http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/ Jill Higgins Photography Blog en-us http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=359 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=359 Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Cole will also be getting his first passport stamp. While we were home in Georgia recently, we practiced up on being beach bums! :) It appears that Cole is going to take to the role quite well.

You can see he has a lot of anxiety about being in the water!





"Just chillin' - can somebody bring me a bottle please?"













And I'll leave you with some cuteness that I just can't get enough of...


























We'll be back soon with lots of beautiful beach wedding photos...so check back! ]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=358 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=358 Monday, August 30, 2010 a post about Sage and Brooks. Because I was having software problems, I was only able to post some of the images. I am happy to report that the software problems have been resolved, and the rest of the images are now ready! :)

Sage and Brooks walking hand in hand down the driveway...









The cuteness also known as Sage...









Her handsome brother Brooks...

You always have to be on the lookout for bugs, right?





Sage and Brooks have a favorite game they like to play together where they feed flies to a frog. The first photo shows them playing happily. I'll confess...that lasted all of about five seconds. The fun was quickly over due to the gnats, and the bottom photo shows what the scene really looked like with the two of them steadily swatting the pesky little insects. :)





We had to move around because that is the only way to keep the gnats away. The tire swing looked like a good solution!

















Next, Brooks decided to go on a bug hunt.





We didn't have much luck around the pool, so he grabbed his gun and we went looking for squirrels instead. :)





Ya know...you have to be very still to hunt. And you know what that means, right? GNATS! Brooks decided that the trampoline was a much better option, and Sage came back out to join us.





















Next, the parents came out and took Brooks and Sage for a quick golf cart ride.





Last but not least, I couldn't resist sticking around to get a few shots of Sage and Brooks as they splashed in the pool.


















Lindsay - it was fun hanging out with Sage and Brooks - even with the gnats! :) ha

]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=357 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=357 Friday, August 27, 2010
Lindsay booked a session +2. When booking, you have a choice of booking for just one child or sibling group but adding on other options. The first priority was getting images of Sage and Brooks playing together. The +2 was adding on options for getting photos of Sage playing by herself and Brooks playing by himself as well.

We met at Brooks and Sage's Meme's house. She has a great tire swing that was fun for the kids to ride because it is made to look like a horse. Sage laughed and laughed as her brother pushed her on the swing - especially when he pretended that she knocked him down.













I will have photos of Brooks on the swing in the next post.

After swinging, we had a bubble blowing contest. These two took the contest seriously, and I believe it ended with a tie! :)

































When they are older I think that Brooks and Sage will look back at these photos and laugh at all the brother-sister moments. :)





















I love Sage's little pink Converse shoes!





I love, love this photo of Sage being a butterfly...





And also tipping the cute scale...photos of Princess Sage...


























Sage and Brooks were awesome, and I can't wait to share the rest of the photos with you. It was hot as blue blazes when we had the session with about a million gnats swarming, so I'm extra happy with what we got! And for my "yankee friends" who don't know what gnats are --- consider yourselves LUCKY!


]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=356 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=356 Thursday, August 19, 2010



As a wedding photographer, you get to experience such an important day in the life of so many people. After being even a tiny part of that - it's nice to be able to stay in touch with clients and get a glimpse into how their new life together unfolds.

When I first met Kim and Brandon over four years ago, I was living in Charleston. They were engaged and needed some photos. This is one of the photos I snapped of them...





A couple of years later I got to see Kim again when I photographed her sister's beautiful wedding at Berry Hill Resort in Virginia. The photo below shows Kim's sister Kay and her husband Bobby.






So to make a short story long...that is how I know Kim and Brandon!

Kim contacted me recently and said that she and Brandon would be at Myrtle Beach with his family and asked me about doing a photo session. I was so excited to go do it because I got to see them AND their sweet baby girl that I have kept up with on facebook. :)

This is Brandon and super cute Elianna...





