couple

Matt & Emily | Richmond Engagement Photographer

Happy Monday! Wedding season is in full swing and I still have some couples I have yet to introduce you to!! Today I am introducing Emily & Matt, high school sweethearts that have been together for over ten years! As soon as we started their engagement session I immediately picked up on how comfortable they were in one another's presence. They felt at home with one another, which I personally find super romantic! We walked around Maymont Park in Richmond just chatting and getting to know each other. Matt makes Emily laugh and her quiet demeanor compliments his relaxed personality perfectly. They were adorable cuddling up to one another during our time together. I am so excited to see these two share their vows in just a few weeks and capture the celebration that follows!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200mm f/2.8l lens

Liz Cook is the owner and photographer behind sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Ed & Kat | Romantic Lynchburg Portraits

'Tis the week of LOVE! Chelsea and I have been churning out lots of fun things for you all for this week! I'll be posting Chelsea's first blog post here in the next few days and I'm really looking forward to sharing her heart with you all. In the meantime, I wanted to kick off this week of romance with an adorable couples session. I picked this one especially because I think the love between these two is completely contagious!! Katharine and I met when I worked at Lynchburg College a few years ago. I adore this girl. She is a graphic designer and so full of talent. I have high respect for her and her work (and I think that's saying a lot because I am kind of a design snob). She has won numerous ADDY awards and has been one of the only graphic designers at Lynchburg College for years. She is also an animal lover and has the sweetest heart towards her own pups.

When Katharine told me she was engaged I was so excited for her, naturally! Then, having the opportunity to meet Ed and shoot their engagement session made my heart grow even more fond of Katharine, Ed, and their relationship. I just love it when the heart of a groom simply says "Whatever makes her happy." That is love, you know? This is 100% Ed's heart. He lights up when Katharine smiles and they have the best energy when they are around one another. And she feels so safe with him. Gosh... feeling safe is something a lot of people take for granted. I think it is one of the most beautiful testimonies of love.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record on this blog. "I LOVE these two! They are so in LOVE and HAPPY and it's BEAUTIFUL!"

But you know what? They are. And it's true. It's true every time. And I really do get ridiculously giddy in the middle of sessions when I am able to zoom in close and see and FEEL their chemistry. I am sure I look so silly in my bursting-with-excitement-moments... but I can't help it. It's just pure joy, you guys. And this was absolutely the case during Ed & Kat's session. Of course now I cannot wait for their wedding in May!!

Okay... here are their sweet images! If you love them and you would like a couple's session of your own, check out the Valentine's Day date-night sessions I'm offering! Details here.

Happy Week-Of-Love!! We've got a handful of lovely posts coming at you this week!

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Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200mm f/2.8L lens

Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddingsfamily portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

2013 Interns: Meet Becker | #sincerelylizphoto

Internet, meet Becker.

Her real name is Kaitlyn but she goes by Becker. That makes her super cool to me. I always wish I had stopped being embarrassed by my middle name (Carter) and used it as my first name, too. (True confessions!) :)

Becker is laid back, intuitive, and artistic. She is a dreamer, a talented photographer, and super eager to learn. I am really looking forward to working with her this semester. She will be assisting me at some weddings as well as working on graphic design projects for me during our time together. I am so excited about all that she will be bringing to the Sincerely, Liz, Inc. team.

I asked Becker a few questions to help introduce her to you all. Please take the time to read her answers below and welcome her to the team!!

