The Undeniable Beauty of Krystin and Michelle | South Florida Senior Photoshoot

Spent a delightful afternoon with these two beauties. They volunteered to be photographed so I could try out some new techniques on posing and lighting. I think its safe to say that it was a very successful photoshoot that comes at the perfect time - the beginning of Senior Class of 2014 Season! Thank you girls for being such fabulous models.
For more information about scheduling your Senior Session please fill out a contact form on my website.

Proud Mom Alert!! She Is On Her Way!!

My daughter, Carlie, recently graduated from Florida State University. I am a very proud mom and feel honored, blessed and humbled by her accomplishments. She double majored in Theater AND Media Production and as far as I am concerned TRIPLED majored because she landed a job before graduation. In addition to all this good fortune, a week later we shared the close confines of a  tightly packed Prius on a cross country drive to deliver her to her new life in southern California. God Speed my little girl!! Go get 'em.

Finding and Pre-Planning Photoshoot Locations | South Florida

Finding the ideal location for your photo session can really be as hard or easy as you make it. Googling images based on the desires of the client (or yourself if you are the client) for example, "Beach Photo Shoot" or "(Your County) Park Photo Shoot" are good places to start. Often you will be able to see where others have gone before with examples of photos that were taken there. If you are looking for something specific based on a theme, you might want to search for something like "Lighthouses in (blah blah city)".
One of the reasons I like discovering new locations this way is because you also gain a better idea of the settings that are available in any given location. For example, I needed to find a natural, serene environment for a maternity session this past weekend. I simply searched Broward County Parks in the images area of google and then narrowed it down to Tree Tops Park in Davie. Perfect. Then I searched again for "Tree Tops Park Photo Shoot" and was able to see that there were many different opportunities for uniques backgrounds with stairs, benches, fallen trees,  a large tree stump along a path and even a boardwalk.
A second way I like to explore potential locations is to use Google Street View. This method gives you the ability to virtually walk down just about any location (that has a street) and see what it has to offer. I find this is a great way to search urban locations and even plan the flow of your shoot. I might determine that for an engagement session it would be nice to start at an ice cream shop and then move along the street, tuck into side alleys and then end up at the beach for some sunset shots. As a photographer it also helps to loosely layout your plan for the client so they can plan their outfit changes accordingly.
Here are a few photos from the aforementioned maternity session at Tree Tops Park in Davie.

Senior Photoshoot Season | What to Wear & Whatnot

The Class of 2014 Senior Season is fast approaching and I am super excited to provide my clients with an experience they will remember for a lifetime. To me, seniors are one of the most fun subjects to shoot with their carefree, world-is-at-my-feet attitude.

When clients (or their parents) book a session, one of the most common questions is "What should I wear?". This is a simple question to answer but also complicated at the same time. Most importantly, I tell my clients to bring outfits that express their style and personality. I don't want a casual blue jeans and t-shirt type of gal showing up in a cocktail dress that will make her feel uncomfortable and stuffy. If the client is not comfortable in the outfit she is wearing, it will certainly show through in her photos. On the same note, I don't necessarily want her showing up TOO casual in raggedy jeans and plain t-shirt that shows no personality at all. Typically, I would tell the client to bring the outfits that make her feel pretty, confident and then crank it up a notch with accessories or props by adding one or two special touches like funky shoes, a hat or an instrument.

For instance, a cheerleader in dressy jeans, a cute top, high heels (yes, heels) holding her pom poms would create an image that exemplified the girly part of her personality yet still reflecting her interest in her sport. Combining the contrasting parts of the clients personality tells the story of that person - exactly what photos are supposed to do.

Another example would be if a client loves country music and is the super studious type. Maybe she wears a cute dress with boots and we go to a library or even take books to a country setting. Perhaps the senior is planning on being an elementary school teacher....she could also wear a cute dress but we change the location to a playground.

The point is the possibilities are endless. And if you stuck and need a little visual inspirations a great place to start with outfit ideas is by searching Google and Pinterest. I also pin outfit ideas on my own Pinterest page.

Good luck and have a great senior session!!

FAMILY HOLIDAY PHOTOSESSIONS | 2012

I am excited and proud to finally share a few of my favorite images from the 2012 Holiday Photoshoot Season. Thank you to all my wonderful customers who make my job so rewarding and fun! 

This year nearly all of the photoshoots were at a lovely park I discovered in Davie, Florida...Tree Tops Park. There were so many interesting locations within this county park that I could have stayed out there for days! 

{THE HAVILANDS}

{THE CHRISTIANSENS}

{LILLIANA}

WHY DO WE NEED PHOTOGRAPHY? TO REMEMBER.

