Rachel Smith Photography

Crumley Homecoming

2012-02-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Chuprevich's

2012-01-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

The Ferguson's {family 2011}

2011-11-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

Ryan, Stefanie & Makayla

2011-11-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

Kristin & Paul {maternity}

2011-10-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Kristin and Paul are expecting their first child, Caleb in just a few short weeks. Kristin & Paul were SO much fun to shoot with. I've known Kristin for a lil bit now and she is such a sweetheart! Her husband, Paul, who is a Marine, was also very cooperative with taking creative pictures - he was a lot of fun as well! :) {which guys aren't always so into the pics so it was nice! ha!} I tried out a new idea I had about creating an ABC Photo book for them so there is MUCH more pictures of them to look at on my Facebook page. I'm going to make them into a book for them to read to Caleb and I'm super excited about it! So head over to my Facebook page and check out their ABC Photo Book pics HERE! {<----yes, just click that and it will take you to it, simple right?}

Michael & Katie Distefano - OHIO Wedding

2011-08-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

So, this wedding got a little "spoiled" as I put quite a few more previews up of their wedding than I do for my clients. However, Katie Cramer {now Distefano} is like a little sister to me. I have been best friends with Katie's oldest sister Nicki since 5th grade, so I have spent many a nights and sleepovers at the Cramer household. They are like my 2nd family - literally...and I love them all to death. So when Katie asked me to shoot their wedding, of course I was thrilled! Michael & Katie had a great wedding and it was a lot of fun to shoot. Michael is one of the sweetest guys you will ever meet and treats Katie like the princess she is. :) Photographing this wedding and seeing these two amazing families come together only made me realize how thankful I am to be so close to such a great family. Hope you enjoy some of the previews! :)

Reese Family

2011-07-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

This colorfully dressed family was so much fun to photograph! Everyone was gorgeous and the colors they chose were bright and fun! The kids were thinking of ideas for pictures and enjoying the shoot to the fullest. So glad I was able to photograph this beautiful family!

The Baucom's

2011-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

This family was a blast to photograph! Susan had contacted me before and told me all the cute little details about the children: Piper, Elliot, and Penelope! {cute names to match the cute kids!} As you can see in the photos, the children were all smiles which made them super easy to photography! Susan and her husband were all about getting involved and doing things even like jumping to make their pictures fun! They sure did great and I'm so glad to have gotten the opportunity to meet the Baucom family and photograph them! Hope you enjoy some of my favs from their shoot!

New Facebook Fan Page - PLEASE RE-JOIN!!!

2011-07-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to join the new Rachel Smith Photography Page!

Thank you again for your continued support!!!!

NEW BUSINESS NAME: Rachel SMITH Photography [I got MARRIED...YAY!]

2011-07-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

So, as hopefully most of you know by now, I recently got married to a wonderful man. With that change means NEW BUSINESS NAME! YAY! :) [I'm pretending to be excited because while it is exciting, it is actually a TON of work and a lot of little things to re-check and go over to make sure everything is changed correctly and that I didn't miss a change anywhere! haha Whiiiiich I probly did so hey if you see any misses, feel free to point them out! haha] Anyways, this is by far the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. Not a lot of people know about my past situation and what I have went thru in the last few years; but those of you who do, know that I never thought I would be able to get out of my situation and get help and recover as much as I have. I never thought I could not only heal and grow stronger from the situation, but to find someone as amazing as I have after the fact. God blessed me with a man who not only is worthy of respect, is loving, caring and much MUCH more; but also supports, respects, and loves me and everything that I am and that I do with his entire being. I truly didn't know that a love and a marriage could be this wonderful! God blessed us beyond what I could have ever thought and I am SO SO SO thankful! I could go on and on about this haha, but just know that those of you who have been here to show love & support thru everything, I appreciate it more than any of you will ever know. Just thought I'd post some personal pictures of the new addition to my life. :)

Hunter {My Marine} playin' his guitar

Us with our closest friends who have supported us 100% along the way....we love you all!

Hunter & I in front of an AAV {the vehicles he works with}

These three photos above were taken in front of his families house in Mississippi

One of our first dates :)

Ya, he's crazy like me ;)

Spending a day at the beach before he deployed

Hunter & Rachel

AGAIN - THANK YOU to everyone for being there to support us and love us! To all my fans, PLEASE help with the new changes and don't forget to join the NEW Rachel SMITH Photography Facebook page Rachel Smith Photography's Facebook!

Brae's 1st Birthday

2011-07-11T17:05:00.001-07:00

Addelyn Mae

2011-07-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Golliher's

2011-05-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

Lauren contacted me to get photos with her husband before he deployed. He is in the United States Marine Corps and deploys in the next couple days. I had such a great shoot with this beautiful couple. They are so in love and it was so awesome to see their love for each other. I didn't even have to tell him to gently kiss her and hold her face, it just came naturally! :) We all went to lunch after our shoot and they paid! ha...thanks Golliher's - I hope you enjoy the preview of your photos!

