Viviana and Micheal
I did my first Wedding up in Lake Mary at this beautiful venue right on a lake. We kept making little trips outside for some images around this place and it was very rewarding. They even stayed behind after everyone left and we got to spend some more time getting great images.
From the details to the bridal party, it all came together for some memorable imagery. I am not sure if it was such a wonderful couple or just such a neat place that made it all work so well. I will be glad to go back there anytime.
The black and white image of the two of them walking towards the lake is one of my favorites although the brick wall came in a close second.
The Elias Wedding
Although a little tired from the Lake Mary Wedding the night before; I sure got my pulse quickened with this lively event. Blake scored some nice images hanging out with Rosa at her house as she got ready for the Wedding. Meanwhile I was up the the Tides at Patrick AFB seeing a glorious day unfolding for the Ceremony.
Then when the Marachi band got cranked up it got real lively. And the dancing just took off, led by the groom Michael who just tore up the dance floor with his moves.
This party spread over two rooms, with the bar and photo booth in one and the DJ, Marachi band and dance floor in the other. This was a reception no one wanted to end....
Angelica Rose
Rose is our newest Baby Plan client. If for her first session at about 10 weeks old, she slept through most of the time. When she did open her eyes the flash made her close them again pretty quickly.
The swing is a new item and we started with it. I cut a branch from a tree on the lot next door to hang it and the cloth from but I always have to haul it away afterwards. The birdnest I have done before but the ring of eggs is new from a garage sale and I was quite pleased with how it photographed.
The image I really like is the one of mother and daughter. Just plain oozes motherhood. I will be doing another session with Rose in November so stay tuned.
Matthew turns One Year Old
Little Matthew just finished his one year plan and I am amazed at how fast he has grown. Since I only see these kids every three months, it seems like they are just sprouting like a weed.
if you have been keeping up you will remember that I did his parents wedding some time ago and now we have even more great news. He just got a little brother. So I guess there will be more images coming and it will be a blast to work with the two of them together.
We've shot Matthew with footballs and his fathers golf clubs. I wonder what sports his brother will do....
Dawn and Her Family
Got a chance to do a session with my good friend Dawn and her family. We mostly did the studio but did slip across to the beach for a few images.
You have seen Dawn is some of my wedding images and her husband in some band and drum images I have taken. Always a pleasure to work with and you have to love a couple that knows that they need a new family image every year to tell the whole story. See you next year.
Baker Trash the Dress Session
I recently did a trash the dress session with Christina and Jonathan up in Cocoa. Their wedding was in February and we had been planning this for some time. The idea was theirs since the car was how Jonathan got the girl, but Christina is a great sport and didn't mind a little grease on her arm and cheek to make the session work.
While we were there we also did a couple of shots by the train to recreate some from a romance session we did there last year. Christina had to squeeze into her gown since there is now a little Baker on the way. I am curious to see what creative ideas this fun couple come up with once the baby gets here.
With two romance sessions, the big wedding and now the TTD session, Christina and Jonathan have a slew of images to help them remember this big year. I look forward to working with them again. What a fun couple.
Back at Lori Wilson Park for the Tenor Wedding
Another great beach wedding with a party at the Port afterwards made for some interesting and fun images. Yelanea and Mack looked wonderful together and everyone had a nice time.
The reception was held a Milleken's Reef at the Port and we even hit the dance floor with the couple for some images. This couple is from New Jersey and they had lots of friends and family helping them celebrate their special day.
Jessica and Byron get Married at the Hilton
This one would have read "married at the Doubletree" except the air conditioning broke down at that hotel the day before and the whole event was moved up the road to the Hilton.
Everything turned out OK though and everyone had a great time. This was a lovely couple and the Hilton even let some of the Bridal Party have a midnight pool party after the reception so I slipped back down there for a few more images of them later that night. It's the first time I got images of the Bride and Groom all dressed up and in their swimwear the same night. I had a blast.
A Daughter's Hero
I met Myiah's mom during a shoot for the graduating nursing class at Keiser College. While shooting her head shot for the class composite I found out that her husband is one of our fine servicemen serving in Afghanistan. Since I always am willing to do a free session to make sure our military men and woman have great images while deployed; I asked her to come in the following day with her daughter.
Myiah was really a doll and the sign they made up was a nice touch. I hope he appreciates the images as much as we appreciate his service.
