On Sunday, I photographed an engagement session for Diana & Zach who will be married in November. These two are just adorable. Although the heat can make it more difficult to be affectionate, they did a great job. Diana is a natural in front of the camera, and I'm excited to see what we come up with on their wedding day.

The wedding will take place in Sevierville with a reception at Hidden Mountain Resort Lodge, and that is where they chose to do the engagement photos.







With this last photo, the sun was behind them and hit the front of my lens. Instead of just trashing it, I experimented with some textures and colors. I think it's one of those things you either love or hate, but I like to mix things up once in a while.

Last weekend, Marcus and I both picked up ticks while shooting in the mountains. I specifically want to mention this for anyone planning an outdoor photo session, but this advice is relevant to everyone. I picked up a tick while walking around my yard last month.

Ticks are definitely gross and can be dangerous, but the danger is much less if you find and remove them quickly. Dog ticks are the most common and are large enough to be seen if you just look for them. It helps to have someone else looking as they are often behind ears or on your back or neck. If you find one, use tweezers to grab it as close to your skin as possible and pull it off. You don't want to shock it with alcohol or a hot match or any of the other "tricks" often suggested to make it detach as it may regurgitate into the bite wound and spread more germs. Once it's off, check to be sure that it didn't leave behind any mouth parts and clean the wound with alcohol. Keep the tick in a ziploc in the freezer in case you become sick and need to identify it.

You may also want to check again for ticks the next day. Marcus and I both found ours the day after actually being outside even though we had checked once we got home. It's possible they may be in your shoes, car etc. before finding their way onto your body.

First and foremost when you get home, take a thorough shower ASAP with soap and a washcloth. Chigger larvae can take a few hours to travel around your body before they actually settle down to feed. Until then, you can wash them off easily and will never even know that they were on you. If you don't get them off, it's only a matter of time until you have a rash of blister-like bumps that are very itchy. Similarly, if you scrub poison ivy toxins off of your skin within a couple hours of exposure then you will probably not develop a rash.

Place all of your clothing directly into the washer and use hot water if possible. You don't want to spread chiggers or ticks around your house.

Two years ago, Britney and Jamie were married at Fairlane Church of Christ in Shelbyville, TN. Before the wedding, Britney came to Knoxville for a bridal session. Because her dad and Jamie are such huge UT Vol fans, Britney wanted photos taken in Neyland Stadium so that she could surprise them with the prints. You can see several of the session's photos from the stadium and the World's Fair Park in the bridal section of my main site, but here are some of the wedding day photos.

Britney's little flower girl was so sweet. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling well, but she didn't complain. I thought this was a funny moment that I caught as the girls were getting ready. Britney is on the floor in the background. The little girl in the second photo was such a HAPPY baby. Her mother was trying to get her into her dress, but she was determined to smile for the camera.



Britney & Jamie didn't see each other before the ceremony, but they did exchange gifts/cards.





Rather than have the mothers wear corsages, several couples are opting to let them carry small nosegays (aka tussy mussy). Many companies sell tussy mussy holders, and several have engraveable tags attached.

Anne & Jonathan were married at one of my favorite venues, Butterfly Gap Retreat, last year. Anne and the girls got ready in one of the guest houses. Unfortunately, a bit of rain prevented the outdoor ceremony that they had planned, but the couple didn't let it spoil the day. They are both very happy, fun-loving people, and the ceremony was lovely anyway because BGR has an indoor location overlooking the lake. The rain stopped, leaving a light mist hovering over the water. Everything was bathed in a beautiful, blue light which went well with the wedding's color scheme. The bridesmaids wore different shades of blue and carried blue hydrangea bouquets. One of the bridesmaids performed a song during the ceremony, and Anne's brother performed his own song for the couple during the reception.

Marcus and I spent the weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a great couple. On Saturday Crystal & Matt were married beside a mountain stream in Elkmont. Crystal's daughter Billie dropped petals along the forest path that led Crystal to her waiting groom.

It's rare to find a groom that is as excited and interested in the wedding as the bride, but Matt wanted their wedding day to be perfect. From the way he had decorated their hotel suite and picked out the perfect gifts for Crystal, it was obvious that he had put a lot of time and love into the details and preparation.

On Sunday morning, we woke up early and drove to Cades Cove for a sunrise photo shoot. It was a beautiful morning, and even with very little sleep Crystal was just as gorgeous as the day before. With such a wonderful couple in such a perfect setting, I have a lot of favorite photos from the weekend. I'll try to post more from the actual wedding once I start processing the photos, but for now here are some of my favorite portraits.