Archive: January, 2011
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
The expo has come and gone – and what a year it was!!! I had the priveldge of not only setting up a booth at the expo but also participating in the wedding tour.
My Saturday started out at Gertrude’s Breakaway, a Corolla event home managed by the great folks at Beach Realty. I want to give a big THANK YOU to the Beach Realty crew for inviting me to participate in this years wedding tour, and also to the lovely ladies that kept me company all day:
I also want to give a shout out to Wes, and the rest of the staff at Red Sky Cafe. They had an awesome set up of their famous Shrimp & Grits – oh.my.gosh – it was GOOD. I’m a traitor to southern girls everywhere, as I’ve never been a huge fan of grits. Let me just say, it’s a wonder I didn’t turn into a bowl of grits by the end of the day. They were simply delicious!!!!
Melinda Gregory, with Just Desserts, had a beautiful (and yummy!) display of samples for the brides and their entourage to try out.
We had beautiful flower arrangements scattered throughout the home, courtesy of The Embellishers. They really outdid themselves, and the flowers were beautiful!
Wedding Expo Day was a blast, and exhausting all rolled into one.
I want to give a HUGE thank you to my family and friends. Without you all, none of this would have been possible. My wonderful dad, and another friend, built my entire booth. It was a labor of love, and well worth it because I was thrilled with the way it turned out. They did a fabulous job!!!
I also want to give big hugs to my friends, Winnie & Rebecca, for hanging in there all.day.long helping to greet brides, hand out information, and answer questions. It’s a long day, and I’m so glad you guys were there to share it with me.
To all of the wonderful brides, grooms, family members, and friends – THANK YOU for stopping by. It was wonderful meeting you all, and I can’t wait to work with you! 
Tags: Corolla Wedding Photographer, Corolla Weddings, Duck Wedding Photographer, Duck Weddings, Hatteras Island Weddings, Nags Head Weddings, OBX Wedding Photographer, obx weddings, outer banks wedding photographer, outer banks weddings, Roanoke Island Photographer
Posted in OBWA, Wedding | 6 Comments »
Saturday, January 15th, 2011
Bennett & Ailyn are awesome, and they’re great friends. Ailyn is so funny – makes me laugh, and she’s such a great mom. Bennett…well, I don’t think I’ve met a more devoted father. They live in Charleston, but we had the pleasure of Bennett staying with us whenever he comes into town for work. Their kids are too adorable, so when Ailyn and the kids came up to visit we had to make sure to get their family portraits in. We all had an early dinner together, and then headed down to Coquina Beach in South Nags Head for their family portraits.
Little Bennett’s at the in-between age, where he’s not sitting so it makes family portraits a little challenging. Don’t worry, this time next year he’ll be all over the place. Omi, that girl is a riot. Ailyn talks to the kids in Spanish, Bennett in English. It’s hilarious listening to Omi talk because her sentences are a mixture of both – it is the cutest thing.
Because the beach isn’t exactly the best place to lay a baby down for pictures, we made sure to get some inside the next day. Can we say adorable?? Little Bennett has the cutest smile ever!
Tags: avon, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx portraits, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits
Posted in beach, Children, Couples, Families, Portraits | No Comments »
Saturday, January 15th, 2011
Amanda is a super sweet senior I photographed while she vacationed with her family on Hatteras Island. I LOVE shooting down south – the beaches are hands down the prettiest around. They’re beautiful, lots of dunes, and typically free of people. Amanda was so sweet, and did anything I asked her. She also had her boyfriend there, and we were able to grab a few shots of him, and them together.
A lot of seniors choose to have their senior portraits taken while vacationing here on the Outer Banks – I think it’s a fabulous idea!!! If you’re the unlucky (I kid, I kid) person who doesn’t live at the beach, what can be better than coming home from vacation and having senior photos that will look different than all of your classmates. Not only can you chat it up about your beach vacation, but you will have truly unique photos to remember your senior year by.
I mean, really, could I ask for a more beautiful senior?
I’ve got to give kudos to Amanda because this last shot, while it looks clam, actually took quite a bit of planning. Getting a reflection while sitting in the water? A lot harder than it looks. To have a great reflection you need the water to have *just* washed out I think she probably got tired of hearing me say, “Okay…now lift up. Go back down.” Thanks for being a trooper!
