Posted on January 14, 2015
Madelaine was the winner of my senior portrait session giveaway that I did this summer for those graduating in the class of 2015, and I am SO incredibly happy that she won. Not only is Madelaine gorgeous, but she is also sweet, funny, and smart! She is the student of a good friend of mine (Hey, Arlene!), and she is active in the school newspaper, softball team, drama and art club. Also, she has the most incredible hair I have ever photographed!
When Madelaine and I were planning her sesssion, she said that she wanted something in a downtown or city area, so we headed to Downtown Fort Lauderdale on a rather rainy Sunday afternoon to take our portraits. Luckily, the rain cleared, and then the most beautiful light appeared (Which tends to happen right after rain. Photographer tip: If you ever want pretty light, go out just after a rainstorm)!
It was so much fun to walk along the city and photograph Madelaine. Her vibrant personality shined through the lens and made my job so simple!
This next shot is my money shot, my favorite of the day. We were walking down a street and this entrance to a restaurant that was closed caught my eye. The light was coming in just right and I asked Madelaine to sit down for just a second. We were there maybe a minute total, but I knew I saw something good. Sure enough, when I saw this image loading on my computer, my breath caught for a second. These are the shots I live for.
Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Madelaine! I know the future holds so many great things for you!
Posted on December 23, 2014
I have been a bad photographer blogger and missed blogging all of my sessions from August to November. As such, I will be blogging these sessions throughout the next couple of months or so. This session is from Labor Day Weekend 2014.
TODAY is my sister’s 18th birthday!! And it is also the day she will finally be coming home for a visit!! I could not think of a better way to celebrate than finally blogging the mini sesh we did while I was in Seattle.
____________________________________________
So as I’ve mentioned (check this post for more info), my sister, Carla is now living in Seattle and dancing in the professional training program with Pacific Northwest Ballet. At the end of August, I travelled there with her to help her move and get settled in her new city. Luckily, one of my very best friends happens to live in Seattle (Hey, Roma!), and she had years of knowledge to share with us, including this amazing location at the top of Queen Anne Hill overlooking downtown Seattle.
One of the best parts of this session was getting to shoot in a location that is so different from South Florida. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here, but like seriously– just look at these views!
This is session seriously rocked my socks. Not only did I get to capture my sister, but I fell in love with Seattle and can’t wait to travel there again soon. Also, shooting somewhere new was exhilarating and inspirational. Someone book me to travel soon!! It is seriously my fave (I will literally go anywhere you fly me, true story). =)
Posted on December 10, 2014
I have been a bad photographer blogger and missed blogging all of my sessions from August to November. As such, I will be blogging these sessions throughout the next couple of months or so. This session is from mid-August 2014.
I’ve certainly blogged about my baby sister before, but it is hard to believe that I am now blogging her SENIOR PHOTOS. I am not even quite sure how that happened (Alas, this means I am officially old “mature” and can impart wisdom on others. Watch out world).
I digress.
My sister’s session took place on a sort of rushed Sunday afternoon. I say rushed not in that we rushed the photos, but in that we rushed to get to our location before sunset. Part of having a photographer for a sister means Carla gets free sessions, but it also means I have to sometimes squeeze her in when I have time, and this was one of those days. I also had to do this session before my sister left to spend the year in Seattle (more on that later), so we were rushed in a lot of ways.
In any case, I am glad we rushed and I am glad we made it, because the photographs that came out of this session are some of my most favorite I have ever taken. The combination of my gorgeous sister, her amazing dance technique, the beautiful park, and our sisterly bond, made these photos something extra special. Also, my friend and fellow photographer, Stephanie Arieno of Shmily Face Photography & Paper Posies made this RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME flower crown that was the proverbial cherry on top of this photography awesomeness.
And now, I will simply let these images speak for themselves.
My sister moved to Seattle at the end of August to begin a professional training position with Pacific Northwest Ballet. Although I miss her quite terribly, I am so happy that she is living out her dream and taking this incredible step to becoming a professional ballerina. She is currently dancing on stage with PNB professionals in the company’s annual Nutcracker shows and I could not be more proud of her!
Posted on July 27, 2014
In my last post, I talked about my summer project: a photography fun day for teens/ young adults to practice taking photos and/or modeling for them. Today, I will be showcasing the boys!
First up is Alejandro! I don’t know Alejandro very well, but he is a good friend of Mario’s (who you’ll see later in this post) and wanted to come along for the adventure. He spent most of his time taking photos, but he did model for a few shots with me. He is a very nice young man who will be starting his second year studying engineering at FIU in a few weeks.
I’ve known Carlos since he was in the 10th grade, and now he going into his second year at Miami Dade College. Carlos is funny, rambunctious, talented, and full of life. He makes me laugh like no one else! Carlos is an aspiring young photographer, so he spent a lot of his time taking photos. That’s him looking at his camera in the first photo below. Carlos is so talented and I know he is only going to keep growing in his photography!
