Carter's Debut

Sweet little Carter Grissom made his photo debut a few weeks after he was born this summer. Wasn't too crazy about having his picture taken, but this little Razorback fan was simply precious.

  

 

Casey & Lauren {Baby Bump}

This sweet couple was expecting their first baby, and allowed me to capture them together just weeks before the baby's birth. Lauren and Casey were such great models, and the light that evening was beautiful. We began in downtown Jonesboro, and later headed west of town to this gorgeous open field to catch the sunset.

Note: Photos of Baby Carter coming soon!

Autumn's Bridal Portraits

On a windy spring day in April, Autumn and I, along with our mom, headed to our grandmother's house for a bridal portrait session. This lovely century-old home holds lots of memories for us, from summer days playing and riding four-wheelers around the farm to Christmas Eve family gatherings. It was the perfect setting.

 

 

Mom posed with Autumn in the exact place where she had posed with her own mother on her wedding day, August 10, 1979.

Casey & Autumn {Engagement}

Well it's been nearly 10 months since my last post. I've been a bit of a slacker when it comes to blogging this year. I have, however, had several photo sessions, so I'll try to get caught up.

After such a busy year in 2011, I had some time off at the beginning of this year to take a breather from photo sessions. But in late February I had the opportunity to shoot an engagement session for my sister Autumn and her then-fiance Casey on the campus of Arkansas State University, where they met.

Casey and Autumn wrote the story of how they met, and later reunited, to share with their wedding guests. Here is their story:

"For roughly a year, a pair of ASU students inconspicuously passed each other at the same spot on campus each day on their way to their respective classes. Each day brought a subtle smile or “Hello” with each of them thinking the other seemed like a really nice person. For seven years, nothing more came of those morning encounters.

Casey graduated in the spring of 2003 and took off in pursuit of his dreams. Autumn remained in Jonesboro as she earned two degrees at ASU and started her career in her hometown, rarely thinking about the nice guy she used to greet almost daily.

 

Through the wonders of Facebook, Autumn and Casey reconnected around 2006. Casey was struck by that welcoming smile, as it was even brighter and prettier than he’d remembered. Some “what if” daydreams floated through his mind, but with him in San Diego and her in Arkansas, he knew circumstance wouldn’t allow him to explore if there might be something there.

In the spring of 2010, Casey moved to Saint Louis, and it was one afternoon while on the computer that he was again struck by some photos of Autumn from her sister’s wedding. The two were only four hours apart now, so he decided to send her a message. Autumn responded, and her flirtatious reply had Casey smiling from ear to ear.

A couple weeks later, Casey was scheduled to visit a friend in Little Rock, and he arranged for a detour so he could meet Autumn for a lunch date. The two shook off nerves to enjoy a short afternoon full of laughs and smiles. A week later, Casey detoured on his way back to St. Louis in order to see Autumn again, and things took off.

 

Over the course of the next 18 months, the stretch of Highway 67 from St. Louis to just north of Jonesboro was a well-worn path for Autumn’s Nissan Altima and Casey’s Ford Ranger. With very similar backgrounds and values, Autumn and Casey grew very close quickly.

On Christmas Day last December, Casey walked Autumn to the very spot in the middle of ASU campus where the two used to cross paths. Instead of going their separate ways from that place like they’d done eight years earlier, it was in that location that Casey asked Autumn to walk the same road with him for the rest of their lives. That’s what brings us here today, to celebrate that journey that they embark on together."

Bethany & David's Elegant Winter Wedding

The Millers began their marriage in a beautiful, elegant wedding on December 23 at Church Street Station in Downtown Jonesboro. The entire day was absolutely lovely... the venue, the decor, the dress, the cake... all perfect.

 Bethany's dress, shoes, hair and accessories were gorgeous. Elegant black and white.

 Classy mermaid-style, lace-up dress with a fun black bow and feathers in her hair... and a bouquet of calla lilies. 

 David and his groomsmen looked sharp in all black.

 

 The six bridesmaids each wore a different style of black dress and black shoes.

2011 Holiday Portrait Sessions

We certainly stayed busy this holiday season! Several holiday family sessions, Christmas parties, and a wedding (pictures of that later), along with all of our usual holiday festivities kept Chad and me going nonstop. Hence the lack of blog posts.

Now that the holidays are over, the schedule has calmed down and I'm finally getting a chance to post a few of the photos from our holiday sessions.

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays! I certainly did!

The Simmons, Timmons, and Watkins Families

A few weeks ago we were finally able to do a photo shoot we've been trying to schedule for months. With a busy family like this one, scheduling was a challenge, but once we all got together, we had a great shoot.

Bloggers, meet the Simmons gang.

This is my Aunt Jackie, Uncle Tommy, their daughters Jennifer and Kari, and their husbands, Wayne and Grant and kids, Ashley, Justice, Ila Beth, Eden, Fuller, and Grey. Quite a crew!

Here's a great shot of the whole crew. I was amazed that we actually got everyone looking at the camera and smiling on the first shot!

 

Kari, Grant and Grey on the left... Jennifer, Wayne, Ashley, Justice, Ila Beth, Eden and Fuller on the right.

This is a really cute one of all Tommy and Jackie's grandchildren. Love this picture!

It all started with these two.

The girls...

 

 and the boys...