April Cole Photography: Blog

Oliver's Newborn Session - NC Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 21:15:00 GMT

Meet Oliver. This precious babe is my cousin's baby! He has a Peter Rabbit themed nursery, so it was a must to incorporate this cute bunny outfit I have in my prop stash. So glad to live close to this sweet family, so our babies can grow up together just like we did! :)

Kristina's Senior Session - North Carolina Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 19:42:29 GMT

I have apparently had a very busy year, since I see my last blog post was over a year ago! I'm sure all of you have as well! I spent a lot of my time this past year working on redesigning my business in order to better serve my amazing clients, and to offer some incredible products! I will post more on the great products I now offer later, but as a quick welcome back to my blog...here is one of my favorite sessions (that I did in Florida) that never got blogged! I have known Kristina since she was 6 weeks old!! And here she is for her senior session. She is simply beautiful, inside and out! Love you, Kristina!

Stephen Family ~ SW Florida Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:29:03 GMT

This trip to Florida was filled with me doing sessions for my sweet friends who I met at Hallmark so long ago. Hannah was another one I worked with back in my Port Charlotte Hallmark days. ;) Her and I became great friends and spent a lot of time together. It was so nice to have finally been able to meet her husband and family on this last trip! They were a great bunch, and our session was so much fun! Can't wait to see you again, Hannah!!

Harman Family ~ SW Florida Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:00:00 GMT

One of my favorite families! I met Krista while working at Hallmark about 13-14 years ago and we had SO much fun together. We had such a great team and I still remain close with so many of the Hallmark girls! We have kept in contact over the years, and last year I photographed their sweet girl Ellie. I got to photograph their whole family this time on the same beach we met last year! It was a perfect day, and Ellie was just as sweet and adorable as ever. Chris is a musician and performs at different locations all over Tampa and surrounding cities. Check out his band Charlie Hotel and "Like" his page here! I hope to see him perform sometime when I'm in Florida!

Williams & Howley ~ SW Florida Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:00:00 GMT

I met Jennifer and Kathy about 14 years ago (YIKES! That makes me feel old), when I started my first job at the Hallmark store! Hallmark was my life and once upon a time I wanted to own my own Hallmark Store. :) Jen became my store manager and Kathy was one of the first people I met there. Both people I looked up to very much. I am so grateful to keep such wonderful people in my life all these years later. It was so fun to see all of them and photograph their beautiful families. Here are a few of my favorite shots from our session on the beach!

Megan ~ SW Florida Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 03:53:28 GMT

I feel like every few months I am starting off my posts with - "Where have I been!?" Life gets a little bit crazy, and blogging ends up getting pushed to the back burner. I have a now 6 month old baby girl, and a 2 1/2 year old boy who keep me SO SO very busy. I am also blessed to continue to photograph sessions and events which are constantly keeping me busy as well with all of the editing. :) Earlier this year in the spring I made a trip to Florida to visit my friends and family and do some photo sessions. I got to photograph many friends and family...so this blog will start my Florida trip! Meet Megan. My beautiful and sweet cousin! Over the last couple of years I have gotten to photograph so many of my cousins, it has been wonderful! I will follow-up with more sessions from Florida over the next few days!

Miles' Newborn Session ~ NC Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 18:36:04 GMT

We have some very good friends who were the first friends we made when we moved to North Carolina! We lived in the apartment right upstairs from them in Durham. We were both at very similar places in our lives when we met, and continue to be. We have now known each other for over 6 years and ended up buying homes in the same neighborhood as each other! They purchased their home before us and introduced us to this little town and the beautiful neighborhood. We have now lived in our home for 4 1/2 years, and when we're lucky, we get to spend some time together. ;) They recently welcomed their 2nd sweet baby boy into their family and I was lucky enough to capture him at 8 days old. I have since done his 3 month photos, which are just as adorable! ;) I will post those later. For now...enjoy sweet baby Miles.

Catey ~ 2 Years Old! ~ Saxapahaw Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 02:59:15 GMT

Catey and I had a lot of fun during her 2 Year photo session. ;) She loooved all of the great fun things I have around my studio, and much preferred to play with everything else than have her photos taken. But she was a real cutie! We photographed her, snacks and all! :)

Kiki's Puppy Session! ~ Saxapahaw Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:00:00 GMT

I did my very first Puppy session in the studio when my sister was here visiting over Christmas. We had a little too much fun with her little pooch, Kiki. Kiki has more clothes and accessories than most children. She was super well behaved, and never tried to run off set! :) Isn't she sweet?