Tags: avon, avon beach portraits, avon senior portraits, corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, duck, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras island senior portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, obx beach portraits, obx portraits, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, senior beach portraits, southern shores beach portraits
Posted in beach, Seniors | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
I have to say….I have some of the BEST clients in the world!!! I love my job! I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend their days playing on the beach and working with great people? I love nothing more than when clients email me to tell me how much they love their photos. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I always say that part of being a photographer is like getting to become a part of another family for a day, that is SO true. So many of the wonderful families I work with during the summer welcome me with open arms.
Cleaning up my inbox today, and I thought I’d share some of the emails I’ve received from past clients:
Oh my goodness, the pictures are overwhelming. In that they are simply beautiful. You captured everyone so naturally and personally. I’m still with family at my home, but will take second and third and maybe fourth looks for ordering soon…… I know everyone else feels the same way!
Thank you SO much………
Courtney, thank you for the link and the time spent with our kids. We all love the proofs and are excited about granmas Christmas gift.
Hi Courtney! We LOVE the pictures…..you did a wonderful job and were so patient with our little ones. See you next year!!!
I love hearing from my clients, so thank you to everyone who takes the time send me a message. I love getting these notes, and you never know what sort of surprise might show up after you send one!
Tags: avon, belhaven, chesapeake family photography, corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx weddings, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, outer banks wedding photographer, outer banks weddings, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits, what to wear - beach portraits
Posted in thanks | No Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
I had the pleasure of photographing this love family for their Outer Banks Beach Portraits this summer. Let’s be honest, nothing is less cool to a teenage guy than having family portraits taken – on vacation no less! These guys were great sports and so cooperative – they made my job easy!. We met at Coquina Beach in South Nags Head on what was an pretty overcast and breezy day. One of the great things about Coquina Beach, aside from it’s beauty, is that it’s one of the few beaches that still has a dune line in tact. With so many homes built right on the ocean, the dunes are quickly eroding away. Coquina Beach is all maintained by the park service, and the dunes are really great for blocking the wind.
Tags: avon, corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, obx portraits, obx weddings, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits, what to wear - beach portraits
Posted in beach, Children, Couples, Families, Portraits | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
These guys are possibly my favorite family to photograph! Rebecca is my best friend, she’s been my partner in crime for a long time. It’s bad when kids know that you practically have a camera as an extension of your hand. Ella proudly announces to everyone that her “Aunt Courtney” is a photographer. And Landon? Well, when he sees “honeybun” (not sure how he came up with that name for me??) pull out the camera I’m pretty sure I hear a groan. Yeah, they haven’t had a lens pointed at them since birth or anything. 
I LOVE photographing people I know, especially friends. Rebecca’s husband is one of FIVE kids, all married with kids of their own. Rebecca has a great group of sister-in-laws who graciously have adopted me as part of the family. They are great friends and I don’t think I laugh harder than when I’m with them all. You’ve seen Karen’s session before, and Stacey’s is coming up. Photographing so many families related to each other poses a challenge to come up with something unique in our small town year after year. Their family gathering is nuts. They have TEN kids in the immediate family.
It had been several years since we’d done Becca’s family at the beach, so we opted for that this year. Can I just say that Becca is like Marth Stewert – and she’s such a planner. I just want to take her session and do a whole blog post on “what to wear for your OBX beach portraits” because she perfectly coordinated her family. They stuck with the traditional color pallet, without doing “khaki pants/white shirts”. You’ll notice they all wore a different variation, and I have to give her props for getting Daniel into a pair of linen pants.
We chose one of the best spots on the Outer Banks for photography – Coquina Beach in South Nags Head.
Tags: avon, corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx portraits, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits, what to wear - beach portraits
Posted in beach, Children, Couples, Families, Portraits, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
Kevin is my brother & Leah and I were college suite-mates….Cassie is their new Corgie. We ventured down to Coquina Beach in South Nags Head for their portrait session, with their Christmas Cards in mind. I’m not sure who had more fun during our time at the beach…..the dog, or my brother – who had a 5 minute “stare down” with a giant pelican. Ahhh men! What would we do without them?
