Slideshow: Chris and Rita

We've been meaning to post this for a while now. So here is a slideshow telling the story of Chris and Rita's wedding day at Sand Key Beach and the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater.

Wedding: Magin and Matt

This past Tuesday we shot Magin and Matt's sunset wedding at the north beach of Fort DeSoto Park. They decided to have a destination wedding down in Florida to escape the cooler weather back home in Missouri. Sadly, a cold front had come in just a day or two before and the winds at the beach were unbelievable! The wind was great for Magin's long flowing veil (for as long as she could keep it on her head).

Besides the crazy wind, the sunset couldn't have been more beautiful! We were so glad that the rain from earlier in the morning dissipated before the evening came around. There were big fluffy clouds left in the sky that made for some great shots over the water. And who doesn't love the nice warm sunlight at sunset? =)



A closeup of the beautiful bride and dashing groom.





This wind finally settled down a little bit for these next two.





They were such good sports for this next shot. We got such a great response from this flower shot at Chris and Rita's wedding that we wanted to try a slight variation on it for this wedding too.



Chris got this really cool shot of Matt while he was in the middle of writing out the date in the sand. Sadly the water washed it away before he could finish writing.



One of the great things about parks along the coast in Florida is that you can be on the beach one minute and in a beautiful park the next.



This was one of our favorites from the day. Sometimes the best shots happen when you least expect it!



Thanks Magin and Matt for letting us document your wedding day. We hope you guys enjoyed the rest of your honeymoon down in Florida!

Wedding: Nancy and Phil

Last Saturday we got to shoot Nancy and Phil's wedding at the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. Thanks so much to Nick of Haskins Photography for letting us come and help document such a beautiful wedding. What a gorgeous place to get married! The greenery and flowers were so colorful and really complemented the reds, whites, and blacks of the wedding party.

Phil had a huge grin on his face all day that was just so infectious. I guess there were many reasons for it though; he was surrounded by lots of friends and family, was marrying his perfect match, and had his best friend as his ring bearer (his dog). His golden retriever took part in the wedding and was at his side for a good bit of the day, except for the times where he was too tired to stand up anymore. What a sweet dog!





The ring bearer, best man, and maid of honor.



Nancy looked absolutely stunning in her elegant dress and it almost felt magical how the sun reflected off it. It went perfectly with the simple beauty of her bouquet.







I had to get a shot of Nick in action.



This is one Chris took of Nick and me during the ceremony, rockin' the long lenses.



As the evening went on, the lighting got even softer which made for some great photos around the gardens.





Thanks you Nancy and Phil for letting us be a part of your wedding day. Hope you guys have a great time on your honeymoon!

Chipotle Mondays

Have you ever liked a food so much that you wanted to eat it every day?

Well that's how it started with Chipotle and me. I had to part ways with Moe's one day in November of 2006 when they closed the restaurant closest to me that I used to go to for lunch. I had heard good things about the chips and salsa at Chipotle but had never tried it. So one day with some hesitation, I decided to try the chicken burrito. Low and behold, it had so much more flavor than the Moe's burritos I was used to!

Well, when I get started on a food I like, I tend to crave it everyday. I decided (along with some strong suggestions from my husband and some other friends) that I had to limit my Chipotle visits to once a week or I might burn out... (I've been known to get "burnt out" on many foods in the past). Therefore, to make sure I stuck to that limit I decided to start a little tradition called "Chipotle Monday". For a while I was able to convince a nice sized group to join me, but it has dwindled over time (I got carry out by myself today, haha). This has been going on now since the start of 2007, so we have made it well past the one year mark! Sometimes I don't even have to say anything when I order... I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed of this... (in case you're wondering, my "usual" is the chicken burrito bowl)

Please tell me I'm not the only one with food obsessions! Does anyone else have any restaurant rituals??

Wedding: Chris and Rita

Last weekend we second shot Chris and Rita's wedding out on the beach at Sand Key Park. Coincidentally, this was the exact same spot that Charlie and Leslie's wedding took place later that weekend. Our photographer friend, Shem with Blue Lane Photography, was so nice to let us come along. The ceremony was held a couple hours before sunset and the weather was beautiful.

Chris and Rita were such a sweet couple and you could tell they had been looking forward to this day. There wasn't a moment during the day when they didn't have a smile on their face.

Morey and Hector of Florida Wedding Services created a beautiful atmosphere full of bright colors and stark whites for the ceremony. They transformed a wide open public beach into an intimate setting of close friends and family that truly felt secluded from the rest of the world. The decorations were wonderful with a formal, yet relaxed beach feel.




A couple shots of the beautiful Rita who was absolutely stunning.





Chris and Rita taking a stroll on the beach after being announced as husband and wife. They finally got a chance to spend a moment alone... minus the 3 photographers following them from a distance =)





Of course we had to get a shot of Shem in action.



This is one of our favorites from the day. It really captures the love and happiness that these two share together.



Thanks to Shem, for letting us photograph Chris and Rita's wedding with her. Also, thanks to Chris and Rita for being awesome subjects and letting us capture all the moments of their day. We had a great time! For more pictures from the day, check out Shem's blog.

Wedding: Leslie and Charlie

This weekend we shot Leslie and Charlie's wedding at Sand Key Park, which is a beautiful beach just south of Clearwater Beach. The original plan was to have it on Saturday but we got rained out. Luckily, Easter Sunday couldn't have been a more beautiful day!

Leslie and Charlie are Tennessee Volunteer fans just like Chris and me, so we had an instant bond. =)

Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day.



I love this shot of Leslie as she is about to receive her wedding band.



Their first walk on the beach as husband and wife.



And the beautiful view overlooking the water.



Thank you guys for allowing us to document your special day. Go Vols!

WPPI was a blast!

Ok it's definitely time that I catch up on blogging. The past week was a whirlwind of fun. I was so lucky to be able to make it out to Vegas for the WPPI convention which draws a ton of really talented photographers from all over. I was so grateful to be able to meet so many of them from around the country! Thanks so much to Armin who brought me as his guest =) He introduced me to a great group of photographers he knows from DC at the Pictage party on Monday night. There was also a photo booth that was a great addition to the party! This was just the beginning of the night.

Kenny Kim ended up with the majority of the pictures from the photo booth, so check his blog for them. Hopefully he will post them soon.

Earlier in the day we lucky enough to run into Becker at the trade show. I just had to get a picture sporting our "[b]log stalker" shirt. It was so cool that he was able to get them made in time for WPPI! I am borrowing these photos from Armin's blog since he took more pictures than I did. =)

Becker posted another one on his blog too! =) Then the three of us outside the Paris hotel after Becker took our headshots. Becker will be posting the headshots soon on his [b] school blog.

It seemed like a lot of people had flight issues on their way out to Vegas, whether it was getting stuck at a layover or luggage not making it. But after travel issues, I finally got a chance to meet up with Mary Beth Tyson who is a really talented photographer from Florida. I had so much fun hanging out with her and her super cool group of friends and fellow wedding photographers: Kimberly Jarman, Amy Martin, Jennifer Bowen, and JT. It was great meeting you guys! Sadly between all of us, we didn't get a group shot. But here is one Armin took of me, Mary Beth, and Amy at lunch.

The 4 days out in Vegas were jam packed with fun and new friends. What an amazing experience!

The other thing that blows me away about Vegas is the buffet lines... you have to get right back in line after you finish one meal so you can eat the next time you're hungry... if you've been, you know what I'm talking about...