Melissa Pepin Photography

NEW BLOG!!!!!

2008-08-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We have finally got our new blog rockin and rollin and ready to go so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE update your RSS feeder and head on over to our new blog! Check out how small our images used to be in comparison to our new blog image sizes and leave us a comment letting us know what you think! We're still working out a few kinks but I'm pumped that we finally have a permanent blog home.. :) The blog will also be connected to our website so...afte the next few weeks..this blog will be no longer..bye bye blogger! Its been a fun journey..but we're movin on... :)

So..head HERE to see our blog at www.melissapepin.com/blog

ITs been a while...

2008-08-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Alrighty..so its been 6 days since my last post and its been kind of crazy around here... I HATE when I cant post more often but..no apologies..busy is good..:) I have some family portraits to post and tomorrow night Im shooting some awesome bridals and next week will bring lots of posting..no worries friends..I havent forgotten you.I promise!

I will leave you with one image that I shot on Wed. night for Reynolds Plantation. Its for an article about canoeing and the lake was so peaceful...and still. I love it. I plan on scheduling some still and peaceful time for me and the hubs this weekend. :) Have a great weekend everyone and I will post more pictures asap!

Nature is a BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Okay...so Im all about some cute animals and some wild animals and E all of the above and all.....but lets talk about this nasty creature who we got an unexpected visit from the other night.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!1

So..Anthony and I are minding our own business...sitting on our front porch having a glass of wine...like we do several times a week...just talking about how our day went and yatta yatta( Its a really special time for both of us each night..but for sake of time and the story..I'll leave out our mushy lovey details and jump right to the chase! So I hear what sounds like a cat running around in our little flower beds in front of the house...Diana is our neighbors Sam and Jessica's cat and shes a frequenter to my porch so..I just assumed it was her...but it got louder and Louder..and LOUDER until I jumped up and made Anthony go inside to get the flashlight so we could look under our porch and see what it was....

Well...Anthony gets off the porch with the giant, weapon like Mag lite and creeps around the front of the porch and shines that light in and then he gasps and opens his mouth really wide as if to say.. "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!" IT as an ARMADILLO!!!!!!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! The ONLY time I ever want to see an armadillo is when its made out of cake at wedding receptions...so this was super UN expected and TERRIFYING to me! There are few animals that I really cant handle...snakes (as seen from Randi and Jon's post a few weeks ago)...geese (I know its weird but the darn things surround me EVERY TIME I go jog at ANY pond....I just know one day they are going to try to peak out my eyes!) and NOW armadillos!

We realized that it had wandered under our porch through this little opening in our lattice board so we tried to get it out...we were equipped with the following:

(1) Super heavy duty Mag Lite
(1) 8ft extender painters pole
(1) pair of crocks
and (1) Canon 5D camera...

Heres how it all went down....

Anthony tried to guide it out..and it came OUT from underneath the porch..but then got startled and ran back under..BLAH! So we tried again..poking it with a little rod and trying to get it to turn around and skee-dattle... for those of you that saw when David Jay shot the bat out of his basement...you would have LOVED seeing what my husband had in mind for this little guy if we could have gotten a hold of it! (p.s. no animals were harmed during this evacuation...brought to you by Katie Moore). Long story short...we finally got it out and now its gone for good..but Im still afraid one morning Im going to go outside to get in my car and my house is going to be surrounded by an army of these scary creatures all wanting payback for making their friend leave....pray for our safety.... :)

Here are some pictures!!

This is the darn thing running back under the porch..grrrrrr

Thats me..terrified!!!!!

Thats Anthony....armed and dangerous

There it is all stuck...BLAH!

Now he means business!!!!

Shooo big ole fat armadillo!!!!!!!

The end

Sydney and Brett: Engaged!!!

2008-08-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone, this is Sydney and Brett! These two are soooooo much fun and we cant wait for there wedding in October to get here! They are getting married at Bona Allen Mansion in Buford and that place is incredible. When Abbey and I pulled up to Bona Allen where we also did their engagement session, we were SOOOOOO excited to see that the gate was open so we could go inside. We thought they would have it all closed by then, so we made a run for it and had a really good time looking over the grounds and hearing Syd's details about where everything out be set up and how everything was going to look on their BIG DAY! We had the best time with these two and we are so excited to be a part of their wedding. We started their shoot at Bona Allen and then we migrated to some areas around the mansion itself...then off to WAFFLE HOUSE! Now you guys know I like to shoot at places that are specific and special to each of our couples...and Waffle House just happens to be where Sydney and Brett ended up at the end of their first date... so we couldnt pass it up! Thanks Sydney and Brett for being so willing to brave the heat...you guys are awesome and we cant wait until October! Click HERE to see their slide show and here are some of our favorites from the shoot...

Office Space...

2008-08-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Its time to FINALLY post some pictures...I wanted to wait until the grand opening to post any images...so we could finish everything...so here they are..we had SUCH a fun time! And Thanks to Jessica Mann, Jessica Mixon, and my new OM Abbey for taking pictures for the night so I could "mingle" :)

We set Matt (yea..this is my assistant/friend Katie's husband Matt...owner of Southern Road Productions) up in front of our new backdrops fabrics and flashed him Hollywood style with our new lighting gear and let him be our bar tender for the night...he was AWESOME!!!! Between all the wine and beer and our Key Lime Martini that we were serving..he was busy alllll night...

Heres a little GP for Kate... :) hehhhehehe

Shaken...not stirred....

Jessica and Jessica SURPRISED the fool out of me on Thursday night when they knocked on my door at home around 9:20pm. Anthony answered the door and he said..'I think its for you"...meanwhile..we were watching Vi for Missy and Jon and I was elbow deep in diaper changing so..I was more than annoyed to have to get up and leave little miss on the floor to answer the door..but I was sooooo shocked and surprised and excited to see these ladies...sometimes I just NEED them in my life. :) (a lot of the time....)
Before all the people came...

The new door sign..yippie! Some people live to see their name in lights..I'll be just fine with it being on a door! :)

This is our OM Abbey....we LOVE Abbey and her husband Adam...they are TOO much fun!

Several of our awesome clients and friends came by see everything..can we talk about this babies John Dear Hat....I love it..and he looks just like his uncle Eli!!! :)

This is our super cute patio area....it will be AWESOME in like October/November...(p.s. do you see my super hot hubs in the left had side..heheheh. :) )

Tons of people stopped by throughout the night...it was awesome!!!

Plenty of sitting room my friends...so come stop by!!!

Apparently I had a good time even if no one else did... :)

and the double J's get artsy with this last one... :)

Thanks a MILLION time over to everyone who helped us and made Friday night come together...thanks to AMS for providing music for us for the night and thanks to everyone who has been praying for us for so long..we feel your prayers and we see Gods hand working!

Brent Holloman is the MAN!!!

2008-07-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! Here is the new action that Brent created for us...i just love it so leave the man some positive feedback and PLEASE head on over to his site to check out all his cool work!!!!

Charlie's Senior Pics

2008-07-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is a senior in high school and is getting ready to enjoy her last year of craziness before heading off to college!!!! I just love this girl! She is my friend Missy's little sister and this whole family is just so much fun...so I knew we would have a blast at her shoot! We started in Buford at a local Dam and worked our way down to Athens where we finished at a park with the craziest play structures I have ever seen! Charlie's BF Zack... (we LOVE Zack!!!!) came along to "hold Charlie's stuff" and we snagged a few pics of the two of them together. Charlie is a cheerleader...Zack plays football...its a match made in high school heaven and these two were sooo much fun to work with! Missy and Vi helped out with the shoot and we spent the majoity of our time laughing like crazy and trying to get Zack to sing Taylor Swift with us...he's a good sport. :) Have a terrific Senior year Chuck and we cant wait to see what awesome and amazing things you do after this year!

Here are a few of our favs from the shoot!

Ask Charlie where she's going...

And can we talk about the air she gets on her jumps??? Shesh!!!!

Missy spun her until she almost threw up on this little park chair swingy thing...it was hilarious!!!

Have a great year Charlie!!! WE are SOOOO proud of you!

Ryan's 2!!!

2008-07-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

I just love this little guy! I have been photographing Ryan since he was a wee little seedling in his mama's tummy. Ryan's mom is Kristy and I have known her for around 4 years. She has always been such a wonderful friend to me and this year..shes been sending us client referrals left and right! We just LOVE when our clients spread the word about us and we appreciate it more than you could ever know!

Ryan is now 2 years old, so we decided to take him out to the park so he could run around and play while we watched and talked about how we all remember when he was just a brand new baby! it makes me feel like Im getting old..shesh!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the shoot...happy birthday Ryan Jr!!!! We love you guys!

Okay...I HAVE to share this...but little Ryans dad...Ryan..is probably going to be mad at me...but oh well! So...lil Ryan wanted to go down the slide but he BEGGED dad to go with him...it was all fun and games until dad got stuck!!!! It was pretty hilarious..... heheheheeh

I just love Kristy...and boy does she love her family...

And Kristy and Ryan...you can thank me later for the big ole nap he took this afternoon....we wore him out!

Magical Make overs...

2008-07-26T13:01:00.001-07:00

hey everyone....

well...we're trying to make over our blog a little bit to make it fit our logo and our company colors more...just trying to find something that feels like home here in the world of blogs. :) We're still working on it so bare with us for the next few weeks and if anyone knows how to center my logo...HELP ! :) Also, be on the lookout for our new action from Brent Holloman that will be gracing all of our images posted on the blog asap...exciting things ahead!

While I was out..

2008-07-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We are out of town celebrating our 3 year anniversary and Anthony is working some here in St.Simons this weekend...BUT...Abbey is holding down the fort back home and she posted some pictures on her blog today that literally made me cry I was laughing so hard!! So head on over to her blog to see what my new staff was up to while I've been away...hehehehe :)

Abbey's BBBBBLLLLOOOOOOOGGGGGGGG

Katie and David: Engaged!!!

2008-07-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone, meet Katie and David! We shot their engagement session this past week and we can NOT wait for their wedding in September! Its going to be so much fun!

