Madelaine | Class of 2015: South Florida Senior Portrait Session, Downtown Fort Lauderdale
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!
Carla: Ballet Portraits | Seattle, Queen Anne Portrait Session
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.
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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). =)
Carla: Class of 2015 | South Florida Senior Portrait Session
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!
Phoebe | South Florida Senior Portrait Session
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!
Behind the Scenes | Ryan’s Senior Portrait Session
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!
Winter Photo Challenge Week 3: Rembrandt Triangle with Soft Window Light
Posted on November 17, 2013
Last week I missed out on week two of the Photography Awesomesause’s Winter Photo Challenge 2013-2014, but I wasn’t about to let that deter me from getting back into the challenge.
This week the challenge was to get that soft window lighting for an indoor portrait. I will admit that this posed a challenge for me for two reasons: 1) I don’t seem to get home in time for natural light indoors, and 2) none of our window shades are working at the moment, meaning that the shades can’t be opened to allow light in.
I ended up doing the challenge this afternoon with my brother as the subject, and instead of opening the window shades, I actually opened the front door and had him sit in the light that streamed in. Using a white reflector, I was able to capture a couple of shots that I am pleased with.
I would definitely like to work more on this look. I can see how in the right conditions, it can be really beautiful. Next time I just need window shades that open!
Camile Teresa | Photographer 