Last week I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful expectant mother. The weather was perfect, the light was gorgeous and the location was fantastic:) Isn’t she stunning? Enjoy the peek!
I am so excited to post this special sneak peek, even if it is a bit late. This is the sweet baby girl of some close friends of our family and some of my biggest supporters at Mandy Carroll Photography:) While living in Virginia, I had the opportunity to photograph their two older girls when they were both born so it was sad to see them move back to Utah and then to find out they were having a third baby girl. It was so sad in fact that I decided to move my entire family across the country so that I could meet her. I am kidding of course, but it sure seems that fate is on our side which I am thrilled about:) I can now say with a surety, Nate and Hillory, that you have three of the cutest girls I have ever seen- Scarlett is a perfect angel:) Congrats and enjoy the peek!
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It seems crazy and a little sad to believe that the last time I posted on this blog I was living in VA. In some ways it feels like my life in VA was so far in the distant past, but in other ways it feels like I just arrived here in UT for a short visit and I am waiting to catch a plane to go back ‘home’. I am so very happy to be near my family again but every time the reality that I am no longer living in VA comes to my mind I have to tuck it away somewhere in the back of mind because it makes me very sad. This is something very strange to me- I have never had to deal with so many conflicting feelings. On one hand I absolutely love being hear in Utah- the scenery is breathtaking, the snow is wonderful and Sunday afternoons spent with family watching my kids play with their cousins is such a joy. But I miss Virginia. In many ways I feel like my real life didn’t start until I had kids, and thus far my kids have been born and raised in VA so it feels like my natural home. A few days ago I was at my sisters house while our kids were playing and her son brought out a photo from a visit they made to VA a few years ago- our two boys at Michie Tavern dressed up in gear from the Clothier shop. And then I remembered the hundreds of times I drove down rte 53 over the past 7 years and the sadness hit me like a load of bricks. What used to be my daily life is now just countless memories that will start to fade. But it makes me all the more determined to come back every fall:)
Enough of the self therapy. Now on a lighter note, how about some baby pictures? What would make a better first UT post than a new baby? Meet little Sawyer. I made it back just in time to meet this little guy- his mom is my good friend and old college roommate. I was so glad that I could make it out here to photograph him ‘new’! There is nothing like baby pictures in the first two weeks of life:) I wanted to post his session in full here, so enjoy the gallery! And please feel free to drop by the comment section and say hello! I would love to hear from you!
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I am really, really excited about this years holiday cards. One of the things that I love about the holidays is that I get to open boxes of clients cards when they come back from my printer and drool over them. These designs on linen paper never, ever disappoint:) You can see all six new designs (along with last years which are still available) at my website under the galleries section. Cards are priced at $125 for a set of 25, with additional sets $100. So take a peek and be sure to get a set of your own to drool over this holiday season!
Also, just a reminder that Mini Sessions (see post below) are filling up fast, but I still have plenty of room available. So please, sign up soon to get the best time and tell all of your friends!
It is hard to believe that I am actually writing this blog post. The funny thing is that when I took these pictures(scroll below) back in August, I had fully intended to post them on the blog as part of a ‘farewell to summer/get ready for another Virginia winter’ post. But I never knew that they would become part of a different kind of farewell. I don’t mean to be melodramatic so let me just get to the point- as of this afternoon, my family and I will be moving out West at the end of November. As much as we love living here in Virginia, we have been feeling the pull to be closer to our families, both of which are in Utah. So my husband started applying for jobs out there recently and to our surprise we got a great job offer very quickly. So here we are, packing bookshelves and contacting moving companies and feeling all the stressful/exciting/sad emotions that come along with getting ready to leave this place that we love so much, the place where we have, so far, raised our three small children. And for me, a place where I have built so many amazing friendships and bonds with my great clients and their children. My business, which in many ways I consider my fourth child, was born and raised here as well. And the idea of abandoning it completely is just absurd to me. So, if I have enough interest I am planning to make a weekend trip back here next year (and hopefully the years after that) for a series of mini sessions to photograph those of you who are interested. It will likely be the third or fourth weekend in October. Please let me know if you are interested so I can begin compiling a waiting list and I will contact you as the date gets closer:)
As for this year, I want to give as many people as possible a chance to get fall photos from me before I leave, so I am going to do a series of mini sessions. Here are the dates and details:
FALL MINI SESSIONS
$300
Includes a 30 minute session
8-10 proofs in a private online gallery
and
1 set of custom holiday cards or equivalent print credit
(I have some great new designs this year and will post them on the sight soon!)
1- 8×10 print
4- 5×7 prints
or
3 of your favorite images on digital file for
unlimited printing for size 8×10 and under
DATES:
Saturday, October 22 at Pleasant Grove (20 minutes from Cville)
Friday, October 28 at Pleasant Grove
Saturday, October 29 at Ivy Natural park in Charlottesville
Session times will be available between 9am and 3pm, so book now to reserve your time slot. And please tell your friends- I would love to see these fill up quickly:) Also, if you would rather have a full session, I still have a few weekday openings so be sure to contact me soon to snatch them up.
I want to tell all of you that have been a part of Mandy Carroll Photography for these past 5 years a big thank you. This business has been so much more than a business to me- it has been my creative outlet and source of sanity as I have attempted to raise my own family. And the children and families that I have photographed have been so much more than just clients- they have each become a small part of what has made my life so great here in VA. I feel very blessed to have been a part of their lives in a small way. And just remember, this is not a goodbye:) I will be back and hopefully have the chance to see you all again in another year! Thank you all so very much!
And of course I will still keep up my pathetic attempts to blog 2000 miles away from Cville, so check in on me now and then! Enjoy the Queen Anne’s Lace- one of the thousands of things I will miss very much:)
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