Lora Ayers Photography

Cute Kids Session

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:37:00 +0000

It was rainy and cold, and we ALMOST had to cancel this session. But the clouds parted and the sun came out a little, and we went for it! I'm so glad we did. We had some fun in the back yard, and then when it got too cold we went inside for some shots on the red couch. I scooted the love seat over to the foyer and opened the front door so I'd have enough light and it gave their eyes a nice sparkle.

It's a new week (and although my heart is still heavy from losing my grandmother) pictures like these make me happy, and they remind me of my own family too. I smiled a lot while editing these, they are so cute!

Oh and for fun, we made faces!

Granny Mickey...tell someone you love them.

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:28:00 +0000

I love my Granny Mickey. Mother of 7 children....too many grandchildren and great grandchildren to count, excellent cook, as sweet as her famous chocolate cake, loved Free Chapel Worship Center, always smiling, would give you the shirt off her back. I will miss you Granny. All of us will miss you.

Here's my sweet Granny who went home to be with Jesus and Papa Claiborne.

Tell someone you love them, we weren't expecting to lose her. It came as a surprise when she suffered a heart attack. There's no such thing as hugging , kissing, or saying "I love you" too much.

Happy Birthday Ali Brown!! I heart you!!

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Happy Birthday Ali! You are such a great friend to me, and I hope you have the best birthday EVER!!! I love your work, and every time I check your blog I'm completely inspired! I'm so glad that we've become friends this past year.

This is my girl Ali and a cow named Hank, she loves animals, and even has her own chicken as well as a HUGE dog!! Ali is in Montana and we haven't met in person, and I can't wait until we do at WPPI in Vegas, or sooner. To see her awesomeness look here.

Congrats Traci and Gary!

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:44:00 +0000

The day was beautiful, sunny, and a little windy. Perfect compared to the flooding that we were having weeks before. The accent flowers were sunflowers, and the pool was bright blue. This poolside wedding was beautiful and lots of fun was had by all. Congrats to the happy couple! Thank you for choosing me to be a part of your special day. Here are a few of the shots and details from the day.

In the moment

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:36:00 +0000

I've been thinking a lot lately about being more in the moment with my children. The time is flying by so quickly, and I want to look back one day and know that I was the best "in the moment" mom that I could be. I have been given these sweet little cutie pies that I adore. Their toes, their hair, their voices, and my last pair of chubby legs (Alex's) which are getting slimmer by the minute. I want to eat them up, and yet at the same time I'm busy....and too often I rush from one thing to the next and don't give them what they deserve, and what I really WANT to give them. Thankfully I'm very aware of my mothering. Every night in my head I make a list of positive things I did as a mom and negative things. At least I'm thinking about these things, and my husband once told me that if you are asking yourself questions like "am I a bad mom?" than most likely you are not.

Did anyone watch Oprah 2 days ago about the stay at home mom who survived the plane crash??? Oh my gosh, life changing for me! Here is her blog I found this in one of her archives, check it out!

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments.{or if I could enter here-the basket-head mother syndrome} She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

Totally off- subject, here's a pic from last weekends wedding, and I was able to get this because I rented the 70-200, loved it!

dog breath

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:48:00 +0000

We tried getting the baby and the dogs together in a picture. My brilliant idea was to put the dog bone treat inside the blanket by the baby...this is what happened! I love it!

Senior Portrait Session Mitchell!

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Fun was had, that's for sure. Loved hanging out with Mitchell and his sister Lindsey (my brothers fiance) and his mom. We laughed a lot! Here are a few fav's from the session we had on Sunday.

slim shady

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:10:00 +0000

I just thought that I'd admit to the world wide web, that finally after 32 years I'm starting to like myself. I have finally started to realize that I can't earn God's love with good works, and that I can't un-earn his love ( I know that's not a word, but hey it's MY blog!). I love my church. I'm surrounded by ordinary people who believe in an extraordinary God. It's taken me my whole life to feel accepted by God. Why?? Well, mostly because of my perception of what it meant to be a christian, and my perception of what others thought about me and my many failures. I'm happy with where I'm at today. I'm not perfect, and that's not the goal. I just love God, and I'm trying to be my best for him, and for my family.

