Fall Mini Photo Sessions!

I can't believe it's already November! To kick the holiday season off right Jess and I will be offering Fall Mini Photo Sessions! These mini sessions are the best of both worlds. They're the quick and dirty of holiday photo taking. Each session will be 30 minutes long and you're guaranteed at least 10 high quality digital photos to print off or use in your holiday cards. These sessions will run $50 each and if you want more time, just book two sessions! I'm offering three dates this season to start off (I will add more if needed). This Sunday, November 8th in Cary at Bond Park between 9am and 1pm, Sunday November 15th in Raleigh at Yates Mill Park between 9am and 1pm and on December 5th in Durham at the Tobacco Campus between 9am and 1pm. Message or call me to reserve a half hour session on any of those days!

There's no limit to what type of photo session this can be! New baby bump to adore? Sure! Santa hat on the pups? I'm game! Want to get the whole family together? That sounds awesome!

Please email me at liz@oakcityphotographync.com to book your spot!

Elegant Mountain Wedding

A few weekends back I found myself surrounded by a huge group of loving people who were all gathered in the town of Asheville, NC to celebrate the beautiful wedding of Emily and Mike. I've known Emily for a few years now and was thrilled when she asked me to be her photographer! I was even more thrilled when she told me she planned to be married in Asheville (I have a crush on that city).

I had the wonderful pleasure of being there to help her as she planned her wedding (I was more moral support, she had it handled) and aid her where I could. We had a blast last October when we went to Asheville for her bridal portraits (that'll be the next post) and we had a  blast a few weeks ago when all her planning came to fruition for her spectacular wedding! 

I worked this wedding on my own and wow was I winded by the end of the night. I enjoyed every second of it because these people are some of the best people. They and their friends and family were all so happy and had such a good time, it made the time fly by. 

Mike and Emily were blessed with a beautiful sunny day for a wedding with not a cloud in the sky. Some photographers might cringe when say that (I know I did when I saw it) but in the end the day was spectacular and I managed to get a few good photos as well. 

Their ceremony was short and sweet. The majority of my time was spent capturing candid photos of the bride and groom and their guests. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Emily thought of everything with this wedding. From the napkins to the "don't take my drink!" signs, she was on point. I've never met a more detailed oriented and yet level headed bride before. It was a pleasure working with her and Mike! 

Congratulations Mike and Emily Collins, it was fantastic! 

-Liz DiNatale

www.oakcityphotgraphync.com 

Jeremy & Kelsey - I do

A few months ago in a cute little town called Bailey, one of the best people I know got married. I've known Jeremy since college and he's one of the few I've tried to stay in contact with. I was very excited when I heard that he'd met someone and gotten engaged and I was even more excited when they told me they'd like me to be involved in their wedding. I was so happy to meet his wife, Kelsey and to be a part of their big day.

The day was bright and beautiful. The kind of day any bride would wish for. Everyone was a bundle a nervous excitement and no one could stop smiling. I was able to shoot this wedding on my own so I was running double duty between Kelsey getting ready and Jeremy orchestrating the set up while managing to tie his tie.

Kelsey was so calm and collected. She was such a beautiful bride. Her dress was so lovely with its simple elegance. Completely covered in delicate lace and accented by a lovely blue, crystal encrusted belt. It was also so nice to meet their families who were all so loving and friendly. 

Their wedding was small and intimate with mostly family. The emphasis was on what mattered to them most, being married and that was so wonderful. 

This is why I love weddings and photographing them. The look of love and excitement is so refreshing.  

These two are a great team. 

I don't think Jeremy could have found himself a better bride. Her kindness perfectly reflects his own.  

It was a great day. One that I'll not soon forget and hope I never do. 

Congratulations Jeremy and Kelsey! The best is yet to come!

Liz DiNatale

www.oakcityphotographync.com

Itty Bitty Flower

A few weekends ago I was blessed to have the opportunity to take the first professional photographs of sweet baby Silas. 

He is the 3rd born in a series of super sweet boys. His two older brothers are so loving and sweet. 

