sneak peek for a gorgeous senior

a few weeks back, i photographed a beautiful family. you know. the ones where the kids were impossibly gorgeous! yesterday, i was able to photograph the youngest daughter's senior pictures. i can't begin to tell you what an honor it was. i mentioned before that i've known her since she was in elementary school. she was in my awana group. and i've always just adored her. she has a sweet spirit. and she's just one of those that you know is a good kid.

we dealt with the heat. we walked around downtown for awhile. and then traveled to boone hall plantation. we did some different stuff, and i promise i didn't ask her to do anything too crazy. well, except take her shoes off for almost every picture. but seriously, teenage girls out there, those sperrys are ugly!

i had three sessions this weekend. hers was the first. so, miss m, i hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

my new site is live!

it's live! my website has undergone some changes recently, with an updated design and bigger pictures. the set-up is different from before, but we'll all get used to it together! check it out and let me know what you think (same address: www.emilymcginnisphotography.com). if you absolutely have to see the old one, you can still find it hidden at www.emilymcginnisphotography.com/jinky.

i know i sound like a broken record, but my holiday season is getting packed. i have no openings after october 4. none. not even one. i have two saturdays open in september and october 4 open. so, please, if you need a saturday session, call me now! i still will take limited weekday evening or morning sessions.

picture for the day (ian sharing some ice cream):

it's time

yep. it's time. it's time to start thinking about your Christmas and holiday sessions and cards. things are certainly picking up here. i've got three portrait parties on the calendar. so, i will not be offering mini sessions this season. if you would like to schedule a mini session, i will be more than happy to let you know the dates of the scheduled portrait parties and you can contact their hostesses. i'm pretty sure the november party is full, but we may be able to squeeze in another client or two there.

beaufort clients, i will be in your area on september 6. we're planning to get our portrait party done before everyone's schedules get too crazy with sports and school. this party will be hosted again by ryan, so see her for details. the first session will be at 9:15 and we'll go from there. i'm looking forward to a full day. this party will be the only one i'll have in beaufort, although i will still be available for individual sessions on other dates. we are doing this party on a saturday so that the whole family can come and you can get your holiday card pictures done!

so, now for a sneak peek at some of the templates i'll have available. of course, this is a sampling. i don't want to reveal all of my cards yet!

random thoughts

good morning! i just wanted to let everyone know that i've had to do a slight price increase on prints and canvases. the difference is only a few dollars. :)

this summer has been a great one! i've met several new clients, including some visiting from out-of-state. i've enjoyed this season, but am definitely ready for cooler weather. i know we won't be truly "cool" for a long time still, but i'll be happy with temperatures under 90. i'm starting to book september. i only have one saturday left available in october (of course, i can still work you in on the weekdays).

i am planning a mini-session event for my clients in beaufort. i'm still ironing out the date and location. this fall's minis will be held on a saturday for those of you wanting family portraits. i'm hoping this will be convenient for everyone.

addie started first grade on monday. she's getting used to going to school all day. at least she gets two recesses. i've also been coerced in agreeing to one hot lunch per week. she, of course, has chosen hamburger day. what can i say? my girl loves her burgers and fries. see the picture below for her thoughts on all-day school.

only two saturdays left for october

if you need a saturday session for the holidays, i only have two left in october: the 4th and 25th. i do have limited availability during the weekdays still. november is already booked solid. i have canceled my mini sessions for now. i'm always open to changing my mind, but for now, i've got two portrait parties booked and another one possibly coming up too.

next week is back to school! addie will be starting first grade on monday! we're doing her "back to school" session on saturday morning!

here's your picture for today! :)

impossibly gorgeous family

seriously. when you have four children, what are the odds that every single one of them is going to be breathtakingly gorgeous? this family is dear to my heart. i have known the youngest girl since she was in my awana group at church, when she was in the third grade. she might have been in that middle school awkward phase, but i knew she was going to turn out to be a stunner. and is she ever. but you know what's even better? she's got the sweetest heart and is just a love. i adored her then and i adore her now. her sisters and brother are sweethearts too. i only wish i knew them better. :) mom and dad are two of the kindest people you will ever meet. i have a tremendous respect for both of them.

one thing i like in my sessions is a lot of laughter. sometimes, it can be hard with mostly adults because younger children usually provide the laughter. but this family is not stiff and posed. they were relaxed. we laughed and had a blast. and those kinds of sessions are the best kind and yield the best pictures!

anyway, i'm droning on and on, i know. so, to shut me up, here are a few from my session with the impossibly gorgeous family:

play date with the cousins

first, i am warning you all that my hair is black. i attempted to cover my grown-out highlights and get back to my natural color of dark brown. well, right now, my hair is pretty darn dark--much darker than i anticipated. i'm hoping it lightens up some, but if it doesn't...consider yourself warned. because i'll have to wait a few weeks before i re-dye it to lighten it up. but at least it matches my naturally black eyebrows! ;)

yesterday, we took lunch over to my sister-in-law's new home (which is gorgeous). my addie is three months younger than my nephew. my ian is seven months younger than my niece. so, they are somewhat close in age and love to play together. unfortunately, i don't think there will be a cousin companion for my newest niece. but i digress!

the porch on my sil's house is a popular spot. and it has the greatest lighting. i am so jealous! but it was nice to be able to chat with her while the kids played--adult conversation. make that extended adult conversation. we actually got to talk mostly uninterrupted while the kids played together. ian, of course, played mostly with the exact same trains he has here. you know, because it's way more fun at someone else's house!

so, we did snap a few pictures of the kiddos! i mean, hello! we are both photographers! you can't expect much less!

nice day for a white wedding

make that a hot day. no. a H.O.T. day. saturday was a doozy. but at least it didn't rain. that would've just ruined it all. in june, i photographed that too-adorable-for-words family with the prettiest baby ever. and on saturday, they had their wedding. it was such a fun, sweet ceremony. when they lit their unity candle, they had a candle representing baby l too. and daddy's face lit up because he hadn't seen his baby girl all day. you could just tell how much they loved each other and their sweet baby girl. and you could tell that they were just having a blast and enjoying the party! and that's exactly how it should be!