Gratituesday: The anticipation is behind me

This week, I am grateful that the anticipation of my sister and her family moving halfway across the country is finally behind me. They have made the move. The ugly grey cloud that hovered over me has now moved on and things aren't so bad. I'm going to be honest. Their impending move felt like preparing for a deployment. Only it was worse because they won't be moving back in a year. Nor will it be the highlight of their days to Skype with me. Instead they will start a new life in a new area with new important people. They are happy and excited. And in true Liz (middle child) fashion, I was totally pouting.

When I think of life here without them I feel anxious and depressed. Those kids... their whole family... they are a light in my world. A big one. My sister's home... with acres of land surrounding it, no internet access and the living room view of solitude... It was a vacation home for me. Peace lives with them. And it goes where they go.

I guess it's time I work on creating my own peace to carry with me, eh?

In trying to think about the positives of the whole situation, I am reminded that there's always skype. And how amazing will it be to visit Colorado?! Plus, my sister will still be home to shoot every wedding with me. And since she will be living so far away, I expect our time together to be of higher quality since we will make the most of our time together versus our quick chit chat now between the busyness of our lives.

I used to love change. But the older I get and the more settled I become, change is proving to be challenging. Maybe it's the mama in me. Sunday needs routine and familiarity and maybe her needs are growing on me. I'm afraid of how things will be different with my sister's family, but maybe, somehow, this will be better for us, too.

In any case - I am so glad the anticipation and anxiety is behind me and we have stepped into this new chapter. The grey cloud is gone and so far, everything is just fine.

On January 1st, our last day together as a family before they moved, we all stuck out the frigid temperatures and took some family portraits. I will cherish these pictures for years to come. I love all the pink noses that depict how chilly it was…!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // vivitar universal wireless remote // vista explorer lightweight tripod

—————–

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.

Portraits of Crystal | Lynchburg Professional Headshots

You guys remember Crystal?! We had been trying to get together for another round of head shots for months (years?!) and we FINALLY made it happen back in the midst of our crazy fall season. I find that ironic. :) Of course we tried and tried to wait for a sunny day - but we finally caved and did the session without a ray of sunshine to be found. That's okay, Crystal is a ray of sunshine in my world (you like how I did that just there?) and made my job so super easy!

Here is she in all her cuteness (though she works the sass pretty well, wouldn't you agree?). I really love this session and I am looking forward to the next time we get together to update our headshots! :) (If you missed it, check out the results of the last time we got together!)

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens

—————–

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 & Hannah | Lynchburg Christmas Pictures

A few weeks ago I was aimlessly browsing the web in the middle of a work project and I came across a picture of a family at a Christmas Tree farm. I was super inspired and decided I wanted to shoot a session at a Christmas tree farm at that VERY MOMENT. So I did something I have never done before. I offered a free mini session to my Facebook fans. (If you're not a Facebook fan you are missing out!) Usually when I work with clients we discuss locations and styles that works for them, and looks that are most reflective of their personality or their family. But this time I wanted to have all the say. Of course, I would never insist on that with a paying client, so I offered this as a free session instead. A style shoot, if you will! Meet Hannah and Chris. Hannah's sister, Kelly, was actually the one who entered and won the giveaway. She gave it to her sister because Hannah was having a stressful semester in college and Kelly wanted to do something nice for her. How sweet is that?!

Chris and Hannah met up with me and brought their sweet pup along for a few shots as well. This session turned out exactly how I was hoping... the colors, the chill in the air, the love between the two of them and the sparkle of the setting sun all created a perfectly magical session. The only thing we were missing was some steaming hot chocolate! (Next time!)

If you love these images, it's not too late to have a session of your own at a local Christmas tree farm! Contact me in the next few weeks and we can hash out all the details! I would LOVE to shoot in the midst of the beauty of winter again!

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

—————–

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.

Alan & Courtney, pt. 2

Courtney & Al know how to have a good time and anyone from my hometown can tell you that Courtney's parents definitely know how to throw a good party! Check out all the fun we had at their reception at Fredericksburg Square that followed their sweet marriage ceremony at the Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church. If you missed part one, go back and check out the first half of their day! (Thanks again to Aaron Spicer for helping out in a major way during this wedding!!)

Right before the cake cutting, Courtney toasted to her younger brother, Terry, who had recently gotten married. Except his wedding was in Japan without a lot of his family and friends present. It was an especially sweet toast and the most memorable line was when Courtney told her new sister in law that she "brought my brother to life again." So deep, so complimentary, and so true. <3

Such fantastic dancing all night long!

Be sure to check out Part 1 of their wedding in case you missed it!

Ceremony: fredericksburg presbyterian church Reception: fredericksburg square Florist: jane guerin Cake designer: the icing DJ: la dee jay Make-up artist: Victoria Miller (bridesmaid) Hair stylist: bella hair (Sandy) Dress: priscilla of boston

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 100mm f/2.8 macro lens // canon 85mm f/1.8 lens

—————–

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.

Alan & Courtney, pt. 1 | Wedding Photographer

Exactly one year ago  I was shooting Alan & Courtney's wedding while Tommy walked around wearing a 3 week old Sunday in a wrap, bringing her to me to eat every 3 hours. Needless to say, it was a challenging day for my family (and my body! yikes!) but with the help of my incredible assistant, Jacqulyn, and the generosity of Aaron Spicer who gave up a prime wedding weekend to shoot with us, it was absolutely perfect. I love the opportunity to shoot a Christmas wedding! There is nothing like the magic of Christmas on top of the magic of a wedding day... pure bliss!! Plus I was NOT going to miss this wedding, as the bride was someone I have known almost my whole life! But, afterwards I was spending my time recovering and focusing on customer service while adjusting to having a newborn around instead of blogging. So of course Alan & Courtney's first wedding anniversary is as good a time as any to relive their wedding!

As I was planning to blog Courtney and Al's wedding pictures, I thought it would be fun to get a fresh perspective from a bride! I asked Courtney if she would share with me what her favorite picture was from her wedding day. Here is what she shared:

When I read Liz's email asking if I would like share something about my wedding photography experience my first impulse was OF COURSE. Had I truly realized how difficult the task of choosing my favorite wedding picture would be I don't know if my reply would have been so automatic. What a pleasant predicament to find yourself in... too many favorite wedding pictures to narrow it down to one. Heck, I think I'd have an equally difficult time narrowing my selection down to ten!

Our wedding photography experience could not have been any more perfect. As so many soon-to-be brides and recently married brides know, stress levels are a major concern when your big day finally arrives. There was not a single instance throughout my wedding day photography when I doubted the entire experience was being fully captured. Liz and her staff were incredible and completely in sync with my entire bridal party, family and guests... so much so we almost forgot they were there! Liz's talent coupled with her confidence completely afforded me the opportunity to enjoy my wedding day. Yes, I just used one of the most annoying lines people "offer" as advice while planning a wedding.

After careful consideration I decided on my favorite picture from my wedding. Oddly enough the main reason I chose this picture also explains how my family and Liz‘s family know each other. A strong theme of our wedding was the military. I come from a long line of military family members and grew up in the Navy. My husband is now a retired Green Beret Officer and proudly served for twenty five years.

fredericksburg-square-wedding-photographer_0082

We encouraged all of our active duty, retired and veteran guests to wear their uniforms and as you can tell from this photograph many did. It was such a special memory for me to have my father walk me down the aisle in his uniform. I am so proud of our service members and to be surrounded by so many loved ones who are currently serving or have served our great nation was a fantastic feeling. A girl can’t help but feel lucky when posing in a picture surrounded by Green Berets and Navy SEALs. :)

Many years ago our family and Liz's family met on a small Navy base. It is very neat to think we have kept the tradition going strong (even if Liz and I married Army men!) This picture is also special to me because we were married on an Army Navy game day and this picture perfectly captures the Army Navy rivalry within our family now.

Thank you Liz for all of our beautiful wedding pictures and for allowing me to relive the happiest day of my life every time I look through our gorgeous pictures.

Thank you, Courtney, for trusting us with your wedding day photography and for sharing your experience with my blog readers! Without further ado, please check out the first part of Courtney and Al's big day. Part 2 will be up on Wednesday!

Alan and Courtney and their entire bridal party were led by bagpipe players through the strees of downtown Fredericksburg from the church to the reception. The crowds LOVED it... they were a beautiful sight (and sound!) to be hold!

Happy, happy anniversary, Al & Courtney!!

Part 2 will be blogged on Wednesday, so come back for that!

Ceremony: Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church Reception: Fredericksburg Square Florist: Jane Guerin Cake designer: The Icing DJ: LA Dee Jay Make-up artist: Victoria Miller (bridesmaid) Hair stylist: Bella Hair (Sandy) Dress: Priscilla of Boston

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 100mm f/2.8 macro lens // canon 85mm f/1.8

—————–

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.