Nate + Ashley

Nate and Ashley are recent graduates from ECU and we have had the privilege of knowing them for the last four years. We have been encouraged greatly by their love for Christ and for each other. Nate and Ashley are one of those couples that we can't wait to see get married. We have watched their relationship develop over these many years and it will be a blast to be part of their big day. Occasionally there are people you meet where you might say to yourself, "I hope my kids will be like that person." Nate and Ash are "those people". They gave their engagement session a lot of thought. I think their attention to detail (in props and outfit choice) made these images ROCK. These are our favorites. Enjoy!

I love watching Ashley and Nate interact. He adores her and she thinks he is funny . . . which is hilarious.

Ashley has an amazing 'zoolander' face.

*Hint, hint* save the date . . . 8/04/12.

I love the black and white version of this image.

Fedora Hat. Loose Tie. Sequined Headband. Nice.

Nate and Ash, we are so thankful to the Lord for His work in your lives. May these images serve as a sweet reminder of this time of engagement as you prepare your hearts for a lifetime together.

Our Family

I fear that my kids will wonder where I was when they look at family photographs. I'll have to say, apologetically, "Well, I was there, I was just behind the camera." However, as time continues to cut away the years I am finding that Kim and I are increasingly absent from the family photo album. As a photographer this is frustrating. We consistently give clients photographic art for their families and the walls of their homes, but never have that for ourselves. No matter what people say, it's just impossible to get several artistic family photos relying on a timed shutter release and a tripod. When taking a photo of a kid, I'm lucky to get a laugh or smile with an assistant jumping and making faces behind me. I'll let you just guess how successful it is to say to a four year old, "look that way at the tripod and smile." So, you see the dilemma. For years we have just shrugged our shoulders and said, "Ohh well, I guess we'll worry about it someday." "Someday" came to us a few weeks ago when my wife said to me, "I want family photos for Mothers day." Now, my wife is a great photographer, but she is an incredible mother and wife and if her heart longed for family photos, I was going to get her some family photographs. Please keep in mind, we could hire a photographer and go that route. We value photography and value the skill of a great photographer. However, photographers inevitably want their ideas to be implemented in the photographs. I know this because I'm a photographer. We frame it the way we want, we take suggestions and ideas, but ultimately it's the photographer's creativity and artistic eye that people pay for when they hire a photographer. Otherwise, it's like hiring a great chef and then telling him how to cook your meal. It defeats the point of hiring a chef.

We wanted a certain image and a certain look. So, we asked our good friends, Melanie and Jeff Mansfield who we think are incredibly talented photographers but also humble enough to let us direct what we wanted. We offered them a meal with us, in exchange for their time and skill. I know what you're thinking, that is an incredible offer: several hours with us, including the meal for the stress of trying to create another photographers vision of a family photograph and making certain that it's technically perfect. No, it was not a fair deal. Yes, Jeff and Melanie totally served us. They deserve far better. That's the kind of people they are. They sacrificed a night off with their kids, money for gas, and exchanged it for the stress of taking our pictures. They both are so generous that they give until it is detrimental to their business, literally. It is rare to meet people like that.

So, we scouted all the locations, got dressed to the nines, and came up with a few poses we wanted to replicate from client sessions we had photographed like the Lowry's and the Hollowell's. We just needed someone to click the shutter and give us the memory cards. Melanie and Jeff worked hard to give us images we wanted and then we just let them tell us what to do. We experienced what our clients experience when we are getting to tell them how to stand and pose. It was fun!

In the end we got some great family photos and then we laughed with our friends until we cried sitting around our kitchen table until 3 a.m. We feel fortunate to have friends like the them. If you want to see the Mansfield's take on the session and the images they edited, you can see their blog post about it here. We want you to look, they're good . . . and so are the pictures.

We want to hear from you. We love all of the pictures below that Melanie and Jeff took for us. We are having a hard time deciding which one to have printed on canvas and hung in our living room. Post a comment letting us know your favorite and why. It would help us out!

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We also wanted some more recent pictures of our children. This was a task we can easily accomplish on our own, but rarely do. So, we dressed them in the same outfits and went to the same locations a day earlier and took our time photographing our children. It was fun, and challenging. Below are some of our favorites. We'd love for you to let us know which one you like the best for us to put in our home by posting your vote and why in a comment below! Enjoy!