We did their session at their home in Bishop and it could not have been more beautiful out. They have a small farm and it was incredible to see all that they were growing...we shot first in their corn field (thats right...its THEIR corn field...like they grow the corn themselves!) and then we worked our way around the property. The sun was yummy and golden and the atmosphere couldnt have been better...we had such a great time. :)

It was really neat getting to see these two interact...David is from Bishop and Katie grew up more in the city...but they fit so perfectly together! I soooo admire their desire to grow their own food and to create a home for themselves that is based on family...and tradition...being around them is like taking a deep breath... :)

Here are some of our favorites from the session...Katie and David, you guys were awesome and we cant wait to share in your wedding with you both...we love you guys and we're dying to get our hands on some more pumpkin butter! hehehehe :)

You can view their slide show HERE

Have a little hope on me...

2008-07-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

*THIS IS A LONG ONE...so BE warned!

Hi friends! Its been like a week since I have had a chance to post anything and there is a TON coming...more pictures from a few commercial jobs we have been shooting (including the ridiculously beautiful Reynolds Plantation...and some new images from a special event at the Ritz-Carlton!) and also Ryan Shuman's 2 year pictures, Katie and David's engagement session...AND Charlie's senior pictures (okay..her name is Charlotte..but shes Charlie to us!) So..there is a lot coming...keep checking back this week. :)

There have been a lot of things on my mind recently that Im just dying to vent to someone about...and as Im sitting here on a Sunday afternoon working (which I try to avoid at ALL cost normally...but this week is a special week so...exceptions can be made :) ) Im just caught up in some many ideas about my life..and our growing business..and the people I interact with on a daily basis..and it leaves me with such an overwhelming sense of God's goodness on my life and of our blessed we really are. So..I wanted to share... :)

I feel like God places people in your life for a reason..whether its just for a season or for a life time and I feel so unbelievable blessed to get to interact with my clients on a regular basis...you guys become my friends..and I hold those relationships really close to my heart...so thank you a million times over for picking us and letting us into your special moments...

I also know that we have been blessed with a new REALLY cool space to work in...we are having a big ole grand opening on Aug. 1st at 7:30pm and we would love for everyone to come and check out what all we are getting our hands on around here! But the blessing is that if you would have asked me 3 years ago...or 2 years ago..or even 6 months ago if I thought we would be at this place..I would have told you that there was NO WAY possible for it to all come together like this...again...sweet heavenly blessings leave be baffled at why we even deserve this or why its US that have been given this opportunity to do something that we are so passionate about...and to do it full time...in our own space...Wow...it leaves me speechless and humbled...

I ALSO know we have been blessed to work with people who provide us with SOOOOO much encouragement that we couldnt live without...My husband Anthony is the partner in my life AND in this business that I need more than anything. He is equal in this with me and when I hurt he hurts..when Im excited..hes excited..and when I worry..he reassures me...how could have ever need more than that??? My mama...crazy as she can be..hehehehe...I need her in my business so much .Shes the one that I KNOW prays for me..and for God to keep on blessing me and she prays for all my clients..that they keep coming back! She's a source of godliness in my life that I cant live without. Katie...my wedding assistant...MAN! I couldnt do without her...she is SOOO in tune with what I need when we are shooting..or when we are doing back end paper work... shes just the trooper I need to keep me calm..and make everything run smoothly! She also is a pretty good spy (heheheh) and her encouragement is priceless to me...

And lastly..whats to come...???!!! Everyone..we did it! We hired a new office manager and Im telling you..we are SOOO blessed to have her be a part of our team! Her name is Abbey and you will all meet her shortly, but she will be here "officially" starting tomorrow and we could not be more excited about it! She has ALREADY bent over backwards to help me get paperwork and been a source of encouragement ( I mean..apparently I need a LOT of that! hahahha) and a safe place for me to bounce ideas off of..and she's just been so much fun. I cant wait for you all to meet her...talk to her...and fall in love with her like we already have...its going to be so much fun!

Geeze..this is super stinkin long..but I have a ton to be grateful for and I just wanted to share it with everyone. I honestly think that the second you stop being grateful for what you do is the second you should reconsider what your doing...and I always what to be thankful...always...

Thanks Paul Alan for helping me get my thoughts together... :)

I almost forgot...

2008-07-15T16:42:00.001-07:00

HERE is Randi and Jon's slide show!! :)

Randi and Jon : Engaged!!!

2008-07-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Everyone, meet Randi and Jon! They are getting married in May in Madison, Ga and we are SOOOOOO excited about being a part of their big day! Randi and John are so much fun to be around and we had the best time hanging out in one of their favorite places yesterday for their session, the Whitehall Lofts. Behind these lofts is a river and a really cool path that leads you through little shallow spots in the river....to a few sunny rocks with tall grass...all the way to a big ole bamboo forest. So we took our time and utilized as much of this cool find as we could! We started at an awesome tree that they hang out at together...Jon had carved their initials into the tree and I couldnt help but snag a picture of his masterpiece.. :) hehehehe As we went through the little trail yesterday, we saw a lot of really pretty pockets of light that we used...as well as a few spider webs (that Jon wrangled to the ground with a GIANT STICK...okay..it was a twig but it was really funny. :) heheheeh)..AND what I thought was a really neat twisted piece of black rod iron...oooooooooohh no...NOT a piece of rod iron...but a big ole black snake!!!! I remained calm....although my heart was about to jump through my throat..and I squealed a little...but it took everything in me not to jump on Jon's back and scream like I was being chased by an ax murderer! Seriously...Im STILL cringing just thinkin about it...ugh...

Here are a few of our favorites from the shoot...Randi and Jon...your love for each other is so evident and we cant tell you how excited we are for the both of you!

Her ring is beautiful!!!!

And Jon makes her smile like this...a LOT!!!

A quick little look see...

2008-07-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I shot Randi and John's engagement session and we had such a good time! It was hotter than the dickens out and we were all sweating up a storm, but it was worth it! These two are getting married in May and we cant wait for their wedding! Here is a little sneak preview from tonight...I have a whole bunch to blog coming up so..have a great weekend and look for more to come asap! :)

how sweet it is...

2008-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

You ever have one of those days where you just need a little pick me up? Well...after shooting all day yesterday and just having a crazy busy week...that was me last night. And at about 10:00pm Anthony got ready to head out of the door to sneak off and get ice cream...and when we walked out the door, my friend Casey pulled up. She had 5 BIG OLE sunflowers in hand and said she just brought them because she loves me. :) Here are my pretty flowers... thanks a million times Casey..I really needed that!

WEddings with friends...

2008-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was gone gone gone out of town again..and this time I was off to visit my friend Laurie Crutchfield in Greenville, NC. Laurie was my roommate at Love Affair and I tell you what..shes been a constant source of encouragement and love me for ever since. I LOVE that I have another photographer to share intimate details of my business with..I mean..we're not each others competition....and I love that I KNOW she prays for me and my business..just as I do for her... :) While I was there we shot Tony and Stephanie's wedding and it was so much fun! Everything was beautiful and Tony and Steph have the coolest story. She was in highschool in Greenville adn Tony became her pen pal....he was in England. After years and years of Tony telling Steph that he was going to vist...he finally did and 2 years later...here they are. :) Here are an image I shot from the wedding...i stole it from Laurie.. :) She wont mind. Also...keep her in your prayers this week. Laurie is going with a mission team to the Dominican Republic starting TONIGHT to document their mission work there....its going to be a crazy great trip and just pray that they team stays safe and gets a lot of work done!

here is Stephanie :)

On a side note....while I was getting my eye brows waxed today...I realized something. Us getting this new space..and working on hiring an office manager..and venturing into a whole new spectrum of our business and our art...is kind of like getting your eye brows waxed. There is a sense of building anticipation and anxiety(like when they are putting the wax on your eye brow and then diligently press that cloth strip across your eye) but a big ole sigh of relief (like when they tear the strip off...and 8 layers of skin!!!) when its all said and done...and when its all over..you feel really good about it. :) just a little perspective...

It's official....

2008-07-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Its official Ladies and Gentlemen! We have studio space!!!!!! YIPPIE!

We are SOOOOOOOOOO excited to open a space that will allow us to get our offices out of our home (we have really loved meeting with people here and our puppies will definitely miss all of the free lovin they get from our clients when they come by...) and into a new space. Poor Anthony has yard envy and our lack-o-grass pushed him on the hunt to find a space that would fit us perfectly...and WE FOUND IT!!!! :) Can you tell we're excited????

We will not be doing a lot of shooting inside the studio, although we will have some super cool, crazy patterened backdrops for the occasional photo booth opportunity...and maybe a few headshots. Its mostly going to be a place for us to meet all of you and talk about your weddings or your portrait sessions and such...and a place for us to do all the daily business stuff...AND a chance for us to set semi-normal business hours (...um...hmm..what are those??? :) ) in hopes that there can be a really great balance between our home life and this crazy-fun-super-exciting career... :)

We are taking the month of July to move in...paint...furnish..and settle in to the space, but (as of right now...) we are planning a HUGE grand opening party for everyone to come celebrate with us...so stay tuned for details.

We can not say THANK YOU enough to everyone who has prayed over us...and trusted us...and believed in what we were doing when we started 3 years ago....Im constantly reminded of exactly how good God is and how important your family and friends are...you guys help make us who we are... :)

Casey and Matt

2008-07-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

update....here is the slide show for Casey and Matt... :)

Ole and Toril: All the way from Norway!

2008-07-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Meet Ole and Toril everyone! This couple is super special because they flew all the way from Norway just to get married here in Athens! Thats crazy!!!! But we love it... :)

I was contacted (from Norway) by Ole who told me that he and Toril were die hard REM fans and they thought that nothing would make their wedding more memorable than to clump the wedding and honeymoon all together and go on to several REM shows while they finished up the current leg of their US tour...how fun is that???!!! They started in New York and went to shows all down the east coast until they got to Athens. Once here they stopped for a few days to rest, get married, and visit REM's "homeland". They were planning on ending their super fun trip with a few shows in Tennessee and then back home they flew! It was such a fun shoot and it was getting ready to rain..so it was MUCH cooler than normal...until the end of the shoot..then that good ole Georgia sun started to shine sending us all running indoors! Here are a few of our favorites from the shoot...we love you Ole and Toril and we hope that we helped make your trip to the US even more special! Congrats and happy travels!!!!

This is them coming out of the courthouse as a newly married couple!!!!

The steeple at Oconee Street...a must see for REM fans....

Next stop...Weaver D's...I mean..Automatic for the People y'all!!!

Can we talk about how hot her shoes are???!!!