You might say she likes to have sand between her toes! :)





Brandon's family was fabulous - loved them. They always hold hands and walk down the beach together. {ha} It's a little impossible to do true lifestyle photos of a large family group, but they were certainly up for having some fun.





Brandon's parents...





Kim, Brandon, and Elianna...





Brandon's brother Jason has two equally adorable children - Balen and Yvette.









How sweet is this shot of Brandon's brother Chris and his Granny...





Chris is a popular guy - Balen likes hugging on him too!





Brandon and Elianna playing in the water...





Cuteness...





It's safe to say she is not afraid of the water!









Brandon also has a fabulous sister named Alicia who is engaged to Stephen. They are so fabulous that they required a series of photos to show off their talents. lol





Elianna and her Great Granny...





A little fun in the water...

















Now Granny...she's a little bit spunky...and a little bit rock-n-roll. She grabbed Alicia, and made her own little dance floor out in the ocean. She "may" have been on the lookout for a cute man walking by. I'm just sayin'! :)





Now this is Alicia (and Brandon's dad). Sure. He looks all nice and cuddly, right?





Well before I knew it he was totally out of control...









Heehee...we kid...we kid.


I love, love this shot...the love...the motion...the colors.





Meanwhile, the couples were smooching away on the beach.









And yes...Alicia and Stephen will be married next year so we had to do something fun with their wedding date.






I had so much fun with y'all! Hope to see you on your next beach vacation!


You can see all of the photos by clicking on the link below:






Keywords: Beach Photography, Myrtle Beach Portraits, Family Photo Sessions, Charleston, Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, Folly Beach, St. Simons Island, Tybee, Savannah



]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=355 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=355 Sunday, August 08, 2010
Cole LOVES bath time. I think he would splash around in his little tub all day if we would let him.





When he's not busy trying to eat his rubber ducky, he is making some serious waves kicking his legs around and splashing his arms.





How cute is this rubber ducky robe??









Yes, Cole is a mover and a shaker. He has places to go, and he is ready to get there! ha





His tennis shoe socks get lots of miles. :)





Ahhh...worn out.





Snuggled up - and hanging out with his daddy.











]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=354 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=354 Friday, August 06, 2010
Hang in there - I have a few portrait sessions scheduled for late August, and then I'll be heading to some warm and fabulous locations in September and October to photograph a couple of weddings.

In the meantime...here is a pic of my BFF and me.





Okay, so the picture is a couple of years old, but we were looking pretty cute, right? Ha - kidding. Sort of. :) What can I say? I just don't get really dressed up much anymore.

Anyway...I miss my BFF now that I have moved and it looks like I will have to do something drastic to get together with her. We had a fun trip to NYC all planned (complete with a checklist of CRAZY things to do while there), but my sweet little surprise (a.k.a. baby Cole) put that trip on the back burner for a while.

Well as I was reading some Jen Lancaster on my Kindle while Cole was napping on my belly earlier, I decided to check out Jen's blog. Well guess what I found? A contest for BFFs! I love contests for BFFs, and we recently had one ourselves over at Peach and Love - for two BFFs to win a trip to St. Simons Island.

This is my desperate attempt to get another entry into the contest. My new hometown is NOT the most exciting place in the planet so you can't really blame me can you?

Head on over to Stacey Ballis' blog and pick up a copy of her new book: GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT. The book sounds great, PLUS it has a terrific cover. :)



]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=353 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=353 Monday, July 26, 2010

July has flown by - and what a crazy, hectic month it has been. Cole "lived" in six places during his first eleven weeks. Of course he seemed totally cool with it. As long as he gets his bottle, a little play time, and some sleep he is good to go.

We started off the month by going to Charleston to photograph Anissa and Bill's wedding. While we were there Cole finally got to meet his friend-to-be Sanden. They hit the beach for a little play time in the sand. This picture of Brian trying to wrangle them together for a shot makes me laugh.





