Caleb Turns Three

In my effort to continue learning how to post-process images, Craig had me work on the images from Caleb’s birthday party. Last Friday our son, Caleb, turned three years old. We decided to have a Pirate Party for him to celebrate with our friends and family. This was the first year that Caleb really understood that the party was for him. One evening while out on a walk he asked me if I would call Pee-Dee the Pirate (ECU mascot) on my cell phone and invite him to his party. His request was so sincere. We did try to get Pee-Dee to make an appearance but he was “away for the summer”. I think Caleb already has some purple and gold running thru his veins. You can see his personality shine thru the pictures below. He really does have a zest for life and for those of you who know him, I’m sure you agree. We are so thankful to God for giving us three years to enjoy Caleb…we pray that there are many more ahead!

I love both of these shots – you can see the genuine enjoyment on their faces. Can you remember when life was as simple as this? All you had to do was get up and play all day and trust that your mom was going to feed you and put you to bed?

Connor and Caleb enjoy playing together…maybe it’s because they both have little sisters and need a little ‘rough-play’ from time to time. Connor loved the punch balloons. Some kids actually chased Craig around the yard at one point trying to get him with their balloons.

I love the angle from up above. Isn’t that what we see daily yet sometimes fail to capture? Our kids looking up to us. . . in more ways than one.

Here is Ava, having so much fun with the big bubbles! I love the expressions on her face and can I mention that I love her dress?

Caleb has two girlfriends named Ava, that could be trouble one day! Aren’t Ava’s eyes just gorgeous? That is the true, God-given color you see…stunning!

Our little Lydia is on the move. She is constantly trying to keep up with her big brother. I kept going back to this picture after I edited them and told Craig that it's one of my favorites - weird, I know. But, it really shows how 'busy' Lydia is and it's taken from the angle that I see alot:)

Is Ava portraying a Pirate and saying, Arrrrgh or is that a booger on her finger? The ‘zest’ is written all over Caleb's face in this image! I LOVE it – the smiles, the laughter, the energy. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze certain moments and enjoy them longer. I had a friend tell me one time that the days are long but the years are short…stop and ponder that statement. It’s true.

Below is a slideshow of Caleb’s birthday. If you want to see it on the big screen, click here. Don’t forget to leave us some blog-love!

Daniel+Meredith

I've known Daniel since '97 and Meredith since around '00. They are both great friends who have shared life with us through many different seasons. Both Daniel and Meredith share my affinity for Russian culture and hope to live in Moscow someday doing ministry. Currently, they live in Wake Forest while Daniel attends Seminary. I was honored that they drove quite a ways for the shoot. They have been married for one year and wanted some anniversary images. So, we treated the session like an engagement. Both of them have their roots in Eastern North Carolina, so I thought a session that captured the beauty of a rural culture was fitting. So, Kim happened to stumble on this MAJESTIC farm during one of the times we went scouting locations. It was an INCREDIBLE farm and we spent the entire time there. We had a blast rummaging through fields and barns (with permission of course). I even found this awesome cowboy hat and asked Daniel to wear it for some shots. He loved it and wore it for most of the session. We called it his 'stetson' hat. Daniel is really kinda the all-round outdoors-man, so it fit him well.

So, it was pouring down rain when we were supposed to start shooting (thank you tropical storm Cristobal). However, it cleared up and as soon as it did we jumped into the car. What I didn't realize is that a highly air-conditioned car and intense humidity do not mix well for camera lenses. So, after about 30 minutes of letting the lenses adjust to the humidity and drying them off we got started. What we didn't expect was the incredibly blue skies following the storm. The clouds were enormous and just . . . well . . . you had to kind of stop and appreciate it. So, I did my best to capture the skies and the color.

Thank you. My name is Craig and I'll be here all week.

So, as I was taking this image below on the right a swarm of ants attacked my foot. Good art is pain people.

The impressive rings. The rings are sitting on one of Meredith's journals.

Daniel and Meredith: Thank you for allowing me to capture this memorable time in your lives. I had a blast wondering through the fields and laughing with you both. I deeply appreciate your encouragement to me as I began to pursue photography . . . you both believed in me when few did. Most of all, thank you for committing your lives to Him who holds all things together and pouring into others so selflessly.

Phillips Family

I met Tameka at the Maternity fair back in March. July was the earliest we could get together {she's a busy lady!} She wanted me to take some shots of her adorable daughter, Kyla. Tameka was really interested in some shots outside in the downtown area and in her hair salon {she said that Kyla LOVED to play at the Salon}. Unfortunately, ten minutes prior to the shoot the skies opened up and it just started to pour down rain. So, instead, we started off at the Salon. Kyla was so much fun and was full of expressions! After a little while in the Salon the rain subsided and we were able to go into a field nearby and take some cute shots outside. Enjoy!

It was beautiful after the rain...the colors really popped! The grass was wet and bright green - perfect for shooting!

I love the warm "worn" look of this photo. It wasn't hard to capture a smile on this little girl - she was full of them!

