Hope Photography : Knoxville Tennessee Wedding and Children Photographer

Maryville Newborn Photography - Ava!

2012-01-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

Up on the blog today is a beautiful little newborn named Ava. Such a pretty name for a pretty girl. We did the session in our studio and she was the perfect little model.

Just hanging out.

Love, love, love the little hat!

On a blanket her grandma made.

Aaaaaah-chooo!

Look at those big eyes!

Get this thing off my head!

A little sweet pea.

Some details while she snoozed on mommy.

Ava's mom decided to get our Baby Plan, so expect a lot of beautiful Ava in 2012! I hope the blog can handle the cuteness overload to come! :)

-Wes

Knoxville Portrait Photography - Lauryn + Josh

2012-01-20T12:03:00.002-05:00

Greetings everyone! I hope you're ready for a great weekend. I thought I'd end the week with a sweet engagement session I photographed last weekend. Lauryn and Josh aren't getting married until June, but they needed some photos for some Save the Date cards, so we went ahead and did their engagement session now. It was a little chilly at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and even chillier once we got the wind swept alleys of the downtown Knoxville, but these two were troopers. And we walked away with some beautiful photos!

Hey, when's your wedding again? ;)

Aren't they cute?

I always blurt out stuff on engagement sessions to see how well the couple takes direction. So when I said, "now jump!" I was pleasantly surprised when these two starting hopping up and down. That tells me I can get them to do anything on the wedding day. [insert evil "mwahahaha" here]

Danielle sat this session out with one of her horrible migraines, so I had to pick up the slack and catch some sun flare. Hey, who do you think taught her how to shoot it in the first place?

About halfway through the session, Josh says, "you know, this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!" Not to be too blunt about it, but DUH! I'm telling you to make out with your woman! It doesn't get any better than that. The guys are always skeptical going into engagement sessions, but after a few minutes of smooching they're always having fun. :)

Just don't try and turn right.

Flaretastic!

We wanted to play with the shadows a bit (mainly to warm up in the sun), but I'm a little ashamed to admit how many attempts it took us to get something like this. I think the cold had seeped into our brain stems by that point. Regardless, I thought this was pretty cute.

Thanks so much Lauryn and Josh!! I can't wait to photograph the wedding in a few months!

-Wes

Valentine's Day Mini Sessions!

2012-01-18T18:15:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Danielle and I have decided to do some Valentine's Day mini sessions at the studio this year. It's perfect to capture your little sweethearts by themselves or you WITH your special sweetheart!

These mini sessions will be 15 minutes each at our Maryville studio on February 4th. The cost is $20 for the session and we'll have packages starting out at $25 or a disc of the images can be purchased for $100. What are they going to look like? Well check out these test shots with our youngest, Millie (it's been forever since we've had her on the blog, huh?) and a couple with the king and queen dorks, us! :)

The littlest Hope. She's just a wee bit cute.

Be Mine (or in her case, Be In My Belly!)

We'll have some cool props or bring your own!

These mini sessions will be great for couples too! Newly engaged or haven't had your photo taken together since your wedding 20 years ago? Come on down! And bring your "A" Game because we're going to make you be adorable...

Or nutty. :)

Sessions will book fast so, as always, get in touch now to reserve your spot! You can call us at 865-977-6483 or shoot Danielle an email at danielle@hope-photo.com!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Maryville Family Photography: The Browns at Christmas

2012-01-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Danielle, the girls and I sure did!

Speaking of Christmas, we were contacted to do a family session for the Browns the day after while the family was all gathered. We thought it was a great idea… what better time then when everyone is home for the holidays.

But before we get to the family photos, I have to admit that Rebecca and Blake's little 2-year-old, Reese, stole the show.

What a little personality!

The family.

Connie and Charles recently celebrated their 50th anniversary!

Snuggles with Mommy.

Such a nice family.

Hey… what's going on over there?

And a couple more with the cutie.

:) Thank you Browns!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Lindsey's Maternity Session

2011-12-13T15:55:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since we've done a maternity session so we were thrilled when Lindsey called us. Lindsey and her husband, Heath, were actually one of our 10/10/10 contest couples from a year and a half ago. We think it's great that even though they didn't win the contest, they still called us up to photograph the start of their new family. It was great photographing them and we can't wait to meet little Jackson a couple months!

Aren't they cute?

With a onesie that they tie-dyed together.

Rocking shoes for a rocking kiddo.

:)

Easy guys, that's how you got in this mess.

Congratulations Lindsey and Heath! Best of luck!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Lily at one month

2011-12-12T13:32:00.000-05:00

We love babies. Who doesn't? Especially little sweeties like Lily. She visited our studio recently, with her mom and dad in tow, for a little 1-month old session. She stayed awake the entire time and only got fussy at the end! Perfect!

Even though she was wide-eyed, we still stuffed her in a basket. She didn't mind.

Look at that laugh! Or maybe it was gas. Either way, score one for Team Cute!

Wait a minute... where's my diaper!

What a happy family!

A little zebra action.

I told Lily's dad to remember this… in about 16 years she's going to be doing the exact same thing, just not in a Daddy's Princess onesie. ;)

Thank you Lily! You're adorable!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Lila as an Elf

2011-12-01T22:15:00.005-05:00

Don't you just love the holiday season? Christmas is right around the corner and Dawn and Curt, one of our wedding/portrait clients, asked to use one of their sessions in the baby plan they purchased last week for some Christmas photos with little bitty Lila. We showcased her newborn session a couple months ago here on the blog and we're pleased to show her off again.

Check out that two-month old smile. Are we good or what?

Lila's great-grandfather made this sleigh. And she loved it so much, she fell asleep.

Which was great, because we got all sorts of cuteness.

She's either yawning or screaming, "I don't want to be an Ellllllllffff!!!"

She started reaching for the hat in her sleep… get this thing off of me!

Alright, before I show you this, I have to warn you, it's probably one of the cutest things you're going to see today. And I'll also warn you, that no babies were harmed in the making of this photo. There's a bit of Photoshop magic going on here, so please, PLEASE, don't try to do this on your own. We're trained professionals here, people.
Ta-da! Pretty darn cute, huh?!?! I had a crazy idea and Dawn was awesome enough to play along. And somehow, Lila slept through the whole experience. :)

Merry Christmas Lila! You're one adorable little elf!

ps: Remember everyone, tomorrow, photos with Santa at our studio! Click here for more info!! We're almost completely full, so call us today to set up your session. Don't be naughty and pass this opportunity up! ;)

Maryville Portrait Photography - Lila at Seven Months

2011-11-30T20:18:00.002-05:00

I realize that the word "cute" is probably the most overused word on our blog lately. Maybe I should ask Santa for a thesaurus when he visits our studio this weekend. But whatever. Cute is cute and you're about to meet one of the cutest babies ever.

We love hearing that our former wedding clients want to become portrait clients with their new families. Jeff and Jane were married back in 2006 P.B. (Pre Blog, so don't go looking for them) and 7 months ago, were blessed with the oh-so-CUTE, Lila. They live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana now, but were back in Tennessee for Thanksgiving last week so they stopped by for a little portrait session at our studio in Maryville. It was hard to pick, but here are some of my favorites.

Right off the bat, boom! with the cuteness!

So many expressions already at seven months! And I painted that wall to match her eyes. ;)

Giraffe. It's what's for dinner.

Merry Christmas, Miss Lila!

What a laugh! There's nothing more pure than a baby laughing.

Daddy is trying to get her started early.

And she's all smiles with Mommy.

Thank you so much, Jane and Jeff! It was a pleasure to photograph Lila!

ps: Remember everyone, this Saturday, photos with Santa at our studio! Click here for more info!!

Why Hello Santa!

2011-11-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Guess what? Danielle was able to sweet talk Santa himself into visiting our Maryville studio! After taking our own girls to the various malls around the area and waiting in so many lines in the past, Danielle and I thought it would be nice to offer up an alternative to the crazy holiday rush. So we got in touch with ol' Saint Nick and asked him to visit with our friends and pose for a couple photos with him. Of course he said yes, so we're having a day of Santa mini sessions on December 3rd!

These are 15 minutes mini sessions for your kiddo to tell Santa all about their Christmas wishlists and have their photo made with the merry elf! The fee is only $50 and will include (for the first time ever) up to three images for you to download! That's right, make your own prints, post them to Facebook, stick them in your Christmas cards… they're your files. We will have some small packages and our own cool Christmas card design for you to choose from if you'd rather leave it to the professionals.

What's it going to look like? Exactly like this...
For those that are nice.

And this, for those that are naughty! ;)

Sessions will fill up fast, so call us at 865-977-6483 or email danielle@hope-photo.com today to reserve your session with Santa!

What: Photos with Santa
When: December 3, 2011 starting at 9am
Where: Hope Photography studio at 314 S. Washington St. Maryville
Fee: $50 (session fee PLUS up to THREE images for you to download and print)

Maryville Portrait Photography - Hoppe Family

2011-11-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it was a great one for everyone!! I know everyone is out shopping today, but when you come back in you can take a break and enjoy another nice fall session! Today's session is brought to you by the Hoppe family.

This was a unique session for us. It was a combo family session and engagement session! Here are some of our favorites:

Happy family!

Happy couple!

This was literally the very last day for fall color. It poured the next day and the rain, combined with the wind, took away all of these great leaves!

Love this one that Wes got!

"Group Hug"!

Love these two!

Thank you Hoppe crew! It was great getting to know you guys!

We are booking our Pictures with Santa now and spots are VERY limited so call or email today to reserve your spot! We'll have a blog post up in the next couple days with more info!

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

2011-11-23T20:32:00.005-05:00

DEADLINE CHANGED!!

(Someone pointed out that Saturday is "Shop Local Saturday" so we decided to push the deadline back a day!)

______________

We've had a great year and a ton that we're thankful for so we thought we'd pass the good joy on to our clients.

All sizes of our popular canvas gallery wraps are on sale 20% off! There's no limit on how many you can get so now's the time to cover that wall in your living room with photos from your wedding or of our precious child!

And for the first time in our history, we are offering image discs on PAST portrait sessions for only $250 with no minimum purchase! This is for portrait sessions only and will be of your "yes" selections you made during your projection session (portrait sessions can not be combined).

If you want to place an order or have questions, shoot Danielle a message at danielle@hope-photo.com.

This sale ends at 11:59 (and 59 seconds) PM on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011.

Maryville Portrait Photography - Jesse

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, today you are truly in for a treat! Meet Jesse! Jesse's mom, Michelle contacted us about doing his 18 month portraits recently. She warned me that he hadn't really smiled much at any of his other milestone sessions that they had done where they used to live.

I think she must've been pulling my leg because the minute he looked at me, his entire face broke into this gigantic grin and it pretty much stayed on his face during the entire session!! This is new for me; usually the kids LOVE Wes and only tolerate me, but Jesse loved me! He even reached for me and let me hold him!

Our goal was also to get some great fall colors incorporated into some family pics. This was a challenge since most all of the leaves were gone last week! I think we pulled it off though.

Love this laugh!

A boy and his leaves. Probably one of my favorites!

A little mommy lovin'.

And a little daddy lovin'.

The Christmas hat was a really cute idea. It lasted for about 30 seconds!

Love this one too!

Thank you Jesse! You truly made my day!! :)

We are booking our Pictures with Santa now and spots are VERY limited so call or email today to reserve your spot!

Seymour Wedding Photography - Kasey + Wes 11.05.11

2011-11-21T14:17:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! Up today is another mini wedding. Well, more like a half wedding. Kasey and Wes (great name!) decided to have a small wedding at Kasey's parent's house in Seymour and asked us to customize a package for them. We were glad to do it. I'm telling you, I love these smaller, intimate weddings! It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day for this cool couple. Here are some favorites.

Kasey getting ready.

Wes chatting with the preacher before the ceremony. I framed it this way to avoid getting all the guests in the photo and it gave me an idea for a portrait later.

Walking down with Dad.

There were a lot of happy tears.

Why can't every wedding be bathed in beautiful light like this?

We always worry a little when couples tell us they're getting married at a family member's house… luckily, they always end up being beautiful places like this.

With this ring...

Woohoo!

These kids are super fun. :)

Kasey told us she's always loved this cool tree in the front yard. I do too!

:)

It wouldn't be a Hope wedding if we weren't shooting through stuff.

Or doing this photo. But I don't care, I always love this look.

What a great looking couple.

Remember the preacher photo earlier? Inspiration!

I get this look a lot when I tell people to do stuff like stand in front of old sheds.

But I think it pays off.

Coolest guestbook ever… they had a photo of themselves printed on wood and cut into puzzle pieces. The pieces where then there for the guests to sign as a guestbook! Awesome!

And best wedding favor ever! Little boxes of s'mores ready to toast over a fire (which they also provided) and assemble for your enjoyment. Needless to say, I had to shoot the rings on them because it was too sweet! (Get it? See what I did there with the sweet thing? Sigh. Don't worry, I won't quit my day job.)

Great cake makes for some great faces.

That's quite the skillful dip by Dad!

So that's how Wes stays in shape… nephew curls!

Speaking of nephews… how cute is this little s'more muncher?

Too long in the fire, grandma!

But she gets a hug anyway.

It was a little muddy from some rain a couple days before the wedding. But Kasey just shrugged it off… not like she's going to wear the dress again, right?

There's dancing. And then there's this. (One of three.)

There's dancing. And then there's this. (Two of three.)

There's dancing. And then there's this. (Three of three.) Sorry Wes, I couldn't resist. I'm not one to talk though… whenever I dance I look like a drunk penguin having a seizure. It ain't pretty.

Congratulations Kasey and Wes! What a beautiful wedding. And unless we get a last minute booking in December, you get to go on the books as being our last wedding of 2011! Sorry, there's no prize involved. But I'll give you a hug next time I see you! :)

Maryville Portrait Photography - Newborn Annagrace

2011-11-18T12:50:00.002-05:00

I'm sticking with the theme of adorableness today! Meet Miss Annagrace! She is 3 days old in these photos and she was an amazing model! We did her little cousin's newborn pics just a couple of months ago and it was a real treat to get to do these as well!

