Charmed » A Southern Inspired Wedding Workroom

Well, I know.  This is a photography blog.  This is not a blog where you come to find out about me as a person.   This is where you check out the latest and greatest in my camera world.  Which by the way, I apologize for because I haven’t had that much time to babysit it lately- which is a very good thing.  I usually post these emotional, lesson-learned snippets on my personal blog, but I feel like this needs to be posted here because these very photos are the reason that I do what I do.

The other night, I went shopping for a hard drive and I saw the brother (Warren) of my best friend in high school.  Way back when I had other things to worry about like what I was going to wear, who I was going to date, whether I was going to make an A in chemistry, there was a man whose named was Daddy that worked his rear-end off to give me what I didn’t even need.  Daddy (my granddaddy by the way, who raised me from day one) started out as a young whippersnapper working on the railroad- in the 40s or 50s?  Then, Daddy ended up with his very successful oil-distribution business for Gulf.  Well, the time came for him to retire, and when he did, he just couldn’t sit still.  So, he went back to the railroad, at age 60 with the one of the highest seniority rankings that CSX Railroad had.  And he retired from there too.  A week before Daddy’s 70th birthday, he left me.  I watched him leave this crazy world and go with God and I can’t tell you how much I miss that man.  Well, when I was so busy with my life, Warren, who I mentioned before wanted to know all about Daddy and the trains that he conducted.  Warren loved it and Daddy loved that Warren loved it.  I loved Daddy, but not so much the train thing.  Now I do.  At age 17, you’re so stupid.  That’s the difference years can make.  Warren would go watch Daddy and Daddy’s best friend, Leon, at the trainyard and take photos of them.  When I saw Warren the other day, I said, “Warren, those photos you took of Daddy…”  He said, “Email me and I’ll send them to you.”  And I don’t know if he knew it or not, but my heart cried and I walked away as fast as I could so that he couldn’t see my eyes cry.  And he sent them to me.  And in an instant, Daddy was here again, and I showed my babies, and my day was complete because Daddy was back again.

So, this is why I do what I do.  I waited too long for us to have a family portrait made.  So, I knew at the moment that Daddy left, the power that photography had.  In one instant, a person’s gone, and the memories that you have stored are wonderful, but oh….to see their face again.  All the feelings rush back and one look at an image can make you that little girl again whose Daddy was always there.  Yea…I’m crying now.  But, it’s such a bittersweet thing.  So my advice to you, not from a photographer’s standpoint, but from a 38 year old little girl who misses her daddy- take all the photos that you can.  Soak every day up and remember them for what they are today, not what they might be tomorrow.  Here are Warren’s photos and my Daddy (he’s the one with his back to you most of the time).  Thank you Warren for your gift.  You made me a happy girl.

We’ve tried this once already.  In Auburn.  In Auburn when it was raining like crazy.  So, they drove back to Gadsden, and we met once again in the heat of Birmingham.  We had a great time.  I met two homeless men that knew all about photography.  Seriously…they knew about fstop, ISO, depth of field….could have talked to them all day.  Josh and I met a couple of folks two while waiting on Abbie to change clothes.  One who confessed to taking pills his whole life, one that was trying to get away from his co-worker who apparently was in one of her bad moods, and the other sweet lady (homeless too I assume) was just charming.  She just laughed and laughed.  So, needless to say, I learned a whole lot more that day than I had even bargained for.  I also learned that these two are a hoot.  As Abbie tried to calm Josh’s chest hair, he told her to stop, and said that most women like it.  She called him a freak or something similar, and he breaks out and says, (and I quote), “Uh huh…you’re right.  And in a couple of weeks, it’s all yours.”  And I almost wet my britches.  Can’t wait until September to see what else he’s gonna do.  Y’all are so pretty.

Whitney is a classic beauty.  That’s all I can say and still that doesn’t seem like it describes who she really is.  So sweet.  And then there’s Josh- who is a classic nut.  He’s so funny and the thing is, is that you don’t know he even talks until he gets a wild hair and does something that completely cracks you up.  He just makes me laugh.  We braved the heat last week, and sweated, but it was worth it.  The wedding was beautifully organized by Jackie of Dana’s Floral Design in Prattville.  And the catering?  Oh my..at the Alley Station, they chowed down on shrimp and grits, groom’s cake with oreos and strawberries and miniature milk/chocolate/strawberry milk shots.  How cute is that?  Anyway, y’all were so sweet and Dana and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, if your question has been, “Why hasn’t she posted anything in a hundred years?”, my answer is, “What?  Is it already July? Have I neglected my dearly beloved blog that long?”  Truth is, it’s been a whirlwind of a summer.  We’ve had the most wonderful weddings every weekend of the summer and I guess that we ran out of time.  So, I will be posting them shortly.  Check out the latest issue of Southern Bride Magazine for the “Birmingham” section of vintage cakes, etc.  WONDERFUL VENDORS!  We shot the layout at The Alabama Theater.  Oh, what a beautiful place.  Also, coming this fall, we’re going to be featured in another nationwide magazine.  More on that soon.

After all the shameless bragging, let me just say this-  I have been blessed by God so much in the past 6 months.    I’ve studied and studied it, and I’m not sure how we’ve grown so much, so fast.  It shouldn’t happen.  I advertise in one place only- www.theknot.com.  No magazine ads.  Nothing.  I have met some wonderful folks lately as well.  Dana, of course, has my heart forever.  She is my right hand woman.  And to Alisa, Dianna, and Wes, I owe the greatest thanks.  You are simply the best.  It is unbelievable to me to see and know that you’re in the place that not only you want to be, but that God wants you to be.  That’s a powerful thing.

The reason I say all of that above isn’t to brag (ok…some of it is ’cause I am pretty proud), to prove we’re crazy busy, or we’re whatever.  The reason that I say the above is because you’re hearing it from somebody just like you- somebody who wants to take a big leap into the river, but is afraid that the river isn’t deep enough.  Well, it is, so just go ahead and jump. Now, I’m not saying that it’s been easy.  It hasn’t.  I hate business.  I really do.  I hate people that compete because of insecurity.  I hate people that make themselves out to be someone they’re not.  I hate people that think they know whatever it is they think they know, when in reality, all they know is insecurity.  But, what I do love are my clients.  My folks that do have my back.  My time I spend with each and every family. And the list goes on and on. The only thing I can compare the good and the bad of the business world to is like searching for a worm in a bushel of peas.  It’s there, you know it is.  You just have to find it, throw it out and move on for some good eatin’.  And that’s where I am.  Good eatin’.  That’s where I want to be.  Not too much, not too little.  Just perfect.

We’ll be announcing some more things in the following weeks.  I’m scared.  Again.  But I’m excited beyond belief too. But as one of my favorite people always says, “You miss 100% of the shots that you never take.”  Thanks Lara Casey.

Will talk soon (like this afternoon when I have time to post some wonderful sessions and weddings).