Life's A Beach And So Is Flying

Last week I went on a little mom-cation / business trip to Virginia Beach. I was super excited to be able to fly, see the Atlantic Ocean, and meet with my friend Liz.  The beginning of the trip was perfect. My scheduled flights were smooth. I arrived on time and Liz picked me up from the airport.

The condo I rented was so nice. It was walking distance to the boardwalk and beach. Liz and her awesome little boy, Sterling, stayed with me while I was there. Although it rained and was pretty cold, I did get to play on the beach for a while and I enjoyed dining in a few yummy restaurants.

My trip home was an entirely different story! Some of you may know that I had never flown before so I was pretty nervous.

After the first flight, from Memphis to Atlanta, I figured out that it really wasn't a big deal. Aside from the clogged ears and the weird guy that sat next to me, everything was good. The flight from Atlanta to Norfolk was uneventful, except for the ears of course, and I sat next to some really nice ladies.

The trip home.........I arrived at the airport around 4 P.M. and my flight was scheduled to leave at 7:00. No big deal.  By the time I get through TSA, eat something, and read my book it will be time to  board.

Well, the storms in Atlanta changed that just a bit. My flight was delayed until roughly 10:00. I say roughly because I'm a little confused at exactly what time we ended up leaving because we boarded and de-planed three times. Yes, 3 times.

Now mind you my plane from Atlanta to Memphis was scheduled to depart at 10:00.

I arrive at  the Atlanta airport around midnight. Yep, you guessed it, my flight had been cancelled. Now I get to join 300 other angry, tired, and hungry people in a mile long line to find out where the heck we are supposed to be going.

Moving along...1 hour in the rebooking line and I am informed that I have been rebooked for a 7 P.M. flight the following evening! Wow.. I have 15% left on my cell phone, it is 1:00 A.M., I am in Atlanta, and I do not know a single person here.

Luckily, John was able (John by the way, had been waiting in Memphis with our two very tired and cranky children.) to find me a hotel downtown Atlanta. So, now all I have to do is catch a cab. I make my way out of the airport (If you have ever been to the Atlanta airport then you know how complicated this can be).

I found the taxi line. Yep, line. This freaking line was 3 miles long.

I wanted to cry.... I waited in this line for over an hour. I make it to my hotel at 2:45 A.M.

Now, I'm usually a very nice person. But, I was ready to push the lady in front of me at the hotel front desk.  Apparently, 2:45 A.M. are her normal hours because she was taking her sweet time asking questions and wanting to "chat up" the desk clerk.  I was sick and tired of and waiting in lines! Geeze! I was at my breaking point.

The Hyatt was kind enough to give me a late check out the following day, so I was able to sleep in the the next morning.

I make my way back to the airport and wait and wait and wait and wait. Finally, it is time to board. Guess what? I was not on the boarding list! I had a boarding receipt and I reconfirmed that morning but I was not on the list!!

I started to cry.

The poor lady at the boarding counter would not even look up at me. Hahahaha. She just made a  quick phone call and got me on.  I heard her say to the person on the phone, "Can we just get her on?" followed by,"She has a lot of stuff in her notes." What I'm sure she was really thinking is,"Can we please get this lady on the plane before she loses it!?"

Anywho, that's my first flying story. I hope you enjoyed it! I will say that now that it is over and I am home I really enjoyed the entire experience from beginning to end. I can't wait to fly again.

P.S.

My ears are still clogged.

Well, thank you for reading my ridiculously long blog post. I hope I did not make you feel like you were going through TSA :)

Nikki-

Tomboy Turned Princess

A few years ago I had a bridal session on Cherry Street in Helena. It was freezing cold, but Callie Phillips was a trooper and we got some great portraits. Never in a million years did I think I would have the opportunity to do this again.

To my amazement, I found a willing victim to get up in the wee hours of the morning and possible freezing temperatures to get Cherry Street bridal photos. Thankfully, the weather did cooperate (It was perfect).

We met on Cherry Street at o'dark thirty.  Terri looked smashing. She brought with her the absolute essentials to any bridal photo session: a bouquet, a veil, a rockin' pair of heels, oh, and the BEST assistant ever. Yes, Jenna made us laugh, she was the best dress fixer upper ever, She carried the veil and bouquet, and muscled around a bench or two. Thank you Jenna for being there (I will be calling you to assist with my next bride ;-) )

Can I just reiterate how perfect the weather was for the session? Don't get me wrong, I was a little nervous on my way to the location because it began to sprinkle and it sprinkled a bit during the session, but it cleared and Terri rocked the session.

It is my understanding, according to Jenna, that Terri was once a tomboy. Hummmm.....I'm having a hard time believing this.  She did not walk in those heels like any tomboy I know!  I will have to take their word for it because all I saw was a princess.  You be the judge.

Thank you so much for checking out my blog. I will see you in a few days!

Nikki-

Melissa's Maternity Session

A few weeks ago Melissa and I had plans to do her maternity session outside in a beautiful field. Well, the weather had different plans for us. The day of the session it was 20 degrees and snowing. Oh, goodness!  This was not going to work. We could not risk momma-to-be getting sick.

