Meet Madison, owner of MH Woodburning Designs.  She is such a smart, motivated, and talented lady.  She is a full-time teacher and operates her wood burning business on the side.   Madison is recently engaged to Patrick (a family friend of ours) and they are the perfect couple together. Madison offers custom woodburned signs and gifts.  Her signs could be the ideal way to add that personalized detail to your photo session with me.  For example, you could custom order a sign with your family name, a favorite saying, a birth announcement or engagement announcement. There are so many possibilities and I could go on and on, but I will spare you!   You can check her out at her Etsy store, MH Woodburning Designs . Home Sweet Home is one of Madison’s Favorites. She made this sign for a promotion we are going to do together.  I love it too.   Thanks Madison!

~Laura

Meet Bella(the Labradoodle) and Coco (the Dachshund). They are the best of friends.  Bella is just precious and does whatever Coco wants.  Coco is the small but bossy one.    They look like partners in crime to me.  I look at this first picture and smile (because they are adorable) but I also get a lump in my throat.  You know the one you get right before you hold back tears. You see, this photo session was bittersweet for me.  Bella is sick and was diagnosed this week with a very aggressive cancer.   Her mama, Angie, a dear friend of mine, reached out to me and told me Bella’s grim news.  It was important to Angie to get some pictures of Bella with her and Roger while she is still able.  Bella was in the hospital this week and after her diagnosis, Angie made the decision to bring her home and just love her and enjoy their time left together. So between laughter and tears we got these precious pictures that I know Angie and Roger will cherish for years to come.     Sweet BellaCoco was cracking us up!  Look at her under Roger’s leg!Best Friends foreverThe bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this Earth can ever be.

Quote by: Konrad Lorenz

Meet CJ.  He just became a realtor with a company called  Exit Realty.  He is based in Asheville and serving the market of Asheville to Morganton .   For the last several years CJ has been a stay at home dad.  This new career will allow him to continue to serve his family well and now our community.  CJ is a genuinely nice guy.  He has a laid back, easy-going personality and I think he is going to make a perfect real estate agent.  If you find yourself needing an agent, check him out.  Here is a peek at his new professional headshots.  CJ,  I wish you all the best in  your new career!

~Laura

Introducing Scarlett Grace! Isn’t she beautiful?   Her dad, Jason and I work together and months before she was born, he reached out to me about this session.  Jason is a volunteer fire fighter and you can tell just by hearing him speak about it that being a fire fighter is his passion.  He really wanted to do a newborn session with her and his fire gear. It was so hot outside and I felt so bad for him being in that  heavy fire suit!   Jason was dripping sweat but he never complained.  In fact, he said, “this is nothing compared to a fire”.  The day after I took these pictures,  He had been out all night until 4:30 a.m. on a  Search and Rescue mission and then came to work! To Jason and all the firefighter’s out there, I would like to say, ” THANK YOU. Thank you for all your sacrifice and dedication and for all the things that go unnoticed that the community never really knows about.”   I also want to point out the sign Jason is holding.  It’s a custom-made sign with Scarlett’s name and date of birth, weight and time on it made by Madison Hopper at MH Woodburning Designs.  You can find her on Etsy, Instagram or Facebook.  She does some really cute stuff.  You should go check her out.   So here are the images from my first “firefighter inspired” session.  Look at Scarlett raising up in this picture.  So much for the sleeping baby picture. TThis picture is one of my favorites.  I love  Jason’s expression and Scarlett looks like an angel!I just love her nursery so of course we had to get some shots of it.    Look at that wreath!!  Shannon made it.  She is really into making crafts and she is so talented at it!  The custom sign by MH Woodburning will compliment her nursery perfectly.  Shannon also made this afghan that Scarlett is laying on in this picture.  Scarlett Grace you are a perfect baby and I can’t wait to watch you grow!  Jason and Shannon you guys will be great parents to this sweet little one.  Congratulations!

