In the Midst of Royalty

Olivia came in the other day for her 3 year portraits. Little did we know we would be in the midst of royalty. According to mom, Olivia has recently declared herself a princess! It seems all that is required is a great pair of heels and a snappy handbag. For the photo shoot, Olivia had all things necessary, in addition to the shoes and bag, she had some flowers, a lollipop and her cell phone (well... mom's cell phone). What more could a princess want?!

Sweetest. Couple. Ever.

It seems somewhat unfair to call it "work" when something is this fun. We had such a blast shooting Jen and Matt's engagement portraits. Time flew by and before we knew it, we had a few hundred stunning images!  

Oh Mia, Oh My!

Mia came in last Sunday for her 3 month (almost 4) portraits. Couldn't you just pinch and squeeze those adorable chubby cheeks!!??!

Speaking of Graduation

Not too long ago, we had a great afternoon with Shelby. Her grad session took us all around town to some really cool places.  She was up for anything! With such a beautiful model and so many different locations we got a bunch of really awesome portraits! Here are just a couple of them. Thanks for making the day so much fun Shelby!

A Graduation in Brookhaven MS

We didn't plan it. It just happened to work out that way. During our week in Mississippi in May, we learned that Pastor Joe was receiving his Doctorate in Theology. He didn't even tell us! Someone else happened to mention it to us while we were there. Thankfully, the ceremony was being held the day before we had to pack our bags and head for home.

An amazing accomplishment for the son of a sharecropper who was not often relieved of his chores in order to attend school. There "wasn't time for studying when there was work to be done on the farm" he was told. From the age of about 7, Joe was expected to work sun up to sun down picking cotton for the farmer whose land they lived on and worked.

Joe isn't bitter, though. Instead, he looks back at his childhood with a smile on his face and reminisces about his wonderful parents who brought their children up in a loving Christian home. They taught their children not to hate anyone. They also taught them not to look at the color of someone's skin. All of this made him the man he is today and for that, he is grateful.

And so are we. Congratulations, Joe! 

~Nancy

Spring on the Gulf Coast

Just a few months after hurricane Katrina, Greg and I were fortunate enough to be part of a group of people called to some mission work in a little town called Laurel, Mississippi. Four years and seven trips later, we find ourselves in love with Laurel and it's people.

The devastation after Katrina would have been enough cause for me to throw in the towel... but not so for the residents of Laurel. Their undying spirit and strong faith continues to amaze me. They have come through so much in four years. Along the way, they never stopped smiling or believing that their homes and community would be restored. Much of the transformation after the storm was coordinated locally by Pastor Joe. He and the people of his church happily fed and housed over 100 volunteers from all parts of the country during the years of rebuilding efforts. I know I don't just speak for myself when I say that their kindness and generosity were such a blessing to those of us who came to help. (I might also add that Pastor Joe's wife, Miss Mattie, is quite possibly the best cook in all the south. One has not lived until sampling Miss Mattie's fried catfish!)

 

As if you can't tell, Joe and Mattie have become like family to us. On our most recent trip, this past May, Greg and I took our daughter, Elizabeth, down to Laurel for the first time. This trip was strictly a vacation. Of course, we stayed with Joe and Mattie... they wouldn't have it any other way.  It was a great week filled with trips to Hattiesburg, Vicksburg, Gulfport and also a little jaunt over the Pensacola Beach, FL. It was a wonderfully relaxing trip. Elizabeth loved everything about the south too... well except for the big bugs! She saw her first cockroach and was not impressed. Neither of us like bugs, especially spiders, just ask Greg. Seeing black widow spiders, grasshoppers and cockroaches the size of silver dollars was a big adjustment for me. I must admit, that is not my favorite part of Mississippi either, but I have come to expect that big bugs are just a part of the experience!

~Nancy

From the outside in...

Since we're sharing a picture of the outside of the studio... I thought I would also share some of the inside as well!

Karon and I have been thinking, dreaming and planning a "real" studio for quite some time now so when we actually got down to the business of creating it, we were fortunate to find exactly the pieces we were seeing in our heads, including the paint. The finished space turned out exactly as we had envisioned it so we're really happy with the results. Every time I'm there, I look around and want to pinch myself and ask, "Is this really ours?" I still can't believe it some times! Having a contractor for a husband definitely came in quite handy. Greg was an awesome help with the painting, heavy lifting and installing anchors for hanging all the heavy prints among other misc projects we found for him. (Now he has two honey-do lists!) Karon's mom was a doll and spent one of her Saturdays painting with us. She was such a big help and is always a real blessing! We had a great day and got most of the paint on the walls where is was meant to go.

Plans are underway to have an open house some time this summer or fall. An announcement will go out in the next several weeks. We hope you can stop by!

~Nancy

It's Official

The day has finally come! Yes, Red Shoe Gallery has a store front. It's been a busy spring with wedding season upon us and moving into the studio all at the same time. 

What were we thinking?! Busy as we have been, it's been a fun adventure painting, picking out furniture and hanging portraits. I think the most exciting day came when we arrived to see the sign on the front door! For several weeks prior, we were operating without the sign. Having our name in full view sure does make giving directions a whole lot easier!