It is with gladness I share my family is going to be growing a little bit more! Just this past Saturday, my brother Sam asked the love of his life, Abby, if she would spend forever with him! I got to witness the proposal as well as capture photos for them to remember every moment. My family traveled to Chattanooga on Saturday to celebrate the occasion. There was a surprise engagement party after the proposal that was planned by my Mom, Abby's Mom and one of Sam and Abby's friends! For a good majority of last week, we prepared lots of things for the party; from shopping for rose gold colored party things to making cheese boards and desserts. 

 

I now share with you the story of the whole proposal.

 

Mom, Senator and I traveled down to Chattanooga making a couple of stops along the way. When we got there, we went to Sam's apartment. Sam was preparing to take Abby out on a date as we pulled into his apartment. The date was definitely a part of the plan to surprise Abby with the proposal. Abby had wanted to go on a date with Sam sometime over the weekend, and Sam chose Saturday. We sat at his apartment for at least an hour and then Sam was ready for his date. So he left to go pick up Abby and off they went to their date. Mom and Senator stayed for another 30 minutes at the apartment, but then headed over to Abby's house to set up for the party. I stayed because Sam's roommate, Daniel, and another one of Sam and Abby's friends, Cody, were going to take me to the location of where Sam was going to pop the question. 

The proposal location was the Chattanooga SkyDiving Company. The reason Sam chose this location is because skydiving was the very first thing he and Abby ever did together. When Cody arrived to the apartment, we got everything we needed to set up the proposal scene and then left to make our way to the skydiving place. The drive there was so interesting, because we drove through Georgia a very little bit just to get to CSC. For the date, Sam was taking Abby to the Look Out Winery, which was not far at all from where we were. When Daniel, Cody and I got there, we started setting up the pretty scene and we also set up my hiding spot so that I would do whatever it would take for Abby to not see me. I hid behind some backdrops, and we had them arranged where not only Abby wouldn't see me, but I could move around. Daniel and Cody also searched for places for them to hide and video the proposal from different areas. The proposal set up was a grey blanket with a bouquet of roses with a little path of candles. It was set up in front of the garage where the plane is stored. 

A little bit after we were done setting up, Daniel got a text from Sam saying they were on their way. So we lit the candles, and I was tracking Sam and Abby on my phone seeing where they were at. When they were pulling in, we hurried to our hiding spots and the song that Sam chose started playing. I peeked my head from behind the backdrops for a split second, which was just enough time for me to see Sam's head from the distance as they were entering the garage. So I hurried back to hide in between the backdrops where I could peek through a tiny space with one of my eyes. When I saw them walk by, I went around the backdrop so I could start shooting pictures. The song he chose was "La Reyna" by Penny & Sparrow. The song was playing loud enough where they could not hear my camera. 

When I started shooting, the proposal really heated up. I was in full on shooting mode, focusing on taking the pictures. But I can still safely say that my heart was pounding for them both. It was pounding because I determined to do an amazing job and what the outcome of the proposal would turn out. The second he got down on one knee, my camera was literally going, "CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!" She said yes in just one heartbeat. The fact that there was a romantic scenery and a beautiful song playing, made it a beautiful moment. Abby was so happy, she started crying. For that solid minute, it was as if time had stood still. 

Cody, Daniel and I immediately popped out when it was safe to do so. I ran straight to them, and hugged them so hard because my heart was bursting for them with happiness. After that, I took a few photos of them, and then we had to clean up. There was a woman working at the skydiving place who stayed after closing time so that the proposal could happen. Sam thanked her, because she was absolutely generous to do it. And she said she almost teared up watching the proposal.

Sam and Abby left before Daniel, Cody and I did. We cleaned up, and then made our way to Abby's house for the surprise engagement party. We did not get back in time to see Abby's reaction to seeing our families and all their friends. When she saw everyone, she broke down in tears. With a lot of overwhelming happiness, I might add. We celebrated all evening. And I took quite a bit of family pictures when we were at the party. 

 

We are so excited for Sam & Abby! I will not be their photographer for this wedding, because this will be a wedding I will be putting my camera down and enjoy the day.  October 3rd, 2020 is going to literally get here before any of us know it!

