The love story of Jessica & Chris

Posted on February 1, 2012 by jen

It started with a haircut. Jessica is a hair stylist at the fabulous Mantra Salon. Most women, especially those with crazy hair like mine, understand how important it is to find a hair stylist with whom you can mesh. I’m not sure if men form the same bonds, but maybe they should… Chris got far more than he bargained for when he went in for a haircut — he found his future bride.

Jess first contacted me about photography services online, but we talked details while she gave my sad locks some pampering. She told me about Chris, and somehow it came up that he is a Cupid Shuffle fan of the highest order. Well, I’m pretty much the president of that fan club, so I knew we would hit it off just fine.

Photographing Jessica and Chris for their engagement session was a blast, and I loved seeing them interact. They have a completely intoxicating love for each other, and they have entire nonverbal conversations — one look, and they know exactly what the other needs.

As it got closer to the couple’s New Year’s Eve wedding at One Ocean, I think everyone was sad to hear that Jacksonville Beach was nixing their fireworks display. Not to fear, though – there were definite sparks flying as Chris and Jessica said “I Do,” and it had absolutely nothing to do with their sparkler exit! Their candle-lit ceremony was beautiful and sweet, with the sound of the ocean as a backdrop to their commitments to each other. The reception did not disappoint, with plenty of bling, and — of course — the Cupid Shuffle. A fabulous crowd of dancers of every age rang in the new year together while wishing the new Mr. and Mrs. many happy years to come.

On a personal note, this was the first wedding for which my wonderful husband served as my second shooter (thusfar I have gone without). I’m not sure how the grueling work of a wedding day lived up to what he had envisioned, but I can say that he did a great job of helping out, and he produced some great images, too! We will see how eager he is to help me the next time around…!

Enjoy these images of Jessica and Chris’s wedding, and check out facebook for a few more!

Jacksonville Wedding Photography This gorgeous wedding came together with the help of plenty of vendors, including some local to the Jacksonville area:

Decorations/Theme: Linda Odom and Tara Simmons of Tales of the South
Hair/Makeup: Mantra Salon
Jewelry: Hot Pink, Orange Park Mall
Cupcakes: Sweet by Holly
DJ: Kelly Meiller (email me for contact information)
Officiant: Kathy Sheddan (email me for contact information)

Fulfilling a Mother’s Day gift.. on Father’s Day

Posted on July 6, 2011 by jen

Sometimes being married is about sharing.. including holidays. While you might think of sharing holidays more along the lines of “whose parents will we spend Thanksgiving with?”, I had a very different experience last month. A good friend of mine decided to hire me to take portraits of her mother-in-law’s oh-so-sweet pups as a gift for Mother’s Day. As circumstance would have it, we ended up making good on that photo session on Father’s Day! It was so much fun to run around with them, and I felt better-equipped to handle their lightning-fastness after my frisbee dog “training”!

I will just post a couple of pictures here, but check out the facebook gallery for more!

This is Randy. I like to think he would want to be called Randall. He’s ridiculously sweet, and I could see him reading Shakespeare by the fire.

This is Shelby. Shelby wasn’t too sure about me or my giant camera at first, but we were buddies before too long. She is super friendly and seriously energetic! She put me to work! But it was a good time, and I was happy to have met her and her brother, and their wonderful mom — on Father’s Day!

High-Flying Fun

Posted on June 30, 2011 by jen

In line with pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, I recently signed up as a volunteer for an amazingly fun event — the Florida State Canine Frisbee Disc Championships! (OK, recently-ish, as they took place on the 11th.) It’s no secret that I am a dog-lover, and my blog and facebook page have been packed to the gills with pooches lately. These have all been relatively low-key portrait sessions, though (with the exception perhaps of my friend Bonnie’s pups, who know how to put on a show wherever they go!), and high-speed photography is definitely not something that I have practiced with any serious dedication. This event was a perfect opportunity to get some experience while helping out Pawsitive Life, a local pup-centric magazine. As a volunteer member of the “puperazzi,” I roamed the vendor exhibits, capturing some of the great things they had to offer, as well as the pups and parents there to check it all out. As the competition began with “throw-and-catch”, a contest of sheer distance covered while catching a frisbee, I got to put my skills to the test.

