Collins, Party of 16! {North GA Family Photography}

You read that right!! 16 peeps, people! I was contacted by Becky, a mom of a family I shot at the ONE photo shoot for the Cheyenne Heard Memorial Fund Benefit, because her mother wanted a big family photo shoot. Since all her daughters and their little ones would be in the same town at the same time, they finally had prime opportunity! I was ecstatic! So we kicked off the New Year on January 1st and met in Downtown Ball Ground. It was cloudy and ~~cold~~ really cold, but this was a group of troopers! The kids cooperated amazingly and we knocked out the shoot! You can tell these cousins have a special bond, just look at them! The sisters are now married and mommies, but I could tell they are super close! Cheryl, better known as Granny :), e-mailed me after receiving the pictures thanking me for “capturing the fun moments we share as a family. I cannot wait to display them in our home.” This is why I love what I do and knowing they will hang these images on their wall is one of the greatest compliments I could ask for as a photographer, it makes my heart sing!! They will forever have these photos to keep as a memory! Enjoy this fun bunch! 🙂

Most Wonderful time of the year! {Cumming GA Family Photographer}

When Laura purchased one of our lifestyle session gift certificates on Black Friday and shared her plans to gift it to her mom & dad who would be visiting for the holidays, I couldn’t have been any more excited! West Milford Farms immediately came to mind for this family portrait session! Not only is this property gorgeous anytime of year making it one of the most in demand wedding venues in North Georgia, but the inside and outdoor Christmas decor is to die for! Without knowing what to expect from the crazy weather we’ve been having, I knew the indoor reception area would be perfect should we have to shoot indoors. As luck would have it, the rain held out long enough for us to play all over the farm and capture some amazing memories!

Let the holiday fun begin… {Canton Family Photography}

I love shooting old friends! It’s so cool to reflect back on the past and marvel at where our separate roads have taken us! Becca was not only one of my fav former bosses, but she was a friend, role model and mentor when I was just a young pup trying to navigate the business world. Almost 18 years later and she is still the crazy motivated spitfire I met shortly after moving to the south. Last year we shot her real east head shots ( she kills it people so if you need a realtor check her out) and 2 weeks ago we had a blast updating their family photos for their holiday card. Merry Christmas Becca, Chris, Maggie & CJ! You guys rocked your session!

How cute are they?!!

Then there are these two characters…..

Perfect photo bomb thanks to Maggie lol…

A little grandma and grandpa action at the end of the session…. So sweet!

Fall on the farm {Ball Ground Family Photography}

One of these smiling faces may look familiar to a lot of you! It’s Coco Alley’s very own Stephanie Allen : ) We had a small break in our schedules not long ago so we used it to update her family’s photos! As some of you may have read on the site, I first met Stephanie when she volunteered to participate in a photo shoot I was doing. If you know Steph this is not a shocker! We hit it off instantly and the Allens soon became one of my most photographed families and cherished friends. She is not only addicted to being behind the camera but home girl LOVES having her little family documented! Her home is filled with canvases, photo books and framed images of their life. One of the many reasons I love shooting them is they simply have so much fun together and share an incredible bond! They have always trusted my creative process and humor me no matter the pose or crazy suggestion I spontaneously throw their way lol! This shoot was no exception! It was the coldest, windiest day we have had so far this year! Holy cow was it cold! The session went nothing like what we had planned but the resulting images are imperfectly perfect and reflect how much love and fun this family shares! You may want to get comfy because this is a long post : o ) And just for fun I hid my favorite two images at the end!

My little buddies Lyla and Hagen were such troopers! Lyla, as always, brought her A game and a game of peek-a boo using my camera to hide behind at least got the little guy to look at “Lindz-ey” (hearing that never gets old) before he ran off to do his own thing!

Love this barn!

We took a break to attempt to get warm and before we knew it Hagen had executed another escape. While Officer John (the only name my daughter Gabby uses for him) went on a rescue mission, I took the opportunity to capture this tender moment between Stephanie and Lylabean… By far some of my favorite images from their sneak peek!

The location of this shoot was new to us and we had wanted to check it out for a while now. I absolutely can’t wait to shoot here again! It’s currently decorated for Christmas so it was perfect to try for a few potential holiday card shots!

family photos West Milford Farms Ball Ground

these two and their giggles….

Unfortunately we lost the kids pretty early on due to the cold. Hard to tell from all the shots we were able to get but it was just not gonna happen. Not ones to waste gorgeous light nor a great location, we went ahead and bundled them up with blankets and pumped the heat so they could snuggle up and watch a movie while I shot these two love birds. *Fyi- no kids were abandoned during this shoot lol. We were right outside the car : )

These guys always bring the heat!!! I’m obsessed with all of these. I warned you this would be a long post and here is why…..

And my favs…… well so far anyways…..

Scottsdale Farm & Downtown Ball Ground Family Session {Alpharetta Photographer}

What a great extended weekend! Beautiful weather that allowed for gorgeous light and awesome sessions! Sweet families, Christmas trees, barns, farms and horses! I personally loved every minute!

We also want to thank everyone who took advantage of the Black Friday sale! Your certificates will be in the mail shortly and we can’t wait to plan those sessions! While we are on the topic, it was pointed out to us, we won’t name names but you know who you are ?, that since the certificates are purchased online, Cyber Monday would have been a more appropriate day for the discount lol! So everyone, please raise a glass to every “tell it like it is friend” out there because the Black Friday sale is back on and will be extended through Cyber Monday!

Enjoy some of the highlights from two of my sessions this weekend!

photo session christmas tree alpharetta ga

Fall at the beach! { Family Photography, Acworth GA }

As many of you know, before co-founding Coco Alley Photography I’d spent the last decade as a makeup artist specializing in bridal makeup (gosh that makes me sound so old). Over the years I’ve met so many fantastic women who’ve let me be part of one of the biggest days of their lives. As you can imagine, it was a huge honor! Luckily I’ve been able to keep in touch with many of these lovely ladies thanks to social media! When Meghan contacted me for fall photos I was touched and ecstatic about getting to see her again! We had so much fun at both her makeup trial and again on her wedding day so I knew our session would be no different. Aside from our shared love of makeup, we are both Long Island girls, got married a month apart, and had our daughters just a year apart! Our girls also both happen to share the name Gabriella! I was so excited to finally get a chance to meet her little firecracker in person after seeing her pictures on Facebook for so long! I can tell you, she did not disappoint! What a sweetie pie and she is every bit as beautiful as her momma! Check out a few images from our time together!

NEW LOCATION ALERT!!!! Did you know there was a BEACH in GA??? I didn’t but I do now! This session was shot at Cauble Park home of Acworth Beach and it … is … amazing!!! I can’t wait to go back! It is perfect for so many of the photography sessions we offer! LOVE!

We are Family! {Canton, GA Photographer}

This extended family shoot was so much fun! I just loved capturing their closeness! The boys kept me on my toes, what little sweethearts! I feel like we were able to document this family’s personality and love on a beautiful fall day in North Georgia! And that is why I love what I do!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

This sweet family recently moved from NC and found themselves in need of a new photographer to capture this years fall photos! We had the best time shooting this laid-back lifestyle session that resulted in amazing pictures! How cute are they?? And can we just discuss the wardrobe (perfection) and the beautiful fall colors we found at Rock Mill Park right here in Alpharetta! GORGE!!! Here are a few of my favorite shots from their mini session!