Whenever we walk away from a shoot with Hannah I think to myself "those are probably some of the best photos I've ever taken". There's no doubt my photography has come a long way in the past few years (thanks to my genius plan to marry a photographer), but I think that these shoots remind me of the immense potential that lies ahead. I say that in full humility; I'm not boasting or being arrogant... there is something about this collaboration that brings out amazing work. Obviously Hannah is beautiful. And she is quite a professional. But what elevates these photos is the experience. She trusts us. She trusts us as photographers and she trusts us as a couple. She expects quality work. She believes the photos will turn out amazing without overthinking them. She poses confidently. She vibes off our energy. It's natural and it's fun. We talk about life, about the important stuff. We're not collaborating for vanity or self gain, and we're not trying to gain likes or followers. We are just friends, taking a few hours out of our busy weeks to let loose, be creative, and have a good time. And somehow along the way we continuously find a way to stretch ourselves, to set the bar a little higher, and to walk away feeling as we reclaimed a little bit of creative freedom that we thrive off of.
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We're on the edge of some big things at Elysian Boutique! Lots of great pieces arrived this week and more are hitting the floor next week. Looks styled by Owner, Lisa Jones, and modeled by Morgan Yates.
Also, there's a HUGE sale going on now to clear up some space for the new inventory. Check out @shopelysian Instagram for more details. It's been a few weeks since this photo shoot, but I just had to share it. I set out with Lisa and her former model, Tori, to snap some new website photos and I love how these turned out. It was a fairly quick session, as Tori was only in town briefly for her wedding (a BIG congrats the recent bride!!) but we were able to get enough content for a beautiful website update. Stay tuned to www.shopelysian.com and Instagram @shopelysian to keep up with the latest photos and newest merchandise. Trust me... there is some GOOD stuff about to go live!
A very raw and authentic dive into the heart of the man I love. My husband shared this with me today, and I have a feeling it will reach hearts and places that I cannot.Happy Father's day.
I have had an interesting experience in the father department and I've written countless things on this subject just to release some emotion I've felt. I really just wanted to share my experience on this amazing day that glorifies the fathers. When I was not even a year old my biological father would make a decision that would affect me and my mother and his mother and brother and everyone else he knew for the rest of our lives. He took his own life and took himself away from us before I ever had the chance to know him. As you would imagine, that caused a flood of ever changing emotions through my life but I want to focus on one thing specifically: allowing myself to feel that emotion. I may be a little all over the place here but that is very much a result of the stages I've gone through to get there. When I was almost two (or so I'm told), the man I call my dad today came into my life. He has played his fatherly role magnificently and has done more than I could ever expect from someone who didn't have to take that role. He picked up the mantle and did the best he could to raise me and I have him to attribute a lot of the reason I am the man I am. Not to mention the fact that I wouldn't have my sister, 2 step brothers and half brother if it weren't for him being faithful to carry that mantle on. Happy Father's Day to him. I also have a step father who came into my life when I was in eighth grade. That was a tough transition for me and I have yet to figure out why. All I know is he has influenced a lot of the way I see the world. He has brought a practicality to my life that I don't know I would have found otherwise. He has loved my mom and sister and I unconditionally and has been a man who will always be an intricate part of my life. Happy Father's Day to him. I remember the day I let myself start feeling the repercussions of the loss of my father. I went to Colorado for the funeral of my grandfather, his dad. After the funeral I was wandering and accidentally stumbled upon the grave stone of my own father for the first time ever. You can imagine the chill that I felt down to my bones. It was somewhat surreal for my 18 year old self to feel. I was barely a man at that point and had simply ignored the thought of him my whole life out of nothing but bitterness. That day a friend of my mom and bio-dad gave me an envelope for my mom. He said I could see its contents when I was back with her. Again, kind of strange since I was 18 and could at least somewhat think for myself. That was almost ten years ago now and what happened the day I opened that envelope with my mom changed my life. The envelope contained a photo of my dad holding me... The only one I had ever seen of him smiling, and it was because of me. There was a letter in the envelope too but I think it was mostly for my mom. I lost it, Ran to my room and immediately prayed for forgiveness of my bitterness and told God that I forgave my dad. I have never felt such a weight lifted than the day I let myself feel the pain. Since that day I've gone through almost 10 years of processing and allowing it to shape me. Megan and I's first date has also played a huge part in shaping me. That day she told me about her father who passed away from illness 3 years prior. It was an amazing moment for me - sad of course, but I could feel her pain a little. I would NEVER compare my pain and hers, they're very different. But in some very unique way I could relate and I knew she could with me as well. Since that day I have heard stories and different perspectives from each of her sisters and her mother and aunt and cousins and it has all brought me to this conclusion: if there was one man I wanted to leave a legacy similar to, it would be Tim Fleming. I've never heard anything other than how incredible of a man of God this man was and how he never let anyone feel like less than a friend - from the people he saw at work to his own family, he was a great man. If you were to put the personalities of each of his daughters into one human, I honestly think you would get a super human named Tim Fleming. His legacy lives on. He was a great father - happy Father's Day to him. It's because of the things I've