Then to Chick Music downtown..where REM has bought equipment and last minute must haves over all of their years...I also worked here in college forEVER...so...we had to go there! :)

Last Thursdays big ole shoot...

2008-06-30T19:58:00.001-07:00

So this past Thursday, we had a big ole commercial shoot for a super fun client, its a very... familiar ...beer company...we will wait to disclose exactly WHO until the ad comes out :) The ad wont be out until football season starts for UGA and we will make sure to post the final ad once its released to market...but until then...here are a few behind the set images... :)

These were my RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME models (from left to right) Nigel, Jessica, Shontelle, Billy, and Josh.... love you guys..you rocked out!

Then my assistants decided to get in on the beer fun and pose a few time...
heres my mom Terri, Katie, and Leah

rivalry shot....shesh! See what I work with....

Thank you sooooo much to everyone who helped this whole thing come together...whether by your prayers or actually being there the day of. I almost went completely gray and lost my mind in the process, but my unbelievably amazing husband Anthony helped me keep my sanity with his constant support and know how...and Katie who helped me get outfits and organize like a mad woman...and my mom who just knew we could do it... you guys all rock... :)

Big day ahead....

2008-06-26T03:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Its 6:34am and we are up and at um around here..running around like crazy people trying to gather everything for a BIG shoot that we have today...cant reveal what it is just yet...BUT...all I can say is "Go Dawgs!"...more to come later... :) Just pray today that we do our best and create a lasting impression..thats our goal with every shoot and this one is no exception to the rule!

Little Miss Bella: Family shots

2008-06-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

This is Bella! She is the beautiful daughter of my hair stylist Andrea, from Bob[salon]. Andrea came and worked with me for the model shoot we had in March and since then she's been responsible for making my hair look fantastic...(and she totally has!) I have shot a lot for Bob[salon] recently and Andrea asked if I could come over and shoot some pictures of miss Bella last week... so, I did and we had a super fun time! Bella was so funny! At first..she was a little shy and reserved but by the time we were done...she was wide open and full of laughs. :) We started the session by hanging out in Bella's play room and reading a few stories..then we went outside to wait on her Pap Pap (grandfather) to get there(we played around in his old sports car...Bella LOVED IT!)... and then we wrapped it up with play time with Pap Pap and a little bit if snuggling....it was a really fun time! Here are a few of our fav's. :)

Bella REALLY wanted to take some pictures...so I sat her in my lap and she got this picture of Andrea and their pup Zoe...way to go baby Bella!!!!

She and Zoe diggin for books...

Then we caught her jumpin on the bed!

These are her 3 favorite things...

Im needy!

2008-06-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Alrighty...one big thing that we have been busy with this week is putting together a proposal for an ad agency for a shoot that we may have next week...well...we are looking for several models so...anyone interested please email me!!! BUT...craigslist can bring many an interesting folk when you put a request on there...so...my assistant Katie and her husband Matt (from Southern Road Productions) found my ad and THIS is what I got from Matt in my email box...someone remind me to preface my advertisements next time! hahahahahah I love you guys!

Heres what the email said:

Hi. I'm a hot young model looking for a new gig that pays some fat cash...I have the ability to grow a beard on the spot, so I'm pretty damn awesome.

If that wasnt convincing enough...Here's me putting out some sexy vibe...

You're Welcome,

Matt

HELP WANTED

2008-06-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

hi everyone..its been a super crazy week this week (and weekend...) but more images to come ASAP...we have been out of town this week but there is a LOT of new things to come this week.. :) Stick around for details....BUT...on a side note...we are hiring!!!

We need an office manager so if you are curious about the details..just shoot me an mail for all the info you would need to apply! Happy rest of the weekend everyone!!!

Casey and Matt: Engagement

2008-06-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

*Note...this is a long post so..get comfy!

Everyone...this is Casey and Matt! They are getting married in September on Coco Beach and post ceremony...all 50 guest...AND Us..are loading aboard a Carnival cruise ship for a stinkin AWESOME reception..we are sooooooo excited and cant wait for their BIG DAY to be here! These two are super special to us because we just love hanging out with them! We have known then before they were engaged...and they have always been so rediculously supportive of our business and of us as people in general...we love you guys! I cant tell you how many nights we have shared our hearts with these two over a bottle of wine (*wink *wink Casey...:) ) and talked about all the fun things we all have to look forward to in our future. AND Matt is one half of the team at Southern Road Productions, our fav. videographers in town... so... We (heart) Casey and Matt... :) Here are a few of our fav. shots from their engagement session this week...we started off at the famous REM steeple and ended out fabulous night with great food at Casa Mia and a good ole ride down memory lane in a UGA bus...what a fun night! Their slide show will be up next week and I will make SURE to blog that asap!

Without further ado...(???)

2008-06-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

Here are Vikki and Michael! We shot their wedding on May 31st in Athens and it was the best time ever! We laughed a lot...and we just feel in love with everyone involved in this wedding! The food was great..the music was awesome..the friends and family were so much fun..it couldn't have been any better in my opinion! It was perfect! We have known these two since Anthony and I FIRST started dating so that Saturday was super special for us and for everyone involved..they have been together FOREVER and we were all soooo excited to see them married! He was finishing pharmacy school (with Anthony) and she was finishing her masters degree and had been busy changing the school district she was teaching in..AND they have been planning a wedding so...now we wish them smooth sailing and a super happy, fun, and RELAXING summer! We love you guys! Here are some of our favorites from their wedding...and click HERE to see their slide show...

Sara and Paige: Girl time!

2008-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Meet Sara and Paige! These two are the daughters of a wonderfully sweet lady I used to work in banking with named Lisa. Lisa contacted us a few weeks ago and wanted to set up a session for both of her girls and we were glad to do it! They are both sooooo sweet and we laughed the whole time, what a fun time! Sara just graduated college...and Paige just graduated high school so...all of these great accomplishments called for some newly updated pictures! Good luck this summer ladies and we cant wait to see you both again ASAP! :)

Nicole & Cullen:Engaged!

2008-06-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone, meet Nicole and Cullen! We shot their E-session this week and it was so much fun! These two are the perfect example of why filling out our bridal surveys in detail is SUPER important..because we were able to plan their session around the things we learned about them both from their surveys and incorporate a lot of fun things into their shoot and BOY was it fun! Nicole and I have spent countless hours gabbing and chatting about anything and everything under the start and Cullen is more your silent type..but when you get him talking...he is a barrel of laughs! These two love each other so much and the more I watched them interact..the more it became outright apparent that they are a perfect fit together. Cullen treats Nicole like she's ...fragile and delicate...its really sweet to watch. :) And Nicole lets Cullen be the protector. She really embraces his being a man...she really respects him. We are RIDICULOUSLY excited about shooting their wedding in October..so stay tuned for Nicole's Bridals and their wedding in the near future. :) With them..it really is a love thing....

Nicole said that one of her favorite things Cullen does for her..is fold laundry. Its her arch nemesis of all of the household chores and Cullen gladly folds and stacks the laundry for her..so I thought it fitting that we make our first stop be somewhere that would REALLY help us see how much they loved each other... the laundromat...hehehehehe

Can we talk about this big ole ring!???!! Its stunning!

Then it was off to my new secret hideaway.... :)

We ended the night with a fantastic dinner at their favorite restaurant, Harry Bissett's. The food was awesome and we had the best time talking and eating...a LOT!

And lastly... Cullen's birthday was the day before our shoot so we snuck in a little "Happy Birthday" singing after dinner...

Thanks Nicole and Cullen for a super fun night together...we love you guys already and cant wait to hang out again ASAP! To see their slide show...click HERE

Sadie Grace MIller

2008-06-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Alrighty..Im like SUPER behind on blogging so there are going to be a TON of posts coming up in the next day or so..i promise..and please hold me to that. :) Sadie was born just last week and we went to the hospital on her 2nd day in this world to grab a few pictures of her for the new mom and dad. James and Lyndie were on here just a few weeks ago because we did a big ole maternity shoot with them and low and behold..here is their new daughter! Shes beautiful... :) Here are a few from the first 48 with James and Lyndie...

I love Sadie's face in this one...its so funny! :) She just looks exhausted!

The happy family..

And we had to get in on the action too....

Sneak Preview: Vikki and Michael

2008-06-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend we shot Vikki and Nichael's wedding and it was a BLAST! The groomsmen all wore black pen strip tuxes with red vest and converse..it was awesome... I have a crazy ton of shoots this week but I promise we'll get these images up soon..but until then..here's a little sneak preview...we had a crazy good time with them! Happy honeymooning Michael and Vikki!!!!!

Urban Grounds

2008-05-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

Urban Grounds is a coffee shop located in Decatur, Ga and they have A-mazing coffee...and yall KNOW I love some coffee. :) The owner, Tara, goes to my moms gym and she has not only lost 30+ pounds so far..shes trying to change the products her business sells to promote a super healthy lifestyle! Its great! Anywho, Tara called and wanted to set up a night shoot to grab images from her coffee shop and we were super excited to oblige...anything for the love of coffee. :) Here are some of our favorite shots and check them out on the web soon...we'll post the address as soon as their new site is up!

Happy Memorial Day...

2008-05-26T13:50:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to take the chance to say a big fat THANK YOU to all of our military men and women out there who have served and are currently serving , both here in the states and over seas. I have a personal tie to the military because we work closely with Operation: Love Reunited and because I have 3 brother in laws who were all military. 2 of them are still currently in....one is overseas right now and the other is preparing to go....and the other is out...but I just love these guys and wanted to tell them thank you over and over a million times..and thought this would be a good way to do that. We love you Ty, Shane, and Joni.. :)

Here is a picture from some kind of CRAZY back in the day of all 4 brothers together.. :) love these guys... hehehe

Movies on the Lawn night

2008-05-26T07:54:00.001-07:00

Saturday was super fun and a great way to start the summer off! Relaxing with friends and watching funny movies and being outside the whole time! Here is a little bit of how it all went down...

This is Gracie...she came with our friend Derek

This is Cody....who also came with Derek.....

Cody wore off on Charlie and the next thing we all knew..it looked like we had a jail cell full of puppies! hahahha it was hilarious!

We rented an old fashion popcorn machine and it was SOOOO good...

everyone just sat out blankets and chairs and their picnics and ate and listened to music and chit chatted until it got dark.... by the time the movie was over we had around 25 ppl there...it was so fun!