Here are my favorites!

A sweet moment with mommy!

Followed by an equally sweet moment with daddy!

That even gets me into the Christmas spirit!

Love this one!

REALLY love this one!

An early gift.

So sweet!

These boots were mommy's when she was a little girl!

Happy new family!

Thank you Brian and Beth! Mostly though, thank you Annagrace for being such an absolutely perfect little model!

We are booking our Pictures with Santa now and spots are VERY limited so call or email today to reserve your spot!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Hannah

2011-11-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, Wes says that I'm not allowed to use the word 'cute' anymore. So, today's blog post features Hannah, who is adorable! :) Hannah's dad, Chris, is our pastor at Hope Community Church and it was an honor to photograph his family. He and his wife Jean adopted Hannah when she was just 7 months old from Ethiopia. She weighed under 12 lbs when they first brought her home! She sure has grown into one healthy little girl now!

Their adoption story actually inspired our church to team up with a children's home in Ethiopia called Lola. It is a great organization and you can click the link to learn more about it and possibly make a donation if you feel led!

Now, on to some adorable pics of Hannah!

Per usual, we start things off with a happy little family pic!

Followed by a little eye-jabbing action for dad!

Then a little "tackle daddy" time! I had to put this one on here because I know that Chris will LOVE the fact that his butt is on the blog! ;)

Hannah is very active and she would be really still for about 10 seconds for a quick pic and then take off running at full speed! Wes had to be super fast with the camera!

The many faces of Hannah! This still isn't all of them though!

Love that smile!

"Pbbbbbtttttt!" (or however you spell that)

Love this one!

I have no idea what Wes did to illicit this response, but I love it!

We ended with a nice little attempt to tackle mommy, who then retaliated by catching her and swinging her up in the air!

Thanks Carpenter family! We had a great time with you guys! See you Sunday! :)

Knoxville Portrait Session - The Return of Carson

2011-11-15T15:22:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, you're probably getting tired of seeing cute! I can't help it though, there's even more today! We had the privilege of taking Carson's photos last fall and I'm sure you'll remember him from this blog post last year. Well, this year, he didn't drop trou and pee in front of us, but he still was as expressive, rambunctious and fun as ever!

We warmed up with a nice, little family portrait.

Love that sweet face!

I make that face at Wes all of the time! :)

"You talkin' to me?"

So cute!

Love this one!

Can't decide which is my favorite between this one and the next one. I love them both!!

"AIRPLANE!"

Thanks Treadwells! It was great seeing you guys again!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Emma+Kevin 10.22.11

2011-11-14T13:24:00.002-05:00

We love mini-weddings. Sometimes I think it would be cool to shoot 52 mini weddings a year. They're just so intimate and laid back. Wonderful. Kevin and Emma asked us if we could photograph their nuptials at the University of Tennessee Agriculture Gardens with a quick portrait session after and of course, we said yes. It was beautiful!

Ready to do this?

I love this gentle little touch between Emma's parents during the ceremony.

A few action photos. :)

We're married!

A little to the left...

On to the portraits… you know I'm a sucker for the old truck at the ag gardens.

I'm not sure what was said, but I'm sure it was funny!

So nice.

Yes, I'm ripping off one of my own images. If you ask me, everyone needs a photo like this.

We were joking about photographers making their subjects do cheesy poses, hence the bottom photo.

We could've stayed in this backlit flowerbed all day.

I *may* have gotten a little overly excited when the butterfly landed right in front of me.

Another photographer left their props while walking around shooting… Kevin just felt the urge to channel his inner Beethoven and bang out a tune.

Easy there, tiger!

One of my personal favorites.

High five!

Thank you Emma and Kevin for a beautiful day!

Maryville Portrait Photography - The Mobley's V2.0

2011-11-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for some MORE major cuteness? Today it's cuteness on a different scale because today you get to see Frank again! We did family portraits for Laura, Craig, Frank (and Seamus) last year and it was great to get to work with all of them again!

Family portrait complete with Seamus (Frank's stuffed dog)!

A little belly scratchin' lovin' for such a good boy!

I love this one!

Love this one too!

Super cute!

You know that if there's any tall grass around then I'm gonna lay in it for a pic!

Wes getting funky!

Probably my favorite.

Super HOT!!

Kids and dogs, man. They just love Wes and he ends every session playing!

Thanks Mobley family! We had a blast hanging out with you guys!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Jax

2011-11-11T08:59:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for some major cuteness? If so, then this is definitely the blog post for you! Meet Jax (and his mommy and daddy)! Jax called us up (well, technically his mom did) to have us shoot some one-year-old pics of him and hopefully catch some of the amazing fall colors. I think we succeeded, but you'll have to tell me what you think!

This was seriously the first pic that Wes took! We could've called it a day right then!

I seriously LOVE this curl so I had to focus on it!

He smiled SO much that I had to include at least one semi-serious look.

I'm not sure which I like more here, his expression or the wind blowing that hair!

How stinkin' cute is this one?!

Oh! So THAT'S how he gets that curl in there!!

An adorable baby just crawling out of the beautiful fall colored woods...happens every day! ;)

Love this face!

I'm pretty sure that if he were talking a lot now, this is what he would be saying here: "WHY ME?"

Thank you SO much Jax for being such a great model! We had a great time getting to know you and your mom and dad!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Sarah and Chris

2011-11-09T11:51:00.000-05:00

Alright we had a nice little (well, not so little since Wes couldn't narrow down his favorites) wedding blog break but now it's back to some fall sessions! Today we have the lovely McCloud kids.

We did a family session for them a couple years ago when they won a free session that we donated to a silent auction with the Secret Safeplace for Newborns! Well, it just so happened that Shannon (aka mom) won the session again this year! So we got to do some more photos of her kids. And after looking back at the ones that we took in 2009 I REALLY feel old! Kids just grow up way too fast!

Sarah has grown into a model!

Chris still hates having his picture taken, but he was a really good sport about it. Actually, I think it's a guy thing... Wes still grumbles about having his picture taken too.

One of the joys of photographing siblings is that we get a glimpse of how much our girls are going to enjoy one another's company in just a few years! :)

See what I mean? They just LOVE one another!

Sarah was just SO excited to see us again! ;)

We managed to get them to pose together for one last shot with this beautiful light!

Thank you Sarah and Chris. It is always a pleasure to spend time with you guys and your wonderful family!

The leaves are still hanging around a little, so get in touch with us soon if you want to try to squeeze in a quick fall session! Photos make great Christmas gifts!

Whitestone Wedding Photography - Alyssa + Andrew 10.15.11

2011-11-07T16:24:00.002-05:00

I hope you're in the mood for a beautiful wedding! A few weeks ago, we photographed Andrew and Alyssa's wedding at the lovely Whitestone Inn in Kingston. These two are one of those wonderful couples that make our job easier than easy. So much so, that this is going to be one of those HUGE blog posts, so sit back and relax and enjoy a few favorites from their day.

You have to love a boot wearing bride.

Andrew and Alyssa are both firefighters with the East Roane County Volunteer Fire Dept. so she had to go with a firefighter themed garter.

Someday.

Happy tears when Alyssa's Mom saw her in the dress for the first time.

And even more when she read a letter from Daddy.

The beautiful bride.

Who just happens to be a ham!

Andrew looking all groom-y.

More happy tears. :)

Shhhh.

An absolutely amazingly beautiful fall day in East Tennessee.

The family that prays together, stays together.

Yes!

See ya!

What else you hiding down there, girl?

The happy couple.

Stunning!

Alyssa and Andrew brought their horses to Whitestone and requested some photos with them. Seeing as I love firsts, and we've never photographed a bride and groom on horseback, we said heck yeah!

I can't even tell you how much I love this one!

And even though the light was fading and we needed to get to the reception, you know I couldn't pass up a red barn.

A girl and her horse. :)

That's one of the best looking groom's cakes I think I've seen.

From horseback to piggyback.

Alyssa surprised Andrew with a miniature firefighter axe to cut the cake with… how cool is that?

Cake wars!

During the middle of the reception, the guys had to attend an emergency call…

There was a garter that needed to be extracted from a young bride's leg. ;)

Andrew may know how to fight a fire, ride a horse, and fall in love, but he might just be lacking something when it comes to booty dancing.

Just one of the guys.

Easy there, tiger!

The great escape!

The couple wanted to do a few more around the gazebo after their exit.

If you've never shot in the dark, it helps to have a cute assistant use her iPhone light to aid in focusing. Crazy couple optional.

The moon was nearly full, so why not?

I jokingly said they should "hold the moon" for a cheesy photo… I should've known these two would do it. ;)

Congratulations Alyssa and Andrew!! It was an absolute joy being a part of your beautiful wedding!

Knoxville Senior Photography - Megan

2011-10-31T14:29:00.001-04:00

I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again… we love photographing high school seniors! Megan's mom called us a few weeks ago and said that Megan was really wanting senior photos that were different than the traditional thing. I'm glad they called us! :) Megan's family has a beautiful home in Halls and we took full advantage of the pretty woods around it.

Love this one!

We had to get a few with her horse, Sally.

Who proceeded to photobomb the session.

But sometimes it was okay. ;)

Thank you Megan! Congratulations on your last year in high school!!

Knoxville Portrait Photography - Ellie Kate

2011-10-28T07:40:00.000-04:00

Every year I'm amazed at the privilege we have of watching our clients grow before our lens. Ellie Kate is one of those kiddos that we've had the joy of photographing since she was a baby. And it is awesome seeing her change and her personality blossom at every session. She's three now and just as precocious and cute as ever!

All smiles and curiosity.

A quick family photo with Mom, Dad, Mimi, and Grandpa.

She's at that age where she's literally all smiles and then pensive the next second

This child is a ham, though!

Danielle was getting her to make some silly faces.

I love this series. The many faces of Ellie Kate.

And she thinks it's a-ok too! ;)

Cutie!

I think we've done a variation of this shot every session since she's been big enough to stand.

Gorgeous!

Ellie Kate, you always amaze me. :)

Maryville Portrait Photography - A Sisterly Fall Session with a Three Month Old

2011-10-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

Up today is another sibling session. And a baby session. And a fall session. It's the new combo deal at Hope Photography. Would you like fries with that? ;)

If you follow our blog, you might recognize Kacie and her new little daughter Lucy. Well, Kacie's mom loved the maternity and newborn photos we did so much, that she asked us to do a session with of all her daughters and the newest addition to the family. Turns out the fall colors were just starting to change and little Lucy had just turned 3 months, so it was all perfect timing.

Beautiful sisters!

And some individual photos.

Lucy stole the spotlight though.

(Insert googly baby noises here. Cutie-pie, snookums, etc.)

Sisterhood.

Somebody wasn't digging the bow (or maybe she needed a powernap).

Yep, it was the powernap thing. Ten minutes later and she was good to go.

Reindeer booty!

(Insert snarky joke about Baby Fight Club here.)

Someone's excited about their first Christmas!

Thank you ladies! And hey everyone, there's still some fall color out there… call us today to take advantage of our fall special! We still have a few spots open!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Rachel + Will 10.01.11

2011-10-21T20:16:00.002-04:00

We absolutely love doing weddings at people's homes. Don't get me wrong, wedding venues are awesome and have a ton of benefits, but sometimes at wedding a your house or your family's home is just more meaningful and can make for a really unique wedding day.

Rachel and Will got married at her father's farm in east Knoxville and even though it was unseasonable chilly (Danielle tried to sell her gloves to a few guests to make some extra cash) it was a phenomenal wedding. Rachel and Will are a fun couple and it was great getting to know them and their wonderful family. Here are some favorites from their day.

This is why Danielle and I work so well together. She has the ideas and I have the height to carry them through. Only my 6'5" frame could reach this branch without a ladder.

Some prep photos.

I love this detail by Danielle.

Rachel looking beautiful!

Will's going to need more than one of those to make it through the evening.

They're a good looking couple of kids.

Rachel had this cute frame set up for some photobooth fun… I patiently waited on her and her parents to pass by on the way to the ceremony.

Aw, Will, getting all misty-eyed after seeing his bride.

What a view for a ceremony!!

We're married!!

Hey, is there a wedding around here?

Sweetness.

Hahahahahaha!

Framed! (Thanks! I'll be here alllll week! Don't forget to tip your waitress!!)

Epic sky!

Epic sky v2.0!

Everyone knows it's windy...

You gotta have a tractor in at least one photo at a farm wedding.

We could have walked around the farm for hours shooting.

Danielle's view of the above. Two photographers + two views= lucky clients.

Some reception details. And no, the dragonfly wasn't a decoration… just a wedding crasher we thought was cool.

Grandma was cracking dirty jokes (not really, but that would've been funny, huh?).

Rachel is a chef and this was the cover of one of her favorite cookbooks (also the guestbook).

And more ring details. I can honestly say that I've never attached rings to clothespins before. :)

We snuck out of the reception for a quick twilight portrait.

It's always cool to run into past brides and portrait clients, like the talented Robinella, who sang at the wedding. :)

Stepmoms know how to boogie.

And so do brides and the rest of the wedding guests.

Together. :)

Congrats Rachel and Will! A lovely wedding for a lovely couple!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Newborn Lila

2011-10-11T17:31:00.003-04:00

Beaches last week and babies this week. That's going to be our new slogan… Beaches, Brides and Babies! We were blessed with the opportunity to photograph the newborn of one of our favorite couples of all time, Dawn and Curt (who you might remember from the double maternity post last month). These two are an amazing couple with an amazing family that is now growing and growing!

Mommy and her beautiful daughter.