Cole's DeeDee came to visit so he was extra spoiled for a while. Believe it or not, he really does like to have books read to him. She is reading The Rainbow Fish to him - I sure hope Neal Boortz doesn't stop by my blog. ha





Brian had to go to San Antonio for work for two weeks, so Cole and I tagged along with him. I'm not sure why our trips always seem to revolve around food. :) I guess we watch too much Food Network. We had to go to Big Lou's (as seen on Man Vs. Food) for some pizza, and I am happy to report that it was delish. Because we were not successful on our first trip, we learned that the secret to getting in is arriving EARLY (4:15 pm early).





Of course we had to visit the Alamo while in town.





I had a little play time with Cole modeling one of his cute onesies and hats that we purchased from the Folly Island booth when we were at the gift mart last year.





Cole may look cute and sweet, but he has a tough side too. ha





Cole hanging out with his daddy who was "home" for a lunch break...









A few of Cole's favorite things he has enjoyed during his second month...

-bathtime
-Black and White book - LOVES it.
-loves his touch and feel books
-gotta have the paci
-the only rattle that he really likes - we call it the caterpillar
-toddler jukebox app
-sitting in my lap while I read to him
-touching his feet now that he has a little control over his hands
-his bottle, of course!






That's it for now. It will probably be a few weeks before I post again. We moved into our new house in South Carolina, and it is a WRECK. I have a million things to unpack and organize. Of course I also want to be free to spend time with sweet baby Cole when I'm not getting the house together. So...it will probably be late August before I do more photo sessions. The next wedding on the books will be in the Bahamas in September.




]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=352 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=352 Friday, July 09, 2010
I did venture out to Austin one day and hit up South Congress Street for a little bit of shopping and lunch. We went to Fredericksburg one day - GREAT town - I would love to go back. And last but not least, we stopped by Luckenback, TX (sp?). You can't exactly be within driving distance and not stop by just to say you've been there, right?





]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=351 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=351 Wednesday, July 07, 2010 The Cottages on Charleston Harbor are quaint and cozy, yet spacious. Their full complement of services and amenities include a personal concierge and pre-arrival grocery shopping. The waterfront location on historic Patriots is made even more spectacular with the view of Fort Sumter and downtown Charleston across the harbor.

Anissa and Bill had a sweet, intimate wedding in front of their cottage with just a small handful of friends and family.

Doesn't this make you want to spend some time on this front porch with a warm, salty breeze and harbor view?





A few details...





The cottage has a library of books by local authors, so I grabbed one of the books for a ring shot.





Anissa and Bill wanted to do photos together before the ceremony. This photo shows Anissa peeking around the corner as she came out of her room to see Bill.





They had lots of delicious treats around the cottage. Who can resist strawberry starbursts?









Their new family Bible...





We went outside for some photos of the beautiful couple. It was a super sunny day, so thankfully we had some nice shade to work with for photos.

Can you believe Anissa told me she is not photogenic? Yeah, right! :) She looks fabulous, huh?





























Down the front porch steps to the ceremony site...





Here comes the bride...





Their minister did a great job!









Anissa's sister and her husband watch...





So funny...Bill's ring was a little tight! :)





The ceremony ended with a sweet prayer, and I loved this shot that shows their friend praying for them.





It was so great to meet you Anissa and Bill. Your ceremony was perfect. :)



]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=350 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=350 Monday, July 12, 2010 Cake and Pictures is an exclusive directory of wedding photographers, and I am honored to be listed on their website. They also have a great blog that you should add to your feed if you like to see inspiring details and beautiful events.

A few days ago I was contacted by Cake and Pictures with a request to feature Flora and Rory's wedding on their blog. Of course I was thrilled for them and happy to have images featured on their site.





Click here to check out the blog post.


Thanks Cake and Pictures! ]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=348 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=348 Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Their wedding took place at Boston Public Library at the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth Streets.









The forecast called for rain, but it ended up being a gorgeous day. It only rained for a short while before the ceremony which created a welcomed cooling-off for the evening.

The library, founded in 1848, is amazing inside.





