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It all began at a party with mutual friends. It was raining. The kinda knew each other, but not really. He thought she was beautiful. She laughed at his jokes and thought him to be quite charming. They shared her umbrella. A red umbrella. And underneath that red umbrella a story began.

He was smitten. He secured her phone number from her friend and called her the very next day.  It was love. Three months later he gave her a kiss. It was true love.

Jason planned this shoot as a surprise for Hilary. But this was only a small part of the plan. You see, he had a gorgeous rock burning a hole in his pocket. Proposal was on his mind.

The proposal happened in the morning and the shoot was planned for the afternoon. =)

As we emailed back and forth planning the details, I asked Jason to tell me a little about themselves so we could plan the shoot to reflect them. He said it so perfectly…

“She is gorgeous, yet so humble. She is kind, and has a heart for people. Her smile is beautiful. She has a passion for God. A love that is unconditional. And she definitely makes me want to be a better person. She is going to Zambia in January to help the undeserved, on her return she will graduate in the spring with her BS in nursing. I would have to say that her 3 most favorite things in the world are… napping, Nutella, and running hugs. Her favorite color is mustardy yellow. She loves fall and especially Christmas!! She started listening to Christmas music in October. She loves anything pumpkin.”

“If I’m able to come home or see her on the weekend we mostly have to study, but when we have time -  going for a walk, having a picnic, taking a nap in the park with lots of blankets, campfires, sitting outside under the sunset, wood stove fires in winter, playing in the snow and hot coco. She loves mittens, scarfs, and pea coats. Shopping every chance she gets… but never buys anything:) She won’t let me buy her anything…. I do anyway. Her face and gratitude is always priceless. She loves little surprises and little gifts. She never takes me from granted. I love our little inside jokes that no one else gets. I think she is hilarious even when she is not trying to be. I love laughing together. Sometimes we would rather do nothing than anything at all. She loves taking pictures. She would prefer a little cafe’ over a fancy restaurant any day. She love snuggling on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and a good book.

Her favorite saying is …I love you to the moon… and back.”

“I love her more than anything in this world and I’ve been waiting for this day since I first saw her.”

How’s that for romantic?!! =)

Loved meeting and working with these guys. See their slide show here.

Jason and Hilary…you are beautiful together!

This shoot was planned and organized by Nicola Herring and Kelly Lapp and it was so fun.

Ryan and Jen are indeed married and in love. Jen is a total sweetheart and was wonderful in front of the camera!

Styled shoots are a favorite of mine…

Heather and Ryan met on a spring day when he took her for a motorcycle ride! =) Down to earth, laid back, love to joke around and have a good time..this is them. Heather describes herself as a girlie girl and Ryan as a working country boy! Heather loves how Ryan treats her with utmost respect and always knows how to make her laugh. Ryan loves Heather’s vivacious, upbeat personality. Looking forward to their wedding planned for next year!

Stop here to see their slide show.

Pretty Heather!

Loved Heather’s attention to detail with her shoes and great accessories…

]]> http://authenticyouphotography.com/2010/11/10/ryan-heather/feed/ 0 http://authenticyouphotography.com/2010/10/15/4806/ http://authenticyouphotography.com/2010/10/15/4806/#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:15:03 +0000 Char http://authenticyouphotography.com/?p=4806 Inspiration. Inspiration. Inspiration….is a beautiful thing! =)

But then the semester ended at college and they both left college for the summer without spending more time together. Then Facebook stepped in. Abby stumbled across Dan on Facebook, asked to be his friend, he accepted…quite eagerly. Long emails began, which turned into long phone calls. Increasingly long and longer. The fall semester began and Dan and Abby headed back to college. A few months later a summer wedding was being planned! Romantic? I think so. =)

She says, “He has a great sense of humor and I love that Dan can make me laugh every single day. I  may be a little more reserved, but he has a way of bringing out the best of me. =) He has a strong sense of confidence and stands strong in what he believes…I love this.” He says, “She makes me so happy. I just loving spending as much time as I can with her.”

Dan is a management consultant and Abby is a nurse. When they are not working, they love hiking, biking, cooking a great meal together, watching movies, and just being together.

Dan and Abby just celebrated their one year anniversary. I loved that they wanted to remember this time of their life with photos. They both have such kind, gentle spirits and were so fun to meet and work with.

See their slideshow here.

Dan and Abby both love music and I loved their idea of including his guitar in the shoot.

So pretty Abby…

Thanks Dan and Abby for allowing me to capture this time of your life. Many, many more happy years to you.

He says…Alison is one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met. I love her sense of humor….she is the perfect compliment to me. We enjoy spending as much time together as possible. Even if we are just running errands, she makes me happy when she is by my side. I am looking forward to our future together….starting new traditions, traveling, and living life.

See their slide show here.

Tim and Alison are planning a wedding for this winter in Florida.

Thank-you,thank-you Tim and Alison. All the very best as you prepare for your big day!

Meet this beautiful couple, Alison and Tim.

Looking back over the past few years, there are certain folks that played and continue to play an important role in my photography journey. Alison’s father, Bill is one of them. I purchased my camera bodies from him at Lee’s Camera Center. He answered my naive questions such as….what does this button do, anyway?!!” Depth of field, ummm?!! I was honored (and quite nervous) when he asked if I would be willing to take his daughter’s engagement photos. =) It was an honor and delight to work with this kind family.

Romping in the field. Laughter. Overcast skies. Love and ease.

Jeremy and Grace are getting married in just a few short days. I know the wedding will be so them and so perfect.

See their slide show here.

The photos will tell their story…

Grace and Jeremy brought almost all the props without any direction from me! Yaaay…I was thrilled how they caught the vision for their shoot and ran with it! =)

I love that they “got” this image below. I have seen images using props like this and always wanted to try it myself!

Grace = Beautiful bride!

Goodness, he was cute. His blue eyes and great smile..well, they grabbed her. There was no going back. =)

She told me, “He is sweet and completely genuine…always putting my needs before his. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone other than Tom. People always told me…when you meet your soul-mate, you JUST KNOW it’s them you will spend the rest of your life with. They are absolutely right.”

See their slide show here.

I love Kiki. Like, really. This engagement shoot was so fun. They are planning a gorgeous wedding for spring.

My kind of girl, Kiki mentioned loving props. She supplied all the props and I was in heaven! =)

Their wedding colors are canary yellow and raincloud gray…perfection.

Kiki, you are so beautiful.

Love the connection. Love the emotion. Love the lighthearted fun.

Had several super duper sweet engagement shoots recently and couldn’t resist pulling out a few. Looking forward to sharing more…

Happy Thursday! =)