Marina does Lingerie
Marina came up from Miami for another shoot for her portfolio. She only had an hour because she spent 3 hours buying the outfits at the mall, but we managed to get some good images for her. We added some beads, wings,hats and pearls to liven up the shots and as usual Marina just rocked the session.
We are working on plans for her next shoot so stay tuned for some more images soon.
The Henderson Family
It is always a challenge to shoot a family of 17 people so we started with each family group in the studio and then walked across the street for the group images. It is certainly an advantage to have a studio right here on the beach.
One problem with a large group is getting everyone looking my way when it is time for the shot. Particularly hard with lots of children involved and parents trying to keep their eyes on them. A new trick I have been using is to get everyone lined up and the tell them to start running right at me as I squeeze off a couple of shots. Since they have to look where they are going, it gets all the faces the right way and gives a nice sense of motion and fun to the images. The kids were a blast.
Coloma Wedding
This was another nice little beach wedding I did for Sunkissed Weddings. The couple got married at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach and everyone had a great time. I like shooting these little one hour weddings and usually get some very nice images of the couple.
I always like to use the lifeguard tower for some images and this time there was a family camped out on it. There seemed to be some kind of language barrier or they were just ignoring us, so we had to step over their spread out meal to get a few shots. Every wedding call for some adapting to get the images we want; I just forgot to bring along an interpreter.
Cheyenne in the Studio
I haven't done a studio session with my granddaughter in some time. At 3 1/2 years old she doesn't sit still for very long. Usually when she stays with me at the studio; it's just the two of us. So if I got her in a pose; by the time I picked up the camera for the shot, she has taken off to go find a toy or look in the fridge for a cookie.
Since I have started training her dad as an assistant, I had him take the shot as I posed her and got out of the way. After a while she did kind of stay in place but as with most little ones, we had to shoot twenty to get a couple where her head was turned towards the camera. The end result is a very nice selection of images with looks that ranged from serious and pouty to giggly and silly.
So Blake (her Dad) and I used the images to practice some Photoshop techniques and made some of them into keepers for the family. I am sure Cheyenne will one day appreciate the images .....................
Wrapping up the Month of June
The end of this busy month was just as fun as the rest of it with a great wedding with Lori and Brad and an engagement session with Rosa and Mike.
Brad and Lori got married at Front Street Park which gave us some nice river and park areas to work with. My assistant started the day out with the girls in Palm Bay where they were getting ready at Lori's moms house for the Limo ride to the Wedding while I met the gentlemen at Front Street where they were anxiously awaiting her.
They decided to have the ceremony inside to beat the heat and we got some nice light coming through the windows to wrap around the ceremony and family formals. We did take a couple of breaks with the Bride and Groom to take advantage of the park. At the end of the reception th light was just about perfect outside and we all went out to the edge of the river for another fun photo session. It was a great way to wind up this special day.............
Rosa and Michael are getting married in a couple of months and we got together for a studio, park, downtown and beach session. It was pretty toasty outside so we stayed in the studio for quite a while before braving the heat, but once we got going it really turned out well. This was another really fun couple
Mike has a really interesting face and I an curious to see how he will look dressed for the wedding. We had a great time and they got the images they wanted. Stay tuned for more from this couple........
Catching up for the month of June
So here is a collection of what we have been doing lately. On the 4th I did a shoot of a couple that did a courthouse marriage. Kory was home on leave from Afghanistan and Jackie lives on an Ashram down in Sebastian. This was supposed to be a free bridal session because the dress was purchased at Meredith's but I really wanted to make sure this brave soldier had some great images to take back with him so I threw a tux shirt on him and then had them return the following day with their 2 year old son for some more images of the whole family.
On the 8th, I did this session with the wife the owner of an A/C company I had done some work for to come up with some nice images for Brian. Jackie did and excellent job of giving me some different looks and we got some great images. This has led to a family project we are in the middle of now. Brian is into motocross, Jackie is into fitness boxing and their son is a great baseball player. We are going to shoot each of them in action for a nice wall grouping for their home. We spend most of our time photographing families as a unit; all dressed the same and togther( we will probably do one of those too ) but we don't often get to show them as the individuals they are. you can see the motocross shots with Brian further down this post and I will let you see the rest of the project as it develops.