And baby makes three. :)

Curt loves his motorcycle (his other baby, he proclaims) so he wanted to do a few of him with Lila on the bike. I tried to convince him to put her in that little bag under the headlight and take her for a spin, but he wisely told me "no".

Curt is also a drummer, so this one was a no brainer. :)

Sweet Lila.

Dawn found this hat and we had to use it. This is my favorite.

Smooshielips!

Family piggies!

And this is the other view of the last image… something about this just makes me giggle.

Congratulations Dawn and Curt!! Lila is a beautiful little girl!

St. Thomas Wedding Photography - Sandi + Steve 09.20.11

2011-10-07T14:15:00.002-04:00

Woohoo, a destination wedding! We've been destination photographers for out-of-town couples traveling to east Tennessee before, but we've never really traveled further than Atlanta or North Carolina for a wedding. We've just never marketed ourselves as destination wedding photographers (seeing as we're in a landlocked state in the middle of the country). But after this one, we might change that around a bit. :)

So since we don't try to sell ourselves as international destination wedding photographers, Steve and Sandi found us through an unlikely source. Danielle and I are addicted to a photo community app called Instagram. And by addicted, I mean, it's our new Facebook. We've both uploaded thousands of iPhone images over the last year. Well, Steve stumbled across our photos on Instagram and asked us if we would go on a cruise with them and photograph their ceremony on St. Thomas. Since we were already planning another cruise in September, it was a no brainer.

We got along great with Steve and Sandi, and their friends and family, on the cruise. They're a fun bunch to be around. The wedding was simple and beautiful. Steve planned ahead and brought some special umbrellas since we were cruising in hurricane season and his Boy Scout-like preparedness paid off since it rained the morning of the ceremony. But these two weren't going to let a little precipitation ruin their day!!

Here are some of my favorites from the wedding…

Meet Steve and Sandi. We started out doing a few photos on the boat while we waited to disembark.

Yep, bonus points to Steve for planning ahead.

We had to go to the courthouse in St. Thomas to get the paperwork. Sandi and Steve weren't the only ones getting married that day.

I'm not sure if they were actually married at this point or sworn in as deputies.

When we got to the beach where the ceremony was to take place, there was a ton of this algae/sea grass stuff washed on shore from an overnight storm. Steve's stepfather went to work scooping and slinging so the couple could have a clear spot for the service. The man deserves a medal for going above and beyond. Bravo!

The monogrammed umbrellas. Nice touch!

The rain slowed down to a trickle… thumbs up!

What an absofrickinlutely lovely place to get married!!

A few from the ceremony.

Flower petals work. I personally would've gone with handfuls of sand, but hey, it ain't my wedding.

Superstars!

:)

And now for the cuddly kissytime!

These two love to laugh.

"Hellooooo nurse!"

I love a bride that's not a little bit afraid to get the dress wet.

Stud.

Aren't they cute?

Um...

"In the unlikely event of a water landing, your wedding dress will inflate and double as a personal flotation device." Steve ended up tearing a hole in the dress with his teeth to get it to take on water. I'm telling you, our couple's will do anything to get the shot! (Their idea, by the way. We don't condone chewing on dresses to make them less buoyant unless you really want some killer photos like this in the middle of the Caribbean.)

But, boy, was it worth it!

I love this whole series. :)

The algae stuff was pretty thick on this end of the beach, but it looked pretty cool.

Some ring details on a palm trunk.

After the ceremony, we all rode over to another beach at a resort and hung out the rest of the afternoon until time to head back to the ship. We ate good food, drank great drinks, swam, and watched the local wildlife like iguanas scamper around the sea grape trees. It was by far, the best after wedding experience I've ever had. :)

And of course, we still made them take more pictures. :)

Steve channeling his inner cannibal.

What a cool location for a cool couple.

That night at dinner back on the ship, they busted out the Cristal for a little celebratory toast action.

And then our waiter made them kiss while we all song them a song. :)

After dinner, hijinks ensued with the plethora of mini photo studios the ship sets up. I got in trouble for shooting over the crews' shoulders, but you know what, people do it to me all the time. It was payback. And this was one of the "safer" shots I could show, by the way. ;)

Sandi and Steve, thank you so much for this amazing wedding. It was great meeting and cruising with you and your family!! Make sure you call us if you ever decide to do it again!

And hey world, Hope Photography is officially open to the idea of traveling to the Caribbean again and again and again and again for weddings! So spread the word and convince your friends to move their wedding to the beach!! :)

Fall Special Announced

2011-09-28T17:06:00.001-04:00

Hey folks! Long time, no post! Danielle and I have been out of town the last week and a half on a working vacation. We were hired to photograph a wedding on St. Thomas for a couple from Georgia and they paid us with a cruise to the wedding. I know, tough life. I'll have some of those beautiful wedding photos up soon, but first it's been all business since we've been back. And with the cool weather knocking on our door we realized that it's time to announce our fall portrait special!

Drumroll please…

These are going to all be done by Danielle and myself. Brittany and Danielle are so busy with their side business, Exposed Boudoir, that I'm jumping back in on the portrait side of Hope Photography. Call or email now… these spots fill up quick! I can't wait to play in the leaves!!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Erica + Philip's Reception 08.27.11

2011-09-13T10:34:00.003-04:00

Back to back (but not related) Davises! We were hired recently to photograph the wedding reception for a cool couple that went off and got hitched in Italy, but had a get together with family and friends back home in Oak Ridge. Philip and Erica were actually just stopping through on their way from Italy to Hawaii, where Philip has been stationed. Tough assignment, huh? As much as we tried to persuade them, they didn't really see a need to have us stalk, I mean, follow them to Hawaii for photos or to travel back in time to do a session in Italy. Bummer. ;)

Since they got all dressed up, we thought we'd do a few portraits.

Aren't they cute?

We had to search, but we found some greenery around the Pollard Technology Center where the reception was held.

:)

And we found some cool little hills so we could get some big sky in the picture.

Would you believe me if I told you I planned on getting that little blast of sunshine glinting off one of Philip's insignias? Well, I did! ;)

It was a nice, laid back reception. A lot of mingling and chatting.

I love me some M&Ms. But I'll admit I did hesitate about eating their faces.

Grandma taking a turn in the photo booth.

Asking Philip about his ribbons.

Cool grooms cake! And delicious too.

Erica's mom gave Erica's brother an expected smooch.

Mahalo Philip and Erica! Enjoy life in Hawaii!

Maryville Portrait Photography - The Davis Family

2011-08-24T12:21:00.003-04:00

More firsts! Like the first sisters post the other day, here's another for us… a double maternity family session! Sound weird? It's not. Dawn and Curt are one of our wedding couples from 2009. We've grown close to them and their family over the last couple years; Curt has done electrical work for us at the studio and we go to church with them and Curt's folks, Danny and Lynn.

Well Curt and Dawn are pregnant. But they're not the only ones… so is Curt's sister-in-law and brother, Beth and Brian! So Lynn wanted to do a big family photo with all her kids before the grandbabies arrive. And that's soon! So now presenting our first ever double maternity family portrait session! :)

Aren't they a good looking family?

Double the grandbabies, double the fun!

Lynn and Danny still got it. ;)

What a bunch of hams!

And Danny is definitely the ringleader. Didn't your momma every tell you your face will freeze like that, boy?

Every now and then I like to throw out, "now everyone kiss!" during a group picture… this was the first time we had a father and son almost lock lips. Whatever… we don't judge here at Hope Photography. Weirdos.

Sisters-in-law and brothers.

We get Beth and Brian all lined up with the pose and we hear, "hang on!" Danny ran behind the wall and played newborn fresh in the world. You gotta love a funny guy like that.

One more for one of our favorite couples. :)

Congratulations on the ever-expanding family Davises!!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Molly Turns One!

2011-08-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

I love little kids. And not in a creepy way before any of you jokesters out there even think about it. But in a they're-so-much-fun-to-photograph way. We recently did a session with Molly, who was turning one, at our studio in Maryville. What a fun age to photograph! Personalities are starting to really show themselves and the little kiddos are always either crawling or walking away from you. :)

And boy, was she a crawler!

What a cutie!!

So expressive.

A couple with mommy and daddy.

It won't be too long before she's doing this on her own. And then, look out!

She was excited she found a leaf. Not so excited when she tasted it a few seconds later.

Mmm, juice.

You looking at me?

Into the studio.

Everyone's a critic.

This look cracks me up.

Yay!

She's ready to pounce.

It's funny, she really wasn't that in to the cupcakes. She liked smearing the frosting on the background, but that's it. :)

Happy birthday Molly!!

Knoxville Portrait Photography - Raven + Robin

2011-08-19T11:42:00.002-04:00

I've said before on this blog that I love firsts. We've never done a sibling session before. At least not for grown siblings! :) So when Raven, one of our 2009 brides, asked us to do a session of her and her little sister, Robin, around downtown Knoxville we were all over it. It was so much fun photographing these two. It made me, as an only child, really glad that Danielle and I had two girls… it's cool to see how close sisters can be.

Aren't they cute?

Just about every photo we took broke down like this. ;)

Piggyback!

What does that L mean? ;)

Sisters are cool.

Can you hear me now?

We jokingly did an old school pose so I gave it the old school treatment.

Squeeeeeze!

:)

And this one is my absolute favorite!

Thank you Raven and Robin!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Kristin + Ryan 07.03.11

2011-08-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

Whoa, it's been a little longer than I would have liked to get a new post up. Sorry about that! We had a little working family road trip to Louisiana and our oldest, Maddie, has started kindergarten! It's been crazy around here! And I've been busting my butt trying to get caught up. Anyway, enough excuses, on with the show!

Kristin and Ryan had a beautiful summer wedding last month at one of our favorite venues, the Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm in Knoxville. It was an amazing wedding and one heckuva fun reception!

First off, let me just say that I think Kristin and Ryan had one of the coolest set of colors at any wedding we've seen this year.

A little aerial shot of the girls' flowers (another beautiful job by our pal Lisa Foster).

Kristin helping a bridesmaid get in her dress. Hey wait, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? ;)

The beautiful bride.

Look this way. Now look that way. :)

This flower girl was fun. :)

I know you're probably thinking, "why'd he post this one?" but take a closer look at each girl. I *love* how each one is doing her own thing and their personalities are poking through. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a dad to two little girls, but I can't help but think that twenty years from now, they'll each still be acting just like this.

Ryan rocking the groom thing.

We snuck and did just a couple more of Kristin right before the ceremony.

Check out Ryan leaning forward to get a better look as Kristin came down the aisle.

Love love love Hunter Valley!

Is this thing over yet?

We're married!

That's one cute couple.

Have I mentioned I loved the colors yet?

Mmm, minicupcakes. Ten of these only equal one regular cupcake, right?

First dance.

Peekaboo!

Let's just go ahead and sneak one or two. No one will see us.

I went a little overboard with the ring shots. Oops.

But this one was my absolute favorite.

How low can you go?

Geez, the competition is getting younger and younger.

Who doesn't love a game of "Baby Keep-away"?

The usual sneaking out of the reception portrait time.

And just in time for some sunset photos too!

They're so sweet.

I wonder if anyone would get mad if I started doing this during receptions. Just a little powernap. No more than thirty minutes, maybe a couple hours, tops.

End of the night kissyface!

The great escape!

Thank you so much Kristin and Ryan!! :)

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Jenna + Jason 07.02.11

2011-07-27T00:06:00.003-04:00

I hope you enjoyed the newborn photos on the last post. Now it's time to turn back to weddings for a few days. Earlier in the month we photographed Jenna and Jason's wild wedding at the Jenna's parent's house.

You might remember that we did their engagement session pretty recently (see those photos here if you missed it) and I declared that their wedding was going to rock. Well, they delivered! A beautiful ceremony in her parent's front yard followed by a wild reception with some of the best music we've heard at a wedding. Jenna and Jason, and all their family and friends, are so much fun to be around that it would have been impossible to have a bad time.

We love it when we leave a wedding and we feel like we're part of the family. Simply put, it was one awesome day!

No dresses or trees were harmed in making this image.

I *love* this bouquet.

The beautiful bride.

And her girls.

I'm really digging all the cool colors in our weddings this year.

Jason pulling off the GQ style.

There were some cattails and a willow tree near a creek that we just had to play in.

Jenna and her dad practicing their dance before the ceremony.

Hey, we approve of Jason's gift to Jenna!

About to walk down the aisle.

What a beautiful spot for the ceremony.

A couple after the ceremony portraits around the house…

And then we went to a nearby park in Farragut for a few more.

And that's where we found Disco Turtle and Boogie Bear. That one's going in the portfolio, folks! :)

I wonder if our couples ever get tired of kissing?

I'm not sure what was said, but I'm sure it was funny!

I miss my Jeep. :/

Mmm… cupcakes. The ones with the star were blueberry. I'd smack your momma for one of those right now.

I'm know I'm juvenile, but I can't help but snicker every time I hear the word "cornhole". I grew up watching Beavis and Butthead. I guess old habits die hard.

Jenna wanted to wear an apron someone made her so she wouldn't get barbecue all over her dress, but I think Jason almost strangled her getting it on.

To have and to hold.

Is it good?

The practice paid off, pop!

First dance. And I'm going to go ahead and explain the little green and red dots that you'll see in most of the rest of these: there were several rotating, spinning laser groove thingamajig devices set up to ensure that I had a seizure at some point in the night. They were way cool looking, but nothing I could do with our flashes could override them. So there's a lot of fireflies and measles in the reception photos. ;)

Time for the first strip.

Maxing and relaxing.

I'm not sure what was going on here, but I thought it was worth a little animated gif. Ha!

Remember in the intro when I said there was some of the best music we've heard at a wedding? These guys were awesome! Check out Latitude 35 if you're looking for some rocking live music that doesn't suck at your reception.

Jenna and Jason kept including a friend who couldn't make it to the wedding.

Smooches!

We snuck out for a few quick portraits in the last minutes of twilight.

