It’s that time again…annual North Carolina Convention print competition…that’s a mouth full. I have posted some of the images that I may be interested in entering this year. Feedback is welcome, much needed and would be very much appreciated considering that I need to get them printed today! Yes…I waited to the last minute once again but I am hopeful that I can get it done in time. I’ll check back soon to see what you think.
Print Competition
March 1, 2010 - 9:39 am - I think the baby photograph has wonderful texture, the flowers may need more softening since the background is contrasting the baby.
March 16, 2010 - 7:19 am - Thank you Alecia...I love any feedback that you are willing to offer!
WEDDING STYLE: BIRDCAGE VEILS, FEATHER & FLOWER HAIR PINS
Add a bit of fashion to your upcoming wedding with a stylish hair piece or veil. For a vintage, unique and super stylish look, you may want to consider a birdcage veil. I found a couple of websites offering a wide variety of veils from which to choose.
BrieAnna looks amazing wearing the black birdcage veil shown here. And just look how the peach tone gives the images such an “old hollywood” feel.
Flowers and feathers are also a popular choice for adding a bit of style and drama to your day. Check out the beautiful feather hairpiece that Stacey chose for her wedding.
Jenna was a stunning bride and the antique looking broach and feather hair pin really added flair to her wedding day ensemble.
For your convenience, I have found the following sites that offer unique veils and hair pins, however, check with your local bridal retailer to see what they offer.
http://www.tigerlillyjewelry.com/birdcage.html and http://www.birdcageveils.com/ and one of my favorite sites, http://www.etsy.com/ and search in the search bar birdcage veils and feather hair pins.
Don’t forget to leave a comment or just say “hi” so that I will know you you visited! I always love to hear your ideas and opinions!
October 15, 2009 - 2:02 pm - Leslie, I love your work! BrieAnna looks really pretty in these pictures.
December 13, 2009 - 12:09 pm - Gorgeous and beautiful! Love the work you do!
March 22, 2010 - 8:06 pm - Beautiful Wedding Photos !!
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS: Leslie Ann Mills & Ellen Le Roy
For the past couple of years I have been offering photography workshops to up-and-coming and experienced photographers alike. When the idea of teaching fellow photographers was first introduced, I was quite intimidated. However, when an increasing number of people showed an interest in my style, my ability and my business sense, teaching eventually became a part of my day to day business. Truth be told, teaching comes naturally to me and was an easy transition considering my background in education and my 13 years of classroom experience.
Another teacher, photographer and very good friend of mine, Ellen Le Roy, shares my passion for helping others grow their business and improve their photography skills. Ellen is a very talented beach, portrait and wedding photographer. Ellen and I are the best of friends and we feel blessed to share our love of photography and our passion for learning with each other.
Together and individually, Ellen and I offer a variety of helpful 1/2 day, full day and multi-day workshops. At the end of each class, you will leave inspired and full of new information. Most of our classes include models, location shoots, hands-on photography experience, how-to instruction, numerous resources, sample images for your website, and so much more.
Our classes and workshops will take place in a relaxing and beautiful location, usually a waterfront beach home at Emerald Isle, NC or at a lake house on Kerr Lake (approx. 45 minutes north of the Research Triangle area)
If you are interested in attending a small group workshop or would like a personalized day class with one-on-one instruction, please contact me by email. Be sure to include your experience level and areas of interest.
Workshops available for 2009 & 2010 Include:
Marketing and Developing Your Style
Workshops currently being developed for 2010 include:
Wedding Photography the Natural Way
Modern Family & Children’s Photography
Beach & Natural Light Photography
Ellen and I have been fortunate to share in the joy of the following achievements and organizations:
Members of Professional Photographers of NC, Professional Photographers of America, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, Digital Wedding Forum and local photography groups
Winner of the Kodak Gallery Award for wedding photography
Numerous print merits at the state and national level
Prints accepted into the Traveling Loan Collection of North Carolina
Prints accepted into International Loan Collection
Award Winning Children’s Portraits
Award Winning Portraits of Women
Award Winning Portraits of Men
Award Winning Wedding Albums
Award Winning Wedding Candids
November 11, 2009 - 9:51 am - Your work is just breathtaking...I cant wait for you to shoot our winter wedding. :) You truly are AMAZING at what you do!
