"I would love to see a post about what you find inspiring about living in Boone" - Maggie

there are so many things that i find inspiring about boone, but i think the thing that i love the most is the changing seasons.  every season is beautifully exaggerated.  today, i had to change from a skirt into jeans, put socks & shoes on, and put on a jacket to just go to the grocery store.  IT IS FALL!  the leaves are already changing and falling, and the air is brisk.  it's almost like boone knows the calendar, and as soon as a season changes the atmosphere does too.

how is that inspiring? i love change, yet i love tradition.  with every season, i look forward to the change it brings, as well as the traditions i keep in my heart and family.  ok i know i sound like a total cheeseball right now, but it's true! and it's those things that i want to reflect with every wedding & family i photograph - their change & their traditions.

"I think you should write about your long term future goals. I always enjoy reading your monthly goals, but it is also enjoyable to know where you and will are headed long term. I would love the mutual encouragement anyhow." - Joy

goooaaals!  oh man i love goals.  i really couldn't function without them - it's just in my nature to dream up new and exciting things, and to feel that sense of accomplishment once it is crossed off.  here are a few of my long term goals, but stay tuned because i'm going to dedicate an entire blogpost to my life goals!   i'm still working on that... it's going to be quite a long list.

• have a wedding photography business that shoots 20-30 weddings/year & 20-30 families/year on average
• get a dog (preferably a great dane or a german pointer)
• own a home that also has an attached studio for work & client meetings
• have the cutest little family you've ever seen!  3 kids would be amazing.
• teach photography workshops in NC and in other states
• grow to be more in love with will when we're old than we are right now (which is a LOT!)

"I liked Mary Lindsey’s pics on your other blog and I would like to see a blog about her babies when they are born." - Beth
"We would like you to blog about the triplets in the future" - Ryan & Reba
"So a post I am looking forward to would be with the new baby triplets your sister is due with" - Jessica

i took some sweet newborn pics that you can see HERE, but stay tuned because we are making another visit in just a few weeks and i can't wait to get my hands on all 3 nephews  & my sweet little niece!

"One thing I would love to hear is your list of books you recommend for newly married couples. You had a great engagement list you shared with me and I know you have new ones from this last year." - Kristen

i just recently posted will and i's "must read engagement books" HERE.  that is a great question, and we were so thankful these books were recommended to us.  we read more than what was just on this list, (we are kind of nerdy like that,) but these are definitely the best.  they each cover a unique aspect of marriage that is so important.

"One thing I would love for you to blog about is how you get ready for a wedding. We see the amazing product of your preparations, but I want to hear about the magic behind the scenes!" - Amity

my preparation for a wedding begins the day before - i clean my lenses & charge my batteries!  i make sure all my memory cards are dumped and that i have all my bodies, lenses, pocket wizards, flashes, light stands, strobes, extension chords, etc. etc. etc.  the next morning i pack up my car and head to the reception site first, to set up my lights.  then i'm off to the place where the bride is getting ready, and i always try to show up before she does.  (i like to scope out the facilities & ceremony site.)  i photograph the preparation & details, then visit the groom for a few minutes as well.  before the ceremony, i take portraits of the bride & her bridesmaids, and the groom & his groomsmen.  (this cuts down on portrait time between the ceremony & reception.) when the ceremony begins, i have both cameras w/2 different lenses ready to go.  then i just worship with them as i take the pictures.  afterwards there are family portraits, wedding party portraits, and alone time with the bride and groom.  as soon as those are finished, it's off to the reception we go.  the rest of the evening, i enjoy myself, making sure not to miss the cutting of the cake, the garter toss, the bouquet toss, the toasts & the exit.  (at the last wedding i photographed, i was in a bathroom stall when i heard the band announce:  "all single ladies make your way to the middle for the bouquet toss!"  i immediately gathered myself & my equipment & ran out to the floor!  when we finished the bouquet & garter toss, i headed back to the bathroom!  haha, i didn't want to miss anything!) as soon as i arrive home, i back up the images on my computer.  then i can rest easy!

"I would love to see a post in your new blog about where you see yourself personally and professionally in five years." - Joey

What a great question!  In my personal life, in 5 years I'd love to be living in Raleigh, enjoying a well balanced life with my husband, family, and friends.  I'd love to own our own home.  I hope to have a role in my church where I mentor younger girls as well as help with the worship team. I want to be more in love with my husband than I am right now. (Not sure how I can top it, because I love him to death!)  I would love to be better at exercising and eating healthy.  I want to make sure that a Minki trip is taken once a year for the next 5 years, and for every year after that until forever! I want to be a fun get-away home for our nephews & nieces to visit.  & I'd love to start planning for a family of our own!

In my professional life, in 5 years I would love to have my own office & studio space, preferably in-home.  I want to be teaching photography workshops, whether it's by myself or with a few of my photography friends.  I'd love to have an employee or two.  I hope  that I will have been featured in the Knot, in Weddings Unveiled, on Green Wedding Shoes, and in Southern Weddings.  I want to achieve balance.  I'd love to be shooting 30-40 weddings a year.

"In the near future, I would like for you to blog about several things… Harper as a big sister, the boys all smooshed up & cozy together, and how I can put a name or logo on pictures to prevent people from stealing photos off my blog. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve heard it can definitely happen." - Mary Lindsey (aka Sissy)

Well, firstly I do believe I have blogged about Harper as a big sis, & the boys all smooshed up & cozy together!  You can read that again here. : )  To answer your question about stealing photos, it's a bit difficult to give a simple answer.  When putting a logo or copyright symbol on your photos, it's called a "Watermark."  This marks your photo so that no one will really want to steal them, but it doesn't mean they can't.  Usually, there is no harm in people stealing your photos.  For the average person, you share your photos because you want others to see them.  For a professional, it can hurt your business if people are stealing your copyrighted photos that are meant to be professionally printed, and that is truly the purpose of a Watermark - for professionals.  So I wouldn't worry too much about people stealing your photos, because most likely, your family and friends are the only ones who will see them and want to share them too.