These are our some of our neighbors Jessica and Sam.. :)

Anthony was SOOOOO excited about the movie starting. :) hehehe

This was how it was set up and the screen was HUGE!

And the wonderful ever glowing popcorn machine had many a visitor that night.... good times had by all. :)

Thanks everyone for coming out..we definitely plan on doing it again before the summer is out...yippie!

Brockmann: Family

2008-05-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

You guys have seen Missy and Violet....especially Violet..on here a million and one times but this past weekend I went and shot a big ole family portrait for them because Violet's great grandma was in town from Missouri. It was a super fun day filled with lots of laughing..and finished with lots of shopping so...an all around good day in my book! Here are a few of our favorites.. :)

Vi did NOT know what to think about this real grass...it was hilarious!

bob[salon]

2008-05-26T06:42:00.001-07:00

Hey eveyone...alright...time to get caught up blogging...its a holiday today but if I dont get it done Im ging to be SUNK this week with a commercial shoot tonight, a head shot shoot on Thursday and a Big Ole wedding on Saturday...so...here goes! :)

A few weeks ago I went to bob[salon] to shoot a few salon shots and to grab some images of a few of there stylist...this is not everyone so w will be heading back there in a few weeks to grab the rest of the staff but I thought I would post some of my favorites from the shoot. They have been super stinkin awesome with us and we love to send clients there. Andrea from bob came and did all of the hair for our model shoot back in March and she was wonderful..she is also now MY personal hair stylist so I can speak from first hand experience..she's awesome!!! So..if you need a new stylist or you are getting married and still havent found the one you want to do your hair...give bob a call! Amber is the office manager and make sure you tell her we sent you....

Oh..and Tonya...who owns bob...well..we might have some super fun exciting news very soon because of her..so ...stay tuned..

And now, back to your regularly scheduled blog post...

p.s. we're working on getting a new action ASAP that will take care of the image size mess..so keep baring with us..we're workin on it! :)

Im Lame....wah wah

2008-05-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry its been so long since our last post..this week has been a crazy one....I still have a few family sessions to blog and a few other things..then next month starts a long list of engagement shoots too so..I promise this hiatus will not be continual. :) This week...my main monitor blew out..so I had to go get a new one...this week I had a doctors appointment (which are NEVER fun...no matter what your going for)...and this week I haven't slept much....but THIS weekend we are having a big ole movie night under the stars in our back yard ..so if your in Athens and want to come watch a fun movie in a fun setting..we've rented an old fashioned popcorn machine, so just bring a picnic and a blanket and join us!

Okay..more pictures to come tomorrow.. :)

The Marshall's : Family

2008-05-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is the Marshall family! They just moved to Athens from somewhere really cold...so we were super excited that the rain from the day before didnt wipe out our outdoor session! It was so nice out and by the end we were all sweating...Georgia weather is CRAZY! We had the best time and laughed and laughed and laughed the whole time we were shooting. Lily is the little one and she is scu ha fun and beautiful child! It took her a while to warm up to me with pointing my camera are her..but by the end..she was hamming it up with all smiles! I cant wait to work with these guys again!Here are some of our favs..

We headed out to Memorial Park for the shoot...with a pond...and ducks..and playgrounds, you cant beat it!

Mommy had to sneak in some sweet kisses!

And Lily was ALL SMILES when her dad would toss her in the air!

Its a little fuzzy but you can see how big that grin is!!!

Thanks Marshall Family! We had a really great time with you all and I cant wait to see you all again!

Lyndie and James: Maternity

2008-05-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone, meet Lyndie and James... :) Lyndie is in the home stretch of her pregnancy and we couldnt be more excited! We met up with them on Saturday evening for a super fun shoot and they came well equipped with their own ideas and a few really cool spots they had scouted out this week leading up to the shoot. The live in the super cute down of Madison, Ga. Its full of really beautiful shops, some crazy old buildings, and one of the cutest little ice cream parlors ever! Thats where we started..here are some of our favorites...

pickles and ice cream eh..??? :) yum....

This was just inside the entry way into the ice cream shop...you know we are allllll about some green and brown around here at MPP... so I couldnt help but get them in front of this wall. :) hehehe

A little dancing in the streets never hurt anyone...especially when you have a crazy photographer humming the "sanford and son" theme song trying to get you to laugh and dance...hehehehehe

beautiful mom all by herself....

with her PERFECT pregnant belly....

some snuggle time with the papa to be...

Congrats Lyndie and James!!! We couldnt be more excited for you guys and we cant wait to meet little Sadie! You can view their slide show HERE and stay tuned bloggers, Im sure she'll make a fabulous "hello world!" appearance on here in a month...OR LESS!!!

Why I love UPS...

2008-05-09T10:41:00.001-07:00

So UPS and FedEx are regular guest at my office...I see them all the time and even though typically whatever they are bringing is usually something I have ordered and I have anticipated until its arrival... today was a little different. :)

I just posted about Melissa and Dave Shinn and how stinkin fabulous they have been through this whole wedding process and how much fun we had working with them and their families leading up to their BIG DAY...well low and behold, I see the big brown van pulling in and I see a big old box from Harry and David's...from Melissa and Dave!!!!

Inside the box is a BEAUTIFUL 4 tiered gift set with white chocolate bars, German choc. bars, peanut butter bars, lemon cookies, choc cake...mints...and PEARS..along with about a million other items.. Im totally blown away..and the wrapping was so beautiful I had to show EVERYONE!

Here's the spread they sent...after I tore into it like a kid at Christmas! :) hehehehe

I couldnt decide who my first victim in this yummy battle would be...but I have heard a million billion amazing things about Harry and David's pears...so... I chose this little guy to head up the front. :)

Thank you SOOOOOOO much Melissa and Dave...we love you guys and are taken back by your generosity and kindness.. :)

Its days like today and times like this when I feel like our little business is doing something right.. :)

Melissa and Dave's Wedding

2008-05-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we shot Melissa and Dave's wedding and it was such a great time! I just love these two to death and I just know that their marriage is going to be a really happy one. We like those. :) From the time we got there until the time we left, everyone was so amazing to us and just had the best time! It was a really fun reception full of lots of dancing and good food (YUM!) and everything went off without missing a beat.

Whats really cool about these two is being able to physically see how much they love one another...Melissa had always dreamed of an outdoor wedding and last Saturday was a raining...mucky mess. Dave paced back and forth for the 30 minutes leading up to the ceremony hoping that the rain would hold off so that Melissa wouldn't be disappointed...(and it did!). Seeing Dave so concerned for Melissa's "dream" made me smile. :)

They were both so wonderful! What a fun couple... Congrats Melissa and Dave!

here are some of our fav's

p.s. sorry for the weird sizes of these images..im having blog issues..grrrr. :)

This is my friend Malin from The Heart is Found Photography in Atlanta. She's an awesome child and baby photographer and she was Melissa's childhood friend...we had the best time at the wedding and this image is SOOOO Malin!

I MUST be out of my mind....MUST BE!!!

2008-05-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Alrighty..so most of you guys know my story already...I did my moms bootcamp in July and i have lost a whopping 30 LBS since then...okay...but the losing has stopped and ...BLAH..Im at a stand still...

Sooooooo this weekend..Im doing ANOTHER bootcamp at my moms gym..its crazy intense and takes a LOT of blood sweat and tears to get through..literally the hardest thing I have ever done... but Im excited about doing it because I left feeling more that just a few pounds lighter...I left feeling like I had overcome my biggest obstacle... myself. Weight loss sucks in general..but when you prove to yourself you can do it..its like a big ole fat endorphin rush and it makes you feel like you can accomplish ANYTHING...so Im doing it again... maybe this will help jump start the next 30...

All this to say..if you dont hear back from me by Monday or Tuesday... Im dead. :)
Check out my moms site and the decatur boxing gym site for details on the next bootcamp in June or July...which I will probably be at..because apparently I like torturing myself... :)

Sneak peek....

2008-04-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Dave and Melissa's wedding was SOOOO much fun. These two are so much fun and they love each other so much..i cant wait to tell their wedding story through these images! These are just a few to wet your whistle until I have their slide show together...she was so beautiful and Dave was so handsome...and he had so much hair...MMM! :) hehehe Love you Dave and Im working on that editing we talked about right now! hahah enjoy! more to come shortly...

And we're off....

2008-04-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

Alrighty..Im off to a wedding full of wedding craziness! Today is Melissa and Dave's wedding and Im SOOOOOOO incredibly excited about it...they are literally the sweetest couple ever and I am so honored to be a part of their day! Then tomorrow my cousin and her hubby are having a vow renewal after 10 YEARS of marriage...so exciting so...stay tuned for images next week! have a good weekend!

And to leave you all an image..here are Melissa and Dave... LOVES!

New Bridal Folders...

2008-04-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Well...they are not actually folders at all! :) I have had the HARDEST time trying to come up with something that will allow me to package my material that I had out to our brides (contracts....bridal worksheets...you get the drift) and I think Ive FINALLY found it! :) I ordered GIANT..and I mean GIANT envelopes in Chocolate and round cream colored labels and a flower stamp (that makes our logo!) and its all finally come in. So here is pretty much how our new packets will look. Its super cute and really nicely put together, but we are stamping each individual label with our flower emblem AND they will all be embossed (2 more weeks til my new embosser comes it!) around the flower... I hope you guys like it and Im excited to start handing them out! I hope you all like the colors tying in with our new logo and I promise..we wont change this for a while!

Here is the cute flower stamp...sans embossing...

And here it is all together. :) Simply...classy...fun.. :) I love it.

Dancing shoes...

