Alexas Photography Blog

Taylor + Patrick are dear friends of ours. We’ve known them for just a few years but our hangouts, double-date dinners, and late night talks about marriage have been so meaningful. They are one of the most fun couples I know! Patrick is always making everyone laugh and Taylor is always laughing with him. They are perfect for each other. And I’ve never known a couple more intent on learning. I wish everyone was as honest as they are about life! They are always communicating, always asking questions, and always open to advice and wisdom. I know that God is going to seriously bless their marriage because of their diligence with their relationship. I know they are counting down the days to the wedding and so are we!

Patrick and Taylor mentioned a few locations that really meant a lot to them so we spent the afternoon driving to a few different spots and listening to stories about how they met, and hearing about wedding plans! We started at this lumberyard in Randleman. It had such amazing backdrops!

Seriously… this wall of fans is so amazing!

I love this classic smiley portrait of these two . . .

Cute cute cute!

I love this vine wall. Taylor loved hugging Patrick ;)

We kind of wanted to hang out at this river all day… it was so nice outside!

We were able to get in Taylor + Patrick’s school, where they first met. I love these few shots in the cafeteria. . .

Patrick’s mom just recently sold his childhood home. We stopped by to take a couple of photos in the backyard. I love that he carved their names into this branch. . .

Patrick was totally workin’ this hat!!

I think every girl loves a piggy back ride. . .

Taylor + Patrick, we love you guys so much! So excited about all the date nights and marriage conversations to come :)

Lauren + Zach = adorable.

We shot their engagement session in the Tobacco District in Durham, where they got engaged just a couple of months ago. It was perfect. Perfect location, perfect weather, perfect adorable couple! Can’t wait for their wedding in July :)

These two met in school at UNC Chapel Hill and have been together ever since. . .

We made sure to stop in front of Bay 7, where the actual proposal happened. Zach arranged to have a candlelit dinner prepared and popped the question in February!

Love this one . . .

We found the cutest wall to shoot in front of. . . “Home of the 15 cent lunch”! Can you imagine?

I love Lauren’s laugh/smile.

Zach showed us some cool skills. I love Lauren’s laugh after he landed.

I told Zach and Lauren to go stand back in the trees. . . but Zach was a little too tall.

I’m a little jealous of Lauren + Zach’s coordinating style. The only time Jonathan + I coordinate is when we both accidentally wear black v-neck t-shirts at the same time. Ha!

This wall is fantastic. . .

I think Lauren got quite a catch, don’t you? ;)

These are two of my faves from this session.

I love Lauren’s classic solitaire engagement ring. Can’t wait to see these two exchange wedding bands in a few months!

I’ve got another adorable couple to share with you today! I met Tonya + Jon at the Weddings Show in Raleigh earlier this year and was hoping that we would get to work together on their engagement session and wedding. They are such a fun-loving, sweet pair and it was so fun running around Raleigh photographing them. At our first consultation, Jon and Tonya told me the story of their relationship – from meeting online, to finding out they had been attending the same church and never knew it! They were meant to be ;) We started the session at Meredith College, where Tonya attended school. . .

These two are always making each other laugh. . .

Isn’t this gorgeous? I think Jon did a pretty good job ;)

The weather here in NC has been incredible lately! Beautiful sunshine and warm temps are bringing out gorgeous greenery and flowers everywhere. I love it!

Jon and Tonya are getting married at Flanders Art Gallery in Raleigh next month. We had fun trying some less traditional engagement photos. . .

An outfit change and a quick drive to downtown Raleigh to finish out the session. . . Don’t you love Tonya’s smile?

We stopped by Morning Times Coffee, where Tonya and Jon had their first date.

I think they’re in love, don’t you? ;)

Jon was cracking us up during the session. Every time we stopped to take a photo, he would strike a pose!

We finished the session back at Morning Times. This is the table that Tonya and Jon sat at during their first date. The guy in the window reflection was kind enough to let us borrow it for a couple minutes :)

Tonya + Jon, I cannot wait for your wedding! You guys were such a blast to photograph and I am so excited to see you exchange vows in just a few short weeks :)

Rachel and Kit are such a joy be around. I honestly felt like I was spending an evening with friends, not just “clients” during their engagement session.  And seriously, could they be any easier to photograph? I noticed so many things about their relationship during the shoot… The way they look at each other. The way they hold hands. The way Rachel crinkles her nose at Kit. The way he brushes her hair back to look in her eyes. How playful and fun they are together. . . It was a fantastic evening. I can’t wait for their Asheville wedding in a couple of months!

We started the session behind the Raleigh Convention Center. I love this tree installation on the side of the building!

These beautiful pink trees were in a group off the side of the road. I’m so glad we stopped there for a few minutes! These blossoms aren’t around for long!

They are seriously stylish. And tough. Rachel walked quite a few blocks in those heels!

See? Aren’t they fun?

I love the buildings and backdrops in downtown Raleigh. This blue/green was the perfect color to make Rachel’s black dress pop!

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I feel like this could be a scene from a movie. So romantic. . .

As we walked to this staircase to shoot we were stopped by an older lady who gave us a few minutes of random trivia! It was so hilarious and left us very confused, but laughing. You never know what will happen while walking the streets of downtown!

I love Kit’s socks and Rachel’s spicy heels together.

Do you like my cameo appearance in the mirror? As we walked into this alley, Rachel recognized it as a place that she and Kit had stopped before! She remembers taking a self-portrait together in the security mirror. I love that we were able to stop there again at this new point in their relationship!

