A Bragg-Mitchell Mansion Portrait Session

I met Regina four years ago. At the time, she was a senior in high school at McGill-Toolen Catholic. I had been asked to speak to the photography classes at my alma mater and I was so nervous. Public speaking has never been high on the list of things I enjoy. I almost said no to guest-speaking in the first place, but something made me say yes.

After my presentation, a young Regina introduced herself. I could instantly see her passion for photography. A few weeks later, I invited her to assist on an editorial shoot. And for a little while that is where the story ended.

Fast forward a few years and I find myself being asked to speak to a photography class at my college alma mater, Spring Hill. I nearly said no to this invitation as well. Apparently I have a hard time saying no to my alma maters. At the end of this presentation, I saw a familiar face in the class approaching me. It was Regina!

A few weeks after that speaking engagement, I found myself in need of an assistant for a wedding. I still had Regina’s number from when she helped with the editorial shoot a few years prior, so I texted her with barely two days notice and asked if she wanted to be a non-shooting assistant on an upcoming wedding. She said yes!

One Year Later

Regina was instantly a perfect fit for my wedding day team. She and my primary second photographer, Alexis, became instant besties and we had lots of fun wedding day adventures together. For a whole year Regina was my primary assistant, helping to fluff wedding dresses, carry gear, manage family portrait request lists and keeping me on schedule for wedding days. I also started training her to second shoot during this time, knowing that she wanted to grow into this role.

When our dear friend, Alexis, moved overseas, Regina stepped into second shooting. She has been with me for almost every wedding day over the past year, so at this point she almost reads my mind before I even speak!

I love that photography has brought about so many friendships in my life. I would have never dreamed that saying “yes” to something that I wanted to say “no” to would be so fruitful!

Regina recently helped me out with Christmas mini sessions and at the end of the afternoon, I squeezed in some portraits of her with her sweet boyfriend, Ian. I had the BEST time photographing these two and the light was BEYOND DREAMY!

Since this is Thanksgiving week, I thought it the best time to share my favorites from this session because Regina is definitely someone that I’m thankful for! She helps me serve my clients well and does so with a joyful spirit! I’m so glad I finally got her in front of my camera for more than just a light-test shot!