picsee : the blog!

THE BLOG HAS MOVED

2008-06-11T11:12:00.003-04:00

That's right - it's official! The blog is bigger and better, so update your bookmarks with our new location:

www.picseestudio.com/blog

This blog is officially closed and will no longer be updated -move on over to the new place to stay on top of all the gossip!

under construction - new things to come!

2008-06-06T09:32:00.002-04:00

That's right, everyone - we're movin' on up! :)
Lots of new things are in the works at Picsee!
For starters, we're only a week or so away from rolling out our brand spankin' new Weddings & Engagements site! This will be a site completely devoted to all things wedding related, featuring images from engagement sessions, bridal sessions and of course the Big Day!
Additionally, we're also in the middle of giving our Children & Families site a major facelift. Once the work is done, you'll be able to find our complete portfolio of family work with little kids, big kids and even furry friends!
And finally, to tie it all together, we'll be rolling out a brand... new...

*drumroll*

BLOG!

That's right - we'll have a new place for sneak peeks coming very, VERY soon, and once it's unveiled be sure to subscribe or at least add it to your bookmarks to stay on top of our daily updates, new products, special deals, tips-n-tricks and of course our most recent favorite images!

So, if over the course of the next couple weeks you see things disappearing, changing color and moving around, never fear - it's just the construction in our midst! Thanks so much for visiting, be sure to check back often and after the dust has settled we hope you'll agree that it was worth the wait!

hunter & jessalynn are married!

2008-06-04T12:23:00.002-04:00

And as promised in our previous post, here are some pictures of the happy (and gorgeous!) couple!
Hunter and Jessalynn, Jennifer and I cannot thank you enough for being so wonderful to work with! You're more friends than clients to us - please accept our wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness together!

hunter & jessalynn : wedding details

2008-06-01T18:11:00.003-04:00

Jennifer and I had the honor of photographing the gorgeous wedding of Jessalynn and Hunter yesterday at the beautiful Agota Springs venue on Bays Mountain. We can't say enough good things about the bride and groom - they're full of love, life and laughter, and everything from the ceremony to the reception highlighted those traits! Here are a few of our favorite charming "details" we glimpsed throughout the evening...with pictures of the happy couple to follow in the next few days!

relay for life - part 4

2008-05-28T19:28:00.003-04:00

And can you believe it...? Even more! :)
These are the last of the bunch - hope you guys enjoy!

And a big thank you to the good people at HMG and to all the super families and kids we had the pleasure of working with!

relay for life - part 3

2008-05-28T19:03:00.001-04:00

And some more...

relay for life - part 2

2008-05-28T18:59:00.001-04:00

Some more images from the fundraiser:

horray for relay for life!

2008-05-28T14:05:00.002-04:00

When Holston Medical Group approached us to see if we'd be interested in being part of their annual Relay for Life fundraiser, our answer was an immediate YES! :) Over the course of 3 days last week we photographed mini-sessions for 21 families - what a treat!! We met some fantastic people and adorable kids, and the best part of all is that the proceeds went straight to Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. Being able to use our talents to give to such a good cause is so rewarding, it's just an honor to do it. And Jennifer and I will be doing it again next month for another 3 days and we couldn't be more excited!
Below and in the next few posts I'll be showing 1 image from each mini-session - enjoy, everybody!

the honeycutt family

2008-05-23T14:20:00.003-04:00

Boy oh boy did we have a good 'ole time with this great family! Traci (mom) was actually Jennifer's guidance counselor in high school, so we had an especially great connection with the whole gang! The kiddos, Kaden & Keaton, are actually twins! They were adorable as could be, and we had loads of laughs exploring downtown Johnson City as well as the V.A. Honeycutts, thank you so much for letting us spend a super-fun evening with you! Here are some of our favorites...

olivia is 6 months old...

2008-05-21T09:50:00.003-04:00

...and full of fun expressions! Jennifer and I had photographed Olivia at 3 months, and it's so amazing to see how much she's grown since then! We had a fun adventure out in the front yard with all the soft grass and pretty flowers. Here are a few of our faves...

ashley + aaron : engagement

2008-05-19T10:04:00.002-04:00

Jennifer and I had a VERY busy weekend which included an engagement session AND a wedding, all in the same day!
Saturday morning the weather was "iffy" at best...who would've planned for foggy and mid-40s temps in the middle of May?? But by the time we arrived at the farm with Ashley and Aaron, the sun had burned through the clouds and it made for some beautiful lighting! The property, which has been in Ashley's family for generations, was just breathtaking...and Ashley and Aaron were a dream to photograph! Guys, you did a spectacular job - we had a blast with you!! It's obvious how in love you two are, so thank you for letting us capture that, and we can't wait to see you on the "big day" next month!
Here are a few favorites (and let me tell you, it was HARD to pick just 5! I wanted to post about 20!) - hope you enjoy!

happy belated mother's day!

