Ej & Eliza

Meet E.j. and Eliza.

Have you seen a cuter couple?

I know.

They're adorable.

Not to mention such troopers!

You might not be able to tell, but the day we took these photos was freezing.

I didn't hear one complaint out of either of them the whole time though!
They were fabulous.

I really loved doing this engagement session.

In fact you long time readers might recognize the location from this photoshoot!

Yorktown is such a fun place to visit. I love that it's on the water, and it really is such a cute little homey town.

But anyway, I had a lovely time with these two, they were natural models and just downright drop dead gorgeous together so they made my job super easy. ;)

Enjoy!

 

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Check out more here.

Interested in getting some portraits of your own done?

Email me for more info: by.leney@gmail.com

The Perfect Love

Photo Cred: Meagan Abell

A friend of mine recently shared the following words with me, and I felt pressed to share them here.

I think they are so wholly beautiful and amazing.

I don't know the original source of these words, but I think I need to keep them in a place where I can read them often because their message is one I don't want to easily forget.

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone- to have a deep soul relationship with another- to be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says:
 "No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled, and content with being loved by me alone- with giving yourself totally and unrservedly to me- with having an intently and uniquely personal relationship with me alone, discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found, will you be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you.
You will never be united to another until you are united with Me... exclusively of anyone or anything else, Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning,
stop wishing,
and allow me to give you the most thrilling plan existing- one that you cannot imagine. I want you to have the best. Please allow me to give it to you. You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things- keep experiencing the satisfaction that I Am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.

Don't be anxious...
Don't worry.
Don't look around at the things others have gotten or that I've given them.
Don't look at the things you think you want.
You just keep looking off and away up at Me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then when you're ready,
I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful then any you would dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready (I am working at this moment to have both of you ready at the same time), until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me, and the life I have prepared for you, you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me, and this is the perfect love."

My heart is so full with how incredible God really is.

Traveled

Image via my Instagram

I have wanderlust something fierce lately.

I just want to go explore and discover new places and see new things.

For now I will have to be satisfied in doing so with a good book I suppose.

Which is almost just as good.

Almost.

Mind Like A Lens

Photo credit: Meagan Abell

Eyes like a shutter mind like a lens

I find that this phrase is especially true for me.

I don't really know when it started, I've honestly been doing it for so long I can't really remember how it began.

But I look at everything as if it were a photograph.

Everything.

I look at landscapes and buildings and door ways and imagine how I'd pose people in them.

I look at random inanimate objects and immediately start thinking about focal lengths and apertures and lighting.

I see beautiful people, unique people, happy people, sad people, and I think about how I would capture the parts of them that stick out to me. 

Their emotions and personalities and what it is I see that makes them who they are to me.

It's like I look at something with my eyes and then re-imagine how I'd make it look if I could capture it in a photograph. 

Even when I don't have a camera in my hand to do so, it's like my mind does it for me anyway.

There are times when I have a camera in my hand and a photograph in my head and I can't always get them to match up. 

But I've learned to be okay with that.

Because I'm still learning and getting better at making the images I see in my head come to life, as well as show others what it is exactly I see in these things that I photograph and what it is I want to say with my photos.

And even if I can't always make people see the things I do, in the way that I do, that's okay too.

Because it's not really for them most of the time anyway.

It's not for me either.

1 Peter 4:10-11
1 Corinthians 10:31
Colossians 3:17

Life According To Instagram

This week I...

-Went to the VMFA a few times

-Shared a country engagement session

-Had an out of town adventure or two

-Drank the biggest cup of coffee I've ever seen (it was more of a bowl really)

-Started my summer reading list (I get excited about these things ok?)

-Took lots of photos at lots of photoshoots which I am super excited about and can hardly wait to edit

-Wished for rain to wash away all the pollen 

-Introduced a new feature for the blog

-Began the count down for The Great Gatsby (four days in case you were wondering...) 

Follow me at @agirlnamedleney

Dandelion

Reedited photo from this photoshoot

"Dandelion, A million little wishes float across the sky. But it's a waste of breath and it's a waste of time"

On a Kacey Musgraves kick over here.

I always turn into a little bit of a country girl come the warmer months.

How can you not be, with nature looking so gosh darn gorgeous out there?

Well, despite the pollen...

I'm ready for all the stuff to be washed away.

Have a few photo shoots this weekend I'm looking forward to as well as a date with a good book or two. Hoping to catch up on some work as well. 

But we shall see....

What are you up to this weekend?

Fashion Friday's

So I've been toying with the idea of doing this for quite some time now.

