southern accent photography

An Evening On Fernandina Beach

2010-08-23T21:23:00.001-04:00

When Mandi first contacted me about taking pictures of her family, I knew I was in for a fun experience! Two grandparents, one great uncle, six parents, and six children...I could have spent hours with these guys! They were all so genuinely warm, welcoming, and truly happy with life! It's my pleasure to share with you a few highlights from our evening together! I'll begin with the group and families, and move onto some of the candids. Thanks to all of you for a memorable session!

AJ

2010-07-16T00:47:00.000-04:00

Meet AJ! At just over a year old, he's already full of energy and so much personality! He mastered the art of running down the hill at a pace that was hard to keep up with, and luckily, I had his parents to help! I was able to catch some moments of them playing, smiling, and enjoying life together. They are truly a happy family and a joy to be around! Thank you for letting me capture these memories!

Coleman

2010-06-28T23:34:00.002-04:00

I would like to introduce everyone to Cole, just a few weeks shy of his 4th birthday. It's so hard to believe it's been 4 years since I visited this little guy in the Vandy NICU as he was born early! We just spent a few minutes outside his grandmother's house this past weekend, but it was ALL in motion! Thanks Tiffany and John for letting me hang out with him and burn some serious calories!

The last two were the only ones I took sitting still! I was exhausted!

The Donovans Invade Daytona

2010-06-07T22:46:00.002-04:00

Oh my goodness what an amazing trip! Sean's parents rented a truly unbelievable penthouse condo for us in Daytona for an entire week, resulting in lots of laughter and fun! As always, everyone was a good sport and humored me behind the camera, and (as always) Landon and Donovan made for precious photos! I've included a few photos that I consider my favorites, which was hard considering the variety I had to choose from! I look forward to October when these two will become a big brother and big sister to Baby Rainey #3, and can't wait to photograph the new family of 5!! But until then, these pictures will do! Much love to you all!

Just playing on the patio one evening...

Looking for periwinkles! We spent a good deal of time digging the little guys out of the sand!

The first evening on the beach...she became much braver the next day!

The whole crew! Thank you timer and random tall pole on the beach :)

Grandparents with the Grandkiddos

The Rainey's!

I think I blinked ;)

Landon and Donovan at the Beach

2010-03-26T11:03:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I confess I love capturing anything involving kids, but I was truly honored to be able to capture the reactions of Landon and Donovan to seeing the beach for the first time! It was a bit chilly, but that didn't keep Landon from loving every minute of the sand and running from the waves in his Grandpa's arms! Donovan was not her usual brave self, but know that she'll warm up to the beach and ocean in no time during our upcoming vacation! I am counting down the days until Daytona in May with the entire family and look forward to capturing more great memories! Thanks again to Al and Scott, and of course all the Donovans for humoring me :)

Okay, so the first pictures are of the kiddos getting energy for the beach....

The next few are of Landon's reaction to the beach...he was SO excited!!!

So the next few are of Donovan's reaction to the beach...not quite the same, but we'll get her excited during the May trip!

She warmed up a bit while swinging in her uncles' hands!

Landon couldn't have been happier running from the waves! I can't wait to see what May brings!

Landon and Donovan, December 22

2010-01-25T12:50:00.006-05:00

Since I married into a large family, I'm blessed to have access to some precious faces and some patient family members that allowed me to capture some of the following shots. We spent over an hour letting the kids play at a park close to Sean's parents' house in Andersonville. A special thank you to Al and Scott for letting me share these pictures with the world! I can't wait to take these pictures year after year!

Thanks again to Al and Scott for letting me borrow the kiddos! Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!!

A Christmas Shoot at the Beach

2009-12-03T17:35:00.002-05:00

My hubby and I are loving Florida, especially as we are still wearing short sleeves and driving with the windows down in early December. As every day passes, I am more and more happy he didn't choose a residency in the North :)

We went to the beach today since he got off early and had some fun with the timer and a new bucket and shovel...

I won't be uploading too many pictures, only because we want some element of surprise with our Christmas cards :)

I'll finish up with one of the Jacksonville Pier - As many times as we've been to the beach, we've yet to go under the pier - I always love dimensional pictures :)

A sampling...

2009-11-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

At the requests and suggestions of some friends and others, I've decided to add a few pictures to begin showing some of my favorite photos...above is my dear friend Lauren...She is one of the most fun people to photograph as she is always willing to dance and show her excitement for life :)

My students and I traveled to NYC for one of their competitions, and we wandered the city during most free moments! They were patient with me and my need to photograph everything! Rockefeller Center during the evening was a fun place to play with different angles and settings!

Bella on the left, and Sir Chance on the right...my husband and I adopted Bella this past summer as our first "child" - Chance is my parents' dog, and enjoys sleeping in, growling if you touch his ticklish spot, and eating Pupperoni. Bella enjoys sleeping, sniffing, and chewing on her weekly Nylabone.

My Dad and I were lucky enough to witness the launch of Atlantis, STS-129, on November 16. It was set to launch at 2:28 pm, and about 10 seconds later, my finger was busy snapping nearly 100 pictures. While it was only visible for less than a minute I tried to capture a few unique shots, and this ended up being one of my favorites. You can see the wind already moving the trail behind the shuttle, the sign at the entrance of the Visitor Complex, and the tiny speck of orange at the top which is the flames coming from the shuttle and fuel tanks. It was one of the most memorable and special days of my life, just after my wedding!

My husband's entire family was present for his graduation in Memphis - this picture is of his (and now mine, too!) precious niece. It was hard picking just one picture with her smile - they were all beautiful!

I love this picture of my parents! It was also taken the weekend of Sean's graduation on Mud Island in Memphis - My parents are amazing and very fun people to photograph...I'm so happy you can see their personalities in pictures :)

Just getting started...

2009-11-18T22:12:00.004-05:00

So at the request of the two most important men in my life, I am now pursuing photography as a secondary career/hobby. I have always loved capturing moments and remembering the happiest times of my life in pictures, and hope to be able to use this passion to help others have their most precious memories kept forever in pictures as well. My parents gave me my Nikon as a much needed upgrade for Christmas, which quickly filled up with thousands of pictures of trips with my students and random occasions with friends and family.

I am starting this blog as a way to follow my story as I begin this new chapter in my life...I look forward to seeing what lies ahead!