Rings shots are always so much fun, and I loved Flora's idea of photographing them on their library cards.





Flora's mom helped her into her pretty dress...





Then it was time to go outside and meet Rory where the ceremony would later take place.









Then we roamed all over the library for photos of the two of them. {DROOL} The location is a photographer's dream so please forgive me for the photo overload. :)













Flora and Rory met in class at MIT and would study together at the library at these tables...

















A few more around the library...













Shortly after 6:00 it was time for the ceremony to begin.





Flora and Rory did something I had never seen before. They took a bottle of nice wine and put it in a container. During the ceremony they placed letters to each other inside with the wine. The plan is to open the container, share the wine, and read the letters to each other in ten years. This cute little guy is carrying the container to them...





The beautiful courtyard location...





The way they looked at each other during the ceremony was so sweet.





Carter brought the rings inside a Wizard of Oz book case.





Mr. and Mrs. Edwards give each other a hug after the kiss...





After the ceremony the guests enjoyed cocktail hour.





The caterers did a great job.









Flora's "library" details were so creative. She had flowers placed on an old card case. The seating cards were made to look like the cards that were once inside library books. The stamped dates included first sight, first date, etc. So cute!





The dinner tables were set up among the library shelves...





Each table centerpiece consisted of a floral arrangement flanked by a stack of books from a certain genre that matched the placecards.









Even the menu carried out the theme with a prologue (salad), chapters (different entree options), and an epilogue (cake)!





The first dance...





Everyone hit the dance floor after dinner...






Flora and Rory - thanks so much for your gracious hospitality. It was a pleasure photographing your wedding, and I hope to see you again one day. Best wishes as you settle into your new home and hometown.








]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=347 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=347 Wednesday, July 07, 2010




Then I decided to put him in another outfit - which I will tell you about in a minute. But first...check out his cute little baby feet. :)





My mama's friend gave Cole a sweet day gown, and I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of him wearing it when he was a tiny newborn. I crossed my fingers and hoped that he would still fit into it. Cole's daddy, on the other hand, was hoping that he would not. ha

Well apparently Cole thinks he is a big boy now and did not care to be put into a day gown anymore. My always happy baby immediately gave me a pouty expression.





Then the pouty expression changed into a look of pure discontent. I think he is scheming up ways to pay me back for this.





And then, without further ado, Cole scrunched up his face and let out a loud grunt. You know what came next, right? Yep. Diaper disaster of the worst kind. Intentional or coincidence? Hmmm.... :)






Although I probably won't be able to resist smocked jon jons and such, I made Cole a pinky promise not to put him in any more day gowns. I tried to get him to promise no more diaper disasters, but I'm not so sure how that is going to work out. :)]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=346 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=346 Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Next up will be Flora's beautiful wedding at Boston Public Library in Boston, MA.

See you soon!

:) ]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=345 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=345 Thursday, May 27, 2010

Most of you know that Brian and I have a sweet, new baby boy named Cole. After being home from the hospital for a few days I decided to download photos from our camera, and it was so much fun seeing things that I was not around to see take place at the hospital.

I checked into the hospital around 6:00 on May 5th and got things started since Cole was being really stubborn about getting his "birthday" underway. Cervadil mostly involves just hanging out for the night and getting some sleep.

The next morning we headed back to the labor and delivery room and spent most of our day staring at the monitor! :) The top chart shows the baby's heart rate, and the bottom chart shows movement/contractions.





Once the pitocin really kicked in things got rather intense. I was pretty tough for quite a while, but when they started coming back to back I had a change of heart! :) I went from being Miss "all natural" girl to Miss "Get me an epidural NOW!" without much thought! ha

I remember wanting to kill my mama for taking the picture below, but it kind of makes me laugh now. It also makes for good birth control. :) I was thinking I was going to kill someone if they didn't get the epidural there five minutes ago. :)





This was our great nurse - Laura! We thought she was terrific. I should be too embarassed to tell you this - but - whatever. I have a HUGE blood phobia - mostly involving having blood taken or an IV. So you can imagine that having an IV sticking in a vein in my arm all day was NOT something I wanted to see. So Laura put this little wrist band (that she uses with CHILDREN) around my wrist so I wouldn't have to see it. Yep. I'm a wimp. But it really did make things SO much better. :) Who would think that I would travel the world by myself, start businesses, and do all sorts of other things that people consider brave, but I wimp out over a small detail like blood? I have been like that my entire life.