Kyla does whatever her mom does - including putting on lip gloss.

Being in front of the camera is hard work - she had to stop and take a few breaks. The image on the left was one of my favorites. The texture of the wall adds alot to the image, not to mention how cute Kyla is just sitting there. The image on the right was taken thru a mirror - it turned out pretty crisp.

Kyla is not only full of smiles but also laughter. I love to capture the true "spirit" of little ones thru the lens.

Here she is demonstrating how to use the hair dryer...like a pro. Her mom has trained her well!

Tameka, I had fun capturing your relationship with Kyla...enjoy her while she is young! The time goes by so fast. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to spend a few hours with you to capture the joy you two share. I enjoyed doing something different and going to your salon - great idea!

Nunley Family

It's always such an honor to have a repeat client. I try my best to create images that are unique, colorful and capture the personalities of the people in front of the camera. Repeat clients are so fun because you don't start from scratch . . . there's some history with them already. I had done a session with Amber, her husband J.B. and their daughter Aubrey a while back (to this day, one of my favorite images 'ever' came out of that session - see the image by clicking here). Amber shared her images from their session with her mother, Nancy. A few months later, Amber called to schedule a family session again, but with more family. Nancy had requested Amber to hire me for some family portraits in two of Nancy's favorite places. I was honored to be asked to capture this hilarious family who had me laughing through the entire session. At times, I had to remind myself to take pictures. It was a blast to shoot and there were a lot of great images so take your time . . . this is a long post. Enjoy!

Nancy said she has always loved this enormous tree in the Greenwood cemetery beside St. Peters Catholic Church. She said she'd always admired the tree and had wanted to have her family picture in front of it. I happen to think some cemetery's are strangely beautiful. I've even taken some photos of some cemetery's in New Bern. Nancy's right. The tree is beautiful.

Meet the Family. This is Amber and . . . J.B.

Kaleigh and her daughter . . . Annaleigh.

Nancy and . . . Aubrey (Amber and J.B.'s daughter)

And the youngest . . . Briana.

These were my two favorite group shots.

Nancy also wanted to take some photographs on a small farm where she had spent some time as a child and teenager. The place was really quite beautiful (Great spot Nancy!). There happened to be this old couch just sitting in the field. Well, you know me, I just had to have them take some photo's on it. So, the girls obliged.

Another beautiful Eastern North Carolina sunset. WARNING: RANT COMING: (Yes, I said Eastern NORTH Carolina NOT "eastern carolina" . . . there are two Carolina's people . . . two. For generations people have been distinguishing between NORTH and SOUTH carolina. I don't know where this bad habit began of calling everything "eastern carolina". Join with me and let's band together and show the world that the people of Greenville know where they're located.)

Kim was able to come with me this time and was such a huge help in capturing all the different unique moments that were happening. Here is a moment I missed but Kim caught this fantastic shot of Aubrey laughing.

This was one of those hilarious moments that had everyone laughing. I love getting a great photograph of people really laughing. . . . . At the farm, there was a very old and run-down house. There were no glass windows so you could literally photograph through the windows (or should I say "holes") to the other side of the house. So I posed Briana for this one.

Annaleigh found a cicada insect and had so much fun with it.

A Big thank you to Amber and J.B. I was honored to be asked to capture your family. I had a blast with all of you. Kaleigh, you still have me laughing. I can't believe you went to a doctor named Dr. Mystique or Mistake, either way that just seems like a bad idea.

Ric+Robyn

Check out this killer {e-session} with two very fun people. Ok, seriously, I can not wait to photograph these two on their wedding day in August. Their {e-session} was a blast. Ric and Robyn are crazy about each other and totally let loose during the session. As a photographer I work hard to capture the personalities of my subjects (How people are when the camera isn't in their face.) I think with Ric and Robyn's images, you can really see their passion for each other. They are in-love and the camera ate it up. Aside from that, they both love the ECU Pirates and they love eastern North Carolina Bar-B-Q. So, they pretty much rock!

Ok, at the risk of sounding cheesy I wanted to suggest a soundtrack for these images . . . are you ready . . . "Shining Star" by the Manhattans. I know . . . I know . . . I lost the confidence of some readers out there with that suggestion, but the song just grabs me . . . I can't understand it. This is one from the old-school and kind of a one-hit wonder, but it's still a great song . . . I like the classic oldies. So, for those of you who like a little music with your images . . . add this one to the collection. If you have a better recommendation give me a shout and leave a comment.

Meet Robyn and . . . . Ric. Yes, those are her real eyes.

Rock'n blue skies!

So, if you are a Pirate fan then you can appreciate this image below with the E.B. Ficklen Tobacco Company in the background. On a side note: if you say you are a Pirate fan and you don't know the word Ficklen, then . . . you're not a Pirate fan.

It got a little steamy.

To Ric and Robyn: thanks for being so fun and letting me capture this unique and colorful moment in your lives. I hope you like the images as much as I do.