Graichen Homecoming

2011-05-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

After being apart for 9 months - the Graichen family is reunited! This family are personal friends of mine and I was honored when Jill asked me to shoot Ian's homecoming. I am so happy Ian is home safe and sound and am so thankful for his service to our country and for his and his family's sacrifices they make every single day. Welcome home Ian, we love you Graichen family!

Baby Addie

2011-01-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ferguson's Fall Family Shoot

2010-12-06T19:36:00.001-08:00

Miss Gracie's Mini-Shoot

2010-11-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Austin & Megan Robins

2010-11-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Jon & Meghan Kolar

2010-11-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

I've known Meghan since my freshman year at college. We became great friends throughout our college years and spent many great times together. I enjoyed watching her fall in love with Jon. I remember when I picked her up from the airport from going to meet Jon's family for the first time and she told me that she KNEW he was the one and that she just LOVED his family. That was just something that wouldn't come out of Meg's mouth normally so when I heard her say that and saw the look on her face, I knew it too! I'm so happy for Meg that she has found such a great guy like Jon. Jon - you are seriously one of the luckiest guys on the planet because Meghan is not only gorgeous - but an amazingly beautiful person on the inside. Meg did so much for me throughout the years and I was honored when she asked me to shoot her wedding. I hope you enjoy some of my favs from their wedding day! :)

Mr. & Mrs. Kellison

2010-10-28T20:36:00.001-07:00

A very cute couple that got married on Topsail Beach this summer....Stephanie was such a joy to work with! I loved the laid back beach atmosphere of the wedding! Her bright colors were very fun and they made me tear up a little bit during their first dance...so sweet! :)

Anthony & Heather McCormick

2010-10-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Katie & Michael - Engagement

2010-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

HunterBean

2010-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Baby Braelyn

2010-09-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Stevenson's

2010-08-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Vance's

2010-08-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Slagle's

2010-08-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Brkic's

2010-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Michelle Reese - Bridals

2010-08-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

It's about time that I'm able to put these up! We took these a few months ago when we shot Ian & Michelle's engagement shots. However, I couldn't spoil the fun and post the pics of the bride prior to the wedding. Ian & Michelle were married last weekend so congrats to them! I will be working on their wedding photos and posting them as soon possible but for now, here are her bridals.

Crothers' Homecoming

2010-08-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

They say there is a first for everything and well, this was my first deployment homecoming shoot. It was such a special moment and I was so honored to be asked to shoot this special event. I am excited for the future homecomings as they are some of the most beautiful moments to be captured on camera. This was the most beautiful thing to shoot. Brittany was awaiting her husband's return from Afghanistan. As you can see in the picture it was an emotional event. Congrats Brittany on your man coming home and thank you to Charles for your service! :)

The Needham's

2010-07-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to take photos of the Needham family. It was their daughter Stella's 1st birthday and let's just say she had THE CUTEST little outfit on for her birthday (as you can see) Even her little bloomers said "Birthday Girl" on them. SO cute! It was so easy to edit these family's picture because they are such a good looking family! It was so nice working with them and it was so much fun taking photos of such a happy baby with such beautiful eyes! Here are some of my favs!

The Moulds'

2010-07-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Moulds' family was such an easy family to capture. They were all very beautiful people inside and out. They were all so kind! (even the cute little dog!) They were vacationing in Topsail Island and I was super excited to capture their family photos during such a fun time of their year. (vacation!) Here are just a few shots from the day.

Tim & Rayna Brandt

2010-06-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Tim & Rayna's wedding was June 5th, 2010. When I arrived at the ceremony site on Liberty University's Mansion site, it was beautifully set up outdoors along with the outdoor reception. However, about 20 minutes before ceremony time, the sirens came on announcing a severe thunderstorm warning and talks of a tornado! Everyone was rushed into the mansion and we all waited in there until the storm calmed down. We then transfered over to the banquet area of Thomas Road Church and had the ceremony/reception there. I have to say that Rayna handled everything SO well and had SO many people there to help with everything. All in all the day turned out great and everything went well. Unfortunately due to the storm we weren't able to get as many pictures outside but still managed to get a few. Here are just a few from the day!

