Shayla's Music Benefit!

Last night, hundreds of people and ten bands and musical acts came together to show love and support for our dear friends Jennifer, Savannah and Shayla Garrett. Shayla was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma several months ago and has been undergoing treatments at Mission Children's Hospital and will soon take a trip to Chapel Hill for a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. Shayla, you never cease to amaze us. . .you are going to win! All of the money raised last night will go to the family to help offset living and medical expenses as well as other organizations who help children like Shay all over the country.

A special thanks to Shay Brown, owner of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection in Asheville for her last minute help with arranging food from 12 Bones Smokehouse also in Asheville. The BBQ was great, thanks 12 Bones! Also, big thanks to our friends at M7 Events & The Crest Center for providing the desserts!

And a very special thanks to everyone who took the time to come out on a wet, chilly day to help this little girl and her family!

Last night we were introduced to the Skinny Legs and All Band! The lead singer, Jesse Barry, is only fifteen years old but she has a mature, seasoned stage presence and the girl's got some pipes folks! I think the rest of the band were also fairly young but they were hot! Check em' out when you can.

And finally, one of our all time favorite singers, the amazing Kat Williams, took the stage with her entourage of 7-8 kids including Shayla! If you've never heard Kat she is powerful, she is soulful, she is just a beautiful person and man can she SANG y'all! And, she gives the best hugs in the world! Thanks to all the bands and musicians that donated their talent and time!

Here's a couple of images from the night:


Shayla's beautiful smile


Kat Williams













Shay + Kat





Jesse Barry - The Skinny Legs and All Band







It was a good night for a good cause. . .

xoxoxo,
brian + gry

Yes. . .we're here!! Only two more weeks to save with Winter Rates!!

Talk about being slackers! Yikes, it's been awhile but we promise to catch up over the next few days!

OK! First, our Winter Rate reduction/stimulus plan will expire in two weeks at the end of March! So get off the fence, give us a ring and save some money on remaining 2009 dates! We'll also extend this offer to Spring 2010 dates that are still open!

Next, here are a couple of images from Cat + Andrew's e-session that we did last week out and about the streets of Asheville. They are a great couple from Philadelphia and we will have the pleasure of photographing their wedding this May. The amazing Shay Brown, owner of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection in Asheville, will be pulling everything together at the Crest Center for them, Shay and her team always do an amazing job and we love working with them! It was about 39 degrees, wet and windy but we had a great time, sometimes yucky weather makes for the best images. . .here's a couple from the day:






And finally! Watch out for leprechauns!!! Not so scary really, I think Sara makes a pretty dang cute leprechaun!





More to come soon! No really!!

xoxoxo,

brian + gry

5 things to be thankful for - Christmas 2008

Even in the bad economic times we are facing, we must still appreciate and be thankful for the many good things that are always in our lives. Here is my (Brian's) top 5:

1.) My beautiful family. . .Gry, my wife of almost 10 years (July 2nd will be 10!)and our amazing daughter Sara. I can not imagine my life without them, they are the reason I live. Which leads me to #2. . .

2.) The gift of being a father, the most amazing, fulfilling, terrifying, joyful thing I have ever done and it just keeps getting better. . .I only hope I can be half the good Dad to Sara that my Dad was to me.

3.) Friends! (This may be a long one!) Friends like Jennifer Garrett who has shown us what real strength and courage is while she faces the unthinkable. . .her 3 year old daughter Shayla, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma (cancer) a couple of months ago but is fighting hard, smiling alot and we all pray daily for her recovery. Jennifer, Shayla and Shay's sister Savannah are the bravest people I know. . .kinda makes our other "problems" seem pretty insignificant doesn't it? Please go to her Caringbridge site and leave her a note, you'll feel better for it!





Shay with her "bald guys" Cory, Ian and Parker at our recent Christmas party - bald IS beautiful!!


Fellow photographers like Rachel + Andrew Niesen and Corey + Jill McNabb who have directly and indirectly inspired us to grow and improve our business and to share our knowledge with others, thanks guys! And of course, Parker + Missy Pfister. Parker has rekindled the photographic curiosity in me that I thought I had all but lost. His art is an inspiration to me to try new techniques and see beyond the obvious. A prime example is this image of my daughter Sara, the technique Parker taught me (he didn't know he was teaching, but he was!) during a wedding he was shooting. I would never have taken this "chance" and in turn not have this wonderful image of my daughter. . .thanks Parker, ya big lug.



And finally our friends Kent + Kris Scherr who we are rediscovering after the birth of their third child, Mia. Kris delivered our daughter, Sara, when she was still a student mid-wife almost 9 years ago. Kent is an OB/GYN is Asheville and both are just down to earth, real people. . .hey, anyone with a purple house and a chicken coop out back has to be good people right!?

There are of course many others that we are so fortunate to have in our lives, we will always treasure these friendships and are humbled and so grateful to have such wonderful, giving, "real" people in our lives.

4.) My Mom, Fern, who is struggling with Parkinson's Disease but still lives her life with courage, dignity and an inner strength that I am in awe of. I love you Mom.

5.) And last, I'm thankful that I get to do what I love to do everyday. So many people never find their passion in life and I am so fortunate to have not only found it but am able to live and share it with my wife Gry.

So everyone, have a Merry Christmas and look forward to a New Year full of hope and new adventure. Things will get better in our country and it starts with all of us not forgetting that we still have so much to be thankful for.

xoxoxo,
brian

Carrie + Keaton - part deux!

Our good friends Paul + Holley Jackson, aka Four Seasons Films, sent us the following link to their trailer from Carrie + Keaton's wedding earlier this year at the Cliffs at Glassy Chapel! They do such amazing work, check it out here!



Also, just found out that this wedding will be featured on the beautiful Weddings Unveiled blog very soon. . .check it out!


And please visit www.caringbridge.org and leave a note for our little friend Shayla and her amazing Mom Jennifer and big sis Savannah in the guestbook. Shayla, who is only 3 years old, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma a few weeks ago but is responding well to treatment and is in Chapel Hill today receiving stem cell therapy. She is such a brave, beautiful little girl so please keep her in your thoughts + prayers! Here she is the first week she was in Mission Children's Hospital. . .she still has that smile all the time! Leaving a note in her guestbook brightens her smile even more. . .thanks!




xoxoxo,

brian + gry