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Slockbower Family

Brandon and Erin are from California. They chose to move to North Carolina for Brandon's work and see how the other side of the country lives. They are super friendly and down-to-earth folks. We met them at our church and connected with them right away. To date, they are in the running for the most patient clients we have ever had. We asked them (including Erin, who is preggo) to climb what looked like a small hill from a distance but was actually a small mountain. They did so without complaint. We asked them to wander into tall grass and weeds. They did so without complaint. They calmly flicked spiders off their clothes and kept smiling. They brought props and thought through what to wear and coordinated like champs. I thought I might have asked too much of them. But they firmly believed that "art is pain" and worked hard for some family photos. These guys were such great sports. Enjoy!

Meet Parker

Meet Erin and Brandon

Brandon's grandfather served in the Marines and fought in major battles like Guadalcanal. He was a wartime photographer and also enjoyed art. At the completion of his military career he made a collage of his metals, papers, and patches. This is a family heirloom that Brandon treasures and looks forward to passing it down to Parker one day. As a collector of World War II items I found this to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Seriously. By the way, Erin is expecting Slockbower #2.

Erin and Brandon: We hope these images help you to preserve the precious memories of this season in your lives. Thanks for going above and beyond for these images. We hope you think it was worth it.

Canvas Sale

Great News! We are offering a KILLER discount on Gallery Wrap Canvases to all of our 2010 clients. I've never seen the prices this low.

Our professional printing lab is offering a MAJOR discount and we are passing those savings on to you. Honestly, this is as cheap as these canvases EVER get. We are personally planning to take advantage of this discount for our family. This offer lasts until MAY 26th. One Month ONLY.

We are offering three sizes for these incredible savings! All pricing includes the shipping cost. Take a look!
28x42 is $290 INCLUDING SHIPPING.
32x48 is $355 INCLUDING SHIPPING.
40x60 is $465 INCLUDING SHIPPING.

These three sizes are Full-Frame, which means, nothing is actually cropped out of the image. The FULL image is wrapped around the canvas.

These are NOT PAINTINGS. They are your digital images put onto a canvas wrapped around a wooden frame so that no framing is needed. They come with the hanging wire already attached on the back. You simply hang them on your wall. Trust us they look gorgeous.

Here are the details:
1. Email us and let us know you want your gallery re-activated (at no charge).
2. Select as many images you want to have blown up into canvas prints to put in your home and email us the file numbers. (We can help you with that).
3. Get a crazy discount and pay up to 49% less.
4. Get your Canvas in a few weeks.

We LOVE HUGE IMAGES and we think they look great hanging on the walls of our home. We thought you might want one or two of your favorite images from your photo session on a canvas hanging over your couch or to give Grandma as a gift.

In fact, the Image below shows two canvases in our home. The two canvases are 24x36. This is a bit smaller than the 28x42 canvas in the sale. However, we think they ad a lot to the room and we are always being asked about them.

We appreciate your business and are happy to offer this discount to our wonderful 2010 clients!

Lowry Family

The Lowry family are dear friends of ours through our church. We were honored when they asked us to take their family photos. They all put a lot of time and energy into preparing for the photo session. There were several phone calls regarding outfits and locations. Jerry was corralled into a dressing room where he was forced to try and tons of outfits. I seriously felt sorry for him. The ladies have a blast with that, but guys, we tend to suffer through it. Jerry is a Marine and serves our country proudly. He doesn't spend lots of time in dressing rooms. He spends his time preparing young men for the most horrible conditions possible. We are grateful for his service to our country! It was wonderful to capture some family memories for Jerry and Claire and to document the lives of their precious children. We think all of the advanced effort and the hours in dressing rooms paid off in these images. Check out a few of our favorites from the evening. Enjoy!

Meet Caelyn, eight years old, and Connor, almost three.

Here is precious Emmy. She's nine months old and all smiles!

Jerry is so great with his son. He stands on a wall for his country, but doesn't let it harden his affection for his son.

Caelyn is a natural for the camera.

What a fun family!

Mom and dad are often behind the camera. We think it's important to take a few just for them.

Jerry is a huge OH - IO State fan!

Jerry and Claire, we had a great time with your family. We hope you are pleased with the images and that they help you remember this wonderful season of life.

Grady + Tiffany

Whenever you ask Grady about his fiance, Tiffany, he can't help grinning. You can tell that he is completely head-over-heels about her. I've known Grady a while and nothing gets him smiling quicker than Tiffany. I consider both of these individuals good friends. They are both world-class people. Seriously. I'm honored to have the opportunity to watch them say their vows to one another in just a few short weeks. It was so much fun to do these engagement photos for them. Enjoy!

The bride-to-be. Tiffany!

Grady and Tiffany: We hope these images will serve as a reminder of the cherished memories of this season in your lives. We look forward to more Settlers game nights and watching you grow as husband and wife.