Father’s day 2014 has turned out to be one that we will long remember. At approximately 12:45am, Kristen’s water broke while she was sleeping. We happened to be staying at a small motel in a remote part of Arkansas when it happened and we managed to cram a 2 hour drive into much less time and make it safely to Mercy Hospital in Ft. Smith.

We checked in immediately and she was started on medications to stop labor or slow it down as long as possible. We have no idea how long that will last and so, we wait. Right now, Kristen is 31 weeks pregnant and the twins are weighing in between 3 and 4 pounds each. Chances are good that they will be healthy and safe if they decide to grace us with their presence in the next couple days. We are however, confined to the hospital in Ft. Smith as a transfer would be risky at this point.

We are in good spirits, very tired, a little (or a lot) freaked out and also, very excited to be on this journey together. And of course, we are deeply moved that so many of you have responded with words of encouragement, love, prayers and support. Thank you and we will keep you updated.

P & K + 2

Say hello to Brett & Maggie. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with these two. Maggie, who works the night shift in a local ER, was full of interesting stories about her job. And Brett, was always quick to crack jokes and keep Maggie laughing and smiling the entire time. Here's a few images from our afternoon together. Enjoy.

Say hello to Michael and Felicia. For their engagement photos, they opted to hit the water instead of the road and I was of course, TOTALLY ok with that. We spent an evening on a friend's sailboat and had a total blast. I also didn't fall into the water or drop any lenses overboard while trying to get any of these shots so the evening turned out much better than expected :) Enjoy.

Say hello to Dale and Katelyn, two very fun people to be around. They're getting married in November and we recently took a little trip in the Novomobile to create some engagement photos with them. We started off at Crystal Bridges and then as is typical, we moved onto the back country. Here's a few of our favorites. Enjoy!

It seems the weather patterns have been unpredictable lately. The Saturday morning started off with scattered rain. But by the time Ben and Joy were ready to see each other, the sun had appeared and the temperatures had warmed up. You might remember these two from their engagement photos. We had a blast in the little town of Eureka Springs, where they love to get away for the day or the weekend. After the we finished with photos, they bought me pizza and showed me how to play darts. And since then, we've become good friends. Right now, they're off to Cape Cod and Boston for their honeymoon but should they check their phones while they're away, we hope that these photos are a nice little surprise :) Cheers and Congratulations you two! 

Say hello to the Burgess family, party of five. A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hike around Tanyard Creek with them and goof off, all while documenting the experience with my camera. And after the hike, they broke out their musical instruments (because nearly all five of them either play one or sing) and rocked the invisible outdoor stage. And to any golfers who happened to be playing through the nearby course...you're welcome for the free concert. Enjoy the images and Happy Weekend Everyone. 

While on a recent commercial shoot, I was approached by someone working on decorating VIP/dressing rooms rooms for the new Arkansas Music Pavilion (The AMP). I was asked if I would be interested in creating some photographic art to help decorate these rooms and to be honest, I don't even think this person had even finished asking the question before I said yes. 

The AMP has been around for awhile. Prior to it's permanent structure being built in Rogers, a temporary version of the facility was setup in Fayetteville in the back parking lot of a shopping mall. Recently, construction began on the permanent structure and in just a few short days, the venue will hold it's first concert. My idea for the project was to create abstract images of the actual venue. These images would then be printed as gallery wraps or framed art and used to adorn the walls of the VIP rooms for the venue. I spent a few hours one weekday morning and an additional few hours that evening walking the venue, looking for interesting angles, textures, and details that I could capture as art. 

For me, this job is a perfect compliment and balance to an already busy season of work and life. Taking the time to slow down (or in some cases, stop), to look around and notice the beauty in the details is a great way for a creative person to breathe deep in the midst of seasons of life where air might be scarce. The resulting images were well-received by the clients and I thought I'd share a few of them here on the blog. Cheers. 

Last weekend's wedding with Mike and Mariah was lots of fun. The summer heat hasn't completely set in yet so the temperatures were just right and the weather opted to ignore the 40% chance of rain and remain mostly sunny for their outdoor celebration. Family and friends gathered on the lawn of Old Main for the beautiful outdoor ceremony which was officiated by Mike's grandmother. Special props to the flower girl who decided to just "get it done" with the flower petals. Then, it was off to an intimate, laid back reception at the home of Mike's father. There's something to be said about backyard receptions. Everyone feels more at home. The conversation and laughter seems a little louder, the kids are more entertained and more people than normal offer to "get the photographers a drink". And even though we drink water during weddings, the gesture is always welcome. Here's a few images from the day. Enjoy.   

