One of the places that my family likes to vacation at is Hilton Head Island, SC. We enjoy early morning walks along the beach to catch the sunrise or to observe the sea life the tide has brought in. You never know what you will see on these morning walks, but one thing for sure is that there will always be something delightful to see. On this particular morning we got to see a baby sea turtle make its way to the ocean waters! The poor thing was fighting for all it was worth to get to the shore, and this was hard to observe because everything in you wants to help it along, but that is not allowed. So, as a crowd of us stood back and "rooted" for this little sea turtle I just had to snap a few pictures of it's first journey. I hope that you enjoy them! Hilton Head Island is a wonderful place to take your family for a nice, quiet time together.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests are protected as the species is endangered. All along the beach at the edge of the dunes you can see these marked nests. The eggs are in the nest for about 60 days, and once hatched the turtles dig their way to the surface together; this process can take several days! When they are almost to the edge of breaking through they will wait til nightfall when the temperatures are cooler before they come out and scurry their way to the ocean.

2013-08-05_0001

Here you can see where the baby sea turtles had dug their way out. We learned that they emerged around 8:00PM the night before. This little turtle must have been the last one out, and he was all by his lonesome, poor thing! I think it is unusual to see them out in the bright light like this. It is their instinct to head toward a light source (the moonlight), and this baby's eyes were HUGE! Because of all of the light from the early morning sunrise this baby turtle seemed to be disoriented at times, and we watched it travel in several directions trying to find the water. This was very hard to watch. The poor thing had a few moments where it just flopped face down in the sand it was so tired! But what a little fighter it was! After a few moments she got right back up and made tracks toward the water again.

2013-08-05_0002 Because the babies emerge at night, and they intinctively head for light there are rules you must follow if you are vacationing in a beachfront house at Hilton Head Island. Lights out at 10:00PM! Pull your shades and block any light that may be seen from the beach. The babies can get confused and if they see light coming from someone's house they will head in that direction, and in this case the baby turtles will die because they can't make their way to the ocean.

2013-08-05_0003

We continued to watch this baby make its way to the ocean. From the nest to the water it is quite a way for this little creature. We guess it to be about 100 yards to the water's edge, and the tide was going out, which made it even tougher for this baby. What a daunting task when you think about all the dangers the turtles face on their trek to the sea. They have to risk raccoon, pelicans, seagulls, and sometimes jogging humans that like to jog at night, and bike tires from cyclists. We also learned that a crowd of beachcombers had made a "human blockade" from the nest to the shore so that the mass of baby sea turtles could make their way to the water safely. By the way, a female will lay a clutch of about 150 eggs!

2013-08-05_0004

FINALLY! The baby got her flippers wet! It was cute to watch the baby lift its head to look for the direction it needed to go. Once it hit the water, it just kept going toward the ocean and toward the sun. I thought for sure that the tide would push it back into the sand, but it was AMAZING to see the wave crash over it, and then all of the sudden a little turtle head would pop up out of the water, and it had swum about 5 to 6 feet further into the ocean!! Another big wave, and then again a little turtle head pops up and swims a few more feet, crazy fast!

2013-08-05_0005

Once in the ocean, the baby will fight to survive other natural predators as well as man made ones. Of the 150 only 5% will survive statistically to 10 years. They will not come back to shore ever again, unless it is a female, and then only to lay her eggs. The female will usually go back to the place of its birth to lay her eggs! Crazy, isn't it!?

2013-08-05_0006 If they survive to adulthood they can live up to about 80 years and weigh about 1000lbs! That is one big turtle! When they are born they are about 2 inches long.

Safe travels little fella! We are so glad you made it to the sea!

2013-08-05_0007

I had so much fun photographing this very sweet young lady who will be entering into a pageant very soon! I am sure that she will do just fine. We had a lot of fun talking about her sports, school, and favorite music to listen to. I have known her since she was a little thing, and watched her play in the dirt while at her brother's ballgames. It is fun and kinda bittersweet to see them grow up! Lauren is very sweet, inside and out, and it will be a treat to continue to see her grow into a beautiful young lady. She's already on her way! 

2013-07-12_0001 2013-07-12_0002 2013-07-12_0003

What a great time we had yesterday in The Plains, Virginia at Great Meadows taking photo booth pictures for the visitors to the fireworks. My daughter Kristen of Kristen Lynne Photography. My husband, son, son-in-law, sister and her new husband were there to help us out; it's a family affair! We set up a photo booth and let the fun begin. While there we did get to venture around a bit and visited some of the cutest and softest animals that I have seen from Mary's Alpacas http://www.marysalpaca.com/. Of course I just had to take some pictures of them, too! I would say they had the "best spot in the house", as it was very, very cool under their tent!

