Alabama wedding photographer Amanda Pair is based in Birmingham, AL »

Lindsey Alsobrook - Okay I must have really liked it because I posted twice It said it didn’t work the first time!September 3, 2010 – 12:14 am

Lindsey Alsobrook - That is the most amazing thing! Congratulations Ashley and Mike, and Amanda you did a great job documenting this precious moment. I wish I had something like this to look back on the days when my girls arrived!September 3, 2010 – 12:13 am

Lindsey Alsobrook - You are kidding me! That is the most awesome thing I have ever seen. Congratulations Ashley and Mike, and Amanda that is the best documentation ever! I wish I had something like this to remember the days when my girls arrived!September 3, 2010 – 12:10 am

crystal - I loved every teary second of this video! Ashely and Mike, congrats!!September 2, 2010 – 9:11 pm

ashley & Mike - So many thanks for all of the awesome comments! We are so much in love with our new baby girl! Amanda we feel so very blessed to have you in our lives, Not just because you are an amazing photographer, but an amazing friend as well! We cannot even begin to put into words how great this video makes us feel. We are so lucky you were there. Time flew by so fast that day and because of you we didn’t miss a minute. You are the best and we all three love you!September 2, 2010 – 4:43 pm

Laurie H. - Amanda – you have given this family the most special gift through these photos. They are beautiful. My son, Blake, is 9 yrs old and I only *wish* I would have thought of documenting his birth this way. I know they will cherish every single image forever!September 2, 2010 – 3:10 pm

Aubrie - Beautiful. These photos are priceless September 2, 2010 – 1:13 pm

Lisa Y - GEEZ – I cried too. What a beautiful family. I just had a baby 5 months ago and WOW you captured every emotion. Congrats Ashley!!! Well done Amanda.September 2, 2010 – 12:41 pm

Maggie - Beautiful work! Congrats to Mike and Ashely on a beautiful baby girl.September 2, 2010 – 9:25 am

Jordan - That is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen! What a beautiful baby girl! Congrats Ashley and Mike!!!September 2, 2010 – 9:08 am

sheree - Welcome to the world Carter! Lovely, Amanda. And to think she’ll have you there every birthday from now on. Congratulations Ashley and Mike and to all your family.September 2, 2010 – 8:45 am

Courtney - Amazing job Amanda! You had me tearing up over strangers Way to capture the emotion of the day!!September 2, 2010 – 8:23 am

Katie - beautiful! by far one of the greatest ‘sessions’ you have done. I watched it 4 times and I start crying at the exact same picture every time. so…how’s the schedule look for Christmas Day?….kidding! Congratulations Mike and Ashley! I can’t wait to meet little Carter.September 2, 2010 – 8:17 am

Tina - Ohmygosh I just teared up and I don’t even know them! What an AWESOME gift you were able to give them, they’ll treasure these pictures forever:) So beautiful! PS I like how she is looking all cute with cute earrings even while giving birth. I feel like I’m gonna look like one hot mess. September 2, 2010 – 8:03 am

Byron - Babies are a miracle and gift! What a wonderful view of God’s blessing’s on a new family. Awesome and amazing!!! A-Pair….You totally captured the best experience anyone could ever imagine!September 2, 2010 – 1:11 am

Janet - I just love it! What an amazing gift!September 1, 2010 – 10:50 pm

Michelle - **sob,sob,sniff,sob** That was the most beautiful story told by a camera I have ever seen!!! Phenomenal job Amanda! Ashley, you deserve all the happiness in the world and if these pictures tell the story correctly…you are there!!! Congratulations sweet girl! I love you!September 1, 2010 – 10:14 pm

Melissa - oh my! the moments of every one standing around just looking at the new baby and mom are amazing. The emotion is so raw and beautiful…. you are the best! And how exciting that they have these amazing memories to look back on year after year!September 1, 2010 – 9:31 pm

jennrob - Oh my goodness, congratulations mike and ashley on your beautiful baby girl! amanda, what a precious lasting memory you have given mike and ashley. it seems w/ kids, your memory gets worse, worse and oh yea more worse as the days go by. i sometimes get confused b/t events surrounding jack and jared’s birth. they will treasure this forever! congrats again to the beautiful family!September 1, 2010 – 9:27 pm

Coe - …and I didn’t think you could top Smith’s arrival…sniff, sniff. Mom of two saying…it’s quite amazing isn’t it?! You fall so deeply in love instantaneously with someone you just met; and the emotion is there even if it isn’t your own child! Congrats to Ashley and Mike and Aunt Amanda and Uncle Allen!September 1, 2010 – 9:26 pm

Lindsay - WOW!! There are no words to describe that other than AMAZING!! Amanda these are beautiful! Mike, Ashley, CONGRATS!! She is absolutely beautiful!!September 1, 2010 – 9:18 pm