Luckily, I was able to acquire photo session accommodations at the Pillow Thompson House.  The Pillow Thompson house is located in Helena, Arkansas and is a grand piece of architecture.  When you enter the home not only will you be greeted by its timeless elegance but you will also have a warmed welcome by its care taker, Mr. Raymond.

I have had the pleasure of shooting there in the past and I was just thrilled that it was available on such short notice.

I hope you enjoy the photos posted as much as I enjoyed taking them. Thank you, Melissa, for letting me photograph you. I cannot wait to meet baby. I am very much looking forward to our next session together.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. I hope to see you soon.

Nikki-

Bridal, Peabody Hotel Memphis, TN

Welcome to Delta Ridge Photography! I’m so glad you could join me today. I really hope that you enjoy my blog post and the photos posted. Please fill free to leave feedback!

One of the hardest things for me to do is blog. I am not a gifted writer and I have a terrible time putting into words how I feel or what I would like to say.

There are several blogs that I follow and I am just amazed by their incredible talent at conveying weekly or daily happenings. Hopefully, the more I blog the better I will get. You are not gonna be absolutely great at something the very first time you try it.  Take photography for example…. The first time I picked up a camera, took a few snap shots, and had my film (yes, film) developed I was appalled at how terrible they were!

Shouldn’t one be able to just pick up a camera, point it at something, and produce a great images? UMMMM…..no. It takes many years of learning, practice,  and patience, before you can produce a solid photo. I am STILL learning new camera and lighting techniques.  It took me 13 years to slap the word professional at the front of the word photographer and call myself one.  I, still to this day, wonder if the title is appropriate for me. It is not a word that, someone who owns a camera,  should be tossed around so easily.

This past week I had the absolute honor and privilege to do bridal portraits at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN. The Peabody is an extremely grand place. It is bustles with excitement, piano music resonates throughout the lobby, and the entire place seems to glitter and sparkle. I love it.

I love how the staff greets you with a smile and are quick to lend you assistance if need be. I used to work in a 4 star 4 diamond hotel (at the front desk) when I lived in New Orleans. So I have a ton of respect for people who work in the hospitality industry. Okay, back on track……

The place is glittering and sparkling…..In walks the bride. Whoa! The Peabody does not hold a candle to Sarah’s beauty (and there are a lot of candles in the Peabody). I knew right away this was going to be a great shoot.

There were some lighting issues and I had a lens that was being cantankerous. But, in the end we got some awesome shots and we had a wonderful time.

I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you Sarah R. and Mrs. Margie for letting me be your photographer. I cannot wait until the big day.

Nikki-

Artistic and Conceptual Works

This year, I am pleased to announce, I will be adding artistic and conceptual works to my portfolio. Doing conceptual work will allow me to explore  my more artistic side and encourage me to think outside the box.  I am really thrilled to be able to share my upcoming works with you.

Like the definition of  art, the definition of conceptual photography has, in recent history, been up for much debate.  What is art? Who decides if it’s artistic? Who decides if it is good or not?  Mind you we are not talking about “what is good photography”. That is an entirely different debate all together (we won’t get into that today).

Wikipedia states that Conceptual photography  is a type of photography that illustrates an idea. There have been illustrative photographs made since the medium’s invention, for example in the earliest staged photographs, such as Hippolyte Bayard’s ’Self Portrait as a Drowned Man’ (1840). However, the term Conceptual Photography derives from Conceptual Art a movement of the late 1960s. Today the term is used to describe either a methodology or a genre.

Simply put it is a concept or a story that you wish to convey though photography to the viewer. How the viewer interprets  the photography is where “art” comes into play. Art is intended to create and emotion from the viewer.

Below is my first addition to my Artistic & Conceptual art folder. I hope you like the photos and I cannot wait to share more with you.

Tiffany & Matthew

When I first started shooting portrait photography Tiffany and Matthew were one of my very first clients. They were sweet, full of energy, and completely in love.  Imagine my excitement when Tiffany contacted me about shooting her maternity photos. Fast forward several months and Tiffany and Matthew are still sweet, full of energy (ok maybe Tiffany was a bit tired), and still very much in love.

I look forward to meeting their sweet little girl and I wish them all the happiness in the world. Thank you Tiffany and Matthew for letting me be a part of your sweet lives (even if it is only for an hour).

Thank you for visiting Delta Ridge Photography! Until next time….

Nikki-

Welcome!

Welcome to Delta Ridge Photography! My name is Nikki Morrow and it is a pleasure to have you here!  I look forward to sharing current photo sessions, upcoming events, and conceptual works that I have planned.

It was very difficult to decide which type of photography I wanted to share with you for my very fist blog post. So, I decided to do a collage of some of my favorite work.  I love doing senior portraits along with child photography. I’ve had some extraordinary experiences doing bridal work (though I no longer focus on wedding photography). I also enjoy meeting the wonderful families of the Arkansas Delta.