I only just met this family and I adore them. Laura and David are amazing. They have so much going on in their lives and they make it seem so effortless. I don’t know how they do it, but I really think I need to take some lessons from them. Oh- did I mention they have 3 beautiful daughters and Laura is 31 weeks pregnant, with twins. How is that for amazing? They both work full time jobs too. How about now? Yeah- thought so. 

Their daughters are the coolest girls. They all have their own totally different personalities, but they are so sweet and kind and beautiful. All 3 of them are just gorgeous. Dave is seriously going to have his hands full. Hannah, Kiera, and Annabelle are my newest bff’s. One day soon they are going to come out and ride the horses some. I can’t wait. These girls are awesome. 

Somewhere around Veteran’s Day this beautiful family is growing by 4 little feet. Dave is getting a little bit of testosterone to help balance out all the lovely Hudson ladies, but there is also going to be another beautiful lady coming into this family. That’s right, a girl and a boy. I am so excited to meet little Jack and Molly. I can only imagine how precious these little babies are going to be if they look anything like the rest of their family. I don’t think these guys are capable of anything but gorgeous. Stay tuned to the blog for pictures of these beautiful little babies when they get here. I can promise you those pictures will be nothing short of epic! 

I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed shooting them. And thank you SO much for having me out to your lovely home for an afternoon of pictures. I can’t wait to do it again. (And, I’ll be glad to take Goliath off your hands anytime you like! hehe) <3BRI

Many of you know that I am also a nurse. In particular a substance abuse nurse, even though I am not actually working right now. My former boss and amazing friend, Amy Morris, is the clinical director at CTC- Pinehurst. She has been there for about a year and the transformation she has made in that facility is nothing short of astonishing. In that short of a time period she has managed to take a “broken” operation and turn it into an amazing state-of-the-art opioid treatment program.

September is National Recovery Month, so what better time to have an open house to promote treatment and recovery to this community. If you know anything about Amy, you know she doesn’t half way do anything. She loves what she does and really pours her heart and soul into her work and it shows. This event was no exception. There were 22 vendors from this area set up as well as an afternoon full of informative guest speakers. It was an event for everyone (even if you just came for the yummy food! :-P) and I am SO honored to have been asked to be a part of it.

Thank you to everyone who came out to this event and those who had a hand in putting it on. The staff at CTC-P are awesome and their unity and passion for substance abuse is so clearly evident after spending just a few minutes around them. I also feel like I should mention the phenomenal renovations and expansion that have been done to the clinic over the past 6 months or so. Please take a moment to look through the pictures of the improved clinic. It is nothing short of inspiring.

For anyone who may need/want more information about treatment please contact the outstanding staff at CTC-Pinehurst. Their website is: http://www.crchealth.com and their phone number is: 910-235-9090. Also please take a moment to visit Moore County Recovery Month’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MooreCountyRecoveryMonthSeptember2012

<3Bri

I was contacted a while back by a girl, named Brianna (spelled wrong but alas) no less, about doing a session for her, her boyfriend, his brother and his  girlfriend and horses. I have been fighting with mother nature for some great lighting for what feels like a lifetime now. It seems like session after session the lighting was totally fighting me. Well- mother nature finally gave me that incredible, warm, golden light I have been wanting for what seems like forever now. So here I stood, with 3 beautiful horses, 4 beautiful people, and 2 couples who were crazy about each other. SCORE!!!!!!! Sheldon is in the Air Force (Thanks for your service bud!!) And he has been deployed for the past however long. He had only just gotten back stateside a day or so before the session. Needless to say, he and Bri were so happy to be together again. The love they have for each other is so apparent. All you have to do is watch the way he watches her when she isn’t paying attention or watch Bri’s mouth curl into a smile when she catches a glimpse of him. They are clearly crazy about each other and a match made in heaven. Dillon is Sheldon’s brother, and Selena is Dillon’s girlfriend (confused yet?). They were in town visiting from Oklahoma, which was a perfect chance for them to get some pictures together as well (and some of the 4 of them for the family!) These 2 are also crazy in love. Every time I turned around they were either kissing, hugging, holding hands, snuggling up or something. They were certainly easy to get to be affectionate in their pictures. It just came natural! 😛 I told them to give it a few years 😉 Sheldon and Dillon are two peas in a pod if there ever were any. They are exactly the same and were cutting up and goofing off together the whole time. Heck, Selena and Bri were equally as silly. I had a blast doing these pictures and hanging out with these crazy love birds. I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as we did! Enjoy! <3Bri

I was lucky enough to spend an evening photographing this super awesome family. One of my favorite parts of this job is that I get to meet and become friends with so many cool people. This was no exception. Scott, Megan, and Cadence are such a great family and have an amazing chemistry together. It doesn’t take being around them for very long to know how in love they are with each other, and especially their beautiful little girl, Cadence. I even got the chance to meet Scott’s parents and get some pictures of them too. I hope you guys enjoy these and I am looking forward to photographing you guys again! <3Bri

Ok, so I had all these big plans to blog about super cool stuff coming up this fall (don’t worry, that blog will still be coming) but, this one needs to come first. 

