S. Carter Studios

If all your photographer friends were honest they would admit that there are certain couples they wait on the edge of their seats for in hope will call as soon as they are engaged. For me, River & Collin were definitely one of those couples. Not only are they RIDICULOUSLY good looking but they have genuine hearts filled with love for each other, for their families, compassion & devotion to the Lord. Add it all up and it’s a knock out combination! Josh & I hung out with them several times over their engagement and got to know them well. Their engagement session was one for our record books, I mean a couple who is up for field photos, water balloons and high class downtown pics all in the same few hours, truly awesome! I knew their wedding would be an incredible event and I was right. They flew me to Indiana and as soon as I got there I knew I was part of the family. For starters, one of the bridesmaids was waiting outside with my name scribbled on the back of a pack of eyeliner to indicate the Town and Country was here for me. We arrived just in time for the rehearsal where nervous giggles and many, “I can’t believe it’s finally here”‘ statements were heard. River herself picked me up the day of the wedding, nervous, excited and happy to take me to grab some McDonalds for breakfast. It was wonderful to watch her undergo the transformation from bride to be to BRIDE! She looked absolutely breathtaking, with a dress to die for & a smile to match.

They opted for a first look and it was wonderful to be there as she shared a journal with him that she’d been writing in during their year long engagement, I melted my heart a little when she shared that it was inspired by my gift to Josh on our wedding day.

I gave them some privacy and took a few detail shots.

A note: the rocks below were handed out to the guests as they entered the ceremony. The pastor led the group in a prayer and asked them to silently pray for the new Mr and Mrs. The rocks were collected at the end of the ceremony and are displayed in their home!

While we waited for the ceremony to start, the guys  were pacing back and forth in a room listening to the US men’s world cup game (which we sadly lost) praying for a history making victory!

Don’t they look great as newlyweds!

After a joyous exit, we traveled to a property about half a mile down the road and I hit the photography jackpot! A private residence that we had complete access to and around every corner it got better and better! I could have literally shot there for HOURS.

I was IN LOVE with her gown. Beautiful on, in motion, laying still & easy to “poof”, just ask her Maid of Honor.

One of my absolute favorite all time wedding photos EVER taken.

and after they tore me away from that gorgeous place we had a great reception. These glasses were the same used at Collin’s parent’s wedding!

Happy to end this post with this: gorgeous, suave, classy & not afraid to get a little messy! Thank you so much my friends, Josh and I wish you the very best and can’t wait to make more memories with you!

Well, it’s been OVER a months since I posted. I know, that’s quite unusual but the truth is,  the past 6 weeks have been too! Three dear friends decided to get married within the same five weeks! For Kristen’s wedding I was a second shooter and a number 2 in both Angi and Jenna’s weddings. I love them all dearly and, as those of you whose weddings I’ve had the pleasure of working know, I can’t do anything halfway. I also celebrated my 25th birthday, was asked to return to teach at Liberty & recaptured newlywed spirit with my wonderfully talented husband. I was able to keep our Fan Page updated regularly so some of this won’t be news to any of you who are already fans but we’ve got some AMAZING sessions coming up on this blog! Here are previews of the beauty to come!

Collin & River’s Indiana Wedding

Steve & Breanne’s lovely Lynchburg wedding & Trivium reception

John and Kristen’s Barren Ridge Vineyard wedding

Kent & Alisha’s Roanoke wedding & rooftop celebration

Solomon & Angi’s Avanel wedding

& their wedding photo booth

Emily’s bridal portraits

Daniel & Emily’s challenging & rewarding Phenix, VA wedding

and finally, the icing on the cake, all the way in Alaska!

Lane and Jenna’s engagement session

and Inn at Tern Lake wedding in the rain

Do you feel tired yet? haha. We so look forward to sharing about these events with you!

It’s time for the truth, there’s another man in my life. He’s a little too young for me but that doesn’t keep me from laying kisses all over his cheeks, fingers and toes! This summer I became part of Ezra’s life on a regular basis and I couldn’t be more thankful for the perspective he brings. I knew we’d be busy this summer and the temptation when you’re busy with weddings and editing weddings and looking at other people’s photos from weddings is to get caught up in a world that isn’t realistic and certainly doesn’t encourage any selflessness. So, God hooked me up with the best distraction ever: Ezra. As a secret project for his parents I brought my camera with me a few times to capture his silly faces and little glimpses of his life as a brand new 1 year old.