2008-05-12T15:10:00.005-04:00

Hello, everyone - hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! To all our moms out there, we hope you were pampered!
We had an awesome shoot on Friday evening that involved two moms, and we've picked some of our very favorite images to share! Lauren, you have a wonderful family - you guys couldn't have been more fun and we can't wait to see how little Kamryn grows!

prints for the "special project"

2008-05-09T10:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was SO exciting! Jennifer and I received our beyond gorgeous prints for the special project we're a part of (I blogged about that last month - and the whole sha-bang will be revealed next month when everything is complete!) and what a treat! As you can see from the pics below, some of the prints are pretty darn large - practically bigger than Jenn! :) They really turned out beautifully and we couldn't be happier!
You know, seeing your work in print form, especially in a large print, is really a humbling experience. To know that something you created will be treasured by someone else and their family, that it will be hung in their home, that it will be passed down and bring people joy for generations - it's just such an amazing honor. We feel truly blessed to do what we do and thank God for our passion and talents every day!

cool collages

2008-05-07T16:04:00.004-04:00

Collages are fun way to incorporate multiple images on one print! From a small 5x7 framed on a table to a large 20x30 hanging on your wall, collages provide a unique way to display your favorite images together. The images can be combined with color squares, your child's initials, special words or phrases, your wedding date...the possibilities are amazing!

these boots were made for walkin'

2008-05-06T09:51:00.004-04:00

...and that's just what they'll do!
Some cute downtown shots from this past rainy Saturday!

the difference of black & white

2008-05-02T09:27:00.009-04:00

This is the first post of our new little "tips & tricks" section of the blog...
We know that practically everyone has a camera, and that many of them are digital nowadays... The tips & tricks we'll share are just little bits of knowledge that you can use to give your digital snapshots a more artsy feel!

Take adorable little Emma here -

This is one of our images "straight out of camera" (otherwise known as SOOC - click to see it bigger). No tweaking, no color enhancement, no editing of any kind. We looked at this image and immediately knew it was a "keeper!" The composition is nice, we really love the branch along the top and Emma's expression is full of wonder - it makes you want to know what she's thinking! The color is nice, but to us, the overall feel of the picture calls for a process that evokes more "mood."

Enter the black and white -

Ooohhhh - see the difference? By turning the image to black and white and adding a bit of vignette, you're really drawn into the scene.

So, today's lesson - if you have an image that speaks to you but you think there might be something missing, try it in black and white! A little change can make a BIG difference!

emma & addison

2008-04-29T21:38:00.002-04:00

We had SUCH a fun time with these girls tonight! Emma is an absolute princess with her beautiful smile and sassy personality, and Addison has the CUTEST cheeks that we could've squeezed all night! These sisters are as adorable as they come!

happy jack

2008-04-17T18:05:00.003-04:00

Jack is the sweetest little butterball! I think he enjoyed his time in the spotlight - don't you??

benjamin & grayson

2008-04-13T09:23:00.003-04:00

Jenn and I had SO much fun with these great boys yesterday! We played inside, we played outside, we even hunted for heffalumps - and I think at the end of the day everyone except big brother Benjamin was plum tuckered out! :) Lindi, you win the Mother of the Year award in my book - you're fantastic! Thank you for welcoming us into your home, and we'll see you soon!

Some fun shots from our adventures:

[fur]kids

2008-04-09T15:16:00.003-04:00

Though Jennifer and I mainly photograph children of the fur-less variety, we also enjoy capturing the furry members of the family! So, if during your shoot we happen to point the camera towards your cat, pup, llama, etc... (llama - that would be TOO funny!) don't be alarmed, we just like to involve the 4-legged family members, too!
To close, here are my babies...Oliver, Franklin & Stella:

julia (special project part III)

2008-04-06T10:42:00.003-04:00

And this is Julia - the 3rd model from yesterday's shoot!
She's so gorgeous, it was a real pleasure photographing her...
Julia, we hope your baby girl is happy and healthy, and we can't wait to work with you again!

angela (special project part II)

2008-04-06T10:33:00.003-04:00

This is Angela - another model from our upcoming "special project."
Jennifer and I joked with her that she barely even looked pregnant! She's a doll and we had so much fun working with her...
Hope to see you again after the baby arrives, Angela - and we can't wait to find out the sex!

baby bree & big sister kira

2008-04-05T19:48:00.003-04:00

Today Jennifer and I had LOADS of fun! We had a big four-hour shoot for a special little project we're working on (more about that later), and baby Brianna was our youngest model! She's only 6 days old, such a sweet and precious newborn... We couldn't resist snapping a few of her beautiful big-sister Kira, too! Here are some of our faves...

faves of ava

2008-04-02T11:15:00.003-04:00

We've already posted one darling image from Ava's second shoot (our Happy Easter post) but there are a few more we just couldn't resist sharing!

She was full of smiles and cute little spit-bubbles for us, and I think everyone involved had a great time! We'll see ya in July, guys!

an extreme "office" makeover!

2008-03-31T14:19:00.005-04:00

This past week, after months of talking about giving our office space a new look, we finally DID it! And all in one day, too! I suppose I can't really prove that this is an extreme makeover without some horrid "before" pictures, but I dumbly didn't take any, so a description will have to do:

Before : pink floofy carpet
After : neutral berber carpet

Before : 1 white wall, 1 salmon textured wall with aztec-inspired border, 1 solid salmon wall, 1 blue floral-stripe wallpapered wall (and NO, it was not originally decorated by me...)
After : 4 MATCHING walls in a neutral, calming slate blue-gray

Before : blue plastic mini-blinds
After : jute roman shades with navy linen curtains

Before : a room that we dreaded working in
Now : a room that we LOVE working in, and one that is conducive to everything we do!

