A BIT ABOUT RYLAND & JP
(Don't forget Kerr, Rosie & Scout!)
A BIT ABOUT RYLAND & JP
(Don't forget Kerr & Scout!)
The two of us have had many adventures in our short lives, but none has compared to the adventure of marriage. (Marriage is incredible, y’all!)
Our deep love for our marriage is why we love spending as much time together as possible every day (working together!) & helping establish your marriage legacy through our wedding experience with you!
We met during college in Chattanooga, TN, in 2007. We met the first day we were both on campus and quickly became dear friends. After three years of investing in our sincere friendship we finally started dating and became best friends! 5 years later we were married where our friendship first began – atop Lookout Mountain!
After our first year of marriage we moved to Greenville, SC – a new but familiar city. The new place inspired new dreams and our photography business began. We had cherished a love for photography for many years, but we finally had space for our dreams to grow!
Shortly after moving to Greenville we really committed! We got a dog and house on the same day y’all! (#adulting) Scout was the “quintessential American puppy” as one of our friends laughed. He was our first baby & made our hearts a little bit bigger! Now we had another little bud to share our daily adventures with.
Over the next few years our marriage continued to deepen its roots. We had so many beautiful adventures y’all! The wildness of Kenya was addicting. New Years in front of Buckingham Palace was freezing! Thailand was entirely new. The timeless grandeur of Yosemite and Yellowstone is unforgettable! We had to get out there! Adventure is waiting!
In 2018 we embarked on a new adventure of growth – growing our family. Kerr was given to us with the New Year. We used to measure our growth by the highlights, but now we increasingly see that our marriage has grown the most through the rhythm of daily family life. Several years ago a wise friend asked us, “WHO do you want to be when you grow up?” We want our legacy to be that we were faithful, sincere, and godly partners, parents, and friends!
At first we wanted to photograph anything except weddings. We thought that the length, fast pace & directing would be too overwhelming! But we tried our first one & loved it. We asked each other why we had loved it so much & quickly realized - it’s because we so sincerely love marriage!
If there is anything the world needs more of, that’s healthy families, which start with healthy marriages. Our goal is to create a witness to your marriage covenant which will last a lifetime, firmly establishing the lifelong legacy you’ve just begun!
Through many "high councils" over coffee, dark chocolate, and spilled ink we finally decided that photography was too personally meaningful to simply be a hobby. We concluded that we are driven as photographers by three essential beliefs:
1) Real life is lived out in the mundane. Our lives are full, not perfect.
2) Life is too full for our memories to do it justice. Therefore, memories must be captured.
3) Memories are vital because they serve as reminders - milestones in our lives.
If you're in this for your marriage & share our heart for marriage, memories, & legacy then you want your wedding day to reflect that & you definitely want to read our guide to planning your beautiful & meaningful wedding!
When we first started our business, we both worked other full-time jobs. JP was a school teacher & Ryland an engineer. Even though we have stepped away from the classroom, JP's love of teaching, sharing knowledge & dialogue to help shape a full person, has never dimmed.
We've learned SO many things over our years in business together. We've made LOADS of mistakes, but have also avoided many more because we invested in proven education.
Now it is time for us to be good stewards of the skills we have developed & experiences we have had to help other people grow & succeed! Now we are SUPER excited to share what we've learned with you so that you can become a CONFIDENT PHOTOGRAPHER!
On a girls' weekend trip to New York City, Kate & her friends stopped in McSorely's Ale House, one of the oldest bars in the East Village. Billy, who lived in Manhattan also happened to be there that evening...
Sweet Baby Rainsford - It's hard to believe that our time together - JUST you & I - it's almost coming to an end. Soon, your big brother will beg to hold you. Papa will carry you proudly, & the whole world will be eager to watch you grow.