Lynchburg Engagement Pictures | A Downtown Engagement Session

Dylan and Rachel booked me for their wedding photography at West Manor Estate last fall. They had amazing chemistry (which Rachel tried to deny for years, ha!) and I had SO much fun photographing them together! After any couple books with me, I send a Getting To Know You form so I can, well, get to know them better. :) Rachel and Dylan did such a great job telling the story of how they met and how Dylan proposed that I thought it would be best to simply share their words with you! Aren't they adorable? 

First up, How They Met:

Rachel: My sophomore year at Liberty University, Dylan happened to be "the sound guy" on the same theater production as one of my best friends. I remember meeting him for the first time and wasn't exactly swept off my feet by his bravado. 
Dylan: Through Kaitlin, the mutual friend, I met Rachel and was immediately attracted to her. Working with Kaitlin gave me a great excuse to spend more time around Rachel. However, I was still a freshman guy...
Rachel: Our little band of friends grew increasingly close, spending countless hours together getting into mischief, studying, going on trips, getting snowed in, pranking each other, hosting holiday celebrations and movie nights, and generally having a great time. Dylan made it clear pretty quickly that he was interested in being more than friends and I made it pretty clear that I was not.
Dylan: Over the next two years I continued to take every opportunity possible to spend time with Rachel and get to know her better. Through that time, we grew closer, I matured greatly, and she began to have feelings (even though at the time she denied it with everything in her). 
Rachel: It was pretty obvious to perhaps everyone except me that Dylan and I had some remarkably strong chemistry. We often found ourselves instigating adventures or sipping hot tea (our mutual favorite beverage). When my three best friends moved into an off-campus apartment, he would consistently offer to drive me and had a captive conversationalist for a full seven minutes! This bearded West Virginia mountain boy with his cheeky grin and antagonistic ways started sneaking into my heart and...
Dylan: After two years in the friend zone, I finally convinced her to let me take her on a date.

And now... the story of their engagement:

Dylan here. On May 22nd I got up at 3:30 in the morning to get on a plane from Houston, Texas. Rachel was unaware that I was coming to Virginia and I wanted to keep it a surprise. The first leg of my flight went smoothly, however, the second leg was delayed an hour and began to throw off my entire plan. Now rewind a few weeks, I had been talking to Mary, Rachel's sister and Maid-of-honor, about how to make this plan work. What was supposed to happen was that Mary, conveniently home for the weekend from her summer internship in Haiti, was supposed to ask Rachel to go to lunch at the same pizza place where Rachel and I went on our first date. Ally, one of Rachel's best friends and roommate, would plan to join them, but "be running behind" and therefore cause Rachel and Mary to have to improvise and waste some time by walking around the gorgeous college right across the road.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, what was actually happening was that Ally was picking me up from the airport and driving me to Randolph College, where I would then propose where Rachel and I had spent hours walking and talking on our first date. However, with my plane having been delayed an hour, Ally and I were pressed for time and had to rush out of the airport. I changed in the airport bathroom, consequently dropping my wallet into the freshly used toilet. In her haste, Ally sped through downtown and was promptly pulled over by Lynchburg's finest with no time to spare as we knew Rachel and Mary weren't far behind. Throwing a coat over me to hide me from view, Ally flashed the ring and explained our urgency. The officer kindly gave her a warning and wished me luck. We pulled away at brisk legal speed and made it into Randolph College just in the knick of time. Once arrived, I discovered that the bench I had planned to propose on was no longer there. Once again, improvisation was necessary. Fortunately, Randolph College does not have a shortage of beautiful locations and we quickly found a nearby, gorgeous, brick gazebo to plant ourselves and, for the first time that day, wait. 

There I was, ready to ask the love of my life to be my fiancé. Then I saw her in the distance, walking, totally oblivious that anything was about to happen. She began to walk up the steps beside the gazebo and I peeked my head out and said "hey there". She looked up and a huge smile raced across her face as she sprinted up the stairs and leapt into my arms. (We had been long distance since January and hadn't seen each other in-person in three months.)

The rest, as they say, is history. I asked, and she said YES!

Oh my goodness, HOW CUTE ARE THEY?! I am so excited to share their stunning fall wedding with you soon! For now, enjoy my favorites from their engagement session below!

Are you recently engaged? Engagement sessions are reserved for clients who book the full wedding experience with Liz Cook Photography. I am fully booked for the 2017 wedding season and am currently booking for 2018 weddings. It is best to book your wedding photography as soon as possible, as dates fill up quickly.

Every Liz Cook Photography wedding photography package includes a complimentary engagement session, full day photography coverage, and the best 500+ high-resolution images from your wedding day. For more information, see the wedding page. If you would like to meet in person, contact me today to schedule a no-obligation, in-person consultation at my studio in Forest, VA (or online over Google Hangout). 

