Mt. Juliet portrait photography

A thousand words

October 16, 2012

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but these photos can’t truly capture the thousands of words, thoughts, prayers, laments and praises behind them.

I met my next door neighbor for the first time in 2006. She and her husband, Mike, had just built a house next to ours. They had a two year old son and just couldn’t fit the three of them and the baby on the way in their old home. The new home was going to be the perfect place to start life as a family of four. But only three moved in. Cage was born on March 3, 2006 and died on March 4, 2006.

I vividly remember my elation at the birth of my children. Everything for nine months leads up to the moment they arrive. Plans and dreams for them start when a mother finds out she’s expecting. When the child arrives those dreams take on physical form, become a living reality, and are instantly the object of a mother’s indescribable love. I cannot fathom the pain of losing a newborn child.

Naturally, it took Jennifer a few years to share the whole story with me. That loss hurt so much that she couldn’t bear the thought of trying to have another child. What if? Thousands of words: Sad words, angry words, confused words. As years passed since the loss of Cage, Jennifer and I grew closer. She cautiously shared her pain and fear with me. Thousands of words.

In 2011, when Jen told me she was expecting I was filled with emotion. Joy and hope for their family, fear of something going wrong. I prayed for baby Eli every day. Thousands of words.

We just finished Eli’s one year panel. He is a happy, beautiful, healthy boy. I’ve taken lots of pictures of babies and toddlers, but perhaps no pictures I’ve ever snapped are worth so many thousands of words.

Expecting Eli

He’s here!

Jen and her boys

Newborn Eli

Eli at 3 months

Eli won the parent magazine cover contest for his age group!

Eli at 6 months

Easter with brother Cody

Love for Momma

Eli at 9 months

Eli at 12 months

Cake Smash!

A mother will never forget

Eli visiting brother

by MelanieG

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The County Fair

August 17, 2012

The Fair is here! Can you smell the excitement and the fried food? In Wilson County, TN, we have one of the largest county fairs around. It is a perfect combination of carnival, craft show and fair. You can compete in hundreds of categories with your fellow county residents for the coveted blue ribbons. There are animal and livestock shows, talent shows, beauty pageants, hypnotists, magicians, and nightly special performances at several different stages. Many different artisans also come to show and sell their hand crafted items. There is more to see than time to see it, and I do attend the fair more than the average person. Here are a few tips from a seasoned fair goer like myself to make the fair more enjoyable.

1. Bring hand sanitizer. Seriously. Have you heard of the swine flu? You don’t want that.

2. Allow the kids and yourself to indulge in a few fair food treats (it’s only a fried Oreo), but bring your own water bottle to cut cost and sugar intake. Use the sanitizer first.

3. Buy the carnival “ride all rides” armband/hand stamp instead of buying tickets. This is much more economical and vastly simpler. Our fair offers these armband/hand stamps at a discount on opening night and before noon on Saturdays.

4. Go to the side shows, and support the artists and contestants in the talent shows, beauty pageants, etc. I love to find the winners later as they are carrying their trophies/crowns and congratulate them. The smiles you get in return are phenomenal.

5. Check out the animals, livestock and other competitions. See who/what won that blue ribbon. I am a much better judge of a prize winning chicken because of the fair. These are life skills, people.

6. Ride the ferris wheel and take a picture at the top. It’s beautiful up there.

7. Go through the vendors tents and see who can get the most pens and post-it pads.

8. I have found the best deals on food is usually at food vending run by charitable organizations such as the Rotary Club or Lion’s Club, and their burgers and sandwiches are usually better. This saves money for more fried candy. Use the sanitizer before you eat!

9. Watch the artisans such as the broom maker or blanket weaver, and let them show your kids how things can be made with your hands. Hands were not made for texting alone…although, there is a texting competition too.

10. Let yourself be a kid again! Have fun! Just think, this is WAY cheaper than Disney, and it’s so much closer. Don’t forget the hand sanitizer.

by MelanieG

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Goodbye, Summer

July 31, 2012

Tomorrow my kids go back to school, and my week day routine will begin at 5:45 am. For Wilson County, TN, the summer break is only 8 weeks long, and it flies by every year. The fact that I now have a middle schooler makes the start of this school year even more bittersweet. How did I arrive at this place in my life so fast? How much more quickly will the next few years go by? Why does time move faster as we age? I think this is one summer I wanted to last forever or maybe even just a little longer. For friends of mine who have a child beginning college this month, I know they feel the same. Time moves fast. Take all the pictures you can! I tried to capture this summer as best as I was able without having the camera permanently glued to my face. We went to the beach and to the mountains. These are two totally different landscapes with different requirements on the camera and the photographer. For beach portraits, you will want to shoot close to sunrise or sunset because the midday sun is brutal on the subjects as well as the camera. Investing in a polarized filter for midday beach candid photos is a great idea. It’s like sunglasses for your camera, and it will help the colors pop. Sunset is always better for portraits as it allows for your subject to actually look at the camera without squinting. Keep the sun behind them and focus on their eyes. Large landscape photos are completely opposite. Use a wide angle lens and keep the F stop high to allow the most clarity at different depths. This means you need to shoot in the bright of day to allow the most light into the camera possible. Am I beginning to speak French? I will stop now and show you some examples from my summer vacations. I can’t live in the past, and I can’t make summer last forever. I do, however, have the pictures to prove I was there. Goodbye, my summer.

by MelanieG

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The Sweetest Couple

July 14, 2012

This past February, I held my first Facebook contest. “The Sweetest Couple Contest” was not only lots of fun, but it ended up being a great success and a perfect opportunity for the young winning couple to have professional engagement photos. The winner’s story is romantic and fun, and truly does make them one of the sweetest couples I’ve had the chance to work with. Karla and Anthony met in high school at the ripe ‘ole age of 15. Sweethearts!! Their McGavock High School class even voted them the “Best Couple” for Senior Superlatives. After five years of dating, while hunting for sea shells on the beach, Anthony wandered away from Karla and yelled that he had found a good one for her. When she ran to him to see the shell he’d found, Anthony dropped to one knee and showed her the ring! On-lookers stopped to cheer. Karla was in complete shock! But, of course, she says YES! After the contest winning session with these two, I can tell you that they not only share a deep love, but they also share a lasting friendship. They plan to wed in 2013, and I know this one will last.

by MelanieG

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