The 12th was Lindsey and Shane's Wedding. With a nice wedding at a church and the reception at the Courtyard of the Oaks we had some great images. This was my first reception at the Oaks and I highly recommend it to future brides. Lindsey was stunning in her gown and it was a wonderful group in attendance. They are really a fun couple and you can see their engagement images in a previous post
The following day, I did an romance shoot with Rene and George who are getting married in October. We started in the studio, went to FIT gardens, downtown Melbourne then came back to get some beach images before the sun went down. Then we headed over to Galaxy Skateway (this is where these childhood sweethearts used to hang out). I had them come back the next day for some more beach images just because they are so much fun. I really look forward to their wedding.
On the 16th, I did this interesting session with Margi. This bride to be needed some images to send to her fiance in India. It turns out this is an arranged marriage and they have never met. After seeing these images the groom probably can't wait for their wedding to get here. Very fun session and one more example of how this wedding business it like taking a world tour.
The 17th, I was back up at Ponce Inlet near Dayton for another beach wedding. I went a little early to shoot the lighthouse because it is too small from where the wedding takes place. This lets me add it to some of the images later. The Hardings really looked great together and they had their family along for some great images. I shot this for Sunkised Wedding out of St Cloud and just love working with them.
Two days Nancy and Anthony got married at the Hilton, just up the road from my studio. These two met online and look how great it ended up. Anthony had three lovely daughters and Nancy had one happy son. Everyone had an outstanding time and I got to hear lots of Sinatra at this reception.
After I left the Wedding I headed out to Palm Bay for a big birthday party and a former neighbors house. While it was technically a working event, I got to see lots of old friends and did some relaxing as well. I even got to bring along my granddaughter Cheyenne along as well. We had a blast celebrating two birthdays and the graduation of another.
I am up bright and early the next morning for Brian's motocross shoot. This is a private track west of I95 and these guys were having a blast. Brian really hustled his way around the track and caught some major air. I was fun and I plan on going back for another shoot there.
On the 23rd, I did a modeling portfolio session with Brandon. He is 10 years old and an accomplished surfer and baseball player. We had a really good time and he has a very unique look that might work really well for his modeling. He is also a budding filmaker and way ahead of me with his video skills. I may just have to have him back to teach me a few tricks.
Now it's the 26th and I am off today for a Wedding at Front Street Park in Melbourne and another romance session tomorrow. I guess I will be posting again soon.
There is something special about a Mother and Daughter together
The other day I had the pleasure of doing a session with Christine and Dana; a mother with a grown up daughter. What is so cool about this is that while each is a unique woman; they share some common gestures and looks. Then there is that invisible yet tangible bond that they have between them.
This made their individual beauty compliment each other in a special way. I particularly like the image of them sitting on the window sill. Two sides of a coin and all attractive. I found this spot behind a alley with modly walls and lots of grungy stains. I really worked well with the contrast of these beauties.
A Ponce Inlet Wedding
I did my first Wedding up at Ponce Inlet recently and had really good time. There are a ton of boardwalks through this rolling dune area, a real wide smooth beach, a rocky inlet area and a lighthouse in the background.
This couple made it look even better with a fun time traipsing around not to mention a great ceremony with family and friends watching the event unfold. Mike and Liz were great to work with and very much in Love.
The famous Lighthouse was a little far away from where we were shooting so when I go up for another wedding next month; I will get there early enough to go by the lighthouse and get some good images. Then I can add them later in the other images.
Dont't forget to have your subjects bring along sandles for the walk. Liz managed to get a pretty big splinter in her foot. That had to hurt.
Romance, Romance,Romance
I did three romance sessions recently for couples that are getting married soon. It was fun to hang around that much love and laughter. This got us shooting all around town. One couple wanted images at their first date place ( an ice cream shop) and at the site of his proposal (the dock at Lake Washington). Others went with FIT Gardens and downtown Melbourne. And of course we did some studio shots and went across the street to the beach.
One couple even brought along their dog for the studio shoot and we got some great images of that. While some of the grooms-to-be were not too enthusied to start with; they got into it once they found out there would be lots of kissing and nuzzling involved. By the time we ended the sessions everyone was laughing and having a good time.
