I’ve known this family for a very long time. My dad married Brett and Corinn and I remember when each of their kids were born. So, it was an honor for me to be able to take their family pictures this year. It was extra special because they purchased this session during our adoption auction that helped provide the funds to bring our sweet baby girl home almost a year ago! Jake is an avid baseball player and they spend a lot of time at the ballpark so Corinn wanted to take some pictures at a baseball field. We headed over to Conestee park for their portraits so that we could use the beautiful bridge on the trail and have access to the little league baseball fields. It was a cold day for pictures but we had a lot of fun…my mom’s puppy even made it into some of their pictures. Thanks Boyna family for letting me capture these memories for you and for supporting us through our adoption!

I love being able to take pictures every year at the One Small Step for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) event. It is hosted by our friends David and Gywn in honor of their daughter, Ellie. This year they hosted a fall festival instead of a 5K, which was so much fun. My 5 year old had a blast with the games, bounce houses and face painting. I loved seeing all the cute costumes, especially the little girl who won her category dressed as Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress.

When Ellie (aka bat girl for the day) was just a few weeks old she received the PWS diagnosis. Since then, her parents have fought so hard for her and for other kids with PWS. Gywn works with the Foundation for Prader-Willi research in organizing this event to raise funds for research. I love coming to the event and seeing the PWS kids each year and how much they have grown and how well they are doing. We all hope and pray that one day kids like Ellie, Gracie, LeBron, and Mila (just to name a few) will be able to LIVE LIFE FULL and not have to suffer with the insatiable hunger that comes from PWS. If you want to learn more about PWS and how you can support the research for these precious kiddos, you can visit https://www.fpwr.org/

As a photographer, obviously I love taking pictures. I enjoy being creative but I also love the fact that pictures are family treasures for years to come. That’s why I was thrilled when Clair told me that her family wanted to give Ben’s mom a family portrait session for her birthday. She was working with her sister-in-law, Courtney, to organize it and I was happy to be able to preserve these family memories for them. These pictures were extra special because this summer, sweet Bess, officially and legally became part of their family. She was part of their family from the day they met her but now that it was legal, they wanted to get some family pictures taken. We headed to a neighbor’s beautiful field for their extended family session and the light and setting were gorgeous! As always, I had a great time working with this sweet family! Thanks Ben, Clair, Courtney and Trey for allowing me to be part of such a special birthday present for your mom!

Christmas is right around the corner, if you are interested in giving a loved one a portrait session, please contact me today for information.

I had the great honor of shooting the One Small Step for PWS event in Spartanburg for the 3rd time this year. This is such a special event because it is organized by one of my good friends with the purpose of raising money for Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) research. This year they raised $34,000 for PWS research! Gwyn’s daughter, Ellie, was born with this rare genetic disorder 4 years ago and she and her husband have worked tirelessly for the past 4 years to help raise money to find a cure for PWS so that Ellie and her friends can one day live life full. This year, Gwyn had a co-host, Blythe, whose son Peyton was diagnosed with PWS last year. He was at the 5K last year after just being released from NICU. It is so fun to shoot this event each year to be able to watch these precious PWS kids grow up. They are such special kids and I really hope a cure is found soon so they can LIVE LIFE FULL! To learn more about PWS and the research, you can visit the FPWR website.