2008-04-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I love shoes...I REALLY love shoes..and lately I have decided that..as shallow as it absolutely sounds... I would love to be the girl with really cute shoes. :) She never tell you your fat..they never tell you your not good enough...they have completely change the way you feel .... shoes are great. :) So I think I have sort of a problem....the said statements above..all a problem. Anthony doesnt mind if I buy a pair of shoes now and again..and Im not out spending a ton of money on a pair or anything by ANY means...like for instance...the "shoe man" as we DCF ladies refer to him as...Im talking about the ebay salesman who buys shoes at wholesale and sells them on ebay discounted...well, he has a quarterly sale to get rid of the last seasons left over shoes... Im talking Nine West, Chinese Laundry, Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden, Rampage, Velocity...you name it and this man has it! Well...my friend Katie and I stalk the newspapers at the beginning of each season change here in Ga and we wait and we wait and we wait until we see that he has a sale coming up...and then we POUNCE! Well, he had a sale a few weeks ago and he had every pair on sale for $2.00!!! TWO DOLLARS! And Im talking the real deals! No Mera Tadly' here friends! So I dropped a $20.00 like it was nothing and walked out with 10 FABULOUS pair of new shoes...a set of yummy red feux snake skin pumps by Jessica Simpson...several pairs of Steve Madden pumps, a pair of BCBG Girls pumps (which ...is starting to become my favorite brand...along with Carlos Santana...hes AMAZING, thanks Miss.. :) ) a pair of Nine West, a pair of Chinese Laundry, and a pair of flats by Report, Rampage, and some other company I cant remember... So anywho...you probably think Im rediculously selfish at this point..I mean..who needs 10 pair of shoes..but when it ONLY cost me $20.00..IIIIIIII needed 10 pairs of shoes. :) hehehe Okay..so long story short... I have this strapless brown dress that I have been looking for Gold shoes to wear with. Ive had ..NO LUCK..and I happened across these the other day.. :) hehehe They were a pair of something cheap I got off ebay (my old boss back in the banking days told me about getting shoes off of ebay and after one of my brides told me I HAD to try it..Im sold. :) ) but they are going to be perfect and they made me happy. :) So..here are my new shoes...

And my feet like them too!!!!

More from the Festival...

2008-04-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

So here are some more fun images from our fun weekend!

Lots of really stinkin cute kids!

A cool car show...

cotton candy...YUM!

Me and Jill... :)

And then there was this....they TOTALLY had this board of chicken recipes...right next to the baby chicken booth!!! can we talk about this...??? :) heheheh

Then Jill got hungry...shesh...cant take her ANY WHERE! :)

and this donkey was funny.... he wouldnt move...at all..ever...

The End...

Sneak peak...

2008-04-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I shot images at a festival in Greensboro, Ga and we had a blast! :) Im still working on the images ....so please stay tuned...in the mean time...heres a picture of my new jewelry..hehehe..and oh yea..I chopped 7 inches of my hair off..it was time for a change!

Oh the possibilities...

2008-04-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

So a few of you know....we are looking for studio space! YIPPIE! We are not looking for a space to shoot a ton..even though the layout we have planned out in our minds would allow for a few really fun shooting options...but were not looking to do backgrounds and all that jazz...but more so a place where you can come meet with me...view your proofs...pick up your images and albums...and just plan hang out with me and chat over a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine...its MY space...why not! hehehehe). So I thought I would dedicate this blog post to the possibilities..i feel like this year I have taken so many risks and they are all paying off remarkably...so this is the next obvious step
and were really excited about it and all the great opportunities it could bring. But with this next step..it also brings more overhead costs...more responsibility...and more chances for me to FREAK OUT if I have a slow month..so I just want to ask for you all to pray a few things for us..they are the following.. :) hehehe

Pray that we make the right choice about the right location at the right time!
Pray that we will constantly get new clients that we can serve
Pray that we are able to be successful in this en devour and that my family, friends, and current clients are all able to benefit from this next step.

The location we are looking into is in Annsonburrough on the east side of Athens and its a really great place. They have a TON of new businesses moving in to this brand new location and I think it could be a great place for us to be! Check out their website and let us know what you think! We have been dealing with mr.Chuck Gallis who developed the entire complex and he has been absolutly wonderful! We can wait to see how this all turns out and I really appreciate all of you who make this kind of expansion possible...and by the way..if we get in this space (it would be around June/July-ish) we would have one hell of a grand opening!

Take a look through their website... www.ansonboroughofathens.com

And since blog posts are boring with out pictures... I thought I would post a picture of our sweet sophie...this is when she was just a puppy...but this weekend Anthony is out of town so I get to be cuddled by my puppies tonight...so I thought I would stroll down memory lane with this picture... you guys have a great weekend!!!

My acting debute...

2008-04-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

so...most of you know that since July of 2007..ive lost right around 30lbs...its been super great and all but my mom kicks my butt in her gym at least 2x a week. Well...last week i was at her gym and she asked me to help her with videotaping a small interview of her so that it could be used for part of a documentary that is being done on her gym. I told her yes..but then we goofed around with the camera for a little bit...and I threw on my best redneck southern accent and promoted the gym as best i knew how.. :) hahahaah i cried the first time i saw this because i was laughing so hard... you guys might not think its too funny but i thought i would share it anyway...and the lady Im talking about in the video is my mom...Terri Moss...shes a world champ and one kick butt trainer...check out her website HERE

p.s. i DO NOT always look like this... and do not fear that I will show up to a shoot looking like this... this was definitely a POST workout look. hahahahaah

Just another Saturday night....

2008-04-13T07:09:00.001-07:00

So...tonight Anthony and I had NO PLANS..... which we then tend to turn into CRAZY PLANS...I dont know why it always works that way...but it does. So this afternoon we were working at a charity event for the Mercy Clinic here in Athens where we both LOVE to volunteer...(this place is awesome so you guys check it out)... Well when it was over we realized that it had been forever since we didnt have anything to do...so I looked at Anthony and said... "I think I want to get my nose pierced!" Well..if you know my husband you know he is very driven and once he has set his mind to it..its as good as done...so next thing I know we're at American Classic tattoo and piercing here in Athens, Ga. and in signing a waiver! my friend Missy used them when she got her last tattoo and said that they were awesome....so I was feeling like we were in good hands (which is totally comforting when you are about to be stabbed through the head with a GIANT needle!!! ) :) So...we brought along the camera to document the whole night...here you go.. :)

*side note..this weekend I purchased Boutwell's Totally Rad Actions and Im still experimenting so pardon the construction on my images. :)

Heres American Classic...the cleanest and nicest tattoo parlor (???) Ive ever been to!

Anthony's got the fever... so he scoped out the work these artist have done...

Me...pre-piercing...

I loved all the fun lighting inside American Classic...these people did it up right when it came to decorating! Oh...and on the back door, the one that looks like a mirror..they had a sign that said "pirate" instead of "private" it made me laugh..a LOT! HA!

Alrighty...it was my turn and this is Mark...he is the owner and he was very thorough in making sure everything was safe and clean and in tip top shape for me to get pierced...

This is me playing scared for the camera...

This is me REALLY scared for the camera...

Here we goooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wont lie..it hurt like a BEAST!

hahahahahah! This is totally my take on that old school crazy movie Hellraiser... cant really remember the movie but I know a guy had pens sticking out of his head everywhere.... but...Mark told me to make a mean face...there are totally tears in my eyes though..I couldnt keep them from watering!

whew...glad that was over...

Mark cleaned me up and got me ready to head out of the door...he was SOOOO gentle and totally talked me through the whole thing...it was great!

And we finish it off with a picture..of course... this is me with Mark and Josh, his apprentice...

So if any of you guys out there are thinking about getting your nose pierced....or considering a new tattoo...i HIGHLY recommend these guys...and make sure that you tell them that we sent you! Thanks guys!

Maura and Chris...and baby!

2008-04-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

Meet Maura and Chris! We got together for a maternity shoot yesterday and we had the best time! They own a hole slew of dog and they are about as sweet and friendly as you can get! Maura and i started at their BEAUTIFUL house and made sure to make their first babies ( all 3!) feel super loved so that they know mom and dad will still love them once baby is here! Then Chris met up with us and we headed to the great outdoors...with spiders and all! It was really fun and we laughed a LOT... i just love these two and I can not wait to see what their baby is like... here are a few favorites from the shoot...

And this is US when we finished.... I promise Chris was a lot more interested than he looks in this picture! hahahah

Ericka, Daniel, and Noah....

2008-04-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Meet Ericka and Daniel...and their sweet baby Noah. BOY do I have history with this family! I have known these 2 for...lets count it out... 1, 2,...almost 13 years! WOW! These two have a really cool story and its so neat to see them after this WAYYYYY too long period of time! Dan and Erika dated for all of high school...parted ways after high school...and then got back together like 4 years later and last month they celebrated 4 awesome years of marriage! How much fun is that..i still remember talking to Dan when i was in college and listening to him say how much he loved Ericka...I knew these two would end up together! I even sang at their wedding so...its been a long time coming that I got them in front of my camera! Baby Noah is so rediculously cute and seems to the complete combination of both mama and daddy and its totally crazy to see! I kept saying.. "its a little baby Daniel AND Ericka!" I just love this whole bunch and I cant wait to see them again...we have a double date plan in the works so, no more years passing without seeing each other again!

When I talked to Ericka about her session she said that she didn't want anything set up or too clean...and that they didn't mind getting a little dirty...my favorite type of clients. :) hehehe so, we had plans to leave their home and head out to a few different locations..but when I got there and saw what was in their back yard...I was stuck and wouldn't leave!

We started with some play time in the floor with mom and dad...

Then when we headed outside, THIS is what I saw! Dan restores old classics and had these beautiful old trucks hanging out in his backyard so I knew we HAD to use them!

Noah was a little sad it wasn't sunny and warm outside... here's his sad face... :)

We put Noah in his old McDonald car and he played us some mood music while mom and dad got a few pictures together... :)

Altogether... a super fun day. The weather was crappy...kinda raining and chili...but the work space we had was SO much fun and these 3 were a blast to work with so... we got over the weather! Thanks for braving the rain guys!

Where's the baby????!!!

2008-04-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Okay..so Missy dropped off Vi this morning so that she could get her teeth worked on and I was in the shower and came out and couldn't find the kid or my husband...and low and behold...I walked out on the porch and found that baby Vi was having uncle Anthony time! :) here are some pics... love that husband of mine! He's totally hot when he's holding a baby!

Melissa and Dave

2008-04-02T06:32:00.001-07:00

This is Melissa and Dave. They are getting married at the end of April so we got together this week to shoot their engagement session. The weather turned out poopy but Melissa and Dave were as fun as ever! We laughed more during their session than I think I have in months! They were also kind enough to give me a pep talk on how its OKAY not to have grass in your front yard...I mean..we are in Georgia right...land of the drought...?? SHESH! :) It was a lot of fun and Melissa and Dave as possibly the sweetest people ever..and boy do they love each other! Its so neat to see two people really take care of each other....their wedding is going to be a blast and I cant wait!!!

p.s. i had to get a group shot because this was my first time using the new lens i bought from Carmen at Blink of an Eye photography! I love it love it love it..but its definately going to take some getting used to....Im so used to my zoom lenses that during the shoot I kept grabbing for the middle of the lens to twist...but none of that...AND i can now grab wonderful group shots like this....sorry Dave ...you got cut off by my HEAD! :)

YIPPIE!!!!!

