The D'Amico Family

The first weekend in July I was able to travel home with my best friend, Danielle, to take pictures of her and her family at the Jersey Shore! It was such a blessing to be able to take pictures for them and better yet, see the whole family! Everyone in the D'Amico family has the ability to make you feel like a friend instantly. They are so welcoming and hospitable. I love that and so much more about them. They have showed me their kindness over and over again and I am so thankful for them! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the shoot. It was a very clear and sunny day as you can see by their big smiles and bright faces:

Stephen & Brianne BELL

This past Saturday I attended the lovely wedding of Stephen and Brianne Bell. It was a local wedding in Lynchburg held at the Trivium. For the time of year, I'm sure the day was expected to be hot and humid, but it was a beautiful, clear and mild day. The Trivium has a very artistic landscape surrounding it, which makes for some really special and unique pictures. This was the second wedding that I was able to take part in with Sabrena and it was great to be there. Stephen and Brianne were a very laid back and peaceful couple; the love that they had for their friends and family was very evident. Here are some pictures from their perfect day...

The Gerdes Family

I have known the Gerdes family for about a year and a half now and it has been such blessing to know such a wonderful family! I have had the opportunity to babysit Gracie, Ian and Alex through out the school year and a good amount this summer, especially with the arrival of their new baby sister, Christy. The other evening before Dr. and Mrs. Gerdes went out for a date night, I took some family portraits. I knew this was going to be a challenge but also a lot of fun, and it turned out to be a pretty quick and easy photo shoot. It was really cool to capture all of their warm joyful smiles and the kids different personalities. Here are some of the pictures

VA Beach Trip

This weekend I took a trip to VA beach with some friends to visit a great friend of mine. Although I had my camera almost every where we went I couldn't help but relax on the beach during the day, hang out with everyone and enjoy the evenings. However, one evening we made it a little event to go to the bay area to take some pictures of Lu and Nathan. They are wonderful people with great passion for knowledge and literature. I like them a lot.

A night on the town

Last night, I was able to go on a photo shoot in the town of Bedford, with Sabrena, Johnna and James. James and Johnna were married in March but the rain kept them from getting all the wedding pictures they hoped for. Sabrena kindly offered to reshoot for them after they had been wed and three months later, Johnna, once again, put on her beautiful wedding dress and James put on his suit! It was a beautiful night and the sky was outrageous, I never thought I would see all those colours in the sky at one time. The town was empty for the most part, but James and Johnna were definitely catching passerby's eyes through out the town. It was fun watching them together, they are filled with love for one another and carry a contagious joy. Here are some pictures I got from the shoot:

A Busy Week

Well, it's been a busy, but exciting week as an intern. I have gone to Sabrena's house three times so far this week and tomorrow will make it four. I started on Monday editing outdoor reception pictures from a wedding she did a weekend ago. The pictures were great, she captured a lot of joy, love and laughter. They were great examples of what I hope to capture on some one's special day. Yesterday we did a bit of running around looking for fabric to cover some chairs that Sabrena got a great deal on. There were so many beautiful colors and fun patterns. In hopes of finding a chair one day, that I can cover, I bought my own two pieces of scrap fabric for 50 cents each, what a steal! They are a little funky and outdated but I think maybe something can be done with them:

We found the perfect patterns for the seats of the chairs and worked on completing them today. We painted them and Sabrena finished them off! They look great and would be a nice addition to an upcoming photo shoot.

Also, last week I was given the assignment to start thinking about branding and creating a name for myself. After thinking through things like my goals for a photography business, who I would want to attract to my services and what I want to provide to those I am serving, I started to work on names and a mark to brand my photos. And this is what I came up with:

emily & michael COOPER

So, this was my first wedding experience through my internship with Sabrena Deal and I loved every minute of it!

This wedding was beyond beautiful, despite the occasional rain shower. It was a little wet and a mostly cloudy but the wedding was great and the people in it and at it were even more wonderful. I enjoyed being at a wedding where I knew no one but still felt connected with them and felt I could fellowship with them because of our common love for the Lord. Here are some pictures from the Cooper wedding!