Sweet Dreams

This little guy must have had plenty of them, because he slept like a...ummm...baby. He may be my best newborn to date. Not only is he cute as a speckled pup (ok, cuter), he did everything I "asked" him to do. I first photographed this family last year, and loved working with them, so I felt honored when they asked me to do this session, especially since they live in Cape Coral and could've hired someone local instead. It was a joy to spend so much time with them and see how their first has grown. I hope they are as happy with the images as I am.







This cradle has been used in her family for four to five generations. Isn't it gorgeous?


This one just cracks me up.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Senior H

I was so excited to do this senior session for two reasons - it was in Bradenton, which was a new location and therefore always fun, and because I love to photograph this girl. She was one of the "Sixteen and Sassy" girls from 2007. It was nice to get to know her better, she has a wonderful personality, and a wonderful mom too!

FAB FIND: XOCONOCHCO

(shō-kō-nōch-kō)

I thought this was the perfect choice to kick off my fab finds since Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Ladies, I'm tellin' ya, if you love chocolate, immediately tell your loved one to order this as your gift. Darin went to Tennessee to visit friends a few months back and found this boutique chocolate store in Franklin. He knows I'm crazy about dark chocolate, and since he's crazy about me, he bought me a box. The box alone was fancy, but the contents were almost too pretty to eat. If I would have thought about it for just a moment, I would've gotten the camera out to document the gorgeous display of silky goodness, but there was no "thinking" about it (luckily I pulled the photo off their site). Before me was the most beautiful chocolate I had ever seen, and when the scent reached my nose, I had to taste one. Ah, but which one...there was basil peanut butter, banana cinnamon rum, almond gingerbread, chai...you get the idea. All of them unusual, ALL of them incredible. You must try them. They have new flavors for Valentine's Day, and you can order online...which reminds me - I need to tell Darin that.



This woman is serious about her chocolate.

New Year Announcement #2

FAB FINDS!

This is going to be a fun little addition to my blog. Once or twice a month, I will be posting information about something fabulous. It could be a tasty local restaurant, unique gift ideas, fun things to do, or maybe a great beauty secret...ok, a lot of them will be beauty secrets. After all, you want to look fabulous when you hire me, right? Well, if I'm being honest with myself, it's really just an excuse to talk about my product addiction. ;) So look for the "Fab Finds" posts on the fifth and/or fifteen of every month, starting this Thursday!

Seniors from Kansas City

So I get this email from "A" (blonde one) that says she's a senior from Kansas City and she wants me to photograph her senior portraits. She's all the way from Missouri...and she wants ME!! How cool is that? As it turns out, her niece, who's also a senior, was coming down with her and wanted a session as well. I felt so honored! We had a great time with this session, and got some fabulous results. Can't wait to show you the rest!

Favorite Christmas Cards of 2008

This past Christmas my designer took a break to prepare for the arrival of her third baby, so I designed most of the cards myself. I really enjoyed the whole creative process. Now I'm looking forward to designing upcoming birth announcements and graduation announcements myself...with a little help and inspiration from her. These were my favorites:

Great Boys

"Don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy." -author unknown

M and J - I thought of you two and your "pack" of boys when I read this quote. You have done such an amazing job with them. They are all such a pleasure to be around...and some of the finest examples of "great boys" I've ever met. It has been one of my favorite things to watch them develop as individuals. I can't wait to see who little W becomes with such wonderful brothers beside him, and fantastic parents to guide him.

FROST!!!!

This is what most of Central Florida woke up to Thursday morning!! Finally, a little bit of cold weather. I'm definitely a Southern girl, I like my balmy days and mild winters, but sometimes we need a good chill in the air. December had some cold days, which was exciting. Of course Christmas day was warm, but I guess beggers can't be choosers. So I'll be happy with our cute little January frost.

Still catching up

Can you believe I'm still editing photos from December??? Thank you all for being so patient. I think I have one more 2008 session to post (after this one), then I can finally move on to 2009!

I met this mom at the Angels After Dark fundraiser, which is a cool craft show held every year in downtown St Petersburg. We did the pregnancy session, but when I went back for the newborn session, baby P was not feeling well so we only got a few images. We decided to wait and do a full session with their other two children when the baby is 3 months. So, here are a few we captured.

BIG Family

Meet the W family. This was the easiest big group I've ever had. Everyone was so nice, polite, the kids listened well, and we all had a good time. Can't wait to show you the proofs!

New Year Announcement #1

NEW CAMERA!!! As many of you know, up until now I've photographed with a film camera, which I still absolutely love. But I knew I needed to switch to digital, I was just waiting for the perfect camera (for me) to be released. Well...my wait is over! I ordered a "hot off the line" Canon...and it's here!

To celebrate, I'm offering HALF-OFF SESSION FEES* from now until March 1st. Please call or email me right away to book your session as my schedule is already pretty tight. I can't wait to play around with it and see all it can do. I've already tested it a little on one of my favorite subjects, and I have to say, I think this camera and I have a long and happy future together. When I saw this photo, I just wanted to hug them both...the camera and my beloved Hydro. ;)

*Some restrictions apply, please call or email for details.