Meredith - I have no idea who these people are, but I totally cried watching this video Amanda! These pix are so beautiful and touching and truly capture the emotions in the L&D room that I think all mommies can relate to. So, so beautiful! Congrats to the parents on such a beautiful baby!September 1, 2010 – 9:03 pm

Christi - Amanda, this is amazing. I am so glad you were there to document this wonderful experience for Ashley and Mike. Carter is so beautiful and you did such a wonderful job.September 1, 2010 – 8:51 pm

Ravyn - So happy for them. Such amazing images.September 1, 2010 – 8:50 pm

Shannon - WOW!!!! I’m crying… great job Amanda, I wish you did that stuff when my kids were born. Congrats to Ash and Mike on making such a Beautifull baby girl. I love y’all, and can’t wait to meet Miss Carter September 1, 2010 – 8:31 pm

kelly yokel - Ok I have to respond again.. I am not finished!!! DEAR LORD.. I can’t stop crying!! Amanda, this is amazing!! Ash and Mike, it is a good thing we are coming this weekend because I am ready to LOVE on her!!September 1, 2010 – 8:31 pm

kelly yokel - WOW!!! I am hysterical!! I have watched it three times now!! Ashley and Mike, Carter is so perfect and beautiful!!! I am so excited to hold her!! Amanda, you should be so proud of this!! After having two of my own, I can say that you did a tremendous job of capturing the emotion in the room that day!! What a special place to be!! I felt as if I was right there with all of you!!! Congratulations to Mike and Ashley and congrats Amanda on your art!! ITs all beautiful!!September 1, 2010 – 8:28 pm

rachelcrossiter@gmail.com - Thank you so much, amanda! This is beyond amazing. And a million congrats to Ashley & Mike on beautiful baby Carter. Okay bye – I have to go watch it a ninth time, now.September 1, 2010 – 8:27 pm

Leah and Bayn - I love it. It made me cry. We are so happy for the new parents.September 1, 2010 – 8:19 pm

Deb - So beautiful. So emotional. So perfect.September 1, 2010 – 8:18 pm

robin - Oh my…I don’t even know what to say. That is the most amazing thing i have ever seen. Beautiful.September 1, 2010 – 8:15 pm

April - Words can’t even come close to describing what you have captured for Mike and Ashley. What a blessed baby girl to have been assigned to Mike and Ashley by God. Carter, we can’t wait to watch you grow up and become the beautiful girl (inside and out) that we all know you will be:)”Every good and perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17:) I love all of you and cant wait to see her again:)September 1, 2010 – 8:14 pm

Allen - Wow! That was incredible.
Congratulations Mike and Ashley. So wonderful. Yall did greatSeptember 1, 2010 – 8:12 pm

Kristen - OH MY GOODNESS! Ashley, Mike, I’ve never met you but my eyes just welled up with tears as I watched the video of your sweet baby girl’s birthday. What a neat day & SUCH an amazing time to have documented this way. Amanda, you did a great job! Congrats Mom & Dad, Carter is beautiful!!September 1, 2010 – 8:12 pm

happy birthday baby smith

August 31, 2010 in newborn photographer

Last Tuesday I had the rare opportunity to be with Kristi and Eric‘s family as they welcomed their new baby into the world. I shot the family’s maternity session earlier this summer and was looking forward to meeting their new addition. When Kristi e-mailed me to ask if I would be willing to come to the hospital to document his birthday, I jumped at the chance. I did not photograph the actual birth, but the images I was able to capture before and after are so special, and I feel blessed that I was able to be part of such a wonderful experience. With Kristi’s permission, I thought I would share a few from Smith’s birthday…

When I arrived to the hospital, Kristi and Eric’s sweet families were waiting with them in her suite. They are the most supportive, genuinely nice people, and I cannot say enough how much I adore this family.

Kristi and Eric put together these fantastic blue rock candy favors for their visitors.

I was waiting in their room when Kristi and Eric brought in the new baby. It was so awesome to document the first moments of his new life.

The best part of the day was when Eric went out to the waiting room to get new big brother Bryant. The look on his face when he saw his baby brother “Smif” was priceless. Everyone was very emotional, and it took all I had to choke back my own tears.

I am so thrilled for Kristi, Eric and Bryant and their growing family. Smith is such a blessing to them, and I know he is loved beyond words.