We even used the Avenues of Viera as a background for some images. There is a very cool fountain in the middle and you can end up with images of them riding the gator or being pushed around in a shopping cart. One of the things about shooting at a place like that or any shopping area is there is a wealt of textures and colors. Give me a close up of a loving kiss against a stucco, wood,brick, stone and you can make a great image. Another advantage is that with all the angles you can use the existing light to great advantage. You have shade from the light and you have light bouncing of one wall to light your subjects.
As usual the FIT Gardens provided some nice images and some releif from the overhead sun. It is also very relaxing for the couple and gets them ready for the hustle of the downtown street part of the session. Another great thing is that school is out and you literally have this great big garden are to yourself.
I really enjoy these romance sessions. They are a great way to capture the excitment of the upcoming wedding in a relaxed and fun atmosophere. I can take the time to be creative and I really get to know the couple which is a big help on their wedding day. They also get to know and trust me. One of the really big bonus's of the romance shoot is that these images will most likely be used at the wedding reception and be seen by lots of future brides and grooms. So enjoy the sessions and have some fun.
The Four Year Olds
Shooting a session with a four year old is challenging enough. When you have three of them together it is a riot. Getting them out of the prop room and away from the toy box was tricky enough; but to get them all to look towards the camera at the same time was the real challenge. But when they did, it was heaven. Nobody makes faces better than a child. When you can get three in the same image it is like magic.
So we did the studio with these three and then headed across the street to the beach for some more fun images. Of course at this point, all they wanted to do was play in the sand and water and posing was out of the question. We did get them to stop in a bed of flowers before the beach and then used the steps for a sit down pose before we left; but other than that it was just a matter of chasing them around to try to get an image. One trick that seems to work in both the studio and outside, is to have all the kids line up and run towards the camera. They think it is fun and it gets them all looking in the right direction.....
One of the funniest moments of the day was when I tried to use a parasol to frame one little girls face and she let go of it in the wind. Her mom chased the parasol down the beach for a long time before finally falling on it. Of course the kids were too busy playing to notice.
Marina steams up the Island
While I don't do much fashion work any more; I recently had the pleasure to work with this young lady from Miami at a property in Merritt Island. It was kind of a rush job and I went into it without a lot of advance planning. Fortunatly, we had an incredible place to shoot and Marina was just fantastic.
The amazing thing is that almost all these images were done with just an on camera flash in the late afternoon. I had to pop the ISO up to 1000 in the barn but was able to use the available light to some advantage with the outside images. I do love how the Canon 5D Mark II handles the higher ISO range.
For the shots in the river as the sun was going down; I use a 22" beauty dish on an Alien Bee and Nature provided the great sunset. Marina has asked me to come down to Miami to do a session with a couple of her friends and I sure didn't say no.............
Ryan and Kaitlin had a beach Wedding
This was a really nice ceremony on the beach in Indialantic with many family and friends in attendence. The kids had a blast and the Bride and Groom looked fantastic together.
There was a little excitement when some nearby dredging equipment tried to crash the party on the beach but the sheer beauty of the evening made it enjoyable for all.
Everyone joined Ryan and Kaitlin at Skewers Resteraunt to continue sharing the day together and to enjoy some fine dining. We were able to get some more great images there and it was a perfect day....
Matt and Jenn get Married on the Beach at the Doubletree
This fun Wedding on the beach was made even more memorable by the Bride's choice of sunflowers. They photographed really well on this sunny day and made for some interesting images.
With the beach for a backdrop and lots of family and friends to share it with it was very pleasant.
After the ceremony and picture taking, everyone went inside for a great party. Lots of dancing, food, drinks and laughter made the time fly by. Matt and Jenn looked wonderful together and everyone had a great time.
Two Girls, Two Days,Two Moms, Two Great Shoots
Stormie started with her Graduation gown, then went from prom dress #1 right into prom dress #2 for a nice formal and elegant look. We than went casual/country in the studio and then headed to FIT Gardens to play in the Jungle. She even changed in the parking lot back into prom dress #2 for some very cool images on the bridge.
Changing again, we were able to stop by the downtown Melbourne area for some fun images before we headed back to the studio, back into the prom dress and headed to the beach to catch the last of the day's light. Stormie was a real trooper, unafraid to try anything and really had her mind set on taking that beautiful dress into the ocean. It was a total blast and left us all exhausted
Piper need a great head shot so we started with that, then went with a nice fashion/Disney look that really showed her smile. She let her playfulness shine through and gave a lot of nice looks to it.
