Here is a little peak back at the amazing summer i have had so far! Ill start from the very beginning with a lovely wedding i shot at Cedar Plantation in Acworth, GA on May 14, 2011. This is when my whirlwind of weddings began….

I know ive already blogged this session, but since im wrapping up my summer i thought i would go ahead and post a few previews here as well. Natalie & Eric were married at an Episcopal church downtown and the reception was on the Emory campus. The wedding was May 21, 2011 (Remember this was the day that the world was supposed to end…nothing ended except this couples single lives and they are soooo happy!)

On May 28th i had the absolute honor to photography Sarah & Kobelah’s wedding at St. Lukes Episcopal Church, downtown.
This couple is so special to me! We became friends and i will soon be revealing the album design that i made for them!

*swooning* over this couple still!

The next weekend was a blast! On June 4th i shot a wedding at Auburn, AL. If you know me well, you know that this is exciting because i am a HUGE Auburn Tigers fan. Like really big! So i was so glad to go to the motherland and shoot this couples beautiful and unique wedding.

Oh and did i mention that these people sure knew how to party? WOW! So fun Thats all for now. Next post will be about the rest of June

Have a look around. Enjoy.

visit my fan page on Facebook for more photos!

www.facebook.com/livecaptured

This is my favorite photos session to date. Lindsay and I threw around several ideas and we brought them to life.

We also had no idea where we were going to shoot these photos until we fatefully turned down a side street in Norcross and stumbled upon this….

7 acres of untended land. Which as you know makes for fabulous photos!

Im still shocked over how incredibly in love this couple is.

These boys are just about the dreamiest things I’ve ever seen. They actually helped ease my fears about having a little boy one day! Shh! Don’t tell Ben.

When I arrived at the Kemerey’s house I was so excited. I had spoken on the phone with Autumn briefly about our plan for the day. The notes that I wrote in her file went a little something like this  - “aviators, chuck taylors, red wagon, glass coke bottles”. When i saw my canvas I was pleased. They live on almost 2 acres of beautiful land. Green grass, old trees, red wagon, tire swing and a killer trampoline. I was actually having some serious back years envy. See, i live in an apartment, with 2 dogs and a baby. I would kill for a back yard for my little munchkins to run around in. One day i will have that….

(Meanwhile, back at the house) As i was setting up my equipment a sweet little thing came over to talk to me. He had to show me his yellow tractor. I decided he was to cute not to start this photo session immediately.

Here are a few of the impromptu photos of little (almost) 3 year old Austin.

Then the fam came out and we got some adorable photos of these guys chillin in their little red wagon! Hudson (left) is  going to be a heart breaker. He is PRESH.

Did I mention that this is a really good looking family?

This is Papa John. He is pretty much the coolest g-pa around. And every time i heard his name i wanted pizza. Not a bad association if you ask me.

Here are some more lovely photos from the day…

Autumn and TJ are such a cute couple! I wish I had known them back when they had their wedding photos done, I would have had a blast with that. 

I am anxious to photograph this family for their 2011 Christmas card! Such a fun time

I had a mentally and emotionally epic day yesterday. I had a very important meeting scheduled yesterday about some really awesome things that are going to be happening in my business in the coming months. I was driving around running errands, listening to music and it hit me…I LOVE MY LIFE! It was not a mere observation of my situation, or a fleeting feeling of satisfaction. It was pure, unadulterated joy. The kind that comes only from The One above. In that moment i felt everything. I could feel the goose bumps on my skin and my heart palpitating. I was completely aware of the involuntary smile i had from ear to ear. I was listening to music and suddenly that song became my favorite song simply because it was on the radio at that moment. Ladies and gents….for the first time in perhaps my entire life, i felt truly alive. For the first time i felt like i was in the exact place that God wanted me to be and every single thing i have done, every mistake i have made led me to that moment. Thursday, March 10 at 12:15 pm. That was a moment i will remember for the rest of my life and i pray that God gives me many more moments like that. I also pray that my daughter grows up to find a life full of moments that set her heart on fire.

