Sunday Grant Photography Blog

I first met Michael when he was in 8th great when I worked for his dad at State Farm.  Hard to believe he is about to walk down the aisle and marry his college sweet heart.  I am not sure if this just makes me sound old or I am hold!  I have a few friends who will say I am old!  All that being said I am so excited to show you Emily and Michael’s engagement session from December in Montreat.  Yes December!  I am so behind on my blog posts.  I have so many sessions to share with you, but life has been busy as I gear up for the 2012 wedding season.  More on that to come.

Emily and Michael are so sweet together.  There is a quietness about them that I just love.  It make me proud to see how Michael has turned into such a loving and caring man who found such a beautiful person to stand beside him in life.  I wish them nothing but the happiest life filled with love.  They are well on their way!

Cheers to Michael and Emily!!

Here we are to the 6th and final post on the Atlanta Sessions.  You all know I love Atlanta and I rode horses in Atlanta, well Jennie is one of the girls I spent many days with at the barn taking care of our horses.  I was so excited when Jennie contacted me to take photos of her kids.  She has one daughter, Leah who is 4, and twins (a boy and a girl) who are 1.  To say her and her husband, Alex, hands are full is an understatement!  This was a very fun photo session and I am so thankful Jennie brought me some starbucks!  All the kids were such troopers though because the rain came toward the end of the session but the kids kept at it, smelling flowers and popping bubbles!

Sweet Molly!

Sweet Leah!

Oh sweet boy Jesse!

I love this, Leah was trying so hard to get the twins to sit with her and take a picture.  This is the best we got and I think it is perfect!

You always need to stop and smell the roses……I mean pansies!

Ok here we are back to my Atlanta photo sessions.  Shew this weekend is making me tired just thinking about it!  It sure was a blast though.

I am sure you remember this sweet little family from sessions past.  They used to live in the Asheville area but recently moved to Atlanta which works out beautifully for me!  I am so happy I still get to see them at least once a year.  This time they were excited to have their sweet Henry in the photos.  This little man is just precious.  He was the calm to Abbie’s energy as evidenced by this photo below.

Introducing Henry Ledford!

When I first got to Wes and Shannon’s house they had literally just pulled in from out of town.  Everyone was busy getting ready as was Abbie, putting on her momma’s eye shadow!  It was so cute.  I loved seeing how big Abbie had gotten over this past year.  She really is so fun!

Thank you Wes and Shannon for allowing me to take photos of your beautiful family again!  Lets do it again next year!

Speaking of mini sessions… here is another one I did for two sisters as a Christmas present for their mom.  We met at beloved Camp Merri-Mac right before the sun fell behind the mountain and had a fun little session. Their dog brought lots of energy and high entertainment value!

This will be similar to the session I am giving away on facebook.  Well actually 2 sessions I am giving away.  I felt so loved that I decided to throw another giveaway into the mix.  I will randomly select one of the people who suggested my page through random.org to win another session!  The contest is over tomorrow and I am so excited to announce the winners.  That will be announced around noon tomorrow.  Hurry up and get your name in the drawing!

Thanks Sarah and Kathryn for a fun afternoon!

So you all have been making me feel so proud and loved.  You have really responded to my giveaway of a mini session on Facebook.  Thank you so much!!  The contest is still going on until January 10.  There is still time to win.  Recommend my site to your friends.  Whoever sends over the most people to like my page wins a mini session from me!  Make sure whoever you send over says they are there because of you.  I want all votes to count.  Hopefully once they are over there they will love what they see and want to stick around a bit.  I will try my hardest to make pretty images for you and make you proud!

This session is an example of a mini session I did for my friend from High School in Atlanta.  A mini session is less time, less photos, and less money, but you still get an amazing product!  This session was of the sweet Fannie Bradley at Chastain Stables in Atlanta.  As I have told you in past Chastain is near and dear to my heart since I spent about almost every waking moment there during my child hood.  A lot has changed at that barn,  but the excitement I always had going there did not fade.  I was happy to meet Kyle and her little family there.