So we then changed make up and outfit for a country/indian princess look and I found myself back at FIT Gardens (you can tell I am really enjoying that place) and romped through there. Since she is quite the Musician; we added her guitar to some of the images and had fun there.
After another makeup and clothing change, we headed to Melbourne for some edgy street images with a kind of punk rocker look. By now I had Mom, Piper's friend and Victoria ( the makeup specialist) all out of breath as we ran from scene to scene as the sun was setting.
Now dark outside we headed back to the studio for a few more images of this outfit before calling it a wrap
All in all, it was a lot of fun and the best exercise I've had in a while. On the other hand I feel 10 years younger.
McKenzie Rocks the Jungle
Made a couple of trips over to the Florida Institute of Technology gardens this week to check it out as a place to take family portraits. I was looking for a place with a nice look and plenty of shady areas to block out our harsh summer sun. This place fits the bill perfectly.
Open to the public from dawn to sunset, lots of little trails, garden spots, bubbling brooks, bridges, stands of bamboo and all kinds of other tropical goodies; it is a photographers dream.
So after getting some studio and beach shot of McKenzie and her parents, she put on her little rocker outfit and we headed to the gardens.
This adorable 5 year old seemed to enjoy the jungle as much as we did and gave us plenty of looks to make her parents proud. I am sure a couple of these will end up in my portfolio as well.
While many of the shots were focused on her, you can see the quality of the environment and the overhead canopy provided lots of shady areas to make it work without having to wait for the sun to get lower in the sky. To top it all off, it is a very peaceful and relaxing place
They even had signs up apologizing for how this winter has damaged the growth. Makes you wonder how it will look later this spring. It also seems to be a very safe area, with an occasional security guard and serious student passing by. If you are a location shooter of families, fashion or kids; you need to add this to your list of places to go. If you do, I am sure I will see you there sometime.
A Louisiana Beach Wedding
This handsome couple traveled from Louisiana to stay at Disney World and get married on our beach. There were no guests but these two didn't need them. Trenique was an absolutely stunning Bride and very happy to be getting married to Fred.
This shot of Trenique with a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek is one of my favorites so far this year and will certainly make it in my personal portfolio. The ceremony was at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach and had a group of Spring Breakers to cheer the couple on.
We were able to work the dunes and the lifeguard stand for some really nice images, but it was really about the love for these two. We even found a little playground on the way out and grabbed a few more quality images (Trenique works with children) I left this wedding with a big smile on my face knowing their love would show through in the images............
Laura and Brandon tie the Knot
This couple got married last week at a nice church in Rockledge and a large group of family and friends attended. There was a string quartet, professional vocalists, a gazebo custom built by the Bride's father, some very cute kids and a Bride and Groom who were very much in Love.
After the ceremony; everyone headed over to the Cocoa Beach Country Club for one heck of a party. We managed some great images both inside and out and enjoyed the party.
Army and Carrie are getting Married
Yup; his name really is Army (short for Armstrong) and he is marrying Carrie this fall in Atlanta. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with them and seeing how they were made for one another.
We did the studio, the beach and went over to downtown Melbourne for some nice textures and colors. This was a nice easy shoot with a couple that made it that way. I wish them lots of happiness and joy.
All in all, a nice collection of images that should bring back great memories of the spring of 2009.
The Baker Wedding
Christina and Jonathan got married at the Cocoa Beach Country Club with lots of friends and family in attendance. It was a wonderful ceremony and the Bride and her girls were absolutely radiant. Hey, the groom and his guys weren't too bad either. At least that's what all the girls were saying.
After the ceremony at the Pavillion we retreated inside the clubhouse for a glorious reception. And this party just rocked. Lots of laughter and dancing going on here. There was a very touching moment as Christina's father welcomed his new son-in-law into the family and there were proud parents on both sides.
. The Bride worked up a sweat on the dance floor and some of the other participants were even twirling shirts and jackets in the air as they joined in the fun.
I have had the pleasure of doing two Romance shoots with this couple( you can see some of these images in earlier blogs) and now this Wedding and I can tell you that their good humor and happy spirits are quite infectious. I want to wish them the the very best and happiest future together but am quite sure they don't need any help.
They are extraordinarily capable of making their own happines and spreading it to those around them.
