Authentic You Photography Blog

Tim & Alison

Char — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:35:09 +0000

She says….He makes me laugh. Alot. I adore spending time with him. Friday nights are movie nights and we love to travel….Cape May, Disney World, Stone Harbor. Tim is easy-going, hardworking, and ambitious. He makes me so happy and I cannot imagine life without him!

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.

Dana

Char — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:09:24 +0000

She is my cuz and I think she is kinda adorable! =)

Dana seems to love people. All kinds. And never misses an opportunity to meet somebody new and make another friend.

She loves soccer, volleyball, outdoors, traveling, and spending time with others.

So where does she find her great outfits? H&M, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and Tj Maxx are favorites.

Favorite magazine to chill with? Gotta be People’s.

If she had a random $1000 bucks to spend? A laptop and new pair of shoes, of course.

After graduation, Dana is planning to attend nursing school to become an RN.

Her dream job? To be part of a traveling medical team. This seems to fit Dana perfectly.

This is Dana.

Making the most of each minute. Kinda like, “Hey, life is too sweet to sit by the sidelines. I want in and I am gonna give it my all!”

Kayla

Char — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:06:59 +0000

“Whenever I am in a good mood, I just dance! “

Quiet, shy, creative, dependable, sensitive, hard-working, and trustworthy.

If she has free time Kayla will find a calm, relaxing corner and get lost in a book or she will grab her basketball and shoot for hours. She loves reading Cosmopolitan…the confession pages make her laugh. If a snack is needed, a Nutrageous bar is perfect. Amen. Kayla is looking forward to college after graduation and can’t wait to leave the country someday and travel.

Meet Kayla dear. =)

So pretty!

Happy weekend, everybody!

Ellie

Char — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:58:39 +0000

Some people have hearts that seem to explode with laughter, personlity, and a zest for life that just cannot be made up.

It has to be there authentically. Just part of who they are. No pretenses.

That is the first thing I noticed about Ellie and what I remember the most as I looked back at these photos…

Ellie is bubbly, always smiling or laughing, outgoing, and willing to do almost anything for you.

How does she love spending her time? Either with family or working on “an amazing piece of magic”…also known as a vehicle. Yup, you heard right….she loves vehicles! After graduation she plans on going to Wyo-Tech to continue learning about vehicles. Eventually she would like to open her own shop and do custom paint and street rods. Her dream job is to work with Chip Foose and paint a vehicle with him. Gotta be honest, I don’t know who Chip Foose is, but I am sure Ellie knows all about him! =)

She loves country music, line dancing, and meeting new people. And even though she may seem like a tom-boy, she LOVES shopping…especially American Eagle. She NEVER goes without mascara or misses an opportunity to get all dolled up! Ellie told me, “I am constantly learning something new about myself and growing everyday to be the young woman I need to be.”

You can’t help but love Ellie!

Ellie took me to her current place of employment for a few photos…

See?!! Lots of personality!

Ellie’s favorite photo…

Shoes that match Ellie’s spunk! =)

Jeremey & Grace

Char — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:05:07 +0000

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!

Kiki and Tom

Char — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:37:06 +0000

So she would slip into shorts, don sneakers, and pull her hair into a ponytail and head to the rec center. It was a job that had great perks. For one, the members. Every day she would watch the clock until he arrived. You see, he came every day after work to work out. And well, she noticed.

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.

Samantha

Char — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:33:17 +0000

Sunny. Cheerful. Lively. Fun loving.

Sam dear…

Samantha loves spending time with family and friends and exploring new places.

In her words, “I absolutely love going on an adventure!”

She loves water…thus the lake photos. Samantha is a swimmer, lifeguard, swim coach, and a swim instructor. When she is not in the water, she plays lacrosse, loves to draw, and even sings.

Her favorite musician? Hands down…Dave Matthews Band. Favorite snack? Oreos, of course.

The fun part, where does Samantha shop? Urban Outfitters! But she will combine clothes from Hollister and Abercrombie with outfits from H&M and Delias. =)

Samantha plans to attend college for Biomedical Illustrator. Yeah, I was clueless also. She explained to me this is drawing medical illustrations…such as the structure of a knee for a textbook. Cool, huh?

You can’t help but love Samantha!