I am by no means too proud to admit that many of my first shots were blur-city! Even most advanced-amateur-level cameras have a mode that allows you to freeze a moment in time, and I am able to fine-tune that even more with my equipment. Unfortunately, you have to have the subject in focus to begin with! And when they move that quickly — and not necessarily in a straight line or on the same plane — it is a skill to get the focus you need when you need it. While I am quick to admit my early flubs, I’ll also pat myself on the back here for quickly getting into a rhythm.

What was even more fun than honing skills that aren’t a regular part of my arsenal for weddings or couple/family portraits was meeting some genuinely awesome people. Since I had gotten there early, before most of the vendors even, and had parked myself on the sideliness of the more sparsely-spectated throw-and-catch, it was sort of like I was wearing an “I’m With The Band” shirt. Between competitors, I learned the rules of the game — along with some hilariously-sarcastic commentary — from one of the judges. Toward the end of my time on the field, I was told that I “have been talking to a legend.” The legend is Eldon McIntire, who is credited as one of two (or three, depending on the source) people responsible for creating the sport. And as far as I’m concerned, if you are in a Wikipedia entry, you count as a legend. It’s worth noting that the other judge who alerted me to this fact was Jim Safford, who is certainly no slouch in the sport either!

Once throw-and-catch wrapped up, the main event — freestyle — began. I stuck around for all of the first round of freestyle. There was a big part of me that wanted to stay for the throw-and-catch and freestyle finals, but having already stayed almost 3 hours beyond the 2 hours I initially commited to, I decided it was time to call it a day and get some grub.

All in all, it was a fabulous day despite the skin-melting heat. The company, both human and canine, more than made up for the atmospheric discomfort. I’ll refrain from smattering all of the photos here as they have already graced my facebook page for some time, but clearly we need to have at least one image on a photographer’s blog, right??

Metamorphosis

Posted on June 20, 2011 by jen

I have been hard at work over the last few months, between shoots and spending time really swimming in photography knowledge from a ton of sources and on a variety of topics — from lighting to licensing and everything under the sun (actually, also INCLUDING the sun!). I’m feeling some pressure, entirely of my own creation of course, to make my photography more of a priority. At this point I have entered a gray area somwhere between that person you know who has a sweet camera and takes good pictures, to the owner/photographer of a legitimate photography business. I said at the beginning of the year that I was going to push myself firmly into the latter category, but as June 1st arrived, I didn’t feel I had done all that I could. So I have redoubled my efforts, and I am confident that they will pay off!

I am somewhere between tadpole and full-grown frog. Maybe a baby frog, like this guy!:

For the love of pups!

Posted on June 18, 2011 by jen

In addition to the newborn baby with whom I got to spend some time last month, I also spent some time with four-legged babies. Okay, some of these sweet pooches probably border geriatric, but to me, dogs are babies for the entire time they spend on this earth.

I’ve been experimenting some with pet photography lately, and I decided to have a go at pet portrait mini-sessions! The idea of a mini-session is extremely popular in the photography world these days. By picking one location and having several short sessions lined up back-to-back, I am able to cut some of the unseen costs of shooting (in this case, mostly gas and travel time). This savings of course gets passed on to my lovely clients. A win-win, and a lot of exhausting fun!

For these shoots, I met the puppy parents at a park that was as convenient as possible for them. We spent 15-20mins playing/shooting, and then the next client would be waiting in the wings! After the shoot, each client got 5-10 images (the more cooperative the pooch, the more images. ) sized to 5×7 via email, and the option to receive either 1 8×10 print or 3 4x6s. I think they went very well for my first foray into the minis, and I am sure I will do them again in the future, so stay tuned!

Welcome to the world, Charlotte Grace!

Posted on June 17, 2011 by jen

There is no way I could be more thrilled than to share this next bundle of cute. You may remember the maternity pictures of my oldest friend from back in February. Well, the months sped by at lightning speed (for me, at least.. ), and Charlotte Grace arrived on May 18th, the newest member of a large family that was in love with her long before her red-carpet entrance. (Side note — there should totally be red carpets in the delivery room.) About a week after Charlotte was born, I was able to catch a flight back to good ol’ Jersey to add my name to the ever-expanding list of the Charlee-Obsessed. There was a lot of baby-bouncing and rocking, snuggling and smooching… oh, and I took a few pictures, too.

