lindsay + david // wedding sneak peek

Here's a quick peek at Lindsay + David's wedding we shot the other weekend. This wedding was such a joyful one. It was such a blessing to get to be with them and document it.

Congratulations, Lindsay + David! We're so very happy for you both. :)

tiffany zajas photography

friday finds: letterpress kit, cupcakes, and zebra finches.

Wow, I can't believe it's Friday already! This week went by extremely fast. I hope you all had a wonderful week and have an even better weekend!

Here are some fun finds that I came across this week...

How cool would it be to have your own letterpress right in your home?! I would love love love to make my own pretty letterpress stationery using this amazing at-home letterpress kit from Lifestyle Crafts. How cool is that?!

image via Lifestyle Crafts

I have a crush on baking cupcakes. I have never been a huge cake fan (except for ice cream cake!) but when I baked my first batch of cupcakes from scratch, I have never looked back. So, when I recently came across The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, I automatically put it on my wishlist!

Don't you think that these screen printed city prints are absolutely gorgeous? They're so colorful and well designed. The Heads of State is still expanding their store, so I'm crossing my fingers that they'll create one for Nashville!

image via The Heads of State

I chuckled pretty hard when husband showed me this inspirational poster from Think Geek.

image via Think Geek

And last, but certainly not least...here's a video of zebra finches playing instruments.

(haha...okay, maybe you didn't find that as amusing as I did...but I used to own a few zebra finches...and I think they're so cute!)

Have you come across any fun finds this week? If so, feel free to include the link in the comments below!

Happy weekend, friends!

an evening bonfire.

A few weeks ago husband and I made a fire in our backyard and just sat out there and talked the evening away. It really was quite perfect. I don't know what it is about sitting in front of a fire, but it's very relaxing and mesmerizing to me.

While enjoying our cozy fire, we realized that this was the first time that Max had ever been around open flames...we realized this at just the right moment too, because he got a little too close for comfort.

We spent the evening talking about our day, our future together, and our silly dog. The only thing missing from this perfect evening was marshmallows. Next time, there will be marshmallows. :)

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In other news, my day off yesterday was quite a success! Thanks to those of you who shared via the comments here, Twitter, and Facebook your ways of creating balance in your lives when it comes to work and personal life.

I spent yesterday catching up on Glee, reading my favorite blogs, baking Jumbo Coffee-Cake muffins, doing some laundry, and going to see Robin Hood in the theater with husband. It was a great, much needed break...and I'm so glad I did it!

With love,

Tiffany

the importance of rest.

It hit me last night when Jonathan and I were talking over dinner: I have a really hard time getting out of work mode.

I realized this when every other sentence that came out of my mouth was work related. "I feel like last night's session went really well!" "I uploaded so-and-so's images online today." "I have this new idea for our client info sheets." "I need to buy more DVD cases." blah, blah, blah...

When husband pointed out that all I was talking about was work...I sat there for a minute in silence...because I couldn't think of anything else to talk about.

Yikes!

When you're running your own business, it's often hard to turn work off...especially when your office is in your home and you actually enjoy what you do. When I have weddings and sessions scheduled on the weekend, it's easy to forget to take time off to just live life.

To top off my already guilty conscience about all of this, during my devotion time this morning I was reminded of Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Then I was prompted to look up the definition of the word "Sabbath" and found..."a period of rest."

Double yikes!

To think that me working extra hours, and thinking about work all the time (because let's face it, when you're thinking about work, that is a form of work) and not taking time to rest...I'm actually being disobedient to God...that got me right there.

I guess I'm sharing all of this as a declaration of my desire to change. If I write this for anyone to read, maybe it'll help keep me a little more accountable.

In an initial effort to change, I decided to take a personal day today. My emails can wait, the editing can wait, all of my work will still be there tomorrow...because I'm going to take the time to rest today.

I know that I am not alone in this struggle. Many of you probably have difficulty with this same exact thing.

Tell me...what things do you do to make sure to set boundaries in your life when it comes to work and your personal life?

With love,

Tiffany

kelsey // nashville, tn portrait session

This is my friend Kelsey, and she and I both share the love for photography. When Kelsey told me she needed a headshot for her new photography website, I jumped at the chance to be the one to take it for her!

It's always fun (and somewhat butterfly inducing) photographing other photographers, because they don't laugh at you (okay, maybe a little bit) when you ask them to do silly things or you're sprawled all over the grass to get that perfect shot. :)

Here are a few of my favorites from her portrait session:

Isn't she gorgeous? She sure did make my job easy! And the beautiful golden sunlight we had that night certainly helped as well.

Have I ever mentioned that I love taking pictures? Yep, it makes me all giddy on the inside. :)

I hope you're all having an absolutely beautiful day.

With love,

Tiffany

emily + jonathan // married!

A few weeks ago we had the honor of getting to photograph Emily + Jonathan's wedding. Let me just start by saying that this couple is one of the sweetest that I have ever met. During the entire day, their love for their friends and family, for each other, and for God was so evident. It really was such a joy to be a part of this celebration!

To start things off, here is a little video with highlights from their wedding day:

Now for more pictures...

They really made my job easy...so photogenic, smiley, and in love. :)

One thing that I absolutely loved about their reception is that all of the music was live and sung/played by their friends. When it was time for a new song to begin, another bridal party member would jump up and sing a song. Emily and Jonathan even did their part! Each and every one of them is so incredibly talented. We were blown away!


Some of the wonderful vendors who made this day possible:

Ceremony: Second Presbyterian Church Nashville, TN

Wedding Coordinators: Jessica Brown, Crystal Varenkamp, and Megan Gleckler

Reception Site: Fellowship Bible Church Brentwood, TN

Flowers: Crystal Varenkamp

Hair: Jordan at Trim
Makeup: Kayla Bailey

Photography: Tiffany Zajas Photography

A special shout out goes to my AMAZING second shooter (and husband), Jonathan Zajas. Some of the images shown above are his as well. He is such a blessing to have with me to shoot weddings...it's so fun to get to share these experiences with him. :)

Congrats Emily and Jonathan! Getting to know you both and documenting this celebration has really been such a joy.

With Love,

Tiffany

Nashville flood of 2010.

This weekend has been a crazy one for our city of Nashville and the surrounding Middle Tennessee area. We were hit with a record amount of rain. A summer's worth of rain came down in just two days causing the greatest flood that Nashville has ever seen.

Many people's lives have been affected by this...homes damaged...cars swept away...lives lost.

photo cred: Victor James

Here are a few short videos that give you an idea of the extent of the flooding that has taken place here:

Thanks to everyone for all the calls, texts, messages, etc. to see how Jonathan and I were doing...we are safe and sound here. The worst we had was about an inch of water in our downstairs office and garage last night, but thankfully that has dried up for the most part now and no personal belongings were damaged.

We live only half a mile away from the Cumberland River, which was the river that crested and is flooding many parts of the city...but thankfully our neighborhood is on high enough ground that we haven't seen any damage from it.

Please keep our city in your thoughts and prayers. The affects of this flood are widespread and many.