I just realized I never once had to tell Kit and Rachel to do a “real smile” or a “real kiss”. They’re so natural together.

We did just a little more shooting after an outfit change.

I think Rachel is just so beautiful. . .

Definitely my favorite image from the session, and maybe my favorite ever. Being unaware of the camera is a good thing :)

This is the part where Kit accidentally made a heart with his hands over Rachel’s ring. And then he was embarrassed at the cheesiness of it when I pointed it out. We definitely had a good laugh for a few minutes.

I love how unique Rachel’s ring is. . .

I love the color palette of this photo. . . is that nerdy, or what?

At the end of the session, I stood far back and let Kit whisper something to Rachel. . .

. . . he made her cry. And I think he was kind of proud of it! I don’t know what was said but I know that it must’ve been sweet. I cannot wait to see these two again in May. I know that the wedding will be beautiful, and meaningful, and fun! Plus, I get to work with one of my favorite families again :) Rachel is the last of the Roberts clan that I get to photograph!

I met up with Jackie and Daniel in Old Salem earlier this month for their engagement session. They are such a fun-loving, sweet couple! Other than a strong breeze that threatened Jackie’s hair-do, it was perfect weather for my shoot with this awesome couple  :)

I could tell immediately what a special relationship Jackie and Daniel have. They’re so comfortable around each other and Jackie is always making Daniel laugh. . .

I love the photo on the left. That parking lot turned out to be pretty cute!

Jackie has such a beautiful smile . . .

I love this green wall that we found. . .

This photo seems so relaxed and sweet. . .

We finished up the session with some funny t-shirts that Jackie had painted at Busch Gardens. They were cracking me up and catching stares from people driving by. . .

Can’t wait for your bridal session later this year, Jackie!

Can you believe we’re already halfway through January 2012? Last year was such a great year for me personally and for my business. It’s always a process, you know? I can look back now and see so many places where I learned, and grew, and changed… It’s exciting to see that I’ve actually learned from my mistakes! One of the benefits of continuing to “grow up”, right? I got to work with so many great people this year… I met new vendors, new families, new couples, and new babies! I’m so grateful and excited about what 2012 has in store!

I debated doing a review of all the weddings, engagements, family, senior, and portrait sessions that I shot in 2011 but I decided that I like the idea. The hard thing is narrowing down all of the photos! So I’ll be doing a post on each group, starting with engagements and day after sessions! This is a collective of images… not necessarily a “best of 2011″ but a chance to look back at everything and see some never-before-posted photos! Make sure to leave a comment when you’re done looking and keep an eye out for the remaining posts (hopefully within the next couple of weeks!).

So, when I made this post earlier today I definitely forgot to write anything about Kristina and Ian! That alone should show you how frazzled and busy I’ve been! Kristina and Ian are good friends of ours. They have been together as long as we’ve known them and are just perfect together. Ian popped the question just a few short months ago and I’m pretty sure they’ve been on Cloud 9 since!

We shot their engagement session first thing in the morning which was pretty different for me! I save most of my sessions for afternoon/evening. It was great though! This fall has been unusually warm and this day was no different. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate good weather!

Kristina told me before the session that she and Ian always find hearts when they’re out together… heart shaped rocks, leaves, and other stuff. At the end of our session Kristina was so disappointed that we hadn’t found any hearts! It wasn’t until I was editing through the photos that I found this heart carved in the tree behind them. Perfect!

You guys are just adorable. . .

I just love this beautiful fall color! North Carolina is the best :)

Each of these items mean something sentimental to Ian and Kristina. . . I love that they wanted to include some props in the session!

Ian and Kristina, I love you guys so much! Jonathan and I definitely can’t wait for your wedding next year!

Beth and Tim are the most hilarious couple. I can’t tell you how many times we caught ourselves just cracking up during this shoot!

We started at the Bicentennial Gardens in Greensboro, where Tim proposed earlier this year. There must’ve been seven other photographers there! Thankfully, we were able to find a few corners of the park for ourselves . . .

This is the bench where Beth + Tim got engaged!

I swear, these two can hardly stop smiling around each other!

Fall in North Carolina is the best! Just look at those gorgeous colors. . .

I love these two photos next to each other. . .

Again with the cracking up . . . Tim is hilarious.

This one definitely makes my favorites list.

I love you two and can’t wait to photograph your wedding next year!!

Andi and Keith are adorable together and I love their love story :) They started out as co-workers and are now planning their wedding for next fall!

We started their engagement session at the Chinqua Penn Plantation in Reidsville, NC. This place is gorgeous!

Don’t you love Andi’s outfit? It’s fall-ish without being all bundled up!

There are so many different locations to shoot at the plantation… love it.

This is one of my favorite engagement photos ever. Would make a great huge print!

After the plantation, we headed to downtown Reidsville for a change of outfits and scenery.

I am in LOVE with this image. Andi and Keith were totally cracking up . . .

I’m so happy for you guys!

Hello lovelies!

I have so many wonderful sessions and weddings to share with you! Here’s just a peek of what’s coming up on the blog soon (yes, in addition to the other “upcoming posts” post I did a few weeks ago). Enjoy these few photos while I continue to work on everything!

Andi + Keith’s engagement session in Reidsville. . .

Lisa’s portrait session in Greensboro . . .

Beth + Tim’s engagement session . . .

Carey’s senior session . . .

Julie + Jason’s wedding . . .

Kristina + Ian’s engagement session . . .

Stella + Jon’s wedding in Boonesville . . .

Kathryn’s senior session . . .

and Ashley + Josh’s engagement session. . .