Family Foto Fun!

I had the great opportunity to photograph John and Tina's family this weekend! John and Tina are such a cute couple! While they have been together for 30 years, they are just still so in love with each other. You would think they were newly weds! :)

Typical teenage boys, they were less than thrilled that I would be photographing them... but in a short amount of time, they loosened up and even, dare I say it, had a bit, just a little bit, of fun!

Even "Boo" got in to the act and posed with his family!

Beautiful photos for a beautiful family... Thank you John and Tina, for inviting me in to your home and allowing me to create lasting memories!

Senior Session - Luke D.

I had the awesome opportunity to photograph Luke D. for his senior portraits. Luke was a riot! What a nice young man and what a sense of humor!

We went for a casual look with jeans and a button down shirt. This worked well with the dock as well as some volley-ball shots. Luke is on the varsity volley ball team at his school. Unfortunately, after weeks of planning, his coach forgot to bring his uniform in during this off season period and we had to shoot in jeans. I think it worked to our advantage... don't you agree?

Luke and his mom really liked the photos taken around the Exedra monument. I have to say that those were my favorite as well!

Thanks Luke for a great morning! :)

All About the Kids - Part II

As mentioned in my last post, I am currently photographing families that will appear in the "success stories" section of the annual report of a local non-profit organization that works with children and families. I travelled down to West Palm Beach with the organization's interviewer and met an amazing woman who has opened up her life, home and heart to children. Miss "D" has been fostering and adopting children with the support of this organization for several years now. She took the required courses, studies and worked along side the organization's skilled staff prior to fostering her first child... several years and many children later, "D" is a very much admired and loved woman. The children below were all adopted by Miss "D". Five children five and under! WOW!

Does this photo say "Got Milk?" or what? : )

This sweet girl was so excited when I asked her to be my helper during the photo shoot!


I loved watching the little ones play together. The stories of each of these children, and what brought them to Miss "D"'s home and in to her heart, were astounding!

Miss "D" told us that at Christmas, she hangs 32 stockings because once you are one of Miss "D"'s kids, through adoption or fostering, you are forever her family.
I am unable to post the photos of the two teenage girls who are also being fostered in Miss "D"'s home as they are not legally hers. But what stories they share! The love, respect and admiration they have for her was amazing.

An added treat? One of the first girls adopted by "D" stopped by with her own daughter, while we were there. She's one of the family, right? She hopped right in to the photo below!

All About the Kids - Part I

I had an amazing opportunity present itself to me a few months ago. I offered my services to a non-profit organization that cares for children and families in crisis. Two weeks ago, I was asked if I would be willing to take some photos for their annual report. YES.I.WOULD!

It was my job to ensure that we got a couple of good photos of each family that was interviewed. Needless to say, I just don't stop at "a couple". :) This little guy was too cute for words!!

He is two years old and is the son of an amazing young woman who fought to escape a really bad home-life situation. Having only been exposed to a very rough lifestyle, she was able to determine on her own that there was so much more to life than what she had grown up around. After becoming pregnant, she enlisted the help of this non-profit organization.


This precious child means the world to her. It was evident during our short time together. She knew she wanted to give her baby boy all that she never had as a child.

Through this amazing non-profit organization, she has been able to provide a stable, healthy and happy environment from the time he was born up to now, at 2 years of age. This brave mother not only chose to leave her prior life behind, but has since graduated high school, obtained a job and is currently going to college to be....

a social worker, counselor or therapist. Pay it forward? I think so! What a wonderful opportunity to see love in action!

Brandie & Miguel

Beautiful day at the beach. Hot enough to melt us all... but you wouldn't know it by the smiles of these two lovebirds! This mid-day wedding had a very tropical feel to it. The entire bridal party wore "tropical" colors and the ceremony took place under a gazebo, with the Gulf of Mexico for a back drop just steps from the water.

This is one of my favorite photos... nothing fancy or particularly special about the scene.... or is there? I captured the reflection of Brandie's mother watching her daughter, with a hint of a smile and maybe some nostalgia on her face, as Brandie did a last check of her hair.

One of the neatest things I had ever seen was the "sand ceremony" just before the final kiss. The bride and groom each had a glass vase filled with different colored sand. As they poured the sand in to a heart shaped glass vase, their colors blended just like their lives were about to. It was a tropical version of lighting the unity candle.

While the ceremony and reception were mid-day, I met up with Brandie and Miguel as the sun went down to capture some fun moments before the sun set. Below are a few of the pictures I took.

It was a beautiful day indeed!

Family Beach Time

My website states that this blog has been designed to share my favorite photos as well as some behind the scenes stories. I present you with my first "behind the scenes" post. : )

As a photographer who prefers shooting outside and using natural light, I find that one of the most challenging and often frustrating situations I occasionally find myself in, is not having control over the environment in which I am shooting.

Case in point.... The "D" Family loves the beach. You just can't even imagine how much the beach is a part of their lives, yet they have never had a formal portrait made on one. Brandie, Mrs. D's oldest daughter, would be getting married the following morning and they decided it would be the perfect time to have a family portrait made. However, they had dinner reservations at 8pm that evening. With the sun still very much in control of the early evening, we ran in to some challenging obstacles.

1. Perfect location... beautiful background.... no tourists or hot pink bikinis in the background. Problem? The family was facing the sun. Because the night before was rainy, we didn't realize when we initially scouted the location, that the sun would be front and center. Moving on to location #2.

2. With "Plan B" in full swing, it just doesn't get better than this! This tree was so beautiful and we thought it would make a phenomenal backdrop and a pretty good "alternate" location. The sun was to the family's back, however, it bounced off the building behind me and no amount of talent, reflectors or post-production work could salvage Mr. D's face! He was pretty washed out.

3. Third time's the charm! You knew this family was photogenic but did you see this coming? They are gorgeous! And the lighting is perfect!!
Same location, different angle. Happy faces and some creative hand tinting make this shot my favorite!

A huge thank you to the "D" Family for keeping it fun as we journeyed around the sun!

They're Making History

I teamed up with Jen Fortin this past Friday and photographed the wedding of Jeff and Corrine at the Orlando History Center. They are such a happy couple who were an absolute pleasure to work with! Hi-lights included the "big reveal", a trip to the corner bar (the entire wedding party in tow), a historic courthouse ceremony, a rockin' reception and a sparkler exit! Here are some of my favorite shots:

Class of '08

I got to revisit Julie's Senior photo session when she placed her order this week. What an awesome young woman she is! It's so refreshing to meet young adults who have a heart for others. Julie's session took place one week before she headed off to Africa! She travelled with her mother to work with orphans. But just before the trip, she had her beautiful golden locks sheared and donated them to Locks of Love. Love the new look Julie! All in all, it was a fun session! Congratulations Julie! Wishing you the very best as you begin a new journey this fall!