Chris & Samantha Maternity ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 19:18:31 GMT

Hey!!! Guess what!? I'm still here!!! You wouldn't know it by the lack of blogging I've done over the last several months...but I'm working on getting all caught up!! I had such a busy couple of months before my baby was born with traveling, sessions, editing, and a little baby planning in between. Once she was here, I spent many days doing her own newborn sessions (She had 10) ;) and actually getting them edited! (I've edited about 5 of the sessions). That is a huge accomplishment for me to actually spend the time to edit my own family's photos! I knew if I didn't do it right away, it may never get done. I went back to work very shortly after she was born, and have been back at doing sessions, editing, and trying to get some more personal photos edited before getting too busy again. With all that, I have been slacking on my website, and hope to get back into the habit of blogging more frequently.

I did Chris & Samantha's Maternity Session back in December!! I know.. Shame on me. They are dear friends of mine and it was such a pleasure to capture this special time for them, as well as their baby's newborn and 3 month sessions already! You will hopefully see those posts not too long from now. Until then...here are a few of my favorites from their maternity session...

Big News!

(April Cole Photography) — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 02:26:02 GMT

I have been missing in action here on my blog for a while! It has been an insanely busy past few months to say the least. Lots of fun business stuff happening (a new studio in progress), as well as my new baby girl arriving a couple of weeks ago! I will get caught up on some fun blog posts of sessions I've done over the last few months, but until then...here is a little peek at my new little one! A very Happy Easter from Myla, and a sweet photo of Myla and her proud big brother Kyler. :)

My Family :)

(April Cole Photography) — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 14:00:00 GMT

In late November, my husband had to take a trip to Korea for work and I told him to bring something back for our little boy. He came back with the cutest, softest little outfit, so we decided to do a little photo session of him in his outfit. :) My ever so talented hubby knows that I rarely get in photos myself unless he offers to take the camera from me, so he took a photo of me with my sweet boy as well. The same day, we attempted to get a nice family photo of the three of us. My Mom was in town visiting, so we went out to my favorite spot on the river, and she snapped away. About a gazillion photos later, we decided there must be at least one good one of the three of us to use for our Christmas card. We couldn't have had a more perfect photo...thanks Mom, for capturing a wonderful family photo of the three (four) of us!

Madeline's Newborn Session ~ Saxapahaw Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 02:12:23 GMT

Miss Madeline came to see me just a few days before Christmas for her newborn session. I just adored her every little feature. She has beautiful parents, so there's no question where she got her beauty from. She was the most content awake baby that I have had the opportunity to work with. It was so fun to capture her looking right at me! :) But as most babies do, she did eventually go to sleep for us to get those sweet little sleepy shots. ;) Congratulations to the wonderful new parents!

Odegard Family

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 14:00:00 GMT

Here is a little piece of me!! In October, my entire family and many members of my extended family all gathered in my hometown of Bemidji, Minnesota to celebrate my Grandma's 80th Birthday!! It's always rare to get my entire immediate family together at the same time. There are 6 of us in my family, and many, many more now with spouses and children! When the occasion presents itself, we like to take the opportunity to get some photos of all of us together. My parents basically live in 3 different states (that's right, just one set of parents, 3 states...grandkids started that one), my sister lives in Florida, my older brother lives in Minnesota, my younger brother lives in Colorado, and I live in North Carolina. Talk about spread out!! We had planned for someone to take our family photos for us while we were in town, and it ended up falling through, so I was able to talk one of my fantastic Aunt's into pressing the shutter button for me if I set up the shots. It wasn't the easiest or most ideal situation, but she did a great job, and we ended up getting a few photos of ALL of us together. I took several individual and family shots for my family, and my sweet hubby who has gotten amazing with the camera himself, was the photographer when I got into photos with my family, and my Mom also got in on getting some of these great shots. It was definitely a team effort, but we got the job done. :) Hope you enjoy this little personal post and peek inside of my family life! (P.S. I'm the one in teal with the tiniest baby bump - hardly noticeable at this point).

