What a Cutie-Pie!

I introduced you to the youngest member of my family a few months ago, Baby Brooklyn. She's now six months old, and full of personality.

I photographed her for her "Baby Detail's" panel while we were in Virginia for the Easter holidays. We got some great shots while she showed off her wiggling skills, ha-ha. She's as sweet as she is cute, and those chunky little legs are just adorable! Do you see all that hair? At this rate she'll have braided pigtails for her one year portraits.

For this session I used my sisters french door as a soft box light, and used a large footstool that I covered with black fabric to put Brooklyn on. In case you're wondering, yes, most babies do leak when they're naked for more than two minutes. Yes, she was, and yes, she did. Nope, I put plastic down under the black fabric 'cause I knew that would happen and I didn't want my sister upset with me. ;-)

Fallin' in Love: Wedding Photos from the Mountains

This was a new twist on wedding day photography for me, and a LOT of fun! David and Kacey had a small chapel wedding in Blowing Rock, NC. Most of the time I'm hired to start photographing before the ceremony starts. This time was different, their chapel provided a photographer for the ceremony.

But this family ought to win a "Fan of the Year Award" because they wanted something more creative and fun to celebrate the day. I arrived at the end of their reception, and I'll admit that felt kinda odd, you know, like I was late. I had a bad dream one night kinda like that, but that's another story. Then we headed out for a real adventure as we spent a few hours be-bopping around and taking photos of them.

We found a beautiful abandoned barn, a little covered bridge, and lots of surrounding areas where the trees were just awesome. Beautiful people, beautiful place, beautiful day--can't ask for more than that. Well....a little warmer weather would have been lovely, but we managed.

Welcome to the family, Brooklyn

Ok, I'm gonna sound like a grandma, but honest, I'm her auntie. Miss Brooklyn is just the cutest thing, don't you think? These are some quick photos taken at my brothers house a couple of weeks ago when I got to meet her for the first time.

It's been a while since we added a little girl to the family tree, that puts the count up to 7 nephews and 3 nieces (plus a goddaughter and two godsons, don't forget them.) Gonna be fun buying some little girl stuff for Christmas-woo-hoo!

Lilly's Pearls

This is a photo taken during a 4 generation session--4 beautiful women, 1 beautiful family. Lilly and Mom live in Chicago and came home to Thomasville to surprise Grandma and Great-Grandma for Mother's Day. While they were together was the perfect time to create a new family heirloom.

The pearls in the back belong to Great-Grandma, the baby bracelet is Lilly's, and the pearls in her hand are Grandma's but were worn during the session by Mommy. I can envision that someday she'll be photographed in her wedding gown with these same pearls.

February 18, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Measuring Up

I used to sew a lot, and as I went in search of my photo of the day, I found my tape measure. Texture, color, shape-everything was there. I never know what is going to inspire my photo each day-that's part of the adventure. It's photographed on my dining room table, an antique I inherited from my mother.

February 16, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Spring IS coming!

I was just about to give up hope of Spring returning to my world. Seems like I've been cold for years. Then I spotted these daffodil sprouts, and my heart rejoiced! I always think of daffodils as the most cheerful flower I've ever seen, and I'm fascinated by the shape and intricate construction of them. Let the warming trend commence!

February 15, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Homestead

When I stumble upon a scene like this, I wonder at the stories that are part of the creation of such a place. There must be hundreds of untold stories that either start or end here at this exact place. I find myself trying to imagine what this spot looked like 100 years ago, what it took to complete this unique and beautiful farm house, how many children and cats have played in these barns?


I'm guessing that this old farm has been around for decades, it certainly shows the signs that a family has loved and cared for it. Unfortunately, this is one of those times when a photo just doesn't do it justice.

February 14, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Showin' Off

This beautiful goose looks like he's showin' off for the ladies on Valentine's Day, or maybe crooning out a love song. I can't imagine what it would feel like to go swimming on a day this cold, so I was impressed already.

Video - Photos from a class I taught for PPNC.

