Pittsboro Courthouse On Fire

It is a sad day in Pittsboro. As I post this, the old courthouse that is the central landmark of our town is burning down. Renovations were being done to the courthouse to make it shine like new. Something went wrong today and now firefighters from around the county are working hard to control the flames. I drove by the building when everything was fine... less that 30 minutes later, this is the state the courthouse was in. You may remember the last photograph in this post that I created in 2007. I photographed the beautiful building with a large format camera on a sunny day. I even sell Postcards of this picture in a local shop called Vespertine. The scene will be forever changed now that our courthouse has burned down. You can see in these pictures the locals watching the fire, Mayor Randy Voller being interviewed, the Pittsboro Presbyterian Church with black smoke overhead, and the firefighters doing their best to keep the rest of the town safe.

Mama's Birthday!

Earlier this month, my family got together for a very special birthday. My grandmother just turned 90, so her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered together to celebrate! I'm posting on here my favorite sequence of photos from the party.... the forever tricky blowing out of birthday candles. You can see the rest of the photos from the party here: Mama's Birthday! We missed you Papa!

Katie and Jay's Maternity Session

I have been spending a lot of time with my family as we are anticipating the birth of my sister and brother-in-law's baby. We were in Charlotte celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday and went out after lunch to Charlotte's Greenway to take some maternity photos. I love the excitement that surrounds a pregnant mother!

Katie's Baby Shower

Last Saturday, I threw a baby shower for my sister Katie with help from my mom, my sister's friends and my aunt. (Thanks Mom, Lia, Krista, and Kerri!) The theme was baby birds, so we went theme-tastic all over the house, which is required for baby showers as far as I'm concerned! Friends and family came from far and wide to eat made from scratch cupcakes, strawberry smoothies, bird nest candy and organic local lettuce wraps and salad. Katie and her husband Jay got to take home a lot of goodies for the baby thanks to all of the loving guests. Here are a few pics from the event showing the food, my little cousin Nora, Katie and Kerri, and naturally, Katie with Jay contemplating the baby bump!

One more look...

I was working more on baby Aubrey's photos, and I had to post just one more picture up here. She is so irresistibly cute!

Mardi Gras Carnival 2010!!!

Your Mardi Gras 2010 photographs have been posted online! Thanks again for everyone who participated in the photo booth and for all of your creativity that went into your costumes! You guys looked awesome! Remember that 50% of proceeds from the reprint orders go to charity. Here are a few of my favorite photos... there are many more to see: http://jessicabenton.instaproofs.com/

Happy Valentines Day!

Yesterday we woke up here in Chatham County to the prefect snow. I went outside while my sweetie made pancakes and I photographed these peaceful scenes in the country landscape. Later on in the day the vibe changed dramatically when we went to our third annual Mardi Gras Celebration at Chatham Mills in Pittsboro. I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband to help me set up lights and gear and keep the drunken partiers from knocking the whole setup down. The last picture is of us in our Mardi Gras finery taking a break from being behind the camera while our friend Matt Rudolf snapped our picture. Have a wonderful Valentines Day everyone and be sure to thank those that you love for all that they do for you!

Baby Aubrey

Meet Aubrey, the sweetest six-month-old around. She is so adorable! I wanted to take her home after her session, but even though we had such a great time together, she wanted to stay with her Memaw. Cute cute cute!

Mardi Gras!!!!

It is time again for Pittsboro's own Mardi Gras Carnival! The party is this Saturday, February 13th from 7PM until 12PM at the historical mill at Chatham Marketplace. Yes, I'll be there again taking your lovely portrait, so come dressed up in your finest feathers and glitter! To get your tickets and check out the details go to http://chathammarketplace.coop/mardigras.php! It all goes to a good cause. So come dance to music, and go crazy... I'll be there so that you can remember it the day after.... !!!!

A Sunset and A Spider

The Great Smoky Mountains

Just like my other autumn photographs that had been neglected, these were sitting on my hard drives gathering dust. Simon and I went up to Bryson City, NC to attend a wedding of a good trail friend. Scott (Sanford) and Angie (Ailse 9) met and fell in love on the Appalachian Trail. Sanford is also a wonderful photographer, check out his work at Spilled Images.com.

Naturally, while Simon and I were up in that beautiful part of the state, we had to go on a hike in the Smoky Mountains and visit the Blue Ridge Parkway, as we had also met on the trail, fallen in love, and gotten married. Here are some of my favorite photos from the hike. If you would like to order any of these, please visit my online store or contact me directly. Enjoy the photos!