November 15, 2009 - 9:04 pm - Hi, Leslie! When are you offering a workshop (say in the beginning of the year) for Natural Light photography? Please email me the information, including pricing and a brief synopsis of what you cover. Thanks so much! Your photographs are beautiful and I do love the brown tinted b/w photos, as you discuss in one of your blog posts.
December 1, 2009 - 2:54 pm - Hi Angie...I am sorry, your comment almost got thrown out with the spam! Thanks so much for your interest. Please stay tuned for announcements soon after the Christmas holidays. All of the details are being worked out at this time. Thanks again and I look forward to working with you in the future.
December 1, 2009 - 2:55 pm - Kristine...sorry for the late reply...I am so excited about your wedding and working with you in a couple of weeks for your engagement session. We are going to have so much fun and you are going to make a gorgeous bride!
February 10, 2010 - 8:52 pm - I am a photography student at a community college, they only offer a certif. and not a degree. I am trying to learn as much as possible. Would love information on your classes you teach. Some of the other students may like to attend also. Thank you Cindy Edwards
February 11, 2010 - 10:08 am - Hi Cindy...I would love to discuss workshop possibilities with you. Please send me a regular email at leslieannphoto@nc.rr.com and include your phone number so that we can discuss the information in more detail. Thanks for your interest.
February 11, 2010 - 1:22 pm - Please send me information on your workshops (Natural light, family & children) Cost for workshop and also the one-one session. Thanks for your time.
February 12, 2010 - 12:31 pm - Hi! I'm just starting out and would be interested in going to workshops held at Kerr Lake. Have you developed a schedule yet? If so, please e-mail me. Thanks!
February 16, 2010 - 3:10 pm - Leslie~ Hello you left me a message via email the other day and said you would call. I hope your doing well, I know your a busy lady, I just did not want to pass up the chance to talk to you in regards to an one-on-one workshop with you. My number is 252 216 6141. Please call up til 10:00 pm 7 days a week. Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to learning from you. Thank you, Colleen Freye
March 16, 2010 - 7:18 am - Hi Jessica, Colleen, and Stephanie....thanks for your interest in the workshops. Please send me your regular emails and your phone numbers so that we can correspond and I can give you more information about the workshops...Thanks again for your interest.
March 20, 2010 - 12:39 am - Hey Leslie! I've gotten into the grove in design school at state and I am seriously considering going in the direction of fashion photography. Of course I've always loved photography and you were always such an inspiration to me. I want to soak up as much info and experience as I can and start really building a portfolio and learning the ropes. I would love to do one of your workshops! Let me know when the next one will be at the lake house and if you have any spots available. If you ever need an extra hand to help out on shoots please let me know, I'll work for free and your lovely company of course : ).
April 6, 2010 - 8:24 am - I am very interested in the Beach and Natural Light workshop. Please send me information on this workshop. My email is nclighthouses@nc.rr.com
Lands End Wedding ~ Emerald Isle, NC
Falon & Matthew’s wedding ~ Lands End Beach and Clubhouse ~ Emerald Isle, North Carolina
Falon and Mat are beautiful people and I know that first hand from working with them throughout the wedding process. Falon booked me about a year before the wedding date and the planning began. Our first meeting was at Duke Gardens for our engagement session. I was excited to know that, yet again, I was going to be working with a fabulous couple! The entire family was amazing. More to come soon…maybe I can take a minute to showcase some of their engagement photos.
Don’t forget to say hi! Leave a comment and let me know how your are doing!
September 14, 2009 - 9:16 pm - You have some great photos here! You can't beat a NC Beach Wedding for taking great wedding pictures. Keep up the good work. RC Patton - ReflectiveVideo.com
September 15, 2009 - 5:03 am - Hi RC...thanks so much for the comment and I will be sure to check out your wedding videos.
