Quite a few things...

Before I get too far into this post...some of you may know that I am leaving in just a few days to go here for the rest of the summer. However, I will be home for two weeks in July (3-19) and be home for good on August 14. If you're interested in using my services for any of the following: engagement, children, seniors, family, just for fun (basically anything BUT weddings)... then e-mail me at hk1174@messiah.edu and we can set up a time to do it during one of the days I'm home at a location of your choice (within a 20 mile radius of my hometown...if you know me, you know where I live.)
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For all high school seniors~ Are you interested in getting your senior portraits taken at a reasonable price? Let me know!
I was asked to take two of my friends' senior pictures this past week, and considering I had never done much of this before (or anything, really) I wasn't sure what to expect. With a little help from my sisters, I got the job done and am quite happy with the results. Here are just a few:
Eric Weaver:





Colby Beiler:




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On another note, I also got to hang out with two wonderful friends from high school this weekend- Andee and Nikki- both fellow future Nurses :)
We went to a new favorite location of mine (a field near French Creek) to get some fun shots, which turned out awesome. Once again, this is just a small taste of what we got:
Nikki...



Andee...









Self-timer is my new best friend.

Gabrielle

I took my youngest sister, Gabi out to a field a few nights ago to experiment with the lighting. Here's a preview of what I got:


"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:8




(Coming soon: not one but TWO sets of senior pictures.)

Meet Mags

What are little girls made of?


Maggie is my almost four-year-old cousin. Dress-up is probably her favorite thing to do, and it's a great excuse for me to take pictures of her. She has always been my favorite little girl to photograph, mostly because of how photogenic and adorable she is.

On this particular day Mags was on a mission...

See if you can guess what she was looking for...here's a clue.



She climbed up there by herself, and with just a little help from me, she gathered what she wanted.

She was quite proud of herself for collecting the eggs her chickens laid that morning.

Despite the fact that she has two brothers- one older and one younger, she is ALL girl.




She even let me put a flower in her hair.

Phil & Laura [first engagement shoot EVER!]

My friend, Tiff, asked me if I could take pictures of her brother proposing to his girlfriend a few weeks ago. It ended up raining on that particular day, so the proposal had to be moved inside and the location lacked ideal lighting and a discreet place for me to hide. So, I did their engagement pictures instead (since she did say YES). I have only ever dreamed of having the honor of doing someone's engagement pictures, and couldn't wait for the opportunity to present itself...and it finally did. Plans were up in the air for most of the day due to rainy weather (with high winds) but we decided to take the risk and go with it. They were fabulous models, and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to shoot as a first.

Here's their story:
Phil & Laura met during "Welcome Week" at Messiah College their freshman year through a mutual friend, and have been friends ever since. Friends, yes...boyfriend/ girlfriend, no. Phil had a girlfriend when he met Laura, so she immediately wrote him off. (Life Lesson: Don't rule someone out just because they have a significant other...enough said.) The following January they started dating (for fellow Messiah students, he asked her out in Kline...) They dated for three years, fell madly in love (the proof is in the pictures), and got engaged on May 3rd. No official wedding date, yet.

p.s. WARNING: this post might make you want to fall in love.




that ring is amazing.


Despite the rain, they managed to stay dry thanks to an adorable umbrella courtesy of Rebecca Horning.

On the fourth floor of this brick building is where Phil popped the question. Some call it "Boyer".






































If you attend Messiah College there is no way you can resist that covered bridge.















I said "Pop your leg!". Apparently Phil thought I was talking to him.

I caught this moment without them knowing.



The sun started to peep through for just a second for some great lighting.


This is the lighting I dream of.

Tiff discovered this field of wild flowers a week ago. We had a really great idea that we weren't sure if we were going to be able to pull off, but we knew if we would it would be amazing. Continue reading to see what happened...




And then finally just what we had waited for...

Yup. A kiss in the rain. Not everyone is up for getting completely drenched during a photo shoot.

Phil & Laura, you guys were great! Thanks so much for being so great to work with.
Oh, and thanks Tiff for all the great ideas... it wouldn't have turned out so great without you. :)