Preview | Jackson Gibbs | Children's Session

Today I sat at my computer, in the middle of Starbucks, literally sighing and giggling and smiling way too big at Jackson's pictures. 

I cannot adequately express how much I love children's sessions. More genuine emotions could not exist than the laughter of a two year old, or the big grin of a child's smile at their mom or dad. Really, little giggles and grins are one of the best gifts you could give me. (For my friends out there--don't get any ideas! Photographing kids will suffice until Justin and I are married a while longer!)

Anyway, I am still finishing the editing on Jackson's session, but I was SO in love with these pictures, I just had to give a preview!

Enjoy, friends! And look out for a full post soon!

{Just look at those locks!}

{Seriously, I could not get enough of these shots. Adorable. Purely, preciously, perfectly adorable.}

Life | Yellow Squares and Purple Dots

Branding.

Why is it so important?

To me, branding is an opportunity to show both personality and professionalism. Branding should be unique to the company, eye-catching, and semi-personal, even. It should also be modern, clean, fresh, and marketable. Branding is the first-impression of a business. It is the FACE of a business. My Branding (logo) is what you will see as my watermark (on my pictures), on my stationary, on my business cards, on network flyers, on my website, and on my facebook. When you see my branding, you know what to expect.

These factors, among many others, make branding extremely important.

So, as you all can see [very clearly] I have been all over the place with the color, arrangement, and font of my branding.

I had recently changed my logo to this bright, fresh, circle-thing. And now, my friends, I am changing it again.

Once I uploaded the pictures on my blog/facebook/etc., I noticed that the circle branding was far less impressive (as well as less legible, which is EXTREMELY important). And, although I tried to convince myself that I like this modern-circle-plus-sansserif font thing I had going, I really am a bit old-school and prefer cursive over anything.

All of that being said, here is an example of what my new, official, permanent (for a long while, at least), branding looks like:

This lovely photo can be found with several others under the Wade wedding and the Wade teaser. Thank you, friends, so much for your time.

Teaser | Kalee & Corey Wedding

So... I don't have long to [type], but I can say that this wedding was a landmark day for me. This is the wedding I have been waiting to capture. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my brides--all of them--but the lighting, venue, and subjects were a dream.

I also will be re-vamping the face of my business, very soon the business will be known by my name, haley sheffield, and I am also beginning to utilize watermarks (which I kind-of hate, so you will definitely see them develop into different designs as the process continues to find the right fit.)

So, let's cut to the chase! {For the three of you that actually read my introductions!} Here is the Wade Wedding Teaser.

Life | {pause}.

this weekend was bittersweet. i lost my poppy (grandfather) on friday evening. he had been battling leukemia for decades now, and struggled through the worst of it the past couple of months. he was a wonderful man: a hard worker, and the most loving grandpa i could ask for... from day one of my life, i hear.

God has been rich in peace and comfort, though. and in such a difficult season to digest, the company of family and friends has been most enriching.

needless to say, this has brought a pause to my work, which has been refreshing. i still wanted to show you all what is coming up soon, so here is a sample of what i've been working on.

{thank you again to friends and family. your love has been a beautiful gift.}

Ariel Reynolds | Artistic Senior Session

Heather Martin | Senior Session

Mayla | Baby Session

Cari Scott | Creative Portrait Session

Flash Back | Rachel & Walter

Here's a bit of my story for you.

My Senior Year of High-School, 2007, my parents bought me a Canon Rebel XT for my Christmas/Birthday/Graduation present. It came with a standard lens, and I was AMAZED. It was my first camera ever, and was head-and-shoulders above the typical point-and-shoot. So, out of amazement, I neglected learning more about photography. I thought the quality of the camera itself was sufficient. Eventually I began to notice a difference between my pictures and professionals, a BIG difference. I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but I guessed that it must be the lens. (Again, I had yet to explore my camera past the presets). I decided to be bold and e-mail an Atlanta photographer named Mark Elkins, to ask him where I should improve equipment-wise. He suggested a 50mm 1.4 lens, and it has been my baby ever since.

This is a flash-back photo from the first wedding I ever shot with the lens. (Still on P setting, where you can manage the ISO, and the camera guesses the rest). I love this shot to this day, although I would still make some slight editing adjustments. 

Hope you enjoy, and I look forward to telling you more of my journey in the future.

Teaser | Anna & Tayler Wedding

I fear typing too much to take away from all of the wonderful things these pictures say for themselves.

Because I ADORE these pictures so much, this teaser contains more pictures than usual.

Anna and Tayler, thank you so much for the opportunity to capture this day for you. I can't wait to post the rest!

The end. Keep a look-out for their full post!

Teaser | La Nita & Topher Wedding

It was a delight and privilege to be able to capture La Nita's special day. La Nita is a childhood friend of mine, and her family has been close to my husbands family since they were little kids. It was a beautiful summer day, with scattered showers, but the company of joyful friends and family created the perfect setting for their special occasion.

I should be posting more of their pictures in the next month. Enjoy.