S. Carter Studios

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!

I grew up in Seattle, WA. I’m a proud fan of recycling, Mariner’s baseball, beautiful snow capped mountains and Ivar’s clam chowder. When I was in high school my family relocated from Seattle to Ridgeland, South Carolina. Two BIG words : Culture & Shock. There were a lot of differences and accommodations to be made by the locals as well as our family BUT I had the opportunity to make wonderful friends and truly learn how to appreciate a little rest and relaxation. I go back to South Carolina about every six months or so to visit some great friends I have there. This time I decided to try and mix a little business with pleasure. Enter: Lauren. I’m going to give Lauren the biggest fan residing in the great lowcountry award. She all but spearheaded my trip down there and rallied the troops to try and get as many sessions as possible! I loved working with her, her brother and a best friend, Jennifer. Here are some photos from our mini sessions!

Lauren and her younger brother Jeremy took photos as a gift for their mom!

Gotta love those Carolina pines!

and mother to be Jennifer (with baby London coming soon) and her daughter Rylynn.

We finished with a few of the ladies together.

We’ll keep you posted on possible mini sessions in Ridgeland, SC, when we plan our next trip!

It’s a little ironic that Emily, Sharon and I were dodging raindrops on the day that we took these bridal portraits and that there were plenty of rain drops to be found on her wedding day as well. She was such a lovely bride & I think it could be argued had one of the most beautiful and unique weddings between crazy flash flooding, steady drizzle and one of the most gorgeous sunsets Virginia has to offer. Well, enough about her wedding, here some of her lovely bridal portraits that we kept unwraps until now!

She looks just like a princess waiting for a prince…

just to tease you a little, here’s a preview from her wedding! Unless you’re a Facebook Fan, in which case you would have seen this photo before they’d even left for their honeymoon!

This is my mom. She’s wearing a clothespin on her shirt because the photo was taken at one of my bridal showers. Don’t be fooled, if she wanted to make a clothespin cool, she totally could. I have to credit my mom, she was dedicated to her education so with one baby on the hip and one on the way (with the help of my awesome dad) she got her nursing degree. She always had the right answer about what to do when I was scared on the first day of school, how to treat my many illnesses (always get some sleep and drink water), and what to consider when buying or renting a house for the first time.

We’re pretty good friends. Probably because she never makes fun of me when I bust out my camera for a picture at some ridiculous time and she’s always up for a Gilmore Girls or Harry Potter marathon. She shares her books with me because she reads faster than anyone I know and she always makes the best food. She can even make a better peanut butter and jelly sandwhich than anyone I know. Here’s evidence of how awesome she is…

Seriously, do you know someone who would do this just to humor her kids? By the way, the kids are 19, 23 & 24. Yeah, we’re often asked if we’re sisters. So thank you so much mom for everything. I love you and hope my some day children will love me as much as I love you!

There are some other wonderful mothers in my life and I’d like to send some Happy Mothers Day love their way too! Josh’s lovely mother Cindy.

And his grandmother Betty.

and my mom’s mother Jane.

Finally, a bitter sweet mother’s day as my dad’s mother Beatrice is not here but I know she’s being celebrated in the hearts of her many great grandchildren, grandchildren and children!

This is Beth. We’ve been friends for six years, which if you know me, is pretty impressive because I moved a bazillion times in my life making it difficult to keep friends for longer than a few years. She was a wonderful source of inspiration for my wedding and she’s all around great friend to have. She recently moved to NY for a job opportunity and we thought it would be a great idea to try out version 1.0 of our photo booth. Our signature photo booth is a new launch for 2010 and we’re excited about bringing an opportunity to our brides to capture their guests as crazy as they actually are! The booth will also be available for parties! Contact us for more info! In the mean time, enjoy some photos from Beth’s booth.

I cannot take credit for the props, they were Josh’s idea mostly, with some help from Ashley’s musical storage! Here is a picture of me (well, my arm) and my loving husband. He’s the best.

I’m not sure if you can feel it on days like today (Noah may be floating past my house some time soon) but we’re on the verge of a beautiful spring season. Now, I know, verge might be a bit of a stretch but I’d like to start ringing in the Spring with a celebration of Love. It’s fitting that Valentine’s Day is just three weeks away. So, I’d like to make it easy for you to surprise your special someone or someones (or nudge them to surprise you) with an S. Carter Studios Love Is In The Air mini session. I’m happy to help celebrate dating love, married love, the love between parents and even sibling love. I’m just a sucker, a lover of loving love if you will.

The session fee for our special is $40 and will come with an online gallery of your images. Sessions must take place on Thursday February 11 between 2 and 4 pm or Saturday February 13th between 1pm and 4 pm, contact us to get priority scheduling! We look forward to celebrating with you!

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!

This post is about Brinley. Brinley and I were well acquainted at the ladies retreat. We shared a bed! Well, it was a king size bed and his mom was in it too, but still. This little boy has the very best facial expressions you can imagine. Since I get to see him at least twice a week and they still make me laugh each time, I thought I’d share them with you! It’s only natural to be jealous!

This is a classic Brinley face!

Hopefully we’ll be taking one year pictures of Brinley so you’ll see his handsome face again soon!

I can imagine every mother may feel like their child is a miracle, a gift straight from the Lord. I know that Carrie feels that way for Elijah. Carrie has been my boss and friend for FIVE YEARS! It is strange to me that she was basically my age now when I began working for her. I’ve watched in the background as she has completed her masters, tackled publishing and now is at the helm of both the yearbook and the career center. She’s quite a force. But when it comes to Elijah she’s different. She lays down the idea of being in control, of being on time and perfectly dressed. She still manages those things most of the time but they aren’t non negotiable. She becomes Carrie, mom to Elijah, no she doesn’t wear the mom jeans I bought her for her birthday, but she is observably consumed with the task of loving, guiding and admonishing Elijah and everything else takes second place. It’s really a beautiful thing to watch. I know that many people have been blessed to read the Barnhouse Family Blog as Carrie has written letters from her and Ed to Elijah. She’s told him how the Lord prepared his parents for him, how they prayed for him before he was even born, how they longed for him as they went through the placement process and how much they celebrate him now that he is in their home. They adopted Elijah from the Godparent Home. He truly is a miracle baby chosen to be carried to term by his birth mom and then brought home to the Barnhouses on May 31st. To celebrate this beautiful boy, we took some one year photos of him. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Got to love this scrunchy face. I personally enjoy watching Carrie and Ed make this face at him just as much as I enjoy seeing him do it!

Carrie got to him fast enough that he didn’t swallow the acorn!

SOOOO cute. Just ask his grandma.

You can imagine the sounds that came with this face!

I was able to meet up with Melinda for a very brief shoot she needed for a conference she is speaking at. She and her husband are in seminary at Liberty. She was a natural in front of the camera and I couldn’t believe she was old enough to have three wonderful boys! It was great to meet her and I’m sure she’ll be a hit at the conference.

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