Hello and welcome to the blog! I am Dana Mackay (also known as Tish) and I'm a wedding and pet photographer in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The day was cloudy and cold, but you’d never know that from all the joy and happiness that surrounded Kendyl and Brendan on their big day.
I had the opportunity to shoot with Jen Hunt, and from the moment I got to the hotel to the very last dance, everything was fun, silly and well absolutely beautiful.
Just check out these pictures and see what I mean.
Congrats to the newlyweds and hope the honeymoon in Costa Rica is as wonderful as you two!
It starts at birth for many or even from inside your mom’s stomach. But as soon as your life starts, the camera comes out for every major life event: holidays, birthdays, first day of school, weddings, engagements, family, pets, you name it — it gets captured on film or even digital. Most of these memories are on little pieces of paper stored in albums, shoeboxes or computer screen savers. If our home were to ever catch on fire, I’ve always said that our pictures and dogs would be the first things I would collect.
Today I thought I would share pictures I didn’t take. They are two of my favorite pictures for many reason. The first one is from my husband’s childhood. He loves to make people laugh and I really think it started when he was a kid. Most of the pictures I have seen are of him not smiling, but making faces. (See example below and notice the goofy kid in the back of the lineup with glasses.)
This was taken on the first day of school. That’s my sister-in-law all the way to the left. I’m sure she’ll love me for posting this. :)
Did you smile? I hope so, because my Friday Fave is all about having fun. Regardless of the situtation, smiling and having fun are great things to remember we can all do and they are free. Remember that life happens when we are too busy out there making plans – so why not enjoy life as it happens? And if you happen to be on the other side of a camera, grin, giggle or even make that silly face – these are the times to make memories – what are yours going to be when you look back in years from now?
This last picture was taken on our wedding day. We celebrated our big day in St. Lucia at Sandals. I can’t begin to express the emotions that ran through our heads on that day, but I will say that we remembered to just enjoy the day. After some formal shots, my husband asked for his own picture.
To this day, it is one of his many favorite moments from our wedding day and it makes me laugh every time I see it. He’s silly and I am thankful that he helps me stop taking life so seriously. So get out this weekend and do something different, something fun or even something new, but remember to have fun. Have a great weekend everyone!
p.s. If you are in Huntersville, NC this weekend, stop by Birkdale Village for a Project HALO adoption event. There are still lots of wonderful pups that are looking for forever homes.
On a rainy Saturday, I headed uptown to meet with Charlie and Laura Beth. LB found my blog through a friend and she asked if I would like to photograph her wedding in November. I jumped at the chance and invited my friend Kelli Boling of Red K Photography to join me as a second shooter. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to share in LB and Charlie’s big day right around the corner. This couple is so cute together.
LB and Charlie really compliment each other. You can just see how much in love these two are — it just shows.
Good luck with all your wedding planning and see you very soon.
Rain never stops a good time when you have a great attitude. That is the least I could say about this couple. Once you get them laughing, they don’t stop, which made for a fun Saturday morning. Here’s a peek from the session…more later this week from their engagement session. Can’t wait to photograph their big day in November.
I promise I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth! I picked up a nasty bug last week and I’m still trying to get back to normal.
A few weeks ago, I helped out at a Project HALO adoption event at Birkdale Village. The day started out cloudy with a few showers on the way. I got to the event to find out they were short staffed so after snapping pictures, I jumped at the opportunity to hold a leash and find my new friend a home. I asked the normal questions; how old is the pup? What is his name? And where did he come from? But this time, the last question was the one that took the longest and with reason.
Nacho was turned over to a Greenville, SC shelter and was set to be put down on a Monday. HALO sent information to have him released, and so his new sentence moved to Wednesday. HALO didn’t hear back until that Friday that Nacho was ready to be picked up – escaping death three times. HALO thought it would only be fitting to rename the dog, Chance.
Chance was different to me. Not only his coloring, but his attitude. Being only eight months, he was more of a dog than a puppy. He was calm. He sat to be petted or given attention. He loved his ears rubbed or just to be walked on a leash. He was polite and he reminded me of my friend’s dog named Katie. The lightbulb went off. I walked Chance over to meet my buddy and it was love at first site. They both fell in love and so adoption process began.
A week later and Chance not only has a new home, but a sister who could be his twin. Chance is a Catahoula or leopard dog. He loves his new dog bed, long walks with his new family and kids. He is my Friday Fave because who doesn’t love a happy ending. I am so proud to have been a part of the process of placing a dog into a loving home with a owner who takes chances all the time. This Chance happens to be my favorite.
Hope everyone has a super weekend and if it’s a long one for you, have a great extra day off. Happy Friday!
