I had such a hard time with this blog post in the wake of the tragic events that happened in Charleston last week. Our city, and the beautiful and courageous people who have called this place home, have been shaken to the core. My heart goes out to the families of those 9 victims of the shooting at Emanuel AME and to all of the families in this city – and in this country – that are impacted by prejudice and acts of hate. As a mother, I can’t imagine the grief. There are no words.
I think there is no other better tribute to a city than it’s beauty and it’s people. As photographers, we have the unique ability to share our perspectives not in words, but in photographs (thank goodness… because writing is not my strong suit). So here is the blog as written before the events of last week:
May 2015 was an action-packed month, and in the middle of it all, a group of Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop alumni gathered in our beautiful city of Charleston for a reunion. Pinkle Toes Photography workshops are taught by the one and only, Michele Anderson of Austin, TX. One of the best decisions I have ever made for my business was attending her workshop in Charlotte, NC in 2013. She is one of the very best lifestyle photographers in the country and has so much knowledge to share. And besides that, she is super hilarious and is a genuine beauty, inside and out.
This blog post is part of a “blog circle” so make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post and see the next blog post about this reunion… there are so many talented ladies in this group!
During our 3 days, we spent so much time laughing that our faces hurt, talked plenty of shop and photographed so many places and people that it took me days to go through all of the images. I experienced so many things I (shamefully) still haven’t done since I moved to Charleston 9 years ago:
1. Shot an impromptu Maternity Session (the mom was expecting twins… such a gorgeous family. They never had professional photos done before so it was a special treat for them!)
2. Went on a Culinary Tour (delish!)
3. Photographed a sunrise near the Morris Island Lighthouse (I’m more of a sunset gal… plus, we had to get up at 4:30am to drive out there and we were RUNNING to get out there to beat the sunrise.)
4. Took an actual tour of Boone Hall Plantation.
5. Stopped to photograph wildflowers and just-for-fun portraits… because we can!
6. Ate breakfast at the Lost Dog Cafe (shameful… I know!)
7. Attended a Pure Barre class (#stillsore)
I am looking forward to the next workshop reunion ladies! {hugs to you all}
The next stop on this journey is a blog post by Becky Keller of Rebecca Keller Photography – Raleigh Newborn Photographer. Becky is a superstar lifestyle newborn photographer in Raleigh, North Carolina and her work was recently published in People Magazine!
Here is a complete list of the reunion attendees! I highly suggest clicking on their names (I’ve linked their photography websites below). They are all amazing artists and I highly recommend them if you live in their areas!
Ahhh, so many gorgeous photos in 1 spot!!! i’m so glad I got to meet you!
Jody…these images are just amazing. Wow! I love that one of Jen (even if she’s not-so-thrilled) and I love all of those moments you captured in between our staged shots. The one of me laughing running up to the sunrise made me giggle. And thank you for making me feel beautiful on Rainbow Row even if I totally did not want to take pics then ;-). xoxoxoxo
Oh my goodness… Thank you! Hugs!
OH Jody, I ought to shoot you for putting that pic of me on your blog. lol j/k it makes me laugh so hard!!!!!! just reminds me of how much fun we had this trip. You are an amazing photographer and I hope I get to see you again!!
Jody, Your photos are very moving and gorgeous. I love the look back to the memories we made. Thanks for the wildflower photos of me too. I hope we can get together again soon.
Thank you, Christy! I hope so too!