Bridal Session

The evening was perfect, a bit of rain earlier in the day only enhanced the quality of late afternoon light and made the colors all the more brilliant. Kelli is a beautiful bride and it was a privilege to capture these images for her and her new husband, Mike.

Because I'm a huge fan of Pre-Raphaelite art, the image below is my favorite from our time together. Take a glimpse of more previews from her session. Thanks for the opportunity, Kelli!

WV Super Pickers

Alan Smith, Steve Sparks, Dave Hicks and Roger Hicks

My day began @ 4:30 a.m. and by sunrise we were hiking out to a spectacular spot in the New River Gorge. I was reminded, quite brilliantly, of why I love West Virginia and why I need to catch more inspiring sunrises! It wasn’t just the awesome landscape I savored, but getting to know some very talented West Virginia musicians made the morning all the better. I love my job!

I was asked to create images for a cd being produced by the WV Hall of Fame to highlight some talented local musicians known as the WV Super Pickers. I was privileged to hear some of the tracks for this project and especially enjoyed their unique rendition of Take Me Home Country Roads.

According to Steve Sparks, the group’s drummer, “The WV Super Pickers project serves to exemplify the talented artists who hail from the great state of WV. The brainchild of WV natives and Nashville legends, Charlie McCoy and Russ Hicks, the WV Super Pickers are a group of WV artists who have made their mark on the music industry and made West Virginia proud.”

Roger Hicks

The group features the talents of Buddy Griffin, Robert Shaffer, Steve Acord, Steve Sparks, Rad Lewis, Dave Hicks, Roger Hicks and studio manager Alan Smith. The cd will be released this summer.

It was my pleasure to meet you all; thank you for asking Natural Elements Photography to help with your photography needs. Best Wishes on this outstanding project!

Farm Session

Ah, I do love the new life that springtime brings! Thanks to Larry Dingle of Treworlas Farm in Beckwith, WV, I have the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite subjects: critters!

His farm is teaming with new life, from the Percheron foals to the miniature donkeys to the calves and goslings...

Oh, I could sit in a pasture and while away the hours with my camera... what peace, what beauty. Thank you, Larry, for asking Natural Elements Photography to capture images at Treworlas Farm.

Engagement Session

What a lovely young couple I had the privilege of photographing. Kelli, Mike & I spent a beautiful spring evening around Ansted and Gauley Bridge, WV in order to create some lasting memories before their wedding day.

There's just something special about celebrating love & a new life chapter in springtime =-)

Family Fun!

I recently had the pleasure of spending time with and photographing a family dear to me. I’ve known Jeannie practically all my life and so, it was an honor to be asked to photograph some memories for them.

As always, I find it best to photograph the little ones doing what they do best ~ play!

Warm faces that make my heart smile....

Jonathan & Angela

Congratulations to Angela & Jonathan! The crisp cool March morning gave way to a beautiful day filled with sunshine, love and good cheer...

Jonathan & Angela did an excellent job putting everything together for their special day; what a privilege to be a part of it all.

I love the hair details....

the romance....

...and the FUN of it all!

Best wishes always!

We Have a Winner

Yea! Congratulations to Tiffany, of Melbourne, Florida for her whimsical entry, "I'll trade for hot chocolate!" She'll be receiving this new card in her box set as a prize.

Thank you to all who participated in our first Caption It! Contest. It was a real treat reading through all the entries!

Caption It!

Hi friends! Take a moment today to share your wit & good humor by entering our

Caption It! Contest.

This little fella, "Winter Visitor", is gracing our next Images of West Virginia notecard and we'd prefer YOUR clever caption to go with it.

Entering is easy: share your caption (10-12 words MAX)

on our Facebook Page or email your caption to:

naturalelementsphotography@yahoo.com

Enter as many times as you like.

Winner will receive a free box of notecards (12 ct.)

(6 of the "Winter Visitor" & 6 of the "There's No Place Like Home" cards)

and be announced here on February 5th.

They grow up too fast...

...it's the common lament of us parents watching our little ones mature and sometimes wishing they'd stay little forever =-) Best to capture those fleeting moments whilst you can!

I don't know which I like better, the beautiful stands of hair that gleam even in black & white or the gold leaves that granted a perfect "pow" to Lauren's session. The collage was a custom creation, made to blend perfectly with the room it will be displayed in.

Golden Parishioners of St. George

It was good to see so many smiles and good cheer a few weeks ago at the Golden Parishioners Luncheon at St. George. These dear folks are our friends and mentors; we all have so much to learn from them. What a privilege to photograph a luncheon in their honor and meet their families. See more previews from their luncheon.