Fayetteville NC Engagement Photographer ~ Katie & Matt: Engaged! ~ Charlotte, North Carolina Weddings

Fayetteville NC Engagement Photographer

It was a beautiful day in the backwoods of North Carolina…in Albemarle, Polkton, Wadesboro, and Peachland, to be exact. We kind of traveled a bit for this session! North Carolina is so beautiful; it was difficult to narrow down the locations!

The first place the bride and groom chose was the grounds of Main Street United Methodist Church in Albemarle. It is an absolutely GORGEOUS church, and has the most charming entries, and so many little nooks and hideaways! I fell in love as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. It is so cool that Katie and Matt are getting married at this church… especially because Matt’s dad is the pastor there! Such a tight-knit family… I love it. :)

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

Charlotte Fayetteville NC and Nashville TN Wedding & Engagement Photographer

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

We also stopped at a beautiful park in Anson, NC…such a perfect place to capture moments of this blissfully engaged couple.

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

This next photo is one of my absolute FAVORITES… private family property just outside Charlotte, NC…a serene pond, rugged cowgirl boots, and a stolen moment in time of a bride and groom -to-be.

There is just nothing sweeter than true love.

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

And isn’t Katie’s infinity engagement ring just STUNNING?! (Matt, you did a GREAT job!!!!)

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

Acres and acres of cornfields…a lifetime of love.

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

Charlotte NC Engagement Photographer Wedding

Their wedding is going to be completely amazing…one of my favorite places on earth is the beautiful countryside of North Carolina. After the wedding at the church, Matt and Katie and their friends and family will head over to Uwharrie Vineywards in Albemarle, NC for their reception… and let me tell you, it is going to be GORGEOUS.

Are you looking for a wedding photographer in Fayetteville, Charlotte, or Wadesboro, NC? Maybe Charleston, SC? How about Nashville, Franklin, Clarksville, or Chattanooga, TN? We’d love to hear all about the plans for your Big Day! Head over to our website’s contact page and give us a shout! We have a number of collections to choose from, and we have options that work with every budget. Contact us today!

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Organizing Digital Photos – A Step-by-Step Guide

One question that I get from my clients and friends is, “I cannot get a handle on organizing digital photos. How do you keep yours in order?”

After a vacation or a significant life-event, like a wedding or a birth (or a summer of them!), you might be like millions of other people around the globe…staring at your computer screen, sorting through hundreds or thousands of photos that were taken. The task of organizing digital photos often seems so difficult…as though no one else could POSSIBLY have THIS many images on their camera. :) My recent working-vacation to North Carolina was just like that: a client photo session, followed by an evening with my sister at a softball game, followed by an engagement session, followed by a night of watching my Angel-Baby catching fireflies in a meadow. (Imagine the number of pictures we took on our week-long trip!)

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Or if you’ve ever looked at your computer folders and asked yourself, “How on earth do I start organizing digital photos?” (this includes vacation photos, kid-growing-up photos, wedding photos, family reunion photos, etc.), you’ve probably felt overwhelmed if there is not much semblance of order. Well, here are some things I have picked up, learned along the way, trial-end-error’d, and taught myself about organizing your digital family photos (well, in my case, digital photos for all my personal files, as well as all of my clients’ photo session files!). Some of this education/experience came from my parents. Actually, my mom is a Professional Organizer (www.TwoShays.com), so my sisters and I have been organizing freaks since we were kids. :) (I’m sure Mom’s heart sings to hear that!) All of the organization skills we were taught have been used not only in our everyday lives, but also especially in electronic organizing. With the way the world is going with technology moving faster than just about anything else, electronic organization is an absolute must. Now, for photographers like me, it is even MORE necessary…we have client files to keep safely organized, based on type of shoot, date, which family, etc. But…

organizing digital photos is super important for everyone

…who has files on their computer. Whether you keep yours in “the cloud”, on your hard drive, or on external media, you still need to keep them organized if you actually want to know what you have and be able to USE them. So if you have electronic stacks, folders upon folders, or a random college-student mish-mash of digital photos on your computer, this blog post is going to help get you back on track and maybe, just maybe…give you back some of your sanity!

Okay so! Are you ready? :)

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First Step: I recommend an external hard drive of some sort, if you don’t already use “the cloud”.

I say this because if you’re anything like me, and have a TON of photos and documents on your computer, you’re eventually going to start bogging down your computer’s internal hard drive, which will eventually slow down the speed of your system…which you definitely don’t want. I had an old computer, which finally bit the dust after using it for 10 years (yes, TEN! it was a beast), when it finally gave me the Blue Screen of Death. Thankfully, I have a friend whose husband works on computers, so he was able to salvage the hard drive so I wouldn’t lose ten years of photos and memories. But what would I have done without those files? Cried many, many tears over the thousands of images I had lost, that’s what. (Thank goodness I didn’t have any client files on that computer!) So that’s why I think everyone should have a backup option to their internal hard drive.