Anyway...Laura rocked! This is Brian getting all suited up for the slice and dice.

Notice the clock - it was almost 7:30, and Cole arrived at 7:49!





Yes...horror of horrors for Miss All Natural Blood Phobia Girl...C section! By the time evening rolled around, it was evident Cole was not going to come out anytime soon and his heart rate was dropping when I had contractions.

The picture below shows Brian with Dr. Bruhn - the most awesome doctor. She has a talent for making me laugh when I would otherwise be freaking out. I think they are probably making fun of me or something just before they wheel me over to drag baby Cole out.





Okay...I have to brag here. I was a total rockstar during the c section. :) Much thanks to God because I had prayed for courage and I had one Bible verse I was saying over and over in my head. Dr. Beeson was also a great anaesthesiologist, our great nurse (Laura) showed up even though she was off duty, and thankfully Dr. Bruhn (and apparently it took three others) managed to get Cole out even though he was resistant. I don't know how Brian watched, and I refuse to let him tell me about it!

After Brian cut the cord and they cleaned Cole up just a little, I got to see him. Soooo exciting!





Then I was wheeled down to the recovery room while the proud daddy took Cole to show him off to everyone in the waiting room.













Then Jessica took him in the nursery for a little check up while everyone watched. Jessica is another great nurse. She and Whitney (yes, another great nurse) have started a business where they do in home consulting that teaches you the baby basics. They do a great job, and their service would be a great gift for a new mother.





The picture below is so funny. I don't think Cole was too crazy about the whole process.





All along we thought Cole was going to be a really BIG baby...but he turned out to be a pretty normal size. 7 lbs, 14 oz





Dr. Johnson checking Cole...
We think she is great too and hope that we will find another good pediatrician in South Carolina.





Jessica checks his heart rate.





Cole is one hungry dude. Sometimes he thinks he can get milk from his finger.





I did not have a great time in the recovery room. I was all by myself, shivering like crazy from the drugs, and just wanted to see my baby! I finally got the recovery room girl to come over to where I was and basically begged her to let me go back upstairs.

Finally...I got to see the little man.





It was a little weird being wheeled out in the hall in front of everyone, but I really didn't care that much. I was just thrilled to see Cole. And...it was sweet seeing family and friends.





Then I finally got to go to my room and hold the sweetest baby ever.









A few special people stopped by to hold Cole before heading home for the night.





Sweetness...









Heading home...





I like this cute shot Brian got of Cole in his Little Lamb swing.





Cole's first bath (before Jessica and Whitney showed us an even better way to do it)...





I could just sit around and watch him all day long.






Seriously...the people at Archbold REALLY are that great! If you know me - I tell it like it is. I can't imagine why anyone would have a baby anywhere else. :)



Alrighty - I will be heading to Boston, MA June 20th to photograph a great wedding and will be getting back into the groove a little bit at a time. In the meantime, I may do a portrait session or two so check back for those. ]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=343 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=343 Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Amber Holritz is an amazing lifestyle baby photographer from Chattanooga. My first purchase when after learning I was pregnant was a photo session with her. She captures the sweetest moments that you just don't ever want to forget.

Last week Amber came down to Valdosta and spent the day photographing a typical day in Cole's life at two weeks old.





Click here to see Amber's blog post with photos from the session. Be sure to watch the slideshow at the end of the post.

:)]]> http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=342 http://www.jillhiggins.com/blog/index.php?link=342 Wednesday, May 12, 2010




Did this little guy come with a head full of hair or what? :) ]]>