S. Carter Studios

When Tim and Samantha contacted me about their session which we scheduled for the beginning of December I knew the perfect place to take them. They mentioned loving the outdoors and animals and really wanted greenery incorporated in their photos. If you’re familiar with my blog you know this isn’t generally a problem, however, at the beginning of December it was a no brainer. The only place with greenery that I could think of was Green Needles Christmas Tree Farm. It’s owned by some very wonderful friends of ours who were more than happy to host us as we tromped around in the freezing cold weather. Tim and Samantha were flexible and excited, it helps that they are very much in love and comfortable around each other. Enjoy some shots from their engagement session as they look forward to their wedding tihs May!

I couldn’t get over how natural and simply beautiful Samantha was. She wasn’t aware of it but I think Tim is!

Evidence that Tim was…

It’s very clear that she’s fond of him too.

Oh I do love, love. It’s the most wonderful, exciting, inspiring and beautiful thing. There are two things that I’ve really hoped to be a part of : a live proposal and a wedding: as a bridesmaid. God has given me two in one as Angi and Solomon got engaged in December! I posted about them earlier but here is a slideshow I made to a Dave Barnes diddy that shows a lot more of the process and event!

Solomon & Angi – Perfect Proposal – S. Carter Studios from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

I’d like to introduce you to Kyle and Kristin. Well, you probably already know Kyle, he’s oh so famous. Yes, his face and sweet drum moves graced the jumbo screens at Liberty for several years. Really, I like to give him a hard time. We went to Brasil together, I know, there were 18 of us, you’re bound to read about many more of our teammates, just like you have about Julie, Naomi, Collin, and Travis. Kyle, Collin and I shared a few special memories when Kyle severly sprained both ankles and Collin and I carried/dragged him half a mile in the Brasil heat. As you’ll be able to tell from this post, he’s recovered well and God’s given him a beautiful wife-to-be in Kristin. She’s wonderful and a great match for him. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we did taking them!

I wracked my brain over and over trying to think of something special to do with these guys. I was thrilled to find exactly what I needed just an hour before the shoot was scheduled to begin: two 1970’s Samsonite suitcases, his and hers, delivered to the DAV just one day before. Perfect! We got some crazy looks as we hauled them around but I’ve got to say that they were worth it! Also, please note their matching shoes!

I love when a shot you have in your mind comes out exactly as you hoped it would!

We did not haul them everywhere, I promise.

A short cameo for Kristin’s ring which a friend aptly described as a bracelet for her finger. It’s big, beautiful and sparkly, aka every girls dream! She said it was a perfect combination of all three ring types she’d looked for. I’d say, “well done Kyle.”

Another fun fact about Kyle and Kristin is that they are getting married on mine and Josh’s 1st anniversary. March 13 is a lovely day to tie the knot!

It’s been one of the most highly anticipated moments since Ross and Rachael kissed on friends, since n since New Moon came out and I would venture to say even more anticipated then the coming World Cup. Solomon asked Angi to marry him. Angi is one of my very best friends and favorite people. She’s a good part of the reason I didn’t go crazy while I was planning my wedding and she stood next to me on the day I said my vows. Solomon was one of the first internationals to win me over during college and his friendship has been steady and faithful as we’ve both gone through a couple of Bachelors and Masters degrees! They’d been dating for about 3.5 years across two continents and both had plans to serve full time at Global English School in Bangkok, Thailand as of next year. BUT he hadn’t asked her to marry him yet. I was spinning my wheels trying to be discreet about letting Solomon know that I would love to be there for them in any way to help facilitate the event. It may have been primarily selfish but I just really love them and knew how special that moment was going to be! You can imagine the girls-only-reach-this-pitch scream I let out as he called me last Tuesday night to let me know the ring was on its way and he’d pop the question on Thursday if it came in before. I prayed my little heart out and God must have heard the prayers of mine and of many, including Angi, because the ring came in and the plans were set! Solomon’s brothers, our friend Sam and I went out to West Manor to get things together. And then they came. She was blindfolded and pretty sure she was about to get a puppy, not a ring.