Fannie Bradley’s story is especially amazing because she was never expected to walk.  While in her 1st year of life she was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease.  You can learn more about it here and here.  It was very hard for me to imagine this super cute little girl in Hunter Boots and big pink bow has a disease that puts a lot of children in wheelchairs with feeding and breathing tubes and her she is walking, and running even!  What sweet victory!

I was so proud when I got Kyle’s card in the mail and above this first image is the verse:

“When you walk, your step will not be hampered and if you run, you will not stumble” Proverbs 4:12

What an amazing little girl with amazingly strong parents who love her so deeply I felt like I could physically touch there love!  It was a true honor and a blessing to photograph this sweet little girl!

It’s hard not to do a year end review with the coming of a new year! I want to thank each and every one of you who have hired me and put your very special moments into my photographic hands (does that make sense?). Those moments of capturing your children playing or as you exchanged vows with your one true love have meant the world to me. Thank you for sharing your life with me. I am so thankful I get to do what I do.  I am looking forward to 2012 and meeting new clients, new venders, and photographing in new venues, new cities, and maybe even new countries!  You have to dream big right?  I am so thankful for the experiences I did have from being featured in Docica Magazine and more importantly having Joey and Kasia’s wedding featured! Also having pictures of Debbie’s dress featured on Asheville Indie Wedding’s Blog as well as Jon and Margie’s wedding featured there as well.  I have a goal of being published in 100 Layer Cake,  Style Me Pretty, or Once Wed as well as Weddings Unveiled, these are also wonderful resources for brides!  I am going to work on my branding.  Can you ever really stop working on that though?  I also am putting this in writing but if you recommend a bride and groom to me and they book you will receive a complimentary mini session as a thank you!  Speaking of mini sessions, I am currently doing a give away over on my facebook page.  Send your friends over to like my page, whoever sends the most people wins a mini session!  Pretty easy right??  Make sure they say who sent them!!!  This give away will end on January 10th.

I am so hopeful for 2012.  I am so excited for 2012.  I am sure I will be doing another year end review sooner then I think possible.  Here’s to to hope!

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite photographs of 2011.  Did you have a favorite?

This was also one of the highlights of my year.  Going with my friend Jen to see Joe McNally and Strobist for a full day workshop and being called up onstage my Joe McNally himself.  I still break out into a cold sweat thinking about this moment!!

We continue on with the Atlanta sessions with the wonderful Kirkland family.  I love going home to Atlanta and I love to photograph my friends from High School.  They were all around when my love for photography began and it is fun for me to be photographing their families professionally.  Erin and her husband Travis, along with their sweet son, Walker, just welcomed baby Molly to the world.  Walker is the sweetest big brother ever and was so proud to be pictures with her.  It was a pure joy as usual!  Thank you Kirkland Family!

Enjoy!

While on my Atlanta trip I got to photograph sweet little Kaitlyn.  She is another year older but just as sweet as the day I met her.  I actually met her and her mom on a very crisp early morning fall day.  Kaitlyn was a star and never once complained about the temperatures.  I can’t wait until next year to see how this little girl has grown.

Enjoy!

Oh a little boy and his dog, what could possibly be sweeter!

I had a whirlwind, jam packed weekend in Atlanta a while ago getting everyone ready for Christmas card worthy photos.  I hope I succeeded, at least I think I did judging from the amazing Christmas cards coming to my mailbox.  Carter was first in the line up.  Not a bad start!

Hope you enjoy this sweet blue eyed boy and his handsome buddy.

This time of year is so busy and I LOVE it!!  I get the chance to meet so many neat families and kids.  The Howden family is no exception.  I had so much fun photographing these twin boys, watching the family dynamic, and seeing how much they adore each other.

Enjoy!!

I love the thumbs up!