seen and dealt with in my life that make me want more deeply than anything in me to be a great father. Not good, not mediocre, a great, great father. A father that will leave a legacy of greatness and maybe change the world in some small way. I want to raise my children to love like Yahshua did and speak blessings over every person they come in contact with. Today I'm flying home to my wife and as tough as this road has been for me to get down, I am living a very blessed life. I have no bitterness and no malice in me. I love my dad and am beyond grateful for what he has done for me. Some day maybe I'll be able to get to a point where that's my only focus but I pray that my experience also brings life to some others struggling out there on this day. There is hope. It doesn't exist in the clouds or in some place you imagine with gold streets or pearly gates. He exists in you. He is your faithful father, no matter who you are or what youve been through. He will be there with you when you have your own moments of not only doubt, but monumental breakthrough and self discovery. His name is Yahweh God and he is the ultimate father. Happiest of Father's Day friends. I didn’t go to church this morning. But it’s not because I’m mad at God. I spent the last four Father’s Days at my home church in College Station, and each day was uniquely difficult. But it had nothing to do with being angry at God. It had everything to do with missing my dad. And being surrounded by the very love and presence of family that I miss so dearly. You see, this was my first Father’s Day as a married woman, and my husband is traveling home from New York today. To be honest, I didn’t want to face the hurt without him by my side. So I decided to wake up, to spend time in prayer. To worship God. To give thanks. And to enjoy a little solitude while my heart continues to grieve a loss that the years haven’t been able to repair.
There are lots of people out there who are hurting today… children and adults who have lost their fathers, fathers who have lost a child, people who have been abandoned or abused by their fathers, people who can’t spend the day with their father because he’s too far away. Maybe he’s absent. Maybe he’s imprisoned. Maybe he’s battling an addiction. Maybe he’s sick. Maybe he was never a part of your life. Maybe he took his own life.There are wives who are struggling because they desperately want to see their husband become a father. They’ve been let down, and feel hopeless at times. There are mothers who are hurting to see their children deal with the fallout of the marriage that was shattered by divorce or infidelity. There are mothers who are pained to see the impact that the absence of the father of their children had on their kid’s lives. They see the patterns of destructive behavior caused by an absent leader. People are hurting. On a day when we see social media plastered with photos of fathers being honored and cherished— sweet words, pretty photos, elaborate gifts, and handmade signs— we feel conflicted. We feel happy for our friends and our loved ones. We enjoy seeing the photos and rejoicing with them. But in our heart of hearts we are hurting because of the pain in our lives. We’re hurting because God designed us with a longing for a father; it is a part of who we are. I remember the first date my husband took me on, we opened up about our families and dove into the deep stuff right off the bat. It had been three years since I lost my dad, but I never really talked about him with anyone new— my coworkers, my church family, my friends all knew my circumstances. So the first time Delyn asked my about my dad was probably one of the first times I had to verbalize the fact that he had passed away. I felt awkward at first; I hated making people uncomfortable. But Delyn surprised me… he teared up, and offered the most sincere condolence I’d ever seen. The Holy Spirit led that conversation, and I reassured him that it was okay… that I knew that my dad had always belonged to his Heavenly Father, that he never belonged to me, and that I was grateful for the time I had with him. And I meant it. I told him of the testimony my dad left behind, of the hundreds of people who witnessed my mom and my sister’s testimonies at his funeral and beyond. I knew that people were brought to Christ through his life and his death. So no, I’m not mad at God. God has the power over death. He brought victory to His Kingdom through overcoming sin and death and darkness. He conquered those things, so that we could live victorious through Christ. And while there are moments in all my humanness that I miss my dad— that I wish he could have met my husband, that he would have walked me down the aisle, that he could be around to know his grandchildren— I trust that God is Sovereign. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). More than anything, I see an incredible amount of redemption and restoration in my life and the lives of my mother and my sisters. They are joyful. They are thriving. They have a personal and enduring relationship with Jesus. I’ve learned that God can redeem ALL things. People. Relationships. Time. Life. Hope. Joy. Whatever hurt you are feeling today, know that it is temporary. And please, please don’t be mad at God. Don’t turn away from Him in your pain. Don’t believe the lies that He is the cause of your hurt. Because I promise, that God is the only reason I have made it through days like today. I can make it through these days without my dad, because my Father in Heaven cares for me, loves me, restored me, and equipped me to do so. “He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He can work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28), and I promise that if you invite Him into your life, you will have the opportunity to see redemption beyond belief. Your life won’t be perfect. In fact, I can tell you that the hardest day of my life occurred after the loss of my dad. But if there is pain or circumstances in your life that have not yet been restored, then God hasn't been invited into those areas of your life, or he isn’t finished working. Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Bryant Clark!! These two #noonieweds were married on April 30th to be exact, and we couldn’t be more excited for them! The #ClarkCountryBash was a SURPRISE wedding reception following a private ceremony with family and close friends. And by that, I mean everyone was under the impression that they were coming to an engagement party out at Bryant’s house, when in reality they were actually joining us for a reception. It was awesome!
