Below are some of my favorite moments from their special day (with a full slideshow at the bottom of the post)…

Wedding Photography | Krissy and Sam – Images by Lia Ballentine

We recently held our annual Looks for Literacy event, which is a wonderful fashion show and luncheon held at the Knoxville Museum of Art to benefit the organization. The best part about Looks for Literacy is our models… because our models are our very own students and volunteers.

Check out the slideshow below to see photos from this year’s Looks for Literacy! You can also view these at our Friends of Literacy page on Facebook.

Event Photography | Friends of Literacy | Looks for Literacy 2010 – Images by Lia Ballentine

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

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

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!

Saving Little Hearts is an organization dedicated to helping children with congenital heart defects and their families by providing emotional assistance and educational information primarily through the distribution of Care Packages.

Several weeks ago, Karin Coulter, director of Saving Little Hearts, contacted me about the possibility of photographers donating time to create portraits of Knoxville’s “heart kids.” Through the KNOX PHOTO community, I was able to help spread the word to local photographers — and several, including myself, volunteered time and talent to help the organization.

This past weekend, I was so happy to meet up with my heart kid, Landin. We had to reschedule our photo session a couple of times because of the rain; but, luckily, we were greeted with beautiful weather on Sunday and had a great time playing at Fort Kid and the World’s Fair Park.

Landin, who is only 14 months old, has already been through two open heart surgeries. But you’d never be able to tell from his energy and infectious smile, which are both probably the results of being loved so much by his parents and sweet big sister, Abby. He’s a curious little boy — and it was fun to watch him pick up pebbles around the play area… and attempt to eat them! And he surprised us all towards the end of the shoot when he started to run across the playground to his sister by the swings. Landin may have tiny feet and little legs, but he sure could move fast!

I know I always say this, but I love being a photographer. I’m so thankful to be able to meet wonderful families and children like Landin and Abby, and capture photographs of them as they play together and show their love for one another through smiles and hugs and laughs.

(Check out the slideshow below.)

Landin and Abby 2009 – Images by Lia Ballentine

An Evening With Gilles Marini – Images by Lia Ballentine

Interested in purchasing prints? Contact me for more information. A portion of the proceeds will go to Relay for Life.

Photo from gillesmarini.com

Spend an evening with Gilles Marini — actor from “Sex and the City” and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant! And support the American Cancer Society Relay for Life!

When: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: The Cider House (next to The Valarium), Knoxville, TN

Tickets for the event are $35 for general admission and $75 for VIP. VIP tickets get you special access to the venue, free Hors d’oeuvres, a photo op with Gilles, and a chance to win a dance with him!

In addition to Gilles, there will be other celebrity guests! Meet celebrity chef Mark Kearney, Scott L. Schwartz (The Ultimate Bad Guy), and Amanda Brown (Dating Diva).

As you know, I’m a big supporter of and fundraiser for Relay for Life. I held several portrait sessions this spring to benefit Relay, sold “Fight Like A Girl” shirts, and I’m continuing to show my support by sponsoring the photography for this event. As the official paparazzo for Saturday night, I’ll be hard at work following Gilles (and his entourage, VIPs, and fans) around at dinner, at The Cider House, and at the after-party. Photos from the event will be available for purchase through my online store, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Relay.

I’m excited to be a part of this star-studded event — and I hope to see you at the party!

For more details and to see a list of the event sponsors, visit PropjetPR.com. To purchase tickets, go to Tickets Unlimited at knoxvilletickets.com.