Hannivig Family ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 05:28:18 GMT

I met the Hannivig Family at the Haw River Ballroom here in Saxapahaw for their session. We got to explore some of my favorite areas, as well as find new ones along the way! Their little guy certainly made me work for my money, but we got some great shots out of it!! :) And congratulations to the three of them...baby on the way!

Privett Family Christmas ~ Saxapahaw Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 19:17:27 GMT

June & Georgia came back after just a few weeks from their newborn session to see me for their Christmas session!! I'm so lucky! The sweet baby girls were amazing...again! They were awake and happy during their session, and got a little sleepy by the end so we could get some more cute sleepy shots. Beautiful Mom & Dad got in a few as well!

June & Georgia Newborn Session ~ Saxapahaw Studio Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 14:00:00 GMT

Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the baby girls' newborn session! As soon as I found out they were girls (since their parents didn't find out their genders before they were born), I had to whip up some matching little hats and leg warmers! They sported them so well. ;) June & Georgia are the sweetest little angels and were so good for me during their session. Twins are so special, and I'm so excited to be able to capture these baby girls for the wonderful Mom & Dad. Congratulations to the new parents!!

Reese & Gracin ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 14:30:00 GMT

These little ladies had such fun personalities and we spent much of their session singing songs! Although I always work hard to get the cute and natural smiles out of children, I do love some good serious expressions as well! It gives a natural look that we always want to remember along with the smiles. :) These little cousins will be best friends forever.

Warshany-Baldwin Wedding ~ Asheville Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 14:00:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of photographing this wedding at a beautiful mountain-top property in Asheville! The couple lives in New Mexico, but most of the family lives here in North Carolina, so we enjoyed a destination wedding, and they had the reception a few days later here in Saxapahaw at the Haw River Ballroom. Everything was beautiful and just perfect. Congratulations to the newlyweds!! :)

Megan & BJ Maternity Session ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 20:04:34 GMT

Megan & BJ are pregnant with TWINS here during their maternity session we did a couple of months ago. We did the session out on their property where they also raise turkeys and more...and as you can see, the turkeys had to get in on all the action as well! They are such a fun and easy going couple and have since had their sweet babies!! They did not find out the genders until they were born, and to their surprise, they got two sweet baby GIRLS! :) Coming soon I will add a blog post of the babies' newborn session.

Kyler Cole ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 19:28:57 GMT

These photos were clearly not taken this winter. ;) This is my sweet boy Kyler over the summer when I took his 18 month photos. Just wanted to share a few favorites! The looks he gives me are priceless...as is the "No more photos, Mom!" shot.

Michela & Indi ~ Durham Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 20:12:20 GMT

This is the first session I've done with a cat, and it was awesome! I did not say easy....but awesome! ;) We went to Michela's apartment to do the session (we obviously don't want any cats running away), and I am so pleased with how this lifestyle session turned out. Michela and Indi are both gorgeous and they rocked the camera.

Chris & Gina's Wedding ~ Durham Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 20:02:48 GMT

Whew! What a whirlwind of a fall! In October I spent two weeks visiting friends and family up north in Wisconsin and Minnesota. After coming home for only 3 weeks, we headed over to Sweden for a couple of weeks to visit my Hubby's family! My now 2-year old got to visit his Pappa's home country for the first time and we all had a blast. Shortly after coming home from there we celebrated Thanksgiving, and a few days later had a little birthday party for my baby's 2nd Birthday. December is of course not the least busy time of the year, so we have been going going going around here! I have been doing some great sessions in between all of this craziness and hope to update more frequently on the blog!

Here are a few shots from Chris & Gina's Wedding in August! Yikes! I have a lot of catching up to do. ;) I update my business Facebook Page more frequently at this point...so if you don't see me here, definitely check out www.facebook.com/aprilcolephotography for the latest! :)

Facebook Free Session Giveaway!

(April Cole Photography) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:08:26 GMT

***UPDATE***

We have a winner!! Miss Hannah Stephen has won herself a free session with images! :) Congratulations Hannah! I look forward to our session!

Original Post:

I am running a giveaway over on my Facebook Page! Head on over to www.Facebook.com/AprilColePhotography to check it out. One lucky winner will receive a free one hour session including 10 high resolution digital files with print release as well as 20% off their print order from their gallery. I am even including newborn sessions in the giveaway which are actually up to 3 hours in length. (Newborns must be 14 days and younger).