I just have to share this little video. A few weeks ago I taught a class for the Professional Photographers of North Carolina about the use of fabrics in portraiture. These two beautiful young ladies, Brittany and Rachel, were our models for a little part of the day, and they were awesome! I photographed Brittany, the blonde, a while back for her senior portraits. With beautiful faces like these, how can you go wrong? My students were half from around Charlotte, and half from Virginia, and we had such a good time.I made some great new friends, and can't wait to see them at convention in a couple of weeks.

February 8, 2010 - Photo of the Day - No, It's Not a Spaceship

Well...this is one of those days where the photo didn't come easily. I was on my way home from a seminar in Charlotte that lasted until 10:30 at night and still didn't have my photo. I decided I would drive into Thomasville and get a shot of "The Big Chair," but wouldn't you know it, there wasn't enough light on it to even try. So imagine this, I'm driving around town in the middle of the night, trying to keep one eye on the road and scan my surroundings for something cool to photograph with the other. I figure any minute a town cop is going to pull me over for being suspicious.

The iconic, world record breaking Big Chair in the center of town square wasn't lit, but this water tower was lit up like a Christmas tree just glowing in the sky. Anybody else see any humor in that?

I'm trying to think of some way to make the tower look cool, and decided that I needed to be underneath it. It reminded me of a spaceship at the time. However, looking at the finished image, it reminds me a lot of a jellyfish. Kinda funny, jellyfish live in water, and this tank is full of water. OK, it was funny in my head. In the end, this is a much more creative image than I would have gotten with the Big Chair.

February 7, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Glass & Bricks

I had a shot in mind today in High Point's showroom district, but on my way to get it I noticed this building. (Funny how you can drive by things so many times without noticing them.) I love textures and reflections, and having both in the same scene made this a scene that I just had to make the photo for today. Don't worry, I'll get the other one I had in mind another day--we've got almost 11 months left of our little adventure.

February 5, 2010 - Photo of the Day - Just Add Water

Today's photo is an experiment with light, time, and motion. Lit with a flashlight, this long exposure captures the flow of the water as it's poured into the bowl. There are little wonders all around us that our eyes can't even see.

Photo of the Day - February 3, 2010 - Blue Morn'

This scene was taken on the campus of Thomasville Medical Center hospital this morning. There was a wonderful blanket of fog, and the sun was just coming over the edge of the earth--breathtaking!

Adventures in Flowers

Some of you know that my Mom was a florist. So....having helped out during busy seasons (I will refrain from talking about Mother's Day at a flower shop) I have a heartfelt appreciation for florists and the talent, hard work, and mess it takes to make something beautiful come to life out of a tangle of plants in five gallon buckets.

Thus, when John Herron of Herron House commissioned me to create a new image of him to be used in his ad for Triad Weddings magazine, I was excited. John's an amazing wedding floral designer. His resumee reads like a "Who's Who" in the floral and design industry. He has both a creative mind and an awareness of what photographs well, which makes me happy. I've always admired his work, and love his outgoing, spunky attitude. If you ever need a smile, John Herron has one ready for ya!

I'll admit, it was bittersweet to enter his place. It's been three years since I've set foot in my Mom's shop, and the scent was unmistakable. I had time to wander around and reminisce before we took off on our adventure.

What adventure? Well, if you want flowers in December, what do you do? You go to a floral wholesalers warehouse, of course. Now I've been around little shops, but this place was amazing! With coolers the size of my house, and live greenery and flowers of every shape, size, color and texture, I was in sensory overload. The owner was gracious and gave us the run of the place, and I could have stayed all day-if it had been warmer, burrr!

We spent a couple of hours, and created a number of images to be used both now and later. The one selected for his ad was taken in "the big cooler" with shelves full of buckets of greenery for our background. to make him and the pink flowers stand out.

The Triad Wedding magazine will be out in January, and yours truly will have an ad in there as well. If you know anyone planning a wedding in the Triad area, let me know and I'll send them a copy of the magazine. And if they haven't found a photographer yet, I'd love to talk to them. ;-)

http://www.rhondaswebsite.com/