Today I headed up to Clinton High School to photograph a prom fashion show. The girls all looked great in dresses provided by A Joyous Occasion, a Knoxville store that also sells wedding gowns. The guys wore tuxes provided by Savvi.

Those who participated in the show can email me for further information on the photos taken today. For anyone who did not participate or would just like to have their own extended, personal portrait session, please contact me for information on available packages. Senior sessions booked in the next two weeks will receive a free online proofing gallery to share with family and friends.

If you contact me and don't receive a response then try again because it probably means that you did not supply a valid email address.



PostScript fashion photography tip: Glitter does not photograph well. Especially when a flash is used, glitter shows up as bright, distracting flecks and often must be removed with additional editing work.

Over the weekend, I went to West Virginia with my brother and husband to visit my grandmother's sister and her family. They live in Logan which is a really quaint, little mountain town, and we had a very nice trip. My cousin Emily grew up at her grandma's (or mamaw as we both say), and I always loved going to visit and hanging out with her. Now Emily, who is just a bit younger than me, is married and has two adorable little kids. Her little girl looks exactly like Emily did when she was that age, and I had fun getting to know her. She cracked us all up with her joke/story. She said, "Once upon a time there was a pooh bear and a piggy", and then she'd stop and laugh hysterically.

Happy anniversary to the Raders! Holli Irwin and Eric Rader were married March 2006 at The Foundry by The World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville. After a very sweet first look meeting in front of the fireplace where they would later have their ceremony, Holli, Eric, and I spent some time taking couple portraits around the Foundry and the historic L&N depot.

Beside the Foundry, I saw a tree that was just getting its new spring leaves. Something about it there in the sunlight, so bright and happy, just seemed to capture the mood of the day perfectly. There were also some very ominous clouds which made for a beautifully dramatic sky, but the rain held off.












This was the first and only time I've seen the Easter Bunny, a surprise guest invited by Holli's mother,  ask to dance with the bride.

I'm excited because I just received an album in the mail and wanted to share. I'm always looking for new products to offer my customers, and this album is from a new album company that I've been wanting to try. Like other albums I offer, it's a digital album with the photos printed directly on the pages, and the cover has a photo that wraps around from front to back. What I really like about this album is that there isn't a gutter gap between the pages. When you open the book, the spreads lay flat, and the photo is printed across the crease in the center.

Because the bride, Mandy, helps run Butterfly Gap Retreat with her family, I'm giving them a copy of the album to show their clients at BGR. I'll also have a copy to show my prospective clients. Butterfly Gap is a gorgeous venue, perfect for a bridal or couple portrait session, and I designed the album to showcase photos of the couple. Here are the cover and a few of my favorite spreads:

Since this is my first year with a blog, weddings from past years have missed out on being featured. To rectify this, I want to go back and do postings for those couples in honor of their anniversaries.

Lindsay Anderson & Brian Ison had a 2005 destination wedding in Gatlinburg, TN. They rented a large cabin from Majestic Mountain Vacations so that they could have the ceremony and reception there. It was perfect for the intimate event they had planned, and the view was incredible. Fortunately, the sun came out and melted the snow that had fallen the day before or I'm not sure we could have made it up the hill to the cabin!

The view looking toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Gatlinburg.



Brian is in the U.S. Airforce so Lindsay wore a dog tag on her garter.