Encouragement!

The photography world has grown immensely in gadgets and in professionals. The styles and genres of photography seem endless. Looking at new up and coming photographers and reading forums and learning about new software and upgrading equipment, it can all be quite overwhelming. I get caught up in it at times. Comparing and critiquing work is a natural response to the plethora of photography out there. The thing I've learned is that I can not compare my own to work to others'. It's enough to drive me nutty, not to mention get me down on myself. I had to compare my past work to my present work. This is the only way that I will stay true to myself and my own style. Comparing my work to someone else's just tempts me to copy. I definitely don't want to be known as the copycat photographer. I want to be unique and original. The quote above really inspires me to do what I ought to do and that is to focus on my own progress and work. I am going to keep striving to do my best and to stay true to my own vision for my business. I believe that God has a special plan for me and for my business. I know for a fact that He intends good toward me. I can do all things with Him.

This all gets me thinking about encouragement. Not every one's Love Language is Words of Affirmation, but I think that everyone can benefit from a little encouragement. I challenge you to encourage someone today, whether it's a friend, a parent, a colleague, the person at a check-out counter, anyone. Words are so powerful. Let's use them for good. You will be blessed for it.

If you are wondering what in the world a Love Language is, please check out the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It will open your eyes to how you show love and how your loved ones need to be loved. Knowing how someone needs to be loved is so important. I love this book and highly recommend it!

The Refuge!

Hello there. This weekend I got to experience the coolest little photography retreat. Melanie & Jeff Mansfield of Fresh Photography hosted a photography retreat, Fresh Perspectives Workshop, at The Refuge in Ayden, NC. Five local photographers including myself signed up for this amazing weekend filled with lots of photography goodness for our learning pleasure. Lighting, posing, angles, and portfolio reviews are among some of the subjects we covered. I got spoiled with some good tasting food that I've never had before. Sweet potato pancakes and chicken salad sandwiches seasoned with curry are just a couple of the yummies we had. Melanie shared stories and showed her fabulous products that she offers her clients. Jeff showed us the benefits of using lighting and how to use lighting in our photography. All five of us girls were listening intently to them while writing notes. We also shared some of our own personal stories and experiences, asked questions, received timely advice. I was totally nervous about my session review. I haven't had another artist critique my work since college. Melanie was very helpful and gave me some things to work on, which I simply can't wait to do. It was so much fun staying up late talking {3:30 a.m.} I don't think I've stayed up that late on purpose in a LONG time.
The following day the models arrived, a few families that came out to The Refuge. Melanie & Jeff arranged for the models to come out for us to practice some the techniques we talked about. These families were absolutely gorgeous! We all got a chance to photograph the families together and individually. I feel so blessed that the Lord has given me the opportunity to do something like this. I just wish I would've done it sooner. The photog retreat was so great that I definitely plan to do it again as soon as I am able. I treasure this time I had with some lovely lady photogs and with Melanie & Jeff. God is so good. {Above}Check out some of the pics I took at The Refuge.

Motivation for Monday & A Father's Wise Words

Julian wanted a "Big Toy Robot Godzilla" for Christmas. He reminded my husband & I often. When he ate a new food, he mentioned Big Toy Robot Godzilla. When he was sharing, he mentioned Big Toy Robot Godzilla. He wanted to see a picture of it on the computer whenever Beau or I would check our email. He asked so much that we finally just printed a picture of it to put on his wall in his room. Beau & I looked and looked for this toy and bought it for Julian to open for Christmas. Then after we bought the toy, we would laugh knowing that he was going to get it, but he had to wait until Christmas. Julian was very persistent.

The Lord has brought 2 things to mind when thinking about this memory with Julian:
1. Think about how much you love your children and the extent you would go to make them happy.
2. Think about how persistent Julian was with his desire of the Big Toy Robot Godzilla. He asked until he
    received it.