I would like to say thank-you to all of the folks that stopped by our booth, got your fun picture made, and entered our drawing for a free family portrait session! We had a lot of fun yesterday. The photos from the day will be coming very soon to the album on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/teresaarthurphotography, so be on the lookout! We will also be holding the drawing for the two portrait sessions very soon. Good luck to all of those who entered! Also, thanks to my family for being there with us to help and enjoy the day.

When the last picture was taken we packed our goodies, and sat down to enjoy the fireworks and listen to some great music.

For now here are a few pictures from yesterday's event. Hope you enjoy them!

2013-07-05_0001

Lee (my great son-in-law) was such a good sport, too! He was out there encouraging folks to come on in and get their picture made. :) Allsion and Shon were hard at work as well. Of course I just had to grab a quick picture of my kids; Harrison is busy getting in his sister's shot!

2013-07-05_0003 2013-07-05_0002 This is Dave up there. He and I photograph together. He's a good sport too. I would say his prop is appropiate as he just retired from the military after 28 years of service.

Aren't these the cutest!? Their fur is the softest, and so THICK! They had yarns for sale made from the wool of alpacas.

2013-07-05_0004

No rain came our way! And what a great band to entertain the masses for the evening!

2013-07-05_0005

I spoke with Stefanie the night before her wedding, and we both were hoping for some sunshine for the day as there was rain forecasted, and A LOT of it! Well, you couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! God blessed us with gorgeous weather, and a talk about a fabulous sunset! My sister, Anna of Anna Lester Photographer https://www.facebook.com/AnnaLesterPhotographer?fref=ts came from North Carolina to help Dave & I photograph this beautiful wedding. Chris and Stefanie's reception took place at Fauquier Springs Country Club http://www.fauquiersprings.com/, and what a beautiful place! If you are looking for a place to have your wedding or reception, or both you should look into this gorgeous venue.  There's also a cute little cottage on the premises; perfect for a newlywed couple to spend their first wedding night together! Not only is this place gorgeous; the staff are very friendly, and this establishment boasts history as far back as pre Civil War.

We had a wonderful time capturing beautiful moments for Chris and Stefanie, and as the sun set over the mountain they were able to enjoy the view from the balcony of the country club. To end the evening we got one of our favorite images to capture. We hope you enjoy it Chris and Stefanie. It was our pleasure to be a part of your wedding day. We had so much fun with your family. Congrats to the both of you, and best wishes for a long and happy life together.

2013-06-30_0003 2013-06-30_0002 2013-06-30_0004 2013-06-30_0007 2013-06-30_0006 2013-06-30_0008

It was a beautiful day for my sister's destination beach wedding! Allison was even more beautiful than the day, and yes. at times it was hard to take the photographs for her, but I am so glad that I did. Here is a sneak peek at their Memorial Day weekend wedding at The Islander Inn http://www.islanderinn.com/?gclid=COqx28XCubcCFQyg4AodHS8AKg  on Ocean Isle Beach, NC. You could not have asked for a more perfect day. They are a gorgeous bride and groom, and I hope that you enjoy the pictures. The very last photo in this sneak peek was taken as the moon rose over the ocean....what a glorious ending to their wedding day! Congrats to my baby sister, and new brother-in-law! I love you both!

Yesterday I told you a little story about a friend of mine and her mother, and what a fun time that moment was for me. Today I would like to put a shout out to all the moms again and say Happy Mother's Day! It's this Sunday, and if your mom is close by I hope you have a great day with her. If she lives far away, like mine, I just know that Hallmark, the phone lines, and flower stores are all very busy right now! For some of us our mothers have gone on, and are no longer here on this earth with us, but always, always in our hearts and minds, and in us! Moms are special people. I know a lot of you have heard the phrase "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world". For me, God is ruler of us all, and I am glad that He created mothers that have a heart of love and discipline.  I am thankful that I got to be a mom; I could not imagine what life would have been like not to have my kids in it. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Some are portraits, some are just candid shots around the house, and some are from days gone by of my family. Happy Mother's Day! :)

One day my friend, Stephanie came over to my studio to have a business portrait done for her website and business cards. She brought her mom along with her, and we had fun chatting during Stephanie's session. Toward the end, I made an "impromptu" suggestion that the two of them be photographed together! Well, needless to say, they both went up in arms! "My hair doesn't look right, and my clothes are not right" were some of the comments they were giving me. With a little more laughter and reassurance that they both looked great I was able to capture some candid moments between them. This photo is my most favorite of the two of them; not so posed, but just sharing a moment together. That is what I strive to do with my photography...to get the essence of a person, to have fun and see their true beauty and smiles...I say it was a success! I LOVE it. So, in honor of mothers and daughters, and bad hair days, I say Happy Mother's Day to us all, and to these sweet ladies in particular. xo :)

mother and daughter family portraits

This little baby was such a doll!! I just photographing these precious little gifts. This little baby has two older sisters, and they are just as precious. For this little one's session we gave her some valentines... see them? :) It doesn't get much better than this.... NORTHERN VIRGINIA NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER