I'm Patricia Lyons and welcome to my blogsite. I am an international lifestyle photographer based in Virginia.
I shoot, well, everything, but you'll find I mainly photograph editorial for select magazines, as well as beautiful weddings in Virginia and around the world. Some photo slideshows are stacked below to the right, and you can even watch them all if you have a whole lot of time and a jug of coffee (and I've been told a box of tissues). You can also 'search' the blog if you are looking for something specific.
Or I suppose you could just enjoy the ride back in time, as everything happened.
I know I have.
You can find me at (804)387-5722 or email patricia@patricialyonsphotography.com
Once again short on time, but long on material. How does that happen??
Amy and Jack turned what could have been a very challenging day (it was, like, 850 degrees) into one that I will always remember filled with smiles, laughter and happiness. And awesome style. Hot pink, lime green, killer damask design. No stone unturned when it came to details, Amy had it DOWN. I loved it all! It was like shooting fish in a barrel... in scenic Allentown, PA. Now before you start going all Billy Joel on me and visions of welders start dancing in your head, take a look at this GORGEOUS place.
Amy and Jack, thank you for making it so fun for us. You and your beautiful families were such a joy to be with and photograph. And Amy, let me know when you realize event planning is really your calling.... ha!
Speaking of which, Amy and Jack found me last winter after they happened to see my work on this cute Preppy Wedding Blog and tracked me down. I love that! I don't know who the mystery preppy wedding lady is, but I sure do like her.
Tabatha and Christian. Such an amazing, fun, beautiful couple inside and out. As with most couples lately I didn't meet them until the wedding day (oddly, I haven't shot a Richmond couple yet this year), but knew from some great phone conversations that Tabatha and I were going to get along juuuust fine. She said, "Just do your thing, tell us what to do, we totally trust you". She won me over instantly.
Their reward follows. I am running out the door to shoot another gorgeous wedding, so enjoy!
"Thank you for everything. We have found so much good in people since she was born", the Mom looked me in the eyes and said as I gathered my things. I didn't know what to say back. I mean, what do you say? What do you say to someone who is going to lose their child?
For the past four years I have given my photographic services to the families whose sweet children are in hospice care with Noah's Children. They range in ages from birth to roughly 16, and have various conditions that will take their lives way too early. Some are first born children, some have siblings. All are very, very deeply loved.
This morning I did a very special photo shoot for a family whose daughter was born with a genetic condition that was expected to take her life before she could even leave the hospital. She is home now, thirteen days old. The parents are all too aware of what the future holds, they just don't know when. So they will hold her, hug her, feed her, love her and cherish every single second.
Her older brother and sister are too young to understand, which I guess has its benefits, and greeted me shyly at the door hanging at their Mom's skirt, protected. Within minutes they were following me around, curious, then graduated to full on hams, stealing the show.
People always ask, how do you do it? How do you not do it. as carzy as life is, how can you not share your abilities. I guess my hands don't shake as much. I'm not as scared when I go in. I don't cry quite as much afterward. In some ways, I suppose, I have come to terms with it. I go in, do my job, and feel thankful that I can give these families a small bit of peace in their grief, that they'll know at least they have these photos in the years forward when of course they'd rather have the child.
I think the most incredible thing is when I see these families, they give me strength. It blows me away every time I hear these exact words, "We are just so thankful we have her for this little while".
The kids are out of school and the signs are clear:
1.) Baseball is over. I'm pretty bummed about this one, but my nerves were about shot after the playoffs. Alas, they won the Little League championships in a nail-biting finale!
2.) My hair is not cooperating. At all. Richmond humidity is legend, and I feel like a human barometer.
3.) Can't keep food in the house. Buy it, bring it in, it disappears. Every morsel. Like they're starving. What did these kids eat at school? Then there's the ice cream man who now circles the 'hood with his sqwawking truck that sends my kids into a comical keystone-cop frenzy. You would seriously think they have never seen ice cream before.
4.) Band Aids and Neosporin are being dealt out like cards at a black jack table. I'm telling you, the injury per day stats are ridiculous. We're crossing fingers Dylan doesn't hit the ER for busting her chin for the fourth time. Odds aren't good according to the doctors. No kidding, the ER doc said "See you in a few months" last time we were in. Great.
5.) Not to mention, I have removed 9 ticks so far. 3 from places that should never, ever have ticks. Gentlemen, you may cringe...now. Poor kid (and poor Mom).
6.) Sleep, glorious sleep. We are all sleeping past last week's 6:45 am school alarm and ALL are much happier for it. I love seeing their cute, sleepy-eyed, tanned faces coming down to breakfast with crazy chlorine-infused bed head.
7.) And last but not least, weddings, weddings, weddings!! I shot a really beautiful plantation wedding last weekend that was pretty much perfect and defied all weather predictions, and have one this weekend that with an adorable couple I can't wait to meet. I will share the photos this coming week!
A small diversion while I get caught up on some photos here.....
OK, the books part is a joke. Since the last three novels I read were "I Wish That I Had a Dog", "I Love My Dog" and the eagerly anticipated follow-up, "The Very Angry Girl" (who, it seems, did not get a dog) by Dylan Lyons, I cannot actually comment on books. Except to say I wish I had more time to read them.
Movies have temporarily replaced books during my busy season because I can get more satisfaction with a great story that will all be over by the time I put my head down for the night. After a day of shooting or editing, it's all I can do to just sit there, escape and absorb, little letters being a challenge for my tired eyes.
Lori sent me a link to a cool Vancouver Site that listed their top ten indies love stories of the year. It's just what I needed. I printed it out and am making my way through the list this summer so I thought I'd share. Indie films are my weakness, they're fresh, unexpected, quirky, off-beat, often hysterical, totally original, and typically have great soundtracks. I also have a Patrick Dempsey threshold that has been surpassed for the year, so.... here goes:
1.) Once 2.) All the Real Girls 3.) Lars and the Real Girl 4.) Me and You and Everyone We Know 5.) Conversations with Other Women 6.) Waitress 7.) Broken English 8.) Wristcutters: A Love Story 9.) Shopgirl 10.) Dedication
On the music front, just wanted to say that Richmond is really stepping up the live music scene. Finally. We went to The National last night to see Marie Digby (there's an accent on the e in Marie but I can't remember how to make it happen) and Eric Hutchinson, and they were AWESOME. And you simply couldn't ask for a better venue. If you haven't been there, check out the schedule and find a reason to go! Marie Digby is coming back August 1 with Gavin Degraw, FYI.
Marie has some beautiful original songs (see Kate and Jay's slideshow) but I also love her cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella". We chatted with her after the show and she is this tiny, gorgeous, sweet girl who started playing piano at age 3. You can tell! She also plays guitar, sings incredibly, writes. Gushing talent. All the guys (and some of the girls) in our group left there with HUGE Marie Digby crushes. Check her out:
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