2008-04-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

YIPPIE! Today I got home from a super busy day of meetings to find some awesome news! We got accepted into the directory at Photographik, the elite wedding online directory! They are super selective and you have to go through a waiting period..and they have to look over your websites and blogs and pretty much pick it apart to decide if you can be listed in the directory...I hate to say this, but I applied about 8 months ago and got the big fat rejection letter...BUT NOT TODAY! Today they were all smiles and I even got a personal email from Jesse, the founder, telling me that he enjoyed my images and was excited I would be a part of the directory! This my friends..is a HUGE feat for me..and I'm tickled pink!

More shoots everywhere..stay tuned for pictures from Melissa and Dave's engagement session to be posted tomorrow. :) goodnight!

Vikki's Bridals....

2008-03-31T13:32:00.001-07:00

Everyone, meet Vikki! We went out to shoot Vikki's bridals this week and it was a BLAST! After a near hair disaster....we pulled her bobby pens out...shook her hair around..and let the wind do the rest and everything turned out beautiful! We were running a little late when we got there and only had time and daylight for 1 location..but when I got to Vikki's apartment, i saw these staircases that were letting off some really cool shadows and threw out some really neat lines, and she was super to work with and had no problem following every crazy idea I had! Vikki is one of those brides that makes being photographer super easy because the camera loves her.... we're shooting her and her fiance, Michael's wedding at the end of May and we couldnt be more excited...we've known this couple a long time and we are so pumped to be a part of their BIG DAY...its been a long time coming and we are so stinkin happy for them!!! Here are a few of the favorites from Vikki's shoot...

Morgan and Andrew...on the road again...

2008-03-28T16:25:00.001-07:00

This week has been coo-coo so Im just now getting to blog a shoot that I had on Tuesday with Morgan and Andrew...you probably recognize her because she was on of my models from the model shoot on Saturday, but today its all her and her sweet hubby Andrew. Morgan has been with me since the start of this whole madness that is my job and I just love her something fierce! We got together for a shoot so could get some fun shots of the two of them in Athens before they kiss this little popsicle stand of a town goodbye! They just bought a house about an hour away and we're sure gunna miss them! After our shoot we met up with my friend Missy and her sweet baby love, Violet for some coffee downtown and spend the rest of the afternoon outdoors...what a fun day!

Thanks Morgan and Andrew for sharing your afternoon with me! Love love love!

Super Hot Model Shoot Pics...

2008-03-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dont hold you breath while reading this post...its going to be a long one! These are my beautiful models from Saturday's super awesome shoot! The weather was PERFECT...(side note...*Melissa Pepin Photography can not be held responsible for any sunburn damage while being involved in this model shoot... ) ( :) hehehe ) and everything went so well. When I needed wind...there was wind..when it was too bright...a cloud would come by...so I know that this shoot was meant to be and Im really glad with the results that we got! These are still a LOT of things I need to work on..but for the majority of the pics...Im super happy with how they turned out..when you can get the results that you have been planning for in your head...thats a good feeling. :) I have created a show it web gallery with all 127 of my favorite images and if you want to see all of the images click HERE

Let me introduce you to my beautiful models for the day! Blogger only let me upload 5 pics at a time so... I picked my fav. 5 for each girl...

Meet Lydia....school teacher by day...America's next top model by night! And in the slide show her super hansom hubby is standing with her...

Meet Missy. She just had a baby 6 months ago..really?? SHUT YOUR MOUTH! p.s. I have some pics of Missy eating cheese popcorn like a mad man during breaks in the shoot Saturday... Im holding them as blackmail material so.... muwahahahahaha!

Meet Morgan....she was actually a bridesmaid in my wedding...oh fun times Morgan! And thanks for moving away.... :( sad...

Meet Rachel....she is possibly the sweetest most giving woman you will ever meet. We sing together and church and I just love love love her. :) And her sweet hubby Greg was with her for the beginning of our shoot.

Super special thank you a million times over to Bob (salon) for sending Andrea over to my home office to do these ladies hair for the day....she ROCKED IT OUT! And to Gardenia Flora Design for providing us with such BEAUTIFUL flowers for the shoot... they were so sweet to me and they do stunning work so..when you call..ask for Laura!

Thanks so much to everyone who had us in your thoughts Saturday as we were getting this all together..i think everyone had a great time and Im super excited with the images I got..so keep your eyes peeled for these images to show up on my site and have a great day!

My lovely ladies....

2008-03-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a few pics from yesterday...its Easter so Im not going to spend all day editing or on my computer...although Im SUPER pumped about the pictures we got yesterday during our model shoot....and I CANT wait to dig through them! BUT, Im going to pry myself away so I can go spend time with my family today... :) My husband Anthony was AMAZING yesterday and he rocked out on my reflector...thank you Lauren Clark for showing us how to bootleg a GIANT reflector at Love Affair because it was WAY more awesome than just the plan ole reflector disks that I have..that i spent WAY more money on... and the girls were AMAZING! :) We were all sooooooooooooooo tired when we got done...but I promise it was worth it and I cant wait for everyone to see the images. :) But in the mean time..here are 2 pics from the end of the day...2 group shots..i love these ladies and they were amazing all day long. :) Have a good easter everyone!

Gotta love new gear....

2008-03-20T07:22:00.001-07:00

Meet my new lens. :) Im so stinkin excited because I am always looking for good deals and fabulous equipment to add to my ever growing collection..and so Im really excited about this lens. Its a good ole prime , wide angle lens and Im super excited about shooting with it and following the wisdom that Ms.Davina Fear bestowed upon me at Love Affair... "Get LOW and WIDE" :)

And Love Affair just keeps on giving me more for my money because all of us girls in week 1 have started a friendly forum that Millie and Davina have recently jumped on board with..but we all talk about everything photography and a lot about our own families and personal lives..i miss these girls SOOOOOO much its crazy..but its been awesome to talk to them all at least once a day! All this to say that the beautiful Carmen from Blink of an Eye photography in Dayton, Ohio is selling me this lens and I cant wait to get it! yippie! Thanks Carmen!

mmmmmmmmm

2008-03-19T09:54:00.001-07:00

okay..so this week has been totally crazy and...off key if you will. We have never done things the..traditional way around here so why I would expect that we would be rational about ANYTHING makes no sense to me...shesh. :) So..this week we started accidentally looking for studio space. i dont really want to get into backdrops and such as far as using the space for shooting..but more somewhere I can get in and out of to meet clients..edit images...take phone calls...pretty much separate my home from my work. Great concept...who'd of thunk it?! So thats been going on...at the same time Im sitting here nipping at the bit as I wait for my new canvases to get here that I ordered....and for an album to arrive via Fed Ex....AND trying to avoid editing images...so its been a fun filled day of pretty much avoiding work. :) hehehehehe I was sitting here...facebooking..blog checking..and emailing several super duper brides back who have sent me inquiries..when this overwhelming desire for a big fat juicy piece of Bubblicious grape flavored bubble gum hit me like a ton of bricks!!! It was my favorite as a kid and at this point..I would pretty much take out the UPS man if he came to my door chewing a piece and didnt have more to share.. mmmmmmm grape bubble um...GEEZE! Am I really going to have to go to the convenience store up the street to buy an entire sugar filled, teeth rotting pack just for 1 lone solitary piece????!!!! probably...

well and since stories arent as entertaining when unaccompanied by pictures..i decided to post a few of myself when I was at this grape bubble gum addiction stage. :) I was the pudgy kid with a mullet... child cruelty at its finest im telling ya... have a good day!

Another Vendor in!!!

2008-03-11T19:12:00.001-07:00

Im so super excited because this evening I checked my email and I had a message from Laura at Gardenia Floral Design here in Athens and she said that she would supply the bouquets for the brides for our project shoot on March 22nd! YIPPIE!!!!!!!! I have fallen in love with their work about a million times over...every time I shoot a wedding that they do...I want to get married all over again so I can have them do our flowers! They really are incredible and I cant wait for you all to see what they put together for our shoot. Check out their site I have linked up and definitely contact them if you need flowers for an event..they rock out!!!!

Super Vendors!!!!

2008-03-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone...again..for the 2nd time today! Im so excited that I am about to bust! Soooo...I have set up this model shoot for March 22nd that you all know about..because I wont shut up about it! And I am really hell bent on making this day as super fun and exciting as possible for our models because happy models make for happy pictures. :) So...Im super pumped to tell you that i have started working on getting some vendors around Athens to help us with this big day! So providing hair services for us that day is going to be Andrea from bob(salon) !!! They are super chic and super fun and ALWAYS deliver beautiful results. So if your in the market for a make over...this is the place to start! Check out their site and call and make an appointment today! And tell them we sent you... :)

D.C. Bound

2008-03-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

hi everyone! Just wanted to give a heads up that we will be in the Baltimore/DC area on Sunday and Monday of next week so if you are interested in setting up a quick session..lets do it! Contact me today and we will set it up! Shoot me an email at melissa@melissapepin.com

New Logo.....

2008-03-05T20:21:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!!!! well..Im so excited to tell everyone that we have a new logo! Im so super happy that its here and I love it...you'll be seeing it everywhere that we are soon! Ive already started changing all of our promotional goods and print material so..be on th look out for it! the story behind it s really really cool. When I was at Love Affair I met a wonderful woman named Shannon Montez who used to be really heavy in the world of scrap booking. She is phenomenal and you guys should check her out. scrap booking lead her to the world of photography and shes really great...and super sweet to make a logo for me... what a blessing! She is currently working on revamping her logo and website so she has taken her current logo and tweeked it a little so that its something fun that we can use! Shes gettng a new one soon so...I was all about taking it! She's really been so great to me the last week since we started working on this thing and she hasn't complained one time ...and boy were there a lot of times she could have told me to shut it! :) Anywho..check out her site and give her some blog love and tell her how much you love the new logo! Thanks Shannon! Your amazing!!!! :)

Also, check out the new updates to out site...new song...new pictures...new bio...all new new new!!!!

No More Models!

