Hi.  I'm Alaina!

​Random things about me:

I wasn't born in a barn but I swung from its rafters on my parents' farm in Ohio.  I was raised by the Knights who say "Ni", an artist, a farmer/politician/writer, and PBS.  I had a line in a play in elementary school that I'll never forget because I was so terrified: "I was so tall, it rained on me 15 minutes before anyone else"....that turned out to be true once I reached high school.  People also always thought it was flooding by how I wore my pants.  I was SUPER popular.

​I met my husband in a barn...weird, we keep coming back to that.  We got engaged on a hillbilly beach with a lovely gentleman shouting "Git 'r dun!"  True story.  When we got married, I told my husband I'd have all ten thousand of his babies.....we have now decided 3 is more than enough.  I drive a mini van. Never say never.

​I have a master's degree I don't use but an education that has served me well.   I worked at UNC in Housing for 7 years until my second giant baby was born.  (I asked the nurse if the scale was broken)  I've lived in North Carolina since 2006 and have a beautiful little lake behind my house. So far, no one has fallen in. (Well, now the dog has and he was less than pleased.)

I started this crazy business in the fall of 2014 because I'm not a good stay at home mom.  My kids are cute, but insane.  You'd think they were raised in a barn....

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Why Photography?

I crave learning, creativity and even as an introvert, I crave people.  Not in the zombie/brains way but the kind of craving that makes me want to be a part of others lives....even if that's just behind a camera helping them capture memories. I'm self-taught and look forward to learning more as I go through this crazy business. I love looking in the back of the camera knowing I've captured "the shot" that you'll have on display in your home or share with family and friends. 

My Philosophy

Every time I break out my big camera, my kids will either want to be cheesy and silly for the camera, or they'll run and hide.  It never fails that "the" outfit I wanted them to wear gets a grass stain as we are walking out to get set up.  And now, there are more of them than there are of my husband and I so I usually prep my husband a couple days in advance of when I'd like to get some family shots or pictures of the kids.  Getting pictures taken is stressful!!  I get it!!  You have all these expectations of what will happen, how the kids will act, and how the photos will look.  My philosophy is; You focus on me and make sure you're ready for the shot, I'll worry about the kids.  They will NEED to run and play and be silly in order for that "perfect" shot to occur.  It may not end up being a stock-photo pose, but for most of us, that's not how our families are in real life anyway.  If you are relaxed and having fun, the kids will have fun too.  I always enjoy myself during shoots and hope that by letting your kids' personalities shine, you will too.  "THE" shot will happen and I'll be sure to capture it and many others for you.