I am BLOWN AWAY by the places and times God speaks to me and my husband regarding our children, our marriage, and our daily walk with Him. I have wondered how much God really loves me. I know what the Bible says. I hear what pastors and facilitators tell me the Bible says. I want it to be tangible. This weekend God used my husband to speak to me. Beau shared with me a very tender revelation he heard from God in his quiet time. "Think of how much you love your sons. Your love for them isn't even a tenth of how much I love you." Whoa! Dude! Not even a tenth. I can feel, hug, kiss, hold, and say "I love you" to my son and he can reciprocate. This is the tangible love God has given me to experience a greater love than myself. If God has given you a help mate, friend, sibling, parent, child, even a pet, that is a tangible love that He has given to you. He can do all things; He can love you through anyone or anything He chooses.
Now, about Julian's persistence. He didn't stop asking until he received what he wanted. It made me ponder my prayer life. How often I pray. What I pray about. How often I've stopped being persistent in prayer because I don't see what I want coming. I give up. The Bible is clear about the benefits of hope and the importance of persistent prayer. I've been convicted to revisit my prayer list and prioritize it and make it more a priority.
I want to share 2 verses today that came from my devotional Jesus Calling.


1. Romans 12:12 ~ Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.

2. Romans 15:13 ~ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may
                          overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I hope you have a blessed Monday!

Be Mine: Valentine Session (T & C)

Hello! Meet my sweet friend Tammy and her beautiful daughter, Carly. This mommy & me session was an idea I had at the beginning of December and I'm so glad that these two were game! I love being by the water just as the sun is setting. Yesterday was no exception. The wintery weather stayed at bay, so to speak, and we had a great time playing at the beach. I just love the closeness between this mama & daughter. They are the funniest, most loving duo. Thank you both for sharing this vision of love with me. I love you both!

If you are inspired, stay tuned for the Be Mine: Valentine Mini-Session post. Valentine's Day is the perfect time to surprise your loved ones with the timeless gift of portraits. The Be Mine: Valentine Mini-Sessions will be posted tomorrow. Let's capture the Love!

Be Mine: Valentine Mini-Sessions

Please Contact ME! if you are interested in the Be Mine: Valentine Mini-Sessions. Details on location and times will be shared when you call to book an appointment. If you want to see a little sneak peek of a Valentine session I shot with a mama & daughter, click here! I would love to talk with you about capturing your lovely memories. 

David & Amanda

I am so excited about this session. Meet David & Amanda. David is a long time friend of my husband. They played college ball together. When we all get to hang out together it is a blast, laughs galore and a few of "huh?" looks exchanged between me & Amanda. There stories about football and various other adventures are engaging. Plus, well, Beau & David have their own language. lol. Just kidding :)
Anyway, I am so thankful for this couple. When I met Amanda I was thrilled to find that we share a love for festivals. So we planned to meet at the MumFest in New Bern. Amanda mentioned that she wanted to have some pics taken sometime during the holiday season. When the date for MumFest got closer, I suggested that we take pics there. D & A were down. Yay! Beau & I lived in New Bern about 3 yrs. What a beautiful little historic town. The homes are well preserved, the downtown district is filled with fun eateries and unique storefronts. The bonus? The Tryon Palace Gardens were opened to the public yesterday. So lovely! Being Saturday, it was quite packed full of people, but in between pics we enjoyed the stroll down the streets and the festival food. Um, can you say funnel cakes. Delicious! One of things I absolutely love about David & Amanda is that they are real people who aren't afraid to be themselves. This session with D & A  confirmed my adoration of candid shots. Capturing the fun and love between a couple is such a blessing. So, thank you David & Amanda for a great day of fun and pics in the sun! Love you guys {Hugs}!

i heart faces

This is probably one of my favorite photos of John. This was taken in Florida around 6ish in the evening. The sun was just beginning to set. The sky was still a beautiful blue as you can see in his eyes. No, that is not photoshopped in. My mom was holding him. You can also see her reflection in his eyes. I shot this photo a tad below him with the lens point up. I love to capture as many baby chub pictures that I can. I know those chubs won't last forever.
I am entering this pic in the iheartfaces photo challenge "A touch of sun". If you are a photographer, a hobbyist, or just love to take pictures of people, go check out their site.

Motivation for Monday

I love this little man. He is enjoying a cookie from The Pink Panda. These cookies are amazing. I highly recommend you order some for your next special occassion. Amber is so sweet and easy to work with. All her cookies are custom & homemade.
While we are on the subject of sweet things that taste good, I thought I'd bring up God's Word.

