Category archives: NC
How we honor the memory of those we have loved and lost through photographs with Barbara Bell Photography
- In the Catholic Church, November 1st is all Saints' Day and November 2nd, All Souls' Day. For this second one, we honor the memory of those we have loved and lost. In Catholic school, we were taught this simple prayer: "May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace." My 8th grade English teacher, Sr. Anne and a [...]
A Letter to our Graduating Classes | Chapel Hill, NC
- To our 2020 and 2021 graduates: I know this has been a time like no other. I understand these past 15 months have been challenging, and I see how you rose above all of this. Going forward, your tenacity will serve you well. Did you know that ‘to commence’ means to begin again? After weathering a global pandemic, [...]
This family portrait session in Hillsborough, NC was fun and fabulous | The Sullivan Family
- It’s been over a year now since I started photographing for neighborhood magazines like the Heart of Hillsborough and Meadowmont and the Oaks. I love doing this kind of editorial photography because it allows me to meet people who are all so unique in the work they do, as well as how they support our sense of communit[...]
9 Best Audio Books for your Next Road Trip | On a Personal Note
- It was my friend Kalee’s dad who first suggested audio books when undertaking a long road trip. How do you stay alert when your view is a perpetual ribbon of highway with patches of red tail lights? It can look the same for miles on miles, and this can eventually have a hypnotic effect. Having recently complete[...]
A senior session and a reminder that the potential for greatness lives within us | Constellation Park near Chapel Hill, NC
- As we cruise into summer, I want to give a final shout out to some of our seniors. While some of you begin your next adventure, we hope you take a moment to reflect on how far you have come. Your years of high school, undergrad, and grad school have prepared you for these next steps. My mother is a big believe[...]
Senior Portrait Session | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- June is the time of year we reserve for our dads and grads, and in this blog post, I want to address our grads. This has been a weird year, I know. The end of the school year was supposed to be a celebration of your years of hard work. If you played sports, this may have been the last fall season you got to play on a[...]
Four moms talk about what they want to hear in the time of COVID-19 | Community
- Last week, when I was writing a blog post, remembering the season of First Communion, and considering what life used to look like, I also wanted to share something of hope with my readers. “Hang in there” seemed to underestimate our situation while we shelter in place. Instead, I reached out to my tribe and asked p[...]
First Communions and Community in these uncertain times | Event Photography
- This week I would normally be surrounded by children making their First Communion. I look forward to photographing this event each year because the Communicants are filled with so much enthusiasm. It’s exciting for them, as well as for their friends and family. It’s also a sweet and endearing time to capture everyon[...]
In the midst of staying well and staying home, Barbara Bell Photography wants to support you!
- Well, it's certain... We are living through interesting times. When I look at the blog post I wrote a couple of weeks back at the start of the month, I think about how much has changed in our world since then. First and foremost, I hope you are all well. I believe we will get through this health crisis, and we wi[...]
On a Personal Note… Barbara Bell Photography | Chapel Hill, NC
- I sit here with afternoon sunlight streaming in the window. It’s a beautiful Sunday, and it reminds me that I don’t have to get everything done today or even right now. Take a moment to enjoy the sunshine, I remind myself. It’s easy to start the day with an early morning portrait session and then want to dive headlong[...]
Seven tips on what to wear - and what to avoid - for your portrait session
- When this gentleman opened the door, I knew he was ready for our portrait session. What’s not to love here? His sweet smile had me at “Hello.” He was dressed in his best sport coat, he later told me. {swoon} Often when I talk with my clients about preparing for their portrait session, the number one question [...]
Imogen Cunningham said something that has inspired me and stuck with me all these years | Family Portraits & Event Photography
- It was Imogen Cunningham who once said, “The thing that’s fascinating about portraiture is that nobody is alike.” When I first stumbled across these words while working on another project, I thought nothing of them. Then, as time went on, her words had a way of sticking with me. They came to mind every[...]