  1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be? I wanted to be some sort of performer or creator. I knew my life would not be boring. My mother sings opera, and my father is a photographer. My mother says that my interests were also "dramatic", from ballet and irish step-dancing, to opera and writing. I recall going through mountains of National Geographic magazines, cutting out my favorite pictures, and knowing right then that I was meant to be a storyteller through photographs. So, I decided to shoot for the mundane and be either a famous musician (I play the viola) or a National Geographic Photographer! You never know what God has in store....
  2. What do you do on your days off? On my days off I read, read, read! And I love spontaneous adventures in good weather like hiking, waterfall-jumping at panther falls, walks in the park with my boyfriend Josiah, and getting in shape at the gym! If I was back in my hometown, Rhode Island, I would be at the beach swimming everyday and enjoying clamcakes and chowder.
  3. Tell us about someone that’s an important part of your every day life and why he or she is important to you. Wow, narrowing that down is very hard. I'm going to have to say that Josiah Johnson is one of the most influential people in my life. I know everyone says their boyfriend is their "best friend." But he really is. He pushes me to try harder, and is incredibly supportive of my larger-than-life goals, always giving me great critiques on my graphic design projects and encouraging me. He is the goofiest person I know, with the biggest arsenal of character voices, funny accents, puns, and silly card games. I have learned to take myself a little less seriously (too many embarassing stories to tell here...) in the time I've known him, and to trust God in everything. He loves me the way I am, but continually makes me a better person with each day we spend together; The Mark of the good man.
  4. What is your favorite blog? I divide my blog-time pretty equally between a few, but I love my photography blogs! I love to look up the newest adventures on this National Geographic Adventures blog. My favorite was a Mongolian Horse Trek feature. I also check out blogs on old vintage cameras like Film is not dead. A few fitness blogs have been motivating me lately, too.
  5. What is your dream job? Oooh, thats a toughy. I'm still a little kid at heart and I want to do 5,000 different things. I would love to be a documentary photographer. I love storytelling, I love travel, I love being involved and recording what is around me. I did a documentary with The Festival Ballet Providence in Rhode Island and I fell in love with the story that was unfolding before me. Thats why I love National Geographic so much, because of their great stories through images. I have toyed with the idea of also owning my own photographic film darkroom in an artist community....a very small, but needed niche.

She inspires me so much! To be young again with the world at your fingertips... I just love her heart. :)

So, of course I had to do a portrait session with each of my interns..! (More to come later this week.) Becker's session was planned super last minute when the local weatherman began predicting snow in the forecast last week. We exchanged a few texts and ended up meeting in the corner of a parking lot for about 15 minutes the next morning to capture the pictures below. I just love how these came out and was jumping for joy that her artistic eye knew JUST what colors to wear with her porcelain skin against the pure white snow. So, so pretty!

I invited Josiah (her boyfriend) along for a few fun pictures at the end and was reminded, again, how passionate I am about capturing the love and chemistry between two people. You guys, I seriously snapped pictures of them for less than 4 minutes and look at the joy they instantly shared! Becker just lights up in Josiah's presence!

Such a fun semester ahead!!

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Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens

Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddingsfamily portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

My dear bloggy friends,

As the end of the year draws near, I’d like to extend my gratitude for your business and support in 2012. I feel so, so blessed to work with such wonderful people doing what I love. I will continue to strive to provide nothing less than the best photography and customer service to help you cherish your memories for years to come. Plans are already unraveling for 2013 and I am beyond excited to have another year to capture wedding and family memories and share them with you right here on my blog.

We also have grand plans to connect with you more in your email inbox, too. If you'd like to stay connected and receive emails from us, subscribe to our mailing list.

From our little team here at Sincerely, Liz, Inc. to you and yours: We hope your holidays are full of love and laughter and wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Sincerely, The Cook Family & The Sincerely, Liz, Inc. team

Chris & Hannah | Lynchburg Christmas Pictures

A few weeks ago I was aimlessly browsing the web in the middle of a work project and I came across a picture of a family at a Christmas Tree farm. I was super inspired and decided I wanted to shoot a session at a Christmas tree farm at that VERY MOMENT. So I did something I have never done before. I offered a free mini session to my Facebook fans. (If you're not a Facebook fan you are missing out!) Usually when I work with clients we discuss locations and styles that works for them, and looks that are most reflective of their personality or their family. But this time I wanted to have all the say. Of course, I would never insist on that with a paying client, so I offered this as a free session instead. A style shoot, if you will! Meet Hannah and Chris. Hannah's sister, Kelly, was actually the one who entered and won the giveaway. She gave it to her sister because Hannah was having a stressful semester in college and Kelly wanted to do something nice for her. How sweet is that?!

Chris and Hannah met up with me and brought their sweet pup along for a few shots as well. This session turned out exactly how I was hoping... the colors, the chill in the air, the love between the two of them and the sparkle of the setting sun all created a perfectly magical session. The only thing we were missing was some steaming hot chocolate! (Next time!)

If you love these images, it's not too late to have a session of your own at a local Christmas tree farm! Contact me in the next few weeks and we can hash out all the details! I would LOVE to shoot in the midst of the beauty of winter again!

Equipment used for this session:  canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens

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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddingsfamily portrait sessions and couple photography.

To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.