Your personal paparazzi ~ Gainesville Portrait Photographer

It's after Christmas. The holiday hustle and bustle has subsided. Spring hasn't quite arrived yet. It's that lull of a time between seasons and it's the perfect time to spare a little bit of attention for yourself.

Something came to me the other day, as I was writing the blog post about my mom and her photos. She asked me to take some photos, not because she particularly wanted any of herself, but because she wanted some to give to my dad. Because our husbands, our family, our friends, they love us how we are. So even though so often we think "I'd like to lose 5 pounds" or "I need my hair cut" or any of those thousand other excuses we give; the people that love us don't see that. They see us.

I thought about this again after our For the Love get together (You can see my shots here, here, and here. Photos from Wendy are here!). Jared (my husband) saw the photos Wendy took of me and loved them. Now, I wasn't particularly thrilled with the way I looked that day, but we did all have fun and Wendy is a wonderful photographer who took some great photos of me. As I was on the other side of the lens, I felt a little awkward at first, but then started to have a little bit of fun. It was fun to dress up a little bit, put on a little make up and pretend for awhile that I was the prettiest thing out there. That these were my paparazzi. Because I deserved them.

And I think that's a feeling that everyone deserves. So this spring, take some time for yourself. Or buy a gift certificate for that woman in your life that needs to take time for herself. To feel beautiful. Do it for your husband. Your boyfriend. More importantly, do it for yourself.

Let's set something up that makes you feel beautiful. Forget about that five pounds, that imperfect hair. And let me make you the center of someone's attention for awhile. Let me be your paparazzi. Because you deserve it.

For Mom ~ Bellefonte Portrait Photographer

In mid October, Mom asked a favor. She wanted some portraits for a Christmas gift for Dad. Of course I said yes, but what was going through my head was "This is either going to be the easiest or the hardest shoot EVER." Why hard? Because normally, I talk with my clients and get to know them, then spend an hour or so with them during the photo shoot. I get to know a small portion of their personality, highlight a few sides of their "self."  But this is my MOM. She whom carried me in her womb, raised me, encouraged, pushed, scolded, and loved me for all of my 29 years. She's nothing short of amazing; she takes care of everyone (and I mean EVERYONE). She's the most selfless person I know. So yes, when my mom asked me to do a photo shoot with her, I was slightly terrified. How do I portray this amazing person? One of my best friends? A phenomenal mother, a wonderful grandmother?  Of course, we talked about the normal photo shoot necessities -- location, outfit, times, etc. And then she snuck out of the house on a Saturday morning while I was in town, we had coffee with Grandma (another amazing woman!) at the Cafe on the Park, and then headed over to Talleyrand Park for her photos.

And I shouldn't have worried. My mama is so beautiful, a fool could take good photos of her. So here are a few of my favorites, now that it is after Christmas, Dad knows about the photos, and appropriately, on her birthday. Happy Birthday to the best mom in the world, and one of my best friends.

Merry Christmas!

There's nothing quite the same as a busy, crowded house, full of good smells and Christmas sights this time of year.  Coming home to Pennsylvania for Christmas is always a mix of crazy schedules, cold weather and running from house to house trying to squeeze in a visit to everyone. But there are always some of the same traditions; the things that ground me this time of year. There's always a fire in the fire place at Mom and Dad's house. Gram always has a big group of us together for Christmas eve, and family pictures are a requirement before any gift opening is allowed to happen! Grandma always comes to Mom and Dad's house on Christmas morning. There are always lots of goodies to eat at my in-laws.  Every Christmas, amongst the hustle and bustle, I have to take a few minutes out and remind myself to appreciate that somethings never change and to accept the things that do change each year. I love my large (and continually growing!) family, love that they're close enough that we can see everyone each Christmas.

A few things that never change: Mom always has angel ornaments on her tree,

and a bird or two for good luck. :)

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

Merry Christmas!

Eddie & Juliana ~ Gainesville Wedding Photographer

Last weekend was my first time as a second photographer with my wonderful friend Wendy. I don't know if you remember, but Sunday started off cold and rainy... not a good start for any wedding day!  Thankfully the rain moved out and it turned into a pretty, if chilly, day!  Juliana and Eddie opted for a first look on the University of Florida campus, which has so many great places to take photos. First looks are so much fun -- the anticipation of seeing each other for the first time and the chance to exchange those little bits of love before the chaos and excitement of the ceremony and reception begin make for a wonderful opportunity for beautiful photos. Just look how radiant Juliana is:

We snuck into the University Auditorium on campus for some more portraits...

It has beautiful light!!

Juliana had an Ah-Mazing dress...

And check out her beautiful shoes!!

<3

Dad capturing a shot of the guys.

I'll leave you with one of my favorites... Seriously, these two were so adorable the entire time -- I think I could have spent another two days taking photos of them! 

Congratulations Eddie & Juliana!

Lara ~ Gainesville Bridal Portraits

I'm (very slowly) getting caught up with all of my shoots. Life always gets busy during the holidays; you'd think by now I would be better about planning things out so that I'm not so rushed!

Anyways... Remember that crazy awesome location I told you about a few weeks ago? Last weekend, I finally got to use it! I met Lara for some fun bridal portraits... we had trains, tracks, cabooses, an awesome suitcase (Thanks Wendy!) and lots of fun. Lara's in vet school here at UF and I met her over the summer at a bachelorette party for a mutual friend (Sara). There's not much better way to get to know someone than to sit on the beach, share an umbrella and drink a few beers! Lara got married this summer to her wonderful husband Jake, and they've got two great dogs, Oliver and Sammy, all three of whom I got to meet on Saturday as well!   Lara -- I hope you had as much fun as I did on Saturday. You were awesome to work with, and I can't wait to hear about where you match this spring!

All about me...

It's hard for photographers to get in front of the camera. We spend so much time taking photos of everyone else, and so little time appreciating that the service we say that you all need (and you do!) is also one that we need. Because everyone needs to document their life -- where you are now, who you are now. It all changes so fast, that soon the moment that you thought you'd be living forever is gone. 

So when Leah, over at Go{4}Pro Photos posted this contest on her blog, it spurred me to not only think about my About Me page, but also about my favorite photos of myself. Luckily, we'd also recently done some headshots at our For the Love get together and I think we would all say that we put together some lovely images of each other.  So without further ado, this is the official unveiling of my new About Me page. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

(Click on the photo to go to the page!)

The Wright Family ~ Gainesville Family Photographer

Last Sunday I had the fun of meeting up with the Wright family in downtown Alachua for their Holiday Session.  We originally planned for Saturday morning, but baby Kayden wasn't feeling well and it was sooo cold on Saturday morning! We rescheduled for Sunday afternoon for warmer weather and a little extra sleep for the munchkin and it definitely paid off.  Little Miss Morgan was a bit shy, but loved the snow flake props and then had fun playing with the tree in the old Theatre Garden.  And how can you not love an adorable little girl in her Christmas dress and matching bow?