Courtney Fries Photography

Move it along...

nothing more to see here!! That's because my FABULOUS new blog has arrived!! I'm so excited to unveil it :-) Theresa (who I have linked on the new site) did an amazing job and I can't thank her enough. I like to change my mind 800 times before deciding what it is I'm really aiming for design-wise, so she was so great about it!

So, update your blog readers, links, favorites...however it is you get here and set them to: HERE

This blog will remain in tact for awhile, as a means of referencing back to previous posts, but eventually will be brought over to the new blog in the weeks to come! This blog served me well, but it's time to move it along :-)

See you guys at the new site!!

~Courtney

Steven Curtis Chapman

I am just wrought with sadness over hearing this story. Check it out here: http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

Please pray for their family in this terribly tragic time. He has been such a source of light and inspiration for so many people in the world, it's time we turn that thoughtfulness to him in this time of need. Life is more precious than we often realize...here one second, gone in a flash.

One really great quote...

I ran across a quote today that just moved me...

It reads "A woman's heart should be so deep with God, that a man has to seek Him first just to find her".

Wow. I love that. How incredibly and utterly true.

I firmly believe that no relationship can survive the everyday stress and reality of life without God at the center. As life whirls around us, tossing anything it possibly can into our paths in an attempt to make us trip, stumble and fall on our faces, we need only to be reminded to reach "center" and know God is there. We are safe. Totally safe. If we place Him at the heart of our relationships, then the actual "workload" of a relationship is eased...non-taxing, actually enjoyable.

I have made this a priority in my marriage. I make an effort to discuss the Lord openly everyday with my husband and I can see him working in our lives...making us stronger as people and as a couple.

Great quote for you single girls out there looking...if you find a man who has found God first, then you will never lack happiness in your personal relationships. If you find a man who has found God first...chances are you've never been more at peace.

 ~Courtney

Meet: Mary

Hi Everyone!! Meet Mary! She and I headed downtown today for some fun in the late afternoon sun! It was so great getting a chance to photograph her finally...thank you for being such a kook! haha I love you! (click to enlarge) Oh and she's single! haha (GOT YOU!)

                      

Impacted

Tonight I was extremely impacted by a particular movie that I had never seen..."P.S. I love you" I am still awake at this unnatural hour, because I tried laying next to my husband, but horrible thoughts kept me awake and restless. As he and I layed on the couch earlier watching this movie about a woman losing her husband to a brain tumor at an incredibly young age, I looked over at my husband and thought "what on earth would I ever do?". He squeezed my hand tightly as we both were fighting back tears, because the thought of one of us having to exist without the other is just extremely unfathomable. Before I met Jonny, I remember watching "hollywood" romances and thinking to myself..."does that exist?" "I want that". I never imagined in all of my wildest dreams that I could have what I so often saw personified on the big screen. After going through a gutwrenching divorce, I swore off true romance and stamped it as unrealistic, sealed it and tucked the idea of it away. After my divorce and settling back into real life, starting over with just Piper and I, I could have never prepared myself for the incredible man I was about to meet. Jonny is more than anything Hollywood could muster. It is virtually impossible for me to put into words the type of man he is, the way we connect, how my words come out of his mouth just as I open my own to speak them for myself. I am baffled by what we have...I don't question it, I just thank God I found it. I know that people search their entire lives for this and often end up settling for what they believe to be "close enough" or "he's everything I want, but I wish he were more..." Those lines don't exist with Jonny. HE IS EVERYTHING I WANT. period. Laying in bed tonight, we both discussed what misery it would bring to have to lay our heads down on our pillow at night alone. How it would be difficult to function. How life would be immensely empty without the other in it. I couldn't hug him tight enough. Life is just so precious, isn't it? One minute, you think something is important in your life...then you have a brush with what "could be" and then all of a sudden what seemed important all of a sudden shape shifts into something petty and merely convenient. I can't say enough about my husband...what joy he has brought into my life and what he has shown me in terms of what it means to truly have found REAL, unconditional love. God has blessed Piper and I so deeply. I am so glad to have been moved by this movie...it really grabbed ahold of me and knocked me on the head. Hug your significant other super tight...be appreciative...take notice of what amazing individuals they truly are. Soak up every ounce of love that you share and relish the moments that God has been gracious enough to allow us to share with one another. They are gifts...precious gifts.

Cristina: Bride-to-be

  Today was one of those sessions that was just ultimately relaxed...the stars aligned, everything went amazingly well, we had a blast...you know, all that good stuff! I had complete creative freedom, a gorgeous bride and a very helpful and willing "mother-in-law-to-be" that assisted me during the shoot. Cris is one of those "AMAZING" brides that actually has one of these bridal sessions that require a little walking, sitting, and leaning BEFORE THE BIG DAY! She is the poster child for "cool" to all of us photographers out there!!  I am just so excited for Cris and Steve's wedding at the end of the month!! Thanks so much for today...I had such a great time and you looked absolutely gorgeous :) As always, click to enlarge :-)

 

FIRSTS...

