1. I didn’t know them very well at the start, but I found out a lot about them by the end of our session
2. I discovered how much they are crazy about their sweet dog
3. I learned that Gus, an attorney, has quite the creative streak and was suggesting amazing locations throughout the session
4. I was able to experience new places for the first time, and I fell in love with the Art Museum
5. Julianne and Gus have some fun, secretive plans regarding their wedding, and I love how they think outside the box! Even their caterer is quite the creative choice. (If you want to know more, you’ll just have to keep an eye out for their wedding on the blog)

You two were so much fun to work with. I’m already looking forward to your big day!

Above: We decided that this beautiful sunset painting was *their* painting. I love the way they lit up when they found it!

Now, a little bit about us…

The Nancy Ray Photography brand serves heart-felt, high-end brides with professionalism, great communication, personable interactions and Southern charm to give each couple we work with an amazing wedding photography experience. We are a husband and wife photography team based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. We photograph weddings together, while Nancy runs the at-home business and photographs all sessions. (Will is currently on staff at our church.) We are primarily wedding photographers, but we also take a limited number of family-related sessions each year.  In the studio, we work in a casual and comfortable atmosphere  (ie: jeans and sweatshirts). But don’t let it fool you… we work our tails off.  It’s not just coffee and pretty pictures; it’s serving our clients with everything we have to offer.

We love 1. Jesus, above all else  2. our great dane, Winston 3. walking Winston together 4. reading lots of books 5. pizza & movie nights 6. traveling 7. Beaufort, NC 8. listening to Dave Ramsey 9. our church & youth group 10. each other 11. water skiing on Lake Gaston 12. small business 13. coffee

A little bit about this position…

Applicants must be self-starters, motivated workers, and eager to learn. As a Studio Assistant, you will be involved in the daily work of a photography studio : corresponding with clients via email, scheduling appointments / sessions, fulfilling print orders, keeping packaging supplies fully stocked, running personal and business errands, managing client folders, and learning studio-specific software and tasks. 

This position is an office position only, not a shooting position. If you are an aspiring photographer or know how to work a camera, that’s great, but not required for consideration. We may or may not expand this position to include photography training in the future.

This is not the same as an internship. We are looking for someone to join our team year-round with the Studio Assistant position. I will most likely be offering another unpaid internship at some point this year, but that is to be determined.

Qualifications
Professional, friendly demeanor
Experienced with Word and Excel
Experienced in the basics of Photoshop
Must not only be organized, but also have a love for organization
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Knowledgeable of current trends, styles and publications in the wedding industry 
Dog-lover… literally. Especially dogs that weigh 140 pounds!
Personal/administrative assistant experience a big bonus

Logistics
Part-Time Position
Works with Nancy at her home studio 3-4 days/week
Occasionally works on weekends
Position to begin April 25

Compensation
Contracted position, $10-$12 per hour based on experience
10-20 hours per week (potential for increased hours during wedding season: April – October)
Mondays – Thursdays, flexible schedule (Studio closed Fridays-Sundays)

To Apply
Send Nancy an email with “Studio Assistant” in the subject line for further instructions.  nancy(at)nancyrayphotography(dot)com
Completed applications must be received by 11:59pm on March 8, 2012

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

These photographs warm my heart! Caroline and Aaron are dear friends, self-starters, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and… they found each other. Perfect for one another. So in love. They stayed with me and Will the weekend of Branches and Light, and we got to see them laugh, cozy up on the couch to watch a movie, cook together, and simply be together. They are a beautiful picture of newlyweds, and I love that I was able to capture this sweet season in their lives. We heard their dreams, their hopes, their plans for the future… and they are going to do big things with their lives! I’m so grateful to call them friends!

Did you see the photos Caroline took of us? Well, you should! Click here

And to say I love your crazy family is quite the understatement. :]

Branches & Light 2012 from Aaron Rector on Vimeo.

A beautiful collaboration between myself, Caroline Joy, Erin McLean Events, The Sutherland, Juliet Jones Calligraphy, Emily Hansel Designs, Ashley Cakes, Tre Bella, & Sarah’s Stands.

I of course couldn’t show up at 7am without a vanilla latte in hand, since we arrived bright and early to prepare for the day ahead. I was definitely full of excitement! After a year of preparation, all our hard work had paid off. The Sutherland was the perfect place to host our workshop : a quaint venue with antiques and warmth. I felt like I was at home.