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by Amanda

9 comments

Debbie - To me, every birth is a miracle. But to be able to capture each moment for those engaged in them…..what a priceless gift to give a family. May God continue to bless your work and all of those that allow you the priviledge of looking through your lense to capture those moments for them. Thank you for being apart of Smith’s BIRTH-day!September 1, 2010 – 9:36 am

Deb - What a sweet family! Eric and Kristi were wise to have you document Smith’s birthday since that day is usually a foggy memory. Your first color photo of Smith is perfect but the one of Eric, Bryant and Smith is my favorite. Kristi is beautiful before and after!September 1, 2010 – 7:58 am

Ravyn - So beautiful! I’ve been wanting to shoot a birth for some time now. Such a beautiful time to document with photos!August 31, 2010 – 7:35 pm

allen - Congratulations Hardin and Mullins Family! That is truly AWESOME!August 31, 2010 – 5:06 pm

Amy Carson - These are wonderful Amanda – You really captured the range of emotions in each and every image. Congrats to the happy family!August 31, 2010 – 3:01 pm

Katie - the picture of Daddy and big brother looking at baby Smith is so precious! I’ve gotten teary eyed myself.August 31, 2010 – 2:21 pm

Lindsay - These are precious!! What a great experience. Congrats to Eric & Kristi – he is adorable.August 31, 2010 – 2:17 pm

sheree - How did you make such wonderful photos through your tears of joy for them? He is so beautiful. Must have been a truly wonderful experience.August 31, 2010 – 1:39 pm

Tina - Love it! How awesome that you were able to be with her to document the birth – I can’t wait to do this for my sister in a few months!August 31, 2010 – 11:48 am

taylor and ashlyn | family portraits

August 28, 2010 in family photographer

I practically grew up at my friend Mandi’s house. Which makes her brother Josh and his high-school-girlfriend-turned-wife, Lindsay, feel like extended family. I’ve watched their oldest daughter Taylor grow up and was thrilled for them when they welcomed baby Ashlyn back in March. Lindsay and I were so excited about the promise of family photos that we went ahead and mapped out her six month portrait session. Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to photographing this sweet family for a long time. Allen and Lindsay used to work together, so naturally he came along to help and visit.

We met Ashlyn when she was first home from the hospital, and of course I’ve followed her growing through Lindsay’s e-mails and photos on Facebook. But I was not prepared for the cuteness and personality that Ashlyn is in person. She is so laid back, and those big blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair won us both right over.

Ashlyn napped in the car on the way over, so she was still a little dazed from waking up when we started. Taylor and Josh stepped in to rile up Ashlyn and get her smiling again. I love this sweet photo that Allen captured.

After a few minutes she was laughs and smiles.

Taylor was sitting nearby encouraging Ashlyn and being such a good big sister. Without telling her, I turned the camera up and snapped a few shots. I love how natural they turned out.

Taylor suggested a few places we could shoot and cheesed it up for her own photos. For those of you who know this family, you’ll get a kick out of this: I asked Taylor where she learned out to smile like that and without any hesitation, she said, “Mandi!”

Some of the sweetest sister pictures I’ve taken!

We couldn’t let everyone be together without getting some family portraits. I could barely choose a few to share because I loved so many of them.

Our friend April (and her sister Michelle) has a blossoming invitation and customized t-shirt line. Ashlyn and Taylor both made a quick change into their Sister Shirts and I had to grab a few quick photos of the little models. Check out their cute stuff on Rock Paper Sisters Etsy Site or like them on Facebook!

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by Amanda

4 comments

katie o. - so perfecetly sweet. i love it!August 29, 2010 – 12:11 pm

april - Precious girls i love sweet ashlyn standing up and taylor is such a sweet big sister!August 28, 2010 – 3:17 pm

Lindsay - Amanda you never cease to amaze me!!! You did a great job and I could never thank you enough. You guys are def like family to us. Thanks to Allen too for his help that day. I know we will cherish these first family of 4 photos for many years to come!August 28, 2010 – 2:16 pm

allen - I love em! Those girls are so cute. I like the family shots a lotAugust 28, 2010 – 12:56 pm

i have no idea what this is about…

August 26, 2010 in my life

I am offically done with my “summer” sessions (woohoo!) and am taking a self-imposed three-week break to get caught up and have a little mental vacation before the craziness of the fall season starts. Don’t worry, I have enough to blog about for the next five years, so that will continue. If you are considering fall photos, now is the time to get on it! Since I said sayonara to Corporate America in the spring, I’ll be able to take a limited amount of weekday sessions this year. But those precious weekend session slots are filling up fast (like, there are only a couple left). But this is all beside the point…

While cleaning up my desktop and moving old files to an external hard drive, I was able to revisit this fun day with my cousin Melissa back in May. I posted the photos that I took of her as I demonstrated shooting manually and talked about some of my favorite lighting techniques. But I skipped right over the gems of photos that she took of me. Oh dear Lord, I can’t believe I’m actually about to share these with you fine folks. If you want to leave and never come back, I won’t hold it against you!

I have always talked with my hands. Maybe it is some sort of weird insecurity I don’t know about, but apparently I’m a little more animated then I realized! I’m sure I was talking about backlighting here and how to nail your exposure (which she did a good job on), but I don’t remember being so angry about it.

