Ready...Set...Go! Portrait season is here!

Spring is definitely in the air here in Charlotte. Who isn't loving these beautiful, sunny, 70 degree days? This girl loves them! Another sign of spring being in full effect is portrait season kicking off! I'm excited to head up to the South End tonight for my first shoot this spring of a sweet family. I've got another portrait session on Sunday as well. Whoa... time to dust off the old camera and capture some smiles! Now, when am I going to get around to taking my kids' photos??? They are (almost) 6, 3, and 1. Time sure does fly, which is why it's all the more important to make sure you're documenting these precious ages! Happy Friday, everyone!

January Promotion - {free proof disc}

First off, congratulations to all of you brides and grooms to be who got engaged over the holidays! What an exciting year for you. I wanted to share with everyone that I am running a promotion through January 31. If you book my services and choose my platinum package, I will throw in the high resolution disc of proofs absolutely free! {In seven+ years of shooting weddings I've never done this.} Get it while the getting's hot!

October Wedding at Birkdale

I just finished editing my FINAL wedding collection for 2011. I couldn't be more excited! They turned out great, and the venue couldn't be better. I've shot at Birkdale countless times and never get sick of it. If you brides are looking for an awesome venue, you'd better run (don't walk) to BGC to get on their schedule. They fill up fast!

Congrats Scott and Stefanie!

Thankful

Hi all. As you can see, I don't blog often. I do update my Facebook page, but blogging just isn't at the forefront of my priority list. It seems so "2010". Anywho, for the fun of it I'm posting a few pics from a family portrait session I just finished up. I am thankful for this, and for the AWESOME family whose pictures they are. They are very relaxed, easy to be around, humble, and sweet. I am thankful for clients like this! I'm also thankful that in less than four days I'll be done editing for the year! This lady doesn't work during the holidays, so one more wedding to finish and a kids' portrait session, and I'm done for 2011! Enjoy your Turkey Day, everyone. God Bless!

Angela and Sean - June 4

I am a self-admitted slacker blogger. I guess that's what three kiddos will do to you (and a full time job!) None the less, I'm loving my side gig shooting all these beautiful couples. I recently finished up Angela and Sean's wedding collection. Their weddings was in early June uptown in Freedom Hall. It was tres beau, and Angela did a great job with all of the decorations and atmosphere. We had a really good time outside at Trade and Tryon as well. Such a laid back, in love couple... love it when they just ignore me and be themselves. That makes for the best images!

Here are a few to share. You can see more on my Facebook page :) Happy viewing.

Blessings

Hi Everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in two months. My life has been a whirlwind the last several weeks. As many of you know, we were excitedly awaiting the arrival of our baby boy who was due April 8th. He decided to take his time and arrived on his own on the 14th. Elias James Vaca (EJ) is his name, and he was 7 lb 4 oz, 21.75". He is the sweetest thing ever, and I am head over heels in love.

Sadly, two days later, my own father passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack while en route from Charlotte back home to Indiana. Words can't express the devastation and the mixed emotions having been given new life, only to have another one taken away so quickly. My Dad did get to meet EJ, and for that I'm forever grateful. He would have loved him so much, and I'm sorry he's not around to watch him grow.

So that's where I am today. A few more weddings left this year, but I'm already booking for 2012 so that is exciting! I hope everyone enjoys their summer, which officially kicks off this weekend for most!

Hurry Up and Wait

It's 5:00am. I'm up due to either late pregnancy insomnia, the fact my entire team is getting outsourced in the next few weeks, or the shower of pollen on North Carolina that is making my sinuses hurt so much in the middle of the night. It's OK though. I'm finally catching up on my Google Reader. I have so many favorite blogs I love to read, and I've been neglecting them for several weeks now. Most are DIY design blogs. My dream job would be to repaint/refinish old furniture for a living... who knows?! Maybe I can do it after maternity leave (re: #2 on my list of insomnia possibilities). It's all good... whatever will be will be; I'm not overly worried.

I spent a good amount of time last night working on Katie and Will's wedding collection. They got married a month ago in Chapel Hill. While I'm really anxious for our baby boy to get here, I really need to finish their collection before he does; btw, he's due two weeks from today! Anyway, I'm in the middle of the ceremony right now, but just LOVED these pictures of the flower girl. How sweet is she?

So many kids are just NOT excited to be in a wedding. She's the exception!

Can't you just see the sense of excitement and importance on her face?!? Love it!

28 Days

Not Netflix... not rehab... I'm due 28 days from now. I couldn't be more excited! Maybe he'll come early although I really like the idea of an April baby, so March can just take it slow with me.

On another note, I just posted the album layout I designed for Matt and Gillian (September 4 wedding) on Facebook. It's a 10x10 album, hence the square images. I really like it, and I used a new program to design it which cut my design time by at least 50% and gave me a lot more creative flexibility... something this lady needs these days!

Next up is editing. I shot a super fun wedding in Chapel Hill two weeks ago that I need to edit, then I'll be heading on to editing last week's bridal shoot. We captured the bridal shoot it in two very odd locations: a fire station and a retirement home :) I thought I'd seen it all, but these were firsts for me! Both locations turned out great though. I can't wait to share images. The most exciting part was the fire station got a call while we were shooting. It literally took between 8-12 seconds for the truck/firemen to be gone. I've nevre seen anything so fast in my life. I was very impressed and am now even more thankful for our firemen, policemen and others who put their lives on the line daily to protect ours. So cool!

 

WeddingWire 2011 Top Five Award!

Charlotte, NC – January 25, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Cloud 9 Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. 

Cloud 9 Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. 

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Cloud 9 Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” 

We are happy to announce that Cloud 9 Photography is among the very best within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. 

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today here.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. 

Happy New Year!

2011 is finally here! This makes it "real" for all you brides to be who have been waiting. It also means I'm only three months from meeting our baby boy... definitely makes it real for me (and a little scared at the same time!)

Needless to say, I'm taking April and May off, but other than that am gearing up for another great year of photographing your weddings, babies, engagements, families and more! Check the calendar on my website for up-to-date availability.

Happy 2011!

Thanksgiving in two weeks?!?

So, I've been MIA, I know. I'll be the first to admit I'm not good at all about staying up to date with my business in the blogging world or on Facebook, but I try! I'm a part time photographer, so unlike everyone else, I don't spend my M-F 8-5 being able to do all that cool stuff! Please forgive me...

So where did October go??? I have no clue. I know I say this every year, but this year I mean it like never before... "I cannot believe Thanksgiving/Christmas are right around the corner!" What the heck! I think I need to pause life for a few days to absorb it all and be able to take it on!

I've been eating like crazy. I'm hungry every 60-90 minutes. Seriously. It's beginning to get annoying. I took my oldest daughter to McD's for lunch and devoured a McRib (so glad it's back!) and large fry. I'm sitting here two hours later starving. This baby has to be a boy. I was never this ravished with my girls. I guess we'll know in 12 or so days!

So what did I do in October? I'll tell you what: edited and shot, edited and shot (say that ten times and you'll know why I haven't posted since October 5th). November is the unofficial "I want my family picture for Christmas cards month" so I'm busy doing it all over again this month. I have a strict self-inflicted policy to not take any more work after Thanksgiving through New Year's, so I'm looking forward to that. I just collect orders, print 'em, and ship 'em!

So last month I had the honor of delivering my final wedding collection for the year! This was to Gillian and Matt who were married Labor Day weekend here in Charlotte. They had a gorgeous day for their wedding. I loved getting to shoot at Providence Country Club for their reception. So "southern", wouldn't you say? It was gorgeous. Here are some faves:

The rest of the month I spent doing kid and family portraits. Matthew is 18 months and his cousin Ryan just turned 1. I've been photographing both of them since they were itty bitty, so it's fun to see them grow each year. We did their shoot at Freedom Park and it turned out really well. There's just something about that bridge that I love (and it's not the people the walk across it every 15 seconds while you're trying to shoot. LOL!)

The Collins family is one of four kiddos who are dear friends of ours. I've been photographing them for a few years now, and it's really fun to see them mature. We did a "take 2" of the group picture, as the kids just weren't up for it the first time. I'm so glad we did... they turned out great! Sometimes you just have to admit that kiddies are not in the mood and you'll have to try another day :)

Beckett - Charlotte Baby Photographer

I am on a roll... just finished up Baby Beckett's newborn session. I'm working like a dog today because tomorrow's my birthday and I want to take the day off from all work (full time job and this.) Happy birthday to me...

This big boy (almost a ten pounder) was almost two weeks late! We all patiently awaited his arrival which couldn't have gone smoother. Proud new parents, Chris and Hannah, just happen to be my 2010 advertising couple. They are too sweet, and my hubby and I enjoy hanging out with them when they're in the neighborhood. They were married in Tybee Island which was one of my all-time favorite weddings to shoot. So fun, and done so well :)

This might have been my best newborn session yet. It's best to photograph these little ones when they're just days old. Babies change too much after 2-3 weeks! It makes me eager to have daily photo sessions with our newest addition come April. (It will be our final edition, so I'll go all out. hee hee) Beckett was awesome. He was cranky and awake the first 20 minutes, then passed out cold the rest of the session allowing me to manipulate him six ways to Sunday along the way. It's been hard, but I've chosen a few of my faves to share with you. Check out my Facebook page to see even more!

