Birthday Party Shoot: Baby Vida turns 1 in Clemmons, NC

My co-worker Lauren has an adorable baby girl that she is constantly snapping shots and sharing all over Facebook, so we were both super excited to have an opportunity to have a high quality shoot for baby Vida's 1st Birthday Party!

I got there a little early so I could take photos of everything Lauren had prepared before guests devoured it all. It was clear that she had put a lot of time and effort into all the food and decorations - it was like Pinterest had come to life!

Grandma "Ya-Ya" and Grandpa showed up and spent a few minutes doting on their grand-daughter.

Our co-workers Jesika and Justin (the ones I did a maternity shoot with last month!) also showed up with their newborn, Larkin. Vida gently introduced herself:

Vida's "boyfriend" baby Carter arrived, and they greeted each other in a very affectionate manner:

Carter was also a very photogenic baby... must be those big blue eyes.

After everyone had spent some time socializing, it was cake time! This cute pink smash cake was created by Lily Cakes. And as you can see, Vida was eager to dig in.

Birthday present time came up next, and even Vida looked awed by the number of presents surrounding her. She obviously has more friends than me! ;)

Of course, it became rather obvious that she was more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents themselves.

Mom, stop putting this thing on me!

As the saying goes, like mother, like daughter!

Thanks for having me out, Lauren and Jarrod! Happy birthday again to the lovely lady Vida!!

Couples Maternity Session: Jesika + Justin at Duke Gardens in Durham, NC

This beautiful mother and father to be are actually friends and coworkers of mine - Jesika sits right next to me in our office and I've gotten to watch her pregnancy grow from the beginning! The two choose the lovely location of Duke Gardens on Duke University Campus in Durham, NC for the location of photos, and we met there on Sunday afternoon for a quick shoot.

We started our session right behind Duke Garden's welcome center... a spot I hadn't even been aware of until this shoot.

I let them lead the way so I could catch some candid moments as we crossed over a bridge into the main gardens.

In the above shot, Justin had grabbed Jesika's hand and had their arms extended. Jesika giggled as she asked Justin, "Are we doing the tango?" Gotta love the silly, candid moments!

Justin then discovered the bamboo area where he gave us his super hero pose.

And I'm fairly certain the red bridge photo is a must have for any photography session at the gardens.

Saving the best for last - Jesika asked where the main entrance to the gardens was and suggested some shots there, so we walked in that direction and stumbled across the new fountain right about the time the sun was setting. The results stun even me....

Updated Note: Jesika went into labor a mere two days after this shoot - just about a month earlier than her predicted due date. Mother, father and baby "Larkin" are doing well, and we're all glad to have gotten the photos just in the nick of time! Perhaps we'll have another shoot in a couple months with Larkin included!

Congrats Justin and Jesika!!

Wedding Photography: Jennifer & Trent at Bensalem Presbyterian Church in Eagle Springs, NC

Jennifer and Trent had a classic, but very sweet ceremony at Bensalem Presbyterian Church in Eagle Springs last month. It's always an honor to share such a special day with anyone; I love seeing love, but even more than that, I love feeling love - and when this couple looked at each other, you could definitely feel it.

Their celebration continued with a reception at Beacon Ridge Community Center at Seven Lakes West and they left with a grand exit - featuring sparklers, a kiss and a classic Corvette! Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Wedding Photography: Vanessa & David at Woodlake Country Club in Vass, NC

The ceremony that this couple had was, what I'm going to call, every photographer's ideal wedding. The venue - Woodlake Country Club - had large, open rooms with plenty of windows for natural light to seep through. The ceremony itself was outside, removing the need for much unnatural lighting. Oh, and lest we not forget the lovely couple themselves, Vanessa and David!

Congratulations, Vanessa and David!