Newborn Portrait Session

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:31:00 +0000

All good things come together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes Romans 8:28. After months and months of praying and waiting God has united this family. I am blessed to have them be a part of my family too, my church family that is. I look forward to seeing this sweet baby grow and change and become a "big" girl. What an exciting time!

I just have to say WOW to how patient this little darling was with me. She was ready for a nap, but she hung on like a trooper while I snapped away. She wanted to sleep, but not in the hot fuzzy blanket and basket I put her in, and yet she still barely cried the whole time I was shooting. She's just so sweet!

Good deals and a newborn shoot

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:16:00 +0000

In the morning I have a newborn portrait session with the sweetest little girl, and I'm so excited! I've been drooling over newborn photos that I've seen out there, and I'm dying to create some precious art for the family! I had to do a little shopping today...darn it! :)

My friend Joy from Joy Neville Photography recommended that I go to Tj Maxx for those soft fuzzy blankets that look soooo good up against a newborn. I found one for only 19 smackers. It's creme (or cream which one?) and oh so soft, and huge! How awesome it is to schedule a photo session on a weekday. This is a first! Alex has started his "preschool" class which allows me some extra time to schedule sessions. So I am available Tuesday and Thursday mornings for sessions, as well as weekends.

So now that the sun is back to shining again, and the rain has cleared I hope that everyone has a splendid week, and watchout because October is just around the corner ( I cannot believe it!).

Here's some pics of my lovies. I took these yesterday with their blue eyes in mind. Check back for Newborn sneak peeks soon!

WPPI road trip ATL

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Today it flooded...like really flooded. Atlanta has got more rain in the last week then, then, forever!!! Roads were closed but that didn't keep us away from WPPI road trip. I met up with Kelly and we had the best time. Soaking up everything that we could (except rain), and taking pics with this guy...KEVIN KUBOTA.

The first speaker talked about her daughter in Kindergarten and how she photographed every girl and boy in her class and surprised the parents with 11x14 black and whites. She showed us all the pics on a slideshow with a little story about how everything you need to know in life you learn in kindgergarten. It was so cute and it reminded me of my sweetie. I'm so excited that because of the flood they've already cancelled school for tomorrow and I get to spend the day with my kids. It's amazing what one day without them will do!

My heart went pitter patter....

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:06:00 +0000

when I saw these 2 images. If someone were to ask me what my ideal portrait would look like it would be something like this first one. This father is having so much fun with his boys, and you can almost feel how much he loves them by the smile on his face and how he's leaning into his youngest. It makes me smile.

This little cutie's eyes make me melt. I just love his brown eyes, so I had to share. I think we were discussing the sounds that animals make when I shot this.

Lora Ayers Photography featured on Me Ra Koh's Blog!

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:36:00 +0000

I'm so completely honored and excited to be featured on Me Ra Koh's Blog today. She has been such an incredible inspiration to me. Go here to check it out. Also,If you are a mom and you want to become more familiar with your DSLR so that you can take better pictures of your children then you should totally check out her Refuse to say Cheese DVD series.

For the first time in 7 years.....

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I'm home alone while ALL of my children are in school. Alex just started his little 2 year old class today. He was so brave. A lot of the other children were crying, but he just walked right in with his little backpack and started playing. He never even turned around to see if I left. I love my little munchkins so much, and time is going by so fast. Here they are in one of my many attempts at getting a picture of the three of them together. It is a bittersweet day for sure.

Let's do this!