I thought it'd be cool to see the laser things with out flash. So this is what the ambient light looked like at 1/6th of a second. My apologies if you happen to be dropping acid while reading this blog. I'm sure this image just sent you on a major trip. ;)

Well, that's one way to clean the floor.

This guy… my hero. True story. Look at those moves! And how about a *golf clap* for the most epic animated gif I think I've ever done?

Remember their "Game Over" t-shirts from the engagement session? I did! So I wore mine under my dress shirt. :)

Adios!

Thank you so much Jenna and Jason! What a fun, fun, fun wedding!

Oh, and PS… every outdoor wedding reception in June/July/August/ needs fans. Lots and lots of fans. If I'm cool, I can guarantee that I'll take better photos… :D

I know... I'm a dork. :)

Maryville Newborn Photography - Lucy!

2011-07-22T20:33:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since we've had a newborn on the blog and I can't think of a sweeter one to share! Little Lucy was the perfect model; she slept almost the entire time and she let Danielle pose her however she wanted to. You might remember seeing Lucy's folks a few weeks ago on the blog, but now it's her turn in the spotlight! :)

Here are some favorites from her session...

One with mommy.

And one with daddy.

A few details.

Check out all of that hair!

Squishieface!

Six day-old cuteness doesn't get any better than little Lucy.

Baskets and hairbows… the kiddo just slept. Awesome.

Oh to sleep like a baby.

The thinker.

I think this is one of my all time favorites.

They had a tutu and she was still being cooperative. Why not, right? :)

Congratulations Kacie and Jed… Lucy is beautiful!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Lori + Clark 06.25.11

2011-07-20T07:45:00.001-04:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! How about some wedding photos? Lori and Clark are an awesome couple. We knew this going into their wedding a few weeks ago because we had a great time trespassing on UT and railroad property with them during their engagement session last fall (you can see those photos here). The ceremony at Cokesbury Methodist Church was beautiful followed by a rocking reception at Fox Den Country Club! Here's a few favorites from the day...

A cool color palette with the shoes.

Clark getting tied up.

The butterfly emerging (comment too cheesy? Probably. I'll warn you; I'm hopped up on DayQuil as I do this blog post… there will plenty of bad puns.)

I love the card Lori gave Clark… it looks just like them!

Great moment with Lori's dad.

The first look.

What a cute couple.

We found a few flowers to play in.

Kissyface!

The beautiful bride.

Details.

Someone doesn't want to be in the wedding.

Lori had a fun group of bridesmaids and a "bridesman".

Swing time!

Everyone sing along… "Somewhere/under the rainbow…" Yeah, yeah, I make up my own lyrics.

Reading her vows.

The inside of the church was pretty cool.

Hold that for me.

Our videographer friend, Ryan Sutton, was on hand so I decided to use his LCD screen.

High five!!

Big skies at the golf course.

Lovely.

I'm a sucker for a nice silhouette.

First dance.

Ampersand.

Clark has a sweet classic Rx-7 so I had to play around with the rings on there somehow.

The Vol salt and pepper shakers were part of a huge collection of Lori's grandma's shakers that were at the reception.

Grooms cake shaped like his beloved car… score!

Cake wars!

We snuck out for a quick portrait break.

Rocky Top you'll always be…

Getting down.

And upside down.

This guy was all about the boogie… I don't think he stopped all night. Heck, he's probably still dancing.

A little moment all to themselves.

Adios!

Congratulations Lori and Clark! I hope you had a great honeymoon! And I hope you love the photos. :)

Knoxville Children Photography - Logan at 15 months

2011-07-13T06:54:00.002-04:00

We seriously have the best job in the world. I love getting to see our clients' kids grow up (more on that in a few days). We've photographed Logan before and this little guy is all smiles, all the time (at least when we're around). Check out his last session here. Of course a session with Logan wouldn't be complete without his big sister Lilly making an appearance. These kids are awesome. Beyond awesome actually.

Logan is about 15 months now and is as precocious and cute as ever.

Lilly was rocking the country diva look. It suits her!

De plane, de plane!

Smooshieface!!

I'm cute… I'm bashful!

Lilly is so talented.

I scream, you scream...

They. Have. A. Ball. Pit!!! I want one!

Beautiful.

Logan was banging the skins like Lars Ulrich on Metallica's Wherever We May Roam tour! What? I was a headbanger for about 10 minutes in the '90s.

These kids have skills!

Logan still digs his feet.

Cheeser.

Might as well… JUMP!! (Enter Van Halen or Kris Kross song here.)

It's always a joy to photograph wonderful children like Logan and Lilly. I can't wait until our next session!!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Heather + Jacob 06.04.2011

2011-07-06T19:53:00.002-04:00

There are hot outdoor weddings and then there are HOOOOOT outdoor weddings. Heather and Jacob had the latter for sure. Even though it was super-hot, they had a beautiful ceremony at University of Tennessee Gardens followed by a rocking reception at The Foundry. Everyone survived the heat and Danielle and I came away with some spectacular images. Here are a few favorites...

Check out that amazing dress!

Heather trying to stay hydrated.

Getting sewn into her dress.

I climbed into a plant to get a photo of the chaos where the guys were getting ready. It (me in a plant) wasn't pretty.

Shy guy with Jacob.

I *love* the details in this dress.

And I think this is one of my favorite bridal portraits of the year.

Hanging in the shade before the ceremony.

The handoff.

"With this ring…"

Married!!

The girls.

The guys.

The happy newlyweds.

Aren't they cute?

Playing in some cool trees.

I do!

You know we had to do some by the old truck.

I love seeing one of our guestbooks in action.

First dance.

Heather's dad was really nervous about dancing with Heather, but he did a great job cutting a rug!

Party down.

Catch this!

Grandparents still in love are the cutest, aren't they?

I think Jacob tried to sneak a kiss, but ended up smacking faces. ;)

I guarantee that Danielle's camera jumped focus on the bubbles by accident, but if you ask her, she'll tell you it was on purpose. Regardless, cool photo!

Thanks Heather and Jacob! And congratulations!!

Rachel + Keith: 05.21.2011

2011-07-04T12:47:00.003-04:00

We tried something new last month… an Associate Package! Brittany, Danielle's partner in her side business Exposed Boudoir, volunteered to shoot a wedding for us when we were contacted about a date we already had filled. And she did a great job. I'll let her fill you in on the details:

Rachel and Keith, while opposites, had so much chemistry. Their ceremony was one that has stuck with me. The pastor at the Westminster Presbyterian Church gave an incredible sermon. He asked everyone in the room to participate in Rachel and Keith's marriage in the best way that they knew how, to encourage their union, and for every married couple in the room to renew their own vows while Rachel and Keith spoke their's for the first time . After really getting to know the couple, the pastor told each of them what they would need to do everyday, for the other, to keep their marriage strong. I absolutely loved when the pastor said (not verbatim), "Speak of your spouse as you would like them to speak about you. Praise your spouse even when everyone is putting him or her down."

I loved working with them and wish them the best!

I LOVE when brides pick a colored shoe, especially pink.

When trying to explain this pose to the groomsmen, and they all of a sudden knew what I was talking about.... the Mighty Duck pose: The Flying V. Yeah, I had no clue what they were talking about and they couldn't believe it. I was 7 when that movie came out.

The beautiful bride!

Rachel has a quiet moment to herself before the ceremony.

Before the ceremony started, Rachel and her bridesmaids took turns doing silly pictures on the webcam on their laptop.

Indoor sunflare!

Rachel and Keith took some time to themselves after the ceremony. Such a sweet moment!

For the record, Rachel gave into peer pressure on this one.

Aren't they cute?

Thank you Brittany! You did a wonderful job. And thanks to Rachel and Keith!! It looks like you had a beautiful wedding! :)

A Vow Renewal: Philip + Cavette

2011-06-30T08:04:00.000-04:00

Chris Carpenter, the pastor of our church, Hope Community (don't you love the name?), recently told Danielle and I that the church was going to do a renewal ceremony as a gift to a couple that are Hurricane Katrina transplants from Louisiana that now live here and go to the church. He asked us if we would photograph the ceremony and we very willingly said yes. We knew right away it would be a blessing for us to do this and it was!

Philip and Cavette were originally married in 1991 and were planning on renewing their vows for their 15th anniversary when the hurricane interrupted those plans. Cavette told us an amazing story about the dress she bought for the renewal 6 years ago and how it survived the flooding and devastation:

"I bought the dress in 2004 and stored it at my mom's house. She put it on her bed and the mattress floated (during the flooding). The dress survived with only two water spots. I told Philip it was a test of how strong our love & marriage is… even my original wedding dress made it. It's amazing how some things make it and most didn't. My mom found the dresses. Her's didn't make it… neither did the kid's baby books; they fell off the bed. That was a hard one for me. I had so many memories that I had saved and lost. But we are making new ones here."

The renewal was put on hold while their lives were shuffled around, but almost 6 years after Katrina, they got their chance to renew the vows for their 20th anniversary. It may not have been what was originally planned, but I don't think the location or the building matters… it's the love you carry in your heart. That goes with you anywhere. And these two… you can just see how much they love each other whenever they are together… after 20 years, you can tell they're more in love today than they were the first time they said "I do".

Here are a few favorites from their service...

Cavette was full of happy tears as her son escorted her down the aisle.

Winks don't always translate well with still photography (it tends to look like something flew in the person's eye), but now that I told you what he's doing, isn't Phil cute?

Pastor Chris whipping out the wisecracks.

Their daughter being all cute and stuff. :)

An emotional embrace at the end of the service.

Followed by a group hug. :)

We took them outside for a few portraits. Oh, and a special thanks to our friend Lisa Foster, who donated that beautiful bridal bouquet for Cavette.

It's hard to believe this dress survived a hurricane!

Aren't they cute?

For the record, those hearts were already carved in the tree. ;)

Philip looking studly.

The beautiful bride.

A water-damaged photo from their past.

I don't remember the story, but for some reason, they didn't have a first dance at their wedding… so this was literally, 20 years later, their first dance. I think it was the most emotionally filled first dance we've ever photographed, even if it was in an elementary school cafeteria. :)

They know how to laugh too.

See.

Congratulations Phil and Cavette! It was truly an honor to photograph your renewal! Danielle and I were blessed to be a small part your day. Here's to many more happy years together!!

Knoxville Engagement Photography - Jenna + Jason

2011-06-27T15:41:00.001-04:00

Last week Danielle and I had a great time doing an engagement session for Jenna and Jason in downtown Knoxville. They were in town for some last minute preparations for their wedding (which we're doing next weekend). Not only are they about to get married, but Jenna is a few months along with their first bambino. An engagement slash maternity session; a first for us! These two are an absolute hoot. Their wedding is going to rock!

They couldn't stop laughing. Expect a lot of photos like this one.

See?

Alright, down to the making out part of the session.

More giggles (and ruby slippers too!).

No, no guys! That hydrangea doesn't taste anything like ice cream. Trust me… I tried it.

Sometimes we have to work hard to get the artsy-fartsy shots. We found the only puddle in Market Square.

We slid over to the Knoxville Botanical Garden for some anti-urban photos.

I love firsts! We've never photographed Spiderman during a session!! And in flip-flops no less!

Cool sky!

This was their idea. I swear.

Pouty kiss.

Thanks ninjas! We can't wait for the wedding in a few days!

Maryville Wedding Photography - Alex + Jordan 05.21.11

2011-06-20T15:52:00.002-04:00

A quick update today to share one of our latest weddings with a fun couple. Alex and Jordan had a beautiful wedding at Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville and a super fun reception at Smithview Pavilion. It was a gorgeous day!

Danielle loves to photograph the shoes.

Who knew that at the end of the rainbow was really a groomsman trying to figure out his tie?

Alex writing Jordan a letter.

The groom!

And the bride!

What a bunch of bada$$ babes.

The pretty bride. :)

I *love* this.

Waiting.

You want your photo made with a T-Rex that looks like it's trying to catch a football moments after you've walked down the aisle in the basement of the church? Heck yeah, I'll shoot it! ;)

And they say diamonds are a girl's best friend. I say it's a tiny handheld fan when the AC wasn't working inside the church and it's a warm May day.

Aren't they cute?

Alex's gift to Jordan.

We had time to do some photos around Smithview too.

Fun with cop sunglasses.

We walked into the reception and were greeted by this cuteness.

Cake!

I love little lost-in-each-other moments.

The worm!

Oh yeah? Right back at you… :p!!!

LOVE this ring shot.

These are sweet too (get it? Sweet!).

Some fashion decisions I have to question.

Oh wait, nevermind.

Someone's happy to catch the bouquet.

Vogue.

Thanks Alex and Jordan!! Your wedding was beautiful!! :)

Maryville Maternity Photography - Kacie + Jed

2011-06-16T15:00:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm sneaking a maternity session into the lineup today because the mom and dad need to see the photos before baby comes along! :) Kacie and Jed are one of our wedding couples from way back; like pre-blog days. And they're expecting their first kiddo! They asked us to do a maternity session and we jumped at the opportunity… we love seeing our couples happy.

Here are a few favorites from their session...

Aren't they cute??

:)

Easy now… that's how you got into this mess. ;)

I joked about Jed being able to hear the ocean and he said he thinks he did hear the heartbeat.

Tunnel of love.

Congratulations and best of luck with the baby! I hope we get to photograph him/her too!! :)

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Beth+Adam 05.19.11

2011-05-31T14:41:00.002-04:00

Greetings everyone! I hope you all had a nice three day weekend (for those that get the time off). Today on the blog is a rare Thursday wedding from a week and a half ago at the gorgeous Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farm in Knoxville. Adam and Beth had a beautiful wedding in the woods followed by a super-fun reception at the pavilion.

Let's start off with some details…
Lisa Foster did an amazing job on the bouquet!

Adam and his boys.

The groom.

Beth's mom helps with a last minute touchup.

