My heart is full of thanks.

Do you ever feel like you have no idea who you are? Like, as soon as I feel like I've "found" myself, I feel like I lose myself all over again as I continue grow into the woman God is constantly evolving me into becoming. This past year has been a tremendous year of change for my life defined by the word COURAGE:

Courage to accept my father's death and not be mad at the world or God because of it.
Courage to let go of a love I cared deeply for so that he could find his true love.
Courage to love again.
Courage to sign up for a marathon.
Courage to put a smile on my face when some days I'm a mess inside.
Courage to stand on stage for my first speaking engagement.
Courage to admit I don't know it all and embrace different ways of doing things.
Courage to trust God with my finances by tithing first.
Courage to simply get out of bed and face each day.

But I've found that the greatest courage of all is continuing to focus on the positive blessings I've been given and give thanks despite what the circumstances are swirling around us.

"Give thanks to the Lord because he is good. His love continues forever." ~Psalm 136:1

It's that time of year again when our bellies will become full of turkey and gravy and casseroles and pumpkin pie. My mom and I are heading to my grandparents new home in the panhandle of Florida to spend Thanksgiving with them.

As I wrapped up things in the office before the holidays, I was thinking about all that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here's my list. What are you thankful for? Leave a comment and let me know!

Things I'm Thankful For:

1. That I get to go on a road trip with my best friend, my Momma, to spend time with my grandparents for the holiday.
2. That my dad is out of pain and dancing with Jesus this Thanksgiving.
3. My love who continues to inspire me to love God more each day.
4. My dog Rhett who continues to find some way to make me laugh everyday.
5. Being blessed with a job I LOVE and not being stuck in a cubicle.
6. The honor of getting to document that happiest day in a couple's family history.
7. Chocolate and it's magical power to fix any problem.
8. The grace God so lovingly extends me over and over.
9. The beauty of living a life debt free.
10. Pink. Yes, I'm thankful for a color and how happy it makes me when my eyes spot something pink.
11. The ocean and how big it is always reminding me how BIG God is.
12. The health to train for a marathon to help others.
13. The friendships that last throughout the years and the new friendships I continue to meet on this journey.
14. The most comfortable bed in the world.
15. Email and Facebook and video chat. How the simple things of technology can keep us all connected.
16. My camera that allows me to travel all over the world.
17. DVR and how it spoils me with the luxury of watching TV on my time.
18. My new pink snuggly slippers that keep my feet warm.
19. Bubble baths.
20. That even when I have no idea what the future holds, God always provides.
21. Cookies and brownies and the comfort they provide.
22. The creative outlet fashion is.
23. That I live in a place that is mostly warm all year round.
24. That I just got an awesome wedding published in Southern Weddings!
25. The world "fabulous." :-)
26. The contacts that allow me to see clearly.
27. That my skin has cleared up a LOT thanks to Skin ID.
28. My iPhone. How did I ever live without it?
29. New changes on the horizon... from what I here from a little bird giving me hints, January is going to be a memorable month. :-)
28. Every single one of you!

I leave you with this video that Dane Sanders played at his PartnerCon talk. Half the time I was like "What the heck is going on in this video?" but keep watching it, it will leave you going WOW. When the video finished, it all made sense and inspired me to keep having courage as I run toward my goals and jump off the cliff trusting God will help me fly!



Song is "Glósóli" by Sigur Ros. If you can't view, the direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwQmDvuORY0

Trisha & Hub are married! /// Marco Island Wedding

The greatest compliment I could ever get about my work is the referral of one of my brides. Trisha was make up artist at Stacey & Ted's wedding last year, and now it was Trisha's turn to be the bride as she walked down the aisle to her new hubby, Hub. Trisha & Hub live in Atlanta but chose to have a destination wedding in gorgeous Marco Island, Fl where Hub's parents live. It couldn't have been a more perfect tropical day for their wedding at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort!

Here's my favorite pictures of the day and their full slideshow below!


A little bling!






I thought it was so funny how Trisha was sitting in the sink... literally... while she got ready.


















Too funny!
















I love this shot of Trisha & Hub, and then Trisha's mom & dad!


Yes, that is goldfish for their namecard table! So creative!