She was pretty confused and disoriented, until he got down on one knee.

Naturally, she got down on hers and enthusiastically said, “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

There was lots and lots and lots of hugging and laughing.

And, a beautiful sparkly ring of course.

I talked them into letting me take a few shots of them around the location. I mean, you really only get one engagement day!

It’s perfect for her and fun to hear her discover all the places that diamonds are extra sparkly, like in the snow.

I love that I got to be there and see them being so ridiculously happy.

Team engagement photo:

Angi was there when I got engaged, listening through a thinly insulated wall and I am so glad I got to be there for her in the middle of nowhere in the cold weather! Love you both!

Jake and Christy made me nervous. Christy had called with the challenge of finding very original locations in Lynchburg. For those of you who don’t know, Lynchburg is super saturated with very talented and curious photographers. Finding places inside Lynchburg that aren’t on at least four other photography blogs is a pretty tall order. So, I thought, okay, this is an opportunity to grow and to push myself. They were the perfect couple for this adventure! I picked four locations (much more than usual, but like I said, I was nervous) that I had always thought about shooting at but had never made it to and we set off! I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to be challenged by. They were fun, energetic, sweet and just the right amount of nervous too. We had a great time and came up with a lot of great images. I’m happy to say they were very pleased with the locations! Enjoy a few from their engagement session as they look forward to their April wedding in Connecticut!

I think this one is my favorite. Probably because I had my reception in the building behind them!

It’s like finding two best friends who said, “Hey, we should get married.” Stephen and Leslie are completely comfortable around each other and excited about the adventures that are ahead for them to tackle together. I’ve known Leslie since my first year at Liberty. I recently found lots of old photos of us together and have decided they don’t need to make an appearance anywhere in the public in the near future, Leslie is beautiful and I had yet to really champion what it’s like to dress nicely. I am really looking forward to her wedding as it turns out, I know over half her bridesmaids and you may know a few as well if you remember the Parks and the Allens! They have wonderful friends and family surrounding them and helping them prepare for the big day. We had a great engagement session and are in the home stretch, just under five weeks until they tie the knot! Can’t wait!

My favorite from the shoot.

I was nervous, like really nervous about taking Melanie and Tim’s pictures. It’s not every day (or ever) that I get an e-mail from a couple with a full on theme for their engagement session. It was obvious when they walked up that they were more than excited for the shoot. Melanie was sporting a 1940’s hair do from a salon in town. Tim had a shiny swiss pocket watch which gleamed in the sun. I loved finding out that they sought out their outfits on e-bay, at Kohl’s, Goodwill and a few other locations in order to find just the right look. As they described their black and white, chicago wedding this January, the shoot became even more exciting. Can’t you just see it! Well, I guess you could if I would go ahead and show you the photos. So, enjoy!

Oh yes, I should mention that I’ve done some vintage editing on these photos to go with their theme. I loved using my new Totally Rad Actions! 

Her engagement ring was so unique! He custom designed it with a jeweler in Israel. Shortly after, he marched up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and proposed to her! Yeah, it’s true.

I’m sure you can imagine my excitement to shoot at the top of the City Market Lofts.

Congratulations guys! I’m sure you’ll have a beautiful wedding. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of celebrating with you! Sabrena

I know I previewed their photos before but there were just too many great shots not to share them! Please enjoy this slide show of their shoot!

Collin and River from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

Sam, short for Samuelle, taught me how to double dutch. Really, it’s true, when I was 20 years old I learned how to double dutch. I’m probably a little rusty but that didn’t keep me from laughing just as hard as Josh and I went up to Charlottesville to take Jonathan and Sam’s engagement photos! It was great to catch up with a friend that I haven’t seen in about three years. It was even better to hear about how Jonathan set up an elaborate scheme to propose to her and to see the breathtaking ring he picked! They shared with us some of the details of their wedding and I cannot WAIT to celebrate with them. Thanks for making the trip over to Charlottesville guys!