A normal day: I get there early and we play.

Then, when he gets a little grumpy he crawls up to me and this means its time to eat.

I mean really, look at that face!

Part of the reason I can’t eat bananas like I used to.

Then we get down and do some crawling.

We do this until we get grumpy again and then it’s time for lunch.

I promise, he’s teething, I’m not torturing him but just look at that expression. Have you ever sen anything so sad?

George ( a throwback from his dad’s time) keeps us company.

But the truth is, Ezra is a messy eater.

So somtimes lunch time is also followed by bath time.

Which is followed by nap time.

Nap time is very helpful for renewing.

Just one standard, 1 year photo session shot. Which is now hanging on my fridge.

I’m sure it won’t be long until he can crawl up in that chair all by himself, but until then, I’m thankful I get to be there to help!

We’ve been super busy, as you may have seen on our Facebook fan page, but not too busy to take a little bit of time and share another Hand Picked project with you! I got this idea from a project on my friend Jamie’s site Julia’s Poppies. I LOVE monograms. It’s a little taste I picked up during my time in the South. So, as I was looking to decorate for Spring I came up with this handy little project which I realized would be great for the right wedding too!

Supplies: Monogram letter ($2.50 at ACMoore), ribbon ($1.50 at ACMoore), hot glue gun, one glue stick, recycle fabric (old shirt ruined by a rogue post-it note in this case).

Step 1: Draw two different sized circles on the fabric, these are about an 1.25 in & .75 in. Cut out.

Step 2: Place smaller circles inside larger circles.

Step 3: Pinch together, add glue to desired location on monogram.

Step 4: Place the “point” of the flower into glue, then twist the flower in the glue to desired shape.

Step 5: Cut ribbon to desired length, apply to back of monogram with hot glue.

Step 6: Install! This one lives on our front door and it makes me smile each time I walk in!

Yes, it’s time for another rendition of Brasil team love-a-thon! First it was: Kyle, Julie, Naomi, Collin, Travis & David: now part 2 of Julie and Stephen! I met Julie on that trip and loved seeing her smiling face, especially when she was talking about Stephen. Even then, I think we all assumed they would get married. And I was thrilled when she called to tell me she wanted me to be there to celebrate with her! They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful location than The Inn at Kelly’s Ford was breathtaking and though the rain ruined our fun a little it provided some gorgeous clouds and cooled things off! I think the (many) images speak for themselves so enjoy a little bit of the Cinderella-esque wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Boice!

Such bold and vibrant colors were a dream to shoot!

Classic Julie wasn’t so bad either, lol.

aaanddd…more detail lovin

Love the engagement photo guest book!

So, the truth is that we faced some very ugly flood-like rainstorms during this crazy day. Inbetween two big storms we had a ceremony, well part of one, but I’d have to say that it was totally worth it!

One of the best reactions I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of!

Totally worth it for THIS entrance!

inbetween these two pictures it rained, a lot, and so we moved things inside, and in the end they were just as married as they would have been if we’d stayed outside. Plus, look at those faces!

a brief carriage ride for the newlyweds

Loved those moody skies!

My absolute favorite from the whole day

A great meal was served, toasts, cake AND dancing! Lots of hilarious dancing.

See, they agreed that the dancing was hilarious.

I snuck them out for a few more pictures and then they had a beautiful escape and traveled the whole 50 yards to their honeymoon silo!

It was brilliant and beautiful. I’m so glad I could be there!

