Every love story has an origin, and it turns out studios do too. Ours starts, appropriately enough, with a client.


I'm Allie. I'm a wife, a mother of two, and (evidently) a person who cannot go more than a few days without dirt under her fingernails, a new trail to wander, or something growing in a garden bed. A few years ago, I moved to Washington state, and one of the very first people who booked me for a session was a woman named Georgie. She showed up, we hit it off immediately in that way you only get with a handful of people in your whole life, and somewhere between the first session and the late night chats together, I found out she used to work as a second shooter for another wedding photographer.


I would love to tell you I thought it over carefully. I did not. I knew, the way you sometimes just know things, that we were supposed to build something together. Not a "hire an assistant" kind of together. A real, equal, two-lead-photographers-on-every-wedding kind of together. So Moon and Palm was expanded, and Georgie, who spends her non-camera hours quilting, editing, beading, and (like me) losing entire afternoons to a garden she loves, became not just my business partner but my family.


Over the next two years, that's exactly what happened. We built a studio. We built a client list full of people who became genuine friends. And somewhere in there, without either of us quite noticing the exact moment it happened, we became each other's family too.


Which brings me to last April, and the trip that changed everything.

 

Family of four posing in snowy forest, parents and two girls in colorful winter outfits among snow-covered pine trees.
Couple kissing on a trail surrounded by yellow wildflowers with Mount Rainier in the background at sunset.
Two women in elegant dresses pose outdoors under a large tree on green grass in warm golden light.

 

I grew up in South Carolina. My husband's military career took us all over, Virginia, Ohio, Washington state, a full decade of moving every few years to wherever the orders sent us. I'm not complaining. It gave us an incredible life and a front-row seat to more of this country than most people get. But last spring, I flew back home to visit family still living here, and something happened that I genuinely did not see coming. I got hit with a wave of homesickness so strong I could barely breathe through it. I called my husband from my parents' porch and told him, with zero room for negotiation, that we absolutely had to move home.


As it turned out, the timing could not have been better. My husband had just gotten out of the military. Ten years of moving, and for the first time, we actually got to choose where we landed. There was never really a question of where that would be.


I came home from that trip and told Georgie before I'd even fully unpacked my suitcase. Her response, and I am quoting this exactly, was: "When are we leaving, and can we share a U-Haul?"

That was it. That was the whole negotiation.


In under two months, we packed up two houses, wrapped up every last Washington session on the books, and said goodbye to the friends, clients, and family who had become our whole world out there (if you caught our last Washington post, the fairytale tea party, you already know just how hard that goodbye was). And then, because apparently we don't do anything the small way, we decided the move itself needed to be an adventure. So it became a full summer road trip: me, Georgie, our husbands, my two kids, my dog, and eleven national parks between Washington and South Carolina. We chased waterfalls, we got hopelessly lost at least twice, we ate gas station snacks in some genuinely stunning parking lots, and somewhere along all those miles, this move stopped feeling like an ending and started feeling like exactly what it was: the start of our next chapter.

 

Woman in flowing dress twirling in a vibrant daffodil field with mountains and cloudy sky in background.
Woman sitting on rocky overlook gazing at a serene mountain lake surrounded by peaks bathed in golden sunlight.

 

Georgie, ever the plot twister, decided Washington wasn't the only thing she was leaving behind for good. She's now renting my mother's townhouse, and her husband works at the very same company my mother does. My best friend did not just move states with me. She moved into my hometown's life with me, roots and all.

As for me, I didn't just come home, I went further than that. I bought a homestead. After years of suburban life, we're now the kind of people who talk about blueberry yields and honey timelines over dinner, which is a genuinely funny turn of events for someone who used to consider a balcony herb garden ambitious. The transition from suburbs to farm life has been equal parts chaos and joy, and if you follow along, you'll be seeing plenty of it.


We've spent the last several months getting settled, unpacking boxes, learning the roads, figuring out where the good coffee is, and giving ourselves a little grace to land before diving back into work. But that season is over now, and we are so ready for what's next.

 

Woman in red top and green polka dot pants reaching up to touch Spanish moss on a tree in a sunny swamp.
Plus-size woman in red top and olive pants standing under Spanish moss-draped trees near a tranquil pond.
Historic brick tower with decorative lattice walls surrounded by lush palm trees and green lawn under cloudy skies.
Two redhead women laughing outdoors, one giving the other a piggyback ride in front of a greenhouse.

 

We miss our Washington clients fiercely, the ones who let us grow up alongside them, one wedding and one newborn session at a time. We miss those mountain views more than we expected to. But we are so unbelievably ready to meet the people of this state, this new (to Georgie, anyway) home, and to build the same kind of relationships here that we were lucky enough to build there.