To enter the giveaway, head on over to April Cole Photography Facebook page and "like"! Find the photo mentioning the giveaway (shown below!) and leave a comment on the photo in order to be entered. Winner will be chosen at random on October 30, 2013. To receive additional entries, you may share this photo from my Facebook page once per day until October 30, 2013. Thanks for playing, and good luck!

* No purchase is necessary. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Facebook. Free session will include your choice of newborn, children, family, maternity, couple/engagement, or portrait. Your session can be done on-location (within 25 miles of 27253 zip code) with up to 5 people, or it can be done in studio. (Newborns and children only for studio sessions). Events are not included in this giveaway.

Henderson Family ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 02:07:34 GMT

What a fun and sweet family! The Henderson's oldest son who just graduated from high school was scheduled to move across the country on his own for a job. We set up this session so they could have some nice family shots together before his departure, and he left just a couple of days later. I know they miss him dearly!

Alissa Portrait Session ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 18:34:54 GMT

My cousins decided to drive up from Florida for a visit this summer, and although the trip was short, we had a blast! I got to have a fun photo session with my cousin, Alissa, out on the river, and we even did some fun Mother-Daughter shots in the studio. They turned out beautifully! She is so photogenic, we didn't get a single bad picture...which makes it very hard to narrow down the best shots!

Kyler Cole 18 Months ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:40:23 GMT

My own sweet boy turned 18 months over the summer, and since I don't take nearly enough photos of him ;) I decided to do a special 18 month session in the studio! (I'm pretty sure he has the cutest smile ever). He even got to try his first lollipop.

Scott & Amy Maternity ~ Durham Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:04:40 GMT

Whew!! It's been a long time since I've posted on the blog! It's been quite the busy summer around here and I have a ton of sessions to add to the blog, so here's a start!

I had the pleasure of photographing Scott, Amy & Evren for their maternity shoot at Duke Gardens in Durham! Such a beautiful area. They have since welcomed their sweet baby girl, Cora, into the world, and she is sooo cute! Congratulations to the family!

Karla & Charley ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 03:20:41 GMT

What a fun story I have with miss Karla & Charley. While I was on vacation in Florida, my co-worker (at the other job) had tagged me in a comment on Facebook. Karla had asked about finding a photographer in North Carolina and Lela recommended me since I had done newborn photos for her adorable little Jaxon. When I saw the post that I was tagged in, I noticed that Karla had posted her question from Punta Gorda, FL - exactly the city I was reading it from! How funny, since she was looking for a photographer in NC where I happen to live! I love when things like this happen. It makes you realize what a small world this truly is. I contacted Karla and let her know the irony of me being in town where she lived (and where I am from). This happened to work out perfectly, because I was able to do headshots of her and her employees for her company in Punta Gorda, and when she came up to NC to visit her daughter, I was fortunate enough to do this awesome Mother-Daughter session for them. Love this new connection, and I look forward to doing more photos for this beautiful family! Their family friend also joined us for this session and we got some fun shots with her as well. Super fun session....these ladies just love each other and you can absolutely tell how much fun we had. :)

Chris & Gina's Engagement ~ Saxapahaw Photographer

(April Cole Photography) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 02:39:55 GMT

During Chris & Gina's engagement shoot, there was no doubt that love was in the air. They joked and laughed and smooched throughout their entire session. ;) I am SO looking forward to their wedding, coming up in just two short months!! Congratulations love birds!! ♥

Petroff Maternity Session

(April Cole Photography) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:27:03 GMT

Daniel & Katie were such a pleasure to work with. It rained (only lightly, thankfully!) during their entire session. I had the opportunity to do their session at a BEAUTIFUL plantation in Georgia called Pebble Hill Plantation. It's not fair that I don't live close enough to shoot here all the time!! I could have spent hours there. Of all the sessions I've done, this one holds several of my all time favorite shots I've taken.

Daniel & Katie have since welcomed their precious daughter, Olivia, into the world. Congratulations!

Darrell & Diana

(April Cole Photography) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:01:00 GMT

My Aunt and Uncle celebrated their 45th Wedding Anniversary this year!! What an awesome milestone for them. I had the honor of taking a few photos for them to remember always...and how amazing do they look!? Love you!

