Dotson Studios bio picture

Welcome!

We are Grant & Sara Dotson. As a husband and wife team, we bring a unique perspective to photography, one influenced by life experiences as well as comprehensive art and design training. Our cameras are an extension of not only our eyes, but our minds and hearts, instantly capturing moments and emotions just as they occur. We enjoy getting to know our clients on a personal level and helping them feel that they're a part of a partnership. Every client is different, and our photographs seek to reflect each individual personality for truly unforgettable memories.

 

Photo of Grant: Courtesy of Jamie Weiss. Thanks Jamie!

 


Shannon & Eric’s Wedding

Simple, elegant, and classic…that is how Shannon described her dress, but I think it describes her whole wedding. What a beautiful and elegant wedding Shannon and Eric had, and all of the while still being simple and focused on just one thing–their union. We met up with Shannon and Eric at Shannon’s mother’s house and it was spectacular! She had beautiful gardens in both the back and front yards as well as a beautiful garden house. It was the perfect spot for pictures.

After taking pictures of Shannon & Eric and all of the group photos, we headed to Lindsay Street Hall for a beautiful ceremony and reception. This was the first wedding we have photographed there and we just loved it! I love that it’s a church and still feels traditional, but since it’s a blank slate, a bride can make it modern and her own. It was really hot outside but everything turned out great and we had a blast shooting this understated wedding.

Congrats to Shannon & Eric, we loved your wedding and we hope you love your pictures!

Here is Shannon & Eric’s wedding and story:

How did the two of you meet?
We met in High School, however we did not start dating until our senior year in college.  We both attended MTSU.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
I think that if you’ve been together for 10 years and still can’t wait to marry someone, then you’ve found the one!

Describe the proposal.
Well, VERY like Eric, absolutely not planned at all!  We were at home one night sitting on the couch talking, and then he got up, came back a few minutes later and just opened the ring box and asked me to marry him.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle seeing Eric and all my friends and family together.

How did you decide on your dress?
I wanted a dress that was simple, elegant, and classic.  This dress was all of that with a touch of vintage and I loved it!

What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?
Starting our family.

James & Mary’s Engagement

We are so happy that James and Mary asked us to do their photography. They have a fantastic sense of style and interest in photography, and we loved shooting in Johnson City and Jonesborough for a change. We started out at this fabulous old train depot and then went to Jonesborough and enjoyed lots of little neat spots in the downtown area. James and Mary have a sweet story, we are so happy for them and are really looking forward to their wedding in August.

We hope you enjoy James & Mary’s pictures and sweet story. :)

How did you meet?
Mary and I met while we were both attending Carson-Newman College. It was right before a long, cramped drive to Maryland for Spring Break in 2005. Her roommate was also from Maryland, and she agreed to give me a ride home. When I went out to meet her, Mary was standing there in the grungiest sweatshirt imaginable, but that didn’t stop me from falling for her over the next eight hours.

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
It’s been a long and interesting journey since we met five years ago, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally be tying the knot. The most special part about dating for us is how well we’ve gotten to know each other—no secrets here. We can truly call one another ‘best friend’.

Describe your proposal.
I skipped a midterm (with the instructor’s permission) to surprise Mary on the anniversary of the day we met. When I pulled into her driveway, I called her and asked her to meet me at the spot where I first told her I loved her. She ran outside, and there I was with a huge smile and twelve perfectly picked red roses. After she calmed down, I told her I loved her, and that if she’d let me, I’d spend the rest of my life surprising her. I got down on one knee, and I asked her to marry me!

I was able to make up the midterm during finals week.

What is your ring like?
James got the ring from my dad. It was the same ring that he gave to my mom when he proposed to her thirty-nine years ago. James kept the stone and original setting, but had the band replaced with white gold—it’s so perfect!

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?

James: Honestly, I can’t imagine my life without Mary, and even if I tried, it would scare me. She’s actually become a part of me. We’ve been living an hour apart for over three years now, and I miss her so much when we’re not together. I admire her heart, the way it passionately seeks the Lord. She truly has a servant’s heart, and she’s everything I want the mother of my children to be. Perhaps most importantly, she keeps me laughing and smiling, and I love her as much as one can love another person.

Mary: James is the best friend I’ve always wanted and prayed for. He just gets me. Most importantly, he shows me the love of God daily through his love and strength. He is always strong when I am falling apart. He keeps me steady. James also teaches me new things everyday. He constantly challenges me to be better and to never give up on something. At the end of the day I feel so safe with him. Finally, James also keeps me laughing—laughing very hard! I am so in love with him, and I will love him forever, and I mean for-ever!

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
We truly feel the Lord has brought us together for this very purpose, and our hope is that our wedding will be remembered as an act of willful obedience as we dedicate our lives to each other in the eyes of God.

Congrats guys!!! We had a blast on your shoot and can’t wait until your wedding.

