{hilton head weekend round-up}

we went to the beach in NOVEMBER! can you believe that? i couldn't get daryl to the beach in the summer if i drugged him and dragged him there - something about rogue waves and deadly microscopic jellyfish...that aside - my girl marissa just moved from the grand state of new york 14 hours south to the beautiful south carolina island of hilton head...BIG CHANGE! we went saturday to help her unpack and situate her stuff and really just be there to help her settle in...
she is rooming with an old friend named kristina - who is really fantastic - really. you know when you meet those people who are just so nice and you keep wondering if they are really thinking how they can't stand you? well i hope she doesn't hate us -haha- but she was just super sweet and i think they will be great roomates...we had a great time and now we have the peace of mind that rissa is now only 3 hours away rather than 17 hours...which really is just TOO much...and we also now have a new vacation spot! (don't tell daryl.) :)

well - we went to the beach (which is only 2 minutes away from their condo - which might i add is ridiculous!) and even though i was a little chilly it as still beautiful. how can you not sit and look at the ocean and just be in awe of its creator? its just that amazing...anyways - back on point - we just took silly pictures of each other with the sun setting and the yummy golden light and had a ball...

this is daryl's favorite...and i pretty much love it too...

all mine...

p.s. this watermark is taking over my face in this one...gotta fix that...

and how hot is kristina in this picture? doesn't she just look so sweet and beauiful...(now stop saying that you hate this picture because you know you look good!)

how beautiful is this girl in that light?? yummy :)love this face...

hope youre having a happy wednesday/thursday... :)

{the little parkers}

we photographed ryan and kennedy last weekend downtown and just had a ball...these little ones were really really really shy at first but by the end of the little session we had them warming up to us...here are a few of our favorites of these two - i especially adore ryans funny faces! they make me smile just thinking about them!

{on being thankful and happy}

this past week i went to help daryl's grandpa Milt harvest what was left of his little garden...sharon (daryl's mom) and i picked beans, cucumbers, turnips, kale, small onions, eggplant, peppers, and even some garlic from the little patch. its so awesome to see the love and care that grandpa puts into his veggies. i have always wanted to have my own little garden, so it was a nice little lesson on how to plant and when to pick certain things. im so happy to have inherited such wonderful family by marrying daryl! i have to admit that when people talk about thier in-laws and new extended family with distain, it makes me laugh. i came out sitting pretty on the end of that deal. i immediately felt comfy and cozy with the reids/cooks and was so welcomed into thier family - i really couldn't have asked for more... (and did i mention that i gained the awesomeness that is heather :)??)

and i just can't help but share how big our little scout is getting! shes 9 months old now and 50 lbs!! holy moly! we always laugh at how much she brightens our day...no matter what has gone on in your day - no matter how crappy it has been - she is always happy to see us and love on us...



oh how much we have to be thankful for...

{this is my game face...}

or as i like to put it - the "determined to succeed at all things weddings" face. And it just so happens, its awful close to my "if i don't get some rest i may pass out" face...humm...

lately, daryl and i have been throwing around the possiblities for our little business and tryin to nail down what we want for the next year. whenever you lose your day job so suddenly, all at once so much pressure is put on your side job to produce a living! i have a hard time with this idea because i feel like in a way it stifles my creativity...i find myself looking for the literal "money shot" versus what i used to consider the most creative defining my style shot...its strange - but i guess there has to be a balance between the business side and the art side of this sort of job. needless to say, i haven't quite found the balance yet. i find myself trying to remember why i love photography. i have to remind myself that its that moment that you grab right out of time and keep forever. its the smile on a grooms face as he sees his bride for the first time...a mom's nervous laugh as she helps with the finishing touches of her baby girls wedding gown...its the sighs when the day is over and the photographs that tell a story of a love that will last a lifetime...its knowing that the images that you capture on someones wedding day will be the ones that thier children's children will look through and talk about how beautiful she was and how much he looks like he loves her...

its these little things that remind me that sometimes, even though you might think you can't edit one more picture or send one more email, you gotta keep your game face on. and you can't help but pull through.

{salina + terry}

as the crisp october air blew lightly through the trees, it marked the start of thier new life together... salina and terry have such a sweet relationship, and it is so sweet to see terry taking such an interest in salinas three little ones...its not everyday that you will find someone to love you and to love your family equally as much...its just so perfect... so here are a few of our favorite images from the first part of editting... we hope you love them as much as we do...

{matt + jenn}

last weekend we traveled all the way to richmond virginia for matt and jenn's beautiful wedding! we had a great time hanging out with old friends and making new ones along the way :)! we are so happy that we were able to document the love that matt and jenn have for each other...daryl has known matt since they were kids so it was really sweet to be there to see his (finally :)) big day to a wonderful girl...and we couldn't be more thrilled with these first pictures...we hope you love them as much as we do!

{fall family sessions}

{on love...}

being in love is a wonderful thing. its really amazing how it keeps you grounded...and lifts you as high as the clouds at the same time. i have to admit that it is still odd for me when people say things like "aww...you're still honeymooning!"to daryl and i when we tell them how long we've been married. its odd because i feel like we have know each other forever (well 10 years) and have been best friends for half as long! so it doesn't feel new at all for me - it just feels natural. thats one of the things about our relationship that is so wonderful and i think that daryl would agree that every thing about "us" is that way. just natural. of course we have our differences and disagreements but we spend most of our time laughing at each other and our little nuansences...like how when daryl tells a story, he repeats the punch line three times...always... it has become a hilarious little thing that he doesn't realize he does...i just wouldn't change it at all. especially in times as tough as we have recently experienced with our job situation. daryl has really stepped up to back me in this business and has really encouraged me to push myself to get what i want. i just love that about him. he believes in me. and thats all i could ever ask for.


oh! and happy friday :)

{new look}

so! we have a new logo here at h+d photography! whoot! :) so alot has changed here over the last couple of weeks...i was laid off from my job at the law firm i was working for last week - so! i'm full time at photography until further notice! we are excited about what this means for our business and now we can put the time and effort into the design and implementation part of the business that was really lacking before. we are really excited to start out on this new journey and hope that we can put our all into building stronger relationships with our clients and building our portfolio up in the process!

{mellie wren + guy...a love story}

guy and mellie wren were married this past weekend in a beautiful old school house, The Hearn Academy. though mellie wren had everything planned down to the minor details, her beauty stole the show once she arrived. we feel so privileged to have gotten to photograph their story and to have been a part of it all! we love you both and we hope you are enjoying your honeymoon!

hope you enjoy this sneak peek...

these are just a few of our favorites from the beginning of editing - but with a bride and groom this cute - there are MANY more to come...

{laylanie}

little laylanie has got to be the sweetest, cuddly baby out there! those little rolls on her legs are just screaming to be kissed! willesha and javens first baby girl is sure to be a winner of hearts as time goes by. she has those calm little eyes that peer into your soul - how can anyone resist it!? these are just a few of our favorites from our session...















i mean - seriously look at that cute booty!? she will hate these when shes older! therefore - my mission is complete...hehe...

{autism}

this video is amazing! what a break through for researchers to have someone on the inside of such a rampant condition to be able to step out and finally speak! its just incredible! we hear so many people whose kids, just in the last couple of years, have been diagnosed with this, its just always seemed so sad for them - but now it seems there is a glimmer of hope...