S. Carter Studios Platinum Photo Booth: Angi’s Shower from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

There is just something about hopping into the car on a special evening that BEGS me to pop out my pocket camera and commemorate the moment. Car pictures! I get the eye rolling from almost everyone, ALMOST. There is one person who very rarely gives me the eye roll and that is my little sister. To me her name is Boo Boo, but on the birth certificate it says Rebecca. She is my number one fan, cheerleader, Harry Potter buddy, smarter half & favorite. This is the month of her 20th birthday and so for the month of July we’re going to offer a 20% discount on any photo booth booked in the next 31 days for Fall of 2010. It’s not just car pictures she’s taken with me but literally thousands of silly photos including some from the photo booth at  my wedding and at Angi’s bridal shower. So it seems appropriate to honor her birthday with something we love doing together so much!

You may be asking yourself:

What kind of event would could benefit from a photo booth?

Weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, halloween parties, fundraisers, sorority/fraternity parties, family reunions, birthday parties, company picnics, labor day get together, pretty much any event where the people you love will all be in one place and you’d love to have photos of them doing their crazy things.

S. Carter Studios Platnium Photo Booth: James & Johnna’s Wedding from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

What exactly does 20% off mean in dollars and cents?

Details of this offer: Any photo booth booked between July 1st and 31st that will take place between August 16th & November 21st  and within 60 miles of Lynchburg will receive a 20% discount on the full price of the booth.

What’s the next step? Email sabrena [at] scarterstudios.com to inquire about availability and booking!

Where to begin with this couple. Our friendship began when we took their spring engagement photos in 2009.  We bonded over shared love for the movie Hocus Pocus. I saw them during the year at James and Johnna’s wedding where they tore it up in the Photo Booth. Always excited and bubbly, we all looked forward to their wedding. Now, if you travel often you can imagine that it’sn ot always very fun or exciting to be gone every weekend and sometimesy ou dread the trip even if it’s worth it. I was battling this feeling when I woke up for my freakishly early flight to Atlanta for their wedding but as soon as Candace and her wonderful mom picked me up from the airport those thoughts completely disolved. It’s very unusual for the bride to be one to pick me up so that was quite a treat. They treated me like family and that’s what I was for the rest of the weekend. Family just as much as any other guest who was there. I joined their family and friends as we celebrated at probably the most laid back, simlpe wedding celebration I’ve been to in years. Enjoy a whole slew of photos from their event including lots of happy details!

The courtyard of the church hosted the reception and it was just gorgeous!

Awesome bridal shoes. Candace LOVES shoes. Really, she does.

A little surprise for the groom.

If you know Mike and Candace well you probably already know that they love the Lord, each other and people in general very much. This was so clear at their rehearsal dinner when they went around to the over 40 people in attendance and personally introduced each person and shared what an impact that person had on their relationship and why they were glad they were there. Including me! It was such a beautiful thing to see and be a part of. They just don’t make them like that all the time. Way to go Lumpkins and Thurmans! Example 2: Moments before walking down the aisle, Candace is filling out Thank You cards.

Okay, getting to the really good stuff.

These guys were killing me. Such a great group and so happy to pose.

A sweet moment as mom was dropped off by her sons.

After all those months, all that planning, all the waiting, they became Mr. and Mrs. Everyone was thrilled!

It was like a midafternoon dream. Gorgeous light shining, beautiful couple. No RAIN! It doesn’t get much better than this!

One of my all time favorites.

Oh yeah, there was a reception too, lol.

Gotta be one of the very best cake smashings I’ve been a witness to. Including my own!

The best part not showing here is when Candace’s mom came to help her followed by her Grandma. Mike was arms open ready to accept her help and was brushed past with quite a look, left to his own devices for cleaning up. It was too funny.

VICTORY!! For the maid of honor of the year who flew in early that morning and left that evening!

Just as quick as it started it was all over and the newlyweds left in a flurry of bubbles and laughter. Each time I look through these pictures I relive the experience, I could do this wedding 3 times a weekend. It was such a pleasure to hang out with these awesome people!

The truth is: I worry. I fret. Is my work good enough? Will they have a good time? Does anyone read my blog? I don’t have the same equipment, how can I compete? What will I do if I don’t book any more weddings? Why can’t I be more like that photographer? My head sometimes goes dizzy with doubts and fears. There is an immense pressure to focus on recruiting more brides, bringing in more family sessions. Though I’ve loved the last two weekends off, I felt ashamed to admit that of the hundreds of brides in our area getting married on those dates, though I’d received several inquiries, nobody wanted me. It makes my head dizzy and my heart sick. There’s a problem with all of this. Can you spot it?