Mirror, mirror...

Here comes the bride!

The handoff.

I love moments like this.

Instant classic! Grandma was so little compared to me that if she'd stayed still I could have used her as a tripod. :)

My favorite! And it was the Adam's idea!! Score one for the groom!

Danielle doing her shoot-from-the-shrubbery thing.

Beth and Adam love to fish so they did a "first cast" together.

How cute is that?

On the beach at Hunter Valley.

First dance snuggles.

You know I had to use that reel for some ring shots.

And on some bamboo rods they had at the reception.

Beth's dad is an Army colonel and Adam is an Army vet, so there were plenty of HOOAHs! yelled during dad's toast.

Adam and Beth wanted some sunset photos and lucky for them, the sun poked out of the clouds just enough for us to grab these before it ducked below the horizon.

They took a reception break and we walked around for a few portraits.

Love this one!

More of a cake skirmish than cake wars.

Sometimes you have to use both hands to get the big bites in.

One of the funniest garter retrievals we've seen.

Mybubblesmybubblesmybubbles!! (Sorry, I've seen Finding Nemo one too many times.)

One last hug and some advice from dad. :,(

Thanks so much Adam and Beth! We couldn't think of a better way to spend a Thursday than at a beautiful wedding like yours! :)

Newport Wedding Photography - Marissa + Nate 05.14.11

2011-05-25T11:44:00.003-04:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Grab a comfy chair and be prepared to be blown away by Marissa and Nate's absolutely beautiful wedding. I'm going to go ahead and warn you that I'll run out of adjectives to describe this one. I hope you're not offended by "awesome" "gorgeous" "fabulous" "beautiful" "rad" "cool" "amazing" "aaaaaahmazing" or "absolutely aaaaaahmazing". ;)

Marissa and Nate got married at her grandmother's house in Newport. The weather, being typical East Tennessee weather, teased them all week long leading up to the wedding. Rain and wind and more rain can all throw a kink in the plans of an outdoor wedding, but thankfully it held off on the day of the ceremony and made for some gorgeous light and clouds for us to shoot with. Marissa and Nate and their families worked so hard on this wedding and I think it shows.

I'll shut up know and let the photos do the talking...

I say this with a staunch record of being a heterosexual male… Marissa's dress was amazing!!

Danielle got creative with the shoes.

Hair and makeup.

OMG (Oh my gorgeous!!)

What a beautiful bouquet!

For a beautiful bride! :)

Nate in the crow's nest.

Nate and his boys were a bunch of cutups.

Marissa's mom and brother give the ceremony a thumbs up.

All of the groomsmen tossed Nate their keys as they walked down the aisle. Anyone know why? They were all tight-lipped (but laughing) about it after the ceremony.

A bride emerges!

Look at that yummy light!

Oops, did the officiant (also Nate's dad) just call Marissa "Nate"? Yep, but we all had a laugh about it. ;)

Now kiss! And dip! Dip-kiss!

And party like a rockstar on your way out!

The dip-kiss reenactment for our photographic entertainment.

Aren't they cute?

Nate and his boys brought some toys to show off for a few photos.

And as always, the disclaimer that no guns were loaded during the photos. We triple checked.

Marissa even got in on the action.

I had to do some old school funk on this one.

Look at that car! A '56 Cadillac that a family member brought to the wedding and let us do some photos with. What a sweet, sweet ride!

We could have stayed in this car shooting all day. Literally. This sucker was so roomy inside that I could have moved in, gotten cable and a mini-fridge and you wouldn't see me for a month.

Sweet!

This one couldn't be more perfect.

(Cup)cake wars!

Swoon! (Danielle's angle.)

Swoon! (My angle.)

Again, Danielle's...

And mine. It sure is awesome having two talented photographers working the same wedding. ;)

Yay!!

Don't mess with Nate. He'll tackle you.

I bet you want an Oreo now, huh?

Those guys really didn't want him getting the garter.

The parting view as a guest drives off. What a beautiful sky!

Marissa and Nate, thank you! What an absolutely amazing wedding! Congratulations!!

Maryville Wedding Photography - Sloan +Josh 4.30.11

2011-05-20T17:06:00.001-04:00

Remember Slosh? The cute couple that were so cool we smashed their names together? If you don't remember Sloan and Josh, check out their engagement session, easily one of our best sessions of 2010. Well Slosh went and got married a few weekends ago. And we were there at the beautiful Ridge Valley Farms in Maryville to photograph the day for them.

Danielle shot this one for Josh, a self-described Rockstar addict.

Josh and his boys trying to figure out how to fold hankies.

Here comes the bride.

Josh is all smiles as he opens his gift from Sloan. In case you haven't heard, Danielle and Brittany have started a little side business, Exposed Boudoir, and Sloan was their first official client. So for a groom's gift, Sloan got Josh a boudoir book. And he loved it!

The beautiful bride.

Cop sunglasses and a bouquet. Who would have thought?

Can we pick Josh up? Sure!

Rockstar.

The diet of the modern bride… Red Bull and barbecue chips.

They say diamonds are a girl's best friends… I would change that to a fan is a girl's best friend when that girl is wearing a thick wedding dress and it's unseasonably hot outside. ;)

Josh's parents full of happy tears as they walk to the ceremony.

Ceremony laughs.

I hid in the bushes for this one.

High five!!

I LOVE this one!!

These kids are nuts. That's why we get along so well.

First dance.

The bride and her grandfather. :)

Cake wars!!

Bling!

Getting ready to toss the bouquet.

Josh and Sloan's reaction upon seeing their car. Want to know why? Keep scrolling (hide the kids).

Riiiiiiiiight.

Hahahaha!

Aren't they cute.

Nothing wrong with playing in the road.

(We did have spotters to make sure none of us became roadkill.)

Don't ask.

Thank you so much Slosh!! The wedding was beautiful!!

Whitestone Inn Wedding Photography : Cathy + Rob 4.23.11

2011-05-13T14:34:00.002-04:00

Alright, back to weddings. Today I want to share the beautiful wedding of Rob and Cathy at the amazing Whitestone Inn in Kingston. Rob and Cathy are one of those cool couples that, within 2 seconds of meeting them, you know they are soul mates. It makes our jobs so much easier when the couples are in mad love with each other.

The Whitestone florists made Cathy a beautiful bouquet.

The bride getting dressed.

Don't. Spill. Coke. On. The. Dress!

It was a little windy so we played with it… and Danielle got this gorgeous image!!

Smoochies!

Beautiful!

We had a Hope Photo first (and not in a good way)… Cathy and her girls were riding in a golf cart around the grounds of Whitestone to get from portrait spot to spot and Danielle and I were in a cart behind them. All of the sudden we hear a shriek and their cart came to a quick stop. We pulled up next to them and found out that the wind ripped the train of Cathy's dress from her hand and it, in turn, got run over by the cart! Augh! There were black streaks all over the dress! But aside from this initial freakout moment, Cathy nonchalantly shrugged it off. She had such a great attitude about it!

I mean, look at that smile while they cleaned the dress off! I know if it were me, I'd be at DEFCON 1 on the Bridezilla scale (not that I'll ever be a bridezilla). And for the record, all the tire marks came out and no one would have known about it if it hadn't become the story of the day. :)

Enter the groom! Rob is a nut. That's why he and I got along so well. ;)

Looking dapper, Mr. Smith.

Land ho!

Lemme out of here!

Waiting on the ceremony.

Cathy's boys walked her down the aisle.

It was an emotional and beautiful ceremony.

It's been a while since we've seen a butterfly release!

Clinging on.

OMGorgeous!

Two views.

So many jokes about them being swingers, so little time…

Well, he's yours to do that to now. ;)

Since we were about to go into the reception, they asked if they could practice their dance moves really quick. Of course!

The practice paid off.

Rob liked the dancing so much, he wouldn't stop.

He even took his sister for a spin.

The life of the party.

Cathy gets a goodbye hug from her daughter.

Like Rob's dancing, we couldn't stop shooting… we asked them for a couple more portraits as the sun started setting before we left.

And Rob turned into Quasimodo. Hey, I have a don't ask, don't tell policy. Whatever floats your boat, man.

Thank you so much Cathy and Rob! Your wedding was amazing and I'm so glad that we got to be a part of it. :)

Maryville Senior Photography - Jonathan

2011-05-11T15:55:00.001-04:00

Hi folks, I thought I'd break up the April wedding coverage with a senior session Danielle and I did recently. Meet Jonathan, a home school senior in Blount County. We love to photograph seniors. Heck, we need to do more of it. So check out these cool images of Jonathan and then pass the word that we're open for senior business!

We started out at our studio all dressed up.

I *love* this one.

I wish I could pull a suit off this well. Jonathan is styling.

Bunch of cool lines in this one.

I must have left my clouds in my other bag, but the blue is just as cool

Congratulations on graduating, Jonathan! Good luck in college! :)

And like I said, we need more seniors! Pass the word Hope Photo fans… we want to shoot seniors (with a camera of course)!!

Maryville Wedding Photography - Frankie + Thomas 4-26-11

2011-05-02T15:22:00.004-04:00

Greetings blog followers! We've had a super busy April… so busy, that I didn't post anything last month. Someone smack my hand for being a slacker. I shouldn't complain; busy is good! I just hate not having time to post regular updates. But I promise to make that up over the next few weeks.

We'll kick off May with a series of wedding posts from April starting with Thomas and Frankie's beautiful day a couple weeks ago. The wind was a bit chilly, but that didn't stop this great couple from having a wonderful wedding.

Thomas and Frankie got married in the Pavilion at the amazing Butterfly Gap Retreat outside of Maryville.

A few of the lovely bride getting ready.

Beautiful!

No, I didn't say "grab somebody's butt" to get them to laugh...

A little animation of Frankie and Thomas' first look. You can see Thomas literally do a double-take. :)

Thomas dishing out some serious smolder.

Danielle caught Frankie's mom watching the action.

Awww.

Check out the awesome bouquet by our friend Lisa Foster!

We couldn't contain this guy.

It was a *little* windy.

Yeah, we got plenty of Thomas NOT acting like a ham, but they just aren't as fun as these.

See.

Sneak peek.

The inside of the Pavilion at Butterfly Gap is really cool.

Real moments.

I think this is my favorite of the day.

The couple are wine buffs so in lieu of a guestbook, they had bottles of wine for the guests to sign. Frankie and Thomas now have bottles to open on their 1st, 5th, 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries.

Mr. and Mrs. Ruf!

I'm not sure if Frankie was having a wardrobe malfunction or if Thomas was a little eager to get to the honeymoon...

I made a fan.

Some twilight smooches.

Thomas' dad knew how to shred a dance floor.

Thank you Frankie and Thomas! Danielle and I had a great time at your wedding… it was a wonderful start to our wedding season! :)

Newport Engagement Photography - Marissa + Nate

2011-03-28T14:34:00.001-04:00

Marissa and Nate are getting married this coming May at Marissa's grandmother's house in Newport. We met them last week for a fun engagement session around the bustling metropolis that is downtown Newport. Okay, bustling may not be the best adjective, but it is a cool little old downtown. We had a blast hanging out with these two… their wedding is going to great!

If there's railroad tracks nearby, you know we have to shoot there. One of these days we're going to get in trouble.

Anything to make him smile.

What? It's always fun to stand in front of the Cocke County Courthouse and make fun of all of Danielle's relatives that have passed through those hallowed halls.

:)

I think Nate was afraid someone was going to open the door mid-kiss.

*LOVE* all the funky reflections Danielle captured in this one.

After playing in downtown for a while, we headed up to a river in Cosby.

Mmm… later afternoon sunflare goodness.

Thanks guys! We hope you love the photos!

Maryville Portrait Photography - Quentin

2011-03-21T14:59:00.002-04:00

It's a beautiful day for a blog post wouldn't ya say?!! Meet Quentin! We are doing some photos for the Pregnancy Resource Center to make a calender for them as a fundraiser and this is one of the babies that we had the opportunity to work with for that. Also, I have to give Brittany some props because she did this session solo while I was holding some viewing sessions.

Isn't he just a cutie!

You know, at 7 months it is VERY easy to get distracted.

I have no idea what this face is about but I love it!

"Oh, there's my fingers!"

Such a happy boy!

Of course, we had to get one of him with mom! He's at that age where he LOVES to give kisses and he's so cute when he does it!

Thank you Brittany! You did an amazing job. And, thank you to Quentin for being a part of this great opportunity for the Pregnancy Resource Center! We'll be posting more sessions from the calendar shoots as we get to do them and we'll let you know when the calender becomes available so that you can buy one to support this great organization!

Daffodil Mini Sessions Teaser

2011-03-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

Spring is here!!! Well, almost. The daffodils are here at least. Last Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day to be out playing in them so that's exactly what Brittany and I did. We scheduled a day of daffodil mini-sessions and we had a great time. Here is just a few of my favorites from a couple of the day's sessions (the afternoon bookings).

We'll start this teaser off with little Lauron. What a cutie!

I LOVE this one!

Sweet moment with Mommy.

Just look at all of those blooms! This was one of the prettiest years ever at the field.

So sweet!

Little poser :)

The thing with twins is that one will do exactly what you want but the other will not. Then they switch roles!

Kaelynn REALLY wanted Arianna's bow.

Kaelynn was also a big fan of tasting the flowers.

Love this one too!

And, you know we couldn't do a daffodil session without including our own girls!

I love this one.

Sisters :)

"Want some"?

I LOVE this laugh!

Thank you to everyone who made it out for the mini-sessions! Sorry if yours isn't on the blog yet, I wanted to get the ones up first who will be in for viewings sooner. And for everyone else out there, the flowers are still very pretty so let me know if you want to book a session with us in this gorgeous field!