2008-02-29T10:45:00.001-08:00

hahaha..i love you faithful blog readers! I have received a ba-dillion emails this morning from girls wanting to model in their wedding dresses for me... this is going to be super fun !I have filled all the slots and the shoot will be on March 22nd so stay tuned and thanks SOOOOO much for everyone who contacted me! :) LOVES!

Project time...

2008-02-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I am on the hunt for 1 beautiful bride like female...meaning you have a wedding dress...or have access to one... who would be interested in modeling for me for approx. 3 hours or so...I have some new lighting stuff I want to work with and Im looking to check out a few new locations around here so if your interested comment below or you can email me at melissa@melissapepin.com. You'll get super fun pictures and a really fun afternoon out of it...AND we could totally go out for ice cream afterwards! :) Thanks in advanced and I cant wait to see how much fun this is!

Katie and Matt

2008-02-27T21:09:00.001-08:00

Meet Katie and Matt! We shot their wedding right before I left for Love Affair..and I mean literally the night before I got out of dodge so it was pure craziness! We had such a fun time at their wedding! I actually found Katie because we had a class together in college and here we are...almost 2 years after we met and we reconnected and had a BLAST at their wedding! Every detail was perfect from the extravagant floral arrangements to the over the top food...to the AWESOME bad...I mean...who plays Queen at a wedding and then follows it up with Ac/Dc??? They were awesome! The families were so much fun and we just love these two...they have a heart for each other and we cant wait to see all of the amazing things Gods going to do in their life and through their marriage. Here are a few of our fav's from that day...

Holy moly Kelly Moore...Clark. :)

2008-02-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

Okay....so I get home from Love Affair and I open my inbox and low and behold are all these emails about a picture that Kelly took of me while at love affair...I thought I would post it because..well..i look HOT! Kelly, I dont know how you did it..but you did it! :) I LOVE IT!

OC girls...

2008-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

I hope this makes the ladies of Love Affair proud! :) Soooo, last night me and some of my friends from Wilmington went to dinner and decided to have a photo shoot out in the middle of the parking lot at their apartment complex. We had fun outfits, crazy hair and make up, and one new mom get back into her wedding dress..it was awesome! We started shooting around 8:45pm and didnt stop til 2:00am..it was nuts. We started out at Lowes, bootlegging a giant reflector like Lauren Clark told me how to do...then we took my 580EX and pocket Wizards...along with the occasional use of one of the girls cars headlights...and we did it up photo shoot style. :) It was a lot of fun and I really like how everything turned out... :) Here are a few of my favs.... Im headed home tomorrow back to Athens and I am SOOOOOOO excited..I miss my husband like crazy...and all my wonderful friends and clients..., so have a good night and see you later!

Wrappin up love affair style...

2008-02-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well, i cant believe Im saying this but Love Affair is almost over...I am SOOOOOOOO sad!
This has been one of the best investments i have ever made for my business and I am so excited to get home and show myself and everyone else what new and exciting stuff I have planned. if there is anything that I have learned and taken to heart from this workshop its that there is a balance that we all need to maintain in our life...somewhere between chaos and calm ...between rigid and flimsy....between hard and soft..and I am excited to find out where that is for me and what new stuff its going to bring. Here are a few images from yesterdays shooting...we had an incredible difficult day shooting....things just happened to prevent anyone from really shining in theire images...lights wouldnt work..times got mixed up...just a whole bunch of stuff but I think that through it all it really pushed me to be better..and for that Im really happy. :) Tonight is the finale here and the girls have something really secret and surprise-y for us at diner so....I will update later and let ou all know what went down. Have a good night and I will be back soon!

p.s. i finally got my images larger on my blog!!!! So enjoy and forgive me if it takes a while to get them all the same size!

Updates

2008-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay...so if any of you want to see some pics of what is going on here at the Love Affair take a look at these two blogs to view some pics of us girls in action :) here they are

love affair workshop

lauren clark photography

Images From Love Affair

2008-02-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Im am having such a great time at Love Affair and I wanted to post a few of the super hot images that I took yesterday during on of our shoot sessions. We had some reallllllllly hot an super nice models to work with..and despite the craziness of shooting with what felt like paparazzi ...10 folks+ per model....I got some shots I REALLY love...I will post more this week as it progresses but Im going to nap now..im getting worn out!!!! but this is the best experience I could have asked for to take me to the next level! Thanks everyone...see you soon!

Im HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-17T19:42:00.001-08:00

Alrighty...so I arrived and took the ferry to Bald Head Island and HOLY MOLY is it going great! Im sitting here talking with Lauren Clark and talking photography...my life is changing right now. :) hahahahaah I love it!!!!!
Anywho...when I walked into my assigned room and low and behold there is a bathrobe with my name on it and a nice little welcome packet for me..Im so excited about this and I cant wait to see what comes tomorrow....so goodnight and see you tomorrow... :)

p.s. heres my room :)

Going, going....almost gone!!!!!

2008-02-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Alright Ladies and Gentlemen....its finally here and I can NOT believe it! THIS is the weekend I leave town for 7 days to go to the Love Affair Workshop on Bald Head Island off the coast of Wilmington, NC. Im so incredibly excited, stressed, nervous, and anxious to get my stuff together and get out of dodge so that I can hurry back and put in to play all of the amazing things I am going to be learning. I will be able to blog (hopefully...fingers crossed) and I believe I will have limited email access so, check in this week for updates on how things are going at this conference. If you haven't checked out the ladies who are going to be teaching me and 39 of the luckiest ladies on the planet (and yes...there will be people who have come in from other countries for this workshop, HOLY COW!) here they are, dig in to their websites and see what you have to look forward to from me in the future.... I cant wait and I know that God's got something heavy up His sleeve for me and I cant wait for that to be revealed!

They are:

Millie Holloman
Lauren Clark
Kelly Moore Clark
Davina Fear

So tonight I am tediously folding loads of laundry, and prepping for a wedding that I have to shoot tomorrow ...(Katie and Matt tomorrow at 6:30 in Athens, these two are awesome so be on the lookout for pics from their big day soon)....and snuggling up with my husband who I wont see for 7 days!!!!! Thank you soooooo much to those that have been praying for me in the last few weeks, I have felt it immensely and I cant wait to encounter the fruit of your prayers. So if I dont get to blog til next week around this time, you all be safe...contact my office if you need anything, and I will return calls and emails as soon as I can! LOVES!

Hollandsworth Christening Gowns

2008-02-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hi folks...

Today we did some shots for Diane Hollandsworth of Hollandsworth Christening Gowns here in Athens, Ga. Its an online store that sells some of the most beautiful gowns I have seen. They are darling and we had a lot of fun this morning shooting baby Violet (whose face you see a lot around here!) in her favorite gown! Here are just a few from today and the one at the bottom is just plain funny. :)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!

2008-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Thats my assistant Katie and we here at Melissa Pepin Photography are wishing you all a VERY HAPPY LOVELY DAY!!!!!!

And to celebrate this Hallmark produced holiday, we are giving away ONE E-Session to the first couple who contacts us and tells us that they got engaged today! So if you get engaged today, or know people who did...have them contact us and we would LOVE to talk with you about your free session! Have a great day!

Bethany and Jason

2008-02-10T10:23:00.001-08:00

Meet Bethany and Jason! These two are friends of ours and we just think they are awesome! They have been married a whoppin' 8 years and are still feeling the love... :) Watching these two love on each other made me fall in love with thethem all over again! They are so much fun and such a great example of a happy marriage. Here are a few pictures from our day together on Friday and if you want to see there slide show, click HERE.

Matt and Lydia

2008-02-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

This week we also shot pictures for some friends of ours Matt and Lydia. We had such a fun time and they were awesome about trying whatever I asked them to do...even if it meant going barefoot on rocks and frolicking in mucky water! :) I am attaching the link to their sideshow so definitely check that out and here are a few of our favs from that day....good times!

Matt and Lydia's Slide Show HERE

Ryan

2008-02-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

This is Ryan! He's a super great guy that called us about shooting some head shots for him so he can build his portfolio and get one step closer to being able to break into a career in modeling. He brought along his friend Angela and we had a great couple of hours... the stories from that day are hilarious and we hope this wont be the last time we get to shoot Ryan!

Pictures coming coming coming!

2008-02-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

hey guys! Sorry for the days with no posts..I spent all day shooting so i will start posting tomorrow afternoon...now its off to fold laundry and hit the hay! :) goodnight~!

More Commerical Photos

2008-01-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

Like I posted early this week..its been the week for commercial shoots! Since Friday I have shot everything from candy boxes to store fronts, head shots for a bank, lots of pretty faces, and these...outdoor kitchens. Most of you know that I work for Reynolds Plantation a LOT and I really love getting to go shoot out there. The place is beautiful, the people are friendly, and we always have a really great time out there. Recently, they called and asked be if I would shoot some outdoor kitchens for their magazine, Linger Longer. We have been featured in the magazine before and we always love an opportunity to do that more often so, out I went on Monday morning to grab some shots. These kitchens are gorgeous and probably cost more than my entire house, so shooting them was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures from that day...

*all revisions made by mizzzzzz moose :)

Contest Update...for REAL this time..

2008-01-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

So last night I typed up a little thing about our contest winner being Jessica Mann...well Anthony thought it would be funny to do a little editing and said that Jessica didnt count! Shesh! He thought it would be funny...but nonetheless..he made a winner grumpy. :) Anywho...I emailed Jessica last night to see about getting a copy of the picture that she sent me with the horrible Christmas sweaters..because it got put in the ole recycling bin here on my computer and I cant recover it! BUT, while I was digging through some pictures on my desktop I stumbled upon THIS picture that Jessica sent me a while back..and low and behold...there are Christmas sweaters in this picture...and I decided that for a million and one reasons...THIS is the one I want to post! :) hahahaha SO, Jessica Mann in Wilmington, NC....please contact us today about your spa gift certificate and we'll mail it out today!

p.s. this photo is circa 1988

New lighting and I LOVE it!

2008-01-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

Okay..so Im 3 weeks away from one of the greatest experiences of my life..LOVE AFFAIR! And I cant wait..i have been gathering my thoughts, my equipment..and my sanity in order to go into this workshop with a bang and I am LOVING IT! Lauren Clark gave me a lead about getting a set of Pocket Wizards and I used them a LOT today with a few shoots I had at Reynolds..which you will see more of later...but I also took my beautiful assistant Katie...you all know her..shes the one that fluffs your dresses and makes sure your mom doenst go crazy. :0 We love Katie! But she was a sport and we even made a little slide show from our day..which I wont post for Katie's sake...although its really stinkin cute! :) But here are a few of my favs. :) Thanks Lauren and I LOVE my PW's already!