October 1, 2009 - 4:16 pm - You GO GIRL! Your website and blog look great. The images you are producing are AWESOME!
October 1, 2009 - 6:25 pm - Hi Casey...Thank you so much! Did you ever figure out the comment problem. I have wanted to leave comments on your site but can't. Your work is amazing and I love to see all that you are up to these days. Love you and thanks for the sweet comments.
September 15, 2009 - 3:59 am [...] Original post: Lands End Wedding, Emerald Isle, NC » Raleigh Wake Forest Wedding … [...]
North Carolina Portraits ~ Erin Strickland
I had the privelage this weekend of meeting a very talented young lady named Erin Strickland. Erin is an up and coming country music singer and needed images for her demo cd that will be distributed to hundreds of country music radio stations. The images we created needed to show Erin’s beauty but also her fun and lighthearted personality.
I want to thank makeup artist and stylist, Melissa Motola for doing such a great job and going above and beyond the call of duty and a very special thank you to thank Teresa and Robert Hight for allowing us to use their farm on such short notice.
Here are some of the pictures from the day and the final cd cover designs. Enjoy!
Wedding Photography ~ Dancing Wedding Video
As I sit here typing, big fat watery tears are streaming down my face. I have just witnessed one of the most joyful…spontaneous…beautiful…love-filled wedding videos that I have ever or will ever see in my life. I just had to share. I am a total sucker for a good love story. May this fun loving couple enjoy years of continued BLISS! Iwould have loved to have been the photographer for this bride and groom!
Click the following link to view
Please visit their website for more information and to learn more about their cause, violence prevention.
http://www.jkweddingdance.com/
Check out You tube for more wedding videos.
Carolina Bride Featured Wedding ~ Amy + Chuck
I want to congratulate Amy and Chuck! Not only did they receive the honors of being picked as a feature wedding in the current Carolina Bride, but Amy also made the front cover. I especially want to thank two of my best friends for helping me capture such amazing images. A very special thank you goes out to Ellen LeRoy of http://ellenleroyphotography.com/ and Thomas Baker, my trusted second shooter and a great photographer in his own right. You guys are the best!
Here are just some of the images we captured on their wedding day…
Amy and the bridesmaids dressed at her parent’s beautiful home outside of Raleigh. The home was picture perfect and offered beautiful backdops for getting ready images.
Details…details…details…
I wanted to create an old hollywood glamour “look” with these images. If you like these shots, you should see her bouidoir session…wow! I might give you a sneak peek if Amy agrees.
Amy is one of my classic brides and she opted for a classic pose for her wedding portriat. Even though I enjoy modern photography and candid photojournalism, there is nothing more beautiful than a classically posed portrait. In addition, fine art portraiture will stand the test of time and will be enjoyed by generations to come. I am happy to include a few classic images in all of my sessions if requested.
Stay tuned for more of Amy and Chuck’s wedding day images…
Don’t forget to comment… and/or feel free to ask questions if you want more information about the photography or need information about the featured vendors. Thanks for visiting.
August 21, 2009 - 1:54 pm - These photos bring back memories of a very special night.
August 21, 2009 - 10:10 pm - Leslie - You will never know how proud I am of your talent as a photographer, and how proud I am to have you as one of my three fabulous children. Chuck and Amy's wedding was a story book celebration, and you, Ellen and Thomas captured it to perfection. And then to be on the cover of Carolina Bride magazine speaks volumes of the special couple, the occasion, and your ability to present it for all to see. God bless you! Love, Dad
August 28, 2009 - 2:57 pm - I am so proud of you and happy that you have found what you were meant to do and that you are so happy doing it. That is why you are so great at it. Rosemary Creech
August 28, 2009 - 4:16 pm - Thank you very mush, Rosemary. You don't know how much I appreciate the kind comments.
North Carolina Infant Portraits ~ Baby Ella
Baby Ella…what a sweetheart! Missy and I had fun finding cool locations for posing Ella. Missy definitely wanted something modern and unique so that was my main goal but we also took some beautiful classic images, as well.