Daffodil Mini-Sessions

2011-02-25T11:52:00.002-05:00

I know it has been FOREVER since we've done anything on the blog!! Sorry for that! We do have some things left over from last year that we were planning on blogging during our "down time" but then things have been crazy and we just haven't gotten to do it! That will be changing very soon though. In the meantime, I did want to announce an upcoming day of mini-sessions! I'm so excited that spring is in the air and the trees are starting to show some green and the flowers are starting to show up. I have been so ready for some warmer weather!!

So, in honor of the warmer weather, we are having a day of daffodil mini-sessions. These photos would be great gifts for Mother's Day!

We have set the date for next weekend, however, with the weather and the flowers, we are really at the mercy of Mother Nature as to whether or not next Saturday will work or if we will have to move the session to the following Saturday.

If you would like to book your session, email me or call to set up your time as soon as you can because we are only doing a limited number of sessions and the spots will go quickly!

Thanks!!

Maryville Engagement Photography: Heather+Jacob

2011-01-28T12:37:00.001-05:00

Heather and Jacob are getting married in June at the beautiful University of Tennessee Ag Gardens. And they recently stopped by our studio for their engagement photos in downtown Maryville. They were sports since we made them trek all over the place in the cold and slush. We even stopped by a closed salvage house and played a little… Danielle kept joking that we needed to take their photo sitting on an old toilet that was outside, but thankfully Heather and Jacob declined. :) Here are a few of our favorites from the day…

We started at the old depot next to our studio.

Gotta love an almost silhouette.

At the Salvage House… I think we might do more here some day with permission.

Such a happy couple.

Getting all "artsy fartsy" for you.

Who knew alleys could looks so cool?

Thanks soon to be Mr. and Mrs.! We can't wait for the wedding!

Knoxville Wedding Photography: Jonathan+Whitney: 01.15.11

2011-01-23T20:34:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the first blog post of the year! I know, a little late since it's almost February, but we took a little r&r to Florida and then intentionally got snowed-in in Atlanta with some friends on the way back. As soon as we got back though, it was nose to the grindstone with the first wedding of the year.

Whitney and Jonathan had a beautiful winter wedding at West End Church of Christ in Knoxville last weekend. These two are a hoot to be around and their wedding sure was a fun one. Part of my New Year's resolutions is that I'm going to do less jabbering on the blog and let the photos speak for themselves. So, this is me shutting up; and this is you enjoying the photos!

I love seeing old photos from the parents' weddings. It gives me warm fuzzies knowing that someday our photos will be in the same position.

Jonathan's mom pinned him down for a little makeover.

Which he quickly undid much to his groomsmen's amusement.

Whitney getting ready and getting love.

The groom. The bride.

The bride. The groom.

Well, I did say "big smile!"

A fun window triptych.

Even inside, Danielle finds sunflare. Amazing.

We played around in some patches of light too.

You gotta love a bride and groom willing to stand on something for you.

I think this is my favorite.

There was still a little snow despite the sunshine.

Wakeup!

What do you do when the wick is too short on the unity candle and it won't light? You laugh and make the best of it. :)

Jonathan and Whitney's dads both performed the ceremony… phew, I don't think I would be able to handle it. You'd hear nothing but sobs as I performed the ceremony. These guys did great.

As a MacFan, I gotta say, coolest grooms cake I've seen in a while.

On a whim, we asked if they would want to play in the snow… in the 10 years we've been doing weddings, we've never had a snowy one. And they agreed! Although Whitney may want to watch where she's pegging Jonathan with those snowballs.

After a couple minutes, we let them warm up in each others' arms. :)

Fire bad!

Congratulations Whitney and Jonathan!! I can easily say, your wedding was the best we've shot this year!!! ;)

Hope Photography - The Best of 2010

2010-12-31T20:25:00.004-05:00

2010 has come to a close. What a glorious and amazing year it has been for us. We have met so many great people and witnessed so many beautiful moments that it just blows my mind. It's been one of the most successful and crazy years for our business to date. I always gripe about being so busy, but trust me, I know what a blessing it is for a small business to stay afloat in the turbulent economic waters of the last few years. Danielle and I obviously couldn't do this without the love and support of all of you, our frients/cliends (new words for 2011 combining clients + friends) and family. Thank you!

So just like this time last year, instead of showcasing our favorite photos from the year, we decided to turn the tables and we asked all 21 of our wedding clients and 40+ portrait clients to submit their favorite image that Danielle, Brittany and I took during their wedding or session. We didn't hear back from everyone, but I'll blame that on poor planning on our part… I mean, who wants to check their email over the Christmas holidays? And we heard from several clients who said they simply couldn't narrow it down to one favorite and gave up. That's a good problem to have, I guess. :)

Here are the 2010 client favorites with their reason why below each image (presented in the order we received the entries). Enjoy!

The Treadwells: This picture is my favorite because you took what was a humiliating moment for a parent and turned it into the most wonderful picture and most precious memory! As were most of his pictures, this one sure wasn't planned, but every time I see it I have to giggle because you thought it was a great moment to catch it on camera! THANK YOU GUYS! We will never EVER use anyone else to do our pictures!

The Millers: I like this photo, because we are all happy and healthy and full of life! I also am choosing this photo because we would like to send it in as our family photo with our adoption profile!

The Suttons: It is simply priceless! It captured our precious baby boy in the first week of his life. We will forever hold those pictures as his first professional picture shoot! You guys did an amazing job and we can't wait for you to do more of Baby Jackson!

The Burkhalters: It perfectly captured the spirit of three stair-stepped, smiling sisters holding on to & leaning on each other! We pray they will forever remain stuck on each other!!

The Efflers: We love it because the colors on the tree are bright and clear, and because it captures how happy our little family is together!

The Mobleys: It's my favorite image because you captured all of us (Shamus included) beautifully and naturally. The lighting and setting are just perfect and it's my favorite picture of all of us.

The Whaleys: We love it because they look like such BROTHERS in that one! Younger brother just taking off without hesitation, older one being cautious and "looking before he leaps"- true to both of their personalities. :-)

The Kirklands: It was really hard to pick just one. But, you caught us laughing at the kids and enjoying ourselves looking very natural which no photographer has been able to do before. Thanks guys!! You really had your work cut out for you with us!!!

Suzi and Matt Fairclough: We love this photo because it represents the fun and romantic side of our wedding.

Lori Lary and Clark Hornstra: We met at Patrick Sullivan's and I still get warm fuzzies every time I look at this picture!

Kaitlyn Taylor (senior session): I was so glad that Brittany thought to go up there at the last moment. The sunlight made my hair color stand out beautifully. I will never forget how much effort it took climb up that hill (where everyone in the city had obviously brought their dogs) and take great pictures. Thanks guys!

The Lamar Family: This picture captures our family so perfectly. It's not stuffy or overly posed. It's just...us. I love the subtle fall colors in the background as well. Thank you again for helping us preserve our family's history!

Kelly and Alex Buhler: I love all my photos so it's hard to chose just one! I really love the one of me and Alex with my grandparents. My grandma died not long after the wedding and I'm so glad that she could share out special day and that the whole family was together for our occasion.

[Editor's Note: So sorry about your loss Kelly. :( This photo just makes me realize how important our jobs is!]

The Bumbaloughs: To me it captures a lasting memory of how close the kids are now, their unconditional love, and it is my hope that they will remain close as they get older.

The Goforths: This captures the true Graham, always entertaining and wanting to be the center of attention. Thanks for all the great photographs!

Christine and Eric Lewis: We love the contrast between all the nature around us and we're standing there in a wedding gown and tux. We like how we are standing leaning towards each other, with my ring showing but not obviously trying to be in the picture, making the picture more relaxed overall. And we like remembering how we "escaped" the reception to run up the hill to laugh with each other in this little area that seemed private.

Danyelle and Michael Bachelder: We liked this one because it has the beautiful background of Whitestone, as well as our guns which was and still is the talk of our wedding and of course us on our big happy day. Thanks again for the awesome job you all provided we are soooo glad we found you guys.

Missy Speaks (senior session for Laura): I like this one because it is such a soft picture of a very sweet girl. You see her personality so much. She is shyly looking down, has her cross necklace on that shows her faith and a little smile to show her humble joy. And lighting was great!!Thanks for making the session so much fun and easy for Laura and for the GREAT pictures!

Whitney Hall and Jonathan Alexander: The posture is very "us." We feel it truly captures our personality as a couple. If you were to see us on any given day, this is probably what it would look like. :)

The Herrings: I love the way that you captured the different identities of each of the girls with that specific pic! I love how the sun is shining through behind the girls. I especially love the water that has risen as they jumped in the wet grass! Thank you for marking the moment with our family!

Tara and Steven Jenkins: We wanted our guests to be surrounded by the beauty of the Smoky Mountains. This picture captures everything we love about the Smokies. And who doesn't like to soak their feet after wearing heels for 12 hours?

Alyson and Dusty Young: It looks like something from a storybook and it's so adorable!

The Leonards: We liked this photo because the picture turned out so natural in the scenery and in the pose. It really captured the love that Cooper has for Olivia while he is holding her as her big brother, almost as if protecting her and stating "she is my little sister". It also shows Olivia's bright personality and how her smile lights up the room. Thank you for that memory.

The Conners: I really love them all. If I have to pick a favorite it would have to be this one because of the expression on Wyatt's face. It's priceless!! Not sure what he was laughing at, but I'm thinking that it was from Danielle dancing, in the middle of the street, singing "She hit the floor, next thing you know, shorty got low, low, low...." Thanks guys, for an awesome family shoot and for such a fun year being your Ass. Pho. (aka Associate Photographer). :)

The Smiths: This is our favorite photo because...well, its a damn good one :) We have great eye contact, hands on baby belly and the background is to die for really, but most of all... you all captured our love for each other and the greatest love of all - our son Jax! Thanks gals!

Maleia and Nick O'Neal: We love that the new church and steeple are included. The clouds really add to it because they look awesome. And you can see my gorgeous bouquet as well as the details to my gown really well!

The Yarnells: You all caught a perfect moment. The laugh is real...the lighting is incredible. It's a photo we will treasure forever.

The Bishops: This picture shows Ellie Kate's true joy and spirit. She's such a happy girl and it shows here!!!

The Martinezes: She looks so peaceful and this is still the expression on her face when she sleeps. I love it. I also love the colors of the white with the red basket behind her. It's not only a great picture of my adorable baby--I think it looks like baby art too.

Katie and Will Burkhardt: This photo was instantly our favorite. We just love everything about it. It captures the beauty of Whitestone and makes us look pretty darn good too!

Cari and Seth McNelly: Well first, there are TOO MANY AWESOME PHOTOS of our wedding day to say just one is our favorite, but we picked this one because it's of us alone with "our tree" and the bright lights from the tree in the background look positively magical. Our wedding day was so phenomenal and so perfect in every way that it too was magical so this photo, to us, best depicts the magical feeling of our big day. :)

The Hurts: We picked this one because it accurately reflects our family in a natural setting. The expression on each one of our faces truly represents our personalities.

Slosh (Sloan+Josh): We love this photo because it captured such a beautiful, private moment between the two of us. Wes and Danielle made it so easy to be ourselves, and we think this picture really shows the love we have for one another.

The Hefferns: This picture just captures where Elliot is at this point in time perfectly. He's busy and always on the go, but always just as sunny and happy as can be. Oh, and those blue eyes get me EVERY time.

Jessica and Randy Fly: It's peaceful, pretty, love in God's prettiest place on Earth.

Traci and Eddie Lail: I think the smiles we have here seem to be shining from within. You know what I mean? You can see our smiles and happiness in our eyes as well as our facial expression. I guess there is truth in happiness. ;)

There you go! Thanks to everyone who sent us their favorites! It's always interesting to see things from the client's perspective. Danielle and I sometimes love our photos for entirely different reasons. We might just look at the lighting and composition, but only the clients know what they were thinking and feeling when we captured those moments. That's why I love doing our year-end roundup this way. I hope you enjoyed it! :)

Happy New Year!!

PS! We accidentally left one out! And I feel horrible because the bride is one of our biggest fans! Sorry Krystal, you know we didn't do it on purpose! Here's your favorite...
Kristal and Charles Powers: I will never forget the look Wes got on his face when I said I wanted to stand on the swing. And when he said "Just so you know if this goes horribly wrong remember it was all your idea". I got a priceless image that I absolutely LOVE... oh and nothing went wrong at all!

Thanks Kristal! And again, sorry you slipped through the cracks. :)

A New Look For a New Year...

2010-12-30T23:40:00.005-05:00

Out with the old and in with the new!! (And before any of you wise acres pipe up, no, that doesn't mean Danielle is getting rid of me!)

With the change of the year comes a new look for us. Danielle and I finally have a bona fide, professional logo. Wait, what? You liked our old logo with the swirly "h". Well, we did too, but we thought it had run it's course over the last 4 years or so. We always liked it, but I don't think either of us "loved" it. It was something I created by trial and error and it did the job. But we felt it was time for change.

So when we decided to open up a studio/meeting space/office/gallery/movie theater (oh yeah, our screen is that big) back home in Maryville, we decided to take a look at our branding. The first step, a new logo. We've actually had this done for a couple months now (you may have seen it if you've been on Washington St. in Maryville), but I've been so dedicated to getting our client work done that I haven't had the time to give it a proper debut.

One last time, the swirly "h"…

We'll miss you swirly!

And introducing (as if you haven't already seen it in the header at the top of the page), the new logo!

Don't you think it has that new logo smell?

It's a smart blend of a nice clean logotype and the custom mark (the square thingie). The mark has several meanings… see if you can guess what some of them are. Danielle and I love this thing and we have one man to thank for it, John Fischbach at Graphic FX in Maryville. John totally thought outside the box (no pun intended) and put up with all the changes we put him through. A true artist and professional… I can't recommend Graphic FX enough if you need any design done.

So there you have it. A new look for a new year. And that's just the beginning… hopefully a new website and a new blog are in the works as well (I've already changed the color scheme on both, but that's just the tip of the iceberg). Rebranding in scary, but fun!