Come and get your BRITTLE.

2008-01-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

This week we have done a TON of commercial stuff so, I will be posting a lot from these different shoots. This week I worked with a rediculously sweet woman named Susan who owns a gourmet food company called "Brittle." They take brittle to a whhhooooolllllleeeee new level and its incredible! We have tasted and it is fabulous! Perfect for gift baskets for out of town guest brides! They make Peanut brittle, macadamia nut brittle, cashew brittle, AND pecan brittle..and rumor has it that there might be a pistachio brittle coming soon. :) Its fantastic and if you want more info about how to get it , email me and I will get you all the info you need. Here are a few pics from our shoot!

DONT FORGET ABOUT OUR CONTEST! Scroll down for details!!!! You have just a few days left!!!

2008-01-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

Southern Road Productions...

2008-01-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

This week we took some downtown Athens night shots for our friends Matt Moore...and Matt Bozeman who just started a new Videography business here in town. They are a full scale videography business doing everything from small family events to big full fledge Weddings and Galas. These two are a trip and a great team to work with. If you need a videographer, definitely talk to these guys..they are NOT just your normal ole boring video. :)Matt B and his fiance Kasey are getting married this year and were shooting there wedding..so be on the lookout for more stuff on them... Matt M.'s wife, Katie is one of our assistants here at MPP and we had a really good time getting some fun night time and silhouette shots for SRP's new Bludomain website thats going to be launch VERY soon! Stay tuned in here and I will let you know when it rolls out! Anywho..these are some of my favorites from that night...

Little Miss Violet...

2008-01-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

You guys have all seen Vi before but on Wednsday Vi came to visit her aunt Melissa at work so we played around and took some pictures while her mom and dad, ouf friend Missy and Jon Brockmann worked. We had a fun time and shes about as cute as you could possibly get so I thought I would post a few of her pictures.

This one is really cute because I looked at Vi and said, "Alright...now tell me how much do you love your mommy???" And she gave me this.. :) Like she knew her mom was having a bad day and that getting this picture and message would brighten her day.. :) Babies know!

Post Holiday Relaxation alert!

2008-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Im super excited about this so lets get on with it! Today I am going to start having contests and give aways on my blog! YIPPIE! I want the contests to get bigger and better as they go so make sure you stay tuned in with the new stuff we have happening here and keep yours eyes open for more of these super fun things to come!

*Since we are fresh out of the Christmas season and some of us are still packing things up and getting them ready for their 11 months of storage in the attic, I thought this would be a fitting way to close out a fantastic holiday season! We all have gotten them...we have all seen people wearing them...and every time we kind of tilt out heads and go..." wow...."....Im talking about CHRISTMAS sweaters!!!!!!! Those really loud and boisterous ones that make you laugh on Q! For this contest, I want you to submit to me, pictures of the absolute WORST (aka..funniest!) Christmas/New Years sweater that you have seen(by the way..it has to be ON someone..not just laying in a box!). The contest will run through next Monday (Jan 28th) and the winner will be announced next week....

The prize for this super fun contest is going to be a $50.00 gift certificate to the spa nearest you...who doesnt want a little post holiday pampering???!!! So make sure you submit your picture with your name and contact information to melissa@melissapepin.com by next Monday night at midnight, I cant wait to see what you guys can come up with!!!!

Lead me to the cross..

2008-01-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hey there..everyone out there in blog land. :) I just wanted to get on here really quick and say THANKS a million times for people who have been getting on the new site and loving it! We are so excited about it and already the calls are coming in...its crazy! I feel like we have a site that represents the idea that we are going for and it feels really great. : ) I just wanted post a link to a song thats been heavy on my heart recently and its kind of become my 2008 Anthem. Its a Hillsong song called 'Lead me to the cross" I wont lie..the video on You Tube is a little more than cheesy, but the song is incredible and has become my prayer for this year. I know that with God's help and all of the awesome clients I have ...this year is going to be HUGE for me. I cant tell you how much I love and treasure the people that I work with ...whether it be my brides and grooms, or parents and kids...or the vendors that I see during events I shoot. You guys are my passion and I hope that you know that. Anywho...here's the link and I hope you guys have great day. :)

p.s. Love Affair is in 1 month EXACTLY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcvMQOZkusQ&feature=related

ITS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen! The NEW WEBSITE IS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPIE!!!!!!!! We are soooo rediculously excited about the new site being up! We want everyone to check it out at www.melissapepin.com If you have any problem viewing it or it goes to the old site, hit refresh a few times on your computer and it will fix it right up for you...people have had a problem pulling it up at first...especially if you have viewed the old site in the last few days. :) We're umped and would LOVE your feedback so let us know what you guys think about it and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay tuned because we are starting our first contest on Monday! Thanks for all your support this year..I promise this year is going to be even BETTER than last!!!!

And now deep thoughts...by Jack Handy...

2008-01-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Okay not really by Jack Handy..but any of your hard core Saturday Night Live fans will get that one. Things are great when I new year starts...its like you get a chance to re-do everything you screwed up or missed out on the year before...and this year I am REALLY trying to take advantage of that opportunity. The ladies at Love Affair are encouraging us all to get a journal and they are going to start giving us topics to write about next week so we can start preparing our hearts and heads for this workshop...I feel like its going to be just as much of a spiritual journey as it is a professional business journey...and I'm really excited about that..and really in need of it. Just like its really encouraging to be around people that love Jesus...I know that a majority of the women in my week at Love Affair love Jesus..so being around people that love the Lord and do what I do is something thats probably going to rock my whole world and I'm praying for a new perspective. The 2 year anniversary of MPP is coming up on February 1st and I cant believe its been 2 years...there are days when I'm like "Its been 2 WHOLE YEARS!" and others when Im like "Its only been 2 years...you kiddin me? It feels like a lifetime!" To be completly candid...this career has left me super encouraged and happy and joyful so many time..but at other times its left me feeling insignificant, helpless...and hopeless... with a job like mine there is always some one better than you...always someone who has more equipment or who is more creative..and living in that world of comparison can really rip you apart....and there have been days when I have let it to that to me. But I'm so excited about this year! I have sat down and stated a list of goals I have for this year with my business...and some with my personal life. I want to learn more...be a sponge...but not be sensitive to criticism... I want to book more weddings...they are my real passion....more portraits..they are my chance to CREATE and plan and chart out how I want to shoot...and I want to be a better friend to each person I meet. So, I'm starting this year out with Donald Miller..who I essentially give credit to for my husband and I getting married...if you want the story I will gladly share it...but for those of you who don't care..I will spare you. :) (Morgan you know allll about this! Scary cab driver and all! hhehehehe ) and with a pen in my hand and I'm ready to see God work...I appreciate your prayers and just know that when I look back on 2008 in December..I know God will have done more than I could ever have expected Him to do...He never fails to amaze me. :)

New in 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

Alright...Alright..enough with the wait already! I cant take it any more!!!! I'm super excited about some really big news that I have so..Im just going to spill it! :) We are getting a new website!!!!!!! We are so ridiculously excited about it! It pretty much fell in our laps and I'm so excited about the opportunity to have it and use it and see how much our business grows because of it. This year I have set some pretty lofty goals for myself and for my business...starting with this website. The company we are using is called bludomain.
This company specializes in photographers websites and it is sure to blow you away...well at leastthats what we re hoping for. :) SOOOOOOOooooooo all this to that you should keep popping in every other day or so for the next week because this new site should be up ASAP..and I promise its worth tuning in for! :) And...to top it off...we are going to have our first blog contest coming up so, be on the lookout for that too...Im ready to start this year with a bang!

New years Eve fun...

2008-01-07T15:56:00.001-08:00

This New Years eve we spent it with about 90 rediculously fun people at Foundry Park in for Cindy and Reid's wedding. We had such a fun time and everything was rediculously beautiful! From the flowers to the cake to the lighting, this place looked like a winter wonderland and it was so glamorous and fabulous that you couldn't be there and NOT have a good time! Here are a few of our favorites from that evening...p.s. i LOVED her shoes!!!!!! :)

The new year begins...

2008-01-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I hope the New Year festivities were good to you all and that your 2008 has been awesome so far! We spent our New Years Eve working with a super cool couple at their wedding at the Foundry Park Inn and it was amazing! The flowers, the cakes, everything...it was great! Those pictures will be posted in the next few days so be on the lookout, I have some to post now though from a family shoot I did this week. Anna is a fan of the Gabriel Kelley Band whose promo pictures i shot in the spring before they went off to Nashville this summer and she saw our work with them and called me about doing a family session for her, her sister, and her mother...along with their 2 super cute dogs. These pups were so cute and were SOOOOOO well behaved the whole time, it was nuts! Anywho, here are a few of our favorites from the shoot. We have a bunch of cool stuff coming up so, stay tuned!

* p.s. our new action is on the fritz...and will be posted on the next set of pictures we put up..and by on the fritz I mean operator malfunction, I have to figure out how the darn thing works! :)

On Christmas Day...on Christmas Day...

2007-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

I decided to post this early so that we could be preoccupied with our families tomorrow, rather than be preoccupied with business and blogs. :) This Christmas season has been a very magical one for us. The first year together in our house...out of school...settled in (a little), its been really great. But, as I was in the car the other day listening to "Its the most wonderful time of the year" on the radio, I looked around and saw several homeless people...people that looked sad...people that needed something and I came to the realization that for some people, this is NOT the most wonderful time of the year. Its the time where they are reminded of all the things they cant afford to buy, a time when they remember loved ones that are gone, and a time where they feel lonely and weak. My heart was broken and I sat in my car and just cried to the Lord to forgive me for forgetting all this and for taking for granted all that i have been blessed with. So, my encouragement to all of you out there who read, is to help people around you...give a little more...take a little less...and know that even the smallest things can make a big difference in the life of someone in need. Jesus birth is what we are celebrating...his gift of life to us and I hope that people feel His love through me this season...and always. Todays the last story and I thought that I would let Luke tell it... Merry Christmas to all..and to all a goodnight!

Christmas Day

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.