Rock star Megan!

I had a blast working with Megan, the daughter of one of my dearest friends, Craig Hesson, who came down for the Explore Park sendoff camp out last Saturday. We took to the streets and back alleys of downtown Roanoke for a couple of hours seeing the sights and shooting some awesome portraits of this incredible young lady who nearly blinded us with her million watt smile!
Thanks so much Megan for being such a good sport with me and your dad. Hope you like the shots! ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW!

End of an Era..

I began volunteering at Virginia's Explore Park in the eighteenth century area over 10 years ago. What was a passing interest, became an expensive hobby. That became a slight obsession that grew and matured into a real enthusiasm and passion for the history of colonial America and specifically the role this area played in history. The Park is closing for now, and I have created some of my fondest memories there, and forged my strongest friendships. I hope that there will be a future for our past at a re invented and new Explore Park soon, I look forward to coming back. Huzzah!

Congratulations Eric & Kelly!

We were called just a few weeks before the wedding date for Kelly & Eric, they came to the Inn at Trivium for help saving their wedding plans after they had fallen through at another venue. We were more than happy to help. We only met on the rehearsal night, but Kelly & her parents were great, considering the stress they must have been under, and I must say how impressive the staff at the Trivium was during this. There was a second event going on at the same time on both the rehearsal & wedding nights. Both events went off flawlessly.
Anyway here are a few from the early edit of the wedding.
ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW!

Chris Rice at Virginia Tech!

Well, what can I say, Chris Rice preformed at the Haymarket theater last night for a capacity crowd of about 400. I was blessed to get there a bit early and got a killer fourth row center seat. It was great to finally see someone who I admire as an artist so much. He is so humble and just plain goofy, he freely admits to that, he seems like a kid in a man's body. We should all be like that. His songs, if you are not familiar with them are beautifully crafted songs of love, faith, and our relationship to God.He played for about two hours, alone. Just him, a 6 string acoustic guitar and a keyboard. He forgot a chord or two in a couple of older songs, but ad libbed acapella like a champ and had us all singing along.
The best part about this show is that it didn't cost a dime, he preformed for free. The show was not announced on the radio or advertised at all, it was strictly word of mouth from fans who read his blog.
I will be there tonight at Liberty University in Lynchburg, as he does it again! Another great night from a great guy, free!

Andrew's Senior Session

Andrew is a great guy whose family we go to church with. His parents asked us to shoot a few quick portraits for his senior session, so we met at the Peaks of Otter and worked there for a while to show off his love for the outdoors. Then, we headed for town and another favorite place , the library where we took over the Tharp room for a few minutes and got a few great shots there too. Thanks Andrew, Lanny & Lisa for a fun afternoon!

Congratulations to Kelly & Stephanie!

After a long year of planning, Kelly & Stephanie finally got married last week. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were sitting in a crowded Panera bread looking at photos and chatting about your wedding to be. Trish & I have really gotten attached to you guys, and are proud to have been involved in your big day.
Here is your slideshow, it's kind of big, there were too many good photos to choose! So be patient as it loads.
Thanks again guys for takng us along on the ride.

Ashley & Buster

Another solo trip out to the Peaks with Ashley & Buster yesterday, we decided to get away from the crowds at the lodge and go up the parkway to try some shooting at a nearby waterfall. We have had a pretty severe drought this summer, so there was not much water there, but plenty of great scenery to work with. Thanks guys!

Nathan & Morgan

I made a solo trip yesterday to meet up with our Christmas couple, Morgan & Nathan who wanted to do their engagement session downtown. They were so relaxed with each other that they seemed to have modeled before! We spent a quick afternoon walk exploring the warehouse area, the temperature had cooled off nicely, and we had a blast. Thanks guys, we can't wait to see you both at the wedding!

Rebecca & Keith

Trish & I ran up to the Peaks of Otter today after church for a warm October E Session. It was about 90 degrees in town so we opted for the cooler but buggier parkway shots. Thanks guys for horsing around with us for a few shots. These are just the first ones that I really liked, but there's a lot more where these came from!

Congrats Kelly & Stephanie!

Kelly & Stephanie were married last weekend! We had an awesome time getting to know these guys over the last year. The ceremony was small, warm and all about family. The reception was all that with style! I will get some edited photos up in a bit, but until then, check out these bridal portraits that I have been sitting on for months!

Happiness!

I just found out today that Chris Rice will be appearing in our area this month! This is great! I have been waiting for years to see this guy preform live. If you are not familiar with Chris, he is in my humble opinion the most thoughtful and sincere christian musicians working today. His music has the ability to move me like nothing else I have ever encountered. So if you are in the Lynchburg area, check him out in Oct 24 at Liberty University, and on the 23rd at Virginia Tech. These are part of his "under the radar" tour so I don't think they will be publicly announced. Oh, and they are FREE!
Woohoo!!