For those of you who are unaware I have an incurable autoimmune disease, lupus. It has been quite a rough ride but for now I seem to have it fairly under control. That being said I still very much so have my good days and bad days. If you are wanting more information about the disease obviously please feel free to ask me or check out this link- http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_learnunderstanding.aspx?articleid=2231&zoneid=523 – it’s pretty informative and at least gives you a skeleton of what lupus is. 

I know I have said this in the past, but I was very clearly reminded of it this morning, I have the best husband in the world. Ever. First of all, he works so hard to provide for his family, and anyone who knows him knows how hard he works. I can never get him to sit still. He is always the first to offer help to anyone if they need it and will bend over backwards (to a fault sometimes) to help others. He works so hard not only at his job and as a husband and father but around the farm to help take care of MY horses. Especially since majority of the stuff I am unable to take care of on my own now. He is also beyond supportive of my disease. He usually knows when something is not quite right with me long before I ever say anything about it. Let’s not even get into the fact that he is my first (and only) love, we’re high school sweethearts, he is my best friend and the most loving and supportive father I’ve ever seen in my life. Oh- and he is super cute! 🙂 Ok- enough of my mushy lovey dovey stuff……

Just a shot of the most amazing husband ever!

Last night Kevin was up super late reorganizing our spare bedroom. But, after he did all if that he managed to get online and locate a local Walk For Lupus. I had no idea he was even doing this. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and was checking facebook and saw the link to his page randomly show up on my feed. The fact that he wanted to do the walk was sweet and amazing enough on it’s own. But, then I read what he wrote on his page and the tears started flowing like a faucet. What an amazing man I have. I am so blessed. 

This is the link to his fundraiser page to read what he wrote and to donate: 

http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1007700&supId=366330098&extSiteType=1

So, while this doesn’t have anything to do with photography it is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart. If you could please take a moment to look at his fundraiser page and donate if you can. Please remember any little bit (no matter how big or small) will help and would mean so much to us. Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this and for supporting my amazing husband as he walks to hopefully find a cure for this miserable disease. 

Love, 

Bri 

This family is so special to me. Joanna is one of my dearest friends, and probably the only reason I made it through nursing school in one piece. We are so much alike and have the same sarcastic personality so we get along wonderfully. Their little boy, Micah, is 5 and Hailey’s boyfriend (as she will gladly tell you) and is so precious, and Marcus and Kevin have so much in common they get along great. We always have a blast hanging out together. The most exciting part- is their beautiful little family is going to be growing by 2 feet in April 2013. I am so excited for them. It seems like just yesterday that she was pregnant with Micah and I can’t wait to have a little baby around to snuggle (and give back when I am done!!) again. Doing this announcement session was a blast for me, and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.

These shoes are Joanna’s grandma’s shoes from around 1932. So cool to be able to incorporate them into this session! 🙂

Then we hd this super cute little visitor, Buffy, during the session checking things out. The coolest thing about this cat to me is he is my mom’s cat, Mojo’s, brother. 

We went on a family outing to the giant Moore County Fair the other night. It is so big in fact they don’t even have a ferris wheel. But- small town, small fair. Never the less it was fun to go and Hailey had a blast. Of course, me always with my camera in tow had to get a few pictures. Enjoy! 🙂 

