Fall portrait session re-cap and other things that are happening around here.

My fall season was packed with such fun and lovable clients! In the next few weeks I'll be sharing full sessions here on the blog, but for now I wanted to share a quick recap of what I've been doing these past few months. First things, first....! Ahhh there are a LOT of things going on behind the scenes with Sincerely, Liz! It'll be a couple of months before the big announcements are made, but there are some major business structural changes happening (anyone notice the subtle name change of the Facebook Page?? ;)). We're super busy working on a new office space (!!), a new website (!!), and lots of other improvements here and there. Oh and there have been a few additions to the team...! I'll be sharing a ton more after the new year (it's SO hard to wait), so definitely stay tuned.

For now... here's a glimpse of some of the pretty faces I'll be blogging in the next few weeks!

The talented and always cute, Crystal George:

One of my 2013 interns (!!), Chelsea:

Sunday's sweet nanny and her family, the Earl's:

Ed & Kat, one of my 2013 couples:

My incredible doula and her family:

Some of my most cherished clients, the Hill family:

The family who lives one of my dream lives (yes I have lots of dreams!), the Kramer's:

And the beautiful Williams family, always making my job SO easy:

Get excited to see more of these awesome people!

Okay I've got another busy day ahead...! It involves lots of snuggles with Sunday, finally getting my camera back from it's weekend getaway, and a commercial shoot in a few hours. Have a good one, friends!

Chris & Katie, Part II | Warsaw Virginia Wedding Photographer

As my regular blog readers know, I don't typically narrate a wedding day. But the second half of Chris & Katie's wedding requires a few bits of explaination. So without further ado...

These are their awesome siblings that were keeping a HUGE secret from Katie at this point during the day...

Funny thing... when we were taking pictures in the field I suggested we make our next location "by the tractor equipment." Katie pointed to the machine I was talking about and said "Oh, that? That's not a tractor it's a _____!" (She's gonna kill me for forgetting what it even is called!) But the fun part is that Katie is soooo stinking passionate about the work that she does, she wants everyone to know about it! When I went to the farm for her bridal portrait session, she gave me a tour of the place and explained to me the step-by-step process they go through to farm corn and soybeans! Seriously love this girl's zest for life!

They asked for some pictures that included the name of the farm....

And pictures in "the soybean fields," too! Well break my arm why don't cha!! :) (These are seriously some of my FAVORITE pictures I've ever taken!)

So... right here. After the best man and maid of honor toasts, Katie's brothers each came up to say a few words. They wrapped up the toasts by handing her a card and saying "We know you have to be at work bright and early on Monday so we thought we'd give you something to do with your time..."

Inside was an all-expenses paid HONEYMOON!!! Put together by family members who LOVE them SO MUCH! These are the sweet, sweet reactions... (Oh and Chris totally knew it was coming!!)

After the toasts were done and the cake had been cut, Katie kicked off the dancing portion of the evening by starting The Wobble all on her own. That girl has got MOVES!

Each bridesmaid jumped in on a new set and eventually the dance floor was full! The rest of the night was a BLAST...!

SO much love.... SO much fun!! Weddings like this are so surreal to me... I can't believe it is my JOB to have fun and capture such happy emotions and activities! :) Love love love....!

If you missed it, be sure to check out the first part of this wedding! Chris & Katie, Part I | Warsaw Wedding Photographer

Ceremony: Laurel Springs Farm Reception: Laurel Springs Farm Florist: Bridget’s Bouquets DJ: Len Archer Photography: Sincerely, Liz: Photography Catering: A family friend Dress: Kleinfeld NYC 

Equipment used for this wedding:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 85mm f/1.8 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Chris & Katie, Part I | Warsaw Wedding Photographer

Where to start with these two! Yet again I couldn't narrow my favorites down to one blog post - so this is part 1. Part 2 is coming at'cha on Wednesday so be sure to come back for more!

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Oh... Chris and Katie. On their wedding day, they were surrounded by more love and support than almost any other couple I have worked with. That's kind of a bold statement - but I was truly blown away by all of the people that were simply joyous about this wedding. Katie and Chris both have great relationships with all of their siblings (7 of them altogether!) and their parents. But the friends!! And extended family! Everyone that we spoke with on their wedding day was just so happy for these two. The day was all about celebrating their love and everyone in attendance was thrilled to be a part of it. The enthusiam was endless.

