We shot these images in Midway, a sweet little town not far from Lexington. Had it not been about 1,000 degrees outside that day, I daresay we would have walked around and played for hours – but because we are all sweating profusely, we got the job done in less than an hour. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

I miss this precious family more than I can say. Thankfully, though, one of the beautiful things about lifelong friendships is that you always pick up right where you left off the last time you were together. That’s what we have, and I am so grateful for that.

Jenni, I love you and your boys so much. Thanks for being patient with me as I worked on these images for you. I hope you love them and can see youselves the way I do – You are magic!

Oh, and in case you missed it, there are a few more of Jenni and Phillip from this session that I posted here. Enjoy!

Permission to Create. Now there’s an interesting idea. Her words struck me as I began to realize that somewhere along the way, I stopped doing just that. When I started this business a little over a year ago, I wasn’t afraid to try new things, to experiment, to succeed – or even to fail. At some point, I started measuring my success by how well I pleased everyone else, and in so doing I lost myself. I stopped experimenting – stopped playing – stopped having fun!

I had been thinking a lot about this idea of giving myself Permission to Create when we took a weekend trip to Kentucky to visit our dear friends who recently moved there. Jenni has always been a huge support and encouragement to me and part of the reason for our trip was a family photo shoot. I remember asking what kind of “feel” she was looking for in her photographs – If she had any specific editing style she wanted me to use. She responded with these words: “You just do your creative Mary Alice thing, and I am sure that I will love it!” And with that sentence, Jenni had done for me what I hadn’t figured out how to do for myself. So, thanks for the permission, Jenni – I love you!

That said, here are a few images of Jenni and her Phillip. I love the soft, vintage-y feel – very different from my usual style! I have lots more of the whole family to share, but I’m not quite done with those yet.

This next  image makes me really, really happy. And not only because my sweet friends were willing to risk ticks and chiggers for me but because normally, I would have only posted this image in color (because it’s oh, so bright and lovely in color). Also, I had intended for it to be flipped the other way, but I was watching Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” while I was editing and well…looking at this image sort of made me feel like they’re falling down the rabbit hole. Which is kind of like being in love, right?

Thank you, Jenni and Phillip for being such willing subjects. I love you both, and I’ll have the ones with the kids up soon!

You will likely remember Matt & Emily from their super-fun maternity session. Their joy over Sophie was so apparent then, and it has only multiplied since she was born. I was so struck during my time with them how naturally they both filled the role of parent and how calm and serene their home felt. {I did not feel the slightest bit serene as a new mom, so I am always in awe when I encounter this phenomenon!} As I said in my first post about them, Matt & Emily are so connected. You just can’t help but feel it when you are with them. And now, with the addition of Sophie, it just feels like she’s always been there.

Pure sweetness!! Matt & Emily, you are so blessed! Sophie is so delightful and it was such an honor to photograph her for you. I can not wait to see you this weekend for Sophie’s three month shots. I can hardly believe it’s time. xoxo!

I am beyond THRILLED to announce that the 2010 Sweetheart Sessions will be taking place at The Loveless Cafe! I really don’t have words for how excited I am about this. THE LOVELESS CAFE!  I mean, seriously, when you think of Nashville Landmarks, the Loveless has to be awfully high on your list. As a lifelong Nashvillian, and a huge fan of Miss Carol Fay’s biscuits, this is an absolute dream for me. Thanks to Phillip’s hard work and the kindness of the good folks at the Loveless, we are going to have total access to the grounds & barn and will even have one of the main restaurant tables reserved for some cozy inside shots! I really don’t even know what to say about this other than this :  It. Is. Going. To. Be.  E P I C  !

So here’s the deal. In bullet-points!

• Sweetheart Mini-Sessions will be held February 6 & 7 and are 30 minutes each. 
• The cost is $200 and must be paid in full at the time of booking to secure your time slot. {I accept cash or personal check and can take debit or credit cards thru paypal.} 
• Sessions will be booked on a first-come first-served basis. 
• I will be accepting bookings thru Tuesday, January 22nd, unless the slots fill up before then. 
• You will receive a disc containing no less than 10 beautiful, custom edited high-resolution images of you and your sugar-pie with an unlimited printing and sharing release. You are also free to print with me thru my professional lab {at my regular printing prices}, but the normal $200 minimum order is NOT required for this special session. 
• I can not guarantee that you will have your discs by February 14th – in fact, I can almost guarantee that you will NOT have your discs by February 14th! However, I will get discs in the mail to you on or before February 28th.

The sweet people at the Loveless have asked to advertise this offer to many of their regulars, so I anticipate spots to fill up fast. Message me TODAY for details and to reserve your time before they’re all gone! Just think … photographs and breakfast or lunch at the Loveless just in time for Valentine’s Day – Are you kidding me? And I know that I mentioned a potential second location for these shots … but I have decided to hold off and save that for another time. Two days at the Loveless was just too good to pass up!