Allison

Char — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:14:46 +0000

I adore this girl. You will get a feel for her heart in her words…

“I like to think of myself as a truely nice person. I can’t help but be friendly to almost anyone, and i hate when people are mad at me. Most times I end up fixing fights between friends too. Over the years i’ve become more outgoing and friendly, and I like to think i’ve got a pretty decent sense of humor too. I love to laugh and it takes a lot to keep me from finding a way to do so and be happy. I’m a good listener, and find myself doing it a lot because I also give good advice too. For some reason people always seem to be drawn to me to talk about their problems or tell their secrets, but I don’t mind because everyone needs someone to lean on in their life so I don’t have a problem keeping their secrets or giving them some help either.”

She is dedicated:

“I’ve always taken to sports more than anything else, there’s something about working out that can just make you feel so good. My two main sports have always been swimming and basketball, but as I got older I gave up swimming to focus all my attention to basketball. I play all year round on two different teams, and have always enjoyed it. Being that serious about a sport is like being in a relationship- you always have your ups and downs and sometimes you just want to give up. But, with everything I’ve been through with it, I can say with full confidence that I know that being on the court is where I belong, where I was always supposed to fit. It wasn’t easy to figure out, but it makes me appreciate the sport so much more.”

She loves a good time is a quality friend:

“I love spending time with friends, doing whatever or going wherever. My friends and I can be pretty goofy and say some funny things, so most of my best memories are with all of us just sitting in a room or driving together talking and letting loose. If i didn’t have that, I don’t know where i would be, they get me through so much without even saying a word.”

“The main things I ever take with me anywhere are my phone, my ipod, and my camera. I’m a typical girl in the sense that I always have my phone to keep in touch with all my friends that I’m not with in case they have something important, or just silly, to tell me. All I ever need on long car rides is to listen to my ipod and zone out into my own world. It’s almost nice sometimes to be able to daydream and think a little bit while listening to your favorite music. If I’m ever going anywhere with my friends, I have to take my camera. Whatever we do, we try to snap at least a few pictures, nothing serious just for fun but I’m glad we do. It’s always just as fun looking through the pictures we have taken over the years as when we were actually taking them.”

My kind of girl…chocolate and Forever 21, can’t go wrong!

“My friends and I could spend an entire shopping trip at Forever 21 trying on things and finding tons of cute things, but I also like shopping at Hollister and stores like that too.”

“I usually go through phases where I reach for the same thing every time I go for a snack for a few weeks, then switch to something else and not eat the other for a long time. But i’ve always loved goldfish for some reason, even when I was a kid. I’m also a sucker for anything sweet or chocolatey. I could eat chicken quesadillas for a snack or dinner anytime.“

Determined:

“Right now my dream job would be to be a physical therapist. Whether my path will change in the future I can’t really be sure, but whatever my job ends up being I just want to love it and be happy”

“I plan to attend college for a degree in physical therapy.”

And so very pretty. I am thinking she has a bright future! =)

Char — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:15:28 +0000

I love “love”.

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! =)

Lost

Char — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:45:11 +0000

Lost. That’s how I feel. The best word I can think of that describes my heart right now.

I know many folks that read my ramblings or look at the photos I snap are professional relationships only. But there are also lots of personal friends and family.

So today I write from my heart…for both of you.

Not because I want to, but because I have to. You see, I have learned in an extremely painful way the results of living with walls. With masks. Without being real. Without living from my heart…the very core of who I was created to be. It has left me broken in a way I never experienced before. I want to make a vow that never ever again will I believe that it is safer or easier or better in any way to live without being real. But I know that making a vow is not where it is at…I just need to be. And to be honest, I am not sure what that even means.

At times picking up the pieces feels overwhelming….impossible. But then I remember it’s not up to me or anybody else. God will take it from here.

So for now I will be. Just be. No fight left. Today it involved my boys, a photo shoot, and answering emails. But I will listen to my heart in the midst of life. Listening to my heart is real life, after all. I will look at you in a whole new way…for who you really are…at your core.

Today is a new day. Today I will live from my heart. I will feel. I will be. I will learn to trust. I will love. But even more, I will be. Just be.

No pretty pictures today. =)

Tomorrow, maybe. =)