Forest Virginia Newborn PhotographerBaby James

When baby James' mom, a local midwife in the Lynchburg area, reached out to me about photographing her son's newborn session I was so honored! What a treat to have another birth professional in the area trust me with capturing this precious season for her. We quickly secured a date and they traveled to the studio all the way from their home in Charlottesville, VA for his newborn session. 

They arrived to the studio relaxed and... early! Believe it or not, I tend to expect my newborn clients to arrive a little late. That's usually what happens when you are still getting used to having a new life to be responsible for! But because they were traveling from so far, they overcompensated on time and we were able to start their session early. We each took turns snuggling their handsome little guy, and I was able to capture all of his unique details and mannerisms as well as how deeply loved he is. Baby James was the smiliest baby I have ever photographed! It was so fun capturing that little grin over and over again!

Here are a few of my favorite newborn pictures from our time together: 

Are you expecting and ready to book your newborn session? I am currently booking sessions as far out as early Winter 2017. Newborn sessions are best scheduled before your baby has arrived. If you have waited until the last minute, please contact me - if I am able to fit you in, I will! I don't want you to miss out on the opportunity to have this short and sweet season of life documented. 

All newborn sessions include the use of the studio wardrobe, a styling consultation to discuss the look and feel you desire for your session, as well as my exclusive client preparation guide. On site hair and make-up services are also available with our stylist so that you feel relaxed, confident and beautiful at your session. I make the process of preparing for your session simple and seamless, so you can focus on your first priority, taking care of your newborn baby. Contact me today to reserve your session.

Virginia Baptist Birth PhotographerThe Birth of Maxx

There are so many elements to this birth story at Virginia Baptist Hospital that have made it one of my all-time favorite birth experiences I've ever captured. I was connected to this family through another amazing photographer, Kristen. Parents, L & J, booked me literally days before labor started. Mama was admitted into the hospital just months after the painful loss of her sweet girl, Gabrielle and I arrived shortly after they had settled into triage. Arriving while they were still in triage gave us a wonderful window of time to get to know one another. We laughed, prayed, and waited patiently. After a few hours of minimal progress, they decided to go home and get some rest. Before we knew it, we were back again, and labor was in full swing! 

This was mama's first epidural-free delivery! It was also the first time, after four other healthy deliveries, that she did not know the gender of the baby making his or her arrival. This was also the longest gestational period she had experienced as well. Whew - what a wait!  

Observing this birth story unfold was both bittersweet and absolutely beautiful. I have such admiration for L and her love for her family. She was nothing but eager to hold her littlest baby, and her lack of hesitation throughout the painful process was an absolute inspiration to me. There were so many unique elements to this story and at one point, the nurse who was present during the birth of Gabrielle came in to greet this mama and hug her. Whew boy, the tears just started flowing! By the time mama delivered her baby boy, both the midwife and the nurse who were present during Gabrielle's birth were present in the room, helping her to safely deliver her beautiful rainbow baby. 

Amazing, right? See for yourself through the pictures. <3 

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Are you expecting and considering hiring a birth photographer? I am currently booking births for late summer and early fall of 2017. I book a very limited number of births, so if you are considering hiring a birth photographer, please get in touch soon. If you would like to meet in person, birth consultations at the studio are free of charge and carry no obligation. I don't want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to have this short and sweet season of life documented. Contact me today to reserve your birth month.

Lynchburg Professional PhotographerTen Years In Business

Wanna know something crazy? Ten years ago this month I photographed my first wedding.

Wow. An entire decade!

I photographed the wedding on a Canon Rebel Xt camera with one SD card. I took breaks during the day to run out to the parking lot, download the SD card to my laptop, clear the card (omg I'm hyperventilating at this thought right now!!!) and run back to take more pictures. (Are you wedding photographers having a heart attack yet??) Oh, wait! There's more!! My camera battery died and I had the guts to ask a guest if I could borrow his.

Needless to say, I've come a long way. And the ride has been wild.

I still wonder sometimes why God led me down this path. Why did he take me, someone who does not handle stress very well, and put me in one of the most intense industries? Being an entrepreneur is serious business. Committing to capturing moments that are impossible to re-create is a huge responsibility. Putting these two jobs together creates a(n at times) stressful career! Luckily, I have been blessed with remarkable clients and colleagues who have freely shared support, encouraging words, understanding and (both welcomed and un-welcomed, let's be honest) constructive criticism.

As I look back on the last ten years in business, I am overcome with gratitude for this journey. And to still be IN business, at that! I have watched a lot of colleagues close their business doors for many different reasons. And for unknown reasons to me, mine continues to grow. I give the credit to God, because heaven knows, I have failed many times over.

I thought it would be fun to share Ten Life Lessons I've Learned as an entrepreneur, a professional photographer, a wedding industry member, a birth industry member, and work-at-home-mama during the last decade.