Second Step: Begin With The Year.

Here’s a quick screenshot of how I have my family files set up, starting with the year (pay no attention to the first folder; I don’t even remember what I put it there for; probably just over-organizing! haha Is that possible?):

8-11-13 Blog - Organizing Digital Photos - pic1

I’ve had this particular external hard drive since 2009. It’s only about half full, and still going strong. Also, my files don’t bog down my computer because they’re on an external drive, so my computer is still just as quick as it was the day we got it.

Third Step: Next Comes the Quarter.

Once you’ve gotten your yearly folders sorted like above, then go into each one and add the quarter. I set mine up like this (example of the folder for the year 2013 only; the other years are the same as well):

8-11-13 Blog - Organizing Digital Photos - pic2

Fourth Step: Create Dated Folders for Each Event.

Here’s my next group of folders…they are the events that I have photos/documents for, so I named them to relate to the event. This is inside the “3 Jul-Sep 2013” folder above:

8-11-13 Blog - Organizing Digital Photos - pic3

The most important thing to note here is that the date comes FIRST in the filename. That way, when you are searching for a particular event later on, then all you really need to know for SURE is the year it was shot in, and the season (fall, winter, etc). That date being first keeps everything in order of when it occurred…which is SUPER nice when you’re looking through your files later. No flip-flopping around, looking for “Aunt Mary’s Reunion – 7-16-13″…it’s already in chronological order if you use the method above. Now for remembering seasons, of course, for me in Florida, our “seasons” are pretty much spring, summer, rain, hurricane…but most parts of the country have winter/fall/etc pics as well. So if you can remember, “Well, that family reunion was when my son Scooter was about 2 years old, so that would have been…2005…and I think it was pretty warm outside because we had the reunion at a local park…so I’m going to start with the 2005 folder, and then check out the spring/summer months.” BINGO!! Now you’re getting it!

aaaaaaand……….. That’s pretty much it!

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This image of a North Carolina roadside produce stand was taken by my very talented sister & partner, Katie. Isn’t she fabulous?!

If you’ve just started incorporating these steps into your home computer filing system, it will take a decent while until you get all of your current files squared away. But once you do THAT…all of your future events will be soooooo super EASY to save, edit, utilize, and LOCATE, without having to sift through hundreds of photos to find “the one” you want. :) Easy peasy!

Now, this is just my OWN method. Other people probably do it differently, and that’s totally cool! In fact, I would love to hear about any extra little tips that YOU might have for organizing digital photos and/or files. Got a fantastic setup at your home or office? I’m all ears! :) Did this post help you get yourself organized, even a tiny bit? I would LOVE to hear all about it!! Leave me a comment below (I read every one!), or over on my Facebook page (yep, I read those, too).

Oooooo, and I almost forgot to mention…if you need holiday photos for your Christmas cards this year, or just need an updated family photo for your living room, give me a shout today! We’re booking holiday sessions for October this year, to make sure you can get them back in time for your holiday cards and other events. Beach sessions with Santa are always a hit! :) Come on over and drop me a line on my website, or shoot me an email: Shay {at} eShayPhoto dot com. Can’t wait to hear from you guys! Love ya’s!

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Joanna & Steven – Cape Coral, Florida – Wedding Photographer

Cape Coral, Florida – Wedding Photographer

Joanna & Steven {Married!}

Wow. Let me just tell you what a privilege it was to capture the moments of Joanna & Steven’s STUNNING Cape Coral wedding! It started out as a beautifully hot morning in Cape Coral, Florida… the bride was getting ready, makeup was being done, and bridesmaids were busying themselves with all the last-minute details that needed to be finished. Such a perfect day to get married in sunny southwest Florida!

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Joanna chose a stunning lace-up gown, and it fit her hourglass figure perfectly. The ruffles that encircled the bottom of the dress truly made this bride look as though she sashayed around the room, as graceful a bride as I have ever seen. So beautiful! Truly, this woman is so photogenic!

