Engaged

These two were an absolute riot, especially Reggie (that's not his name, I just like to call him that...long story). ;) They were so cute and willing, and came up with some of their own shots. We had a blast and I've been so anxious to get these edited and share a few, so here they are...

Beautiful Girls

You know that baby scent that everyone loves? If you had to put a face with that scent, this would be the perfect baby for it. She "matches" that smell...so pure, with her flawless skin, rosy cheeks and sparkly eyes. Not to mention her four-year-old sister who looks like a real-life Disney princess - perfect lips, long lashes, and just the right number of cute freckles!

Family Pho-Video sample

This is a sample of my new Pho-Videos for family or kid sessions. It can be created with any number of photos, and can be used for the web, as with Facebook or other social networking sites, or burned to DVD to watch on the flat screen (dvd version is high-resolution). It's the coolest thing around! Ask me for details!

Julianna and family

I don't normally include my client's name in my blog, but this little girl is practically famous! She is the owner of Julianna's Fun Shoppe in Citrus Park Mall...and she's nine! The shop is adorable, full of Hello Kitty products and other fun things for kids. If you haven't been there yet, check it out, and if you're back-to-school shopping for your daughter, it's a great place to find backpacks, binders, pens, pencils, and other supplies, all with that pretty little white kitty on them. The first image is of her with a Hello Kitty pen, and there is a reason we photographed her with some school products, but I'm not telling yet. ;) She also has two super cute siblings (twins), and very nice parents.

The faces of Little Miss J

We had a beautiful (but hot) day at the Botanical Gardens, and a very active and silly 21 month old Miss J. She had no shortage of goofy faces to show me, but these were my favorites. I've actually been wanting to offer a "Faces" storyboard to clients, and she gave me great examples!

Pretty in Pink

I was so excited to schedule a newborn girl because I had just gotten a couple new items - the petal hat and frilly bottoms. Doesn't she look adorable? And baby K's grandpa made this beautiful cradle for her. She looks like an angel sleeping in the clouds!

Thank you to the parents for being patient with me. The editing is almost done and you'll have your proofs soon!

Tough as Nails

UPDATE 6/17 - HE'S OUT!! Finally! He's finally home and doing well. Still has a good bit of pain and lots of antibiotics to take, but he's so much happier to be dealing with it at home. Me too! :) It's funny how much I missed him even though I spent tons of time with him at the hospital. Soooo, now I just need to get caught up on all my work! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your patience. I have a little something special up my sleeve for all my wonderfully understanding clients who have been waiting on their images. I'm working as fast as I can and I'll contact each of you when I have your proofs.

UPDATE 6/12 - Well it's been 9 days and he's still in the hospital. They want to make sure they get all that nasty infection out of there before sending him home. Today they said it would be a couple of days, but he's thought he was getting out a couple of times now, so we'll see. Thank you to everyone who has called to check on him, and to all my understanding clients. I'm lucky to have you.

I'm not going to lie, I enjoy giving my husband a hard time about his quirks and strange ways. Our home is not short on sarcasm. One of his quirks is (or used to be...he'll correct me as soon as he reads this) that when he stubs a toe or bangs a knuckle, he exclaims "Ow! I think I broke my toe/finger/other body part!" I used to chalk it up to a low pain tolerance and chuckle or mock him. Well, those days are gone, here's why:

Last Tuesday he developed a stomach ache. It got worse the rest of the week, then better on Sunday and Monday, then worse on Tuesday. Yesterday I convinced him to see a doctor, so we scheduled an appointment for today, but by the time I got home from work yesterday, he needed to go to the hospital. The diagnosis? A ruptured appendix. The solution? Emergency surgery. Ummmm, what??? Not what we were expecting. So when the surgeon comes to see me after the surgery, the first thing he said was "He must be tough!" Apparently it looked like an M-80 went off in his abdomen (doc's words, not mine) and the abscess was quite large. I don't know when it ruptured, and I really don't know how he was functioning through the pain. I do know that he has to stay in the hospital for about five days, so that's where I'll be all weekend...with my Superman.

Here's my tough guy looking rather pitiful today.
I was going to take a picture of the battle wound, but I thought that might be a bit of an overshare. ;)

Love you bunches, babe.

