I first connected with Madeline in a world traveling photographers Facebook group. I was drawn to her photos, her style, and her vibe! I'm so stoked to we got to meet in person in Rome!! We explored my favorite neighborhood in Rome, Trastevere. It was a working class area of the city but now feels like a small, authentic, Italian village with cobblestone streets, tight alleys, plastered walls, vines crawling every which-way, bakeries and bars overflowing into the piazzas. It's such a cool place to explore! I love and respect Madeline and Sean's story so much! These PAers knew of each other through church, and Sean hung out with Madeline's dad first! I love that! They dated and knew after just a few months that this was it. They eloped in a national park with an intimate celebration and are now serving others through their work. I loved talking photography business, beer, Italian travels, getting married young, family, and life with these two wonderful folks. I love the boho and artsy feel of these frames and I hope you love these moments too! Thanks for visiting Rome, y'all! 

I love that I get to live in a place that lets me meet me meet new friends from all over the world! Regina is a talented photographer from San Fransisco, California. She has a heart of gold and in the most expensive city in the country, she offers fine art photography for an affordable price to all.  She has traveled all over the world but settled in California with her boyfriend Monty. The day was sunny but chilly and they braved the Rome winter with ease. "Do it for the Insta!" we kept reminding ourselves.  I loved exploring my favorite park in Rome with these two good  souls. Drew and I first walked this route on Thanksgiving and I loved the way the light streamed in through the trees that I hoped I'd be able to photograph a rad couple here! We met at the Piazza del Popolo and then climbed all the stairs up to an incredible view of the Roman skyline. The church at the top of the Spanish Steps to our left, The Vatican, The Supreme Court, Castle Sant'Angelo, and a sea of colorful buildings and church domes. We wandered into the adjacent 16th century park of the Villa Borgehse gardens and found hidden monuments like the Temple of Aesculapius and pond. I had the best afternoon with them talking about photography and life, and I so look forward to getting together again when Drew and I visit his brother in San Fran!  

I've known Leigh Katherine Bonner since she was itty bitty! She and my sister played soccer together and my dad coached their soccer team for years! On one of my trips home from Miami I even got to take pictures of my friend and her sister Allison and their new puppy! It got featured on The Daily Dog Tag! So I was so stoked when Leigh said she was traveling with college friend Niklas Sade. I bribed them with pizza and espresso to wake up early and adventure to the famous Roman sites while the streets were still empty. It was so amazing to see the Spanish Steps clear! The Trevi Fountain had a film crew so we couldn't get down all the way to the bottom, but it was a beautiful site. And when we arrived at the Pantheon the sun just started peaking out over the edge of the 125 AD temple. It was an awesome weekend hanging out and celebrating together! Leigh Katherine was just named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 as a Social Entrepreneur for her incredible, world changing work with her company Bee Downtown. This fourth generation bee keeper is  focused on building healthy, sustainable, honey bee communities around the world by place beehives on buildings. Read up about her amazing work and give them some love! Thank you for Roaming around the city in the morning with me! Come back and visit soon :D

Lenya and her husband take a trip every year to celebrate their anniversary, and they bring the kids along too!! This inspiring couple is celebrating year 5 with a trip to Italy before baby boy #3 joins the family! Lenya is a florist from California (check out her work HERE) and I'm always so humbled when fellow wedding vendors want to work together. We met at the Spanish Steps, found cute side streets and a Vespa, walked to the Trevi Fountain where lots of coin throwing ensued. Then we found our way to the Pantheon for a crucial gelato break and more water fountain playing. My favorite family sessions are when the kids can just be themselves so I can capture those perfectly candid moments. Lenya and Curtis are so go with the flow, positive, and amazing models for how to travel as a family. Tickles and swinging and racing are my favorites! I love that they value family photos so much, I mean how nice is it that they have non-selfies at these incredible landmarks?! I so treasured spending the afternoon with these incredible parents and their world traveling kids! ​

Drew and I had the best time with California model and stylist Miska! I knew it was going to be magical when she wanted to explore the boho neighborhood of Trastevere. It's an off the beaten trail neighborhood next to the Tiber River with gorgeous trees, vine covered alley, and colorful buildings with cobblestone streets. It shows off real and non-toursity Rome! Miska is traveling all over Europe styling photo sessions and modeling. She's a boxer, fashion alumni, from the prestigious Pratt Institute, and has a beautiful soul. It was effortless to work with her, even in the rain! Fall in Rome looked stunning on her! We wandered the streets with no real plan and would oooh and ahhh at every turn. Since she's a model and stylist and has experience videoing weddings, we had the same eye for light and framing. We'd both find an area and be like "YES!" It was an artists dream to flow together. I loved the way she floated and twirled and let the wind take her hair. After we explored this incredible neighborhood we ate gluten free pizza, talked about our hopes and dreams, and then we went biking! We biked through the Forum, up to Aventine hill, and along the Tiber. It was so amazing to become friends with such a warrior and Drew and I can't wait to visit her out in LA! Follow her work on her Instagram too! Thank you Miska for sharing your talent with me!