Location: St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Cape Coral, Florida
Wedding Gown: For The Bride Boutique
Florist: Patty’s Flower Shop
Hair/Makeup: Red Salon and Spa
Transportation: Clean Ride Limo

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

The flower girl was sooooo completely adorable. I kept catching her throughout the day, sneaking a wistful peek at the bride. Just makes you wonder what’s swirling around in that little head of hers…perhaps dreams of her own future wedding? I guess we’ll never know…

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

cape coral wedding photographer; fort myers wedding photographer; florida wedding photographer, naples wedding photographer

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Welcome to 2013! – Fort Myers Photographer

Fort Myers Photographer – Cape Coral Photographer – Southwest Florida

Hey, ya’ll! :) So glad you stopped by to check things out!! :) It’s so crazy…a new year is upon us. And with this new year, I have decided that I am going to start blogging regularly. And I am not going to put a day of the week, or month, or whatever in here, because it might be every day, or every week, or every month, or every other day, or every 2 months, or something altogether different. So I’m just going to say “regularly”.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. (Talk about “getting to know your local Fort Myers photographer“!! haha) :) If you’re reading this blog, you’re in for a ride. Because not only are we going to be talking about photography, but also life in general…my family, my friends, my passions, my God, my everything. Still with me? :)

Good. This is gonna be fun! :)

So first, my name. Everyone always asks me about my name. I answer to Shay Bunch, although some people (mainly family and uber-close friends from my years past) refer to me by a different name, a name that starts with an “E”. I love my names. All of them. :) But only a few select people get to refer to me by my “E” name. And that’s not to sleight the rest of you…honestly it’s mostly just my parents and sisters that call me “E”. Even my husband calls me Shay. That’s what I prefer and that’s what I will answer to. If you happen to find out my “E” name and start calling me by it, I very simply “won’t hear you”. That’s all I have to say about the name. :) ha!

Now that we have the introductions out of the way… :) …next about me is, I am passionate about my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, and I am a blood-washed pilgrim; a sinner saved by His grace. I am 100% certain that I am going to heaven when I die…and YOU can be that certain, too. Just ask me about it. :) I am also passionate about my family!! I am blissfully married to my Godsend, my best friend, my confidante… the uber-amazing and ultra-hot Mr. Bunch. :) We have three daughters! My husband and I were both previously married to people who weren’t God’s choice for us, and we have and are paying the price dearly. My husband has two daughters from previous relationships, and we have one little girl together. Here we are:

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There’s also one person missing from this family photo. I also have a son. My son only lived for about 30 minutes when he was born. I went into labor early and the doctors couldn’t stop it, so my little Tanner Benjamin was born 20 weeks early. He had my nose & mouth, and the tiniest toes I have ever laid eyes on! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and what we would be doing together if he were here…but we’ll talk more about him later. :)

Okay, so! On to another passion of mine…photography!! :) YAY!! Let me just start by answering the questions that SO MANY people ask me: “What made you so passionate about photography? Why did you become a photographer? Why do you love it so much?” Well…there are a LOT of reasons. But mainly, it is because I truly want to STOP TIME and CAPTURE LIFE. Just like my Facebook page says. I don’t want to miss one MILLISECOND of this life. Why? Because after my son died, and as our daughters continue to grow faster than our eyes thought possible, I truly can’t bear to think I might miss something. I’m literally in tears sitting here thinking of the possibility of missing out on a memory. That may be the only time you get with that person, in that moment, for the rest of your life…you know? Those 30 minutes were the only moments I will ever get to spend with my son this side of heaven. Ever. That’s it; that’s all I get. These moments with our youngest Angel-Baby are the ONLY moments we’re going to get when she is a precocious three year old, with a vocabulary more voluminous than most 2nd graders, with a love for our dogs and her stuffed animals & princess dresses, and these may be the only years we get when her favorite word is “Mama” followed by a string of questions about the most amazing things that I may never have the innocence to think about again. “Why does the sunset have such a deep pink tonight, Mama? I love you more than I have words for, Mama! I just want to go home and snuggle with Daddy, Mama.” What if this is all I get? We are not promised tomorrow…ANY tomorrows. So today…every single day…I do my best to truly CHERISH every moment, to live FULLY, to be PRESENT, and to LOVE as much as I possibly can. I’m not perfect and the human race drives me crazy sometimes…but no matter if it’s good memories or bad memories, I want to remember them all. I want to live them. I want to capture them. And I want to capture them for YOU, too. THAT is why I am a photographer. THAT is where my passion lies. THAT is why I love it so much. The desire to capture your life’s moments comes from a deep well inside of me…I desperately don’t want YOU to miss out on any of YOUR memories just as much as I don’t want to miss any of MINE. I can’t help it…it’s in my blood. It’s through the eyes of my children. Through the eyes of my future self, looking back through age-old photographs…remembering the love, the feelings, the aromas, the hugs, the laughs, the tears, the joy, the sorrow, the bliss, the mundane everyday little moments that you will want to remember for the rest of your life. THAT is why I am a photographer.

STOPPING TIME…capturing LIFE.

So now that you know a little about ME…I want to know about YOU!! Leave me a comment below (yes, I read every single one!) and tell me about you…your passions, your dreams, anything. I want to hear from you! :)

Until next time on my regularly-scheduled blog post…

Shay

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