christy + chuck + jase {family}

(taken around christmas) christy and i have known each other for several years now and i love her just like she was a sister of mine. we met i believe through cross country and our mutual love for torturing coach walker blossomed into a beautiful friendship. i love that our friendship isn't based on how often we talk or how much we see each other now, especially since i've moved to north carolina and she and her husband are in oklahoma. she and i both know without a doubt that we'll be there for the other no matter what, and that's the best feeling. i met her husband for the first time for this shoot and i've got the vote for his favorite friend of hers! what can i say? i'm a beast. and of course, her brother jace...i can't believeeee how much he's grown. he's massive! all three of them got together for christy & jace's mother to be happy and have good photos of her kids :) love.

katie + travis {mini}

(taken in early december!) ahhhh, where to start!? katie is one of my best friends and i love her to pieces. in fact, if it weren't for her, i wouldn't even own a dslr camera. she encouraged me over and over again to get started with photography and i'm thankful i listened :) she and her husband are high school sweethearts and that kind of thing just melts my heart. we went out on the coldest day (unintentionally!) of the weekend i was there and managed to get a BUNCH of good photos. she also took my maternity photos on this day and we were both just freezing, but luckily it doesn't look like it in the photos :) enjoy!

shelby + chase {mini}

(these were taken in november! i'm just playing catch up) this was my first seasonal mini session of my career, and i have to say, it was great getting to see chase after so many years and a definite pleasure meeting his wife. they are so cute, and i had fun with these pictures :) enjoy!

kyrie + david {mini}

this was my second photoshoot in fayetteville & we went downtown, which i'm absolutely in love with. it's so cute! it's also really busy, so watching out for people was at the top of my list. this couple was so easy to photograph. you can just SEE their love for each other radiating in their photos. i had a lot of fun, and these are some of my favorites i've taken. enjoy!

-mel

fayetteville {exploring}

so tonight i was bored enough to drive around town and try to find some good photoshoot locations around town. i checked out a few different areas, and there are a LOT of really pretty places in this town! downtown is just to die for, and the fayetteville technical community college campus is beautiful as well. i'm convinced every corner of this city has a fountain in it. they're everywhere! i'm a big fan of sunlight {thanks to katie} and in texas it wasn't very hard to get good sunlight, seeing as there weren't many trees around...well, here, there are trees alllllll over the place, and they're TALL too. so the sun is a little harder to get in the photo. and it's pretty much always cloudy here too so that puts a damper on sunlight. i'll live! 

as i get more familiar with the area i'm sure i'll find more locations, but for now this was a lot of fun and a learning experience for me. i only got lost once! :)

FTCC

ftcc

ftcc

churchill rd.

downtown

fayetteville linear park

downtown

-mel

romeo + anissa + sophia {family}

this was my first shoot here in fayetteville and it was a lot of fun :) it took a while for sophia to open up and smile for me, but when she did it lit up the world. their puppy was ADORABLE too! i need one in my life. 

-mel

a send-off {military}

this day was bittersweet to me - my husband left for afghanistan for too many months for my taste...but it was my first chance to capture military moments on my camera, and i loved it. it was heart-wrenching seeing a man say goodbye to his newborn child, and knowing how many of these brave men were leaving their children at home and their wives behind. it's sad, but at the same time, you can't help but be so proud...so proud that a lot of these men do this because they want to...they like their responsibility. and that's what makes our country the best <3

i'll miss you, sergeant harshbarger <3

andrew was the only guy who didn't make a ridiculous face when i took his picture alone.

i love this.

mine, liz's and october's brave husbands "modeling"

my next goal is to photograph a homecoming. i can't wait to capture all that emotion and love on camera. just the thought of it makes me so excited! there's one coming up sometime this month, so i'm going to try my hardest to make it there, and hopefully make some new clients while i'm at it :)

-mel