The love of photography

Hello everyone. Again, I am ashamed to say that it has been a period of time since I have taken the time to update my blog. I am not sure where the time goes but boy, does time fly!

I thought that today I would just say that I LOVE photography. I love knowing that at any minute, the call or email will come in saying that the next little newborn has arrived and is ready to play the leading roll in my next photo session! How exciting is that? Don't let anyone tell you that newborn sessions are not hard work because they are! You are working on the baby's schedule (which usually does not really have one yet). Just about the time that you get all of the props ready to go..those cute little eyes will open up bright eyed! Did I say that I LOVE taking newborn portraits? I do! The challenge is patience and waiting. How long you ask? A newborn session can last one hour up to even three hours. There are the feedings, burping, diaper changing, and all the accidents in between if you are after the cute little bottom photos! But that one photo that brings that big smile (or tears) to mom and dad is well worth every minute of waiting!

I LOVE doing newborn portrait sessions. I LOVE doing children and family portrait sessions. I LOVE shooting weddings. If I had to choose between what I am doing and any other job in the world, I would gladly be right where I am...waiting for your phone call or email! :)

Here are photos from some recent sessions that I wanted to share.

Come join us as we search for the next Gooma Model

Hello everyone! We hope that you will join us at one of our two upcoming locations (Mooresville, NC and North Myrtle Beach, SC) for our Gooma Model Search. See our website http://www.llpphotos.com/ for additional information! We hope to hear from you!

New Contest "Funniest Wedding Photo"

Now is the time to get your funniest wedding photo in our contest!





The prize? A FREE 11x14 beautiful canvas ready to hang!


What happens if you win? You will simply email us your favorite photo in a high resolution format and your beautiful new canvas will be hanging in your home in no time.

The contest is open to anyone that enters. Here's how it works.

Email your favorite photo (or photos) to us at lori@llpphotos.com and make the subject line FUNNY WEDDING PHOTO. Include your name (as it appears on Facebook) and your work is done! Within hours your photos will be uploaded to our Facebook site Lori Leigh's Photography. You may tag yourself (we can't tag you if your aren't our friend) or we will tag you if we can.

How the winner is chosen: Your friends will have to vote for you by clicking the like button under your photo or commenting under your photo, the photo with the most votes will be the winner. The winner will be notified via email and listed on our site on Facebook.

Please note that you and your friends have to "like" Lori Leigh's Photography Facebook page for the votes to count! They will be checked to ensure they are "followers" on the page.

This contest ends November 30th at 5:00pm with the winner posted at that time.

Good luck! Now tell your friends to get online and vote!!!

The contest not to be combined with any other contest, specials, or offers. Voting will be judged by friends, family, and facebook fans only. The winner will be announced on Facebook and by email.

Darren and Kristin Norris "Our Wedding"

Hello everyone. I am working harder to keep my blog updated and today this should be easy as I have a lot to talk about.

Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the wedding of Darren and Kristin. I feel like I become close friends with most of my clients that are marrying throughout out time together doing engagement sessions, bridal sessions, lunches, etc. and with Darren and Kristin, I felt the same way. They were wonderful to work with and so very much in love.


I always comment at how choked up I become during the first dance but for this wedding, I was pushing back the tears when dad was standing at the alter to give his daughter away. When the song about daddy's little girl started playing and dad became emotional, it took all that I had to keep the camera up and snapping! It was a very special moment.


The bride was beautiful and the groom was so very emotional. I saw him tear up several times and this was before the ceremony! The bride was very excited and emotional also but it was so sweet seeing the groom so very happy.


The wedding was in a beautiful church in Clarendon, NC followed up by a perfect reception at the train depot in Whiteville, NC.


The colors were beautiful as were the dresses that the bridesmaids were wearing.


Here are a few of the photos from the wedding.


You may also find more on our website in a couple of days as well as a mini album on our face book page at


http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Little-River-SC/Lori-Leighs-Photography/280787429103
Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Eleni and Michael, The Greek Wedding

Well, I must say, this was a first time experience for me. I am not sure how many of you have attended a Greek wedding but if you have not, you are really missing something!

Eleni and Micheal had a beautiful wedding at St John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, located in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was a beautiful (and unusual) ceremony. It was very different for me since I have never attended one of these weddings.

The church was breath taking! The photos will explain why, the colors inside were amazing. The bride only added to the beautiful setting with her grand entrance on her father's arm.

Once the wedding was completed, the reception was held at one of the area golf courses. They had wonderful food, dancing and the violins and chello played outdoors as family and friends were able to share the evening together.

Thank you Eleni and Michael for allowing Lori Leigh's Photography the opportunity to capture your beautiful wedding. My hope is that you would enjoy the photos for many, many years to come.

Lori Suggs

The amazing wedding of Lennie and Erica

Erica and Lennie were phenomenal to work with as were all of their family and friends! I had only met Erica and Lennie one time. They were from out of town and stopped to meet me at the studio some time after we had booked their wedding. Now however, I feel like I have known them forever.


The bride was beautiful and the ceremony was just as both bride and groom had hoped for, very intimate with the gathering of friends and family close by.

You could see it as they looked at each other, the spark of the new beginning of their lives as they commit to one another. It's funny how I never stand looking at a bride or groom as they hold hands, some crying, some laughing and not get choked up myself and try to hold back the tears and "do my job". It's a very special moment in the lives of the bride and groom. I am so thankful each time that I am chosen to be a part!

Here are a few of the photos from the wedding. The bride and groom also "Trashed the Dress"

following the reception. To see all of the photos from that shoot go to my website at http://www.llpphotos.com/. Once you have entered the site, look for the link "Trash the Dress" under GALLERIES link.

You may also view their wedding photos by visiting my website http://www.llpphotos.com/ and clicking on View my photos. From there, look for Lennie and Erica.

I Hope you enjoy, if so, drop me a line!

"Trash the Dress'

Okay, so this post is for some of you who have not heard of "Trash the Dress".

This actually means to that after your wedding, you take your beautiful wedding dress (hopefully your new groom will take part) and find something wild, crazy, and fun to do (while wearing your wedding dress of course) that will make others look at your photos and think you have lost your mind!

I have been fortunate enough to have met my next "Trash the Dress" bride. Her name is Erica and her wedding will be here in just a few short days! Am I excited? You bet I am!

How did the "Trash the Dress" even start? Here's what I found......

Trash the dress, also known as fearless bridal or rock the frock, is a style of photography that contrasts elegant clothing with an environment in which it is out of place.

Usually brides decide to have pictures taken on a beach, but other locations include city streets, rooftops, garbage dumps, fields, and abandoned buildings.

Some sources claim that the trend was originally started in 2001 by Las Vegas wedding photographer John Michael Cooper. However, the idea of destroying a wedding dress has been used in Hollywood symbolically since at least October 1998 when Meg Cummings of the show Sunset Beach ran into the ocean in her wedding dress after her wedding was badly interrupted. Since then the style has spread around the world and most notably in the UK, with photographers like Steve Gerrard and Mark Theisinger, amongst others, shoot their unique ideas of Trash the Dress.

A model often wears a ball gown, prom dress or wedding dress, and may effectively ruin the dress in the process by getting it wet, dirty or in extreme circumstances tearing or destroying the garment.

It may be done as an additional shoot after the wedding, almost as a declaration that the wedding is done and the dress will not be used again. It is seen as an alternative to storing the dress away, never to be seen again.

Interested in trashing your wedding dress at your wedding or have your dress tucked away in a closet somewhere that will never be worn again?

Lets Trash the Dress!! :D

Lori L Suggs