Ian & Michelle - Engagement

2010-06-20T18:12:00.001-07:00

I got to shoot the engagement and bridal shoot for Ian & Michelle. However, of course I can't show Michelle's bridal pics yet until post-wedding! :( So these will have to do for now. We went all over Lynchburg to get some different shots of Ian & Michelle. They were great sports in dealing with the climbing around and the HEAT! It was SO hot that day! Ian & Michelle are two of the nicest people I've ever met. I have known them for a couple years and I remember when they first started dating I just knew they were meant to be. They were and still are the cutest couple! While we were shooting, Ian even went over and picked Michelle a flower and hid it behind his back and walked over and gave it to her. How sweet! Ian is a great guy for Michelle and Michelle is such a fun girl. I know they will make a great husband and wife to each other! Congrats guys! Can't wait to shoot their wedding in July! :)

The Kennedy's

2010-06-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

This wedding soooo much fun! Let me just say that this bride & groom definitely has some fun friends. Everyone was out dancing and having a good time. The reception was full of dance offs and such which made for very entertaining pictures. I couldn't post them all their were so many but there were some hilarious pictures for sure! The wedding was also absolutely beautiful. It was outdoors at Radford University. The bride was SO awesome to work with and the groom was awesome as well! I had a great time at this wedding and am very glad I got to meet two awesome new people! Congrats Kennedy's!!!

Riley Family

2010-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I was so honored when I got the email from Christy asking me to take their photos. Her and her husband had been trying to have a baby for 7 years and were finally able to have baby Gracie. She is a blessing in their life and it is so clear in the photos and after meeting the family that they are wonderful, well-deserving parents to the beautiful baby girl. These are some of my favorite shots from the Riley family shoot. We did the shoot outside their vacation condo in Surf City, NC. It was a windy day on the beach but we still managed to get some great shots.

The Jackson's

2010-05-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of shooting the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson last weekend at The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The place where the ceremony was held was absolutely gorgeous! The campus was just amazing! Unfortunately it rained a little bit but we were still able to get a few outdoor shots. The bride, groom, and family were all so welcoming and kind and I had a great time shooting this wedding! Catherine was such a sweet bride to work with and I'm so happy that everything worked out so well on her special day! Congrats to you both Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. Thank you for letting me be a part of your day! Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the day.

Brian & Meredith

2010-05-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Brian and Meredith were SUCH an awesome couple to work with. They were so sweet and so in love! They met online which I think is adorable! They are so in love. Every chance Brian got he was giving Meredith a kiss! His face when he saw Meredith for the first time was priceless. They, along with their bridal party and families, were a blast to work with. Brian's dad was awesome! He played the COWBELL and had a whistle at the reception and definitely used them alot which I might add was HILARIOUS! :) Their reception was tons of fun and their location was just gorgeous! Their special day was truly an honor to capture.

Garrett Williams: LCA Senior

2010-05-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while I was in town shooting a wedding, I also had the opportunity to take a senior photo shoot of a Liberty Christian Academy senior, Garrett Williams. He did awesome at the shoot. He brought his girlfriend and mother along as well and so we got a couple shots not only with him, but with his girlfriend and him as well. The shoot went well as the weather was gorgeous last weekend. Here are just a few shots from his photoshoot.

William & Brittany Fix

2010-03-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to shoot the wedding of two very sweet people, William & Brittany Fix. Here are just a few of some shots from their wedding day. Brittany made a very beautiful bride and it was very exciting to see her gorgeous smile every time she was near William on their special day. They picked a very beautiful location for their reception and the beautiful hills of Virginia gave a beautiful scenery for picture. It was a pleasure to work with such a sweet couple. Congrats to the Fix's.

The Busse's

2010-03-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

I had a great time shooting the Busse's maternity shoot. These are just a few shots from our session. The Busse's were both such sweet people. Their son Grayson is due in a month and I am so happy for them. He is going to have one heck of a cute room to come home to! They had a fun blue wall in the nursery that we definitely took the opportunity to use in the pictures. I'm so glad I had the pleasure to meet the Busse's. Congrats to them as they begin the beautiful journey into parenthood!

UPDATES: Facebook Page!!, Referral Incentives, & Teaming up with Planet Beach!!!

2010-02-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

Ok so, I've got about THREE updates to give you all! :)

#1) PLANET BEACH TEAM UP - - - Check out the awesome flyer below!! Credit to my cousin Blair Vickroy, Marketing & Creative Director for Curb Records in Nashville, TN, for designing this awesome piece of work! I love it! Well, you are probably wondering what it is for - well, let me just tell you, haha....I'm very excited to announce that Rachel Wilson Photography is teaming up with Planet Beach!!! Planet Beach members will receive 10% off any Rachel Wilson Photography package and Rachel Wilson Photography clients new to Planet Beach will receive 3 Free Contempo Spa Sessions!!! (only specific locations apply - email me for details!)

#2) NEW 2010 REFERRAL INCENTIVES - - -Wedding Referrals which result in a booked date will receive their choice of either a $50 credit towards Rachel Wilson Photography or a $25 gift card to one of the following places: Target, Starbucks, Planet Beach, Best Buy, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, or Waterstone Pizza. Other referrals such as maternity, family, engagement, bridals, etc. will receive a $10 gift card to one of the places listed below.