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:26:00 +0000

I'm crazy in love with learning everything there is to know about photography, but meeting with others who share the same passion and enthusiasm takes it to a whole other level. That's why I'm so excited about the idea of Ali from Ali Brown Photography coming from Montana to the A-T-L for a workshop!! I am thrilled at the possibility to have a whole 'brain-pickin' day with her, and from the little bit she's shared, it's going to be awesome! She has an eye for the best locations, and her photos are full of color and texture galore, not to mention her unique ability to bring out the best in each of her clients! If you are in the ATL area and you'd be interested in attending a one day workshop then please head over to her blog and check it out. Let's do this!

Max and Stephanie's Wedding Slideshow

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:50:00 +0000

Here is my first attempt of making a slideshow for my blog. Blogger resized it which made the pictures a little pixelated before they come into focus. I hope that in the future I can find a way around that.

Max and Stephanie it was truly an honor to be a part of your special day. Enjoy!

More Senior shots of Courtney

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:27:00 +0000

Here are some more shots of the beautiful Miss Courtney. You worked it girl!

Senior Portraits ~ Courtney

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:22:00 +0000

I had a fabulous time shooting Courtney Sunday night. We drove all over the place and had so much fun. You rocked it girl! Here's a couple of fav's....More to come later so check back!

Poe Wedding

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:24:00 +0000

I felt so honored to be a part of Stephanie and Max's wedding day on August 1st. They're an amazing couple and both of their families were so warm and welcoming. The Reunion Hall Country Club was the perfect venue for such a gorgeous Bride and Groom. I wish you both all the happiness in the world. Congrats Stephanie and Max!

Wedding Photography

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:37:00 +0000

I was sooo excited to tag along with Jennifer from Jennifer Kemp Photography on Saturday. She is an amazing photographer, and is seriously one of the nicest people I've ever met. I loved seeing her in action. She really knows how to keep things moving, and she's a whiz with her camera and flash. The bride was super sweet and she looked amazing in her dress (love this dress, made me want to go try one on for fun) Here are some shots from my angle.

Senior Portrait Session: Gwinnett County Photographer

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:09:00 +0000

One's into sports, the other music, and they've been friends all throughout school, and now they are seniors. Thanks so much for letting me capture this fun time in both of your lives!

At the end of the session we went to a "creek" which ended up being a river that had the perfect waterfall. They braved the freezing cold water, while I was barely brave enough to walk across some slippery rocks (I had my precious camera in tow). I am posting a little sneak peek here for the mama's - Happy 4th of July!

Senior Portrait Session

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Here are a few from the senior session that I had this past weekend. I know that his mom will be checking... I hope you love these. You have such a handsome boy, and I know that you are very proud of him. I enjoyed meeting you both and getting to know you. Thanks for sharing about how your faith has led you in your parenting, and I pray that God will continue to bless your awesome family!

Neverland Farms Wedding Photography

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:35:00 +0000

This past Sunday I was the photographer for my cousin's wedding. It was held at the beautiful Neverland Farms surrounded by lush green hills, horses, butterflies and flowers. It was a photographers dream. Here are some of my favorites. Check out the little cutie Emma who is the daughter of the bride and groom, and was the flower girl. She was so excited to see the pony!

Their first few pictures together, I was peeking through a willow tree.

Just a little pinch of how beautiful this place was.

Congratulations Will and Penny. May you have many happy years together!

Sanchez Wedding

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Congrats Moe and Amanda! Thank you for inviting me into your lives to get to know you, and to be able to photograph your wedding day. It has been a pleasure, and you have such a sweet family too. I have to warn you that you may have some surprising video footage of a certain blonde girl holding a big camera and singing to Taylor Swift at your reception...that darn video guy! :) Hope you're having a blast on your honeymoon!

Sanchez Wedding

laphoto@me.com (lora ayers) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Congrats to Moe and Amanda!

I enjoyed getting to know you and your family. Thank you for allowing me to document your wedding day. I hope you don't mind that the photographer will be on your wedding video singing love story by Taylor Swift....I couldn't help myself, and had no idea that the video guy was recording....nice. I hope you are having the time of your lives on your honeymoon! And a special shout out to Kelly Lusk who helped me at this wedding.. thank you so much! :)