Last, but certainly not least, was have Mario. Again, I’ve known Mario since he was a 10th grader in my Creative Writing class. Little did I know, but he would come to be one of my best and most amazing students. He was editor-in-chief of the online news site I advised his senior year and he helped me start the program. Now he will be starting his second year at Miami-Dade Honors College in a few weeks. Mario is incredibly smart, caring, driven, and talented. Wise beyond his years is the best way to describe him. Mario took a few photos of his own too since he has an interest in learning more about photography. He has a great eye!
I had to snap a few of these guys together too! They’re a great group of friends.
Thank you Alejandro, Carlos, and Mario for coming out and making our day lots of fun! Can’t wait for the next one!
Posted on July 25, 2014
I have been a high school teacher for seven years, so spending time with teenagers is something that I obviously love to do. In addition to teaching 10th grade English and Journalism, I am also a leader at my church’s youth group, so I really do know A LOT of teenagers. =)
The summer is a time when I usually like to work on a personal project (or twelve) and so this year I decided that I would like to organize an event for some students who love photography as much as I do. Some of the kids that came were former students of mine who are now in college, and others are part of the youth group at church. They are all awesome people who I adore!
It was super fun to spend a few hours with these kids. Some just modeled, some took photos and modeled, and some were more interested in being behind the lens (like me! haha!), but all had a great time.
I’ll be sharing some images from our day here on the blog in the next few days. First up, the girls! =)
Madi is a 10th grader who is beautiful inside and out. I met her at youth group and she has proven to be strong, passionate, and talented. She sings like an angel and even goes to an art school for her drama skills! It was so much fun to take photos of her. She’s a natural in front of the camera!
Faustina will be attending PBA in a few short weeks! I also know Faustina from youth group, and what first impressed me about her is how kind and wonderful she is to everyone around her. She is also a fantastic singer and leads our youth group worship pretty often. I love her kind spirit, excitement for life, and overall amazingness. I also loved her in front of my lens; look at that smile!
Since Madi and Faustina go to youth group together, they are also close friends, and I wanted to snap a few of them together. When I asked them to make the funniest face they could think of, I immediately got the most adorable photos I could have asked for. I LOVE these!!
Thank you Madi and Faustina for modeling for us and for being truly incredible young women! Can’t wait to photograph you again!
The boys are up next! Stay tuned.
Posted on July 24, 2014
Posted on July 21, 2014
Phoebe is an incredible young woman. In the 5 months that I have known her, she only continues to impress me with her faith, kindness, humor, and all around general awesomeness. The other thing I love about Phoebe? She is also a photographer and you can see some of her work on instagram!!
Phoebe is will be starting college at PBA in about a month, so we headed over to West Palm Beach for her session. These weren’t her official senior portraits, but more of a chance for her and I to have some fun, and for her to take a moment to be in front of the camera. As photographers, we are always the ones taking the photos, and sometimes it is nice to be on the other end. Plus, I adore Phoebe’s style, so I couldn’t resist playing with her for a little bit. =)
Thank you, Phoebe, for allowing me to photograph you. You are amazing!
Posted on July 14, 2014
I seriously had SO much fun photographing the band Angelic Warfare the other day in Downtown West Palm Beach. These young men are not only amazing musicians, but they write music that glorifies the Lord, which makes it all the more awesome. Taylor, Colby, and Jake are a big part of my church community and I loved getting a chance to showcase these guys through photography.
I hope you enjoy these photos as much as the guys and I do!
Thanks guys for spending the afternoon with me! It was a blast!
I love photographing groups! If you have a band or a group of friends that you’ve always wanted to take some photos with, contact me today!
Posted on May 13, 2014
I like to keep it all in the family. Whether that is my immediate family, my friends, or my church family. When we shot Ryan’s senior session last month, my good friend JD came along to help with the shoot. He and Ryan are both part of our amazing church family, and it was so awesome to get to work with them both.
While I was shooting, JD took some cool behind the scenes shots with my iPhone that I thought would be fun to share (I am always curious as to what other photographers look like while shooting).
Want to see what I saw through my lens?
Thanks JD and Ryan for making this photo session so much fun! It is always more fun to do what I love when I love the people I am doing it for! =)
Also, in case you are wondering, that is my Kelly Moore Chapel Backpack I am shooting with, and my Sew Tamz camera strap. Neither of these companies have compensated my to talk about their products, I just love them so I thought I would share!
Posted on October 28, 2013
Yesterday I shot one of my most favorite subjects, my little brother! Chase is 13 years old and an awesome kid all around. I love his style and that he is so multi-talented. He’s been begging me to take back-to-school photos of him for about a month now, and so we headed out to Delray Beach yesterday afternoon to take some fun shots.
Chase is a musical kid, but his two main instruments are the guitar and the french horn (he also plays drums, trumpet, and dabbles in some others). We brought both out to our session to capture his talent. I wish there was audio in some of these photos because he was really playing! People even stopped to listen.
Of course he wouldn’t be Chase if he didn’t get silly!
Lastly, we headed down to the beach. I love to end my sessions there, can you tell? =) I love the beach because it just calms me. The light is beautiful, you get to put your toes in the water & sand, and the sound of the ocean is so relaxing. Plus for photos, it is such a good opportunity to have some fun!
Shooting my brother was such a fun experience. It connected us as brother and sister, and gave me the opportunity to really focus on him, both through my lens and in person. I am so happy to have him in my life!