Ben and Bethany

Sunday afternoon I met Ben and Bethany at the Duke Gardens for their engagement session. Although it was sprinkling when we arrived, the rain held off for us and the cloudy day produced gorgeous colors. Ben and Bethany are so sweet together and were so fun to spend the afternoon with, they reminded me how much I love my job. As you will see, we laughed a lot together! I can't wait to photograph their wedding in Raleigh on December 6th. Here are a few of my favorites from the afternoon...We found a Bobcat and they were totally willing to take some pictures by it...I think this is my favorite series...

Kurt and Heather

On Saturday I had the opportunity to photograph Kurt and Heather's wedding. They had a lovely outdoor ceremony at her mother's farmhouse in Bahama, NC, complete with a pig-pickin' reception. Although there were a couple of rain showers, they held off until the reception and it ended up being a gorgeous evening. Kurt and Heather were so fun and the farm was so beautiful, we had a great time photographing it. Here are a few of my favorites...
Kurt and Heather got engaged on Dia de los Muertos so in honor of it they had the cutest cake...Congratulations again Kurt and Heather!!

Eating Local

Over the last year, John and I have been working toward eating healthier, organically and locally. Durham is an amazing place to do this because we are literally surrounded by amazing local farms from which you can buy just about anything. This week was a really fun week and huge step forward for us as we try to eat consciously. First of all, our CSA with Britt Farms began last week, meaning that every week local farmers, Vernon and Jennifer, meet us at the Duke Gardens with a fresh box of beautiful produce. We have already been spoiled by them with greenhouse tomatoes, asparagus and an early crop of fresh strawberries! It is an adventure in cooking every week and so fun to connect with the people who labor over our food, something we as Americans rarely do. Then on Saturday, to top off our food-focused week, we and some friends took part in the Farm Tour. For those of you not in Durham, this is a weekend when all of the local farms open their doors and allow us to see what they grow and how they grow it. It was so fun! We stopped by Eco-Farm, Chapel Hill Creamery, Fickle Creek Farm and of course grabbed some fresh ice-cream from Maple View. It was so inspiring to see how it all happens and my respect for those in the farm industry has grown ten-fold. Plus, we got to come home with freshly laid eggs, Farmer's cheese and a belly full of amazing ice-cream!!For those in the Durham area, I strongly recommend stopping by one of our amazing farmer's markets to utilize the wonderful farm fresh produce, meats, dairy and eggs we have so readily available for us. Or, if you can't get up that early on a Saturday, join a local CSA, I know Britt Farms still has some spaces left. It is so important to eat locally and support our local farmers! They are amazing people who are generous, hard-working and love producing quality food for us, what could be better?

Triangle Farm and Home

A couple of weeks ago I did a shoot for Triangle Farm and Home feed store. That shoot was of the old feed store and surprise for the store's owner, Phil from his wife. After seeing the photos, Phil invited me back to take a few more of the new feed store as well as Phil's father, Mr. Blalock, who is the face of Triangle Farm and Home. I love visiting this store, it has a small town, local store feel that you don't see very often any more, complete with a mascot, Lady, Mr. Blalock's dog. If you live in Durham and are looking for plants, animal feed, mulch etc. I highly recommend swinging by this wonderful family run shop.