All the bridal party was married to each other. It was Trisha's sisters and their husbands!


I'm jealous that that side of Florida gets the sunset unlike Jacksonville!




Beautiful details!








I LOVED seeing Stacey and Ted again at this wedding!


Then Ted took over my camera on the dance floor and played photographer while Stacey and I got our dance on!


And here's the slideshow:

Pictage's PartnerCon- My recap!

Whew.... I did. I conquered one of my biggest fears.

Public speaking.

(shudder, chill just went down the spine.)

Earlier this month I had the privilege of being asked to speak at Pictage's PartnerCon conference to a gathering of inspiring photographers from all around the country.

Right before my talk began, I looked in the back and saw they were bringing in extra chairs to hold the attendees. Like, what? For me? Seriously? Get out of here! I couldn't believe it. I think my greatest fear was that I would only have like 10 people show up to my talk, but from what I heard, almost 250 people were in the room. That just blows my mind.

It was such an honor to stand up on the stage that just three years ago I was sitting in the audience as a newbie to photography attending my very first PartnerCon in Chicago. I remember making that scary switch from videography to photography hoping I would be good enough to compete with all the other amazing photographers whose blogs I stalked. I sat in the audience listening to photography rockstars like Mike Colon, Denis Reggie, Carlos Baez, Sara France and more, like a sponge just soaking up any information I could gain on how to start a wedding photography business (Funny, to look at that list back then and how they have all become friends now, ha!). Somehow along the way these past three years, I found my own style and now I get asked a lot how I get my couples to do what they do and open up in front of my camera. So for my talk I spoke about "How To Find The Fabulous In Each Bride & Groom."

For those of you reading this that were there, thank you sooooooo much for attending my first talk. For those of you who couldn't make it, I'll be speaking again about this on the Photog Retreat Cruise to the Bahamas in January. (From what I hear, there are still 4 spots available if you are still thinking of going!!! Woo hoo!)

It was so great seeing old friends and meeting some AMAZING new friends like fellow speakers Zach & Jody Gray and David Molnar. (By the way Jacksonville peeps, the Gray's are coming to Jacksonville for a workshop! They are the most amazing people ever, I highly recommend it! Check out info by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156768406553&ref=ts

My fabulous boyfriend Stephen Knuth took a few shots of me speaking. What an honor it was to get to share my heart with all of you. I pray that what I shared can help prosper your own business in return!


Here's a pic one of the PartnerCon paparazzi grabbed of me and my sign from a tag on my Facebook.












Here's a pic from my friend Joe's blog. He's been an email buddy and it was fun to meet him in person.


Joe also took some GREAT pics of Stephen and I one of the days we were in New Orleans. I borrowed a few from his blog to show you below, but you can check out more on his blog!











And lastly, one night Stephen and I dressed up for a special date night, and afterward modeled for a night shooting workshop the fabulous Mark Eric was hosting around the streets of New Orleans. Here's a few of my favorites that we were tagged in on my Facebook.













And I loved this collage of Stephen & I's kiss by Brandon O'Neal:



And for a really embarrassing iPhone video, the last night I was there cruising around Bourbon Street, I dedicated a karaoke NSYNC song to Stephen with my Florida girls (FROM L TO R) Candice K, Corinna Hoffman, Kara Pennington & Courtney Craver! (Did I mention, soooooo embarrassing?)



Such a great time in New Orleans! I miss it already so much! Hope to see you at next year's PartnerCon!!!!!

I'm a bad blogger.

Will you forgive me? I know I've been a little M.I.A. here on the blog. For those of you still reading....

Some days I wish I could be one of those bloggers who blogs everyday, but honestly, between traveling, shooting, and speaking recently at Pictage's PartnerCon conference, some days, I do just like being a photographer AWAY from the computer. Though I've been a bad blogger the past, uh, month, I have been shooting some A-MAZING weddings, so I'm long overdue to post some teasers until I get the full weddings posted up here.

Enjoy! And much more blog entries in the oven, I promise! As you can tell from these teasers, while the details of a wedding are great, what I love documenting is the LOVE between a couple!


First, Trisha & Hub had a gorgeous South Florida wedding at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort.