The problem is that all of these questions and doubts and fears have ME at the center of them. Me, me, me. I, I, I. That’s what happens when you live in you-land where everything is about you and depends on you and is devastating when YOU aren’t in control or don’t measure up. The real truth is that it’s not about me as the center of things. It’s about the Lord. When I sit back and take myself out of the center of the universe and recognize that in scripture God has told me, Psalm 136, that he has every day of my life planned for me. He knew them before I was even born! That really means that he knows when I need two weekends in a row off, he has in mind exactly how many clients that I’ll have and when I’ll have them. He has created me to be ME and that’s why I’m not more like that other photographer. I hope you can see how very relieving this is! I don’t have to worry because God has provided for me. He’s provided me with this gift, with past clients, and has a plan for every day of my future. And then what is my role? To love Him for it, to thank Him, to honor Him and to try and live in such a way that other people will see Him in my life. Somedays it’s hard for me to remember that, so that’s why I’m putting here, just in case any else reads this blog, lol, and just in case they might need to be reminded too.

God also has a way of reminding me that I do what I do for my clients. Not for the ones that I’d like to have some day. I can’t be about working and trying hard so that other photographers will want to be my friend. I don’t do it so that I can get an ego boost. I do it to be a part of capturing memories, moments and relationships. So my friends, my clients. I’m doing this for you. Thank you for trusting me and reminding me why this is all worth it!

What a day indeed. You may remember Emily’s bridal portraits and how we were battling rain, the same was true on her wedding day! Off and on we were showered putting her outdoor Winridge Manor wedding & reception in jeopardy. It worked out in the end and yes, we were all a little damp but I think everyone there would agree that it was worth it. I’ve never been to a wedding that was so obviously crafted by the bride and her family. Emily’s mother made the bridesmaid dresses, Emily handcrafted Michael’s tie. From peacock feathers to hydrangeas Emily’s stamp was all over her wedding. It was a delightful combination of sweet & sassy! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

My, oh, my, how I was LOVING this vehicle!

See the picture below: a groom tearing up as he waits for his bride. Well, it was beyond welling, for both of them! Full on tears from start to finish. Emily’s started before the wedding when she accepted a phone call from him and through a tear smile relayed to her bridesmaids, “He’s just so good to me.”

The mist turned into a drizzle but I really don’t think Emily or Michael had a clue. They were pretty wrapped up in each other. It was just lovely.

It was beautiful and brief and then just like that they were husband and wife!

There weren’t many tears after that, just big joyful smiles.

Props to my intern Julie who lined this shot up!

Just a few horses in a pasture with mist rising up off of it, no big deal!

Loved their moms who held hands several times and celebrated God’s goodness together.

a sparkling exit

in the classic car

so classy. Thanks for letting me be a part of your celebration Emily & Michael It was such a pleasure to be there!

Well, how do you start a post about your dad? I’ll start with telling you some exceptional things about my father. He can spin pizza dough in the air and behind his back. He’s been to a home game of every ACC basketball team and at one point had visited every major league baseball park in the country. He is one of the best in the country in his field. He really likes UVA and has four kids that he’s very proud of.  These are my favorite photos of me with my dad.

Photo by AJ Chan

Photo by Jenny Erdman

I can also tell you some things I’ve learned from my dad. The lyrics to at least half of all of Jimmy Buffett’s songs. How to easily manage air travel. The value of impromptu adventures and vacations. What it looks like to run your own business. How to see the good in others. How great it feels to use your talents to help other people celebrate and feel special. How to entertain three small children in an airport during a crazy layover. That nobody is more important than your family. He’s taught me about hard work and honesty. That the customer is always right and should be happy after your conversations even if they came in angry. What forgiveness looks like. He taught me brand loyalty to Toyota! That Poptarts can in fact be bought by the case. He’s taught me so much more than that but we’ll save that for future Father’s day posts! Happy Father’s day dad, you’re wonderful and we appreciate you!

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