And make sure you come back tomorrow! Our annual "Client Favorites" roundup will be posted. See what were some of our clients' favorite images and hear why. :)

ps: Let us know what you honestly think of the new logo… we'd love the feedback!

Merry Christmas from the Hopes!

2010-12-24T09:43:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I'll keep it brief, because there's still 4,784 things I need to get done before family comes over tonight. But we wanted to wish each and every one of you a happy holiday and hopefully make you laugh a little...

We wanted to go for something funny this year on our Christmas cards. The sad thing is, the front image (in cheesy Christmas attire that we had made at a nameless box studio), isn't too far off from our daily life. ;)

And, of course, it just wouldn't be a Christmas blog post without sharing one of Danielle's favorite traditions:

So from our crazy family to yours, we truly hope you all are blessed this Christmas season! Thank you for being our friends and for supporting our business this year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT (or morning or day or whatever)!!

Kingston Wedding Photography - Jessica +Randy 10.30.10

2010-12-22T11:28:00.002-05:00

This is it! The last wedding of 2010! What a crazy, wonderful year and I can't think of a better wedding or a better couple to have photographed.

Randy and Jessica live in the Memphis area, but have a bunch of family in Knoxville so they chose the gorgeous Whitestone Inn in Kingston for the wedding. And bonus points for me because this was a wedding I booked while Danielle was down and out after her tonsil surgery earlier this year… if you know me, you know I don't talk on the phone to clients. For some reason, talking to a girl on the phone turns me into a bumbling, stumbling thirteen year old. It's not pretty; trust me. But I powered through and Jessica and I hit it off and I'm so glad they picked us to photograph their wedding. It was a beautiful day!!

I spotted this different angle on the Chapel on the way up the hill.

Randy tying the tie.

And Jessica getting her hair done.

Looking good, Doc!

Almost as good as your gorgeous bride!

Beautimus!

We still had a little fall color to play with.

And play we did.

I bet you can't guess which one of us photographed this one?

Beauty!

Just a nice stroll down a scenic autumn lane.

Randy and Jessica's daughter was the flowergirl… she got a little stage fright on the way down the aisle.

Zoom zoom.

High five!

Even though they saw each other beforehand and we did a bunch of photos, I still had a to play for a couple minutes before the reception.

And I'm glad we did. :)

Some of the "sweetest" ring photos I've made.

And yes, I cleaned the caramel off after.

Whitestone has some of the best food of all the venues we photograph in. Chef Bobby and his crew do amazing work!

I called next, but Randy couldn't lift me.

TowelWars!

These boys knew how to get down.

Somebody's happy.

They walked up the steps to fireworks. That's them, blurry in the middle, making their way through the crowd (this was a four second exposure).

Daddy!

Congratulations Jessica and Randy!! Best of luck to you both!

And congrats to Danielle and I… with this post, that wraps up the 2010 wedding season!!! We survived another year!! Phew. What a sigh of relief. It will be nice to have a little down time. Well, at least for a couple weeks... the 2011 wedding season starts for us in the middle of January!

Stay tuned for our annual Christmas blog post!

Maryville Wedding Photography - Alyson + Dusty 10.15.10

2010-12-17T14:19:00.003-05:00

There's something flickering off in the distance… I think it's the light at the end of the tunnel! My mountain of a to-do list for 2010 is down to a mere hill. No, a knoll! And one of the biggest things knocked off that list was Alyson and Dusty's beautiful wedding at Smithview Pavilion in Maryville. These two had a gorgeous fall wedding surrounded by a ton of friends and family. It was a great time indeed!

As always, I had a hard time narrowing my favorites down to just a "few", so sit back and relax and enjoy another super-long post!

I love all the girls leaning in reading Dusty's letter to Alyson.

Dusty got ready at the love shack apparently.

Coolest. Hanger. Ever.

Come out of your cocoon little butterfly.

Hey, trees have to be watered.

They did a "first look" so we could knock all the photos out before the ceremony. I love the anticipation on Dusty's face in the first one.

Whoops, that's two kissycheek photos back-to-back. You don't mind, right?

The beautiful bride.

There's something dreamy about this one.

And...

kiss!!

I almost lined these two different photos up perfectly.

Danielle knocked the shoe photos out of the park.

Being a bride is hard work.

Dusty, you make those flowers look good!

Do what now?

The last few and these were at a family farm out in the county, by the way.

I swear, good assistants are hard to find (that's my mother-in-law sprinting through the background).

New word of the week --> flairlicious!

Pumpkins everywhere! I love fall weddings.

The girls were practicing their moves before the ceremony to some blaring music (much to the ringbearers chagrin).

Right back atcha ---> ;)

Seriously mom? Put down the camera and enjoy the show. We've got you covered. ;)

Mr. and Mrs.

We had to do a few by the creek after the ceremony since Dusty is a fly fishing guide.

Um... ooooooooookay.

I love this daddy-daughter dance photo. A great moment + a guest's flash = happy me.

Danielle goes nuts with the shoes and I go to town with the rings.

There were some hilarious toasts.

Dusty nailed the old "going-for-the-garter-and-accidentally-pull-out-the-bloomers" gag!!

Everyone loved it.

Instant replay.

See ya!

Congratulations Alyson and Dusty!! And thanks for being so patient!

One more wedding to finish up and the 2010 wedding season will officially be a wrap! And then we're hightailing to a beach somewhere and I'm going to pass out in the sand. ;)

Maryville Portrait Photography - Elliot Turns One!!

2010-12-13T23:47:00.002-05:00

Okay, how about some one-year-old cuteness today? Meet Elliot and his mom and dad, Kristen and Todd. We photographed Kristen and Todd's wedding way back in 2003. Kristen and I went to MC together and they got married just a short while after we graduated. They live in Nashville now and have an adorable little boy who we just had the pleasure of meeting! Kristen wrote me and said that they were coming in for a visit and wanted some amazing photos to document Elliot turning one. We were more than happy to oblige!

We planned the session in a way that we could work around the cold weather so we started out in the new studio in front of our wall and window there, then while Wes set up the next backdrop, I took the family outside to get just a few outdoor shots. It ended up being strangely warm on Saturday (until that night that is) and it was a great day for a session!

Thought we were getting off to a rocky start, but it turned out Elliot just doesn't like to have his clothes changed! He was all smiles after this.

He's at the age where he loves to clap!

Todd went around to the front of the window outside and Elliot was super excited to see his daddy out there!

Kristen said that it is super rare that he will sit still on her lap anymore now that he is crawling so fast so this shot was pretty special to her!

My absolute favorite from the day!

Some sweet family time.

I love this expression.

We had to do the cupcake and candle thing to commemorate turning one. Elliot was more into the candle than the cake!

He was willing to share a bite with mommy though. :)

LOVE this one too!

"What cake?"

Thanks Kristen, Todd and Elliot! We had a great time with you guys! I totally think you need to turn this into a regular yearly tradition with us! :)

Our 10/10/10 Contest winners Tara + Steven!

2010-12-10T23:58:00.003-05:00

Finally!! Christmas orders have all been placed so I'm slowly starting to get caught up. And I finally get to show off our 10/10/10 wedding!! Steven and Tara were the winners of our Perfect Ten: 10/10/10 Contest back in February.

It was such an honor to photograph their wedding It was a beautiful fall affair at a family friend's house in Sevierville on the river. They are such a loving couple and the day was jam packed with emotion. I couldn't think of a better wedding to mark Hope Photography's (and mine and Danielle's) tenth anniversary.

Here are a ton of favorites from the day...

Steven (left) and a groomsman share a mirror.

Fun times getting dressed.

I swear I would be a gajillionaire if I could invent something to help bridesmaids find the bustle pieces.

How do I look?

I dunno, just a little stunning!

I love this detail of the note Tara wrote Steven.

I don't think we've ever shot a wedding with as many golf carts as this one.

There was a beautiful covered bridge nearby.

Tara's a nut. I don't remember what the heck she was doing.

She (and the rest of the girls present) were pretty stoked her dress had pockets. I guess as I guy, I take the simple things for granted.

We also found a barn with a cool '70s Chevy truck in it.

Gorgeous!

The gals.

The guys.

I nice moment with mom.

Tara teared up so much reading Steven's note to her that she handed the reins over to a couple bridesmaids.

What an awesome idea for a fall wedding.

Tara and her dad share a moment before heading down the aisle.

Steven was a rock until Tara popped around the corner. And then he was all smiles.

Dad proudly guides Tara down the aisle while her tear-filled eyes are locked onto to Steven. This one gets me every time.

Just when I think I'm getting tired of doing the jumping wedding party photo, I get a fun group like this (who can get some major air).

Golf cart!

Mr. and Mrs.

I don't remember what was said, but I'm sure it was funny.

Some of the most beautiful toasts I've ever heard.

Especially dad's.

The daddy-daughter dance.

We snuck away from the reception to play a little by the river.

And the barn.

Danielle whips out the sunflare wherever she goes.

Hey, that flare is mine. Who do you think Danielle learned it from?

Love in a speeding golf cart.

It's your wedding… no one is going to judge you if you dance like Elaine. Sweet fancy Moses!

This is one of those unremarkable photos that I get a kick out of how. It looks like Tara is schmacking her little step-brother (I think she's gesturing as he doing some sort of dance of his own). I know, I'm have the sense of humor of a 7 year-old.

You know me… I can't pass up a chance to play with stuffed wildlife, especially these two fantastic Mr. Foxes.

Bubbles, people, bubbles!!! How many times do I have to tell you. That bird seed feels like you're being blasted by a shotgun.

After they did their grand exit, they snuck back over to the river to hop in. Yup, mini trash the dress session!!

Well, she just got the bottom wet, but how cool is that?

Love LOVE LOVE it!

We just had to have our pic made with these two crazy kids.

Congratulations Tara and Steven!!! Not only for winning our contest, but for having one of the more beautiful weddings of the year! You guys are a great couple and Danielle and I are so happy that we got to do this for you. We hope you have a thousands of happy days together.

And let's not forget the other amazing vendors who graciously chipped in on the contest and worked their butts off for Tara and Steven…

Don Samples of Midnight Magic Studios did a great job shooting video.

Lisa Foster of Lisa Foster Designs did a gorgeous bouquet.

And Christy, Lisa, and Brenda with One Enchanted Evening were stellar wedding planners as usual.

Thanks to you all for helping make Tara and Steven's day that much more special.

And thanks to all of YOU, the blog readers and Hope Photo fans for voting earlier this year. Tara and Steven owe you guys one!

Maryville Engagement Photography - Whitney + Jonathan

2010-12-08T23:04:00.004-05:00

Phew...it's high time we've had a blog post right?! Well, today you are in for a treat! We met Whitney last year when she began planning her wedding to Jonathan. They are getting married in January (indoors thankfully) and after getting to know them better during this engagement session, we are really looking forward to that wedding! Whitney and Jonathan came in for a long weekend for us to do this session with them and we had a great time. And we even to manage to catch the absolute last colors of fall.

See how stinkin' cute they are?

Love the sky in this one.

Meeeeoooowww... this one's hot!

Let's just say they are SUPER excited about their upcoming wedding.

Of course they had to bring their furry "child" along! This is Chewy. They said that he really looked like Chewbacca before he was shaved!

Chewy kind of stole the show for awhile. What's wrong Jonathan, don't like stinky dog kisses? ;)

LOVE this one!

The tunnel of love (I know, I know... could I BE anymore cheesy)!

[Wes edited to add: Yes.]

I seriously drove past here two days later and every leaf had fallen off of these trees!

Thank you Whitney and Jonathan! We had a great time in the chilly weather with you. Can't wait to do it all again in a month!!

Knoxville Wedding Photography - Christine + Eric 10.09.10

2010-11-29T13:37:00.006-05:00

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! Guess who is going crazy? Your humble author, that's who. This post was supposed to be done about two weeks ago. Why the delay? Right when I was about 98% done with Christine and Eric's wedding, my hard drive died (on a new-ish computer mind you). Don't worry, the only thing I lost was about a days worth of work. I have always been a firm believer in the more backups the better and for once I got to put that theory to the test. Zero (let me repeat that: ZERO) client files were lost thanks to my anal-retentiveness.

So since I couldn't really do all the wedding work I needed to do on our little MacBook Pro (it's old and slow… like I'm getting) I decided to try to get caught up on album designs and portrait client orders. And then bam, I get sick. So sick I spent a night in the hospital. The docs don't know what was wrong with me, but the leading theory is that I'm just working myself too much. The joys of being a devoted small business owner I guess. Never fear though, like all of our data, I have a backup of me and he's been hard at work the last few days in an attempt to start knocking things off the old to-do list.

I know all of that may have been straight from the TMI Dept., but I've always been a believer in full disclosure with this ol' bloggity blog and I wanted all of our loyal fans and friends to know what's up. Plus I think it's only fair to the couples that are having to wait a little extra longer on their photos to know what's going on.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program…

I know I use the word "awesome" probably way to much on this blog. But you know, there really aren't too many synonyms that fully embody some photographs like that good old word straight from the '80s. I mean, when just about every photo you shoot at a wedding could jump straight into your portfolio without passing "Go" there really isn't much more to say about the wedding than it was simply … awesome! And Christine and Eric's wedding at the lovely Dara's Garden blew the awesome meter out of the awesome water.

Here are a few (well, more than a few) favorites from their day...

Christine and her girls were in a good mood.

I was blown away (literally) by the Dyson bladeless fans at Dara's Garden, so Danielle decided to pay homage to me and framed the action with one (those things are so stinking cool... now you know what to get me for Christmas, right?).

Oh! Gorgeousness by Danielle!

Oh! Gorgeousness by Brittany!

Oh! Gorgeousness by me! (I'll stop now. Sorry.)

For reals, see what I mean about the awesome?? Danielle took it to the next level with this one.