Above : these two men pulled off everything behind the scenes, including shopping for food, setting up, carrying our equipment, caring for me while I was sick the weekend before, setting up the photobooth, filming the workshop… I could go on an on. Truth be told, we couldn’t have pulled off Branches and Light without Will and Aaron! We have the best husbands ever. We were honored to have a guest speaker, Emily Ayer, the art director of Southern Weddings Magazine. She shared on the importance of “Getting Published,” and it was so inspiring and informational! Many hugs to you, Emily, for adding such incredible value to our workshop! [Side note : I am loving her personal blog, Em for Marvelous. Check it out... I'm sure you will love it too!]

We also incorporated a beautiful styled shoot into our workshop (more images to come soon!), a delicious panera lunch, homemade goodies for breakfast, and delightful giftbags. We ended the day with a Photo Booth, and a delicious Southern dinner at The Pit in downtown Raleigh!

Many thanks to every person involved in making this day possible. Caroline – you are an inspiration and a joy to teach with. You motivate me and challenge me all the time, and I am truly grateful to call you a friend! To each of the girls who attended… always remember to set your course by the stars.  xoxo!

Kate has such charm. She is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, and she’s so easy to talk to. I felt like I’ve known her forever, even though we only met that day for the first time. Mike is perfect for her – laid back, calm, and really good at making her laugh. Just watching these two together brought a smile to my face. Their wedding is going to be amazing.

These first few photos were taking outside of Alexander Michael’s, one of their favorite date-spots in Charlotte.  We took Mike and Kate’s advice and tried it while we were in Charlotte, and it was delicious! The fried pickles were amazing, and their signature “What it is” dish is definitely a new favorite of mine. Will and I definitely will be going back!

And just so you can really see how awesome this couple is, check out their save the date! :

Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.

He got that quote from John Wooden, and to be honest, I never thought it was true.

Really? The books I read will change me that much?

Really, they will.

Last year, I took the challenge of reading 12 books in 12 months. I ended up reading more than that, and I am a completely different person because of it. If I do this 12 in 12 for the next 5 years, I am incredibly excited to see how my life will change! Dave Ramsey always says, “He with the most information and the most patience wins.” Usually he is referring to getting the best deal on an item you want to purchase, but I think it applies to reading books as well.

He with the most information and most patience really does win.

This February, I want to focus my free time on reading. It’s a small goal, but a step in the right direction to set the tone for this year. Will and I both have some substantial goals regarding books in 2012, so my hope is to read a little every morning, a little every night, and to fill my free time with reading a few pages as well. If I take Winston to the vet? I bring a book. If I take a road trip? Bring a book. If I run errands? Maybe even listen to an audio book. Hopefully lots of little time reading will result in much accomplishment!

I’d like to share one of my favorite Pinterest Boards I’ve created : Books Worth Reading. These are books that I have read and highly recommend.  In one way or another, they changed me, my habits, or one important area of my life. I don’t post every single book that I read onto this Board – only the ones that have had an impact on my life. Or maybe I really enjoyed a good novel, and I feel you would enjoy it too.

Since I never officially gave a recap of my 2011 Books, here is a summary of the books I read : 15 Total

The Mesh
The Forbidden
The Parting
The Longing
The E-Myth
Be the Pack Leader
Heavenly Man
Love and Respect
Saving CeCe Honeycutt
Stuff Christians Like
Thou Shall Prosper
Good to Great
Boundaries
The 4 Hour Workweek
The Bible

Out of that list, I would say my top 5 include : The E-Myth, Boundaries, Thou Shall Prosper, Heavenly Man, and The 4 Hour Workweek. (Obviously the Bible is #1!) I hope that my 2011 reading list, as well as my Books Worth Reading Pinterest Board, will inspire and motivate you to become a reader. Or perhaps, just become more of a reader than you already are.

•••

February Goals

Spend more of my free time reading
12 in 12 : Read Kisses from Katie
Meet with my health coach to layout a plan for my 1/2 marathon training
Continue to wake up at 6:30am each workday + add Sundays to that routine
Clean out the Garage
Design + Order the last wedding albums from 2011

What are some of your favorite books?

I LOVE this time of year!

Be sure to follow our @Branches_Light twitter account, as we’ll be tweeting photos, lessons, questions and quotes throughout the day.

And now, a few photos of our excitement while we were setting up for the workshop. Courtesy of my iPhone :]