Cloverlea | English Garden Styled Shoot

The first time I ever set foot on the property of Cloverlea, I was blown away by the grounds, the house, and the incredible view of the mountains. I was second shooting and hadn’t yet started my own journey with my business. The wedding was for a woman named Trish. Her and her husband tied the knot in front of a gorgeous reflecting pool. Little did I know that a number of years later I would be organizing and executing an amazing styled shoot with that same woman on that same property!

Trish approached me a while ago to discuss some ideas she had for photography packages for Cloverlea (she works for the University of Lynchburg ,who owns the property, and helps run their observatory programs). We had plans to meet up and kind of do a walk through of the property so I could photograph the grounds and do some promotional photos for one of their upcoming observatory events. On the Monday of that week, Trish calls me and pitches the idea of pulling together a shoot since the weather looked like it was going to be amazing. I was totally in! We started planning immediately and by Saturday, we had managed to execute what I believe to be a pretty exquisite looking editorial shoot!

We could not have pulled this all together without the time, talent, and willingness of the vendors involved to hop on our crazy train haha! You guys are amazing <3

Venue: Cloverlea Farms

Dress: Celebration Bridal

Styling: Trish Cerulli and Rhiannon England

Jewelry: Hill City Bride

Stationary: Cor Graphic Design

Hair & Makeup: Emily Harris of Body Works Day Spa and Salon

Cake: La Bella Torta

Modeling: Azariah Helland & Joshua Person

Florals: Cheryl’s Secret Garden

Mismatched Styled Shoot | Avoca

I suddenly had this idea for a super bright and colorful shoot back in April. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted it to look like, except that I knew the theme had to be “bright and saturated” and “mismatched”. I also knew that it was going to have to be a pretty quick turn around since the May season was about to explode. So, I got in touch with my top vendors in the area to see if they would be interested/available. I gave them the outline of my disjointed vision and asked if they could fill in the blanks. Boy did they deliver!

Lauren McQuillan of Max and Dexter put together a beautiful table setting and Debbie Miller at Bloom By Doyles filled everything in with a gorgeous bouquet, flower tiara, and extra stems for the table. The delectable treats you will see below were provided by none other than the fabulous, Jennifer England of La Bella Torta, (aka MY MAMA). Shelby England (aka MY SISTER) rocked the makeup game and Emily Harris of Body Works killed it as usual with her amazing hair design. Church Street Bridal provided not one, but TWO gorgeous gowns for us to use and create two different looks with (we had some fun and went a bit more dark and moody at the end). Lastly, the Avoca Museum was the perfect backdrop, tying everything together with its classic elegance and charm.

I am so excited with the way everything turned out! I can’t wait for you all to see :) Enjoy!

Venue: The Avoca Museum

Styling: Max & Dexter Event Design

Pastries: La Bella Torta

Florals: Bloom By Doyles

Dresses: Church Street Bridal

Makeup: Shelby England

Hair: Emily Harris of Bodyworks Day Spa

Letters From Mom || Dear Barrett...

Vikings Inspiration Shoot || Central Virginia

I have been dreaming up this idea for a while now. It all started after watching the show Vikings. I loved all of the Norse influence and rugged beauty of the costume design and scenery. Within a few episodes, I found myself fascinated by one of the main characters, Lagertha. She is a warrior shield maiden, a fierce leader, lover, and mother. Everything about her rugged strength and beauty got my inner artist pumping. So, I reached out to some other creative minds to ask them to join me on my little escapade!

Our location was on a privately owned plot of land out in Evington. Talk about versatility! There were so many great spots, I had a hard time narrowing it down so I didn't have our models traipsing all over the place (I mean they still kinda did...but it wasn't as bad as it could have been haha). In the show, water plays a huge part as the characters spend most of their time either at sea going off to raid villages, or in their seaside village of Kattegat. The property had a beautiful creek on the banks of which we set up the beautiful dining table. Danielle Wallace was the creative master mind behind the table setting and decor. She killed it! Touches of leather and fur adorned the table and chairs, leaving one feeling as if you were about to partake of a Viking banquet in the woods. Bloom By Doyles dreamed up some gorgeous florals with toffee roses and feathers scattered throughout to give them just the perfect balance between sophisticated and wild. Emily Harris of Body Works Salon turned one of our models ,Taryn, into Lagertha herself! The hair, the makeup, the WAR PAINT!!! Couldn't have been better! Church Street Bridal provided the gown and let me tell ya, it was the first one I picked up off of the rack and I was instantly SOLD. Honestly, kinda wanted it for myself... 

I couldn't be more grateful for all of the love and creativity that was put into this shoot. I hop as you go through these pictures, that you feel transported to a different time and place just like I was!