It's still a bit sparse, as we haven't yet added the shelving and wall grouping we've got planned, but it's definitely so much better!

run annabelle, run!

2008-03-24T14:38:00.006-04:00

We had lots of fun hunting for Easter eggs with our niece Annabelle yesterday...she was so excited when she'd find one, especially if it was "shakeable" with goodies inside!

But I have to say my favorite part of the day was when I got to be "auntie" instead of "photographer." Annabelle and I played a little game of "run and getcha" - thank you so much to our friend Badi who caught these moments!

***warning***

Below is quite possibly the cutest series of images EVER! (Don't say I didn't warn you...)

"hoppy" easter!

2008-03-23T10:49:00.003-04:00

Hello readers!
Just wanted to take a minute this morning to wish everyone a very happy Easter holiday!
This is little Ava (you might remember her from the shoot we did back in December)...she's almost 4 months old now, and cute as can be! We had lots of fun photographing her in some adorable Easter apparell yesterday, and we can't wait to see how big she gets by July when we see her again!

jane ann + jackson are getting SO big!

2008-03-19T18:18:00.002-04:00

Jennifer and I had the pleasure of photographing little Jane Ann and Jackson for the second time yesterday, and we just had a blast! You might remember them from our shoot last fall (posted here) when Jackson was just a few weeks old. Well, he's six months now, and such a cute little thing! He had fun sitting up and drooling all over the place. And Jane Ann is an AMAZING big sister - she loves 'baby' with all her heart! Here are a few of our faves...

happy st. pat's!

2008-03-17T16:05:00.001-04:00

Just a little note to wish everybody a Happy Saint Patrick's Day! :)
May you have a fun-filled Monday and lots of that Irish luck!

the george-rudd family

2008-03-13T16:20:00.002-04:00

Meet Jason and Butterfly and their two sweet little boys, Hunter and Harrison! Their fun session was on location in Columbia, SC last fall - such a great trip! They have a fantastic backyard that reminded me of the book "The Secret Garden," and Hunter had a blast running around exploring. The pictures really speak for themselves, so enjoy - and Butterfly, we can't wait to see you guys again this fall!

oh-oh-olivia!

2008-02-25T20:33:00.001-05:00

Greetings, everybody!
Jennifer and I finally sorted through little Olivia's session from last week and picked some of our favorite images - it was a tough choice being that they were all fabulous, but these special beauties just touched our hearts. Thank you Blair and Paula for being so laid-back and easy to work with and thank YOU little Olivia for being such a good girl for your first official photoshoot! We can't wait to see you for your 6 month pictures! :)

stella + daddy = precious!

2008-02-16T21:37:00.001-05:00

Jennifer and I had a fanTASTIC shoot today featuring a little 3 month old darling named Olivia - we're still in the process of sorting through the images, but they're STUNNING and I can't wait to post a sneak peek here on the blog in the next few days - so be on the lookout!
In the meantime, here is a picture I snapped of hubby Kevin and one of our pups Stella before heading off to the shoot...I don't know what it is, but something about it just takes my breath away!

happy valentine's from picsee!

2008-02-13T17:34:00.001-05:00

Just a short post to wish all of our readers the very happiest of Valentine's Days! May you spend it with people you love!

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

And to sign off, here's the fantastic Valentine card I designed for my wonderful sis-in-law Rachel and bro-in-law Mark...featuring an image of my gorgeous niece Annabelle Gracen! (you'll spot her all over our website, too!)

jessalynn + hunter : engagement

2008-02-08T19:52:00.001-05:00

Jessalynn and Hunter are such warm and fun people! (Not to mention gorgeous!) Jennifer and I will be shooting their wedding in May, but we also did a fun engagement session with them and their sweet doggie Gypsy back in November. It took place on Hunter's family's farm...spectacular location, but little did we know that it would be FUHreezing cold that morning! Thanks for bearing with us, guys - teeth chattering and all! We'll see you again in May!

meet baby ava

2008-02-04T18:33:00.001-05:00

Ryan has been friends with my hubby since high school, so when he and his wife Donna announced they were pregnant I immediately volunteered to take baby pictures! Baby Ava was completely precious...wide-eyed and awake through almost the whole shoot, this little 4-weeker didn't miss a trick! She was a little trooper through it all - I couldn't have asked for a better model! Her first photo shoot was definitely a success, and I can't wait to see how she grows. Here are a couple fun shots from the shoot and also the adorable birth announcement Donna selected:

the gray family

2007-12-20T22:05:00.001-05:00

Deanna and Jason are the sweetest people you'd ever want to meet with 2 of the cutest kiddos you've ever seen! Little Jane Ann was just a darling and baby Jackson slept through almost our entire session - what a precious little guy! Here are a few of our favorite shots along with the adorable announcement we designed. Thanks for visiting!