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This blog post is a little bit different from the other ones, because this is about me and there are even some pictures OF me in it. (Gasp). Every now and then I manage to get out from behind the camera and get in front of it. But- just like in this post- it’s usually on the back of a horse. In one of my other personas I am a dressage rider/trainer/instructor, in case you didn’t know. Well, on Saturday I took 4 students and one green adorable little pony baby to a local schooling show. We managed to do 7 rides in roughly 2 hours and everyone got plenty of warm up and there were no catastrophes. Amazing really. I have an amazing group of students. Partly, I think because I have limited my teaching to just students that are a perfect fit not only in my life but each others. These girls are all the best of friends, they hang out together outside of the barn and really love hanging out together. This is a requirement to ride with me. Everyone must get along really well and be each other’s biggest fan and supporter and Second Chance Farm is hands down, not negotiable a drama free barn. Period. And that’s exactly how I want it. I love these girls like they are my own, they stay at the farm and are working students for majority of the summers, as well as most weekends and holidays throughout the school year. Hailey loves them, and Kevin doesn’t know how to act when the farm isn’t overrun by teenage girls. They really are a part of the family. So, you can just imagine how proud I was of all of them at this show. Emily has been working so so so hard all summer long working up to this show, and I was so proud of her as she rode down the center line looking so poised and confident with all her hard work. She rode great on a tough horse and really shined. She ended up with a 3rd, and 5th place rides. The future is so bright for this girl, and I am glad to be a part of it. Isabelle came to me as a shy, quiet (so much so I could not hardly hear a word she said in her lessons for about the first 4 months I taught her) but incredibly natural young rider 3 years ago. Now she is a far cry from shy, confident, giggly, amazing young rider. She works so hard and is such a great young lady. Her and Emily basically took care of everything on my farm for me last summer when I was so sick and still trying to work, with little guidance from me and they were invaluable. She is lucky enough to ride Sutter, who at 21, is my first true love, and will always be my most favorite horse ever. We’ve been together for over 12 years now, and he was my first FEI event horse and FEI dressage horse. As proud as I am of everything I accomplished with him it makes me so proud to see her learning and excelling with him too. She went in that ring yesterday like she owned the world and rode a phenomenal test. I knew when I watched her ride that she had just won her class and sure enough, I was right!!!! Made me so beyond proud of her. Farrin is a new student to the group, but she is a lovely rider with a lovely mare. Just my type of ride, a hot, sensitive, thoroughbred. She went in the ring and put in 2 solid, relaxed rides which was our number one goal for 2nd and 4th places. A great start for a team with a very bright future. I met little Emma (featured in the post The Calm Before The Storm) severial years ago when her sister started taking lessons. Long story short- Casey doesn’t get to ride too much now, amazing how life tends to get in the way, but Emma is a die hard. She lives a couple hours away so I don’t get to see her a ton during the school year, but during the summers, look out! She has been here a ton this summer working hard and learning so much. This was her very first show, ever, and she was so nervous. But- like I knew she would, she went in the ring and did a great job. And her future is so bright. She got a fantastic 3rd place and was hands down the cutest thing there, on the polkadotted princess, with her long blonde pigtails with teal bows that matched her shirt, bridle and even braces. They were adorable and I was so proud she was mine! I showed this little pony, Skylore, I’ve had in training for the past month or so too. He just turned 4 years old, and is the most adorable thing ever. Not even kidding here. He went to his very first show, and one of his first times off the farm and acted like a seasoned pro. He was textbook perfect, scoring a 74% and not only winning his class but getting the high score of the whole show. His owners are so excited, and I know they can’t wait to get him back home tomorrow, but the rest of us- we are seriously going to miss his cute little face. Ok, well, if you made it through this entire post maybe you now have a little more insight into another aspect of my life and one of my other true loves. It is even more incredible to me when I can combine photography and horses like I was able to do here. I hope you enjoy the pictures of my girls and all my proud trainer bragging! 🙂 <3B 

Have you been thinking about scheduling a session but are totally overwhelmed with where to get started? I figured I would take this chance to answer some of the most common questions I get asked about setting up a session. Hopefully this will help those of you who are sitting on the fence about booking a session and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask! Enjoy! 🙂

1.) I really want to get some family pictures but I am not photogenic and I’m so awkward in front of a camera.

OK, first of all. This is not the type of photo session you suffered through growing up at Sears or Walmart. There will be no sitting in front of the camera, tilting your head one way or another, and on 3 saying cheese. I don’t even do my sessions in a studio. These are pictures of you and your family (regardless if your family consist of other people or pets!) spending time together and being YOU! I want your personality to come out in these sessions. If you are silly and goofy I want to see it. My sessions are laid back and fun. I am seriously goofy and I like to have fun. There is nothing uptight about me or my sessions. We will laugh (often at something graceful I just did on accident), joke, smile and have a blast. I PROMISE. And you will look amazing and natural in your pictures because that is what you will be. No forced posed smiles. I promise!

2.) I have no idea what to wear?