Honestly and truly, there aren’t enough words to describe how much I already love this little munchkin, or how happy I am for Megan and her husband Graham. So rather than continue the feeble attempt to find the right words, I’ll just leave you with the pictures!

Time Machines and Pregnant Best Friends

Posted on April 12, 2011 by jen

I told myself I would blog at least weekly, but I’ve been failing miserably at that goal. I have been spending my time making some serious progress on crochet projects (because I’m 90 at heart) and some other random odds-n-ends that needed to be addressed, which is good.

Rather than do the responsible, adult thing and promise to be a better blogger from here on out, I have chosen instead to do the ridiculous thing. I’m going to go ahead and pretend it’s February 20-something-th and I’ve just returned from a quick trip to NJ for a photo session. Why NJ, you ask? Well, join my in my time machine, if you will, and find out..!

Meet Megan:

Megan and I met our freshman year of high school in NJ and were fast friends. We have stayed extremely close through high school (during which time my emo/angsty phase would’ve been reason enough for anyone to toss me off a cliff), the college years (despite being at schools 2+ hours apart), and we’re still just as close today from opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon.

I give you this history not just because it is awesome and rare, but to show just how long I have known my Megan. No one will question my credentials as an expert witness when I tell you that Megan has wanted to be a mom FOREVER. Some girls toss around potential names for future children… Megan was devising plans to steal babies when no one was looking. So now I hope you have a sense for just how brain-exploding, heart-melting EXCITED I am for her and her wonderful husband as they get ready to welcome a baby girl into their home.

Like any good friendtogropher, I invited myself into their home to take some maternity pictures. I was envisioning many more park/outdoor images with a crisp late-winter chill in the air, but the weather didn’t have the same ideas. The temperature that Saturday morning was in the upper-40s, which is tolerable for us Yanks, but the WIND was probably the most blustery I’ve seen outside of a blizzard — sustained speeds in the 20mph range with gusts in the 30mph ballfield. I wasn’t exactly going to suggest we frolic through the meadow with my pregnant friend! We did brave the elements for one image we both really wanted, but we managed to set it up and snap it in probably under 2min, during which there was much hilarity. We spent the rest of the day lounging in their house and taking pictures here and there. The flow was totally unlike any other shoot, but it was so much fun.

I am so happy for Megan and Graham, and I can’t WAIT to meet little miss Charlotte. Don’t worry, I’ve invited myself over to take newborn pictures.

Here are some more images from our day of fun:

The Eternal Quest for Balance

Posted on February 8, 2011 by jen

..or, My Life is a Pile of Crap.

I’ve had it on my mind for a while now to blog about striving for balance. Unfortunately, the many and random facets of my life have gotten in the way. (Isn’t it ironic? Don’tcha think? Except it actually IS ironic, unlike most of that song… but I digress!). Then, as I set out to make an image that attempts to reflect that eternal struggle, my dog got in the way. And then my husband asked what I was taking a picture of/for. I said, “balance,” and he said (jokingly), “a pile of crap?” The truth of the matter is that that statement is pretty much the long and short of it — my life is a pile of crap. But the most beautiful, entertaining pile of crap a girl could ever hope for herself.

I have a lot of aspirations to build my business and better learn my craft, plus a completely impossible desire to spend more time doing everything I love — more time talking to my mom and best friend on the phone, more time spent with my husband, more time playing with my dog and turning him into a weave pole master, more time dancing, more time weight training, more focus on running faster, more time keeping the house beautiful, more time to myself to read and reflect. Only problem is… that’s a lot of time. And considering my current need for a day job, and sleep, there isn’t exactly a bucket of unaccounted hours sitting at my disposal.

And while a part of me feels like I need to focus on a couple of things with everything I have, the fact of the matter is that I’m not willing to let go of any of the many pieces of my life to dedicate more effort to a few things. So I guess I will have to strive for supreme efficiency, be a little bit tired all of the time, and enjoy every last second of my Pile of Crap.

I’d say more… but the pot roast is ready, and I need to start crochetting a blanket for my best friend and her burrito-in-the-oven.

Bitty Bundles of Beauty!

Posted on January 20, 2011 by jen

This year is going to be a year of growth for me and my business (but hopefully not my waistline). I’m striving to find the areas that need improvement the most and to take concrete action toward that improvement. While I have considered myself a “professional photographer” for some time, I also have a full-time job in cancer research, a husband, friends, family, and hobbies that fill my life. While I am just as passionate about photography as all of these other facets of my life, I haven’t necessarily given it equal time. That’s no way to learn and grow! So this is the year to change that!