Farris Family

(April Cole Photography) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:21:02 GMT

My session with the Farris family had originally been scheduled at a park, and then it rained...for TWO days!! A reschedule wasn't possible - as I was in Florida for limited time, and it's so hard to get a group this large together at one time! We decided to do their session at their BEAUTIFUL home and make the best of the bad weather. I couldn't have asked for a better turnout for their session. The lighting was perfect...the children were cooperating and smiling, and we ended up getting some gorgeous shots right at their home. Large groups are not easy...but this family made it a breeze! And doesn't it look awesome when large groups are so beautifully coordinated!? Love it! Here are some of my favorite shots...

Robishaw Family

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:17:10 GMT

Malia was only 9 months old at the time of our shoot, and she did amazing!! Always smiling and happy. She is beautiful as can be....and you can see why with those parents! Malia is on my list of cute babies I want to take home with me. I don't think her parents want to part with her though. ;) There were so many cute photos it was hard to narrow down my favorites, but here they are!

The Kays & Barfield Clan

(April Cole Photography) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:34:03 GMT

All I can say is...what a fun family!! This group kept things fun during their entire session. I was thankful to have my lovely sister there as my assistant to keep little Kellen entertained...although, her dancing around with noisy toys proved to be more entertaining for the adults. ;) Whatever keeps them happy! I love that they were willing to do anything fun and silly that I asked...and those silly photos always turn out to be my favorites.

Chris & Nadia

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:51:15 GMT

I am very fortunate to have this lovely couple in my life. I have known Nadia since High School and we more recently have gotten into touch again. She is one of the people who have helped encourage me throughout my professional photography journey! She and her husband have been so supportive of me, my work, and my business, and for that I am so thankful! I had the opportunity to do this fun session for them during my time in Florida...and once again, we visited Boca Grande...by far my favorite place to shoot!! If I ever moved back to Florida, it would probably be to Boca so I could live amongst this beauty all of the time! :) Such a gorgeous couple...

Levi's Newborn Session

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:23:58 GMT

Oh my goodness! This session was by far one of my favorites I've done. Having a sweet, cute, cuddly, tiny baby didn't have anything to do with it I'm sure! ;) I could have not asked for a better newborn. He slept the ENTIRE time and let us move him, change him, pose him, cuddle him. What an Angel. Congrats to the new Mommy & Daddy!

Younger Family

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:23:42 GMT

I had such a great time with this family during our session in Jacksonville, FL. They were the first of ten sessions I completed on a nearly two week long trip to Florida. I definitely made my rounds through the state! Little Rylee was such a trooper, and let us change her outfits several times! :)

Lyndi's Maternity Session

(April Cole Photography) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:28:51 GMT

My brother and his wife are expecing their third child in June! I was fortunate enough to vacation in Florida the same time they were there, and got to do an 'early' maternity session for them! My niece and nephew kept things quite entertaining, and also gave us some of the CUTEST shots! ;)

Jesse Family

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:30:41 GMT

Bobbi has been a friend for a looong time, so it was such a pleasure to photograph her family. Mayli kept me running the entire time...including playing a few rounds of hide & seek! And little Madi is such a doll! :) I look forward to watching these little ladies grow over the years.

Yeiter Family

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:48:43 GMT

I have never met such adorable little girls with so much sweetness and attitude. I could just steal miss Emma...I loved everything about her. And she was such a poser! And little Layla - I would have to take her too. Who knew two year olds could have that much personality and attitude! She walked around with her hands on her hips and shaking her booty back and forth. She's TWO! I enjoyed every minute of this shoot. Love it when they keep me laughing! :)

Dayna & Bliss

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:36:52 GMT

Check out these beautiful ladies! I had the pleasure of photographing these two out on Boca Grande Beach in Florida. AMAZING scenery and beautiful models. What more could a photographer wish for?

Ellie!

(April Cole Photography) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:28:13 GMT

Meet Ellie!!

Her and I had so much fun during her session. I mean, just look at her! Who wouldn't have fun with that cute face!? She didn't think much of me in the beginning, (I'm not as cute), but after chasing her around for a while, she became quite fond of me!! She even delivered handfuls of rocks to me and found several other goodies to share. She is the sweetest little thing and such a delight. :)