Bryant and my mom decided they wanted to have a small wedding. But they had a LOT of friends who they wanted to celebrate with, and plenty of people who have been supportive and rooting for them all along the way. At the same time, they wanted to keep things casual and not too elaborate. For this reason, they compromised on a small wedding and a big party afterwards. Invitations were sent out for two separate affairs: family received wedding invitations, and friends received engagement party invitations. My mom planned the whole thing like a champ, but we were SO thankful to have all hands on deck that Friday and Saturday to help set everything up. Don’t let the fact that it was a small wedding fool you, there was plenty to do. A big shout out to the families that helped set everything up the day before and the day of (esp. the impromptu day-of wedding planners…The Dobish family, the Resch family, Aunt Cindy, etc). That Friday was a busy day. My sister, Maddy, picked up my husband and I from the airport and we arrived to the Crazy 8 Farm by about one o’clock to find everyone already outside, and things in full motion. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, siblings were there… it was quite the gathering. My first priority (after saying hello to everyone) was finding food… we had been up since 4AM with hardly anything in our bellies. It was a beautiful day in North Carolina—it was in the mid-80s and the sun was shining bright. After lunch there were all sorts of projects—loading borrowed decorations from the neighbor into the old pickup truck, using tractors as ladders to string up a chandelier into the big oak tree, securing old doors to posts in the ground, etc. We were outside all day. Bryant’s parents made dinner for all of us. We had some great southern barbeque ribs, beans, mac n cheese, potato salad—the works. As always, it was delicious and much appreciated. We worked, and talked, and hung out until well after the sun went down and then I had to go fight off an allergy attack INSIDE. I was too exhausted to sleep that night. Or too allergic. Not sure which. By 8am I was fully medicated and moving to stay awake. I began bringing decorations outside while praying the change of weather wouldn’t affect the ceremony. Somehow the beautiful warm weather had disappeared and was replaced with clouds and mist. That is tricky when you have a bunch of weather sensitive décor. But despite the mist, we had lots of work to do that day. Tents and rentals were delivered, tables and chairs needed to be set out and dressed, the flowers and cake were picked up by friends (goodness, the cake pick up was a story of its own!) and I’m not quite sure where the next four hours went but they flew by. With my husband being the wedding photographer we knew to set a strict schedule for everyone to be ready. For the first time in our lives, my sisters were ready on time, and we were ahead of schedule the whole day. My mom looked beautiful in her ivory, lace dress paired with cowboy boots, and Bryant was very handsome in his jeans, white button down shirt complete with a vest, boots and his cowboy hat. We were able to get photos with the bride and groom with all the kids, and kept them from seeing each other before the ceremony. The ceremony itself was very sweet and emotional. It was evident that they both had been looking forward to this moment for quite a while. All of my siblings stood up front with the couple and witnessed their marriage. Even our Chihuahua, T-bone, and his buddy, Boomer, were a part of the ceremony, by accident of course. They walked up and down the aisles, loving the attention and not wanting to miss out on whatever action was going on without them. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of Mr. and Mrs. Clark, and to our surprise (but not shock), my mom drove Bryant away on the tractor that was waiting nearby. That’s country romance for ya, folks. Delyn and I followed them on the four-wheeler to take some couples photos in the field by the house. The photos turned out beautiful. There’s a really special moment following wedding ceremonies where the couples can escape for a few minutes alone and really soak in all the emotions and reality of what just happened. I think the photos capture that perfectly. Following the ceremony we had a catered meal with family and the close friends who attended the ceremony. More guests began arriving just after dinner. The band set up on the deck, and there was plenty to keep everyone entertained. The radar showed a storm was about to blow in, but luckily it held off for the couple to enjoy their first dance together. And shortly afterward, the bottom fell out of the sky and we all had to run and take cover underneath the tents. Fortunately, some of the men set up extra tents earlier that day in case of rain, and it was nice to have that extra space. When we realized that the rain wasn’t going away any time soon, the band joined us under the tents and played acoustically while the guests sang along. The cake was cut, drinks were poured, toasts were given, and the party ensued. It was a great night! I was wiped out by 10pm when most guests were heading out, but my husband and my sister, Meredith, had other plans. They set up a playlist and an amp and kept the party going beneath the carport. The remaining guests transitioned over from the tents to the new dance floor, and we were out there another two hours dancing and laughing. In fact, I think the party would have kept going but we had to put on a few transition songs… starting with “Closing Time” and ending with “Bye Bye Bye”. As soon as everyone left we called it a night and headed to our rooms. We were all exhausted; I had zero trouble sleeping that night. But I did have a bit of trouble waking up the next day. We all chatted over coffee and breakfast, and by noon Delyn and I had to say our goodbyes and head back to Arkansas. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot of time with the family. All in all it was a wonderful weekend, and we know there will LOTS of great family times ahead with this crazy bunch! Congrats, Mom and Bryant!!! How beautiful are these bridals? These are right in front of Bryant's house-- simple and perfect. I threw in the last photo of Delyn and my mom because it was really special to me that he was the photographer. He has this amazing talent of highlighting beauty, and finding a way to deliver exactly what people want (when they might not have even known what they wanted in the first place). I could brag on him all day, but the reality is that my mom had direct access one of the most amazing and accommodating wedding photographers, and could have capitalized on that with crazy expectations and requests. When we asked Mom if she had any specific ideas or shots in mind (thinking she might have something in addition to your STANDARD wedding photos), she responded, "You know, I would really just like to have one big group shot of the family." We smiled. Yes, Mom, we'll get you a family shot. Anything else? "I'll be happy with whatever I get. I want you guys to have a good time, too!". Best. Bride. Ever. Because she meant it. They weren't empty words. And you know what? This week we sent her a few hundred photos, and one of my little sisters sent me a photo of the happy couple staring at their laptop, smiling and looking through them together. That's what it's all about guys... two people, who love each other, who care about the moments and the meaning and the marriage, and don't get caught up in all the rest of it. Now... who wants to see some wedding photos?
Last weekend we celebrated the Bride To Be, Kaitlin, in McKinney at her Brunch and Bubbly themed Bridal Shower. In the days of Pinterest and Social Media, planning a wedding shower (or birthday party or wedding or anything for that matter!) can be tough, but her hostesses pulled off a beautiful one! What I love about the turnout, more than the perfect little details, is the thought and support that went into it. It made me look back on my own shower and realize how much time went into planning it, and I even called my Aunt Tammi afterwards to thank her AGAIN (almost a year later).
I brought my camera along knowing that her hosts (MOH and Bridesmaids: Kat, Stephanie, and Megan K.) had planned some pretty adorable decor and food options. I bet these get pinned. Haha :) But in all seriousness, the day was awesome-- Kait's friends from her hometown, college buddies, work friends, and family alike came together and shared in the celebration of her being a BRIDE-to-be. Her fiancé, Brian, stopped by to help load gifts and a few of us ended up getting to spend the rest of the afternoon with the couple. We had a great time, and I think it was a great way to round out the special day. We are so excited for her and Brian to tie the knot in September!!! The countdown is on! 106 days! For everyone who has kept up with my latest move, I wanted to thank you for all your encouragement and give you a glimpse into what life is like at Elysian. It's been a great first week! There is definitely a learning curve (as with any new job), but I am thrilled with all the plans we have discussed for the future and the overall creative direction we are headed.
The store owner, Lisa, and her her right hand woman (or left hand woman I should say), Morgan, and I set out last week for our first mini shoot to grab some shots of these new Written shirts. For those of you who don't know-- Written is Lisa's brand, and it is AMAZING. They are fully designed by her, and generally have fun, catchy, or faith-based phrases across them. I got my first Written shirt (Grace Wins Every Time) without knowing that this was her brand; Delyn picked it up for me at Elysian one day to surprise me and it quickly became my favorite t-shirt. They are great quality-- the t-shirt version was soft, oversized (how I love my shirts), and still flattering. Morgan is currently at the Atlanta Market (Atlanta Apparel) taking orders from retailers for these new designs and more. Currently you can buy from this line on Elysian's website (click here) under shopable posts. Follow either instagram (@shopelysian or @shopwritten) to keep up with the latest designs. I'll continue to post more as well! |
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September 2018
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