Couples portraits are a great thing! Most people feel like they need to be getting married, sending a holiday card, or have a family in order to have their portraits taken. That is far from the truth, and I think it’s important that all couples have their photos professionally taken every so often. When other than your wedding, and after kids come along do you have nice photographs of yourself?
Tags: corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, duck, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, nc wedding photographer, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx portraits, outer banks beach portraits, outer banks family beach portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits
Posted in Anniversary, beach, Couples, Engagement, Portraits | 2 Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
Yep, it’s that time of year again. Well, it’s past that time of year again – but since I save the blogging on a lot of my holiday sessions until AFTER the cards have been mailed….we’re going to pretend it’s that’s time of year again.
Karen is a friend of mine, and I’ve been photographing her family for a looong time. In fact, between the rest of her extended family I’m starting to run out of places here on the beautiful Outer Banks to photograph them. We try to find a new spot each year, and for the card this year we decided on a quiet spot at the north end of Roanoke Island. You might remember these cute kids from their spring session back in May….well little Gage is now walking (more like running) all over the place. It was a lot easier back when I could put him in a chair and he’d stay there.
Tags: corolla anniversary party, corolla beach portraits, corolla family portraits, corolla family reunions, corolla photographer, corolla portraits, duck, family beach portraits, hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, Manteo Family Portraits, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx portraits, outer banks family reunions, outer banks photographer, outer banks portrait photographer, outer banks portraits, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography, southern shores beach portraits
Posted in beach, Children, Families, Portraits | No Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
Matt & Kaisey are probably one of the most adorable couples. Both work in the sportfishing industry – Matt is the mate for Spencer Yachts, while Kaisey works in the yard office for Bayliss Boatworks. If you don’t get why that’s funny it’s like having one kid go to UNC while the other goes to Duke. They embrace it, and both love where they work….even if they do get heckled by friends every now and again.
I was thrilled when they called me to take photos for their Christmas card with their dog Sugar. Kaisey had a great idea – he’d wear a Spencer shirt, she’d wear a Bayliss shirt. Kaisey even managed to come up with a cute play on words for their Christmas Card greeting. We chose to shoot in a beautiful spot on the Outer Banks – Historic Downtown Manteo on Roanoke Island – and has the most amazing light on what seemed like a dreary overcast day.
Check out their session…..are they stunning or what??
And just for fun – you can see how cute their Christmas Card was -
And just for fun, become a fan of the FACEBOOK PAGE and see more of their session.
Tags: hatteras island beach portraits, hatteras island family portraits, hatteras photographer, Island Farm Photographer, Island Farm Portraits, kitty hawk photographer, nags head beach portraits, nags head family portraits, nags head family renunions, nags head photographer, nc beach portraits, nc family portraits, nc photographer, nc wedding photographer, obx beach portraits, obx photography, obx portraits, obx weddings, outer banks photographer, outer banks portraits, outer banks weddings, Roanoke Island Photographer, Roanoke Island Photography
Posted in Anniversary, Engagement, Portraits | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
It’s that time of year again……Wedding Weekend!
If you’re a bride planning an OBX Wedding, the Wedding Weekend is an event you don’t want to miss. Sponsored by the Outer Banks Wedding Association, the wedding weekend is full of info to help you plan your dream wedding.
If you’ve purchased weekend ticket, you can start the Wedding Weekend off with a self-guided tour on Saturday, where brides and their entourage can visit event homes, reception sites, and restaurants to find the prefect place for their wedding or reception. Make sure to check out the list of vendors, as each site will have different vendors present to answer all of your questions.
On Saturday you can find me hanging in Corolla with the Beach Realty, NC crew at their event home, Gertrude’s Breakaway. Red Sky Cafe will be serving up some delicious food, and I’m sure Just Deserts will have some yummy treats for you to taste. Bells and Whistles will be there to answer all your flower questions, and Ocean Isle Events can help you plan your dream wedding. Ocean Atlantic Rentals will be onsite to help with all your party rental needs.
Saturday night you can stop in the Pirate’s Cove Pavilion listen to some of the best bands and DJ’s the Outer Banks has to offer while tasting delicious food from various Outer Banks restaurants and catering companies.
Don’t forget to finish the weekend off by spending Sunday checking out all the Outer Banks Wedding Expo has to offer. You can find me in the First Flight High School gym, I’ll be all set up in Booth #11.
Hope to see you there!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
