yah Photography

Vintage Find of the Week - Spruce Pine, NC by Kelli Conley

So those of you who know my husband and I know that we absolutely love to go antique shopping. We frequent the local antique stores, and locate any and all we can find when we are on a trip somewhere. Lately we have come into some great finds so I decided I wanted to start blogging about them so everyone could see just how we happen upon the items that we collect, and the ones we use as props. I cannot say that I will be able to update this every week, but my goal is to update it as much as possible and to do it as fast as I find the item. For example when we are on a trip and find the item I want to photograph it (and possibly the antique store too) that day and blog it for you so you can be a part of the experience with us. 
So here goes our first vintage find of the week!

On a recent trip up to Spruce Pine, NC; we happened upon a wrong way up there (there are about 3 ways to get up there and I feel like we miss the first exit so we take a different way every time) but we decided to just go with it and as long as GPS was pointing us to our destination we were fine. So as we are driving on a back country road we spot this old two store building that had stuff on the porch and gentleman standing on the porch with a sign that said antiques. We swung a U-turn and hopped out of the car to find the man had owned this building for awhile and it used to be an old general store. He must have rarely had people stop by because the lights were not on and he informed us he would turn them on if we needed them. It wasn't that big of a place so we said it was just fine and carried on looking through everything. Now Robbie (my husband) is much faster at looking through everything than me so he was pretty much done with the place when I looked at some stuffed animals sitting on a chair and he leaned over and said aren't those neat. We both thought they must be handmade and something that was pretty much one-of-a-kind; so we snatched them up. The man who owned the place said he thought they were neat and just had to have them but that no one really had any interest in them since but that he was happy they would be going to us. As we headed out he told us that next time we stop by he would take us to a barn he had a couple miles away that was filled with other stuff he just had not put in the general store yet. Besides needing to get to our destination by a certain time we would have taken him up on the offer, just to see what he had stored there! 

Let me know what you think of our find... 
I have already used them in a couple photoshoots and love them!!

My New Boots! by Kelli Conley

For those of you who have witnessed me in action, or have been photographed by me, you know I wear my rainboots to every photo shoot! (Pictured here during my 365 Project last year)
After a photo shoot the amount of time I have had my rainboots on is usually around 3 hours, and my feet are terribly sore. So I embarked on a mission to find a great pair of cowboy boots that I could wear for all sorts of occasions but specifically for an alternative to my rain boots... So while on a trip to the mountains this weekend, I stumbled across a pair and fell in LOVE with them! I have been wearing them since and can't wait to wear them to my next photoshoot! 
P.S. This was shot on my phone and uploaded while in the mountains =)

Ashley: Senior Session - Fort Mill, SC {Senior Portrait Photographer} by Kelli Conley

Ashley is amazing! She actually just graduated, but they never had her senior pictures taken. We decided downtown Fort Mill would be the best location for what Ashley had in mind. After picking out a couple outfits; and setting her mom and brother to work holding our gear and clothes we were off! Throughout the photo session I could really see Ashley's personality shine. She has such a kind heart and is really excited to be attending beauty school in the fall. I can't wait to see how great she will do! Congrats again Ashley!! 

Bridal Couture: The Morehead Inn, Charlotte NC by Kelli Conley

What a busy week this has been! Tuesday I had the pleasure of hanging out with a bunch of lovely ladies (hair and makeup done by the awesome Lindsay Regan Thorne of {be pretty}) and photographing some gorgeous wedding dresses (provided by J Majors Bridal Boutique)! Not to mention the beautiful ladies (Jillian, Olivia, & Whitney) who modeled them! We took over The Morehead Inn for the evening and tried out some new ideas and techniques! I had such a blast and even whipped out my new reflector* at the end and snapped a couple outside! *Review to come on this awesome reflector! 

Special Thanks to:
Venue: The Morehead Inn
  Wedding Dresses: J Majors Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Lindsey Regan Thorne {be pretty}

Kayla: Class of 2012 - Rock Hill High School {Senior Portrait Photographer} by Kelli Conley

 Congrats Kayla on graduating this weekend! Kayla has been a blast to work with and every photo session we both died laughing at something silly one of us did! I think it is great when I connect with my clients and they really trust me with the crazy things I tell them to do! For example, I was telling Kayla to run and throw her cap at me... she gave me the weirdest look! Then when I did it and she saw what I was doing, she was able to recreate it perfectly and we ended up with the beautiful image below that her mom put on her announcements! Reminiscing on the last year has got me really excited for our incoming seniors who will be the class of 2013! Make sure to book your session ASAP and ask about our Senior Year Package which incorporates the Senior Session, Prom, and Grad Pics like you see here!