Claya & Patrick - A Rainy Engagement

I love getting to know the couples that walk into our studio.

But it is also an amazing joy when I get to know a person over time and watch the journeys down which life takes them.

I met Claya a few years ago when one of my assistants introduced her to me as yet another great person to help out spontaneously.  Now, I've had the awesome opportunity to chronicle Claya's engagement and then her wedding to Patrick next month.  The engagement shoots went wonderfully and I am looking forward to more camera time with this gorgeous couple when they wed in late September!

We had already met once before for an engagement shoot, but for lengthier engagements it is fun to capture more than one season before the wedding arrives.  This also provides an opportunity to learn a couple's make-up and get to know them better from a camera perspective.  So, after one great session, we decided to go for more.

We were set to meet at Unity Village Sunday evening.  Claya and I had been communicating throughout the day and were a little nervous about how foreboding the sky had looked all afternoon.  No raindrops had appeared yet, and we decided to just go for it.  The minute our cars were pulled up side by side in the parking lot the sky finally let loose.  Fat, wet raindrops started splattering the ground all around us.  But, we were determined to stick to the plan!

Here is just a sampling of what the drizzly day brought forth.
This picture is one of my favorites of the bunch!

We grabbed some lights, an umbrella, and the camera and headed into the storm.  We shot some quick pictures beneath overhangs, the umbrella, and wherever we found a dry spot.  At the end, we ventured straight into the rain.  We were all so delighted with the results!  We were able to capture some incredible effects and really portray the rain and the beautiful colors of our setting as well as Claya and Patrick themselves.  If you want to catch a fuller array of the results of this engagement shoot check out the full slideshow.

One never knows what a day will bring, but one rainy day definitely brought us a spectacular engagement shoot and plenty of fun!  Can't wait for their wedding next month!

First Glass Act - With Jordan

Wednesday night was a blast!

I had the wonderful honor to capture the stunning personality of one of our 2013 Seniors.  Jordan is a sweet girl who loves the outdoors and wasn't afraid to get her feet wet - literally - for the sake of some great pictures.  Since she loves Pleasant Hill Lake and spends much of her time there, we decided that would be the best place for the shoot.

There was even a snapping turtle to greet us as we searched for the ideal setting.  Our biggest obstacle of the night was the muddy bottom of the lake.  We wanted to snap some unique, rustic pictures - something a little less glamorous - to show off Jordan's love of the lake.  So, we attempted to roll up our pants and wade in, but we kept sinking into the muckiness of the lake floor.  Of course, with any beautiful body of water there comes an obnoxious army of gnats and Wednesday night was no exception.  There were swarms of them, but thankfully, they had the courtesy to stay out of the pictures!

Jordan was such a great sport about the evening.  She had a great attitude and went with the flow of anything and everything we wanted to accomplish.  Her mom, Becky, was fabulous too.  She even sacrificed her flip flops for a moment so that Jordan didn't have to walk barefoot through a plethora of broken beer bottle glass at one section of the beach.  However, the shattered glass provided a great backdrop for one final shot at the end of the night.  Jordan laid down amidst the reflective shards in front of the lake with a stunning sunset as the best finishing touch for the shot - BREATHTAKING.

It never gets boring to find fabulous, unique ways to capture the incredible personalities of the people I get to meet!

Same Camera, Less Chaos

Whew.  It's been awhile since I've shuffled through these pages.  But, after a couple years, I've decided it is time to dust the cobwebs from the corners of this blog and dig back in.  Hopefully, with a tad more consistency this time.

Life moves at such a rapid pace, which only serves to remind me why I do what I do.  Without the images and memories captured in time, we often forget to savor or look back and reminisce over those special moments.

To be certain, the past couple years have been full of wonderful moments.  Raising five fabulous kids and continuing to build the best business I can keeps me running, but I wouldn't change a thing.  I now have two kiddos in high school and have taken on the challenge of homeschooling both - one of them is even driving now!  Another of mine has entered middle school and my youngest two are soaring their way through elementary.

We're still here and we're still the same Abundant Moments Photography.  We've been blessed with multiple assistants in and out of our studio, helping us and lightening our load.  Every turn in life is another adventure but I'm excited to see that things are constantly coming together in a more beautiful design than I could picture myself.

So, we're back to our blog!  Though we never truly went away.  We're constantly available and updating on Facebook, so if you haven't had the chance to stop by our Facebook page and like us, please swing by and visit! But here's to hopes of future blogging consistency, a little less chaos, and lots more great moments.