Check out the pretty nursery. Want the monogram look? Visit Expressive Walls. http://www.expressivewalls.com/
I brought my black backdrop for a few special family photos but I still shot everything using natural light. I just love the look of a deep brown tone. What do you think…brown tone or true black & whites? I like both but I lean towards brown tones more often.
Sweet Ella…
I love hearing from you so be sure to leave a comment and let me know that you dropped by for a visit.
July 26, 2009 - 5:00 pm - Missy emailed me your blog and I had to comment on my precious, precious granddaughter! Leslie, you have such a gift! They are priceless. Everytime you photograph one of my babies, I say it can't get any better--and then , what do you know, it does!!! Thanks SO much....Beverly
July 27, 2009 - 8:43 am - Leslie, these pictures are beautiful. You have a gift or eye for capturing the moment. Ella's baby pictures are very modern. They look like those on a greeting card or in a magazine. It helps that she is a beautiful baby.
July 27, 2009 - 10:36 am - Leslie~ These are such amazing photographs! I just can't stop looking at them! Thank you so much for doing a fabulous job of capturing our baby's sweet personality and being so patient with us during the photo shoot. We will cherish these forever!
July 27, 2009 - 2:48 pm - Leslie, These are amazing. Your very talented!
August 11, 2009 - 9:45 am - Leslie, these photos are phenomenal! You are so talented. You definitely have an artistic eye! Not rushing things, but looking forward to you doing my grandchildren's photos one day! Keep up the fabulous work!
August 20, 2009 - 6:49 am - Thank you Missy. Your session is totally unique to you and I think that is what makes it so special.
August 20, 2009 - 6:50 am - Thank you Casey...from one photographer to another what you say means so much to me!
August 20, 2009 - 6:54 am - Hi Kathy...I really enjoyed working with you, Jenna and Hunter. Please do call when the time is right and the first little one is on the way. I would love to create beautiful images for you whenever needed.
August 20, 2009 - 7:03 am - Thanks Beverly...you are too kind. I love photographing your grand-babies!
August 20, 2009 - 7:04 am - Thank you Jane. You are right, she is a beautiful baby.
August 23, 2009 - 4:41 pm - Leslie These are just great! I can't wait for Henry's turn !!Ella is a beautiful child and you are a great photographer!! How old should Henry be? He is 5 weeks old this week?Janet
August 23, 2009 - 10:12 pm - Amazing - Leslie - you are so good :) Now I need another baby - ha!
August 24, 2009 - 8:50 am - Hi Janet...I can't wait to meet little Henry. Anytime now if you want the types of pictures seen in this post. The less the baby wiggles around for the easier it is to get great poses. Sleeping is a plus, as well.
August 24, 2009 - 8:52 am - Hi Molly...go ahead and have another...I'll be waiting! I just love newborn photography.
August 28, 2009 - 2:56 pm - Leslie, you are truly amazing. You were great when you did Katie's portraits but you are even greater now. Rosemary Creech
Beach: Emerald Isle Fun With Holland’s Friends
My family and I just spent two glorious weeks on the beautiful beaches of Emerald Isle, NC. This is an annual event that we all enjoy. For me it is more work than vacation but my kids love this two week get-a-way and they are glad that mom has the luxury of working at beach. During my stay I photographed several high school seniors and a few families (their posts will follow shortly) but I also had fun capturing family and friends and the friends of my children. I will continue to update this post with pictures as they are ready.
Here are some of my daughter’s friends from the Island.
Kristina is like my 2nd daughter…she is full of fun and quite the model too. Check out some of her images from our session.
A special thanks to Hunter and Alan for taking a few shots with the girls.
Ashleigh…look at those big brown eyes.
Helen was great to work with too. I hear she is quite the ’skim boarder’. I would love to see her in action the next time we are down for a visit.
Hillary was so much fun to photograph. I really loved her energy. I captured some great images of her having a great time on the beach.
Get the beach look at some of Holland’s favorite stores.