Caitlin - Charlotte Baby Photographer

This is one of my favorite posts to share with you. Babies, babies, everywhere! Sitting here expecting our third in April (we're really pulling for a BOY) I've got babies on the brain.

Sweet Caitlin is a miracle in the making. I just can't stop staring at her little face... mostly because I keep waffling on who she looks like more, her mom or her dad. Proud parents are Scott and Beth, one of my alltime favorite couples whose wedding I photographed two years ago at Saratoga Springs.

They are the nicest couple ever, and definitely the type who got married for all the right reasons and nothing more. They are like peanut butter and jelly, and now they've created this amazing little girl who clearly is the light of their world.

Here are a few faves from our session at Davidson College (same location that I took their engagement pictures!)

Bahamas Bound

It's time to celebrate! First and foremost, tomorrow is my last wedding of the season! Bittersweet, but I'm excited to have the entire college football season off this year! (Boiler Up!)

The other reason I'm celebrating is because my hubby and I are taking our annual anniversary trip. We've been married eight years come September 7th. We went to an all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon and loved it. We decided to do another "big trip" for our five year anniversary... so we hit up an all-inclusive in Punta Cana, DR. We realized at that time that we were complete idiots for waiting an entire five years to do something so refreshing, re-energizing, and fun! It's been an annual tradition ever since.

We try to go somewhere new every year, so this year we're trying out the Sandals Grand Bahamian. We've been to Nassau before on a cruise stop, but that was just for a day so it doesn't really count, does it? Anyway, this will be our first Sandals experience, and from what we hear it should be a good one. That plus the fact this trip cost about $1k more than all the others... I'm ready to be waited on hand and foot!

In other news, I know I've been totally slacking in posting new pics on here. I have put a few on Facebook, but need to get back in the saddle. I shot and edited one wedding and three portrait sessions this month, so there's plenty of content out there! I have a really good excuse though... on August 12th we found out our third child is on the way! Yay for babies! The downside is I'm God-awful tired all day long and have a nauseated stomach pretty much round the clock. :( I think the Bahamas are just what this momma needs!

Judy & Joel: A Wake Forest Wedding

Some couples I just fall in love with... you other photogs know what I'm talking about. Some people just touch your soul, and you can see right away that they are the "real deal". Judy and Joel are two of those people. Both are so sweet, kind, and easy going. They are a photographer's dream!

I met them last fall when we did their engagement session at Jetton Park in Cornelius. It was so easy to capture their love for one another. They are/were both graduate students at Wake Forest, which is where they held their wedding this past May. While it did rain for a little while, the sun peeked out just in time for our campus pictures so I was really excited about that (I mean, Wake IS a beautiful place, people!)

I totally went overboard with their proofs. I love them all, but the B&W ones especially caught my eye this time around. Here are a few of my faves...

Oh! One more thing before my faves... Another all-time-favorite couple, Scott & Beth (Saratoga Springs wedding June 2008) just had their first baby in January {I love it when that happens!} They contacted me to start taking shots of their sweet Caitlin. We accomplished that in the same location as their engagement photos. {How fun is it to do side-by-side comparisons in a double frame?} As soon as I edit them, I'll post them (hopefully in the next two weeks.) Yay for Mary's favorite couples!!!

The Dress

I just really like this shot. Not sure why.

Moments after the "first sight" which happened impromptu and totally my fault....

Going to the par-tay in Reynolds Hall at WFU

Joel looks so tough in this picture. Actually, he's a soft-spoken teddy bear believe it or not!

"Hello, may I please speak to my husband?!?"

Getting ready... Judy's dress had two pockets on the sides. How cool is that!

Sunflowers

So last week a little birdy told me about a sunflower field not too far away. I drove by that day, and was instantly in love!

This morning I had a portrait shoot, so before I had to be at it I decided to take the girls to the sunflower field. They were very unhappy, as the sunflowers are very thick/pokey, but I got a few good shots none the less. I'm going to return tomorrow morning with Ava to get her four-year pictures. Yes, her birthday was two months ago, but such is life... Happy Weekend, everyone!

ONE smile out of all the shots.

The main event: picking flowers

Always camera ready! (I've trained her well)