So, again, I ask for your help in getting the word out. Please feel free to share this post on your Facebook page or email the link to friends, family and neighbors who you think might be interested. I am totally dependent on and grateful for your referrals!

I am absolutely thrilled to tell you that Phillip, fantastic husband and Business Manager extraordinaire, has secured at least one of two possible locations for the 2010 Sweetheart Sessions. That’s right, ladies, go ahead and tell that man of yours to get ready for his close-up! This is going to be so amazing!!! I am waiting to announce the final plan until I know for sure about the other possible location, but let me tell you – if it comes thru, it will be an absolute dream weekend for me. I had hoped to  have the official location announcement ready by now, but both possible sites require permission to shoot, so it’s taking just a little longer than anticipated to get the final word out. But, trust me,  it will be worth it! 

So remember : February 6 & 7 are the dates. Cost is $200 for a 30 minute mini-session and no less than 10 beautiful high-resolution images with your beloved burned to a cd with an unlimited printing & web-sharing release. PRETTY PLEASE share this with anyone you think might be interested  - Dating couples, engaged couples, newly married couples, older married couples, couples with kids, couples who need time away from the kids… and how about some grandparents?! Can I get an Amen?

Keep checking back. As soon as I have confirmation on location two, I will pass along the information to you and open the calendar for booking. Here’s to love!

As we all know, February is the love month. And if you are a sappy romantic like me, you enjoy making Valentine’s Day special for the ones you love. Also, if you are like me – you likely have tons of photos of the little people in your life, maybe even a lot of pics of your significant other. But, do you have many images of just you and the one you love? Images that capture who you are together? Your connection? What makes you who you are without kids, jobs, stress or responsibilities? I have to confess that Phillip and I do not. The last photos we “officially” had taken together were done on September 8, 2001 – three days before the Twin Towers fell and our world changed forever. Now, I am unspeakably glad we have those photos – We still have a huge 24×30 of just us hanging above our den fireplace – but when I look at that beautiful portrait, I am reminded that just as our world has changed, so have we. 

This February, I want to celebrate couples. Young couples, older couples, dating couples, engaged couples, married couples…all kinds of couples!! I adore seeing and capturing the electric connection between people who love each other and it is my hope to be able to share that with many of you this February. So, what does that mean exactly? 

I am going to be offering a limited number of mini-sessions in February that focus on nothing but love, love, l o v e. I have yet to decide on an exact location, but I do know that it will be somewhere local – either in Nashville or Franklin – and will have to be a place that offers many different places to shoot.  The dates of these sessions will be February 6 & 7. Each booking will be for 30 minutes and I guarantee that you will get a minimum of 10 beautiful, fully edited images of you and your beloved to cherish forever! 

So, how will this work? Sometime early next week, I will officially announce the specific location of the sessions and open up my calendar for booking your spot on those 2 days. Once the schedule is full, I will not be offering any more of these mini-spots. 

And what will you get? A 30 minute mini-session with me where we will work together to capture the essence of who you are as a couple. I will then prepare for you a disc containing a minimum of 10 beautiful high-resolution images that you may print at your leisure. You are, of course, always welcome  to print through me using my professional lab. 

OK, so how much does it cost? I am offering each mini-session and high-resolution disc for $200. 

And now, here’s where I need your help. This session might not be right for you – and that’s OK! –  but it could very well be just what someone you know is looking for. I depend COMPLETELY on word of mouth and referrals to build my business so if you are reading this, could I ask a favor of you? Would you consider telling some people you know about me, and in particular, this offer? Would you share my website with family members, church friends, co-workers, parents of your children’s friends from school? Even better, would you consider posting a link to this post on your Facebook page? It really would mean the world to me! And remember – every person you refer to me earns you a credit of 10% of their total purchase with me. So, if you refer just ONE person who books a Sweetheart Session, you will automatically receive a $20 credit with me that NEVER expires! So, PLEASE, help me spread the word – and together let’s help spread the L O V E !

xoxo

I met Tamara {although she’ll always be Tammy to me!} in the fall of 1993 when we both arrived in Suite 302 of Fanning Hall on the capus of Lipscomb University. Being a Nashville native, you would think that I would have known someone else starting Lipscomb that same year, but I didn’t. So – I went total potluck in the roommate department – and hit the jackpot!  Tammy had come to Lipscomb – from CANADA! –  with her good friend Judy {Hey, Jude!} and praise the Lord, they were both assigned the room across from me and my roommate, Laura. And so began friendships that I cherish to this day. Oh, I can remember the midnight pizza parties, taking naps every afternoon and waiting anxiously for Jude & Tam to get their next care package from home. Such fun and sweet times!

