On the lookout for locations...

Well… we’re still up in Spartanburg with “Dada,” and we had a full day today. This morning we decided to get up with Jim at 6:30 and drop him off at work so we could have the car for the whole day instead of just the afternoon. It was a crazy start to our morning. After we left Dada at his office, we headed down southeast of Spartanburg to check out Glendale, Pacolet and Glenn Springs on the hunt for more photo locations. While Pacolet and Glenn Springs were rather disappointing (unless I just missed the “coolness” somehow), Glendale was even more awesome than I could have imagined! (Bet the suspense is killing you! Photos to come soon!) There were unending photo possibilities there- a stream complete with a small waterfall, an old bridge, remnants of a mill, a small amphitheater, and an old brick post office building across the street. The best part? It is on a different side of Spartanburg (SPB) than Cowpens, so it will be another great option that I can suggest to my clients living in that part of the SPB area. YAY! My little man was a good little trooper, although he did scare me to death on several occasions. When Mama put her camera up to her eye, he was on the gravel path well away from the river’s edge, and two seconds later, he was headed to the water at breakneck speed. Ahhhhh!!! When we finally headed back to the car after tramping through wet grass, sand and gravel, we were covered with grass and dirt, and his pants were wet from sitting down in the dew-covered clearing. Needless to say, we were both ready for a rest! (And Mama made a mental note to NOT go out with him again while the grass is still dew-soaked.)

After our adventure, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. While my buddy got some zzzzz’s, I caught up with some clients and made some other phone calls, and then we made our way back to Dada’s office to meet up with the son of one of his co-workers who volunteered to be my guinea pig for a senior shoot in Cowpens! Can’t believe I already got a chance to use my new favorite spot! Afterwards, we headed out to check out a few neighborhoods, and finally made our way back to the hotel. Phew! It was a long day, but it was a good one too… and the best part was coming home as a family tonight!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I’ll share more on Joshua’s Senior portrait shoot in a later post, but to ease your suspense, here’s a sneak peak. :) Enjoy!

The find of a life-time... well, close anyway!

Today little man and I ventured over to Cowpens, SC, where one of the major battles of the Revolutionary war was fought. Here, there is an old train depot that they have relocated from one block over and have turned it into a museum. Outside is an old railcar that little man enjoyed climbing on. This is a photographer's dream shoot location! (What! No location shots? Nope, other than the few I took of my little buddy, I am going to keep you in suspense until next week when I post photos of all the locations I found!) There is the depot, the railcar, railroad tracks behind the depot, a veteran's memorial park/garden across the street, and just past that is an old abandoned brick building that is perfect for senior photos!! After a rather disappointing day yesterday finding almost nothing that would work for senior shoots, my find today completely made up for it! I am hoping to hold a senior session there with a friend's son tomorrow! Can't wait! Enjoy some sweet photos of my buddy below, and please excuse the discolored last two. I don't have photoshop on this computer to fix it!

Here's to a Terrific Tuesday!

Is that a "ta-tor"? Why yes it is! Let's go check it out!

Home is where the heart is!

Hmmmmm..... that's the hotel air-conditioning droning in the background as I write this post. My little guy is sleeping... finally... and I'm sitting here updating FB and responding to emails. Ahhhh... to be away from home and all the crazy, stressful responsibilities that come with keeping a house show-ready while chasing a 1 1/2 year old! We decided on a whim to come up to Spartanburg with Dada this week because we were just plain missing him too much to be apart again!

Already it is so wonderful to be together! Instead of shipping him off alone last night, we all came up together! We are staying in an extended stay hotel so I can do some cooking in the mini kitchenette to save on the grocery bill, and little buddy and I are planning to spend our afternoons searching out parks and historic sites up here for photo shoots after we move! FUN!! Then we all get to be together at night! It's a beautiful thing! Feels so good to be "home"! Yep, that old saying really is true... home is where to heart is!

Happy Monday morning!

I had to add this photo we took tonight. My boys love being together!

WANTED: Senior Reps for Gwinnett Co., GA and Spartanburg, SC High Schools

I am so excited to be offering this awesome promotion this year! I am looking for Senior Reps to serve as spokespersons for The Journey by Ally Photography in their schools. Each Rep will receive a FREE Senior Session, 50 rep cards to hand out and more!