It was closest to the feeling i get when i am excited about going to a photo shoot. But what is going on in my life is so much more than just one photo shoot. I have come such a long way in my business. This time last year i would have been lucky to get one photo job in a month, or even two. I took photos for a purely recreational purpose and just wanted to get any job that came my way, no matter what the pay was. But now i have a budding business. I have admirers of MY work. I still feel like the insecure, awkward young photographer who used to email my favorite photographers and talk about how much i admired their work, begging for simply one tip for success. I would look at their equipment with envy and thught i would never be able to get the thingst hat they had, much less know how to use it. Now i have been able to invest SO MUCH in my business this year. I have a full frame professional camera and 2 professional lenses and flashes, umbrellas and a continuous light kit, a brand new amazing camera bag on the way…i couldnt ask for more considering where i am in my career. I am on fire people! No one can stop me from doing what i love. So don’t even try…

I guess the moral of this story kids, is that if you dont know the difference between simply living and being alive, then you need to change something! What is the thing that gives you that natural high? Find it and DO IT! There is nothing better than being one of the few people who get paid to do what they love to do, and i am humbled by where i am in my life and praying every day that God continues to bless my business.

I thought that this would be a good time to illustrate the place that i was over a year ago. At that time i was doing a project 365 and this was my photo of the day on January 2, 2010. This is how i saw myself, it is how i felt on the inside.

The photo below is a little over a year later and i’ve got everything i need!

Ok, i probably should have done this on January 1….but i would like to outline my goals for the coming year, in regards to my business.

This past year has been a great year for Emma G. Photography & Design. For one, i added the ‘& Design’ part onto my name last year. I have come so far in my knowledge of design and im so excited to see how far i can go this year.

I shot 2 awesome weddings and several engagements, baby sessions and family photos…It was a great year to get more experience and i learned so much.

As far as my design work, i now have a client that uses me on a regular (weekly) basis to design promotional material for her business. This has led to other businesses hiring me to design brochures and catalogs. I have several baby shower invitations under my belt, business cards, and am being commissioned for a photography businesses new logo in the coming months.

All in all, im so blessed to have this much business so far! But i want more! My photography and design is my heart…It makes me happy. And i want this to be what supports me and my family, so this year, ladies and gents, is the year of the BUSINESS EXPANSION!

My business “To-Do List”

1. Create a new website geared towards two distinctly different target markets.

2. BLOG MORE! I am a lazy blogger, and i would like to set a goal to blog at least once or twice a week, and more when i have photo or design jobs to showcase.

3. Completely re-design my blog to match my new website and new brand.

4. Vamp up my Etsy shop and have a consistent 15-20 items for sale at any given time.

5. Make my facebook “like” page with professional graphics and get 1000 fans!

6. Reach 1000 members in my Facebook group (more than halfway there already!)

7. Design a branding package for my business including a new logo, business cards, letterheads, pricing and information sheets, contracts, thank you cards and CD covers for image delivery.

8. Send out a mailer to local business and residents about my services.

9. Get a wide angle lens or heck…just go Full Frame and get a whole new camera setup! (in my dreams)

I think thats a good list for now, but i may add to it as i go

Basically i want this year to be about me branding myself and putting my name out there. I want business of course, but i think that will come once i get all of my ducks in a row! So everybody just pray for me and pray that i can take off this year. When you discover what your calling is…you don’t want to waste any time making your dreams a reality

Hello friends! So as you may know i have been MIA for quite some time. Towards the end of my pregnancy i found it increasingly difficult to focus on anything other than the tiny human growing inside of me

This is my Tiny Human – Lucy Jean Gay-Curcio

I think she is pretty fantastic

Lucy was born on 10/7/10.  And since that day i have discovered what true love is.

It has been about a month since she was born and now i would really like to get back in the swing of things and get back to my photography, design and creating in general.

I just wanted to give a quick update! Hopefully i will be getting on here more often in the coming days.

I also design all types of invites, business cards and promo material so contact me for pricing!