So, South Carolina: hello. We're Allie and Georgie, two lead photographers, best friends, and now your neighbors. We can't wait to meet you.

 

Woman in red hat and jeans relaxing on a blanket in a sunny park surrounded by tall pine trees.
A couple embraces outdoors, woman smiling brightly as man kisses her cheek near vibrant red flowers and lush green trees.
Two people sitting on a floral blanket, one wearing black boots and gray pants, the other in a blue skirt with white heeled sandals.
Woman relaxing in a boat reading a book on a serene swamp surrounded by cypress trees.
Glass tube with cork stopper containing Get Well Sooner herbal tea blend, surrounded by pink chrysanthemums on teal surface.
Woman in vintage golden gown reading a book on a sunlit path beneath moss-draped trees.
Green wooden garden gate with black metal hardware, flanked by trimmed hedges and palm trees.
A woman in a white dress rests her head on a man's shoulder, embracing him tenderly outdoors.
Two hands clinking champagne glasses in a celebratory toast against a yellow-green curtain backdrop.
Smiling woman in sunglasses holding a bucket of mini donuts in front of a food truck.
Young girl in golden Belle princess gown holding a stuffed bear toy outdoors in sunlight.
Woman in yellow dress wearing a charm bracelet and gold ring, with curly brown hair.
A redheaded woman kneels beside a smiling boy in a sunny green park with moss-draped oak trees.
Couple kissing on a wooden bridge surrounded by blooming azaleas and lush green trees reflected in calm water.
Woman in yellow gown lying on brick patio holding white flowers bouquet near white lattice fence outdoors.
Overhead view of dark herbal tea in a glass cup surrounded by pink chrysanthemums and a botanical tincture bottle on a blue plate.
Woman in red flowing dress and black top poses dramatically outdoors among lush green trees.
Four young women in colorful formal dresses posing playfully outdoors on a brick path surrounded by lush green trees.
Woman in a floral skirt and sandals relaxing beside a weathered aluminum rowboat near a tranquil pond.
Three women in floral crowns and fairy-tale gowns toast at an outdoor tea party with tiered pastry stand.
A woman and young girl smile together on green grass in a park, wearing summer dresses on a cloudy day.
Group of women smiling behind a teal counter holding green books in a cozy bookstore setting.
A father crouches beside his young daughter in a sunny park, hugging her as she holds a teddy bear in a teal dress.
A couple shares a romantic moment in a rowboat surrounded by lush green cypress swamp trees.
A red-haired woman in a lace dress and flowing red cape poses dramatically in a lush forest setting.
A bride and groom share their first kiss at the altar, surrounded by lush green bamboo foliage.
Plus-size woman in red gingham dress and strawberry beret relaxing on a picnic blanket in a lush green park.
Woman in floral dress, cowboy hat, and boots dancing outdoors near colorful curtains on leaf-covered ground.
Historic brick tower with latticed walls surrounded by lush palm trees and green lawn under cloudy skies.
Three herbal smudge sticks with labels resting on autumn leaves and grass outdoors.
Woman leaning over edge of wooden boat on a serene cypress swamp, golden light reflecting on still water.
Woman in floral dress and straw hat holding teacup, seated in ornate chair outdoors in a garden setting.
Romantic couple sharing a tender kiss, woman wearing gold earrings and pearl necklace, man with dark beard.
A woman in a flowing blue maxi dress sits on a stone wall surrounded by palm trees and iron gates.
A young girl in a golden princess gown sits on a brick ledge reading a book outdoors near a sunlit pond.
A curly-haired toddler girl in an orange dress covers her mouth with her hand outdoors.
Woman wearing floral crown and green dress poses gracefully on wooden staircase railing.
Smiling woman in pink trucker hat and camo hoodie writing on glass at a food truck with string lights.
Four girls in formal dresses making a heart shape with their hands while standing together outdoors.
A red-haired woman in a green floral dress holds a young girl clutching a stuffed bear in a sunny park.
Iced matcha latte with pink cream, clear straw, pink macaron, and greenery on a sunlit windowsill.

Take a peek at some of our first South Carolina sessions!

A serene river flows alongside lush green marshland with a dense tree line under a partly cloudy sky.

Ready to Help us

celebrate our new home?

Be one of our first five sessions to book with us and enjoy 40% off your package experience and 10% to the first two South Carolina Weddings!

moonandpalmphoto@gmail.com
IG: @moon.and.palm.photography
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