When Katie and I met at her bridal portrait session, I knew she was going to make my job so easy and comfortable. She was such a laid back, FUN bride (and stunning to boot!). Everything was about enjoyment.: just sit back, relax, and have a good time. Which you will easily see in the pictures! And her groom, Chris, was so attentive to the needs of everyone around him - he also made our job so easy. He put the boutonnieres on all of his groomsmen himself (I've never seen that before! We are usually the ones that do this!) and continued thanking the wedding vendors (including us) for their hard work throughout the night. But his biggest concern? Observing the joy on his bride's face! Chris lit up the moment he saw Katie coming down the aisle and he did not stop smiling or kissing her all night long. It was the sweetest. thing. ever.

Their wedding was beautiful, fun, and so THEM. As always, we were honored to be a part of their day and it was absolutely the best way to wrap up our 2012 wedding season!

Part II coming on Wednesday!

Ceremony: Laurel Springs Farm Reception: Laurel Springs Farm Florist: Bridget's Bouquets Officiant: Rev. Catherine Swann Dress: Kleinfeld NYC

Equipment used for this wedding:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 85mm f/1.8 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

zac & carrie | couple portraits on the beach

I intened on posting this yesterday... but I couldn't figure out how to put into words how much I love this girl. I am still struggling... so here is something like my 5th attempt at writing this blog post. So let me start with how we met. Our husbands deployed together in 2010 and Carrie and I met and instantly clicked during the 4-day weekend the guys got in New Orleans... our last hoorah before they were really gone for a year. The whole time our guys were gone Carrie and I made it a priority to get together almost weekly... which is saying a lot since we live about an hour from each other. She was my person who "got it." Having a deployed husband... but not being surrounded by a lot of other military families at the same time. (Our guys are National Guardsmen so we aren't stationed on a military base where it is easier to find and connect with people experiencing the same thing you are going through.) Carrie and I would get together and talk about the struggles of a long-distance marriage, how we tried to pretend the guys weren't really in danger, and how we learned to enjoy life without our husbands being around all the time.

But Carrie was more than just a deployment friend. She is probably the most servent-minded person I have ever met. Her heart is so sweet, she is thoughtful and considerate... and truly a treasure to me and the other people in her life. Our conversations are transparent, we have called each other in the middle of the night in tears and been honored to comfort and encourage one another during the tough times. Her presence is never, ever a burden. She is a constant blessing to me and my family.

When I found out I was pregnant I called Carrie first. She was absolutely thrilled for me and her joy was contagious. My pregnancy was a surprise - but Carrie made me remember that it was a gift from God... that this was totally in God's plans for us... and it was a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Like I said, she is a treasure.

I am skipping so many wonderful memories... stories... moments. Camping trips, babysitting, crossfit and paleo journeys, crewing races, exploring Tombstone, ikea trips, coffee dates, sooo many dinner dates, sleepovers, girl's nights out... I can't even figure out how to prioritize what to say! So I will get to the point of this post...

Carrie and Zac are some of our very best friends. Zac actually deployed - again - for another year this past year. He just returned a few weeks ago and we got to be a part of the surprise reunion! Carrie had no idea Zac was coming home so early - she thought he wouldn't be home for another two weeks! But, alas... he came home and quickly whisked her away to Aruba for a fun getaway. When they returned we took them to the beach with us... not the same as Aruba... but I think equally as fun. Maybe... maybe not. ;)

While we were at the beach I asked them if I could do a session for them... at sunset, of course. So, I introduce to you... Carrie and Zac...

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

The Prince Family | Lynchburg Family Photographer

Back in 2009, I went on a life-changing trip to Nepal. It was life-changing in a lot of ways, but meeting Jennifer was one of them. We were two of the five ladies on the trip and we had no choice but to get to know one another between the close quarters we shared and the long hours spent in the car! About a year after we returned from Nepal, Jennifer launched Hill City Bride and has continually created opportunities for wedding vendors in the Lynchburg area. She has coordinated many style shoots, launched a beautiful bridal guide and a women's magazine, is continually putting on events for the vendors in the area, and always brainstorming another new project! Because of her I have met so many other wonderful people in the industry, made numerous friendships that have blessed my life in great ways, and had a handful of opportunities presented to me through my business that otherwise would have never come about.

Jennifer is the heart behind Onetober (which I will totally be participating in next year!), 30 Days of Thank You, and the I Dream of A Wedding project. She is changing lives and blessing people left and right. Yet somehow she manages to gracefully balance being a mom to three beautiful children (one of which is Sunday's sweet babysitter!) and a wife to Earl, who is a successful entrepreneur as well. So I hope you believe me when I say I adore this family and am super grateful to know them.

Here they are in all their gorgeousness! I mentioned to Jennifer ahead of time that the session would probably be super-fast because her children were old enough to smile-on-demand. And that's exactly what happened! The pictures below are a perfect example of a mini-session and the variety that can come from just about 20 minutes of time together!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.