Merle Fest

For the past 20 years there has been a festival in memory of the legendary Doc Watson's son, who tragically died at an early age. Each year the festival grows and 20 years later several thousand people attend from all over the country. Lucky for me, it is held in North Wilkesboro, a short drive away. Martin and I went up Friday night to hear several artists perform and catch up with old friends. Here are a few pictures!

Courtney and Cindy.


Me and Martin


Cindy and me


The Watson Stage...this is the main stage where all of the headliners play. Alison Krauss played this year on Saturday...I had a wedding and didn't get to see her, which made me sad! But we saw Elvis Costello and The Carolina Chocolate Drops They were great fun!


And here is the very talented Robinella from East Tennessee.




For more information go to Merlefest's Website to see who was there this year and to see the dates for next year.

Celebrating Earth Day

Yesterday was Earth Day so I thought I would put up a few tips to make our earth a cleaner place.

If you are like me, you get about 4 credit card applications a week. I found a phone number that puts you on a list similar to the "Do Not Call" list and will stop CC apps from coming to your mailbox. Just call 888.567.8688. You will have to put in your information, but after a while, the applications will stop coming saving you the hassle of shredding them and saving a few trees!

Click here for a list of changes you can make to reduce your carbon levels and save money!

Plant a tree! It is easy and if you join The Arbor Day Foundation you can get 10 trees for free!

These are just a few suggestions, but they can make a huge impact on our quality of life. Happy Earth Day!

Textures

So I have been seeing some really inspiring work from other photographers that have textures layered over the photographs. I really like this technique and wanted to learn how to do it myself. So I start to play around in Photoshop (which is so dangerous because I can get sucked in for hours!) and this is what came out. This is from an Easter session and I just love this little girl and her brother. They are so much fun! So what do you think?

Happy Birthday to the Orange Cat!

So many people have asked me why the name Orange Cat. Well, here is my inspiration for the name, Chester and yesterday was his 8th birthday! It is hard to believe he can already be 8! We had a little party for him. He and his buddy, Cat, (yes, that is his name!) got kitty treats. Chester got to wear his birthday hat, which he absolutely loves, (can't you see the excitement on his face?!) and we sang happy birthday to him. He was so happy, but of course he is a cat so he couldn't show us how happy he really was!

Asheville Photographers Meeting

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I posted last! Time flies when you are having fun! I have had some unbelievable shoots in the past week. One being a bridal session that I SO want to show off, but can't until after the wedding...I guess good things are worth waiting for!

Easter has passed us by yet another year. I have to say I felt as though we were celebrating Easter in Sweden this year it was so cold! I do have Easter portraits to share, but I will save those for another post.

First of all, I want to introduce some of my friends and colleages in the photography business. We get together once a month to share ideas, get to know each other better and just have a great time! This month our featured photographer was Corey McNabb. He showed off his beautiful work and then later invited us to his studio. We had such a great time we stayed until 3 am! Thanks, Corey!

Just a few pix from Corey's blog, which are mostly taken by Regina....

Here is Corey with his wife to his right and Jill Schwarzkopf on his left and Tara with Weddings with Tara on the end.



Michael, who will be shooting with me in Baltimore this summer, and Corey Cagle with her husband, Billy.


And Regina and I.

Amanda + John

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Amanda and John in Asheville. We started in the botanical gardens and then we walked all over downtown taking pictures. They are so much in love with each other...and their cats! Yes, we had much to talk about when our cats entered the conversation! (I am still waiting for you to send a picture of them to me!)

I wish you both the best as you prepare for your wedding in Alabama. I hope that it is as beautiful as the friendship the two of you share!

Here are a few pictures from the day:













And HERE is the slideshow. Enjoy!