Devin & Stephen e-session, Monroe LA

After the trip to Vegas I drove down to Monroe to meet Devin and Stephen. I will be photographing their May 16th wedding. This past Saturday we met to photograph their e-session. Oh my gosh, can I just say that I love this couple? They are just so sweet and cute, and have so much great energy.

Watching the weather forecast made me really nervous, since there was a 70% chance of rain. But we got really lucky with mother nature. Devin and Stephen met at the mall where they both worked, so we started their engagement session there. Hope the folks at Hollister didn't mind that we borrowed their chairs:-)



Monroe has this great river walk with old buildings and color and texture. I could have photographed there all day. And, Stephen was just dying to climb a tree and hang upside down...so he got to do that, too.




Monroe has this great park where we spent some of our time. I got to see the playful side of their relationship. Check out the cool boots Stephen bought for Devin!




And, yes that is a gigantic dragonfly...


And anyone who knows me very well knows that I LOVE graffiti. So I was really excited when we found this cool scene on the side of a tattoo shop.

Guys, I had an absolute blast getting to know you and spending the morning getting a tour of your hometown. I think you guys are just awesome. I am now even more excited about photographing your wedding! See Stephen, you weren't kissing in all the shots! Your gallery should post here tomorrow. I hope you love them!- Cheryl

Vegas Day 3

So the end of my trip to Vegas comes to an end. WPPI was a blast. Hearing great wedding photographers like Doug Gordon, Jerry Ghionis, David Beckstead, and JB and DeEtte Sallee speak were definitely the highlights of my week. I learned so many new things that I can't wait to try at my next weddings. One speaker so aptly defined Day 3 in Vegas as the day that you wake up, look in the mirror and Yoda looks back at you!

I wrapped up my trip to Vegas with a little walk down the strip. Short walk because it was quite cold at night. So much for escaping the Arkansas winter for a warmer Vegas! You just have to love Vegas. It's like disneyland for adults.




And my big winnings for the night....

Every year after my trip, I feel like the whole experience is just a blur. And, this year was no different. - Cheryl

Congratulations Breanne & Brandon!

Breanne and Brandon are planning a May 23rd Little Rock wedding and I just booked their wedding photography. We have a great Saturday in Boston engagement session planned just before the wedding. I'm excited about that! Congratulations on your wedding guys. Can't wait to meet you both! - Cheryl

Jen - Bridal Session

Vegas Day Two - I met Jen bright and early Tuesday morning to shoot her bridal fashion session at the MGM Grand. We wanted to do some things that are a little different and edgy - not the typical bridal session. Here are a few of my favorites:



Poor Jen, we were trying to end with a sexy, edgy shot and as we were setting it up, the maintenance guys were coming out to the hall to watch. You'd think in Vegas they had seen something like this before. But she was a trooper and we got the shot.

Jen, I am really glad that I met you. I had fun shooting your session. Good luck! - Cheryl

Katie - Bridal Fashion

Vegas Day Two - I met up with Katie on Tuesday morning to do a funky bridal fashion shoot on the Strip. Our plans to shoot in Red Rock were kind of squashed with the cold tempertures. But I think it all worked out just fine.

Katie was awesome! Killer blue eyes and a sense for fashion. She made my job sooo easy, and she's a rocking tour guide. I had a blast doing this session. Here are a few of my favorites:









Katie, you rock! I have no doubt your modeling career will be successful. You were so easy to photograph. So, glad I met you. I had a blast! - Cheryl

Vegas Day 1

On Sunday I flew to Vegas for a couple of photo shoots and to attend WPPI. I was looking forward to warmer weather, but you will see in later photos that so far that hasn't happened. And except for a really frustrating 2 hour experience with the rental car company, it's been a great trip so far. I thought a reservation meant you held a car for me...I'm just saying.

Here is the view from my room at the MGM Grand overlooking the Strip:


On my first full day here I drove up to Red Rock Canyon to scout a location for one of the Bridal sessions. I thought that was a good idea, but found myself in the middle of a snow storm. The white streaks in this image are gigantic snow flakes falling.


My first trip out to Red Rock Canyon was hampered by the cloudy skies, fog and snow. I couldn't get the full sense of the beauty of the Canyon with the mountain tops covered in clouds. But did find some interesting scenes along the drive.



On my first day of WPPI I had inspiring classes with JB and Deette Sallee and Doug Gordon. I hope to take away from this week some inspiration and knowledge that will take my wedding photography to the next level. I also found the perfect locations for the two photo shoots scheduled for this week. Look for those images to post in the next couple of days. - Cheryl

Brittany, Hannah and Lindsay - I miss you guys! -Mom

Hard work, dedication and passion for what you do

That was how Pat Summit, head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, summed up how she has achieved so much success in her career. It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a huge Lady Vols fam, and even bigger Pat Summit fan.

Women's basketball has made a lot of strides in the last 35 years, earning enough attention and respect to command prime time slots on ESPN. One of the biggest reasons that women's college basketball has become such an institution is Pat Summit. She's won more games than any other male or female NCAA Division I basketball coach. Summit now has a record of 1,000-187, unmatched in college basketball. 16,058 watched Summit's history at Thompson Boiling-Arena - her signature scrawled across center court of the Arena! Andy Landers, Georgia head coach summed up her achievement adeptly following the game, “You just don’t see the bar go that high and stay that high very often in anything. Think about it a minute. They’ve been able to do that for 35 years. Holy cow."

Empowering, impressive, and a great role model for young women. And, she makes Lady Vol basketball so much fun to watch!

-Through her first 34 seasons, Summitt averaged 28.9 victories and just 5.4 losses per season.
-Never had a losing season
-32 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins
-18 seasons with more than 30 wins
-27 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament
-18 trips to the Final Four in that tournament
-8 national championships

That's why I always say, Pat Summit rock! - Cheryl
See all our sports coverage at mauldinsports.com.

Candice & John e-session

I met Candice and John about 6am to grab some sunrise engagement portraits on the river. That was John's concept for our shoot, and I loved the idea. We had great temperatures, but the most uneventful sunrise I've seen in a while. It was just too cloudy to get any sky color at all. It just kind of went from nighttime to cloudy. But it was fun hanging out at the river before daylight. John even tried to teach us how to identify the different kinds of ducks as they flew by. But sadly, I still couldn't tell the difference by the end of the morning.

We did find some really interesting places along the river, in the woods and some old abandoned buildings to shoot. And, yes we did a little unintentional mudding. At one point I was really thankful for Aaron...that's all I'm saying!:-)I saw parts of the county I live in that I have never seen before...and might not ever be able to find again on my own. John even took me to his family's land where he grew up and played. It was a great field trip.

Here are my faves from our early morning adventure:





Thanks for being my tour guides this morning guys. It was fun...and I didn't even mention the part about John getting the truck stuck. Had to throw that in! Seriously, I had lots of fun, and I think we got some cute ideas for your "That Is So Them" session at the wedding! You can see your whole gallery here. - Cheryl