If anyone has any tips on getting rid of that permanent 11 on my forehead, I would be most appreciative. I’m much too young for botox!

Honestly, I can’t explain these next ones and won’t try… but know that this is the reason I stay on the back side of that camera! : )

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by Amanda

14 comments

Gail - You’re adorable.

That’s all

GAugust 28, 2010 – 12:53 pm

Deb - I can hear you lol in the last photo. Melissa did an outstanding job capturing the real you.August 27, 2010 – 9:42 pm

Laurie H. - Amanda – I think you are awesome for sharing these images of you being so real; it also proves how comfortable and secure you are with yourself. I love the last 2 – they are really cute! August 27, 2010 – 12:12 pm

Melissa - hehe! the ballerina is still my fav! And I didn’t even post that one out of niceness I adore the last one… your laugh is beautiful. (oh and the 11 must be genetic… I have it too!!)August 27, 2010 – 11:46 am

Coe - Yep, I can easily hear what you’re saying behind all of those expressions. I may not understand any of it, but I can “hear” you in all of them. Enjoy the break…oh, and Jordan, copy your comment before you post it. That way if you get an error and it doesn’t post, you can paste it and not lose your thought! (I do it every time. It’s how I manipulate my Amanda Pair fix!)August 27, 2010 – 10:58 am

Jordan - How cute are you? Love the last picture! “11″ Oh my gosh You’re in deep thought. See, it’s not there on the last 2 pics.August 27, 2010 – 10:17 am

Maggie - I love the last picture. Your laugh is contagious! Enjoy your little break. I can’t wait to see all the fall shoots.August 27, 2010 – 9:52 am

Allen - Ha! These are great. I like the 11!August 26, 2010 – 9:10 pm

jennrob - ha! i love it spla! your brushing off a bug in one of them! i’m proud of you for sharing them! it shows the real spla!August 26, 2010 – 7:56 pm

Lindsay - I love them all!! I have to admit I got a good afternoon chuckle. Enjoy your days away – you deserve every one of them! August 26, 2010 – 3:27 pm

Tina - Hahah….permanent 11…you’re too funny:) Glad to hear you’re taking a 3 week shooting break – you deserve it! Get all caught up and take some time OFF:)August 26, 2010 – 3:23 pm

robin - Each and every one of those are typical Amanda expressions – she captured you perfectly!!August 26, 2010 – 3:19 pm

Ravyn - Haha … Those are awesome. Melissa has some mad camera skills too! My favorite is the last one!!August 26, 2010 – 3:16 pm

My cousin Amanda is the best! « live life. addicted. - [...] checked my email today from my new fancy iphone and saw that my sweet cousin had posted a new blog. It contains the pictures I took of her from the learning session I had with her a couple of months [...]September 1, 2010 – 6:37 pm

mary elizabeth & robert | engaged

August 24, 2010 in engagement photographer

I’ve said before how awesome I think it is when a couple (or family) chooses a location for their session that means something to them. When Mary Elizabeth and I set up the time for her and Robert’s engagement session, she mentioned wanting to shoot in a part of town that is special to them. Robert lives nearby and they have spent a lot of their time on this particular stretch of shops and restaurants. As the session grew closer, she began to second guess the decision and asked if there was anywhere I recommended. I could have taken the easy road and suggested the gardens or a popular spot downtown, but I liked the idea of having our session right on top of their stomping grounds. I assured her we would make it work, and I am SO GLAD that we stuck to the plan. I enjoyed hearing the stories of their favorite shops as we walked around town, and their engagement photos are so uniquely them.

We started in front of their favorite little Mexican joint. It was early in the morning and traffic was beginning to pick up. I have to admit I felt a little awkward being out in the middle of the street as people made their way to work, but Mary Elizabeth and Robert didn’t seem to care at all!

They were up for anything, which I love.

Anyone else love some good subtle irony?

These two are super cute together. Mary Elizabeth has the best expressions and such a fun little laugh.

Shooting in the morning was a little strange for me. Besides being 100% NOT a morning person, I wasn’t thinking about the sun working backwards… What I mean is that the sun was barely, barely starting to peek over the top of the building behind them. Normally that means I could hang out here as long as I wanted as the sun continued to set. But within just a minute or two, the sun was in full force behind them, and we were off to a new location. This full series (including what you don’t see here) is one of my favorites.

The best thing about the location they chose was the variety of places to shoot. We went from industrial to homey to alley in a matter of steps. And Mary Elizabeth and Robert adapted seemlessly with each change up.

Oooh — these are more of my favs. I told them that we were getting a shot of her ring without their faces in the shot (which I did!). But then I lied and started secretly shooting the cute faces they were making at each other.

We ended right where we began… in front of their favorite Mexican joint. There is no way we would have gotten a shot like this at some cookie cutter location!

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by Amanda

10 comments