And you know how that little wifey of mine likes to photograph through things right?

Whoa, that's an upside down rainbow!! Full on, all the way! What does this mean? It's. So. Beautiful!

Girls just wanna have fun...

I felt like funking this one up a little.

Stunning.

After watching this groomsmen make this face, I don't blame Eric for getting his dad to pin on his boutonniere.

Looking good there Mr. Groom.

A little G to the Q.

More flare... we're full of it.

Here comes the bride...

I love this one.

Now smooch!

Don't look at me like that Eric, you married her.

:)

Classic.

(I know I'm being quiet... just letting you soak in the awesome.)

I love love love this one.

Would you believe me that that light is the sun popping through a crack about an inch wide in the side of the barn? Well, you should, cause it is, and it's cool. ;p

Vavavavoooom.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Lewis...

Fun first dance.

I love this little kiss Christine's mom snuck in.

Apparently, the cake topper had too much to drink. Good thing Eric was nearby to straighten things up a bit.

Careful kiddo, such cuteness might steal the show.

A toast.

Cake wars!

I hope my daddy-daughter dances are this fun. Wait, no, I take that back. My girls are never getting married. Never, you hear me!

We took a reception break for a few more portraits.

Wait, what?!?

Bling.

Christine's dad was quite the rug cutter.

You know, sometimes you just have to don the shades and do your own dance to Michael Jackson. Even if it just looks like you're standing there awkwardly in the photos.

The grand exit.

So again, happy belated Thanksgiving! Thanks to Christine and Eric for being such an awesome (and patient) couple. Thanks to Apple for getting my hard drive replaced. Thanks to the doctors for poking and prodding me. Thanks to my lovely wife and daughters for loving me (and adding to the insanity). And thanks to YOU for stopping by our blog!

Maryville Family Photography - The Bumbalough Family

2010-11-22T11:48:00.002-05:00

While we are still waiting to hear from Apple on our big computer, we're trying to get as much work done as we can on our laptop so lucky for you, that means another blog post! Today we meet the Bumbalough family. I went to school with Scott from Kindergarten to college so we go WAY back! Scott met Jessica at Maryville College and they've been together ever since! So, when they were in town for Homecoming this year it was no surprise that that is where they wanted to take some family photos of their beautiful family.

We started out with a cool family shot in front of the college sign.

Olivia and Zach enjoyed the fall decorations.

Wes and I think it looks like Zach is saying, "welcome to my playground"!

I can't believe I have never made a leaf angel!

I love the dreamy look of this one.

"What, is there something in my hair?"

Olivia is such a little tree hugger! :)

You know I like to get "funky" and shoot through things...in this case a fence.

I LOVE this one!

The aftermath of rolling down a leaf-covered hill!

Thank you Jessica and Scott! It was great seeing you guys again and great to work with your family!

Maryville Family Photography - The Effler Family

2010-11-19T23:34:00.002-05:00

Okay, there was supposed to be an AMAZING wedding being blogged today, however, with the collapse of our main computer, Wes is unable to get it ready to blog (but don't worry, we didn't lose any files! Thank goodness for backups!)! Hopefully, Apple will pull through and have us up and running again by the first of the week. In the meantime, here's some more fantabulous fall for you!

Meet the Efflers. We know the Efflers because of grandmother, Linda, who was Wes' second mother when he worked at the Daily Times. She has always said that Wes looks like her son and acts like him (God bless her) so he often called her his "work mom". Now that he no longer works there, Linda has just become one of our biggest fans and supporters and we do love her like a second mom! SO, we were super excited to get to do these photos of her daughter's wonderful family!

We had scheduled this session a few weeks ago for a Saturday morning that turned out to be one of the coldest days that we've had so far, and that forced us to reschedule. This day it was still very gloomy and after the session ended, it ended up raining ALL day! We were very blessed to have no rain during the session and despite the overcast skies these fall colors were still AMAZING!

This is Ellie and we were VERY surprised to learn that her stuffed puppy (who makes an appearance in almost every picture because he is considered to be part of the family) is named Excelsior!

This is little brother Seth. Isn't he a cutie?!

Yeah, Excelsior totally jumped in front of the camera on this image!

Emily (mom), told us afterwards that Jordan (dad) isn't a huge fan of photos! I think he did great for the entire session though!

LOVE that smile!

This is what they called her "Uncle Adam" face (Uncle Adam is the one that is said to remind Linda of Wes...I can totally see that)!

Some flyin' baby lovin's.

Seth started crawling into the camera.

Emily and Jordan are such a cute couple!

When there's a puddle, you just gotta jump in it!

Thank you Effler family! We had a great time braving the chilly, damp weather with you and I totally think it was worth it!

Maryville Family Photography - The Miller Family

2010-11-17T17:11:00.000-05:00

Today's blog post is all about STICKS. So, if you have a stick phobia you might wanna avoid looking at the following images. Meet Cameron and his family. Wes did a session earlier this year with Cameron and he warned Brittany and I before this session that Cameron likes his sticks. That is an understatement! Looking back through all of the photos, there is a stick in almost every image. I'm thinking mom and dad could save a LOT of money on toys this year for Christmas if they just take a walk through the woods with a wheelbarrow! :)

I always like to get a few of mom and dad too and Tara and Michael were all for this idea!

This one just seems magical to me.

Happy Family!

One of my favorites.

Apparently it was just a negative space kind of session for us!

There's something dreamy about this one...a boy and his sticks.

Me to Cameron: "Cameron, wanna lay the sticks down for just a few photos and sit on this nice fence"?
Cameron to me: "Nooooooooooo"!!

Love this image of mom and dad.

There's something to be said about scaring your child with "something" in your hand. At least it makes me laugh EVERY time (does that make me mean?).

Thanks again Miller family! It was great getting to work with you guys (without Wes around this time). ;)

Maryville Family Photography - The Lamar Family

2010-11-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

And now back to fall (even though on the day of this session it sure felt like winter)! Caroline contacted us about doing some fall photos of her beautiful family and just from the way she worded her email, I could tell right away that we'd be a great fit working together and I truly think we were! We met on the coldest day that we've had so far and we all froze our tails off, but I really think it was worth it, don't you?

Meet Anastasia, Ainsley and Allison! Man, Brittany and I had a tough time keeping those names straight!

Ainsley trying to climb the rock wall.

Allison was pretty excited about this picture!

Daddy and his girls.

Mommy and her girls.

Allison is at the age where she just does her own thing (luckily her "own thing" is being extremely cute)!

Brittany got some really nice portraits of the older girls.

LOVE this one!

We had to get a few of just mom and dad too of course!

LOVE this one too! She was so expressive!

Thank you so much Lamar family for braving the cold weather and playing along with us! We had a great time!!

Knoxville Baby Photography - Logan at Seven months

2010-11-15T16:10:00.000-05:00

Taking a break today from all of these awesome fall family sessions Danielle and Brittany have been doing to shift gears and show off on of our all-star baby babies. We first photographed little Logan last May when he was two months old. And if you've followed our blog for a while, you'll recognize Logan's big sister, Lilly, who we've photographed since she was a baby. We love these kids!! Especially when you consider that Logan has got to be the happiest baby in the world! Don't believe me, check out these favorites!

Okay, maybe he wasn't happy at first... (I love love love this one though!)

But he warmed up pretty darn fast.

Logan is 7 months now and he's still a little tipsy when sitting up.

Hi!

We played with Lilly some while Logan slept. Check out this play room in their new house! I was totally jealous!

Daddy tackletickle!

Powernap on mommy's lap.

Logan woke up and was all smiles again for daddy.

And me too!

They specially ordered the couch to match Logan's eyes.

(Not really.)

Hey look, I found my foot!

Daddy nuzzletickle!

One happy family!

Love these by Danielle!

Rock snack.

Enough already!

Mmm... this book tastes good.

Wait, it has pictures?

I love pictures!

Pictures taste great!

I yawn every time I see this one.

Thanks again Logan, Lilly, Kristin and Chris! Congrats on the new house!

Maryville Family Photography - The Burkhalter Family

2010-11-14T07:41:00.001-05:00

Okay, I promise we're getting close to the end of the fall sessions but you do have to see just a few more! Today we have the Burkhalter family! This adorable family have used Brittany for photos for quite some time now and this was my first time working with them. I must say that they are a lot of fun and this session was great!

See what a good looking family this is?

Sisters.

Not sure how many of you have done a portrait session with three girls all of different ages, but man is it tough to get them to all look at the camera AND smile at the same time. That being said, this is one of my favorites from the session, simply because they are all looking the same way! :)

This is how she would turn her head every time Brittany would try to take her picture.

I know, I know, I think Brittany is loud too! ;)

Love this one too.

Love this expression... methinks she's over it. ;)

There's just something about this one that I really like.

We all just need to climb a tree sometimes!

Thank you so much Burkhalter family! I really enjoyed getting to know you all and I look forward to our future sessions together!

Maryville Family Photography - The Bishop Family

2010-11-12T11:24:00.002-05:00

Today's blog post features one of our all-time favorite clients!! I know I say that a lot but it's true (and I guess we just have a lot of awesome clients)! We have photographed Ellie Kate since she was just a little baby. It has been such a pleasure getting to watch her grow up and an honor to get to document it! It made mine and Wes' day when her mommy, Amanda, sent us a message a few months ago that told us about their church directory photographer trying to photograph Ellie Kate and Ellie Kate told him, "No, Wes is MY photographer"! Love it!! So enjoy some more awesome expressions from Miss Ellie Kate.

Amanda and Mike recently built an amazing new house (it totally made Wes jealous) and they wanted to do the session there. Elllie Kate is smiling at her grandma who is nearby.

Her whole face just screams HAPPY!

How cute is it that she is twirling her hair in this pic.

Mmmmm...Daddy snack.

She's totally blowing that kiss to me (I don't care what Wes says)!

Now THAT is directed at Wes. :)

Love this photo (even if it is mine).

Daddy was tossing her the puppy dog and she would get so excited every time she would catch it...or at least almost catch it.

Stunning.

Mooooooooooo!

She totally cooked us a meal while we were working.

In our years of photographing Ellie Kate, we've never been able to get Sophie (the other child) into any of the pics and I'm really glad that we could during this session.

Told you we've photographed her for awhile now. We actually teared up when we walked into their beautiful new home and saw our work showcased throughout it!

We are truly blessed with some outstanding clients! Thank you so much Ellie Kate for playing with us again. We are already looking forward to next time!

Knoxville Engagement Photography: Lori + Clark

2010-11-09T18:00:00.003-05:00

Talk about fate... we had to reschedule the first engagement session with Lori and Clark because of rain. And then when we showed up to the Hill at the University of Tennessee to meet them for the makeup date, we found Ayres Hall fenced off and surrounded by construction. Lori and Clark wanted to show their school spirit, so since they were decked out in their Big Orange, we went to Plan B... Neyland Stadium (before heading to the Old City). And I am glad we did!

We had a great time with these two and I can't wait for their wedding next year.

Good ol' Neyland Stadium.

We started at the entrance...

And got a little bit closer... and no one yelled at us...

So we just walked right in. :)

Yep, their wedding is on the 25th. See what we did there? Huh, huh? Get it? ;)

It was cool having the whole empty stadium all to ourselves.

How sweet is this one?

After UT, we visited the Old City for some urban style.

Lori and Clark met at Patrick Sullivan's, hence the photo at one of the table's they sat at. It's weird; in all the years I performed improv comedy with Einstein Simplified at Patrick Sullivan's and sat around this very table after every show, I never thought I'd do an engagement photo here. :)

To commemorate the cancelled session, Lori wanted to play with some rain gear.

I've always dug these "portholes" in the side of Old City Java. Glad we got to use them finally.

Take a sweet couple, squeeze them in an old doorway and let the cuteness ensue.

Ooh, better yet, find this great alley (that Danielle did) lit with a single light bulb, insert one cool couple, and let the sexiness ensue. (Parents of the couple, avert your eyes, AVERT YOUR EYES!!)

Thank you so much Lori and Clark! Too be honest, I'm kind of glad the first session got cancelled. I don't think it could have been as awesome as this one! :)

Atlanta Newborn Photography - Valentine

2010-11-07T13:00:00.003-05:00

Wait, Atlanta newborn photography? Yes and no. Don't worry, we're not moving to a new market or anything...

What happens when our best friends decide to have a baby in the middle of our busiest season? We drop everything and drive down to Atlanta to take some photos, of course! When Jeremy and Erin called us and told us that little Valentine had arrived, we knew the only thing to do was a mini-roadtrip and a newborn session. They didn't ask us; we just went as a surprise. And I'm so glad we did. We love these guys and it was an honor to be with them in the first few days of new babydom. Plus, it was a chance for Danielle to work on her newborn photo skills (and she did fantastic!).

Such a sweetie!

Big sister Zyanya holds her new little sis. When ZZ (as we all call her) was born, Jeremy and Erin lived in Denver, so we didn't get to do any photos of her until she was about 6 months old. She and our oldest, Maddie, are best buddies now whenever we get to visit.

I love Valentine's look on her face. It's like, "I just spent 9 months in a belly and now you stick me in a basket? What the crap?" Danielle brought a ton of cute baskets, hats, and blankets. Our little car looked like something out of an episode of "Hoarders".

But I'll admit, all that stuff made for some cute photos!

I didn't want ZZ to feel left out, so I did a few photos of her and her baby. I think this is her "cheeser" smile. :)

Baby on a box!!

Little frogger.

I let Danielle borrow my hat for this one. What? I look cute as a button in this thing!

Sleepy baby.

One of our favorites. We tried to pose her in her sleep, but she was so out of it. You don't get any more relaxed in a basket than this!

But we finally did get her arms tucked in there for a less "passed out" look. ;)

Congralations Erin, Jeremy and Zyanya!! You have a beautiful little addition to your family!! I'm so glad we got to photograph her and I can't wait until we see you all again!