Last week, I traveled to Celina Texas to create some Bridal Portraits for a beautiful bride-to-be by the name of Courtney Roza. Courtney is an identical twin sister to another beautiful bride we worked with, Kelsey (now Difani). Over the course of the last year, we've become great friends with both Courtney and Kelsey, their significant others and also, their family. Their family has very graciously opened up their home to us numerous times and we always have a great time with them. In fact, they've become like family to us. This past week was especially memorable as we shared stories and experiences about life with twins. Although we can't show you any of the actual bridal portraits for another few weeks, we thought it would be fun to post some "behind the scenes" photos from our time in Texas. Have a great weekend and enjoy. 

They met at college in Iowa on the first day of class and they've been in separable ever since. Last weekend, Patrick and Mandy celebrated their love with family, close friends, two DJ's from Brock Entertainment and Us. Here are a few images from their wedding day, along with our sincerest congratulations and well-wishes. Cheers. 

Say hello to Ben and Joy. They both work full time in the hotel industry and with hectic schedules, it's a constant battle for them to get time to just hang out with each other. But when they do, they love to go to Eureka Springs. The restaurants, the scenery, the much slower pace of life and the fact that it's quite close to Northwest Arkansas and yet, nothing like Northwest Arkansas are the main reasons why this couple simply adores the town and its people. So naturally, we ended up there for their engagement photos. And after we finished shooting, they invited me to their favorite bar/pizza joint for dinner and darts. And of course, I obliged because I like hanging out with the people I work with, I absolutely love pizza and I know nothing about darts :) Here's a few images from our fun-filled afternoon. Cheers. 

Last week, we traveled to Memphis for what turned out to be one of our favorite photography assignments ever. Saddle Creek Orthodontics hired us to create some images of their space and also, for their space. The first part of our job was a typical commercial shoot for us; documenting the details of a space and the routines of the people who use it. The second part of the shoot however, was definitely something out of the ordinary.

Congratulations to Jake and Nicki who had a gorgeous wedding this past Saturday at Chapel on the Creeks. This time of year, everyone watches the weather for wedding weekends and in all our years of shooting weddings, this past Saturday had to be some of the most perfect weather we've ever seen. That was perfect for the outdoor reception at Creekwood Gardens, which happens to be one of our favorite places to shoot. As was the case with last weekend's wedding, The Thomas Twins (along with the guests) were kicking and grooving along to the sounds of the DJ and a good time was had by all. Here's a few images from the big day. Enjoy!

Last weekend's wedding was a delightful mix of British and American colors, traditions and accents. We were super excited to be a part of Ian and Megan's celebration and they did in fact, have a lot to celebrate. During the week, their family and friends began to arrive and they came from literally all over the world coming to celebrate. Ian's uncle also came, bringing along his bagpipes and traditional attire. Ian's uncle is somewhat of a legend in the UK, playing for various royalty and occasions and even the Queen. His charming personality and quick wit were evident when I remarked to him that "I guessed he wasn't from around here."

This was also the first wedding where we knew we had "The Thomas Twins" along for the ride. And according to Kristen, they joined in the celebration by kicking frequently and even doing a couple of somersaults. From all four of us here at Novo Studio, we offer our sincerest congratulations and well-wishes to Ian and Megan. Here's a few images from their beautiful day.

Cheers. 

Say hello to Michael and Michelle and their dogs, Abraham Lincoln and Indiana Jones. No, those aren't typos. One of Michelle's favorite hashtags to use with her photos is #dogpresident. If that doesn't give you some insight into this couple's awesome personality, these photos from their engagement session sure will. Enjoy.

Meet Keith & Dominique. They're getting married in September and between now and then, they'll more than likely be planning their wedding while attending a number of music festivals and concerts that they're excited about. A few days ago, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed out to create some images to celebrate their engagement. Here's a few of our favorites. Happy Weekend!

Meet a few of Northwest Arkansas' "Super Moms". These wonderful women were recently highlighted in 3W Magazine for their generous spirits, successful careers and wonderful kiddos. We had to the opportunity to create the images for the article and today, we thought we'd share a few of our favorites. If you'd like to read the article, you can view it here. Cheers!

Well, it finally stopped snowing long enough to do some senior portraits. Congratulations to Olivia Paschal for being our first senior this year. Here's a few of her senior portraits. Enjoy.

Meet Victoria. She makes the best bread around here and she makes it from scratch everyday. She owns a little restaurant across the street and a little bit to the left of our studio space. We like her and her restaurant so much that we've slowly been working out a plan to help narrow her focus of food offerings and rebrand her establishment with her bread as the spotlight. We've had a few meetings with her to talk through details and during those meetings, I've snapped a few photos with my iPhone; partly for inspiration in moving forward with the new vision and partly because I just can't help myself. Enjoy :)