Happy Girl

This was a fun session as Little Miss A was so happy and silly! We played on the stairs and in the grass and ended up with a wide variety of images, which sparked my creativity when editing. M and R - I know you've been anxiously waiting on this sneak peek, so thank you for your patience, and enjoy...

I love the dad in the background here...letting her climb, but being there to catch her if she falls. As she grows up, that will be more valuable to her than ever.





Love the sunflare here, and the dreamy, vintage-y feel of this conversion. She was so adorable how she'd run away, and then look back to make sure mom and dad were still there...

This Little One...

was quite attached to her mom, which was fine with me because it made for some fun and sweet interaction shots!

Last Senior Pho-Video

Sorry for the delay

I have a few clients who are waiting for proofs or other products right now, so I want to apologize for the delay. I had a wonderful, unexpected visit from my two beautiful nieces. They decided to come down and stay for a couple of weeks, which was a rare opportunity to spend quality time with them since we only see them once every year or two. As my long-time clients know, I spend most of my nights and weekends working on my photography business, so I had to make a choice between getting that work done or making memories with "my girls". Since I encourage people to hire me because it's important to make and capture memories with your family, I figured I should take my own advice. Now that they are gone (sniff, sniff), I will be working diligently to catch up on all of my sessions. I see some late, late nights (even for me) in my future, but "K" and "A", it was so worth it...I wouldn't trade our fun and chats for anything. Love you both and miss you already. :(

This is "K", rockin' her new hair (when she arrived it was long, blonde and bangless). Doesn't it make her eyes pop? Gorgeous! She's the more glamorous of the two. Very sweet, kind of quiet, and oh my, I can't believe how grown up she looks here...I remember teaching her how to swim one summer, so cute how she'd nervously jump in and rush to me. She's now 20...sigh...

This is "A" in her all-natural beauty. She looks like the quiet one, but, ummm, no. Just as sweet as "K" and very outgoing; can't sit still. Although I can recall a time when she'd sit on my lap and whisper in my ear "I love you Aunt Niki", melting my heart. Now she's graduating high school...amazing how time flies.

And here they are together, two sisters...so different, but equally loved...

FAB FIND: FOOT PETALS

LOVE these!! For all of you ladies out there who want to wear stylish shoes/heels, but also want to be comfortable - there is HOPE! Don't give up on those cute shoes just yet. Foot petals are fantastic little things that can be used in a variety of ways to add comfort to your not-so-comfortable kicks.

The material used to make them is called PORON, which distributes "pressure across the ball of the foot making them comfortable by relieving pressure points that may be the cause of foot aches and pains, as well as calluses and blisters. PORON urethanes are a unique patented formulation that does not contain PVC, Latex, or adiitional solvents that may cause skin irritations. Foot Petals special petal shape is beneficial because they will no curl up at edges, tear, or fall apart after continuous use." AND (you're going to love this), the material also keeps your feet from sliding forward, which prevents that ugly toe scrunch and overhang! I have these in almost every heel I own, and Landra, the owner of Arthur Murray Clearwater, who is on her feet 8-10 hours a day, says they "save my feet."

There are a variety of products that can be purchased on the Foot Petals website, and you can find select items in Dillard's, Nordstrom, BCBG, and other retailers listed on the site. Now, go on, race to one of those stores...but don't run in your heels until you have your Foot Petals in them! ;)


Example of how much comfort you can create in the most FAB of shoes


Killer Kushionz (my fave) and Heavenly Heels (great for shoes that are slightly too big)



The original product - Tip Toes


Heavenly Heelz


Value Pack - Killer Kushionz, Tip Toes, Heavenly Heelz, Haute Heelz, Strappy Strips and Sole Stopperz


Oh, and by the way, I know I've been very neglectful of the "Fab Find" feature on here, but I will do better!!!

Another Cover!!

Grab the latest Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine at your local Publix or SweetBay (and other locations as well), or check out the online version HERE. This month's issue has some great information on throwing fun birthday parties, lots of ads for summer camp options, ideas for short get-aways, and...a cover photo by...me! This is one of my all-time favorite beach images, so I was thrilled when it was chosen for the cover.

Look at the color...

of this little one's hair! So beautiful and fun. She was such a cutie pie for the camera, and a trooper with all the clothing changes. I especially love the tutu and pearls images...and this first one with the wide eyes and chipmunk cheeks just melts me...