From Fashion to Old Shoes and musicians to a Valentines Wedding.. A Heck of a week.
It all started with an alter ego fashion shoot with Nicole in Cocoa. Then I saw this old pair of discarded sneakers next to a parking lot I was in.
A couple of days later, my old friend and famous blue singer Eddie Scott came by with some of his new gospel group for some images. Another friend had this dynamite new drum set he needed pictures of.
And them I got a call to do a little Valentines Day Wedding up in Cocoa Beach. Kyle and LaTisha picked this day for a sweet little ceremony with a few family members and are planning a big Wedding later this year. 
I also shot some cigars for a website and a bunch of graduating nurses from kaiser College
A fun Week with lots of different things going on.
HDR, Alter Ego, Nicole and Cocoa Village
I took Nicole (you might remember her as one of the models at our Boudoir Class) to Cocoa Village for a fun and fashion shoot. This first image actually has an HDR background with two images of Nicole masked in.
It was cold and windy and the Super Bowl was about to start but we hung in there and got some great stuff for her portfolio. One funny thing was that when we planned the alter-ego shot, it was to be a fashion look in one image with a homeless version in the other. Nicole is so classy even in the second look she is still fashionable. I am going to make her go live in the woods for a week next time
What's fun about doing this stuff is it really makles you think about the composition of the shots, the lighting, how much HDR to apply and improves your masking skills. The rest of it was just a blast......................
Mariam and Afunda Get Married
This Wedding had it all. Antique cars, Limos, Belly Dancer, Cute Kids and a Beautiful Bride and Groom at the hotel, Coptic Church, Capt. Hiram's and down by the river.
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Everyone had a wonderful time and I got to go back to Father Raphael's church for the second time this month for another exciting ceremony. Miriam was absolutely radiant in her gown and the crowd got into the event by offering their encouragement during the ceremony.
It was a challange to keep up with this Bride as she shot from one location to another, but she rewarded us with some great poses to make it worthwhile.
The decorations by Linda from Petals Florist were stunning and added to the atmoshpere. Capt Hiram's made everyone feel at home and the dancing was topped off by the appearance of a Belly Dancer.
Just as the night was ending we headed down to the river behind Hiram's and took some more images that just rocked. Hey, it isn't every day that you can get all the bridemaids to throw their bouquets up in the air.
It was a great day. Thanks to Franci from Kettman Photography for helping with the shoot and we both wish this couple a long and happy life filled with Love..
Baker Romance II
Went back to Cocoa Village this week and this time had this great looking couple with me. Jonathan and Christina are getting married next month and this was their second romance shoot with me. We did the last one in downtown Melbourne in July so this gave us a much different look.
You had to know I would take them to the rail yard for some images after we worked the village itself and it was worth the journey. I used some of my new Gavin Phillips Lightroom preset on a few of these images and it worked pretty good.
These two are really starting to give me some great poses and I am really excited for their Wedding to get here. They are really fun to work with.........
A quick and easy way to increase sales using LightRoom.
Here is a way to increase sales with very little work. It works with almost any event coverage, even something as simple as this birthday party shot this weekend
While editing in LR keep your eyes open for interesting faces in the image. I usually concentrate'on the principles, the cute kids and faces with character. When you find one, click on control ' to make a virtual copy, crop nice and tight around the face and apply a burnt sepia preset to the image ( I used Gavin Phillips "mud" preset to these). Lighten or darken to taste and add a little clarity to sharpen. Now click on a number to assign a star or flag rating to the image.
After you have finished the edit. filter by the rating you have used and Voila! you have an attractive facial study collection from this event. Export these images into a folder called something like "sepia faces".
Show this folder seperately from the others to your client for imapct and you can often sell additonal images, a nice framed and matted grouping of their favorites or as a collage. The beauty of this is that it only takes about 3 seconds to create each image. That's about one minute for twenty images that can increase your bottom line and your client will thank you.
Cocoa Fun Shoot
Dan and I headed to check out Cocoa Village for a shoot. Found a riot of colors and many fun things to shoot. We only walked a few block and got this stuff. Definately putting a return trip on my schedule. Here are some of the images I shot.
I got to work with my Topaz filter set and my new Gavin Phillips Lightroom presets. Gave these images a lot of different looks. There were some cool murals on the walls that made some interesting images. Check out this backyard with all the bricks and wood and this "No Tresspassing " sign.