Psalm 34:8 ~ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Proverbs 16:24 ~ Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

God's Word, the Holy Bible, is to act as food for our spirit. {I am speaking to myself here} I don't know about you, but when I don't spend time with God I tend to totally wreak of bad attitude and sour spirit. Being a busy mom, a football coach's wife, teacher, housekeeper, the lists of duties for all of us add up and then there is no time for reading anything. Even if we really do need it to uplift our day, the Bible just sits on the shelf or in the bag that we bring to church with us on Sundays. I think of the women in my life whom I know for a fact wake each morning purposefully to spend time with Jesus before they start their day. Me? I covet sleep. I want to get in as much sleep as I can because I am a sleep deprived woman. I will share a little Christian Mommy trick though. Devotions. They are short. They are sweet. They are a nibble of God's Word to tide me over until the next little nibble. One that I have used recently is Beth Moore's Audio CD. This is a compilation of excerpts from her various Bible Studies. I have listened to this many times recently in the car while the boys sit in the back watching The Wonder Pets :)  Since we live in the country now it takes about 20-30 minutes to get anywhere, so I get a little bit of God's Word and it is so meaningful for my day. Another one I loved using was an actual devotional magazine called Journey. This is a monthly magazine that you can subscribe to. It is filled with daily Scripture verses and a story by an author. It always touches me and I often find myself texting the verse to various people in my family or circle of friends because I want to share what I've just read. Journey also displays a pretty photograph on the front cover along with photos on the inside that are pleasing to look at. That's a bonus for me :)
Despite your busy day, week, life, you can still be filled with the goodness of God's Word. It's not the quantity of time, but the quality of time. The Lord knows you and all you have on your plate. He wants to help you with that plate. He wants to take the heaviness off of it so that it is light to carry. He will meet you right where you are; He will give you all that you need for the coming day. Be Blessed today Sweet Friend.

Holiday Cards {take one}

I thought I would leave you today with 2 new Christmas Card templates that I will be offering this Holiday Season. They are very traditionally styled cards; I love that about them. Both cards are 5x7 and have a front and a back design. More to come...

The Fall Sessions

Shown Above: Greeting Card in Harvest.

Please contact me if you would like to schedule a photo session. Apointments are now open through the month of October.

Limited dates available.

The Fall Sessions all include a natural light hour long on location session and choice of collections listed above.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Mini Beach Session

My husband & I went to the river the other day with boys to play in the sun and sand. It was a beautiful day. The Lord just blesses in amazing ways. I ended up shooting an impromtu beach session with this sweet little girl who will be celebrating her birthday next month {and her little sister}. Their mama was so nice and easy to talk to. The girls, as you will see, were just the cutest things. I am so thankful I met them; they just blessed my day.

Brag Book!

Hey SeNiOrS and Mamas of Seniors!  This accordion "Brag Book" is perfect to show off the images from your Senior Session. If you book a session with Karrie Drake Photography, you will get 2 of these Brag Books for free. I am an on-location natural light photographer servicing northeastern North Carolina. Call me today. I look forward to hearing from you.

Double Shot {Senior Session}

Hey y'all. Yesterday marked my first session here in North Carolina. I scheduled a Senior Session with the sweet mama of twin Senior boys. We met and instantly hit it off with some great conversation. I enjoyed so much getting to know Hunter, Chance, and their sweet mama. We had fun together on the river. The weather and the temperature outside couldn't have been better for a July afternoon. The breeze was really kickin' when we first started the shoot. I kind of feel bad that I started them out at the cove because the tide was higher than normal, but I think it was a good ice breaker for both guys. Taking your shoes off to feel the warm sand and cool water is just so relaxing. They were such good sports about following me around and trying out my ideas. It wasn't long before they were thinking up of their own poses to display their individualities. It was a great shoot. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I enjoyed our session together, I hope you like your sneak peek.

Little John is ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday Little John. I love you my precious baby boy! En route to North Carolina, we stopped at my friend's house for a few days to break from driving. It was a lovely time out from our road trip. The weather was beautiful. The boys played outside all day. We stayed up late and slept in. It was wonderful. I brought along a couple props just in case John was in the mood for a mini-shoot. I had bought some of those Huggies jean diapers, which are adorable by the way. They went perfectly with the tie and sunglasses, don't you think? John loved being free to roam on the front porch. He also enjoyed swinging on the porch swing, so I thought it was fitting to take his pictures there. So much of him reminds me of Beau, like his facial expressions, his ears, and his build. He does have brown eyes though, and those he got from me thank you very much. Ha. ha. Love you John. I pray that as we begin our life in a new location that you will be blessed through and through with all that God has planned for you.