Katie & Chris’s Wedding

Tasteful, classy, and quite stunning—Katie and Chris’s wedding was beautiful. This couple was so happy and relaxed all day, and every aspect of this wedding was carefully considered. Both the wedding and the reception were at the Chattanooga Country Club and it was perfect. The flowers for this wedding were absolutely spectacular. Katie’s cousin is a florist (Deb from Billeann Flowers & Gifts) and brought flowers in a truck all of the way from Baton Rouge and did the arrangements in Katie’s mom’s house. I’ve never seen such large and unusual arrangements. They used tropical flowers and it was fabulous. Shooting this wedding was so much fun with such wonderful people and beautiful details everywhere we turned.

I hope you enjoy Katie & Chris’s wedding and story…

How did the two of you meet?
A mutual friend, who was one of our bridesmaids.  She went to High School with Chris, and then college and graduate school with me.  We all met up in Knoxville one night in 2004, and after talking to him for a little while, I took his phone, put my number in it, and told him to call me.  He waited 2 weeks.  He’s lucky I answered!

Describe the proposal.
I was at the beach with 2 of my good friends.  We had gone out shopping for the day, and little did I know he had worked it out to drive all the way to the beach with his best man and propose!  My friends were texting him all day, working out details, and delaying me as much as possible.  When we arrived home, there were roses leading up the stairs to the house, each with a different slip of paper describing a quality about me or our relationship that he loved.  Inside, he had brought every dress I own from home (I always said I wanted to look nice when we got engaged!) and laid them on the bed, ready for me.  I changed quickly and rushed down to the beach, where he was waiting for me with more roses, a ring, and of course the best man filming everything.  We talked, he asked, and of course I said yes!  It was a very special proposal because not only was it at the beach (the first place we vacationed together and also our family’s vacation home), but our very dear friends were there to celebrate with us.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
Katie: BY FAR the flowers!  They were done by my cousin, Deb, who is a florist in Baton Rouge. She worked for 5 days solid, and the result was simply amazing.  But there really wasn’t anything about the wedding I didn’t love!  So many dramatic elements in a basically traditional wedding.  I loved it.

Chris:  The entire wedding was as close to perfect as it could have been.  The Photo-booth was a huge hit and it really provided us with a lot of very candid snapshots of most of the people that were at our wedding.

How did you decide on your dress?
I was never a girl who dreamed about a dress.  I swore I would never wear strapless, and what did I end up buying? Strapless.  I tried on a few, and this one just looked the best.  My mom and mother in law were there, and we all just decided consensus-style that it was the best one.  There was no ah-ha! moment, but I loved it then and at the wedding.  Kendra at Ever After Bridal was amazing to work with – she really helped me pick out the best dress for me!

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Katie: Just one??  I actually had such a great time because I was so relaxed.  I think I freaked some of my bridesmaids out!  Getting to spend the day with them was very special.  But I think the ceremony, with our friend Jeff as the pastor, was really special.  It felt so tailored to us because he knew us, and not a standard generic ceremony.  Yet it still had traditional elements.  It was very “us,”  we laughed and smiled together, and it really felt like just the 3 of us in the room.  A perfect wedding: intimate ceremony still witnessed by all your friends and family.

Chris: I agree with Katie on most of those things.  Jeff was fantastic and getting to spend time with my groomsmen was also very special.  However, the most memorable moment for me was when I first saw Katie in her dress with her dad about to walk down the aisle.  It was a moment that I will never forget, she just looked so amazing and I knew that she was about to make me the luckiest man in the world.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
Katie:  Chris is the most kind, generous person I have ever met.  He never ceases to amaze me with his ability to give himself to people, me included.  He loves me and all my silly quirks, has been flexible with my rigid career and life, and has been my best friend  and favorite companion for the past 6 years.  I can’t wait for 100 more years of fun and adventures!

Chris: Katie is my best friend in the world and the one person who really challenges me in every way imaginable.  I love how dedicated she is and how hard she has worked to get to where she is.  I am so proud of her for accomplishing what she has done.  She continues to amaze me everyday with what she can do.  She makes me a better person and I love her for that.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
One week after we returned from the honeymoon, we closed on a house and moved to Birmingham, AL.  I am starting my residency in Family Medicine, so we will be here for at least 3 years.  Chris is looking at going to physical therapy school while we’re here.  Whatever the future brings, I know we will have fun together – we’ve practiced for years to get that part perfect!

Little Gracie

Sweet little Gracie Gandy came to our world a little earlier than most would have wanted…but her smiles, beautiful eyes, and sweet spirit have made what could have been a hard time, beautiful.

Karen and Dustin Gandy were clients of ours and now are a family of three! How wonderful! They had a complicated pregnancy and then Gracie decided she was ready for the world, but this little family of three spent months in the hospital as Gracie grew strong enough to come home.

I want to mention how amazing Karen and Dustin have been. It’s so much work caring for a little one, let alone a tiny one, and they are so tuned in to Gracie and know her better than anyone. I believe that’s one of the most important parts in helping tiny ones survive, and the Gandy’s do it with beauty and grace.

Thanks to Karen and Dustin for letting us come to your home and take pictures of your sweet little girl…you both are incredible parents and I know have many wonderful and smile-filled days ahead of you.