I love this shot of the bridal party kissing! The bridal party was her sisters and their husbands.


Next, Lindsey & Jonathan had an incredible Christ-centered day at Palm Valley Gardens. I love love LOVE this bridal shot of Lindsey in the tub!




Lastly, Teresa & Nelson had a gorgeous St. Augustine wedding at the Casa Monica Hotel.

Meet Stephen.

A few weeks ago I visited San Diego to shoot an engagement session for Elizabeth and Jeff. When I arrived in San Diego, and left a week later, my trip started and ended by worshiping God with an amazing guy named Stephen Knuth.

When he picked me up at the airport, we were simply friends. We originally met when he crashed my WPPI party in Vegas in February (it's funny to see his pictures in the slideshow now looking back when I had no idea who he was! ha!), and we had been emailing frequently during the time leading up to my San Diego trip. We formed a fast friendship through our emails and soon found ourselves video chatting laughing until our abs hurt, discovering all the things we had in common like, yes, our obsession over the boy band NSync, photography and our love for the Lord. So I was excited to see him again in San Diego and simply hang out and shoot together.

But during the week I was there, I really became attracted to his passionate heart for Jesus, and we discovered kind of crazy fast that there was something more than a just a friendship between him and I. Then toward the end of the trip, he kissed me, yay! The Sunday that I left, before taking me back to the airport, we attended his church again, and this time we worshipped the Lord holding each other close. When the last song faded, we opened our eyes and looked at each other noticing that we both had tears in our eyes at how beautiful and pure that moment was that we shared together. We talked afterward about how we both knew God was starting something special with us.... and we are both excited to see how He continues writing our love story as we both seek first His heart.

The girl in me does have to gush about how after he dropped me off at the departing flights, I turned around from inside to see him running from his car after me just to swoop me in arms and not let me leave before he told me how he had fallen in love with me. Swoooooooooon. I so felt like I had that guy-running-after-the-girl-in-an-airport-chick-flick-scene! he he

While I was there, we took some new promo shots of each other around downtown San Diego. Here's my favorite shots I caught of him and you can see the new shots he got of me over on his blog here:

http://www.stephenknuthblog.com/?p=567


























And then of course, I couldn't HELP but do a slideshow to this particular Taylor Swift song.... he he.... Apparently Taylor has a crush on Stephen too:

Elizabeth & Jeff are engaged! San Diego, Ca. Engagement Shoot

Elizabeth went to school with my past bride Amy, and she soon there after met Jeff. Both she and Jeff are from this side of the country and getting married in Florida, but for now, they live in San Diego because that is where Jeff is stationed in the Navy. While I was on the East Coast shooting a wedding in the Monterey area, I jetted down the day after to shoot Elizabeth and Jeff's engagement session in beautiful La Jolla Cove. They wanted to capture in the background the essense of the East Coast beaches, which I'm so glad they did because Florida sure doesn't have beaches like California does. It was fun to explore the cliffs and watch the crashing waves as we strolled along the cove.

Elizabeth and Jeff brought their dogs with them for a few shots too! So much fun to include the "children" also! Even more special, the day we shot their engagement session was Elizabeth's birthday, which also fell on the day that Images For A Cure was hosting it's fundraising day that I donated this session to. It's so great when photography can also be used for a bigger purpose to help find a cure for breast cancer!

Here are a few of my fave shots from the day and their full slideshow at the end!






















Thanks to Stephen Knuth for capturing this fun shot of me getting the shot above this one!

Samantha & Derek are married! Salinas, California wedding!

For Samantha and Derek's wedding, it wasn't about just the two of them, it was about the seven of them. Samantha is already a mom to five cute little kids, and it was a beautiful day marrying together the whole family.

It was exciting to return to California again and shoot their wedding in the town of Salinas at the National Steinbeck Center, a museum in honor of John Steinbeck, the famous author of Cannery Row and The Grapes of Wrath.

Here's my favorites from the day and the full slideshow at the end!


I love love loved her shoes!




I love how her daughter is watching Samantha get ready!












This locket carried the ashes of Samantha's best friend that passed away.


Then Samantha's little one tried to steal the locket, but we got it out of his hands in time! ha!
































Samantha and her daughters!


Samantha and Derek and their kids!










