the day. Eighty years later, those same Munroe sisters who went on to graduate from Wesleyan College, donated money to erect the beautiful Science Center that now sits on campus overlooking all.

Crossing the railroad tracks to photograph this world famous symbol I was jolted back into reality with the cautionary traffic signals as they rang out taletelling of a train soon to pass. Though the town was serenly peaceful on a late Sunday afternoon, the treasures of Cartersville was not hard to find in its old Railroad Depot turned Welcome Center, its Grand Theater that commanded attention with the filigree, and my husband’s favorite, the biscuit place. Full of quaint shops and eateries, this city of wonders is definitely on my list to revisit and explore.
~C








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ABC’s of me

July 18, 2008 – 11:11 am

I’m a blog lover. A big, photography-inspired, blog lover. Part of the fun is falling in love with someone and their photographic work. When you stumble upon one blog it will ultimately lead you to others that they love and so on and so forth. Whether it’s through their inspiring words or work I enjoy ‘meeting’ people and learning more about them.

Today I have been infatuated with fellow GA gal, Shannon Holden and her remarkable baby portraits.

She recently completed the ABC’s of me and I loved this idea so I composed my own answers. Please feel free to post yours as well!

A is for age:
25, my bday is 12.3

B is for burger of choice:
Plain with cheddar cheese please and ketchup only

C is for what kind of car you drive:

Acura MDX, love my SUV

D is for your dog’s name:

Jasper’s Levi Young

E is for essential item you use everyday:

cell phone

F is for favorite TV show at the moment:

just one? Grey’s Anatomy

G is for favorite game:

Um, ‘Who cooked last?’ game because I’m always trying to get out of it

H is for Hometown:

Bolingbroke, Georgia. Just north of Macon

I is for instruments you play:

the flute and no I did not go to band camp

J is for favorite juice:

Orange, no pulp please

K is for whose butt you’d like to kick:

The person who is response for making gas prices soar

L is for last restaurant you ate at?

Arbys

M is for your favorite Muppet:

Cookie Monster

N is for Number of Piercing:

Two, one in each ear

O is for overnight hospital stays:

Ovarian cysts at 16, not fun at all

P is for people you were with today:

Hubby left out at 5am for duty so…..Levi my puppy. Hey, he’s my people

Q is for what you do with your quiet time:

Veg with a book sitting outside with the dog playing

R is for biggest regret:

Not learning stick shift earlier in life, I have many more but that is the one I can work on learning now

S is for status:

Married.

T is for time you woke up today:

8:00 am, working from home today, yay!

U is for what you consider unique:

I’m the first in my family born South of the Mason-Dixon line

V is for vegetable you love:

Broccoli, I used to eat this after dinner every night, straight from our garden

W is for worst habit:

not cooking, letting a cuss word fly, forgetting to write Thank You cards

X is for x-rays you’ve had:

Ankles, arm, back…good lord

Y is for yummy food you ate today:

Stouffer’s casserole

Z is for zodiac sign:

Fiery Sagitterius

Tag to anyone who wants to play!

I was perusing through another GA gal’s blog, Amanda Suanne, and she had the neatest Wordle!!!

Here is a bit about me…
Picture_1

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Baby Brianna!

July 16, 2008 – 9:53 am

The day dragged on as news came that she wasn’t budging. Baby Brianna was perfectly comfortable right were she was and wasn’t going to be rushed, no matter how many people were anticipating her arrival. Twelve hours of labor later, Brianna entered this world with her dark hair, perfectly shaped mouth, and curious dark eyes.

Only five days old, this little one enchants everyone that she sees. Her curious gaze washes over you, her piggy snorts seeks out a laugh and touching her peach fuzz skin makes you want to melt.

Welcome to the world Miss Brianna. Your mom, dad, brother, sister, grandparents, family and friends galore all love you from the start.













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Flower portraits

July 16, 2008 – 9:35 am

The sun casts shadows dotting the green carpet of grass, playing pica-boo with the swaying stems holding fast to their brilliant colored petals. Tulips that were planting in the earth’s soil not by my hands, still allow me to enjoy their beauty in my flower garden.

Though their lives are short lived, I now have these six pictures celebrating their presence on my living room wall.








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