We stopped at this trainyard on the way back because we saw these train cars with all this graffitti on them. Then once there we found these really cool pieces of train equipment. Don't know what they do but the made for some great HDR images.
Mina and Mary Atanasious Wedding
This was a real intersting wedding with a lovely couple. Mary and Mina got married at the Arch Angel Coptic Church in Eau Gallie. The ceremony was traditional Coptic and was a riot of colors and sounds. One of the most outstanding images was of one of the two priests that performed the ceremony but the couple also provided some great imagery.
There were lots of kids in attendance and as usual made for some sweet pictures. It was a large crowd and I was amazed that everyone stood for the whole ceremony.
There was smoke billowing, crowns and robes for the Bride and Groom, candles held by the Bridesmaids and musical instruments to provide sound effects for this intriguing nuptial.
The reception was held at the Crown Plaza hotel and everyone had a good time with lots of hugging by everyone involved. While it was a cold might; the air was warmed by Mina and Mary and they were heading to Cancun for a 'fun in the sun' honeymoon. 
The Wedding of Jon and Regina Carter
Traveled down to Suart for this Wedding with this lovely couple. They are both music majors and the Ceremony had music written by the Groom and sung by friends of the Bride. Accompanied by another couple of friends on the cello and organ it was incredible. Throw in a groomsman fainting during the Ceremony and it was one exciting Wedding.
Jon and Regina shared some tender moments to give me the opportunity to capture some endearing images that will definately make it into my portfolio.
I only got the chance to meet these two the night before at the rehearsal and it amazed me how well they worked with me to get some very special pictures.
After the Ceremony we went to the Monarch Country Club for the reception and everyone really enjoyed the party. Another very cool thing happened there when the lovely girl who cought the Bride's Bouquet was proposed to by her new fiance on the spot. I've never seen it work so fast. I think there was a little planning that went into this but she was totally surprised. How fun is that!
As usual there were some fun kids and lots of happy family and friends to share the day. All in all, it was a glorious start for the New Year.
Cheyenne plays Cowgirl
During a visit this week, Cheyenne decided to raid my prop room. She dug out the rocking horse and rocking camel. So I picked out a cute little country outfit and found both of her cowboy boots. We added a rope, cowboy hats and bandanas to complete the look.
This is a new background I painted last week for corporate head shots but the brown color scheme worked for this. Besides, it was already up and she was ready to go.
As usual with her, she didn't look my way too often as she was busy talking to the horse and her rag doll that she was giving a ride. Patience, patience finally paid off and we got a few outstanding images. She is so cute that it is hard to go wrong when I get see her face.
My favorite of her this week is the oil painting that I am going to print as a gallery wrap canvas and give to her parents for Christmas unless I dedide to keep it for myself.
The Terrero Wedding
Alex and Madeline got married at the Tides at Patrick AFB and had their reception upstairs. We cought some great weather that gave us clouds for the deck shots. I got a chance to work with these two before the wedding and loved their sense of humor and obvious love for one another.
These two images were shot by Brian Idocks at a seminar he held here on November and the couple just loved them. Thank you Brian.
The Bridal Party shot make a nice water color and I got some nice headshots of the Bridesmaids and Alex's father.
They had two cakes and one had a shot of the groom holding the bride. So we had some fun when we took a similar image and replaced the cake topping with the actual couple.
An all around fun day and we wish Alex and Madeline the very best.............
Dan and Laurie Clark
I've had some great Weddings at the beachside Crown Plaza lately but this one may take the prize as the most unique.
As the guys danced and slid down the staircase to the wedding on the beach in costume, with an absolutely beautiful bride close behind; it just kept getting better.
There was another dance routine as they entered the reception two by two.The Bride was serenaded by the Groom and his Men. We had some beautiful kids, a rapping groom and a MJ dance off.
I won't go into the clothes that came off but the handfulls of cake to the face should give you and idea of what a fun nite this one was....
Sanctuary Wedding
Hey Really. That's their name, not where the Wedding was held. Jason and Bobbi were a fantastic couple to work with. They had a look all their own (loved his hat) and they were just so affectionate with each other.
This is another Crown Plaza Wedding, and I will be back there next week for another. I hope I get as many nice images from that one.
The Wedding was beautiful and the party afterwards was fun. Every time I turned around Bobbi and Jason were kissing again. It was a fun time for them and me........
