My Christmas Tree is Better Than Yours

Holy moly it has been a long time since I posted on my blog. I am sorry but deep down I know people do not really want to hear me ramble. I hope this post makes up for the fact that it has been a while since I chatted on here.

As some of you may know, it is Christmas Eve. It may not be cold enough to be Christmas Eve but I promise if you look at your calendar it will say December 24th, 2011. You probably have your Christmas tree set up and maybe even your big blow up snowmen outside of your house. One thing that you do not have is a Christmas tree as cool as my families.

Ever since we were born my mom has made a point to get us an ornament every year. This ornament tells a story of our lives during that year. So instead of having a tree that is filled with cute little glass or colorful balls we have wild and crazy ornaments that tell a story. Besides having an awesome tree that tells a bunch of stories, when I leave my home and start my own family I will have ornaments to take with me to start my own tree. These ornaments will bring back memories and allow me to tell my kids some of the many things I have experienced. It is a tradition that I look forward to every year and I am so glad my mom started it. It is also something that I will pass down to my children.

1991 My first Christmas

In 1997 our family got our first dog "Bear."

In 2006 (my sophomore year) I was really big into the gym. Therefore I got Popeye. He sits right below the angel every year.

I received a camera my junior year in highschool.

When I turned 18 I went through a phase where I smoked high class cigars. My mom HATED it, but yet she still found some humor that year.

Last year I was given this ornament because I carved my first pumpkin ever.

I am pretty certain on what this year will include for my ornaments but I don’t want to tell you and be wrong. I would love to hear your traditions. Tell me about them. Merry Christmas.

Hillary DeRoo and Andrew Bleckley

The wedding of Hillary DeRoo and Andrew Bleckley. Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your big day.

Ashley Timms and Cory Jessee Wedding

Words cant describe this wedding. It was amazing. Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of it.

Richmond Music Festival

I usually do not shoot many shows because I am really bad at them. The Commonwealth Times had an opportunity for me to go and shoot the Richmond Music Festival. I took the chance and had a good time. My music preferences were broadened and I got some good tacos.

Lindsay Heaps and Will Warren… Married!

This was honestly my favorite wedding to be a part of so far. Lindsay and Will contacted me way back when, and it was great to watch the plans unfold. I felt like I was constantly a part of the process. Lindsay would email me with questions and we were able to meet up twice just to talk about stuff. I think that was the main reason I was so excited to shoot this wedding. I felt more like a friend than the photographer. Congrats Lindsay and Will.

Greta the Great.

July was a rather exciting month for me. Despite the fact that I had no photography jobs, meaning that I had no income, I had an exciting month.

My excitement started on July 4th. As I looking through my twitter feed I saw that my friend Casey Templeton had a surprise puppy that landed on his doorstep. Casey wanted to desperately find the original owner or find a new owner. He posted a picture of this beautiful puppy sleeping. I was hooked. I had to meet this puppy. I texted Casey and the next morning I was up early and on my way to playing with this tiny little creature.

Upon arrival I was greeted by a very timid but still friendly little animal. She sat quietly as I played with her belly and rubbed her head. We then travelled to the grass where she chased me for a while and then proceeded to fall asleep. Ashley, Casey’s wife, came outside and asked me what I was thinking. I told her I was hooked and I wanted to take her home. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I have had some tiny animals before that required a small amount of care, but never had a dog that I was fully responsible for… especially not a puppy. This puppy has changed me as a person. I now am awake before 11 am not only because I want to and I am much more productive, but because I have to. I now have to look after something that depends on me. She depends on me to feed her, to take her out, to walk her daily and she depends on me for love. It is quite an honor to know that something looks to me for life.

A lot of people look at me like I am crazy when they find out I have this puppy that will grow up to be a pure bred 60 pound female pit bull. Many people also ask me what I am doing to take care of her. I am asked if I have taken her to the vet, if she has her shots, and my favorite, “Are you going to make her mean.” She is loved, meaning she is treated like a million bucks.

Greta is now a 21 lb ball of pure happiness. She goes with me almost everywhere and we are inseparable.

Without further ado I introduce to you, Greta.

Photo: Kate Magee Joyce

Photo Kate Magee Joyce

Lazy Days

It has been a really really long time since I have done a blog post. Please forgive me. This summer has been a lot of doing nothing and hanging out, but it has also been a lot of work. Besides playing Xbox Live for 4 hours of the day I have also responded to emails, designed some new things for my business that will be released at a later date, and assisting weddings out of the wazoo.

I talk about being a wedding assistant a lot on here and I have heard many people ask exactly what I do when I assist. A wedding assistant’s job is to make the photographers job easier, but when you assist for some of the best wedding photographers in VA you kinda get to just hang out, soak up of their techniques, eat good food, and pick and choose what photos you want to take to ultimately use for your portfolio. Here are some photos that I have acquired during my assisting.