#3) FACEBOOK PAGE - - - If you are just seeing these announcements, well you are a little behind, haha. Kidding...however, you could have seen them already on the Rachel Wilson Photography Facebook page! Click H E R E to go to our page...this way you can keep up on any updates from what is going on with Rachel Wilson Photography! Hope to see you join! :)

Anyways, I guess that is all for now! Thank you SOOO SOOO much to all of you that are supporting Rachel Wilson Photography so far! It has been so awesome to receive emails almost daily from new and former clients. I really appreciate all of you in helping me with all I have done so far! Hope you all have a great week! :)

The Spencer's

2009-12-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

These are just a few photos from the Spencer family Christmas photo shoot. This was on the day that Lynchburg got several inches of snow and it was very cold out so we couldn't take the outdoor shoot as planned due to the safety and health of the young one. However, they plan on doing some outdoor shots when the weather gets a little warmer so I'm super excited about that. :)

The Ferguson's

2009-11-28T22:25:00.001-08:00

It was a beautiful day for family photos in Jacksonville, NC. My best friend from 5th grade, her husband and their new baby, Hunter, wanted some family pictures for Christmas so we headed out to the beach. Jake is a Marine and is deploying around March of 2010 so Nicki wanted some pictures not only for Christmas but also so she could have some nice family photos to look at when Jake is deployed. Hunter did great and the pictures turned out well thanks to the beautiful weather!

The Phelps'

2009-11-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few shots from today's mini session with the Phelps'. They are newlyweds and wanted some pictures for some Christmas cards to sent out this year. We just had a short little session but we got the job done. :) Their dog Dixie is adorable and did super great getting her pictures taken as well! Enjoy!

The Slightham's

2009-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

It was an absolutely beautiful day for an outdoor shoot! Dustin & Jen wanted some family pics for Christmas presents for family so we went on down to Rivermont Park to take some pictures. They brought their dogs Chance & Samson along too, who did VERY well with the family photoshoot, haha. I love all the colors in the pictures - the leaves are really beautiful and Dustin & Jen look great in the pics!

The Chamberland's: Andy, Courtney, & Bauer

2009-11-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

So, I know there aren't many shots from this session, but poor little Bauer wasn't feeling too well that day and thought we needed to re-schedule :) so we just finished up a little early. He had a doctor apt. that day too so hopefully they fixed him all up and he's feeling all better by now. Here are just a few shots from the short session we had. There should be more to come eventually when we get a time to re-schedule to get some more shots in of the Chamberland Family. They truly are a beautiful family! I can't wait to get some more pictures of them when little Bauer is alllll better.

Anthony & Jayna

2009-11-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love the colors in these pictures! Anthony and Jayna are brother and sister. Their mother Bethany chose great colors for the kids to wear for this fall shoot. We did this shoot on Halloween day so the kids were pretty excited to finish up and go trick or treating! :) It was also a little sprinkly out, so we had to be quick with our shoot. Even so, we still managed to get some pictures taken quickly so they could hurry and go out and be an awesome Darth Vader and a rockin' Hannah Montana for Halloween.

Doug & Ashley Thomasey

2009-10-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Oh my goshhhh! I had THEE best time at Doug & Ashley's wedding. Seriously, this was the most fun wedding I had ever been to. It was SO much fun. I worked with Ashley at Waterstone so I had the privilege of already knowing her before the wedding. Doug and Ashley are two of the sweetest people I know and I was honored to be able to shoot their wedding for them! I went a little crazy on the dancing shots but I couldn't help it. Let me just say it was the most entertaining dance floor I have seen yet. The mother of the bride was out there almost the whole time which was awesome! Everyone at the wedding was so helpful and so much fun to work with. Thanks Doug & Ashley and to the Thomasey and Palmer families for allowing me to have such a fun time while doing my job. You guys made it easy! :)

Brock & Lauren

2009-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, soooo these newlyweds are absolutely adorable! I had a little trouble deciding which pictures to put on the blog of Brock and Lauren so I put up a ton, I know. They are just such a beautiful couple which made it very easy to take pictures of them. They are an awesome couple! Lauren student teaches at the same school as me and Brock played on the Liberty University football team. It was so much fun to take their pictures!

Nicki & Hunter

2009-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

I was excited when I heard that my best friend since 5th grade and her new baby boy were coming to Lynchburg to visit! It was so good to catch up with her and capture some beautiful moments between mother & son. Nicki's husband Jake is a marine. He is in training right now to prepare for his 3rd deployment. Nicki decided to have these pictures taken for Jake so that he could have some nice pictures of his family to take with him while he is away for so long. Before he deploys in April, when I see them again in December, we are going to be getting some family shots of Nicki, Hunter, AND Jake! :) I can't wait!