Exciting news today!  Leslie and Chris were married at The Sanderling Resort and Spa, June 2007 and I’m happy to announce their wedding will be featured in The Knot Spring/Summer 2009 publication.  Take a peek…I LOVED Renee’s work.   Renee Landry , owner of Blooms, specializes in floral and event design on the Outer Banks.  Enjoy!

Melanie and Robert were married on the beach, just behind the Hampton Inn, their weekend get-away.  It was an intimate gathering of family and close friends.  Melanie’s father not only “gave her away” but he also officiated the ceremony.  Following some alone time on the beach with me, Melanie and Robert celebrated their wedding by having a dinner reception at Blue Oyster Point in Duck, NC.  Congratulations Melanie + Robert!

I am happy to present this new gift idea for those who enjoy my photography and have had recent sessions.  Please take a look and send a comment….my personal favorite piece happens to be smack-dab in the middle.  I LOVE  the 14k gold necklace with the name tags and image….it’s going to be my new piece just for me!!!  Again, I’d love to hear how my clients feel and if it’s something they would be interested in ordering for the coming Holidays.  It’s never to early to not think about that special someone.

This is the second feature of this wonderful family I recently photographed in Corolla, NC.  I really love having the chance to work with individual families….and to include the parents as part of the session.  Many times I hear parents say, “ah…it’s more about the kids and not so much about us.”  Well that’s fine…but in the end, I can’t help but wonder if the kids, as adults, are going to miss seeing their parents as part of the images when they were on vacation?  I hope I’m making sense. I’m always behind the camera so I rarely have images of myself playing with my kids….but those I do have, I cherish.

The Henze family has a special bond…they mentioned being high school sweethearts!

A huge thank you to Khara of Kabloom Studios and Brooke of Brooke Mayo Photography….Khara put together a wonderful article featuring the Photogirls Retreat that was held this past March at an oceanside cottage in Nags Head, NC.  A group of women photographers met and spent a week together….geeking out with their cameras, their laptops, their blogging “got to do list” and all the while sharing tons of helpful, supportive advice over a multitude of HOT topics within the industry…  In my professional career, I wasn’t prepared for such an event and I believe many othes experienced feelings of renewed energy and inspiration.  So much so that our 2nd Annual Photogirl Retreat will be on the West Coast, hosted by some fabulous Washington State photographers, Jena Murray and Michele M. Waite…….thanks to Whitebox Weddings, Sara + Mel, for hosting the first retreat.  It just keeps getting better.

And Artful Blogging did a fabulous job on featuring the event within the pages of their magazine….please see below and order a copy for more information & inspiration.

I had a great time with the Henze family.  I’ve selected a few favs to show…

Good morning everyone!  Currently my blog is down and has been down for a week….I am able to write and post text but not include images.  Vera with Photoidentities will be working more indepth with me today to see if we can fix the bug that has plagued my blog.  She has been so helpful and I can’t say enough great things about working with her.  I am anxious to make new posts….so thank you ahead of time for being patient.

If you are a bride looking for wedding vendors on the Outer Banks that will make your destination wedding complete and all that you want it to be….then I highly recommend you go to this website for local resources and ideas, www.outerbanksbeachweddings.com.

I will also be adding information on brides who can have Pilates Parties for their guests or bridesmaids during the week they are in the area.  Yes…a vacation is supposed to be restful but one hasn’t experienced a morning full of energy until they have started their day with pilates in an outdoor setting  that’s totally catered to the bride.  I have found this to be a fantastic energizer and Patti Waller is incredible at gauging the workout to fit the group.  She changes the routine to keep you interested and adds enough interest to keep you challenged but not feeling like “you just can’t go on!”  It’s quite the opposite….I have more energy and enthusiasm AFTER the class then I do going into it every morning.  So keep Pilates Parties in mind when you’re in the area.  Patti will either come to your location or you can go to Patti!

Warm regards,

Mary Basnight

There’s a new video I want to share….give it a look-see and tell me what you think.

Jen & Ken

Erin and Scott decided to have their engagement session at the Whalehead Club in Corolla, NC.  It’s a beautiful location and I think we could have played all day….  Eric and Scott selected images from this shoot and asked me to create a custom coffee table book that they could use at their wedding reception as a more personal Guest Book.  Family and friends were delighted by the surprise!  I included extra pages for the signatures and best wishes section.  Some of the images that filled the book are shown here: