Well love is definitely in the air during this time! I would love to know the story behind June weddings. One of those weddings I had the opportunity to photograph was for my dad's little sister, my Auntie Ames. We aren't that far apart in age so it is pretty awesome to have an aunt that I can talk photography with. Her laugh is contagious and she has such a warm and welcoming heart.

So earlier I showed you some photos from this lovely wedding in Bennington, VT. Now for the wedding ceremony and reception!

They weren't lying when they said the flower girl had practiced. Adorable.

In the foreground we see beautiful images and progress, but behind the scenes this photographer does struggle. This post isn't to allow me the opportunity to vent. I just want to give you a picture into what it takes to truly capture beauty and light.

Relationships. So often we see so much pain in this world and yet there are still relationships out there that are thriving and growing. Beautiful friendships that stick through the good and bad times. This is a true depiction of the love that God has towards us. I had the pleasure of getting to photograph a milestone in the lives of two people who have this type of deep friendship.

Documenting milestones is important and being able to photograph little L's first birthday for my friends Ranny and Pat was special. With all the craziness of preparing, setting up, and making sure everything is in place it was nice to be able to stop time and be able to give them something they can look back on and remember with fond memories. The party had to move inside because of the colder than expected temperatures but I think the theme went well with where we were. The carpet matched! Here are a few photos of how it looked before the party got started.

I probably should get out more. Any chance I get to photograph a family during my busy schedule, I enjoy discovering new locations. Since moving to Philadelphia I have gotten to see so much just in the last year and half. Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph this beautiful family in the Valley Forge National Park, which is free to get in, by the way.

Chris and I are privileged to have friends that are like family. The awesome thing about being a part of the family of God is that you literally feel like blood relatives. At least that is how I feel. Ha! Heather and Phil have been friends with us since before we got married and Saturday nights used to be our ritual hangout time before we moved.

I got my first dSLR 10 years ago. Along the way, I have learned a lot about gear and what it means to learn the skill. Here are a few thoughts to consider when buying gear and learning your skill. It is important to keep everything in perspective but do what it takes to improve.  

With spring in the air, the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations are starting to unfold. During the winter, we spend our time working to stay warm and happy through the cold dark days. I, on the other hand, try to find opportunities to still get out there and photograph people despite the gloom. I look for ways to bring color and life to the otherwise gray. These two made it easy for me bring life to winter.

For the last several months I have been working amongst a group of young people doing something completely different than what they are, but still  getting to know them. Our church, where I work, holds a school called REACH Columbia Union Urban Evangelism School which is of a different entity but of the same mission and goal. These students come for a year to learn about urban evangelism and to gain a closer relationship with Jesus. They learn both in the classroom and out in the field.

I am thankful that the fall and winter months are somewhat warmer here in southern Pennsylvania. With that comes more opportunities to photograph families! In the late fall of this past year (time goes by so fast!) I photographed the VinCross family again for their Christmas card.

This past fall, while I was working on revamping my site, I had the opportunity to photograph the Stones and their sweet little boy. New families are always fun to watch and see their excitement despite the change of pace.