LOL, I thought this moment was funny with Samantha getting caught in the wind!






I love this sweet shot of Samantha and her dad!


These little girls seriously parked it in the middle of the dance floor like that. This is my favorite shot of the day!


Thanks to Courtney and Jeremy of Coco Studios, who were Samantha's sister/videographers/my referral for this wedding!




Yum, chocolate cake, that's the way to go!


And here's the slideshow........

I'll see you at PartnerCon!

Moi and my fabulous friend David Esquire goofing off at last year's PartnerCon

This time next week I'll be in NEW ORLEANS! Woo hoo!

For those of you who don’t know, on Tuesday November 3, I will be speaking at the annual Pictage Partner Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Last year it was held in Los Angeles, click here to see my adventures in The Hills!) The Pictage Partner Conference is a 3-day conference of speaking sessions, hands-on shooting workshops, and knowledge sharing tailored for professional photographers.

For all of you professional photographers out there, Pictage members or not, I would like to encourage you to attend. It is an experience that is guaranteed to benefit your art and your business. If nothing else you will come away from this event with a closer network of colleagues and inspired to take your art and your business to the next level.

Come to my session! I have titled my session, "Find the Fabulous In Each Bride & Groom", and I look forward to sharing with you all my secrets to making my clients look like rockstars! I hope you'll join me there!

For more information like hotel, schedule, speaker bios, and to register visit the Partner Con website at:

http://partnercon.pictage.com

Can’t wait to see you there and meet new faces! If you are going to be there and we haven't met yet, please come up and introduce yourself! I would love to meet you!

Where are you spending your January?

Where are you spending your January? I'll be spending mine in the Bahamas via the Carnival Sensation. Join me!

More details here:

www.photogretreat.com

Check out this video of Stephen Knuth and I talking why YOU should be at this Photog Retreat you won't want to miss!

http://scarlettlillian.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-you-should-join-me-in-bahamas.html

Rhea & Dennis Trash The Dress Session

It's always such an honor when people come from long distances to have their photos done with me. Rhea and Dennis came from the DC area back to Rhea's hometown here in Jacksonville to get some post-wedding photos done with a trash the dress session at Guana River State Park. Rhea's gorgeous make up was done by Daren Lee, who also did make up for my bride Rachel last year!

Here's my favorite shots from Rhea & Dennis' session and their full slideshow at the end.

Why YOU should join me in the Bahamas!

There have been lots of exciting developments going on for the Photog Retreat 2010 cruise to the Bahamas that I will be speaking on. Watch the video to hear fellow speaker Stephen Knuth and I talk more about it and why YOU should go on the cruise!





Or you can watch it here: http://www.vimeo.com/7139591


Click here to sign up:

http://photogretreat.com

Teasers from California!

Whew, lots of shooting here in California. I'm still here for a few days but wanted to get some teaser shots up from all my shoots!!!

First, I shot a wedding just outside of Monterey for Samantha and Derek!


Next, I shot an engagement session in La Jolla for Elizabeth and Jeff, who live in San Diego, but are getting married in Elizabeth's hometown in Sarasota, Florida. This was my session I donated for Images For A Cure.


Then I joined Stephen Knuth, Sara France, Joe Photo, Greg Bumatay and more as a leader at the SoCal Shootout.


Today, Stephen and I decided to take new headshots of each other around downtown San Diego.


Tonight, I shot another San Diego engagement session with Stephen of a sweet couple Laura & Chris, who had many dates here in Little Italy!


Then lastly, Stephen took some pictures of moi for new promo shots. He posted a teaser on his blog too. Always good practice to get in front of the camera to remember what our clients go through too!



Lots more to come soon from each of the photoshoots! Stay tuned!

Don't miss out on the Bahamas cruise!

I'm getting so excited about the upcoming Photogs Retreat 2010 in January cruising away to the Bahamas. Each day, more and more sponsors are coming on board, making the giveways value exceed more than the actual cost of the trip itself. What an amazing investment!

For those who have been wanting to come spend a day with me, by joining me on the cruise, you'll get THREE days for half the price the one! Insane! I so can't wait to meet everyone!

This week, the retreat is running more specials that end on FRIDAY with savings of $200-$550! Limited spots are available so don't miss out!!