It’s hard to admit, but until we met to shoot, I  hadn’t seen Tammy since our college graduation. Once again, thru the miracle of Facebook, we have been able to re-connect. She was always beautiful, but holy cow hot momma!! I would say that Dave, Tam’s college sweetheart, hit the jackpot, too!

It was an absolute joy to reconnect with Tammy for so many reasons, two of which are named Ethan and Zach. Oh my goodness – they are the most delightful little boys!! Sweet, funny, gorgeous and oh, so charming. This little doll-baby is Zach, who Tammy calls her Rogue. Perfect. Oh, what personality!

And this little heartbreaker is Ethan. Such a sweet and funny boy – with a smile that just lights up his whole self {and hello dimples!} You can tell that he really loves being a big brother – and that his baby brother thinks he hung the moon.

I have to say, these are some of my most favorite images ever. Such a beautiful example of F A M I L Y! The morning we met to shoot was absolutely FA-REE-ZEENG. As in Mary Alice couldn’t keep the camera still because her teeth were chattering so badly. But the smiles, the love, the connection … the warm clothes, rosy cheeks and snuggles … No way the cold could compete with all that warmth!

Tammy & Dave, you have such an incredible family! I don’t even have words for how honored I am that you chose me to capture such a precious time for you! I am completely in love with your boys and can’t wait for next time. I love you dearly and am dying to show you the rest of your images – I am almost done!!

And, dear blog readers,  now that you see how incredibly lovely wintertime shots can be, I’d love to set up a fun & unique session with you and your family! To help streamline things as far as scheduling, I have added a new feature here on the site. In the menu bar above you will see a link called “Book a Session”. This link will take you to my calendar where you can browse my available session times and then book and pay half the session fee {to hold your spot} completely online! SO COOL! Once you reserve your spot, I will then get in touch with you about planning the details of your custom session. Any questions, just shoot me an email at madphotoinfo@comcast.net!

So, what are you waiting for? Your walls are calling – Let’s go make some pretty stuff!

Did that help? Yeah, I thought so! This sweet couple was an absolute joy to photograph. Can’t you just feel the love? 

Katy and Jordon were referred to me by my sweet friend Elizabeth (beautiful Harper’s mom). I am so, so, glad that I had the opportunity to meet both of them and spend a couple hours following them around, just watching them be in love. These two have been married about a year and have a great story. I loved everything about them – Their openness, their connection, their smiles – even that lovely shade of blue they chose to wear! The night we met, there were several other photo shoots going on all around us. At one point, another photographer stopped and asked if we were taking engagement photos. It was such a neat thing to be able to say, “Nope! These are ‘Just Because’ photos!”. I love that – Celebrating life and love {Just Because}!

Katy and Jordon, you guys are AMAZING. Thank you so much for choosing me to be the one to capture this sweet time in your lives. I can’t look at these images without smiling, and I pray that it will be that way for both of you for years to come!

And the only way it gets better than that, ladies and gentlemen, is to add in a little Matt. 

Matt and Emily are quite possibly the funniest, kindest, most connected couple I have ever had the pleasure to know. As soon as you meet them, you are drawn in to their little circle and instantly feel like you’ve known them forever. Just before we did this shoot, they celebrated 15 years of being married. 15 years of being Matt & Emily. And now, very shortly, they will welcome sweet Sophie into the world. 

I had the best time photographing these two. They just ooze love and contentment. Can’t you feel it just looking at them? As soon as I got home from our time together I told Phillip that I wanted us to be like Matt & Emily when we grew up. 

The thing I love best about these images, besides the fact that they celebrate Sophie, is that they really celebrate Matt & Emily, too. The way they are together. They way they laugh together. And speaking of laughter, I pretty much laughed for two hours straight while I was with them. Take this image for instance. I had asked Matt to stand in the doorway like a rockstar. And he obliged. And Emily and I giggled. And he’s probably going to kill me for posting it, but I’ll take my chances. 

Then we got a little more serious.

But only for a second, because the thought bubbles just had to come out for these two! We taped them up, but I left them blank  this time because Emily had unknowingly given me some inspiration a few days before the shoot. For their 15th anniversary, she compiled a list on Facebook of the top 15 things she loved about Matt. My photo translation of her precious list is below. ( And I am giggling again!)

I had the hardest time narrowing down favorites to share here on the blog. I had to keep reminding myself that this is only a preview. Oh well, I’m in charge here, and I am not ready to be done!!

Matt & Emily, I am absolutely overjoyed for you.  Sophie is so blessed to be coming into a family full of so much love and laughter. I can only imagine how over-the-moon you two are going to be when you hold your beautiful baby girl for the first time. I’ll be in touch very soon about getting you your disc!