I know Julia and her family through our dogs. Our Cera and their Rudy are siblings. You might remember this post where we got the whole family together for a shoot at the studio. Good stuff!

I had heard that Julia was an uber-talented singer/songwriter, but it wasn’t until this summer that I had the chance to see her perform live at Natasha’s in downtown Lexington. I once fancied myself as a musician, too, so I’m speaking from experience here—she’s the real deal. Julia has a perfect balance of old-soul and fresh youth. Stage presence. Lyrics that speak to a deeper understanding of life than you might expect at her age—15. And her work ethic? Wow. She inspires me to work harder at the things I’m passionate about.

Julia’s mom Gina contacted me to help out with the photography for the first album being released. So one sunny fall afternoon, I met up with them at an empty, older farm house in Paris (thanks Kris and Molly!). I love how this session turned out. It’s such a tricky thing…I wanted the images to reflect that juxtaposition of youth and maturity that Julia embodies so well. She’s thoughtful and poised one minute, then light and spontaneous the next.

Here are some of my favorites from that session:

Fast-forward to January 5 of this year. Julia’s fans packed Natasha’s for the album release party. Standing room only. Julia sold and signed albums, and then took to the stage to perform both some solo numbers, and well as some with her musical friends who’ve been so supportive along the way.

David McLean is her guitar instructor, mentor and friend.

Julia surprised him with a new look.

Victoria is not only a supportive younger sister, but she’s also quite a talented artist. Some good genes in that family!

Raw talent is essential to grow a successful music career, but equally important is the unconditional support from those who love you most. Steve and Gina are great role models on how to motivate your children in the pursuit of their dreams. In this shot, they presented Julia with a framed copy of her album.

And I got a signed copy. Pretty dang cool.

You can follow Julia’s musical journey HERE. Thanks for stopping by!

587 days ago, I posted THIS. I checked in last night to see how many of my 101 goals were complete. Turns out I have 67 goals still left with 414 days remaining. Not bad, really, but I’d better get a move on if I hope to complete them all in time.

But here’s the beauty in the 101 in 1001 list:

I completed 34 goals.

That’s pretty cool.

If you made a list with me back in May of 2010, I’d encourage you to revisit your list to see how you’ve been doing. What may surprise you is that, without even checking back in on your list regularly (I didn’t either), you’ve probably managed to knock quite a few out. How’d that happen? Call it hocus-pocus, but I believe that writing down goals prepares the body and mind. Once you’ve imagined yourself getting things done, it’s much easier to recognize opportunities for action as they arise.

If you didn’t make a list yet, you might consider checking into it. Need a bit of incentive? How about another little contest?

Between now and this Friday (1/6/2012) at 5PM, please post a link to your 101 in 1001 list from Day Zero in the comment section below. If you feel like you’d rather not have your list made public, no worries. You can send me the link to your list via email at shaun@shaunringphotography.com

I’ll draw at random one name. That person will receive one-hour of my time for a photography session or photography instruction. Cool?

If you feel so inclined please share this post with the people you know and love. It’s on the studio’s Facebook page if you’d like to share it from there. Yes, I realize your odds of winning will go down as more people join, but it’s a beautiful thing when people encourage each other to get positive things done in their lives.

Ready. Set. Go!

We were in a small room upstairs at Common Grounds, sitting on opposing well-worn couches. I took small-ish gulps from the  dull black mug while Sara and Chris brought me up to speed on how the wedding planning had been going since we’d first met in late summer. I tried to play it cool, but I was plenty nervous inside.

You see, their wedding is July 20, 2013. With almost 2 years to plan, they have plenty of options—including photographers. Chris and Sara are EXACTLY my kind of couple. Warm. Relaxed. Real. Funny. Smart. I reeeeaally wanted to work with them, and I hoped that feeling was mutual.

When I asked if they’d booked any vendors yet, they paused, looked at each other, then looked back at me with serious expressions. And for a second, I thought the worst—In my mind’s eye, I pictured them telling me they’d chosen another photographer. I thought we’d really hit it off when we’d met at the studio. We’d stayed in touch since then. Sara would email me with questions about venues and vendors, and I’d try my best to be helpful. Looking back to that moment, I don’t know why they would have invited me out for coffee to tell me bad news, but they’re incredibly sweet people. It would be like them to want to break it to me gently. I know it’s crazy, but those were the thoughts running through my head during that long pause.

To my relief, Chris’ smile broke through first, followed by Sara’s, and it was then they asked me to be their wedding photographer. A proposal! Whew.

With a decade of experience and a fairly well-established brand, you might assume that I’m past the point of being insecure. I might seem 100% confident, but inside, I’m still that little boy taking a drawing up to his teacher’s desk, looking for a smile and approval. There’s always that voice inside saying Like me! Like me!

And I suspect that we’re all that way a bit.

To Sara and Chris—YES. 100 times YES. I appreciate your trust in me. For liking my work. You’re amazing people, and I can’t wait to spend more time with you.

Thank you to Kimberly and Adrian at Hunter Valley Farm for letting us come out on a cold, Saturday morning.  Quite a spread you’d got there!

Way to rock the boots, Sara!

If you’ve been following my work for long, you know how much I loath jumping pictures at weddings. Sara and Chris feel exactly the same way. Which is why we chose to spoof the jump. To show that it’s not that we can’t. Bwahahaha!

Love this.

Timeless.

I almost always do sessions closer to dusk, but this one was mid-morning. The lighting is waaaay different. Felt good to change things up.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by! If you feel so inclined, I’d love for you to connect with me. Take care!