Until we meet again <3

Seeing 2017 go so soon.

We’re going to close this year with all the sessions neglected on the blog. We were able to fulfill some of last years hopes and dreams (booking a solid summer, traveling ect.) but we didn’t get any better with blog upkeep. Don’t fret though, it’s in the works.

We are forever grateful for those that have followed our journey, encouraging words are some that stick with you for life. & a huge thank you to the wonderful friends we met and photographed this year. Seeing so many faces in front of my lens brings so much joy to my heart. Like, I love y’all for real. I love hearing your love stories, your triumphs, your good news, I love being able to give you moments that you’ll look back on in 10-15 years and smile over. It brings me the purest type of satisfaction to see so many people in love or growing families, joining families, remembering families & to be able to put your personalities into one little photograph. Y’all are the real MVP’s!

Have plans for 2018?

This year I will be back at it when the weather warms up. But, with my family. I plan to fill weekends with your beautiful faces but I intend to photograph my kids, boyfriend & family more than I ever have before. A promise to pick up my camera daily and photograph the tiny little moments that usually only I see. Because kids aren’t kids for long. I plan to continue to travel. And I hope to expand into food photography wildly this new year!

So, let’s look back at Southern Cotton’s 2017!

Celebrating 2016.

What an incredible year 2016 was for us.

We moved out. Ventured on our own. Booked some fabulous weddings. Participated in Birmingham’s Big Fake Wedding! Entered some national contests. Finished school. Photographed family non-stop. Did a ton of personal work. Met some incredible people! Saw some gorgeous bellies, families, couples & kids. Supported other small businesses – promoted whole heartedly. But most of all, we grew.

What will 2017 bring?

For us, we plan to – be present more. Blog more. Gift more. Get published again. Book a solid wedding summer. Continue to meet & connect with great people. Try something new. & travel.

Thank you. For your support. Your love & encouragement. My clients push me to continually be better and my friends/family keep me going when I’m unsure of myself. There’s no way I’d be here without y’all. I really am grateful for all of y’all!

Cheers to this crazy new adventure of a new year!

Woodsy Portraits

Kim Possible.

This sweet little babe is a great friend! We’ve been working together on a project for one of her classes so it seemed fitting to have her model for one of my classes. A black and white theme full of textures. Naturally, I found myself in the woods. & oh the delight! While I’m working to get my Certificate in Portrait Photography, I generally find myself shooting with more of a purpose. I enjoy shooting with a goal and theme, it’s an incredible way to expand the way I photograph. And for this assignment I was lucky enough to have such a captivating model. I look forward to all the new adventures these classes will be taking me on!

The Ultimate Selfie

Surprise!

If you guys didn’t know, I’m currently working towards a Certificate in Portrait Photography through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This often means that I’m out photographing strange things or creating abstract themes for school assignments. It’s tons of fun and I’m super excited to almost be done! & every now and then I get brave enough to tackle the art of self portraits for an assignment. The ultimate selfie. This assignment was a recreation of another photographer I admire deeply. With her consent I was able to use her photograph as inspiration to create it again, with a little bit of me if you know what I mean. Selfies are no joke friends, this was hard! Enjoy.

Waiting on you baby Bernie.

Say Hello to the Clark’s. This sweet little family is waiting on their third baby girl, Bernie. Her older sisters are super excited to meet her and teach her all about life! Mom and dad are just as anxious as this waiting period nears it’s end. Bernie will be here soon, but in the meantime I hope this sweet family maternity session brings a smile to your face!

Beautiful Soul

Meet Jasmine.

Such a sweet and beautiful soul.

Jasmine and I met when I was managing Hollister here in Huntsville, AL. I was so awfully pregnant and had very little time before my due date. But we spent 8 hours a day together, 5 days a week. I could tell that there was something special about her. She talked about her blog and her journey. She shared with me her intent to let God live through her. To work for Him. I was blown away. She was determined to do what He had intended for her to do and I was taken back by her desire to be so pure. It was refreshing. Like I said, her soul is so beautiful. We linked up after some time when she was ready to get some pictures to launch her blog. I need not mention her outer beauty, see for yourself. But, I do have to mention how wonderfully easy it was to photograph her and her bible. As comfortable as ever she stood in front of me ready to bare her soul for Him and to begin her journey of truth, discovery and light. It was so incredible to watch. I hope that each of you take a moment to read her Blog, to find her Instagram and to follow her on Facebook. Her posts are so humbling. She has proven as a great reminder that we are all human, but we are because of Him. I can’t wait to photograph you again Jasmine & to watch you grow into your path!