Enjoy the pictures of the proposal below! 

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Happy 2020! 

This year, I feel great things are going to happen for Jack Horsley Photography! My word for 2020 is determined. The way I see it, it means to work hard. According to the Dictionary, the meaning for the word is "having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it." I’ll go with both! 

I have some goals this year to test my determination. This year I will be determined to create a business statement and to grow my business. I will be determined to create the best possible family shoot atmosphere where children and adults will feel at ease creating memories. I will be determined to make brides feel comfortable and to capture the beauty of their special day. Importantly, I will be determined to always be my best at all of my shoots. I feel it is always important for me to always be my best in all I do. I'm going to be determined to be extra committed. 

Growing my business will be what I look forward to the most in 2020. I know of a very special way that I will learn to grow. From January 24th-26th, I will be attending the very first Assembly Workshop hosted by a collective group of professionals called Ascend Theory. I will learn all kinds of things from staying organized in my workflow to expanding my clientele, and from managing money to how to perfect my flash photography. After going to their launch event back in August and in hearing them announce their first workshop, I knew I’d be in for a big treat! I am looking forward to meeting other Knoxville creatives and am hoping to make more "photographer friends!"

Let the 2020 games begin!

 

On Sunday (November 10th), it was quite a day. Especially for my brother Bradley and his girlfriend, Laura. Oh wait, let me change that... for Bradley and his FIANCÉ, Laura! Yes, fiancé! Brad proposed to Laura and I had the incredible honor of being there to witness it and of course photograph it! 

Friday night before the day of the proposal, I was at my Dad's house in Nashville, packing my stuff to come home the next day. And then my Mom texts me telling me that Brad was going to pop the question to Laura and he wanted me to be there. I got excited, without a doubt! My mom also told me that he was going to call me at some point. Approximately 30 minutes later, I am still packing and Brad calls me. So I answer and the call started with a normal greeting saying stuff, like "Hello!" and "What's going on?" and all that good jazz. And then right when he was gonna say something, I quickly said to him, "I know what you're doing on Sunday, my Mom told me!" Then Brad went on telling me some more details. He basically told me that I was going to photograph and take some more pictures of their fur babies and that he and Laura were going to be in a few of them and that would be when he was going to pop the question. I told him "You know I will be there on Sunday, and I am so excited!" 

Fast forward to Sunday.

The ring was in my camera bag, so I had it with me when I was taking more Roxie pictures. So that meant, Brad had to signal me into the house so he could get the ring. Meanwhile, I brought the bag in anyways because new puppy was starting to like playing with my camera bag. As I was going in, Laura asked if she needed to help with anything and I simply told her that we didn't need any help. I went inside and gave Brad the ring, and then he showed me where he was thinking of popping the question through a bedroom window.

Then it was the moment of truth. I follow Brad back outside to the backyard and then he says to Laura, "Hey, we need to get a picture. Apparently there is someone in your family that needs a good picture of us for the wall." Then all three of us go to the corner of the backyard, I took a quick test shot, and then I counted to three to take a picture and it went through. Right when I took the first picture, Brad starts shaking. Laura questions him about that like, "Why are you shaking?" Then, Brad says, "Well...." as he reaches for his back pocket and then he gets down on one knee and Laura's heart literally stopped and she begins to cry. 

Let me tell you, she said yes in a very quiet and a very stunned kind of way. Then more tears begin to stream down her face, and she gets very emotional without a doubt.

For sure, that was a fun experience to photograph! After that, we took a couple more pictures. I stuck around for another 30 minutes after the proposal, and then I went home to look at the pictures. 

Later that evening, we had a little engagement celebration for Brad & Laura. We invited people from our family, Laura's family and a couple of their friends. It was a very lovely little evening celebrating them.

Our family is excited to be welcoming Laura as a new addition. Although, Brad & Laura had been together for a while, it seemed as if everything had fallen into place and that we already consider her family. Below are the beautiful photos I captured of the proposal and the raw emotions captured in them. 

