Gosh….Where do I start with this…

Bill is my lifelong friend.  By that, I’m referring to the 22 years we’ve known each other, the 20 years that we’ve been like this (I’m crossing my fingers…wish you could see it), and the 60+ years ahead of us.  When we were young, we quipped about front porch sittin’ when we’re old men.  Looking at our relationship through 30-year-old eyes now, I know that this is a certainty.

Bill is one of the kindest, most genuine people you’ll ever meet.  I’ve learned alot from him.  And he learned alot from his Granny Jane.

Bill and I spent quite a few summer days on his grandparents’ farm in Bath County.  We did a fair bit of underage driving through those fields and on the backroads.  We would help out with the tobacco crop some, though looking back, I’m pretty sure we were not terribly helpful.  Being from Mt. Sterling, we were clearly city boys.

I have plenty of history with the Manley family, and as a large component of that, I have a deep respect and affection for Granny Jane.  It was because of this that I was more than happy to document Jane’s 80th birthday party.  I had fun catching up with everyone.

I hope you enjoy the images and can get a sense from them what a great person Jane is, though I suspect you’d really just have to meet her.  Then you, too, would be just as much of a fan as I am.

Jane is a huge Elvis fan.  He made a guest appearance at her party.  Told you she was cool!

Jane shared some wisdom with us while she had everyone collected.

Here’s Jane with her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.  Quite a collection, right?

Me and Granny Jane.  I love this image.

My favorite.

Bill and Kelly’s son Ben.  Rocks are toys, aren’t they?

Carson and Ben hi-fiving for the first time.  We’re hoping they’ll grow up and be good friends.

Some of my favorite people. Ever.  My wife Katie worked as a nanny for Shannon and John a few years back before Carson was born, and before they moved to Elizabethtown.  We got to know them and their two kiddos really well during that time.  They’re precious to us, and I’m so glad they come back to Lexington each year for a fall portrait session.  I can’t believe how big Jackson and Cooper are now!  Time really does pass quickly.  All the more reason for us to soak up each day, eh?

To the Holts—We miss you!  We’ll come see you next time!

Here are a handful of my favorites:

And for the highlights slideshow, click on the play button below.  To the Holts’ family and friends—Please stay in touch with me!  Here are my Facebook and Twitter links.  Bye!  -shaun

I drove up to Candice’s and Josh’s farm a couple weeks ago to photograph them and their two canine kiddos, Avalanche and Affinity.  Candice has been staying in touch with me through Facebook and Twitter for quite some time, and we’ve been talking about her budding career as a photographer.  She’s just getting started, but I know she’s going to be awesome.

Thank you, Candice and Josh, for inviting me into your lives!  I’ll be chattin’ wtih you soon!

Some of my faves:

You can click below to see the  highlights slideshow.  Enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment below. I love hearing from the friends and families of my clients!  Bye!  -shaun

Thank you, Sarah and Allison, for having me photograph you!  You two are so sweet to think of this as a gift for your parents. They’ll love having pretty images of their girls.  I enjoyed working with you!  Stay in touch!

Just a handful of my favorites:

The Carr family won one of my photography sessions through a silent auction to benefit the Lighthouse Ministries of Lexington, KY.  The Lighthouse is pretty amazing.  I’d love it if you’d check out THIS post and then look into getting involved.  Good stuff!

In discussing locations for their session, we came up with Waveland.  Waveland is a place where I photographed families ALL THE TIME when I was first starting my business.  The last couple years, though, I really haven’t been back.  Not that it’s not gorgeous, because it definitely is.  I think I just got a bit burned out with it, you know?  As it turns out, going back there to shoot recently was like a homecoming of sorts.  It was as if I was seeing it with new eyes.  I’m really happy with the images!

To Tom and Christy–Stay in touch!  I enjoyed getting to know you all!

Here are just a handful of my favorites:

Love this shot of Kelli.

Amanda swinging.  Notice the panning technique?  Tons of fun to try!  Took me like 20 shots to get this one…LOL

Leaf angels?

And the slideshow:

Before you leave, feel free to leave a comment and check out some of the other posts.  Oh, and don’t forget to add me to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Bye!  -shaun

I’ve known Jim now for almost 10 years.  I was a server at Chili’s while he was managing there, and we always seemed to click pretty well.  Jim’s intriguing. Whether discussing wine, macs, cars, weight-training, horses, vacation spots, photography or real estate, he always seems to be able to speak confidently, if not eloquently, on any topic imaginable.  I’m a big ol’ geek and love learning from others, so I could sit and chat with him for days about all of his life experiences.  Awesome guy.

We’ve stayed in touch, and I’ve been able to get to know his wife Myra, who is equally as cool.  I run into them from time to time while frequenting Bronte Bistro (the cafe at Joseph-Beth) where Jim is the general manager.  Love that place.

I’m really happy that they thought of me when it came time for a family session and some senior portraits of their daughter Ashton.  I still can’t believe how big Emily is, too!  Seems like yesterday that she was born.  To Tori—Wish you could have been here! Congrats on the engagement!

HUGE thanks to Mrs. Abercrombie for letting us come out to Pin Oak Stud farm in Versailles.  It’s honest-to-God breathtaking out there.  Mrs. Abercrombie—Jim and Myra always speak so highly of you.  I’m glad we met.  You’re a delight to be around. Stay in touch!

Here are some of my faves from the family session:

Once we wrapped up the family portraits, Ashton and I ran around the farm a bit shooting and then drove into downtown Lexington for the remainder of the senior portrait session.  It was really nice meeting you, Ashton!  You’ve got a bright future ahead of you!

Here are a few of my favorite images of Ashton.  Be sure to click on the slideshow to see the whole collection!  Bye, y’all! 

And here’s the slideshow.  Enjoy, and please everybody, hook up with me on Facebook and Twitter.  I love staying in touch! Bye!