Can you relate to any of these?

1. There is always something to learn from a difficult experience. You can walk away bitter, angry, or sad, OR you can choose to reflect on the situation and learn from any mistakes you've made.
2. Your calendar is the best depiction of your priorities. You can say what your priorities are all day long, but it's how you are spending your time that one can truly see where your heart lies.
3. It is never a bad time to improve your time management skills. Like, ever. Just when you think you have this down to an art, you'll find another area where you can improve. Never give up fine tuning and perfecting time management skills! (P.S. My favorite resource for whipping myself into shape is FocusBooster!)
4. Failing is not the end of the world. If you're like I was and you can't give yourself grace and learn to accept that you are a flawed human, then running a business will probably never be enjoyable. I had to let go of my expectations of perfection before I could simply take a deep breath and tell myself "failing is not the end of the world." I remember being pregnant with Sunday and I was currently on the road traveling from Fredericksburg to Lynchburg. I received a text message from a client who was waiting for me in Richmond. She was sitting on a park bench with her daughters and mother, thinking I was running a few minutes behind. But, in reality, I was two hours away singing at the top of my lungs to a song on the radio. Getting that phone call gutted me. A genuine mistake, a "pregnancy brain" moment. I called Tommy and said "I want to quit this work. I can't do this... I cannot handle disappointing another client like this." It felt like THE END OF THE WORLD. But, you know what? It wasn't. I am human, and I'm going to make mistakes. I just had to pick myself up, brush myself off, share my deepest apologies, and do what I could to prevent making the same mistake again. Grace, not perfection. 
5. Proper handling of stressful situations takes practice (and a whole lot of grace). The best thing you can do is stay calm, take a deep breath, and begin to problem-solve. I know this is common sense, but learning how to put this behavior into practice is truly an art form for a personality like mine. Ha! Of course, I'm still working on this... habits are tough to break! 
6. Accepting people just the way they are and/or letting go of unhealthy relationships is one of the best things you can do to find peace in your work and personal life. I didn't really think this one needed much explanation. 
7. Sometimes it is better to let go of control, even when you own your own business. For example, outsourcing a handful of business tasks has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, both personally and professionally. When you are not a professional at something, hiring another professional to take care of those items not only improves your product and experience for your clients, but it also helps you get back to focusing on that which you ARE a professional in.
8. There are seasons in life and this is more than okay, it's a beautiful part of life! Seasons come and go. I've always said I will run this business as long as life, and God, will allow me to do so. Over time, this business has seen different seasons: I have focused on wedding photography, then birth photography, and recently studio work has been the forefront of my focus. This business has changed names twice. Did you know I originally began with the name Love & Laughter Photography?! Ah, I love to look back and see that my heart is still in the same place as it was in the beginning - capturing love and celebrating life! <3 Each of the seasons I've had in my business has followed the path of my personal life and what has been best for myself and my family at that time. What an amazing journey.
9. No communication is the worst communication. Even if you have bad news to share, sharing it honestly (and quickly) is better than not sharing it at all. This is obviously a good life skill, but a difficult one to master. As someone who hates sharing bad news, I have had to learn the hard way a few times that it is truly better to share bad news than to hide from sharing anything at all.
10. Personable service and client relationships are a part of a high-quality experience, but not a necessary part of a successful business. Hear me out. While I have a gift of compassion and I am very personable, I have had to learn that not all of my clients want that as a part of their experience. What they want is a business transaction - good images in return for a financial investment. For a long time, I spent too much time pouring into personal emails, long client conversations, and extra special gifts. While these are good things, they were not always the best use of my time. If you are beginning a new customer service business, take it from me: keep your systems simple until you have them down to an art. Then bring in the personal touches. 

And I thought it would be fun to finish out this post with a blast from the past... a few images from my first year of business. Whew! Let me tell you, this is really not that fun for me. But, I thought it was only fair to share that, yes, we all start somewhere. I have to share my genuine gratitude to each of these clients (and friends!) for trusting me at such an early stage of my business and photography journey!

Also, I had to grab these pictures off of Facebook because they are all stored on a hard drive tucked somewhere in the depths of my files. Ha! 

Okay, I can't help it! I have to redeem those pictures with a few of my favorite weddings from 2016!! Here is a glimpse at some of my most recent work. 

Are you planning a Lynchburg, VA wedding? I have photographed over 150 weddings over the last ten years and would love to capture the story of your wedding day. I am currently booking 2017 and 2018 weddings. If you are interested in having me capture your love, I would love to sit down and chat with you! Simply send me a message and we will plan a time for you to come out to the studio to share your story.

Are you beginning a photography career and looking for business coaching? I am currently booking a very limited number of mentoring sessions in 2017 and would be happy to send you more information about my availability. Send me a message and we can start the conversation!