emily peyton cook

i love sisters

When I photograph sisters, I always look at them through my mother's eyes. Would my mom have liked a photo of me and my sister like this one? I think she would have, so this one passes the test.

I am going to visit my very own sister this holiday weekend. It will be Jonah's first trip to Nashville. 

Have a great 4th of July!

capturing life the way it is now

My friend Jana, who's little girl is holding the bear, made a wonderful statement during her session. She said, this is our life the way it is now and she thanked me for capturing it. Here are a few more unplanned photographs from last week that turned out to be my favorites.

 

lifestyle self portrait

if i had a moment...

I would tell you all about 2 Marl{eigh}ey's who finally got to come see me after they were torrentially rained out several times before.

I would tell you about 2 of the cutest Turner girls I know and their fabulous mommy. 

You'd find out about the 2 children I got to photograph this week from Alabama and North Carolina and how much this made me love having people in our home each day.

I would post pictures of our St. Louis trip and tell you all about our 5 year wedding anniversary that's coming up tomorrow.

And I'd tell you about the sweetest garden wedding I was honored to photograph.

But, I'm busy cramming 5 days of work into 3. When will I learn to say no? : )

I hope, after I shoot my final wedding this weekend, I will be able to breathe and return to blogging as usual. 

I know I say this a lot, but I really do miss reflecting and taking time to write about the beautiful life around me. 

While I'm waiting on Marley #2 to upload, I think I'll go outside for fresh air and moon and stars to put things in perspective. 

happy father's day!

I always like to make something special for holiday gifts. Zach's first Father's Day was no exception. I created a 10x10 "baby face" collage on silver beveled board for his desk at work. It turned out so cute that the grandparents got one, too!

Baby Planners, this is a great session idea for your winter appointment. If you like the look of this, I can make this work with any age under the baby plan umbrella. Just let me know when you book your winter session. 

Print prices: $75 (wall print) $85 (beveled) Each additional copy of the same collage is the same price as the plain 10x10 wall print or 8x10 beveled print. 

headed to watch the cardinals play

Jonah and I are going to tag along with Zach to St. Louis for the week. We're going to catch some throwed rolls on our way and also visit the zoo while we're in town. If you need to reach me between now and June 22, email will be best. 

Have a great weekend (and week next week). : )

first thursday bunko

Living in the same small town my whole life, with the exception of college, has had it's advantages and disadvantages. Small town living didn't appeal to many of my childhood friends the way it did to me, so many of them moved away as soon as they could. Others of us stuck around and are becoming our own community of young moms in the place we grew up.

Our bunko group has been a great outlet for me to meet new friends in our small town. Some of us have known each other forever and others married into town. Either way bunko has been a great way to become fast friends with people I may have not been introduced to otherwise. From month to month we have pregnancies announced, babies born, and new mom's back in the game again. It's been so much fun to watch our families grow.  

Most of us, pictured below, have been playing for two years. We celebrated last week with an official group photo and T-Shirt design. When we're old and grey, rolling dice, and yelling 'BIG BUNKO!' we can look back and see how great we looked once upon a time. 

J

showers of blessing on the Holmes wedding

Some say that rain on your wedding day is a sign of the tears you'll cry during your marriage. I like to think of it as God showering blessings on your marriage. Either way, rain is never welcomed by brides, especially if they've intricately planned an outdoor wedding ceremony. 

Whitney was no exception. She and Daniel had planned the perfect outdoor event at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Overcast skies accompanied Zach and I to the site on the day of their wedding. Although cloudy days are a photographer's best friend, there is also the chance of showers that comes along with that scenario. 

It was a good thing that earlier in the week, I'd talked Whitney into taking all the pictures before the ceremony, because just as she was about to make her grand entrance to the wedding march, it started to pour. Luckily there was a pavilion near by for the guests to retreat, along with the musicians and myself. Since we did the photos before hand, no one would ever know that it rained during her wedding. She has so many great images to remember the day.

Whitney could have gone all bridezilla, but she didn't. She prayed. Sure, it was a disappointment, but God answered her prayer, stopped the rain and the outdoor ceremony went on as planned. Although it was cut short by another shower, God was still glorified. Whitney and Daniel's main focus of the whole day was for God to be honored. Even though the worship service had to be shortened, God still spoke volumes about their faith through the way they reacted to every mishap of their wedding day. And I know, without a doubt, that this couple has a Christ centered marriage and that strong foundation to build their life together. 

It was an honor to work with Whitney, who I met not long ago, and Daniel, who I've known all of his life. 

They were so much fun to work with, in fact, that I'm considering continuing to shoot weddings. I had thought, after Jonah was born, that I'd finish up the weddings I'd committed to in 09 and then take a hiatus, but after being so inspired by their outdoor, Spirit filled wedding day, I may have to change my plans. 

I am reworking my wedding prices and stipulations. Three things I know for sure is that I will only take 4 weddings per year (one per quarter). The ceremony has to be outdoors and no alcohol served at the reception. (This is the definition of Whitney and Daniel's day). 

If you meet these requirements, and like the images below, give me a call. To see all their other images click here.

 

slacking on your blog, eh?

Zach informed me last night that I'm slacking off on the blog. I've missed it so, but having a sick nanny during the busiest week of the summer kind of put me in survival mode. Needless to say the blog made it's way to the bottom of the list as I tried to get things done while taking care of my sidekick, Jonah.

So, please forgive my temporary hiatus as I try to get back on track wrapping up several projects I've been juggling. Look forward to 2 upcoming posts about a beautiful botanic gardens wedding and a group of bunko girls.

Until then...

P.S. Working moms, give your childcare workers a big hug today. We couldn't do it without them! : ) (shout out to Mrs. Lexie!)

another little graduate.

I met Miss Reese last June. It has been so much fun to see her transformation as a sleepy little newborn to a walking, "jibber-jabbering," curly headed little lady. She is one of my most colorful babies. It makes the photos so much fun! Here are a few before and afters from Reese's baby plan sessions.

In other baby plan news, you may now buy a DVD slideshow at the end of your one year session that contains every session from your baby plan set to music. It is a must have and great first birthday entertainment if you schedule your 12 month session a little early. : )