Hair and Makeup: Emily Harris, Body Works Day Spa & Salon

Florals: Debbie Miller, Bloom By Doyles

Rentals & Decor: Danielle Wallace, The Crimson Magpie

Dress: Church Street Bridal

The mink fur you see in the photos is owned by a friend of Emily's named Frances Kahn who is actually looking to sell. If interested, it is available at Body Works!

I Scream, You Scream!

AAAAHHHHH!!!! I honestly cant stand how cute these kids are! I got to spend a whole day with them and got to do a bunch of fun things. I have been most excited about these though! Adorable Kids + Ice Cream + Sprinkles + Whipped Cream = TOO. MUCH. TO. HANDLE.

We kind of did this on a whim as our last photo project of the day, not really sure how it was going to go. Their mom was totally up for the idea (brave woman volunteering to scrub ice cream and sprinkles out of her daughters hair), so I just set up a white backdrop, diffused some light coming from a window, bought some ice cream, and let them have at it! You couldn't have posed these shots. Total, magical, childhood joy. Made me want ice cream something fierce, but I'm an "adult" and need to "watch what I eat".... Guess I'll stick to Halo Top... and reminisce about summer days as a five year old....

Enjoy this sweet treat guys!

Letters From Mom || Dear Eliza

Hey there! In case we haven't met, my name is Eliza Rain. I am ONE YEAR OLD! Can You believe it???! I have a very good life. My Momma is the best at making me laugh and my Dada is the best at having fun with. I'm a very happy little girl, but I am happiest when I am with them together. I still love to eat a lot of different types of food including Momma's milk... and the occasional bug, buuuttt I'm working on that. I am the biggest fan of the movie Moana, but I really just love Maui. I like to dance and sing in the car and I always say hi to people.  I know not a single stranger!  Peek-a-boo is my favorite game right now. My room is my favorite place to be, with my Momma and Dadda of course. I love helping load and unload the dishwasher. My first trip around the sun has been so much fun. I have learned so much so fast and I have lots more years to keep being me! My Momma said she has some things she would like to share with you all. She's a really neat lady and a great writer! Say hi guys!

"My sweet, sweet girl,I will do my best tot ell you this 5 billion times before you actually read this letter, but you are the most familiar person I have ever laid eyes on.""I have met you before this life I am certain. We wanted you for years. We knew we would have a girl first. We knew it would be you. But you are also so surprising. You never fail to blow our minds with your accomplishments, from how much you eat at dinner, to walking at 8 months.""You are the fiercest, most strong-minded little human I have ever met. I hope you stay this way all your life. You have been a fighter from the moment you were conceived. ""You are all the best parts of your dad and I, magnified...""This year has been the best year of my life and I have you to thank for that. Thank you for always breaking my heart in the best kinds of ways. More than anything, thank you for being exactly who you are.""I want to give you the best life with lots of friends and family who love you with all their hearts, lots of trips to places you've never been before, lots of really good food, and a never ending supply of really good belly laughs.""I hope to one day give you siblings because there's really nothing better then having them to share your childhood with."

"I hope to pass along to you a love of animals, an understanding that every life desires to live as badly as you, a desire to do for others, but the ability to see who is not good for your soul and the strength to move away from those people. Carry your love for music always. Always stay true to your heart. Please don't forget that you are quite literally and figuratively a part of me and your Dad. You are even better then I always imagined you'd be.

                                                         I love you with every fiber of my being,

                                                                                                          Always, Momma <3"

Well guys, it has been nice keeping in touch... until we meet again, lots of love always,

                                                                                                         ~Baby Eliza

Candy Shop Styled Shoot

I have been sitting on this one for a while now, unsure of when to post it, how to post yada yada. BUT! I am so excited to finally release it! This was a collaboration between me and my very talented lady friends Ashley and Jessica to create a candy/bake shop themed shoot. It's an idea that I have always loved and have been wanting to try and do my own take on it for a while. When talking to Ashley about how she wanted to do the makeup, I knew she was going to try and use candy in some way to create the look.  Boy did she deliver!!! I mean, she made eyebrows out of sprinkles!!! Who does that? Then Jessica came in and whipped the models hair up into cotton candy...WHAT!?!?! They made all my Willy Wonka dreams come true! Then Jennifer England of La Bella Torta (also known as my fabulous mama ;) ) made the gorgeous cake creation you see below to adorn the table setting along with a cupcake tower. A pink tutu, crop top shirt, and some fun jewelry tied the whole look together and made our model ,Kathleen, look like she had just walked out of Candy Land. These ladies are beyond talented and I was so thrilled to get to work with them to create such a fun shoot! Enjoy everyone!

Hair: Jessica Comisky

Makeup: Ashley Anchetta of Make Up by Ashley

Cake and Cupcakes: La Bella Torta

Styling: Rhiannon England

Modeling: Kathleen Richardson

Photography: Rhiannon Kathleen Studios

Location: Trivium Estate