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Let's face it, paying bills sucks. Even though you know you need food, shelter, clothes etc., it still stinks handing over your hard earned money for water & power & ChikFila. And before we even go there, YES ChikFila is mandatory in my life for the maintenance of my emotional health...it makes me happy! Saving money is hard. You get an extra couple of hundred bucks in the bank and NOW you need new tires. Ugh. Or, you save up a nice little nest egg and your transmission falls out on Broadway. Double ugh. Some aspects of adulting just aren't fun. 

My brother Bradley and his girlfriend, Laura bought and closed on very nice little house in Fountain City about a month ago. It is a house that is a perfect fit for them. When you've been paying rent for months and you see the opportunity to own a little piece of the world you can ALMOST see the bigger picture. Even though home ownership is work, the trade off is the peace of knowing your money has been (hopefully) well spent. You've made an investment. Early October, Laura's mother, LeAnn, threw a housewarming party for them which, I tell you, was like Christmas! So many friends and family came together to celebrate. We celebrated their new beginning. A kind of beginning where they do not have to stress about having to pay rent like they did and instead now make a monthly investment, aka mortgage. A kind of beginning where they can make memories and have friends over to entertain in their own home. They can throw football parties and they can laugh and love in something which belongs to them.  Though saving is hard and buying a house is stressful, they really could see the big picture. Really though, their house is perfect. The other one who thinks so? Titan, Laura's dog. 

Now Titan (We have a Titan too!) can run in a big backyard, investigate the world and sniff all the things. Over the weekend while running errands with my crew, Mom needed to make a delivery at a school Mom's house. While over there, she got a tiny bit distracted by a very cute, tiny little puppy. Long story short the puppies needed homes. Titan needed a friend. Mom called Bradley. Suddenly we had this tiny puppy wrapped in a thrift store blanket and were headed to Brad and Lauras. Brad decided to surprise Laura with the puppy and her reaction was a priceless mix of surprise and shock. It did not take them long to become a family of four and now Titan has a little sister named Roxie. 

Later that afternoon, I went to Brad & Laura's house to give them a crate we were no longer using. I also wanted to get a picture of the two of them and their 'dog-children.' The next day, I went back for Roxies solo session. Taking a chance on a house and taking a chance on a puppy are two very big leaps of faith but have brought them so much joy. They saw a bigger picture. Now you can see the new addition! 

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Not long ago I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding for an amazing couple, Catelyn and Brad. Everything about their day was perfect. She looked gorgeous, the weather was amazing and their family and friends were all there. I took a lot of pictures that day/night but one picture stood out. Five years ago this sweet couple lost their six month old son. For reasons we might never understand God decided he needed another angel in heaven that day and he chose Easton. I'm sure it was hard for either of them to even get out of bed some days and that sadness overtook every other emotion. But these amazingly strong people leaned on each other and looked at the bigger picture; while heart-broken, Easton will never be completely gone from their lives. He's everywhere with them and they have been very careful to honor him in small ways. Whether its cupcakes on his birthday, or a picture repost on Facebook, they have continued to have him "present" in different ways. Since that horrible day in June 2014 Catelyn and Brad have had two more children, Emory and Everett. These two precious kiddos will never take the place of their older brother, but I think they've given Catelyn and Brad some measure of peace. On their wedding day Catelyn carried Easton down the aisle with her in the form of a locket of sorts pinned to her bouquet. It was the perfect touch and capturing the picture made my heart happy. Grief can be a nasty thing but it helps if you can see a bigger picture and can find bits and pieces of peace as you heal. 

I'm not sure when I decided I wanted to become a photographer. It was quite a while ago when I became interested in cameras, prints and making something unique. The past few years have been spent learning the photography trade, at school and in the field and while I still have a bunch to learn, I'm beginning to notice certain things about myself and my business which make me proud of what I do.

Lately I have been trying to define who I am as a photographer and where I would like to go in my career including the type of clients I'd like to serve, the business practices I'd like to have in place and just how big I'd like my business to become. I've signed myself up for the Assembly Workshop sponsored by Ascend Theory here in Knoxville in January and I hope I will learn some new insight into the marketing of the studio and the development of new techniques for my work but I think ultimately the nature of my practice is already directly rooted to who I am as a person. I want to help show, through my clients and body of work how to look at a bigger picture.  

