Weekend Update || Wrapping Up my 2017 Wedding Season

I am SO excited to have wrapped up my 2017 Wedding Season this past weekend! I LOVE my job, but look forward to a break, especially after the busy season and it's been almost two months without a weekend off! 

On Friday, I second shot with the oh so talented Lindsay Fauver at Stone Tower Winery! It was SO beautiful there! I just have this shot I grabbed with my cell phone, but someone please hire me to shoot their wedding there! So stunning!  While we were in the Leesburg area, we hit up the outlets and enjoyed some family time away! I love little getaway trips like this where we can spend some time together as a family! AND I'm super thankful for Michael driving us home after the wedding so I can be well-rested and ready for my Saturday wedding! 

Then on Saturday- oh my goodness Saturday! My last wedding for the year! It was everything I needed the end of the season to be! The sweetest Bride & Groom, a unique wedding & everyone having such a blast! I cannot wait to share the blog post from this one!! 

We're still not in the clear for busy season, and we've got lots and lots to share coming up! But yay for weddings wrapping up for 2017! 

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Lynchburg Family Photographer || The Offield Family

I cannot believe we're a week into November and just now hitting the peak of the fall colors! I'm not complaining though- it's so gorgeous- I just wish we could keep it around just a little bit longer! ;) 

I am so excited to share some photos from the Offield Family's Photo Session! I loved photographing them previously and that they made getting updated family photos done while they were in town! Krista ran the Mountain Masochist 50 miler the day before AND she freaking got first place. So, how she was standing the next day is beyond me, but she was there and looked amazing and wearing heels! Can we say super woman here? 

These kids have grown up SO much since I last photographed them, and oh my goodness did they have me laughing!! You know with all those boys there were some potty jokes mixed in! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg & Charlottesville & surrounding areas.  

Ashley is currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2018.  Find more information here, or contact us with any questions! 

Motherhood & Small Business || Series Returning!

I get so many questions about balancing Motherhood and running my small business! And, many of you know this is something I am super passionate about! One of the reasons I work so hard with my business is because I know first-hand how hard it was for me and my family when I worked full-time in the corporate setting.  I never want to take for granted that I'm able to do something that I absolutely love AND I'm able to help support for my family, and show Emerson that working hard and following your dreams pays off! 

It's been a while since I've written on the topic, but I'm excited to be bringing back my Motherhood and Small Business Series! It's so hard to balance being at home for work, actually getting work done, the housework, and being able to be present with my family. Turning off the computer and phone screens can be difficult. I work so hard to create systems within my business to ensure this, and I can't wait to share things that have worked for me, and things that haven't.  

So, if you have any questions or things you'd like to talk about- let me know! I'd love to chat through things! I'm planning on talking about being pregnant in the middle of busy season, surviving morning sickness and weddings, and seasons of hustle vs rest.  

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Why I love PhotoMechanic || Lynchburg, Virginia Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Super quick post here today- but I've talked to SO MANY photographers lately that have never used PhotoMechanic! I rave and rave about this program and thought if I know so many here in Lynchburg locally, there must be so many other people too! 

PhotoMechanic has literally saved me hours of time back in my workflow. I used to just load and cull in Lightroom as I was editing, and really had no idea how much time it was taking me! It takes 7-12 seconds per image to load the RAW files in lightroom- which really adds up when you're talking about sorting through thousands of images from a wedding! 

I use PhotoMechanic strictly for culling my images. Culling is just the basic process of looking over all of the photos that you take during a session or a wedding and choosing which ones to keep, and which ones to get rid of if someone is blinking, sneezing, my flash didn't go off, etc.  

PhotoMechanic loads the photos super fast and in a JPEG format so you can see the photos in focus quickly, and they aren't quite as flat, which can help! It's a one-time fee, but worth every penny! Hope this saves you tons of time!! 

A trip to Lake Kerr || A personal post

Oh man! Weekends off can be SO nice and relaxing- ESPECIALLY in the middle of busy season! It's an extra treat to have some time off when everything else is so busy and booked! We were SO excited to head out to visit some friends and family at Kerr Lake in Clarksville, Virginia! I shot their sons wedding out in the area at the MacCallum Moore museum a few years ago and haven't been back to visit since! It's such a beautiful area! 

We lucked out with some decent weather- it wasn't too cold- but not too warm either! We bundled up and rode on their boat, had a campfire and a picnic on the beach, ate s'mores by the fire pit and looked at the millions and millions of stars! It was a great little getaway for a short weekend! 

I left my camera at home for a much needed break, but grabbed a few photos on my cell phone!