Is your memory slipping like mine? When I was a child I had the memory of an elephant...names, events, song lyrics...I remembered them all. However, recently I've had conversations with friends and family about events that I vaguely remember or don't even remember AT ALL! It's scary but I'm not sure if I have a poor memory or I've just lived so many different experiences the everyday ones just don't stick anymore. 

Thankfully the REALLY good times in my life are still in there somewhere...my wedding, my children being born, traveling, etc. But its the day to day activities that are the tough ones to recall. And so I wonder, is it the happiness factor of the experience that makes it more memorable or something else? Is it the fact that most of these "important" moments are recorded in photos? Do the photos bring back the memories or is it the joy of the experience?

Maybe this is one of the reasons I have been drawn to photographs my entire life. Images are that tangible reminder of where we have been and the experiences we have had. They are the stepping stones on a timeline with the gaps in between left to fend for themselves. 

So try to remember to take photos everyday. Try to fill in the gaps by documenting the ordinary. We all get busy, but down the road you will be thankful for that little tangible reminder. 

Some of my favorites from 2012....

My new love affair....Gymnastics Photography

A recent trip to Photoshop World in Vegas was inspirational to say the least. My inner geek was basking in the glory of smart objects, layers masks and Lightroom preset making. As I anxiously meandered around the classrooms, I happened upon Dave Black's class on Sports Photography and that is when it happened!

I felt an instant connection (and Ill admit) and a tad bit of jealousy when he described his love of photography, the history of his work and his personal connection to it. The reason.....he was a GYMNASTICS photographer!!! OMG..I never expected this. I remember watching the London Olympics and dreaming of being on the floor, camera in hand, shooting my other lifelong love...gymnastics! See, many may not know this but I was a competitive gymnast from 1979-88, the last for for Auburn University (WAR EAGLE, BABY). Its in my blood, it never goes away. 

Well, suffice to say I have wiggled my way back into the world of mats and chalk and have landing my first gymnastics photo gig. Team photos for a local gym. Whoo hooo...yay me!

So back together we are....me and gymnastics.

I also booked a personal gymnastics imagery photosession with this adorable set of sister gymnasts. Once again, I am hooked!

Baby Photography Challenges - {3 months old}

This being the first FULL year of my photography business, I suspect that I will be experiencing many firsts. And although I have photographed many babies, I recently had my first 3 month old shoot.

The main challenge with babies is that grow and change so much and at such different rates that one 3 month old may be at a completely different developmental stage than the next. Luckily, flexibility is my nature.

Little Baby Dylan, came to me for his 3 month old session. He flat out refused to smile and I am super suspect that he knew when I was going to rest my arms and pull the camera down because that is when he would break out into a huge grin. No lie - we had six people in the room working him and dancing around like fools hoping to make him laugh on cue. We did manage to sqeeze a few out of him though.

By the end of the shoot we were all exhausted....except for Dylan of course who reportedly by Mom smiled all the way home. Little booger!

Graduation Surprise & Taking Lots of Photos

You really can't fully appreciate the saying "Time Flies" until you become a parent. I have spent the last (almost) 21 years being a mom. And although I am THRILLED that my children have graduated high school and are movin on up,  I felt myself starting to lose it when they played that darn Pomp and Circumstance as my sons class marched into the auditorium last night.

Sometimes I surprise myself though. Many moms cry, obsess and even get depressed about their children growing up but I have never been emotional about things like that. More than once I've offered my support to weepy friends at the kindergarten door and even rolled my eyes at their ridiculousness - but last night was different for me. I literally had to "suck it up" to keep my composure as my youngest baby accepted his diploma. It must be pride that gets me all verklempt. Yeah, that's it.

PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE AS MANY PHOTOS OF YOUR KIDS AS YOU CAN. And remember, the best camera is simply the one you have with you....camera phone, point and shoot or a DSLR. Snap away because you will never gets those days back and you will never regret having too many photos - even if they are not perfect.

And for those special times or anytime you would like professional images of your children give me a call or contact me through my website. I would love to help you remember today.

The pic on the left was snapped of my son at three-years-old by his preschool teacher in class. I love it! The second pic was yesterday.

Pets Like Their Photos Taken, too!

On a recent trip to visit my mom I took the time to take some pics of her three fur babies.  Well, the cats, Babs and Casper are hers and the Newfoundland, Moosey, is a true sidekick to my stepdad. All three animals were rescued either from owners that didn't want them anymore or in Moosey's case, he was found on the side of a Georgia country road, sick with Parvo and left for dead. Really, who does that??

So as it goes, I was happy to be able to provide my mom and stepdad with quality images of their pets, knowing that they will treasure these photos for a very long time. 

For more information about scheduling a pet session or human session visit my website. Thanks.