It is no secret adults with disabilities are often looked at differently, and not necessarily in a good way. Historically speaking companies have been reluctant to hire folks such as myself because the perception is we cost more. The idea that making accommodations for people with Autism (which is a disability I have some understanding of) is hard and expensive and therefore not worth the effort is kinda ridiculous. Sometimes all we need is to stand instead of sit all the time, or maybe we just need a different kind of chair. Or, we might like to wear khakis instead of jeans or have four small breaks instead of two longer ones. Neither seem all that unreasonable to me but instead of looking at adults with Autism as dedicated hard workers who are reliable and trustworthy, employers hesitate to take a chance. Those who do can see the bigger picture. 

With that being said, there have been an extraordinary number of people willing to take a leap of faith and trust me with precious moments in this past year. Those are the kind of people I'd like to have employ me...those are the kind of people I'd like to work for. The type of people who look past my disability and understand I'm just a bit quirky. In fact, we're all a little bit quirky. Some of us are just plain ole weird. Hahahahaha! I may struggle with loud noises and crowds but I'm getting pretty good at Lightroom. I may need to hear the same statement a few times to understand an instruction, but I can get a group to smile and feel comfortable getting their portrait made. These special clients, which I truly appreciate, can see a bigger picture. 

I have also come to realize I'd rather people have quality professional photographs than sacrifice for the sake of affordability. I have rather liked working with those who think they can't afford to document their events and becoming the photographer they come to again. Having photographs of precious memories shouldn't be cost prohibitive...I'm kinda like the Robin Hood of the Photography world. Fact or fiction, he was able to see the bigger  "financial" picture. (You will NEVER see me wear tights though!)

In order to see a bigger picture it helps to have a wide angle lens. This could literally be an actual lens or a figurative ability to look past what you may not understand nor control and just have faith. 

Each week we will highlight a photo, a subject, group or setting we can all learn a little something from; where we try to see the bigger picture. Welcome to #WideAngleWednesday. 

 

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So, you may have gotten to know me a little bit through my 'Meet Jack' page, but I thought maybe share some more facts about me.

There is so much to me and I could talk about myself all day, but it would probably bore you if I broke it all down to where it would take me a long time to do it, so here are 10 facts about me!

 

1. I have a VERY extended family. I have 1 biological brother, 1 half-brother, 1 stepbrother, and 1 stepsister. I even have a brother-in-law, and am even an uncle to 3 small children, ranging from ages 1-4.

 

2. I have two dogs, Tank & Titan, both are boxers. I also have 4 chickens, which are all hens. We get quite a bit of eggs from them too! I also have three cats, Pepper, Poppin, & Julip.  

 

3. I am a big Lady Antebellum fan! I have been a fan of theirs since I was 13 years old, and I have seen them three times in concert. I have even met two of the members, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott!

 

4. I love going on adventures! One of my greatest adventures I have made is going to Scotland for three weeks in June 2017. Ever since then, I have had this crazy travel bug, and it makes me want to go to more neat places!

 

5. I am currently in my fifth year as a substitute teacher. I started in 2015, only going to one school, but when graduating from college in 2018, I started going to various schools ranging from elementary schools and middle schools. I am just as passionate being a substitute as I am being a photographer.

 

6. I love music. Especially country music. I also love going to concerts! I have seen a bunch of amazing concerts over the last few years, but if there were two artists that I want to see in concert that I've never seen, they are Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.

 

7. I love working out! I believe working out is a big motivation and can get me going.

 

8. I love people! I believe it is important, as a photographer, to build relationships with my clients. It is a way to make photo shoots so enjoyable!

 

9. I love the Lord. I love worshipping him and going to church on Sundays and going to my Young Adult connection group meetings on Sundays after the first Sunday service and again on Tuesday evenings.

 

10. Finally, a fact that is very important for me to share. I have Autism. I was diagnosed at the age of three, It has taken me a LOT of determination and courage getting to where I am today.

 

 

Well, this concludes my first blog post. I sure hope you enjoyed this, and I can't wait to share more stuff with you soon!

 

*Photo credits go to THE awesome Sydney Morris Photography!