~Laura

I met Christiannah and her two boys at Lake James for this session.  I work with Christiannah every day but I rarely get to see her boys.  Some things that stand out in my mind from her session is when she pulled up and got out of the car and showed them the outfits they would be wearing, the youngest boy said, “Oh, what bootiful clothes”.   He said it so sweetly and just like that.  Her oldest son blew me away the entire session with his vocabulary and intelligence.  Of course both boys wanted to get in the water right off the bat!! But we somehow managed to hold that off until the very end.   I had so much fun during this session and it really made me miss my own kids being this sweet age.  These brothers are very sweet to each other and started out hugging and ended up wrestling.   The little one just smiles all the time. His little smile is so contagious!  The boys finally got to get in the water and could not have been happier.  Christiannah, I had a blast with you and your sweet boys.

All the best!

~Laura

Marshall just turned 6 months old. What a cutie and such a sweet, sweet baby! I was happy to get to do these portraits.  I use to work with Marshall’s grandma (Gabbie) and so I remember when his Daddy (Jackson) was just a kid.  My goodness how time FLIES!!  I was so impressed with Marshall’s mama, Schyler.  She had everything set up and prepared when I got there.  She had made some streamers (by hand) and a letter “M” out of fabric that you will see in some of the images.  This is a very warm, friendly family and Marshall was so good!  Although, he wasn’t sure what to think of the bubbles!  We finished our shoot just as the sky opened up with a downpour of rain.  Our timing was perfect!This is the “M” that Schyler made.  So cute!This red recliner was Jackson’s when he was a baby and now it’s Marshall’s.  He is just not sure what to think of the bubbles. Those eyes!Happy 6 months Marshall!  You are so adorable and I can’t wait to see how you grow!

All the best!

~Laura

This little girl has stolen my heart!  I have been taking her pictures since she was a month old!  She has always been so easy-going, good-natured and very easy to photograph.  Now that she is walking, no make that RUNNING , and this girl is on the move! One minute she was stopping to pick a flower the next she was running as fast as she could from us!!!  Luckily for this session at McGalliard Falls, we had plenty of help from her Daddy (Jason) and cousin( Jimmy) running to catch her before she got away. As quick as she is, we decided best not to get too close the waterfalls.  I think we all pretty much got our days worth of exercise in during this one hour session.  Elena is still such a joy to photograph.  She is so playful and  has the sweetest personality with just the right amount of spunk!That look!!  I thnk she was massaging Jason’s head!!There is that sweetness I was talking about!Jimmy is such a good sport.  She served him some of her finest tea.Elena loves her cousin Jimmy!  Spunky and sweet!Elena, thank you for the workout!  Keep it sassy you sweet girl!

All the best~

Laura

The Historic Burke Foundation had a “Tea and Tour” last weekend at the newly renovated Bridgewater Hall Historic Inn, owned and operated by Michael Gavin.  This event was open to the public for Tea and a Tour of the newly renovated property followed by a presentation from the owner in the chapel that is also on the property.  Michael spoke about the history of  Bridgewater Hall, information that has been passed down from previous owners, his dream of owning the property as well as his vision for the future of Bridgewater Hall Historic Inn.  The Tour was self guided and was quite nice.  There was a cello player so you could hear the melodies played softly throughout the house.  A wedding dress was on display in each room,  Many of the dresses on display  belonged to family members of the Historic Foundation.  Beside each dress was a picture with the original bride wearing the dress.  Downstairs, tea and refreshments were served.   The Inn is now open for overnight guests,  weddings and other events. For more information you can go to: Bridgewater Hall Historic Inn   Granddaughters of one of the board members of the foundation were among the many guests. Board members of the Historic Burke Foundation.Guests enjoy the beautiful day with outdoor seating.  There is plenty of it at this venue with all the porches.Dresses were displayed in many of the rooms with a photo of the original owner wearing each dress. The tea service was self-serve in the foyer.The cello was just another element of class to this event.  The soloist played one of my favorites, “Ashokan Farewell”, the sweet, sad fiddle tune that was the theme of the PBS documentary “The Civil War.”Guests admire the detail of the dresses on display.Michael, Owner of Bridgewater Hall, spoke to the guests about the history and future of Bridgewater Hall.  He was quite the entertainer!Michael( center) introduces his two sons, Jeff( left) and Mack (right).  This event was wonderful!  If you didn’t make it this year and you like history or love old historic homes with all the southern charm, check out events like this at The Historic Burke Foundation or schedule your tour or stay  at Bridgewater Hall Historic Inn  .

All the best!

~Laura