New Name Same Awesome Photographer

Deciding and announcing my new business name has been such a huge move for myself and my business. A scary and exhilarating one. But one I was more than ready for. When I created SDW Photography I decided on a name that reflected my personal name. And then I grew and I learned and I created this business that had outgrew it’s name. Not only because my real name had changed but because my shooting style and the way I presented my business had changed. So the process had started. I absolutely wanted the new face of my business to be an ever lasting one and I wanted it to have little pieces of myself in it. If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with cotton and antlers. I think it’s because the images I see when I think of these things are so light, airy and country. They’re beautiful in their own design. So I started researching and playing with ideas. Pinterest was of great help. I would often find myself looking at images like the ones below.

And then I was introduced to this wonderfully amazing graphic designer, a friend of a friend (the best kind of friend to have). Ashley, with SwankyDuck, listened to my ideas and jumped on board! I got so excited to start making my dreams something in concrete! On to the lettering. I’m a sucker for sweet cursive swirls, so I knew my logo had to be represented in that way. Ashley knew exactly what she was doing when I told her this, but of course I found myself fantasizing about “ENTER BUSINESS NAME HERE” in beautiful calligraphy. Pinterest again was to blame for this.

I mean really, my new name and brand was to be completely mine and original. The possibilities were endless and sometimes a little overbearing. Ashley and I met and consulted a lot during the process. She took my vision of cotton, antlers, calligraphy and everything else I desired and created something so beautiful! I love Ashley so much. She showed me progress every step of the way, which was so insightful to the process of her work. The name came easier that I thought. I had taken consensus’s on Facebook about ideas for my new name. But because I wanted it to be an ever lasting name I veered pretty quickly away from giving it my new name. Southern Cotton is a main background for me, one of my favorites obviously. In reality Southern Cotton picked me.

Then, all the sudden all that was left to do was to give this bad boy life! And Ashley did just take. The final product y’all, there’s no words for it other than PERFECT! My new name and brand represented me as a whole and it shines through something fierce. So without further adieu, Welcome to Southern Cotton Photography!

All of the above please!

We are so sorry we have been MIA! We all know how crazy life can be. As we are expecting baby #3 & our FIRST BOY. we are gearing up and winding down at the same time. I have missed several sessions to be posted to the blog! I plan to upload a little bit of everything I’ve been up to! I hope you all enjoy & I can’t wait to update yall as our pregnancy journey is nearing its end once again! BABY TIME!

Introducing your photographer!

If you don’t know the girl behind the lens, it’s me. My name is Sharon Weaks. I’m a mother of two, a photographer & a Biologist. I love all aspects of life! My children are so wonderful and surprising, my oldest is 2 1/2 and my youngest is turning 1 next month! I have been an army brat my whole life, I’ve been all around the world. I love people! I went to school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I got my degree in Biology. Wait, what? I know, my degree is in Biology.  Seems weird, but we all have different quirks and we all have more than one thing in life that interests us! But don’t let that distract you, I have an intense love for photography. I starting photographing friends and family about three years ago and fell so head over heals that I decided to start my own business. It’s been a long time coming and I’ve learned so much along the way. And everyday I learn something new and develop myself more. Boudoir photography is currently my favorite, although I enjoy shooting anything and everything! Now that y’all know a little bit about me, I can’t wait to get to know all y’all out there! So here I am & a big thank you to Erin Lindsey Photography for so graciously & beautifully capturing me!

Loves of my life!

As a parent and a photographer you’d think that I’d have a gazillion photos of my own children. I thought so too. I have found my children to be my worst clients, oddly enough! And on a rare occasion I get the in front of the lens with happy faces I’m so happy to share! Kdw is turning three in March and Cbaby is turning ONE in November! As time passes and they grow older, the love they bring into my life never ceases to amaze me. Like most parents, my children are my world! I so hope you enjoy them as much as I do!