I am looking for one male and one female Senior Rep from the Spartanburg area and from each of the following Gwinnett County schools:

• Peachtree Ridge High
  


• Duluth High-Both slots filled
  


• North Gwinnett High
  


• Mountain View High
  


• Collins Hill High
  


• Lanier High
  


• Grayson High

Send enough referrals my way and you could win an 8GB I-touch! I will begin accepting applications for Senior Reps on August 20, 2011. Applications will be accepted no later than Sept. 20, 2011 unless a spot has not yet been filled.

Check out more info here!

Click here to request an application.

UPDATE on Dec 5, 2011: I am not currently accepting new applications.

5 years of happily ever after...

My hubby and I celebrated our 5th anniversary last Friday! How does time fly so fast? It has been a crazy journey starting in Tallahassee, FL and taking us through Auburn (AL), Atlanta (GA), Lilburn (GA), Trenton (MI), Duluth (GA), and when our house sells... Spartanburg (SC). We've come so far in 5 years in more ways than one. We've had our ups and downs, but I am so blessed to be married to the most wonderful man in the world... yes, Ladies... sorry to report that he's already taken... but maybe #2 is still on the market. ;)

As I think about our journey over the last 5 years, what stands out most is how we have really learned to communicate. I laugh when I think back to how good I thought we communicated the last few months of our engagement, and when my parents (as our premarital counselors) emphasized the importance of communication over and over, I thought, "there's nothing we can't be open with each other about. We are comfortable saying anything... we communicate so well already." Haha! Boy, did we have so much to learn! And I'm sure we still do, but after a few rough spots this last year, I can say with conviction that I am more "in love" with him now than I ever was. Love just means more to me than it did. I still "feel" in love a lot of the time, but now I know from experience that love is not based on feelings... love truly is a CHOICE, and it is WORK. But love is beautiful, and God is so good to allow us to experience it in such an intimate way in marriage here on earth!

I'm sure you sat down to browse my blog today just so you could read a reflection on love and communication, right?... haha! Gotta cut me a break cuz it's my 5th anniversary!!!!!

But I'll let it stop here and without further a'do... here are a few fun photos of my wedding. Of course I didn't shoot these, but they are fun to share nonetheless! Enjoy!





My wedding photographer was Leah Langley. Check out her work! http://leahlangley.com/

Coming back to what makes me smile...

Wow! It has been so long since my last post! I've taken a small sabbatical you might say from photography the last couple of months as I worked to get started with Mary Kay. Sometimes I definitely bite off more than I can chew. Let's hope this isn't one of those times!

I am officially coming back to photography because I have missed it so much! While I LOVE, LOVE Mary Kay products and sharing them with others, I realized that I don't have the same drive to "move up" in Mary Kay that others have. Would I mind becoming a director one day? No. Do I still want to do facials? Definitely! Yet when I sit and think about what is most important, realizing that I can't do it all, I ask myself... well... what would you be most sad to fail at or leave behind? Being a good wife and mommy is number one on my list after faithfully following Christ. But then I think, besides the obvious, what would I miss most if I had to give it up? Photography or Mary Kay? There is no contest. PHOTOGRAHY wins hands down!!

Why photography? Because... photography makes me smile. Photography gives me a medium for expressing the beauty that I see in others and their life's "journey." Photography allows me to capture memories that might otherwise be forgotten and to record stories that might otherwise go untold. Photography is my passion and just the thought of giving that up hurts deep down inside me.

So... here I come! I'm back! I can't wait to start shooting again!

Since my mom is in rehab after a bad car accident, I can't promise how often I will post, but I will post as often as possible! And I appreciate your sharing my name with anyone who is looking for a photographer who is passionate about what she does! :)

It's good to be back! God bless!

Ally

WOW! Life has a way of getting away from me! It has been almost two full months since my last post... boy, I'm way behind on my weekly posting goal. It seems like so much has happened... and yet nothing much has changed. I am still working away at my Mary Kay business trying to pay off my inventory so I can start saving for my D700. I just got back from a trip to Florida and Alabama to attend my sister's vet school graduation and help her move from FL to AL. Crazy! I've been so worn out from trying to keep the house "show-ready" all the time that I'm taking another 1 1/2 weeks off to rest at my parents house. It will be so nice to just get away!

I have several photos to get posted from photo sessions to graduations so look for them soon!

Happy Sunday!