Since I'm still honing my skill on the wee ones I did these photos for my friend as a gift. I felt like using his new son as a guinea pig was payment enough. 

Silas was a good sport about being positioned and re-positioned while he was trying to take a nap. 

And so were his parents. 

What a great looking trio!

I'm looking forward to seeing Silas grow up to be a fantastic little brother. Thanks again to the Flowers family!

Liz DiNatale

www.oakcityphotographync.com

Sydnee turned 3!

I absolutely love it when I get repeat family photo sessions! About two years ago Sydnee's parents contacted me to take photos of their darling daughter as she turned 1. I was so happy to receive an email this year asking for another photoshoot to commemorate Sydnee turning 3! My how she's changed!!

This year we headed to one of my favorite locations, the Historic Yates Mill Pond park. Unfortunately the Mill was actually closed for maintenance on the dam but we managed to enjoy the greenways and the boardwalk just fine. 

Sydnee is certainly not shy of the camera anymore. 

Two very opposite photos, one very happy little girl. 

I learned a valuable lesson that day though. Lots of heat and whole bunch of sun can be overwhelming for little kids. Poor Miss Sydnee wasn't feeling so great at the end of our shoot. 

She was a great sport and an excellent subject. I truly hope I get to watch her grow up throughout the years. Thank you again Graham family for an excellent photoshoot!

Liz DiNatale

www.oakcityphotographync.com

A Shy Princess

New from the other side of SOR I bring you Regan by Jess Hawn!

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I recently had the chance to to hang out again with this adorable little lady named Regan, I mean "Princess Anna," and her wonderful parents.

It took a while for Regan to warm-up to me again but, in all fairness, she had warned her mother she would probably be "very shy" during the photo shoot.  If only I had watched Frozen before the shoot, I think we would have been best friends from the start!

Even though she was "Princess Anna," that didn't stop her from playing with the frogs in the mud, fishing with a stick and poking dead worms with her wand.

All-in-all, I learned a lot during this shoot, including, "Princess Anna is the best of alllll the Princesses."

Dave and Marci have raised an amazingly, fun little girl who loves ice cream and playing in the dirt.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your photo journey with Regan!

Photo Friday: Lanscapes

Welcome back to Photo Friday! Maybe I'll actually keep it going this time! No promises. 

The photo friday word for this week was "landscapes". It just so happens that at the end of last year I was in Breckenridge for a class during the beginning of October. This class was for stream restoration and was filled with mostly guys. I was one of 4 women registered and by the second day one of 3 in attendance. I was also one of the few people that had been to Breckenridge in the past and I knew about all the amazing hiking to be had in that great town. So by the end of the first week I had no less than 4 guys who were eager to prove they could hike in the Rockies. I almost took them up Quandary Peak (a 14er) but we'd just gotten a few inches of snow and I knew Quandary would be too dangerous and too long but most of all way way too cold. It was pretty easy to convince the guys to abandon the idea of summating their first (and maybe only) 14er when I showed them a picture from the Mohawk Lakes that I'd taken 3 years ago. 

That beautiful lake sealed the deal and on Sunday morning the 5 of us set out to Mohawk Lakes. 

It was really fun being the one who knew what was coming next and knowing how amazed they'd all be. There's really nothing like an alpine lake. To see a body of water that high up and surrounded by a bowl of mountains...it's breathtaking. Literally and figuratively. 

After reaching the lower Mohawk Lake (pictured above) we did what any rational person would do...we abandoned the trail and scaled the mountain in search of the upper lake. In hindsight that wasn't the best idea but it did bring us to this lake. 

This is not what the map considered the upper lake. It was actually higher than what is known as the upper lake. This body of water was completely frozen and oh my god was it cold up there. There's something about that picture that speaks to my soul though. The scale of things....like how those mountain tops look to be only a couple hundred feet away but were almost a mile. 

I love Breckenridge. That little town packs such a big punch. 

Happy Friday!

Liz DiNatale
www.oakcityphotographync.com