I LOOOVE senior portrait sessions! Especially shoots with incredibly fun girls like Courtney. This Kingsport native is so talented and had no problem at all having fun in front of the camera. Seriously.. I understand how tough it is to be on the other side of a camera.. I clam up + transform into Miss. Awkward City the minute a camera is turned on me… so I do everything I can to get folks to feel comfortable [I have a few tricks I've learned along with way] With this girl.. no tricks needed.. she is a theater student and musician so there is much to be said about practice on stage eliminates stage fright. Maybe this is something I need to invest some time in.

For this session we rocked the Old City for some fun color and spent a few minutes around UT’s Neyland Stadium since she will be a UT freshman in the fall! Yay for UTK! I’m pumped about these pics and so glad I got to know this beauty! Look out Knoxville.. here she comes.

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Yay for Chelsea + Toby.. and for being back on the blogging track!

I met Toby through serving with the Young Life ministry last year. I was totally and completely blessed by the folks I met that semester and Toby was one of them. I could NOT have been more excited when he and Chelsea [his drop dead gorgeous fiance] contacted me about shooting their engagements! I just LOVED their proposal story.. Toby knocked it out of the park and set the bar pretty high for all dudes to follow. Chelsea is very successful in the pageant world here in Tennessee and was giving a speech with crown, sash and all.. when Toby walked down the isle of the auditorium.. jumped up on stage in front of EVERYONE and asked Chelsea to be his bride. It was so neat he chose a moment that was so very special to her and wasn’t afraid to share it with everyone there! Oh gosh.. I just love what I do! These two are so perfect and so much fun to photograph.. here.. see for yourself!!

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“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” – English Proverb

preparing for this blog post i trolled pinterest.com [my newest love, inspiration + time waster] to find the best quote to sum up the last month. in the midst of this last month i have experienced the true meaning of the word OVERWHELMED and the word GRACE. this october i booked more session than i’ve ever tried to squeeze into a 3 week time, gave unrealistic deadlines [because i think i'm super woman and time doesn't apply to me] and bought a new house, rented out our old one and was left without a home for 2 weeks during the busiest time of my 3 year old career. after a breakdown, lots of chocolate and wise + loving friends, family + a husband peeling me from the ceiling i was able to take a step back and see what was really going on. we were being blessed. truly + deeply blessed. surrounded by those we love, in the home of our friggin dreams, with a business that is busting at the seems… the tough times often give birth to the greatest blessings and the painful times can often lead to the greatest joy.. you just have to stop and look around at the opportunity you’re being given… switch your point of view. i look back on this last month and i don’t see the tears + sweat + panic.. i see the family that took us in and gave us a place to stay.. the comfort + kindness of an ever wise husband.. friends that crowded tightly around to encourage.. and some images that i am more proud of than i’ve ever been.. images that actually move me [something i've longed to experience for a while] + clients that are now friends. pressure really does produce perseverance and when you ask God to teach you to trust him… he will [it may not be pretty, but it's always always worth it].

One last quote to kick this point into memory..

“It’s not the happy people who are thankful.. it’s the thankful people that are happy”… [another pinterest gem].

Look around.. there is sooo much to be thankful for.
Here are a few of my very favorite shots from this October…. to see many more from each of these sessions visit

facebook.com/knoxvillephotos

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