Berts Surf Shop at Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach http://www.bertsurfshop.com/atlanticbeach.html
Hollister & Co., nationwide http://www.hollisterco.com/hol/homepage.html#
AB Surf Shop in Atlantic Beach, NC http://www.absurfshop.com/
July 22, 2009 - 5:39 pm - These are great images. I'm sure my friends will LOVE them. Hillary's adorable... Alan and Hunter look great... and what a fantastic group shot of us girls :) Thanks mom!
July 22, 2009 - 5:59 pm - The pics of all the girls (and Hunter) are amazing!! I know they are all beautiful. But my goodness you can take some amazing pictures!!
July 23, 2009 - 11:24 am - Ok now the pics of Alan are up so I have to comment on them too!! Awesome!!!
July 25, 2009 - 8:06 pm - It really was a lot of fun. I love your daughter, she's so funny. Please let me know when y'all are back in town :) I'd love to finish up my senior pics with you! The pictures of everyone did turn out amazing!
August 20, 2009 - 6:59 am - Thank you so much Ann Marie. You know I had to get some fabulous pics of my second red headed daughter! :)
August 20, 2009 - 7:02 am - Thanks for being such a great model! You are a beautiful girl so I had an easy job and you girls made it so much fun.
August 20, 2009 - 8:47 am - Thanks Holland...I love photographing you and your friends, my beautiful girl.
August 21, 2009 - 9:59 am - These are really cute. You are definitely my first pick for senior pictures! :)
August 21, 2009 - 10:09 am - What great photos Leslie!!! You always do such an amazing job! Hope you are doing well!
August 21, 2009 - 10:16 am - Thanks Cooper...I definitely can't complain...I do love my job! I miss seeing you guys around. I am looking forward to the Lake Tahoe wedding and being with you all again. It will be a blast! Thanks again.
August 21, 2009 - 10:17 am - Hi Haley...this makes me very happy! Thank you for following my blog.
August 21, 2009 - 8:52 pm - OMG! Holland is beautiful! Look forward to some "katie pics? soon!! Paula McAllister
August 21, 2009 - 10:33 pm - Thank you so much Paula. I will let Holland know what you said. You have 3 beautiful girls of your own. Please call me, I would love to do them for you.
My Life: My Daughter’s Luau Birthday
My youngest daughter, Mary, and some of her friends had fun in sun during her Hawaiian Luau 11th birthday party. Don’t you just love theme parties? My little girls are growing up so I really enjoyed the opportunity to gather all the goodies for her little ’shindig’!
The girls were primped by the nail, hair and make-up technicians then headed to the pool for their ”spa” treatment. A special thank you goes out to Holland Mills (big sis), Sidney Callahan (1st cousin) and Lauren Abbott (family friend) and Cynthia Ratliff (family friend) for helping the girls get their “style” on.
Here is a great link that I found as a resource for party games. The kids loved the games “Who Am I” and “Sardines”. http://familyfun.go.com/parties/
By the way, drop me a note by leaving a comment so that I will know you dropped by for a visit!
July 21, 2009 - 8:46 pm - I remember that day being beautiful and special, but your photo's are even more beautiful than the gala event I remember. How do you do the things you do with a camera? Your eye for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary is a true gift!!
July 23, 2009 - 8:23 pm - Leslie, these pictures are great. So glad you get time to take such wonderful pics of your children. Your girls will cherish these images forever.
July 28, 2009 - 4:30 pm - Leslie, Thank you for your inspiration and creativity! These pictures are awesome. You DO truly have a wonderful gift!
August 20, 2009 - 6:52 am - Thanks Peggy. I think God every day that I am able to do something I love that is meaningful to others.
August 20, 2009 - 7:01 am - Hi Megan...I try to take lots of family photos but the problem is actually printing them since I have so many. I hope you are right and that my girls will really appreciate these pictures when they are older.
August 20, 2009 - 3:03 pm - Looks like great fun! One of Kendall's best party's was very similar.
August 20, 2009 - 3:11 pm - Thanks mom for my party. It was fantastic!
August 20, 2009 - 3:14 pm - It was fun and I think the kids had a good time.
by Leslie Ann Mills
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