Happy Halloween: Take One

As the newest and youngest year-round employee at Liberty, I always try to bring something new and exciting to the resort. Whether it's a cake to celebrate a special birthday or a reason to have a special holiday lunch, I bring it. Or should I say, "coordinate it." It does say "Event Coordinator" on my business card so it's only fitting that I spice things up here at work, right? That's what events do. They spice up your life! *Que Spice Girls hit song "Spice Up Your Life." :)

We sorta unofficially celebrated Halloween today at work. I sent out a teaser email earlier in the week with a few pictures from last year's Halloween included hoping that at least some people would find the motivation and fun in wearing costumes to work today. Surprisingly, quite a few people really got into it and really dressed up. Even our General Manager Eric decided to show his Halloween spirit. It was quite an interesting morning...

I started off my event coordinating by bringing in jack-o-lantern doughnuts to share with the crew. I saw these at Walmart and just couldn't pass them up! How cute are they!?!

Next item on the coordinating list: get Eric (our GM) into a zombie costume!
Mission accomplished.

Eric is the guy on the far right in the picture below. He happily got into costume and really helped to spice things up. But first, a meeting in the hallway with some of Halloween's finest.

Once Eric put his mask on, he was in true zombie form. Here he is waiting to scare our UPS guy. It's amazing what people will do when their identity is hidden.

This is when things got REALLY GOOD. Eric put on quite a zombie show - creeping around, snarling at people and dragging his legs like zombies do. Below is the perfect zombie pose. Eric had us all laughing hysterically as he creeped up, down and around the stairway. What a Halloween trooper he is.

And the show continues! Eric and Lonny trying to scare Jimmy in the Rental Shop.

A group picture of all our Halloween groupies! Thank you all for getting into the Halloween spirit! Sorry I didn't participate - my costume wasn't quite ready. I'll reveal that in my second Halloween post. ;)

All in all, I was successful in spicing things up here at work by adding a little Halloween spirit to our day. We have a lot of fun here at Liberty and that's probably what keeps some of us sane, especially when the winter season rolls around. What shall I coordinate next?? ;)

Happy Halloween: Take Two - COMING SOON! Just you wait. :)

The Fike Family: Lifestyle Portraits

Brian's parents invited us to go to Myrtle Beach this past summer for vacation. Brian had always talked about their Fike family vacations to the beach so I was anxious and excited to finally be a part of one. We stayed in a beautiful condo at the Grand Atlantic Resort. We hung out on the beach in the mornings, ate lunch meat and chips for lunch, shopped and did touristy things in the afternoon, and feasted and relaxed in the evenings. We had wonderful weather and overall a great time together!

Pam, Brian's mom, asked me long before the vacation if I'd take beach portraits of the family while we were in Myrtle. DUH! Of course I'll take pictures! I was so excited to have my first official portrait session on the beach, and I even got to be in some of the pictures! Here's a small selection from what we captured on the beach that evening....

The four Fikesters - Brian, Jeff, Pam and Jason

I was a little nervous when I told them to "look at each other and laugh" during the session. I do this with just about everyone during a session, but I wasn't sure how the Fikes would react. Surprisingly, they were pretty awesome at looking at each other and laughing on que. Definitely made for some good pictures. :)

This one is for Pam. She loves flip flops.

Here we are! The whole clan! Propped the camera up on the lifeguard chair and set the timer. Worked like a charm. :)

Another "look at yourself and laugh" success!

Wow! What a good picture of Jeff and Pam. Brian was even impressed.

When it comes to Brian and Jason, serious pictures just aren't their style. This is their style...

Of course we had to get some pictures of me and my honey! Thanks for being my second shooter, Jason!

I'm in mid-slap and Brian is trying to pick my nose. Goodness gracious, this is typical.

Jason, you may have captured the best picture of the day. At least in my opinion. :)

Oh my goodness! The series of images I got from this stunt - AWESOME! The four Fikesters are a little laid-back and not too rambunxious so when they pulled this trick on me, I was shocked, but loving the energy. The faces in this picture are priceless.

Thank you, Pam, for asking me to take some family portraits on the beach. I had such a wonderful time on vacation and a fabulous time during my first beach session. Maybe we can do this again once Heather is added to the Fike family!?! ;)

My first wedding...

My first wedding is tomorrow. I'm THE photographer. I'm the one responsible for capturing the special moments. I'm the one responsible for producing gorgeous pictures that will last a lifetime. I'm the one responsible for telling one of life's most important, exciting and loving stories - the wedding day story.

Denise and Stuart are getting married tomorrow at the Kluge Estate Farm Shop and Winery in Charlottesville, VA. When Denise first contacted me in June about wedding photography, I was excited, flattered and nervous all at the same time. I knew that someday I'd have my own photography business, but that that someday would not come for a while down the road. Was I ready for this? How will I accommodate all her needs? Will I be able to produce quality, professional pictures for her to cherish forever? All these questions ran through my head, but they were surpassed by a feeling of excitement. Someone wants ME to take their wedding pictures? WOW! What an awesome feeling.

Little did I know that Denise's interest in my wedding photography would be the spark to light my fire and get me running at 100 mph into starting my photography business sooner than later. That someday that I would start my own photography business came unexpectedly in July and here I am preparing for my first wedding. I get to call the shots. I get to pose the bride and groom the way I want to. I get to be front-and-center during every special moment of their special day. I get to be their wedding photographer, and that's huge. I'm feeling excited, flattered and [a little] nervous all over again, and again the excitement surpasses.

I am totally stoked for Denise and Stuart's fall wedding tomorrow. I know it will be filled with colorful leaves, crisp fall air, and most importantly, so much love. Thank you Denise and Stuart for asking ME to be your wedding photographer. I cannot wait to capture your special wedding day story in pictures! Enjoy the fall -ness of the picture above. :)

Laila Marie: Newborn Portraits

In early September, I had the honor and privilege of shooting Laila Marie's newborn portraits, only the second newborn of my career. Laila is the newest addition to the Henderson family, a cute little group from Silver Spring, MD. Devin and Heather are friends with Jared and Laura (mine and Brian's friends and cousins) and heard about my photography business through Laura. You may remember Laura from my previous blog post - she also gave my info to the Wert Family. Laura - thanks again for talkin' me up! ;)

While mommy and daddy got Laila ready for her debut, I took some shots of the nursery. My favorite part of the room was this quote that Devin and Heather put on the wall above Laila's crib. I am so glad I was able to help tell this child's story with newborn portraits...

Here she is! Miss Laila Marie.

The nursery and all its glory.

Devin and Heather made sure we got a picture of one of Laila's newest outfits. Her shirt says "Heaven Sent" - how cute is that!?!

Look at her peekin' with one eye. Definitely one of my favorites!

One last moment between mommy and daughter to end the session.

Devin and Heather - thank you so much for inviting me into your home only one week after Laila was born. We were definitely able to capture some special moments together. CONGRATS on your newest addition!