~~~ St. Patrick's Day Contest Winner ~~~

Alright - it's time to announce the St. Patrick's Day contest winner.
And the winner is...



In case you missed the contest, it was posted here if you want to take a peek at what she won. And this is Shannon's blog if you would like to check it out.

By the way - I'm heading to Mexico bright and early in the morning for a wedding. So...if you need to reach me it is probably best to email. I believe I will have a wireless connection available while I am there. This is a short trip though, so I will be back Monday.

Want a postcard from Mexico?

If so, just email your mailing address (jill@jillhiggins.com) to me or post it in the comments section below. I'll send one to the first 5 people that respond. :)

Matt & Andrea - Wine Tasting at East Bay Meeting House

After my session with Daisy and Ben, I planned to meet Matt and Andrea and head out to the beach. They enjoy wine tasting so I had packed some Charleston wine from Irvin House Vineyard to take out to the beach for them. But - as mother nature would have it - the weather did not cooperate. It was not a problem though because I had a back up plan to go to O'hara & Flynn. And it was a good back up plan until I got there and realized they were closed. Thank goodness I'm always early. I remembered my favorite little coffee place across the road has a cute, cozy little bar in the back, so I headed that way. I went straight to the bar to plead my case to the nicest man who just happened to be the owner. He was so kind and set up a wine tasting for them, and everything was just perfect. So...be sure to check out East Bay Meeting House when you're downtown and say hi to Robin Kattas (the owner). He says that they sometimes have private parties there too - so be sure to contact them if you need a place for cocktail hour anytime. They are located at 159 East Bay Street, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

You can see their slideshow here.

Robin was fun to spend time with. He had something in common with Andrea and Matt because he is from NYC. Andrea and Matt met when they both worked at the weather channel there, and they are coming to Charleston for a destination wedding.


Andrea & Matt also got to sample a yummy cheese and fruit plate...


Cheers to not your typical photo session! :) ha


After Andrea & Matt had sampled several wines, we headed out to take a few pics around downtown. Unfortunately, we only had a few minutes before the sky darkened and raindrops began falling. I love the look of happiness and the smile on Andrea's face in this shot...


Sweet...


Hmmm...

Just for laughs, leave me a comment and tell me why you think Matt is checking his watch!

Daisy & Ben - Movie at the Cistern

Yesterday I finally got to meet two sets of clients from out of state. Both were in town for the weekend to take care of wedding details, so I was able to squeeze in sessions with each of them after I returned from my trip.

Daisy and Ben brought their really cute dog (Ziggy) with them. I met them at the Cistern at the College of Charleston because they were interested in getting some photos with muted colors in the background. I brought a movie that Daisy likes for them to watch. Okay...I know...they couldn't really sit and watch a whole movie for a photo session, but I thought it was a fun way to get started. If nothing else, I could get Ben laughing about what a weird photographer they have! :) ha

You can see their slideshow here...

Everything one needs for a movie - popcorn, twizzlers, and chocolate!


Ben was really getting into the movie, but I eventually had to make them them get up and walk around. lol


The Cistern is a beautiful spot - Daisy attended CofC in her early college years.


Awww...so cute together.


And this is Ziggy. She was really into the movie food.

Fashion on the Farm

While I was home I photographed Syndey, Mitzi, Janna, Lanier, and Jade wearing cute, spring clothes from Ally B - a great store in Thomasville, GA. I also managed to get a few photos of Alex (the owner of Ally B). You can sign in to see all of the photos here.

This is Alex. She looks great in blue, huh?


Mitzi and Janna modeling jackets...


Syndey, Jade, and Lanier model outfits in front of a cool, old building.


Sydney...







Lanier...





Jade...

And a couple more of the girls...

Riley's One Year Photos at the Farm

Riley is almost one, and she is so cute! Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking photographs to mark her birthday. I went to her home which is is way out in the country down a beautiful dirt road. She is a lucky girl to have such great parents and so much room to grow and play. You can see her slideshow here.

This is Riley by a cool, old washing machine...

Love that laugh...

As you can see - Riley is a big help on the farm!

Playing peek-a-boo in the wagon...

She is so cute that it's hard to choose a favorite! Which one do you like most?

St. Patrick's Day Contest

I'm leaving Monday morning to go to Georgia, and my phone never works as it should when I'm there. So... if you need to reach me, it is probably best to send me an email. I have some photography work to do while I'm there. One shoot will be taking pictures of Riley who is soon to be one year old. And the other shoot will be a spring/summer shoot for Ally B Boutique in Thomasville. It should be lots of fun, so I'll post pics as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I thought I would leave you with a CONTEST. I love St. Patrick's Day and found some cute (and funny) things on the Spoon Sisters website. Here are the prizes...

Who hasn’t searched for that elusive predictor of good luck, the four-leaf clover? Why search? Now you can grow your own good luck. In this kit you’ll find a 32 page book of clover facts and trivia, clover seeds and a peat pellet. Simply use the box bottom as a planter and within10-14 days your clovers and good fortune will be coming up all over.

Here’s a way to radically change the way you speak and make everyone think you grew up in Dublin. Works instantly…just one quick spritz activates invisible language receptors in the mouth. You’ll get a flawless accent and great taste too! Okay, true it’s all “blarney” but definitely guaranteed to activate tons of laughs!

***** CONTEST DETAILS *****

Want to win these fabulous prizes? Just leave a comment by clicking on the link below. One winner will be chosen at random on February 26th. Good luck!

~~~ Veronica's Night Out ~~~

Tonight I met my photographer friend Lea, her daughter Veronica, and a few of Veronica's friends for dinner and a movie. Veronica is newly 12 so we needed to celebrate.


me, Veronica, Lea

We had dinner at Hatchell's - a tapas bar in Mt. Pleasant.



This is Veronica (a.k.a. Birthday Girl). Isn't she cute?



And this is her four-armed friend Kristen. :) ha

Veronica worked her magical birthday powers to shrink her friend down small enough that she could lift her.

I knew there was a reason I like Veronica so much - it must be because she likes to do goofy things with the camera as much as I do! :)



Ally, Veronica, Kristen, & Anna...



Happy Birthday Veronica!

Karol's Bridal Session at the Cistern

Today's bridal session didn't involve a "dress trashing" :) because Karol's wedding is not until April. So...we had to keep the dress clean, but we did get some beautiful shots at the Cistern. I'm looking forward to the wedding! You can see Karol's slideshow here.











Doesn't Karol make a beautiful bride? :)

14 Reasons to Trash Your Dress In the Woods!

If you're wondering why we're "trashing dresses," be sure to read the post below this one! :) We went to Wormsloe Historic Site to shoot among the beautiful oak trees, in the woods, and yes...even in the marsh!

This is Dacy...














This is Ally. She is AWESOME! Not only is she a great model, but she also designs really cute clothes, purses, etc.















What do you think? Would you trash your dress?