I was so excited when José contacted me on Instagram to ask about photographing around the Colosseum with his girlfriend, Yuli. He's from Chile and she's from Argentina. They're Instagram influencers traveling Europe and taking photos in all the iconic locations. Traveling together is such an incredible thing. You get to experience unique cultures, old history, and amazing food while also navigating a different language, getting around a new city, and balancing relaxation and adventure. My dad is from Chile so I was able to speak Spanglish and talk about Santiago and Patagonia where my family is. José lived in NYC where he was first discovered as a model so we related to being struggling artists and about favorite US cities. He also just won a big model competition, Mister Chile, and worked with Mens Fashion Week in Miami so we were able to talk about Miami Beach too! Such a cool and small world to have these connections!  They were a joy to work with. They were positive, curious, and go with the flow, my kind of couple! I loved showing them the Colosseum and capturing their love in The Eternal City. 

You can follow their travels on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/melalcalde/
https://www.instagram.com/yulicagna/ 

Thank you for a beautiful Italian morning photographing around Rome!

I don't even know where to start with these two. Burcu and I have known each other since we were 14 years old. It took until senior year of high school though for our life long sisterhood to cement. We traveled to Costa Rica together, along with Drew and a few friends, and served in a small beach community there helping local kids. We went to the same university and went through a lot of life ups and downs together. That's when you know a friendship is forever. We're there for each other in the valleys and there to celebrate the mountain tops. Her beautiful soul is kind, generous, and humor. Her open heart is full of determination, bravery, and healing powers. Her inspiring mind is justice oriented, full of light, and ready to make the world a better place. When Drew and I first met Will, we knew there was something special about him. He is humble, enthusiastic, and altruistic. Always a smile, always a plan to improve our planet, always ready to make B happy. They are the perfect balance, the perfect pair, the perfect match. Hands and action, sun and moon, breathing and living. The best example of this is how they both proposed to each other! Yup! Will proposed next to the gorgeous Saxapahaw River followed by a party with friends and family and Burcu proposed at the end of a Leslie Knope-esque scavenger hunt around the Triangle and Triad. Just the most thoughtful and romantic pair!!!

Robin and Alex met in Charlottte, NC in 2014 and on their first date at a brewery they talked until 1:30am. As they parted ways and Robin texted her sister, "I just went on an awesome date." After several significant steps together like getting a joint phone plan and moving in together, Alex proposed to Robin 3 years later. They celebrated their official union of beautiful weirdness in a backyard in downtown Apex in a friend's backyard. Full of roses and perfect for a party, cafe lights strung across the grounds illuminating all of their DIY decorations. Robin glowed in her fluffy and classic dress and Alex looked dapper in his branded suspenders. Their first look was priceless, their vows personal and hilarious, and sunset light perfect to capture their love. I knew this was going to be an epic celebration when Robin responded on the timeline form under the "Other religious ceremony" category with "Just drinking". The party did not disappoint. Their music was a mix of classic rock, oldies, indie, and current and not a foot left the dance floor. Drew and I were warned about a particular ritual that takes place at every one of their friend group's weddings. It involved a lot of shouting, touching, and love with R+A at the center of the mosh pit. It was a true joy to capture this wedding and document all these amazing moments. R+A instantly felt like friends and it was the perfect, welcome back to NC wedding full of warmth and joy. Thank you for letting us into your crazy awesome lives and we send so much amore from Roma! ​

Lauren and Garrett recently moved down to Durham and wanted to celebrate their engagement with a trip to the Eno River! Garrett works in biotech by day working with gene and cell therapy and in his off hours he's a professional angler! Lauren is equally as cool. She works with x-rays and loves greenery so of course we had to combine fishing poles and lush forest for their session! Lauren's mom even created a sweet sign for them too! Since Hurricane Florence had just rolled through, the mosquitos were absolutely terrible but they were troopers and weren't event phased. They survived a big move, hurricane, and hoard of insects an still are madly in love and full of cheer. I think they can conquer anything together!