Tonight was filled with side-splitting laughter from both my husband and myself. Piper had her first-ever experience at gymnastics...we were laughing so hard we couldn't contain ourselves. The image below with the red circle really sent us into a fit of hysterical laughter...the idea was for her to jump down the entire length of the trampoline with her two legs straight together and her arms in the air. She hit the trampoline wrong and went sailing into the air all discombobulated and my husband and I let out a giant roar...it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. I was so proud of her tonight...she did flips and the balance beam and the spring board and all sorts of awesome things. It's going to be so good for her! For those of you who know me...be proud of me too...I put aside my germ-a-phobia for 45 minutes and let her loose to be a little girl...as painful as that was, I did it for her and boy did she have the time of her life. I hosed her off when we got home with hand sanitizer haha...but I did it and so did she!! We love you Pip!! (click to enlarge)

 

Sneak Preview: Action Set

Hi everyone! I've been working on something new...an action set that will add a little something different to your images. They are fully adjustable and I'm really excited to see how everyone likes them. They are still in the work stage, but I thought I would at least give a preview of 1 of the actions. I'm still naming them as well...gotta get my creative wheels spinning. Anywho...here is 1 of the few to come! Let me know what you guys think!!

(Top Image) Straight Out of Camera / (Bottom Image: My vintage action w/ edge-burning & sharpening)

Blessed with another year :-)

Today Piper turns 4. I thank God for the many things over the past four years that I have been blessed enough to experience with Piper. Before Piper, I never really understood what it meant to be unconditonally in love with someone...how completely and absolutely overwhelmed you can feel when your child smiles and says "I love you"...that you can actually feel your heart swell inside of you. While CF has played a major role in our lives in the time since Piper's birth, sometimes it's just nice to sit back and think of Piper as any other child enjoying another birthday. I try not to riddle myself with questions of how many birthdays we will get to enjoy together, even though her birthdays are undeniably bitter-sweet for me. I am so overjoyed to see her grow and reach the same milestones that any average kid experiences...reading, riding a bicycle, writing...everyday she amazes me with some new talent that she has discovered and I am just overcome with awe at how brimming with life she is...she literally takes my breath away. I could not have asked God to bless me with any other child...healthy or otherwise...because it would not have been Piper. She teaches me things about myself that I never imagined I needed to learn...strength being the key ingredient in a pool of characteristics that makes her who she is. I am so honored to sit back and watch the chapters of her life evolve...to be a part of them...to be a witness to the wonders that God has already worked in her life. I know Piper has had a rough road...even for being 4...but there isn't a day that passes that I don't realize that it could be a great deal worse. God reminds me of that in my daily walk and it lends a certain peace...God is so good.

I am loving this stage in Piper's life. FOUR. wow. She holds adult conversation with me and has latched on to the term "why" followed by "but why" for a good 15 "why's". You can't help but laugh as you attempt to explain:

"mommy, why is it raining?"

"because the clouds are full"

"but why"

"because the clouds get too heavy to hold all that water"

"why"

"because there is too much moisture in the air"

"mmm...why"

...and then all of a sudden you really wish you had majored in Meteorology in college. haha

Anywho...my little baby isn't such a baby anymore...she's a little lady and I'm so happy she's mine!! Here are a few shots from her birthday today! The picture of her on the chair playing with her Leapster really makes me feel like I can't stop time fast enough. Just yesterday she couldn't even sit up in a chair by herself and now she's all comfy playing 1st grade games already...good grief! Happy Birthday, Piper! We love you!

   

Bridal Portrait Contest Starting!

Hello everyone :) I am so happy to announce an idea I've had for awhile now and have been wanting to do! I scoped out several locations and recently found one that I think is just killer...right here in Ocala...go figure! I know most of my fellow photographers can relate when I say that once you see the perfect location your mind begins racing with ideas until you just have to act on it. It is seriously an illness...I can't turn my brain off once the creative juices get flowing. I find myself thinking of different things to try while I'm making dinner or giving Piper her treatments...haha...it's unstoppable. I have the details listed below, but will let you guys know here that the contest is open to anyone in Florida who is willing to trek up this way. If you know of someone who is looking for bridals that are different, fun and untraditional then have them enter. I am so excited to receive the entries and begin reading some amazing stories! There are so many incredible women out there that are deserving of something that will make them feel beautiful and I can't wait to see who everyone nominates! I have been so touched and so blessed by the people who have given to me...not only in this industry but in my everyday life as well, that I feel compelled to give something back...even if something small. Here are the details of the contest below...if you are in Florida spread the word...I'm energized to read everyone's submissions! (click to enlarge)