Check out all the details here at:

www.photogretreat.com

Congratulations to the winners of the MCP Actions contest!

WOW, over 200 comments left for the MCP Actions give-a-way contest here on my blog! That qualifies the contest to give away not just one, but TWO action sets. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Drum roll please..............

By random selection..............

The first winner is................

KATIE JONES from the UK! WOW! She won MCP Magic Board set #1!!! Yay!!

And the second winner is...............

Kia Gregory from Tracy, Ca! (Woo hoo, I'm currently in California!) Kia wins MCP Magic Board set #2!


Congrats to both of you girls!  Please contact Jodi at jodi@mcpactions.com to collect your prize!!!!

Contest contest contest! Win free MCP Photoshop Actions!

I'm excited to announce a contest for photographers! A few months ago I got interviewed on the MCP Actions blog and had so much fun answering your questions! Now Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions is hosting a contest exclusively for Scarlett Lillian blog readers! Yay! I adore my MCP Magic Blog It Board Actions for creating web collages of the details at weddings (this has helped me get published, for real, details below!), or a fashion spread or of my spend a day girls! With just a few clicks, it's soooooooo easy to create these collages and simply insert the pictures you want! And now MCP Actions wants to give away a free set to YOU!

Here's the rules to enter!

1. Leave a comment on this blog entry.

2. In the comment, tell your name, specify which Magic Blog It Board action you want if you win: #1 or #2
(Go to MCPActions.com>ACTIONS>MAGIC TEMPLATE ACTIONS>MAGIC BLOG IT BOARDS TEMPLATE #1 or #2)

3. Every 100 comments on the blog, Jodi will do a random drawing from the comments to give away an action set. So if there are a 100 comments, one action will be given, if there are 200, 2 action sets will be given, etc.

4. For Facebook friends, don't leave comments on my Facebook note when it automatically imports to my profile, those comment entries won't be counted. It has to be left here on the blog!

5. For those who Twitter about the contest, and/or blog about it, you can add a second comment to increase your chances of winning by saying "I just Twittered about it at twitter.com/@yourname" or "I just blogged about it (your blog address)". (If you do both, you can add a comment for each!) If you need something to say on Twitter under 140 characters, try this:

Win a free @MCPActions Magic Blog It Board set on the @scarlettlillian blog! http://tinyurl.com/yhqjtc8 Please RT!

EDIT:
The contest ends Monday night at 10pm EST! Winners will be announced soon after! :-)

Here's some fun ways I have used my MCP Actions for collages:

A series of a great emotional moment.


This collage attracted the editors of The Knot who saw it on my blog and contacted me about publishing this wedding in their upcoming issue! Yay!


Putting fashion shoot pictures together like opening a fashion magazine!


Taking photos of my spend a day girls!

Lauren & Robert are engaged! St. Simons, Ga. Engagement Session

When you get an email from Lauren, she signs it:

Joyfully,
Lauren

That's exactly who Lauren is. A bundle of joy to be around. Going through her pictures with Robert, it was rare to find a picture where she wasn't laughing. I thought she was joyful before, but I saw how much more Robert brought that joy out of her.

I first met Lauren a few years ago through photography and she second shot with me a few times. She has gone on to become a fabulous photographer in Atlanta and graduated college with a full fledge photography business already in place. And it was a super honor to be asked to document her engagement photos as she steps into the next chapter of her life as a wifey! I met them in St. Simons Island, Ga. and we had a lot of fun playing around the island.

On a personal note, Lauren has always served in my life as a girl so passionately in love with Christ, and she inspires me to always want to draw closer to the Lord's heart. It's been amazing to see how God brought Lauren and Robert together over the years, and how faithful she has been in waiting on His perfect timing for the two of them to be together. In meeting Robert for the first time finally, I could see how perfect they were for each other in so many ways. What a powerful couple they are going to be as husband and wife in serving the Lord together!

Here's my favorites shots from their session and their full slideshow below!
















I had to get a supermodel face in there!
















































Robert had to get a few shots in showing off his pride for the Georgia Bulldogs. Lauren graduated from Georgia Tech, so they have a fun love hate relationship when it comes to football!