Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm Rachael. I am a wedding, portrait, editorial and commercial photographer located in Greenville, SC. This blog is where I post recent images as well as fun stuff from my personal life. Through this blog you'll likely meet: Tyler [my oh so awesome husband], Kayda [our perfect German Shepherd], and Milo [our teenager total punk German Shepherd] as well as some of our awesome clients! Take a look around and if you see something you like - leave me a comment!
Seriously my child is so cute it’s ridiculous. Oh man we are so in love with him. Also – he speaks! He said “da-da” clear as day this morning :) He has said “ma-ma-ma-ma-ma” when he cries for months now, be that doesn’t really count as a word. He’s growing up so fast! These are from yesterday:
I already printed and framed this one for the living room :)
LOVE that tongue. 
Lynzie and Adam are absolutely, completely amazing clients to have. They are so fun and up for anything. We had them laying in the grass and a GIGANTOR spider crawled across Adams leg. Eh. I still shudder just thinking about it. I screamed like crazy, Lynzie thought I had seen a snake, and Tyler and Adam remained cool and collected. Ha! Good times, good times.
And can I just say that Lynzie is so funny that by the end of the shoot my cheeks hurt from laughing! She’s one of those people that you start smiling before she even says something funny because you know it’s coming, it’s just a matter of time. (And of course you hope she doesn’t say something serious and then you’re stuck there with a huge smile plastered on your face! Ha!) Thanks for making us die of laughter Lynzie :) Anyhow, here are some of their crazy awesome photos:
How cute are they!??!
Lynzie busted out her awesome cowgirl boots for this one. You can’t see them very good in this shot, so you’ll just have to trust me that they’re cool.
The bling! Seriously, how awesome is that ring??!! Good job Adam!
Are you flippin’ kidding me?!!?!? This is Hudson’s best friend (in the making) Anson and he is just way too ridiculously cute. Look at those eyes! Awwww. We love you Anson!
I had to include the crying one – his little hands lifted in the air is so adorable!
Pattycake!!!
I love those cheeks!
Presenting the beautiful Renee (seriously, she is so photogenic!) and the handsome (and very funny!) Aaron! Check them out:
Being a mother is so amazing. People tell you how awesome it is before your a parent, but you never really get it until you have that little baby in your arms. I want to remember every teeny tiny little moment. I want to bottle up the way he smells and keep it forever. I want to always be able to cuddle him and hold him. It all goes by too fast. Where did my little 8 pounder go? How did he learn to roll over?! How can he possibly be holding things, laughing, and almost grown out of his infant carseat!?? This is craziness.
Having Hudson makes it even harder to imagine not being a photographer. How could I ever go without all the pictures I have? It makes me realize just how valuable photography is in a way I didn’t understand before. I always believed in my work, but having a baby and wanting those memories to never fade really makes me see even more value in it. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and such a wonderful job.
That said, I needed to actually get the pictures I have off the computer and onto my wall! Here are some pictures I just ordered prints of for our living room! :)
Here’s a picture Tyler took of me and Hudson. Thanks Ty! I love it. :)
And one of Tyler and Hudson….man I love these boys so much!
I know I’m behind on blogging when the people in my photos are dressed in long sleeves and scarves and it’s currently 90 degrees out! I wonder how long I get to use this baby excuse for….18 years or so? :)
Meet Joanna and Logen. Pure awesomeness they are. Coming in the next few days: Joanna’s bridal session photos (complete with graffiti and skateboarders!) and Joanna and Logen’s wedding photos.
Emery is too cute. It’s totally ridiculous. And are you kidding me with these outfits?!! They are so perfect!!! I must admit I have a special place in my heart for parents that dress their children well. :) Matt, Melissa, and Emery – you guys are awesome!
Oh, I have so much to blog! I’ve been so busy lately and my blog has suffered! I’ll be updating more soon – including new pictures of Hudson :)
Here is a photo from Ashley and Mark’s engagement session and two from Ashley’s bridal session. We just shot their wedding a few weeks ago and it was SO MUCH FUN. Pictures of that awesomeness coming soon!
About 9 months ago Tyler and I sat in the office of a maternal fetal specialist and he informed us that our 13 week old baby was developing differently than the norm. The doctor pointed to areas on little printed out ultrasound pictures of extra fluid and other concerns. He said our baby was likely to have a chromosomal abnormality (such as Down Syndrome) or a congenital heart defect. He offered us tissues and waited for us to cry but the tears didn’t come. I felt calm. Worried for the safety of our child, but still calm.
We prayed. We asked God to make us good parents to this little miracle. We asked for peace and for the baby to be healthy. We asked for the character to be good examples to all the people around us. We asked that the doctors and nurses would see Christ, and not us.
In the coming months we visited the specialist over and over again. We could make a flip book with the ultrasound pictures we have. At each visit they found more reason for concern. Extra fluid in the kidneys, extra fluid surrounding the brain. I spent hours researching about chromosomal abnormalities. I watched videos of amazing kids with Down Syndrome and fell in love with their attitudes toward life. We continued to pray for calmness and for the fear of the unknown not to overwhelm us.
At 28 weeks we went in for a full anatomy scan of the baby. I remember watching the ultrasound so closely trying to see if anything looked different or concerning. The baby was especially hyper that day and it took forever just to get a heartbeat. Tyler said he was clearly going to take after me. :) After the ultrasound the doctor came in to discuss the results with us. He was smiling. He said that he couldn’t believe it but that all the problems we had been seeing had resolved themselves. Straight up disappeared. He said we must have been praying because this was a miracle. We laughed and cried and thanked God over and over again.
I don’t know why we went through what we did. I don’t know why our baby boy developed so differently and then was just fine. I don’t know if I’ll ever know. What I do know is that I’m so thankful for the doctors who really, truly cared. I’m thankful for our friends and family who prayed constantly. I’m thankful for the knowledge I gained through researching about chromosomal abnormalities. I’m thankful for my amazing husband who is so incredibly strong. And I am forever grateful for the grace of God not only in giving us a healthy baby, but also for holding us and comforting us through the hard times.
On March 12th I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. I am so excited to introduce little baby Hudson. We are so in love with this little guy. :)