With that in mind, last weekend I attended a photographer’s workshop all about newborns! It’s an area of photography I love more and more, but I wanted to be more familiar with how other photographers set up their session and pose the baby etc. This workshop gave me just what I was looking for, and I’m really excited to use what I’ve learned on future clients!

First up was Gwyneth. She was eleven days old in these pictures, and just as precious and gorgeous as they come!

Our next beauty was Jayden. She was so much fun and had the best facial expressions and movements, not to mention that gorgeous head of hair!! Her mom did Zumba all the way up to being 33 weeks pregnant, so she already knows how to shimmy.

Then came Imberly (sorry if I’m butchering the spelling!), who was oh-so-sweet, and very willing to let us pose her and then play papparazzi. She had definite grace through it all. I’m thinking she just might be a movie star one day.

The first image, I just love in black and white, but the peaches and creams in the color are swoon-worthy, too!

Our last gem of the day was Tristan. I loved meeting Tristan’s mom, for whom this is her first child. You could tell from a mile away how smitten she is with this peanut, and it’s not hard to see why! Tristan was three weeks old for these pictures, and served as a perfect example of the fact that babies of this age may not be so easy to move and pose as the younger guys, but it is still possible to capture their beauty!

I hope you enjoyed these! Even more… I hope you are pregnant (or know someone who is) and are mere milliseconds from contacting me to take your newborn pictures! I’ll leave you in peace so you can do that…

Go ahead… Click that beautiful “Contact” button at the top of your screen.

No Personality without Personal… and dogs!

Posted on January 13, 2011 by jen

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about branding (a business…not cows) and marketing, and how blogging fits into all of this. Some folks are of the opinion that a business blog still needs to be buttoned-up and professional. Others, however, see the benefit (in creative markets, at least) of injecting personality into a blog. I have really come to love this idea, because my photography business isn’t just about the photos. As weird as it might make me feel to say this sometimes, it’s also kind of about me — because the way I see the world shapes the way I make images. Sure, there could be a case where a potential client liked my work, but hated my personality and went elsewhere. In the the long run, though, I don’t think I see that as a real loss. The best experience (and images!) for photographer and client is going to come when we can feel comfortable with each other. And how can you feel comfortable with me if you don’t know who I am?! That said, I am going to attempt to blog a bit more frequently and to let this blog show anyone who doesn’t know me just what I’m all about, and anyone who already knows can just come join the fun!

Along that vein, I thought I’d share a bit of an adventure that my friend Kate has embarked upon…and she let me help a little. You may remember that Kate has two flippin-adorable Boston Terriers. Having a huge heart filled with BT-love, however, she decided that 2011 would be the year she helped the breed even more by fostering one if she could arrange it. I am still a little shocked that Boston Terriers would need a rescue organization — how could you possibly not want one of these little canine gems?? Despite my disbelief, there are in fact no shortage of lonely bostons looking for a place to call home. But I digress! Life apparently thought Kate’s goal was a good one, so it went ahead and delivered two sad little bostons to her on New Year’s Eve! Since her husband had to work, I went with her to the airport to pick up two of the sweetest, most loving babies I’ve ever met! They have temporarily been named Ethel and Pearl, because everyone knows Bostons prefer old-people-sounding names. After about a week of love, checkups, and spaying, they were ready for their petfinder closeups! I ran over to Kate’s house and spent maybe 10mins running around the yard and sun porch with these wonderful ladies.

First up is Pearl. She’s spunky and is a big fan of giving kisses. I love her to bits, and I like to think the feeling is mutual. A rather large part of me wants to take her home for good, except that the rescue is attempting to keep these ladies together (they love to cuddle!)…. oh, and my dog also hates other dogs. Minor detail.

Next up is Ethel. She has an air of wisdom about her in the way she checks everything out before jumping in. When she was first introduced to Kate’s house, she reminded me a little of goldilocks — she tried all of the beds on for size and decided which one was going to be hers from there on out. I’m pretty sure it’s the same bed in these pictures. She’s also a big cuddle-face!

And while I can’t take these ladies home, they are still looking for a permanent home as far as I know. Click here and here for their petfinder pages with information on how to file an adoption application if you’re interested.

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