First of all, what are you most comfortable in? Are you a blue jeans and boots type of person or are you in love with that little dress and strappy heels? You want to wear something that is going to make you look your best and the most like you. If your wearing something that is totally out of your element you will feel uncomfortable in it and that will reflect in your pictures. I usually recommend at least 2 outfits for your session. Both ones that you are comfortable in and reflect your personality and style, however- make sure they are very contrasting in their look. In other words, not 2 different pairs of jeans and a different colored shirt.

If you are doing family pictures, I recommend wearing an outfit(s) that coordinates with each other but not all stepford-like. I don’t recommend the whole family wearing jeans and blue sweaters or something of that sort. But, blue jeans and different (but coordinating) sweaters works great.

Other tips on what to wear- accessories really make your pictures stand out. Ex- cute funky jewelry, head bands, hair accessories, scarves, hats, etc.

3.) I really want pictures of my kids but they don’t sit still at all and they can be really wild.

Guess what, I don’t sit still either! I can run around with your kids and get some great shots! I have a 3.5 year old little girl, she has more energy than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. I am more than used to getting amazing shots while on the move. Truth be told, these are my favorite shots and will probably be yours too. These are the ones that will get your child’s personality the best. That smile that warms your heart so much that you see when playing with your little one at the park….yeah, your not going to get that by making them sit and pose. But- you will get it by playing with your kid during the session. And, I can promise you- the session that you think isn’t going well because your kid won’t sit still will get some amazing images. Especially if you just relax and set off playing with your kids during the shoot. Remember, the more relaxed that you are during the session the more relaxed they will be.

4.) I really want to do a family session, but my husband hates posing for pictures.

I am married to one of those guys too. We have been known to fight (with him digging his heels into the dirt, kicking and screaming) the whole way to some of our family sessions. He hates taking pictures, he hates the idea of pictures, he hates all of it. BUT- he ADORES the pictures of his family on the wall. Each time we have done it he has complained the whole time and when he sees the finished product he has been so glad he did it. I can assure you your man will be the same way. I don’t know too many husbands that are jumping up and down to have family pictures done. Ladies, that is way more our department than theirs. But again, these aren’t your typical posey pose pictures. He will be interacting with his lady and kids (if you have any!) throughout the session, not awkwardly starring at my goofy self holding a camera!

5.) I don’t have any idea where to do my session at.

If you have an idea of what type of look your are looking for in your pictures that will give me an idea of where to do your session at, and we can discuss it and figure out the perfect location for your shoot. Don’t worry- I know LOTS of epic locations!!! If you have no clue what type of look your wanting in your photos, not to worry. I can help you figure that out too and from there we will find the perfect location for you! And don’t forget, we can always shoot at more than one place too!! So don’t hesitate to let me know if there are a couple of different looks you want for your photos. We can make it all work, I promise! And it will be AMAZING! 🙂

I think that is enough for tonight. And again, any other questions or misconceptions about sessions please feel free to comment them here or send them to me in an e-mail at captivatephotographync@gmail.com or on my facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/captivatephotographync. I look forward to hearing from YOU! ~Bri~

The end of a beautiful day….

So, of course this shoot was special to me because it had my daughter Hailey in it, but aside from the fact that she was in it I am totally in love, head over heels smitten over these shots. As in full on giddy. Giddy I tell you. I swear, if by some random chance these two end up getting married one day (how beyond adorable would that be?) I will be sure to plaster these shots ALL over their wedding in classic Mom of the Bride fashion hahahah. Micah is one of Hailey’s closest little buds and Joanna is like my sister. We became friends in nursing school and have never looked back. In fact, I don’t know how I would have gotten through nursing school without this chick. She is seriously the coolest girl ever. ❤ you!!!!!!! So, it would only be logical that our kids would be so close. This whole shoot was sparked by a random trip Joanna and I took to Raleigh which resulted in a random stop at Target where we saw the little dress Hailey is wearing and had to get it. Which came with the comment “This would be great for a cowgirl photoshoot”. That was all it took. Next thing you knew, we were working out the details of Micah’s shirt, Hailey’s hat and a borrowed lasso (Thank you Kevin Jones, I will get it back to you ASAP! Promise!!!!!!!). I just adore these pictures and these two precious little cowpokes. I hope you all enjoy them too. 

A quick side note. Thank you so very very much to each and every one of you who have taken the time to support this business and dream of mine. I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams how much support I would have gotten so quickly from you all. It means more to me than you will ever begin to know. Thanks again to each of you (this includes those of you who are wanting to book a session, my schedule is filling up fast, so book yours TODAY!!!!!) for trusting me with capturing the images of your family and loved ones. Love you all! ❤ ~Bri~