When I first started my blog I loved doing outfit posts.

I've continued to do them here and there (some of them are a little embarrassing... iphone photos and all...) throughout the past year or two, and it was in fact one of my main focuses on the blog up until a year or so ago. However while fashion is no longer the main focus of my blog now, it's still one of my passions and something I've loved for a really long time. Maybe not in the typical "shop til you drop"/must-have-the-newest-designer-brand-thing kind of way (though I have my moments when I'm looking at various Chanel/Michael Kors/Kate Spade/ pieces). But I grew up thrifting with my Mom and finding fun and unique vintage pieces as well as coming up with creative and fun outfits is still something I love doing.

Over the past few months I've really been trying not to shop as much (which I touched on briefly in this post) because I really do have a ridiculous amount of clothes. A good portion of which I've inherited from various family members (seriously, some of the best vintage items ever!) but still, I've definitely added to it with my love for the sale racks and thrift/consignment stores.

So as I've been cleaning out my closet I've been trying to be more conscious of what I actually do and don't wear (as well as what I wear too much... sorry striped shirts) so that I can make better choices when I do go shopping as well as utilize the pieces that I own more and mix things up a little.

Anyway, all that to say I'm now introducing a new feature/series here on the blog called....
*insert drum roll here*

Fashion Friday's!

(I know, super creative right?)

This will be a series of, simply, outfit posts! It'll challenge me to be more creative with the clothing I do have so that I'll shop less and also keep me from wearing the same thing over and over (again, sorry striped shirts...) as well as have a fun little post for you guys to enjoy (hopefully!) during the weekend.

When I've asked for feedback about what you enjoy seeing most here on the blog, outfit posts was one of them. Be careful what you wish for. ;)

Fashion Friday's won't necessarily happen every friday, but I'm hoping to still make it a fairly regular feature.

And so now, without further ado, here's the first official post!

Okay so since this is technically a re-blogged post I won't go into too much detail this time about the outfit. But if you want to hear more about it head over to the original post on Meagan's blog!

Outfit details

Skirt- The Clothes Rack

Belt- Thrifted

Shirt- Primark

Jacket- Thrifted

Shoes- Rue 21

Watch: Michael Kors

Necklaces: Gifted, made by me, thrifted, vintage

Rings: This Etsy shop and Michael Kors
Bracelets: Thrifted and handmade

All photos by Meagan Abell

Steven & Kelsey

Meet Steven and Kelsey.

I had such a great time location scouting for this country themed engagement, but I had an even better time actually shooting it!

It's couples like Steven and Kelsey that make me love what I do.

Capturing their love during this shoot was crazy easy.

Because you only have to be around them for a few minutes to see that they really do love each other.

Watching them interact was hilarious and such a joy to be around.

I love couples like that!

Couples who are comfortable with who they are, with one another, laid back, outwardly selfless in the way that they love and care for one another, and who bring out the best in the other person simply by being with them.

What an awesome testimony of what God calls us to in marriage, don't you think?

Speaking of which, I can't wait to shoot their wedding!

But in the meantime, enjoy the photos of these two cuties.

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Check out more here.

Interested in getting some portraits of your own done?

Email me for more info: by.leney@gmail.com

Something About Books

I love reading.

I always have.

I've recently come to appreciate more the value of owning books rather than just borrowing them from the library (though don't get me wrong, I love the library).

Growing up I visited the library at least twice a week. Often even three times. Needless to say all of the librarians knew me and I was pretty good friends with a lot of them.

But there's just something about owning the book you're reading. 

It makes it, and the story it holds, all the more yours to enjoy.

I'm currently re-reading The Great Gatsby so I can be ready when the movie comes out.

My 21 year old self definitely appreciates it more than my 16 year old self ever did.

Funny how just 5 years can give you a much better understanding and appreciation for some things.

I found yet another Alice In Wonderland copy to add to my collection the other day. 

I think I have eight now?

I've lost count...

I am so excited for summer. 

With summer always comes extra time for reading.

Days at the beach, river, pool or sailing (any body of water actually seems to be coupled with my need to read). I just can't get enough.

I need to make a summer reading list soon.

What's on your to-read list?

Life According To Instagram

Wow so I've been a little absent in doing week in review posts lately.

Quite honestly though, I've been thinking about changing the format of how I do them/whether or not to do them anymore at all.

But I do really like making a little collage of all my instagrams to see what I was up to during the week because, well, that's just fun gosh darn it.

So we'll see.

For now, here are some instagrams from the past (few) week(s)...

Follow me at @agirlnamedleney