Sally and Kyle Ebner Wedding
This was a very cool Wedding in the neighborhood. Held at Bicentennial Park in Indiain Harbor Beach with the Rev Ann Fuller performing the ceremony, it was thoroughly enjoyable and offered a few good spots for some images.
After the Ceremony we had some time so we went to their favorite hangout; Doubles over on South Patrick for some images and then back to their house which had a backyard just made for pictures. After that we went to a friends house up on Merritt Island for a big party. It had it all including a roast pig. Good eating, good friends and family and beautiful weather, made this a day to remember.
Kyle and Sally were a blast to work with and I was touched by how much love their friends seemed to have for them. The air was heavy with happiness and laughter as the sun sunk in the sky. The day may have been ending but I suspect that a glorious new day was just beginning.
The Schmidt Courthouse Wedding
This couple stopped by on their way to the courthouse to get Married for some images.
Kimberley and Cleverson taught me something. It doesn't matter how you get married; it's still a very special and memorable day. And you deserve some great images.
So we got some things in the studio and the rain let up just long enough for us to head across the street for some images on the beach. It was never about the decorations or the settings. It is about Love, and they had plenty of that.
We spent about an hour together and then the couple took off for the Courthouse to get married. I got to start editing the images and had a blast doing it.
Now I am offering a new package. Come by the studio for an hour before or after your courthouse wedding and we will make some magical images together that you will enjoy for generations to come.
A Cocoa Beach Wedding with a Couple from England
This couple travelled across the Atlantic to get married on our beach.
It was a wonderful ceremony and you have to love it when a Bride and Groom don't mind wading in the water on their wedding day.
All in all, a fun wedding and great bunch of people.
St Romains with their new Baby
You might remember Danielle and Randall St Romain from their wedding earlier this year. Well now they have a new baby to celebrate. Quite a year for them.
This little guy was a real trooper. Other than needing to stop for a feeding he hung in there for this photo shoot pretty well. As you can see Dad is makeing him a little LSU fan. In this Gator country, you have to wonder if it's his version of a "Boy named Sue"
Danielle was just as beautiful as a mother as she was as a bride and the little bit with Randall and his guitar worked well.
More From the Bridal Project
For those that have been following my blog; you know I have been working with a local Bridal Shop to display their gowns and my Photography. The promotion at La Boutique Lingerie and Bridal Shop at the Melbourne Mall offers a FREE formal bridal session or Trash the Dress session to any Bride that purchases a gown from the store.
Another very cool thing is that Maxine's Hair Salon in Eau Gallie is doing the hair and make-up and Paradise Beach Florist over on A1A north of Indialantic is providing some lovely flowers for the Brides. They are also offering some great deals for any Brides that but their gown from La Boutique.
The two models from this week are Brooke who is a hairdresser from La Boutique. Besides cutting my hair for many years, Brooke is a serious student who will someday be a doctor or researcher. The other is local student from Palm Bay named Karina. I saw Karina's picture on the One Model Place website and never met her until the day of the shoot. You can see from her pictures why I wanted to include her.
These Formal Bridal Shoots are a blast and it is fun for the girls and me to see the result on the wall at the Mall.
Corrine's new Baby
You might remember I did the Wedding of the Ocello's a couple of months ago and the Bride was rather pregnant. Well the Baby has arrived and had his first photo shoot at 13 days old.
It was probably more fun for me than for the parents who watched me wrap their child in this very thin cheesecloth and hang him from a tree branch. Even with a large air mattress and the dad underneath; there was a certain amount of nervesness.
Another funny moment came when Dad was holding the baby on his arm and the young one decided it was a good time to take a leak.
So we got the whole family together for a few images but the one of Dad and the new sports fan in Yankee garb was particularly sweet.
The Butterworth Wedding
Benjamin and Toni got married at the South Patrick Chapel and then had a wonderful reception at the Duran Country Club. It was a beautiful Ceremony with a handsome wedding party.
A big storm front was moving in as we got to the Duran for the reception but it held off long enough to get some great images of the couple before they made their grand entrance.
Toni and Ben were starving and nibbled on some treats just before entering the Duran and this made for some special and touching images.
As usual; there were some adorable little ones around to try to steal the show but the day belonged to this charming couple and to the love they obviously share.
