katie+adam+colin | chapel hill, nc

it was a friend of a friend kind of shoot.

i have a good friend named katie. i knew that a friend of hers, also named katie, lived in the piedmont with her husband and little boy. when i finally met katie's friend katie and her little family in chapel hill, it was very much a "i've heard so much about you" sort of afternoon.

the world shrunk a bit and i befriended three awesome new people.

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katie and adam met at UNC, so our family/maternity session took place at their alma mater. they're adorable together.

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colin was more interested in roaming the quad than posing for me (green space? or sitting in front of the camera? yeah, it's a no-brainer). but as long as we gave him plenty of opportunities to stretch his legs (and boy, can this kiddo run), he was okay with a few posed photos.

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i never leave a family shoot without getting a few pictures of the couple. sometimes it's the first time they're been photographed together since their wedding. so while katie and adam took their turn in front of the camera, colin entertained himself by zooming big trucks in the botanical garden.

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katie's pregnant with another little boy, who they're naming rhett (i'm loving how outside the box their names are!). colin is going to have so much fun with a little brother.

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second shooting: my view

for sixty seconds, i thought about it. would i want to be a wedding photographer?

five...four...three...two...

aaaaaand nope. it wasn't for me. 

for one thing, i'm not a fan of the pressure that comes with documenting such a big day. what if my camera refuses to work? what if i miss a pivotal shot (I MISSED THE FIRST KISS!!!)? what if my flash conks? yiiiikes. 

  i also genuinely like second shooting: i get to be the details/go-to girl. if everyone's looking at the bride, my camera is pointed at the groom. when the family portraits are rapidly being knocked down, chances are my camera's down: i'm clutching the list of who's who & helping the photographer direct folks to their places; kneeling to smooth the bride's voluminous skirt; or directing the groom to put his foot under her dress, not on top of it.

it's fun. and (fairly) low key. and at the end of the day, i enjoy the feeling of having helped the photographer get the shots she/he needs. it's an excellent deal.

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helloooo yellow socks! i love me some groomsmen with style. 

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i love this poignant moment shared between sisters. 

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a flower girl in tulle is just. awesome.

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a person's facial expressions by day are completely different when the sun fades. a look that appears introspective during the light of day just looks plain bored when shot at a reception. so as i roamed the perimeters of the dance floor, i looked for exaggerated gestures, raucous hilarity, laughter.

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dancing makes for the craziest pictures!

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