Sam’s a very creative guy, so his method of proposing was a little out of the ordinary. That evening, he sent Krissy on a scavenger hunt around Knoxville (the pair are also known for hosting awesome scavenger hunt parties in the summer). At each checkpoint, she received a little gift and a card. The first card had “WILL” written on it. The second card at checkpoint number two had “YOU” on it. The third card has “MARRY” on the front. And the fourth card, which Sam held as he stood in front of a giant Christmas tree on the Market Square stage, said “ME.” And inside were two checkboxes with “Yes” and “No” — with “Yes” checked off.

And of course she said “Yes!”

Steph and I are really honored to have been part of the proposal excitement. It was truly a joyous occasion and a wonderful holiday experience! Congratulations to Sam and Krissy! We’re looking forward to the wedding!

Wedding Photography | The Proposal | Krissy and Sam – Images by Lia Ballentine

Thanks to Graph Paper Press for including me as an example of their latest theme, On Assignment, in action!

I was inspired by Jack Gruber’s site — and having been a Graph Paper Press user for a few years now, it was easy to switch from my Modfolio theme to the new On Assignment theme. Plus, the single column option with the On Assignment theme was the perfect layout for my new PhotoShelter custom galleries and client area.

I’m very excited to be featured in the same list with three internationally renowned photojournalists. What an honor. Thank you, GPP!

Learn more about the On Assignment theme and check out the blog post here: http://graphpaperpress.com/2009/11/19/on-assignment/

I had the honor of working with photographer Rick Smee to create a beautiful coffee table book of photographs from his humanitarian work with The Great Football Giveaway, a UK-based charity whose mission is to donate footballs to children who live in areas of extreme poverty around the world.

No kid should be denied the chance to kick a ball about. It’s one of life’s most simple pleasures.

So that’s what we’re here for. To get sports equipment direct into the hands (or feet) of some of the world’s most disadvantaged kids.

More balls, more smiles. Simple…

Why give a ball?

Footballs not only provide some much needed fun, but they can also be used to help increase school attendance and performance overnight. Alternatively, kids from villages that once fought each other in war, can now use football to play together in peace. All around the world orphan centres, local run organisations and community projects can use footballs to draw kids off the street and into care. Put simply, footballs are a hugely resourceful tool.

Rick joined The Great Football Giveaway in Angola and captured the excitement on the children’s faces as they received their footballs. The book contains amazing portraits of the people of Angola, and Rick also provides great narratives describing his experiences as he traveled through the provinces of Huambo and Lubango.

The book is an amazing testament to the power of a single kind act. Through Rick’s photographs, you can see the joy in the children’s faces as they receive the footballs and the gifts of play and friendship. Like Paul Clarke (founder of The Great Football Giveaway) said, “Simple…”

Below are a few spreads from the book so you can get a glimpse of Rick’s beautiful photography and share in his experience as an ambassador for The Great Football Giveaway.

Click on the link below to view book details or purchase a copy.

The Great Foot…

By Rick Smee

Book Preview

Below are just a few of my favorite images from the lifestyle session. Click here to view the entire gallery.

Below are just a few of the photos from our session together. Be warned… their smiles are infectious.

Congratulations to Sara Beth and Kevin! The two tied the knot on a breezy fall day at her family’s home in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Wedding Photography | Sara Beth and Kevin – Images by Lia Ballentine

A little over a week ago, PhotoShelter and GraphPaperPress announced a new partnership that would allow GraphPaperPress users to integrate their sites with PhotoShelter.

The benefits of such a system are tremendous: Get the ease of publishing + the SEO juice of a blog combined with the e-commerce and high-res distribution capabilities of PhotoShelter.

As soon as news hit Twitter and my inbox, I used some time over the weekend to update my site with the new features. I changed from my old Modfolio GraphPaperPress theme to the new On Assignment theme (thanks to inspiration from Jack Gruber). Then I quickly worked to customize my PhotoShelter page so that there would be a seamless transition from my site/blog to my photo archives and client galleries. I’m moderately techy and was able to get the changes implemented quickly and working perfectly. But even if you don’t have a clue about HTML or stylesheets, PhotoShelter offers a step-by-step guide on how to set up your customized site.

I unveiled my new site one day after making all the upgrades. I was so happy with the new look and the new functionality that I sent a “Thank You” note to PhotoShelter. And then I got a “Thank You” note back from Allen Murabayashi, CEO of PhotoShelter — and was featured on the PhotoShelter blog. Check it out!

GRAPHPAPERPRESS + PHOTOSHELTER: HERE COME THE WEBSITES

When my friend TJ (Taquiya) asked me about a portrait session, I was so excited! TJ is an amazing person — she’s beautiful, smart, funny, and one of the coolest people I know. I knew we would have a great time with an “anytime” photo session. And we did!

It was a dark and cloudy Saturday. It had been raining all week, but we somehow managed to find a few dry hours in the day for our photo shoot. Lucky us!

We started the session in Market Square, meeting up in our favorite little alley between the Miller’s Building and the Tomato Head (yum!). It’s our favorite spot because of an episode of The Heartland Series that points out the “trompe l’oeil” painted on the back of the Miller’s Building. “That’s what ya call a trompe l’oeil. It’s means ‘to fool the eye’ in French.” (It’s a lot funnier when you actually watch the episode.)

From the trompe l’oeil, we headed around the Square to downtown Knoxville’s wall of graffiti art and assorted flyers. TJ struck some serious poses in front of the chaotic background. Vogue! Following our short Market Square excursion, we headed towards Krutch Park and crossed over to the other side of downtown Knoxville near the post office and the John Duncan Federal Office Building. (No crazy security guards yelled at me this time.)

We walked down to St. John’s Cathedral on Cumberland Avenue to take advantage of the church’s amazing masonry and red doors as a backdrop. The doors are the brightest red — and they are, perhaps, my favorite doors in all of downtown Knoxville.

We took several photos against the stone walls and on the steps in front of the church doors. We even found some cool steps with curling iron rails leading from a loft building close to the church. There are so many awesome nooks and crannies in downtown that are just perfect for any portrait session.

After wandering through the area, we headed back for a quick wardrobe change. Then it was off to the Old City!

We noticed that the clouds seemed to be growing thicker, and the sky was becoming rather dark. We took that as a warning that our outdoor shoot was going to be ending soon — so we zipped through the Old City on a mission for colorful scenes and antique stores.

Antique stores are the best. I thought it would be nice to try for something a little like an Anthropologie catalog. (I drool over Anthropologie catalogs.)

We invaded the Crown and Goose for a few minutes, taking over the huge red leather couches facing the street. (Red was the color of the day.) And after joking around with some of the waitstaff, we crossed the street to grab some photos in front of Big Don The Costumier’s shop. The fenced up door gave us a nice grungy photo op.

TJ and I also loved the huge circle window at Old City Java and had to stop there for a few minutes. (Old City Java has one of the coolest windows in downtown Knoxville.)

Then suddenly, it started to rain! Thank goodness TJ brought her umbrella.

As we started to run back down the street towards the parking garage near Market Square, we found the best antique store for photographs. It was full of bright green leather furniture, a bright green lamp shade, and all kinds of fun kitschy decor. Bingo!

TJ and I had such an awesome portrait session. It was a blast running through downtown with her and discovering new places for photographs. She was a great model, and I hope we can to do this again soon. And maybe it won’t rain next time!